Just like it's easy to fall into the abyss of focusing on what we've done wrong, it's easy to get lost wallowing in what we don't like about our lives. To counter that, ask yourself, "What do I love about my life?"
Give yourself a pool of positive aspects about your life to focus on, both on the work front and the personal front. They can be big and deep (e.g., I love the fact that I get so much love and support from my family and friends), or not-so-deep (e.g., I love the fact that every Friday I have a chance to drum with a bunch of people who love drumming).
You may want to expand this into a long-term habit with a gratitude journal.
Brought to you by Curt Rosengren, Passion Catalyst TM
This is one question that we all need to ask several times a year.
Nearly every time I do it, I find at least one inadvertent contradiction between something that makes me happy and something that I want to accomplish.
Finding the contradiction forces me to evaluate the goal, how important it is to me, how it can be managed in a way that allows me to reach the goal without sacrificing the contentment. It also forces me to re-examine the point of contentment, whether it's something "legitimate" or whether it's just a comfortable rut, whether it's something I hold onto because it helps me maintain something essential in my life or if I hold onto out of fear of moving on.
Excellent series, Curt.
Posted by: Whitney | December 31, 2006 at 09:33 AM
Seeing those contradictions sure can be powerful, can't it. It really forces you to re-evaluate the choices you're making.
Even if you decide to make the same choice, at least you're doing it with your eyes wide open and not by default.
Posted by: Curt Rosengren | January 02, 2007 at 09:53 PM