Sunday, March 9, 2008

Relax….. Accomplish!

I have two overriding fears in my life… plus a whole host of other ones that, at the moment, don’t quite rise to the level of ‘overriding fears’.

The first one has to do with being at the end of my days on the planet and looking back at what transpired. What I hope to feel at that time is some degree of contentment arising out of having created and accomplished much of what was of interest to me, and which contributed to the wellbeing of others with whom I had direct and indirect contact.

It would be simpler if my interests were more focused to just a few areas. But they aren’t. Is this an issue for you too? Do you find that you have interests, even passionate ones, in a number of unrelated arenas?

For me, these arenas include music, writing, learning, natural health, yoga, environmentally ‘green’ living, as well as the ones most all of us share… time with our mates, family and friends, doing my best in our vocations, financially keeping things solvent now and building some reserves for retirement, and having adequate leisure time to relax, unwind and rejuvenate.

It often feels like a lot to juggle! Yet there is nothing in my list that I could leave out, without feeling the pain of neglect from the growing hole in one of those areas of my life. What are your life’s vital interests? How do you manage to make time for them all?

And the second fear is born out of the first. The fear is that both my wife and I are living with too much stress, which has the potential to increase risk for major health problems, inevitably leading to loss of lifestyle options and a shorter tenure on earth, than might have been the case had we been more committed to relaxing and less obsessed with accomplishing.

So I have a kind of strategy. It’s not all that elegant of a strategy, but it is all that has occurred to me thus far. (I’m hoping you will have some ideas to share in the comments section for my benefit and the benefit of those that read this blog.)

What I endeavor to do is to categorize a good deal of my activities that I wish to accomplish under the umbrella of ‘relaxation’. For example, today I did some yoga and shoveled the driveway and sidewalk for exercise. It was relaxing being outside in the sun pushing snow and scraping ice and my yoga was ‘free form’… I had no particular agenda for accomplishing a particular routine or putting in a prescribed amount of time doing yoga.

I practiced some saxophone and hope to put in 10 – 15 minutes of piano practice before bed. (Bonne and I take an hour piano lesson together every other week.) This is pure enjoyment for me, even though I do have music lessons in the next few days on both instruments and I like the idea of having practiced sufficiently to play the pieces well.

Then there were the websites that I updated and of course the time for writing this blog. Again, doing these kinds of projects are my idea of a good time. And Bonne and I had some very wonderful time while alone together today. It was a pleasure… none of that time was under the category of accomplishment!

Let me know how you sort out the polarities of accomplishment and relaxation in your own life. If you wish, please leave a comment about the ways you put together your life so it feels balanced and you feel fulfilled and satisfied.

In friendship,

Richard Chandler

First Published on Famous Quotes Homepage

“I always like to look on the optimistic side of life, but I am realistic enough to know that life is a complex matter.”
- Walt Disney (1901-1966)
http://www.famousquoteshomepage.com/Success_Quotes_Help_You_Acheive_Greater_Professional_&_Personal_Success.htm


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