Did you know that from the moment sharks are born, they never stop swimming, even when they are asleep?

Okay, sharks may not be the first thing you think of when you are asked about role models. Let’s face it though; sharks have been around much longer than man or any other mammal, maybe as much as 400 million years. To me this says they’re doing something right.

And they never stop moving forward. I think it’s a good metaphor for life: even if you’re only moving forward slowly, it’s vital to always keep moving.

Change doesn’t need to be hard: In fact, it’s better if it’s easy, and pleasurable, don’t you think?

Let’s say you want to lose 100 lbs (I like round numbers!)…

A hundred pounds, phew that’s a lot of hard work. It’s probably going to make you feel miserable for a long time, and I’m guessing you will only feel good about it you’ve lost it all, right?

Wrong!

Put aside the one hundred pounds for a minute…

And let’s dig into something that will help you get there (remember, this is just an example)…

Why not pick up a new recipe – perhaps one that uses ingredients low in saturated fats and is as fast to prepare as ordering takeout? Or maybe ask the person at the deli counter how they make that delicious Tuscan bean salad.

Prepare it, enjoy it, and then CELEBRATE!

…Buy yourself something that you absolutely love, like a brand-new book by your favorite author. Some new clothes. Call your friends and invite them over for drinks. Go completely over the top about how you celebrate achieving this first goal. I’m serious.

Make the change pleasurable.

Reward the good changes that you make.

This reminds me of a while back…

One of my mentors pointed out something to me that was so obvious and yet not so obvious…

What he told me is that if one day you’re making $10 and the next day you make $20, you’ve just doubled how much you make (or if you like percentages, that’s a two hundred percent increase). And no matter how small the amount might seem, you should celebrate.

That kind of got my attention. And even though in his example he used money, you can easily apply this to weight loss, relationships, your career and so on. I wonder if it will make you smile?

…Now back to reaching your goal, “rinse and repeat”… do it again… make another small improvement.

What I’ve just described pretty much sums up “AGAI” – one of my personal philosophies – Always Grow and Improve in the seven key areas of life. Do this and you will get the most juice out of life.

See, a tree doesn’t become 50 feet tall overnight. It works slowly at unfurling the seedling, throwing out some new shoots, beginning to make branches.

And all the while, it is aiming towards the light. It hardly sabotages itself by thinking “I’m too small, weak or dumb to become a tree from only this tiny seed.”

A tree just naturally strives to be as tall and strong as it is meant to be. A tree is always growing growing.

And so must you to live an extraordinary life.

Now I can almost hear you say it is sometimes necessary to take time out for reflection and understanding. And you’re right. The key is after that begin to pick up the pieces and go on with our lives, avoiding letting a pause turn into complacency or defeat.

One way I think of it… is if you are not growing, well, there’s really no other way to say it, you’re dieing. Now I’m not saying get out there and climb the highest mountain or swim the deepest ocean. Perhaps you can take it one step at a time, like biting small chunks out of one area of life each and every day. After all, Rome wasn’t built in a day!

So maybe one day you can work on your breathing when find your temper boils up. Perhaps you can give a dirty bathroom a good cleaning every Saturday instead of putting it off until what you really need is a Hazmat team. And smile more often throughout the day saying goodbye to a frown (your mood follows your body). Or stick to the issue in an argument, instead of trying to score points dragging in other problems. And practice saying “no” more often if you are taken advantage of.

Small improvements… yes. And yet you can see how they add up, can’t you?

Imagine 365 improvements at the end of the year across the seven key areas of your life:

Three hundred and sixty five ways that you are growing, becoming even more interesting, and experiencing life at a new level.

Always Grow and Improve.

Ciao!

Taylor

You may have heard of the 7 Areas of Life?

If you’re new to the concept (welcome, by the way) the 7 Areas of Life are:

Money, Time, Relationships, Health, Emotions, Work or Career, and Greater Contribution.

Each of these 7 Areas are like pillars that support your happiness and well-being. When one is weak and crumbles, your well-being caves in.

If you sit back and think about it, you might agree that most of us work on one, two, or at best, three of these pillars, right?

Some pour their heart and soul into their jobs. Ever found yourself concentrating on your career …identifying yourself with your job title or how much you earn, only feeling fulfilled when your work life is going well? …I know I have.

Others focus predominantly on their relationships. For these people, family and friends are the most important of the seven Areas, and they do not feel like a whole person if they’re not always focused putting others first.

By now maybe you can see how you favor one or two Areas the most. And likewise you might just as easily have clear in your mind the Areas you neglect… say maybe your health (when you eat out a lot to save time and energy), your money (when you spend money on things you know you don’t really need) or maybe your relationships (if you get caught up in a rat race of life bound with responsibilities)?

Don’t feel bad about the Areas you neglect, because we all do it. Just promise me you’ll avoid making the mistake of assuming that two or three strong “pillars” will make up for the rest. Because if you do, sooner or later the roof of your inner house will cave in, there is no doubt (I’ve been there and got the t-shirt).

And maybe it already has caved in… Perhaps right now you as you read what I’m saying there’s an uncomfortable sensation in the pit of your stomach – the one that signals now is time to change some things in your life…

…time for your Personal Renaissance.

Remember the Renaissance? It was the complete social and cultural change that took place in Europe from the 14th to the 17th century. The Renaissance was a time of great leaps forward in politics, art and culture. It was also the  time when the Renaissance Man (or Person!) was first recognized as a role model for us all.

Renaissance literally means “rebirth” and a Renaissance Person is someone who is balanced. An “all-rounder” of a person, who is equally devoted to work and relaxation, art and science, discovering and creating, giving and receiving, the outer and inner world.

I bring this up because when you pay more attention to the 7 Areas of Life, you can experience a similar rebirth, as a more complete and happy person – your own 21st Century Personal Renaissance.

And the beauty of it is that you can kick off this process in just seven days.

Really.

Here’s how…

First I’m going to list the 7 Areas in order of importance…

Actually, that’s not quite right. One Area is no more important than another. And to tell you the truth, even that’s not totally accurate. But they do have a logical sequence…

For instance, there’s no point developing your higher mind if you are lethargic and depressed from bad food and lack of exercise.

Okay, so here is your 7 day plan, in sequence…

And by the way, Day 1 is today. Right here, right now, or rather… when you finish reading the exercise.

All right, let’s do this!…

Day 1 – The Physical Self

Your body is your temple. All of the other elements of your life are related, and this includes our physical selves. You only get one body, so let’s give a little something back to it…

Step 1: Drink a glass of water. Most headaches are dehydration, and so are the “afternoon blues.”

Step 2: Stretch your arms above your head and breathe deeply.

Step 3: Walk around the room, taking long strides.

Day 2 – Emotions and Meaning

Everyday we have emotional responses to one thing or another. Some responses are good for us, others are harmful and disruptive. Because there’s a crucial link between your state of mind and your state of health, the key here is to become a master of your emotions…

Step 1: Tell yourself you want to recognize the next time you experience a heightened emotional response (e.g. anger) so that you can identify it.

Step 2: When you recognize you’re having strong emotions and feelings, decide if it is a positive or negative feeling. Your body responds to the way you think and feel. So if you are having a negative emotion, this can have a negative effect on your body.

Step 3: If you are experiencing a negative emotion, give yourself permission to let that feeling go.

Step 4: And now think of something that makes you feel happy or peaceful. There is research that having a positive outlook can improve your quality of life and boost your health.

Day 3 – Relationships

Relationships are made up of a thousand small moments of shared history. They are the things that help us identify our place in our family, our community and our world.

Step 1: Give your partner, spouse, or your best friend a seven-second hug.

Step 2: If you have kids, smile at them every time they walk in the room today.

Step 3: Smile at a stranger, and say good morning if you are feeling really brave!

Day 4 – Time

This is a difficult one for a lot of people, even more challenging than Emotions and Meaning, because we live in a world of “time poor” people and time is now a precious commodity, divided into tenths of seconds, rather than the movement of the sun across the sky.

Step 1: Tell yourself that doing “nothing” is valuable use of your time.

Step 2: Find somewhere quiet and let yourself daydream for a bit. Remember when you were a kid and you would stare happily at the ceiling for hours at a time? During this time, your brain displays some very interesting wave patterns, and it has been shown that kids who are allowed to daydream have higher IQs, are better able to concentrate and have less behavioral problems.

Day 5 – Career/Work

I’m not going to ask you to spend more time at the office! Instead I’m going to ask you to think carefully about whether your job (this extends to homemakers too) is bringing you all the rewards and joy you deserve.

Step 1: Make a small change to your working environment. Sit near a window, or take a 15 minute walk in your lunch break. Say good morning to someone you see all the time but never speak to.

Step 2: Let go of the stress. Breathe deeply and remember that fretting over things that haven’t happened yet will not help you achieve anything more quickly.

Day 6 – Finances

Lots of people are worried about money, especially now.

Money means freedom, and control over your life. Here’s the real rub with this definition of money… we can limit our options if we feel we have to make more more money to have that control, because you can have control over your financial life without needing to earn more – you simply need to look honestly at exactly what you have and what you do now.

Step 1: If you don’t have a budget, or if you don’t stick to one, begin today. Keep a financial diary and jot down everything you spend in a single day.

Step 2: Create a budget that works for YOU. One person I know loves to treat her friends. She can’t help it, she is always picking up the tab for after-work drinks. Yet her budget works! How? She is honest about her habits, and budgets a certain amount of money each week for treating other people. Once she reaches that limit, her weekly generosity is cut off. Simple.

Step 3: Take control of the small expenses: Walk to work, make birthday and holiday cards with your kids, turn off the heat in rooms you aren’t using. It’s not just the money you save that will help here, it’s the return of personal power – you can control your money.

Day 7 – Greater Contribution and Spirituality

This doesn’t necessarily mean religion, although that’s certainly part of it if you go to a place of worship. This is the area of your life that is about enjoying the spiritual rewards of your Personal Renaissance. This is the day when you stop to smell the flowers, to be grateful for the good things in your life, and to celebrate in whatever way is meaningful for you.

Step 1: Before you jump out of bed as soon as you wake up, take five minutes to stretch, wriggle your toes and smile. Even if you need to fake a smile, that’s fine. Endorphins (the feel-good chemicals in the brain) are released every time you smile, even if it is forced. Your body really does want you to be happy!

Step 2: Begin the day thinking about the people closest to you. Really thinking about them: How they feel, how they look, how their life might be right now.

Step 3: No matter how you spend your day, try to collect ten things you appreciate: Mental snapshots of gratitude – like the smell of coffee at your favorite cafe or of flowers in your garden,  a warm shower … or the garbage bin not needing to be emptied! Review these tonight as you go to sleep – instead of worrying about the bad things.

And that’s it.

Seven days and Seven Vital Pillars of Life that bring you closer to your Personal Renaissance. You have the power to be happy and paying attention to all seven pillars of a whole and balanced life will make you happier than you thought possible.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this…

Ciao!

Taylor

P. S. A post or two ago you may have noticed I hinted I’ve got something in store for you. Well, I’m now putting finishing touches on it. So leave the best comment and you’ll get a copy.

A long time ago, before I was able to really get it and was clueless about the meaning of life, a mentor of mine said:

“Taylor…we all get the same amount of time!”

No matter how simple and profound this statement is, at the time, his words didn’t sink in.

But as the years went by, I’d hear those words a few more times. Returning like a refrain, I’d slowly appreciate this song.

See, there’s a thing with people who live their dreams, people who lead extraordinary lives. These folks have mastered the simple truth about time–that we all get the same amount of time.

…And they know something else too…

That it’s what you do with your time that gets you different results from everyone else.

That how you spend your time determines your future.

Now if you’re like me, that probably sounds elementary. But on some level it’s hard to disagree, right?

It’s time to get this out in the open… People who live a richer, more fulfilling life in every sense of the word, realize it’s not about needing more time. Let’s face it… We all have all the time we’re ever going to get. So the secret is in how you use that time, how you leverage time.

When someone has an issue with time, often we’ll talk about their relationship with time.

Not surprisingly, they’ll tell me they don’t have enough time to do this that or the other. I mean really, ask a random person at the grocery store… it’s rare to find anyone who has time to do anything. Or is it?

They like money, but they don’t have time to get organized to make more money.

They say they wish they were in better shape, but they don’t have time to eat healthier or to take better care of themselves physically or emotionally.

They dream of better relationships, but they don’t have time to create strong, long-lasting bonds.

They describe in detail what they hate about their current job, but they don’t have time to think of a more rewarding line of work or to design a career they can be passionate about.

Sometimes we talk about how things take effort. But mostly it’s about how things take time.

In a way, it’s funny. Because if you ask them to journal how they spend their time, they make some amazing discoveries.

When someone first told me about journaling, I couldn’t help but think of a large, worn-in, leather-bound journal. Like an artist’s sketchbook or something. But the fact is you can journal on a small pad you keep in your back pocket or purse, on your computer, iphone, or whatever way makes you most comfortable. And when you make it a habit to keep a journal of how you spend your time, you too will see patterns in what you do with your time–those precious hours, days, months and years of your life.

And so when on the one hand they say “I’m so busy… I don’t have time…” and then on the other hand they see right there in black and white what it is they’re actually busy doing, it’s quite eye-opening, and at times down-right shocking.

For example, just imagine their surprise when they realize how many hours they spend watching television…

A.C. Nielsen Co. reported the average American watches more than 4 hours of TV each day (in reality, the TV is on more than that, an average of 6 hours, 47 minutes each day)

Why not try some simple math…

4 hours a day is 28 hours a week, or 2 months of nonstop TV-watching per year. 60 days of nonstop TV a year.

In a 65-year life, someone watching this much TV will have spent 9 years glued to the tube–more time today considering people are living longer. Tell me if that’s not alarming. Maybe it’s a wake up call.

Now, depending on what kind of television they watch, there may be some educational value to it. You know …if they’re watching things like the History Channel or the Discovery Channel.

And that’s just picking a classic example, people watching television hours and hours a day, wasting their gifts and lives in front of the television.

Listen, I used to be busy too. In fact, I still am quite often. At times you might have even seen me wearing “busyness” (is that a word?) almost as if it were a badge of honor.

Yes, I used to enjoy being busy.  The busier I was, the better I felt.

But that was a superficial feeling of fulfillment.

At a much deeper level, truth be told, I was far from satisfied with the things that were keeping me busy.

So there I was “busy”…

You know, there’s a thing about being busy…

When you are busy, you can get nowhere real fast.

Busy, busy, busy, at work. Or busy, busy, busy at home with the kids. Busy, maybe feeling like you’re a hamster on the hamster wheel. Busy getting tired, burning out.

Busy like our dogs running around in circles, chasing their tails.

That’s when along the road, another mentor taught this dog a new trick… Anyway, let me stay focused here…

What do you say let’s do a quickie quiz?

I’m giving away a prize, naturally.

And to make it relevant to the subject at hand, how about access to my Personal Renaissance group coaching and mentoring program to the first right answer?

Sound good?

Okay. Here’s the quiz:

You know people have goals. Spoken personal goals, the ones they’ll openly and easily share. And unspoken ones-goals maybe they would rather keep to themselves or don’t typically realize they have.

You probably even know a person or two who’s told you they have this or that goal. And yet in the same breath they also will painfully share that they don’t have time to work toward their goal because of how busy they are doing one thing or another.

You also know we all get the same amount of time. So if you take 2 random people who both have a goal of losing the same amount of weight and one of them gets to the gym 3 times a week and the other doesn’t, it isn’t because the first has more time.

So here’s the Big Question for today’s quiz:

What is it that makes someone who has a goal, clear or hazy, spoken or unspoken, as it may be, engage in logic-defying acts, squandering precious time when instead they could be taking action in support of their goals?

Why the self sabotage?

What is at the root of our self defeating behaviors?

Is it procrastination, fear …or something deeper?

What’s the key intrinsic reason why we do what we do instead of what we know we should do in support of our goals?

Toss your hat into the ring.

Well?

There IS a single answer.

Do you know what it is?

Be the first to nail it in the comments section, and you win entry into my coaching program, “Personal Renaissance.”

Okay… go.

Answer (and winner announced) Wednesday afternoon.

Good luck.

Ciao!

Taylor