Who is it for? (by Trish)
When Jim first started writing this blog, he wasn’t publishing it yet. He set a goal to write everyday and, in true Jim fashion, he did so. (He is very diligent when he puts his mind to something and creates new habits more efficiently than anyone else I know).
He wrote about things that interested him, troubled him, made him curious or made him think. Mostly, he started writing for himself. I suppose it was a way of working through things that were rattling around in that amazing brain of his.
He knew at some point he would publish what he was writing but when he first started, it was really just for him. Over time, this personal endeavor has reached a number of people in different ways. For my part, when Jim convinced me to start contributing guest blogs, it prompted me to tune into and sift through my internal thoughts. Thinking about how I might write about things that strike me creates an interesting mental challenge. As a reader, many of you may agree, the blog is interesting and thought provoking.
Lately, it seems Jim has been slightly less motivated to write. Perhaps he’s worked out all the lingering challenges in his head. Maybe some days it feels like an obligation or the inspiration just doesn’t strike. For now, he continues to write when he feels inspired to do so but I realize it may not continue as a daily thing. Part of me was disappointed at this realization. I have always enjoyed reading Jim’s work. His musings have given me something to ponder and helped me gain new perspective.
I would love to see him continue. I realize, however, that the blog is not really for me… it’s for him. This made me think about the work that any of us do. Who is it for? If we chase external approval or validation from others, we will never be happy. To truly find satisfaction, we must do things that we find fulfilling. Ultimately, the things we do in life must first serve us before they can serve others.
How are the things you do serving you, other people or both?
Hopefully, my questions cause you to reflect on your own thinking, relationships or choices. Maybe I even inspire you to make positive changes.
If you want to comment publicly, click on the photo of the post to get to the comment page. Send private comments to info@simplybettercoaching.com
The value of short form
One of the early decisions I made about this blog is to keep the posts relatively short. In a world where people receive too many emails, people might actually read short, punchy blog posts instead of saving them for later. As much as I write for myself, making an...
What’s driving your risk?
I keep reading about people getting rescued from nearby mountains. In some recent cases, the rescues were easily avoidable. If people had flashlights (torches for my UK friends), they probably would have been fine after dark. If they had started their hikes earlier in...
Accountability
Sometimes we know what we need to do and accountability keeps us doing it. It may be enough to know someone else is paying attention. A daily publishing deadline is what keeps me writing. I often consider moving to a different schedule to give myself a break. Then I...
Challenging and achievable
We’ve wrapped up another month of our online Movement for Longevity classes. Each person has their own strengths and weaknesses and it takes some trial and error to find what they need. My favorite phrase, “challenging and achievable” describes how to know what’s...
When there are no words (by Trish)
When people I care about are going through difficult times, I often feel a bit helpless and unsure of what to do. What do I say when there seem to be no right words? How can I help when I don’t have a way to fix their pain? I am an inherent “fixer”… if someone has a...
Growth starts with a new choice
Just because you announced something once does not mean you have to abide by that for the rest of your life. A past choice that no longer serves you is best discarded. I can recall a statement made in a moment of pique. “Well, I ‘m never going there again.” When I...
Find joy where you are
Spending my days with Roli leads to a lot of useful lessons. Play hard, greet everyone with a smile and sleep as much as you can. He seems like a good role model without even trying. I might do pretty well if I decided to live like Roli. Unlike many of us, he lives in...
Commitment (by Trish)
At the beginning of this year, I had been very lax about going to the gym, making it just 1-2x per month. Jim and I were typically running movement classes at least at few times per month, we were going for long walks on the weekends, and I was doing yoga on Friday...
The power of priority
When you decide what's most important to you, that priority can be a great guide for making decisions. The more choices you make that align with your priority, the better you feel. Stray from the path and you may feel guilty or rationalize that you’ll get to it...
Great goals drive action
Many of us have had goals that we never achieved. I wonder how many of us took action and fell short. It seems more likely that we didn’t take the necessary action. Think about a goal you would like to achieve and then consider what action you can take today (or right...
Opportunity cost
All the time we spend doing one thing is time we could have spent doing something else. Before you spend hours binging Netflix or scrolling through social media, think about what are you giving up. Even if what you're doing is more productive than entertainment, it's...
Why wait?
We all have one problem or another. Sometimes solutions are expensive and take a long time. Other times, you can take small steps and enjoy immediate benefits. After getting around to fixing a few things that I had put off, I realized I should have acted sooner....