Tag Archives: mindfulness

Jan 7 2013

Wonder Without Googling

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Wonder Without Googling

I got a set of World Book encyclopedias for Christmas in the sixth grade. With all those foil-embossed books just beyond the foot of  my bed, I felt mighty and all-knowing. A little page flipping (and maybe some cross-referencing), and I could find out just enough info to satisfy any and all of my kid intellectual curiosities.

Nowadays, I’ve got this little phone that sits just inches from my pillow–and a larger, glowing box that’s pretty much always at arm’s length. In an instant, I can look up anything I want on these devices–and I do.

Do I ever. Especially when I should be asleep. Sleepy-eyed googling, I have no shame. Plagued by an obscure desire to find out what ever happened to Tato Skins or The Sundays or my kindergarten boyfriend (he climbed Pike’s Peak–or at least somebody with his name did).

So, when I read the 18-point contract that mother gave to her son along with a shiny new iPhone for Christmas, I was struck by the eloquence and the agelessness of her advice. But it was #17 on that contract that stood out to me the most: Wonder without googling.

It’s powerful to have these tools at my fingertips that will give me the answers to pretty much anything I ask of them–in a matter of seconds. No matter where I am, no matter the time of day. And it’s exhausting to have all of that information swirling around in my head. It’s enough to make me miss the days of my leatherette World Books.

I’m cleaning up my online habits in 2013. Less Facebook, more face-to-face time. Less surfing, more diving in. And with that comes wondering without googling.

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©2013 Good Karma Housekeeping. Because some things are best left to imagination. (Photo by ~C4Chaos via Creative Commons.)

Sep 29 2010

And the Net Will Appear

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What aren’t we doing?

I’m not talking about going to the gym or folding the laundry or flossing daily. I mean the big stuff. Life list material.

  • Writing that book
  • Performing in front of an audience
  • Painting landscapes
  • Opening a restaurant
  • Running a marathon

It’s fun to come up with these grand plans and share them with friends and loved ones. We see our enthusiasm reflected in their eyes and think to ourselves, for a moment, “Hey, I could actually do this!” These are the people who will be in the front row at our book signing, hang our art in their living room, frequenting our restaurant—so long as we take that first step.

Only we can bring about these dreams. If we wait for circumstances to be “just right,” these dreams will get buried in an avalanche of mundane things. Like doing bicep curls at the gym. Or pairing up your family’s clean socks. When you look back—weeks, months, years from now—the socks will mean nothing.

“But I’ve been so busy,” we’ll think. “How could I possibly have found the time to these things?” We’ll scold ourselves for being lazy, and then go back to the socks. There’ll always be more socks.

Guilt never works. What does work is understanding the why behind the inaction. And here’s what I’ve learned about what’s beneath the surface. (Hint: It has nothing to do with being lazy.)

It’s perfectionism.

Perfectionism is unattainable. It’s an inverted form of procrastination. If we can’t write a brilliant first chapter; paint a breathtaking, snow-dappled evergreen, or bring an audience to its feet—to the super-human standards that we’ve set for ourselves–then it’s just not worth the effort.

Perfectionists are about the all or nothing. We don’t have time for mediocrity. But we’re expert sock sorters, dish scrubbers, and dutiful gym-goers. We focus our perfectionism on the things that—in the grand scheme of things—don’t really matter.

So, how do we break this ingrained habit of perfectionism?

We leap. We strive for imperfection. We show up for ourselves and keep at it. We celebrate progress—no matter how it looks. We enjoy the journey.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? . . . Your playing small does not serve the world.”
                                                                  –Marianne Williamson

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© 2010 Good Karma Housekeeping. Because Yoda was right–you’ve just gotta do it. (Photo by David @ InternosPhoto.com via Creative Commons.)

Sep 23 2010

Pure Potential

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From the outside, it may not have looked like I did much in tonight’s yoga class with OmGal. I took it slow, skipped each and every chautauranga, sunk deeply into many a child’s pose for minutes at a time, and kept both feet on the ground in the balancing poses.

I was dehydrated and depleted. My body wanted to go home, but my mind needed the sanctuary. So, instead, I dedicated tonight’s class to recharging my body through my thoughts.

By coaching myself into remembering how I feel when I’m “at my best” on the mat, I was able to come up with a few grounding words, which became my mantra for the evening.

Deep breath in . . . I am graceful. Exhale . . . I am strong. Inhale . . . I am pure potential . . .

For 90 minutes, I breathed these words in and I breathed these words out. Even without my wonderfully familiar power yoga flow, I was graceful and strong. And my potential? Limitless.

Best yoga class ever? I dare say so.

“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret; it is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
                                                                        — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

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© 2010 Good Karma Housekeeping. Because stillness can be expansive. (Photo by lululemon athletica via Creative Commons.)

Sep 21 2010

Redoing the To-Do List

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“There is much to get done; therefore, we must go slowly.” I can’t remember who said it first, but boy was he (or she) right!

When the to-do list is a mile and a quarter long (And, really, whose isn’t?) the only chance we have of really getting things done is to slow waaaay down.

Less is more. Remember?

Today, instead of rushing to work to get crackin’ on that to-do list, I chose to hit the coffee shop. After getting my drink, I pulled out a blank sheet of paper and started writing. I wasn’t just wrapping my head around what I had to do; rather, I was getting clear on how I was going to do it. More intention, less agenda. Fifteen minutes later, I was ready to face my workday.

With a clear intention, we stand a much better chance of getting to the items on our own to-do lists—even when other people are adding their own items to it.

Want to re-do your to-do list? Here’s my approach for getting things done:

  • Start with a blank sheet of paper and take a few minutes to unload whatever thoughts are jumbling around in your head.
  • Remind yourself of your intention. (What are you working toward? What gets you energized?)
  • Create a short to-do list for the day. (3 to 5 items is realistic.)
  • Review each item and ask yourself, “If this was the only thing I got done today, how would I feel?” Make sure that something on your to-do list is fueling your intention.
  • Take a moment to think about how you’d like to feel (Calm? Productive? Connected?) and imagine yourself doing each of the items on your to-do list in this manner
  • Go out there and live your day.

If things don’t go as planned, that’s okay. Tomorrow you get to try all over again.

“Love of bustle is not industry.”
                                  –Seneca

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© 2010 Good Karma Housekeeping. Because less on your to-do list can make you more productive. Whodda thunk? (Photo by Shereen M via Creative Commons.)

Sep 3 2010

Quotation: On Slowing Down

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“There is much to be done; therefore, we must proceed slowly.”
                                                                                       –Buddha

It’s a three-day weekend. Slow down. Hit the park. Pick up a book. Take a nap. Do yoga. Buy an ice cream cone. Whatever feeds your soul.

Prioritize. Nurture yourself now so that you’ve got the energy to get things done later.

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© 2010 Good Karma Housekeeping. Because being busy and being productive are not the same thing. (Photo by Ed Yourdon via Creative Commons.)

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