INSIGHTS (on leadership/self-leadership)
What’s the key to inner-peace? It’s a profound question, that many a scholar, author, scientist, researcher have tried to answer. I’ve always liked Greek philosopher Aristotle’s formula. He believed you create inner balance and peace as long as you have, “something to do, someone to love, and something to hope for.”
It’s a simple plan that makes a lot of sense, as long as you apply some critical qualifiers.
Have something to do – that you find meaningful and purpose-filled, that speaks to your values, that aligns with how you want to be spending your time (not how someone else thinks you should be spending your time).
Have someone to love – a network of relationships that you hold dear, that you prioritize above all else, that you simply can’t sacrifice as you head down the path of achievement, that you know (above all else) will matter most in the end.
Have something to hope for – uninhibited by your limiting beliefs (or other’s limiting beliefs that you’ve adopted as your own), in line with what would make your heart sing or your psyche soar, that you’ll begin working towards, today, versus waiting for the perfect time to start.
How do you measure against each of these (qualified) elements in your life? Doing so well, is a philosophy worth following.
IMPERFECTIONS (something many people miss)
You have plenty to balance. Work and life. Fun and responsibilities. Eating healthy and eating that pizza. Here’s a vital balance to strive for that you might not have thought about.
The need to balance life’s simple pleasures with intense experiences.
I’ll explain.
There’s much to be said for enjoying the little pleasures in life: that hot cup of morning coffee, that cool breeze wafting across the porch on a sunny day, silence. Lovely, silence.
I think, though, that for every simple thing you appreciate in your life, you should balance it with experiences that you really throw yourself into, with great energy and passion. Going all-in on your plan to get more exercise. Dancing like no one’s watching at that concert and letting the music reach your soul. Getting wholly absorbed in that art exhibit.
I’m advocating for a mixture of vivacity and simplicity. Spirit and serenity. I believe it creates a more well-rounded, thorough, sense of joy.
Do you agree?
IMPLEMENTATION (one research-backed strategy, tip, or tool)
The next time you’re hoping for, well, hope, remember there are two ways to go about it.
As Angela Duckworth, psychology professor at the University of Pennsylvania indicates in her book Grit, one kind of hope is the expectation that tomorrow will be better than today – it’s up to the universe to make it so. The other kind rests on the expectation that our own efforts can improve our future. In other words, “I have a feeling tomorrow will be better” is very different than “I resolve to make tomorrow better.” Those with fortitude, with grit, focus on the latter of these.
You can too.
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