Where’s Your Shine?

Over the weekend I had a few experiences with “Shine”.  First off, I  spent the weekend polishing the silver to be ready for use for the upcoming holiday dinners.  This hands on approach made me appreciate the use and ability of my hands, my tenacity at getting this job accomplished and gratitude that I still had some hand lotion left.  It also made me think about delegating this job back next year since I was perhaps good at polishing silver but not great at it.  Secondly , I had an interesting conversations about Shine. Ashley – a helpful bagging clerk  from Belair Market, made a remark that California needs its own shine.  We were discussing the fact that until recently New Year’s Eve is marked more  by the East Coast Times Square ball dropping than any other event. Ashley then aptly commented “So where is our shine?”

Both of these activities brought me to thinking more about shine. We each have the ability to shine. We just need to know who we are and what we are good at.

Is it time for you to think about your shine?  Has your shine changed over the years? Are you getting ready to shine in a new and different area? Ask yourself Where is my shine?

Thinking about More or Less

It is the time of year when we tend to do MORE when in fact LESS is what we really need to do.

In terms of our thinking, let’s review how we may conceptualize MORE and LESS.

We obtain MORE when we think about gathering information, developing insight, processing our thoughts and activating our ideas into fruition.

In terms of LESS, (coming from a positive perspective), we save ourselves energy, frustration and wasted productivity, when we are doing LESS ruminating, worrying, obsessing, delaying  and ignoring,  or dreading.

Sometimes instead of actually doing and working on MORE we may want to focus on doing LESS.

If you enjoyed this post you might also like The More I Know the Less I Know.

Seasonal Slowdown

Do you have times of the year when you are the least productive? Many in the Northern Hemisphere find the last few weeks in August slow going.  December is another time of reduced productivity. I have been told that in the Southern Hemisphere things really slow down in December with the warming weather and impending holiday season.

The days leading up to many holidays are often filled with preparation, last-minute completions and tidying up of loose ends.  Since this post is coming out on Cyber Monday, I know productivity in the workplace has likely declined today due to internet shopping.

Being aware of seasonal slowdowns and it’s effect on your workday is helpful knowledge in managing your own time and working with others.

Thinking about Lightening the Load

Are you carrying too much? Is your plate full?  When we are holding a heavy load we may be causing ourselves unnecessary stress.  So how can we lighten up?

First cut out the non essentials.

Add in some humor to your life. Reading a few humor blogs may actually help you lighten your load.  Another technique is to watch 30 minutes of a situational comedy or schedule some time to talk to a friend who makes you laugh.

Learn to say no. Yes, practice the art of saying no. Don’t accept more when what you really need is less!

Enlist help or share the load.

Finally, maintain your good self-care practices.  This means  make sure you eat  healthy, sleep a decent amount and get at least a small amount of exercise.

Do you have any thoughts about lightening your load?

Thinking About the “Un’s” in Life

Let’s take  a moment to think about the “Un’s” in our lives?

Here is a list of some “Un’s”:

Unfinished

Unused

Unresolved

Undecided

Misunderstood

How would it be if we had a day each week to look at the “Un’s” and work on them? What day would you choose?

Cloudy versus Clear Thinking

Our thoughts are like the weather. Sometimes our thinking is cloudy and other times we have  crystal clear moments. Do you ever take the time to acknowledge the state of your thoughts?

By accessing our” thought” weather, we can provide ourselves with protection and make directional choices. By this I mean, when we assess ourselves as in a ” cloudy” state of thinking, we can avoid making critical decisions. Delay is a very useful cover from cloudy thoughts. When we are in a “clear” thinking period, this is the time to make decisions and choose paths to take.

How do you handle the clarity of your thinking?

Odds and Ends

Today’s blog covers different and odd things. Here are a few sites to get you going:

Unintended Uses

Dial A Stranger

Happiness Hat

Ornamental Passions

Wordspy

Let me know what you think!

Proactive Vs. Reactive

How are you spending your day? In a proactive or reactive way?

Some times being proactive is a great way to proceed. Other times being reactive is likely the best method. Proactiveness takes energy and thought. Reactiveness does not take advance thought, but you might want to filter your actions. Reactiveness is  likely good in times of low energy and creativity.

How are you going through your day today?

Thinking about Lists

Everyone makes lists. Well – almost everyone. List making can be done  on paper or via your computer or electronic device.   I personally have a variety of lists, some electronic and some on paper.

No matter what type of list maker you are, it helps to actually review your lists from time to time. Lists are windows into our very being.

Here are some list resources to educate, amuse and entertain you.

Websites

Grocery lists – A site with interesting “found” grocery lists.

43 Things - Online Goal Setting Community

Listography - Online Parking Spot for your lists.

Books

To-Do List: From Buying Milk to Finding a Soul Mate, What Our Lists Reveal about Us - Sasha Cagan 2007
Milk, Egg, Vodka Bill Keaggy 2007
Todoodle List Nick Cernis

Unrelated Tasks Often Further Thought Development

My last post focused on Thinking Outside of the Box. Fred, a frequent and insightful commenter on my blog made mention of  how Sherlock Homes often performed unrelated tasks to further his thinking.

We can take a good clue from Sherlock Holmes, Sir Conan Doyle’s famous sleuth, in the novel Sign of the Four. When confronting a seeming insurmountable and perplexing conundrum of this case, Mr Holmes attacked the problem by doing something totally unrelated, namely performing chemistry experiments into the wee hours of the morning. It was only then that he was able to “think outside the box”, and the solution to his vexing problem appeared to him. Sometimes we need to use a skillful will rather than a strong will to think creatively.

Many thanks to Fred for bringing this concept to our attention.