Author: didibarbour

“Everyone needs an oasis of solitude & silence…a daily period of being present to our deepest self…” Thomas Keating

No matter the roles you play on the world stage, you need regular connection to an internal sanctuary of well being with touchstones to carry that peace found within throughout the day.

Taking time to deepen your experience with your higher self generates signpost reminders that you are a multidimensional person, with many levels of hopes, aspirations, & needs. This oasis is a much needed plug-in destination for grounding to our world within, so we can better function in the outer world. This time is much like tending to our beloved wireless devices that require connection to recharge & function as intended.

For me, early morning is my sanctuary & oasis. Coffee cup in hand, I step outside to greet the day, immersing in the awe of a sunrise, and to appreciate whatever is out there. The peace & insights arising during this special time generates abundant positive energy helping me be more at my best, especially as stress & challenges inevitably surface in the course of the day.

Indeed! The more hectic & stressful your life becomes, the more important it is to create a daily routine to immerse yourself in an oasis of solace and solitude. Think of it as an insurance policy – more a necessity than a luxury, protecting your well being from the day-to-day barrage of challenges & stress.

I continue doing research on how we can better focus on what matters most to us in life. What surfaced is a parallel analogy to better aim our attention like the functions of a camera lens zooming in on the specifics we want to capture. Similarly, a priority focused mindset homes in from an angle to more selectively perceive, view & sustain attention on the important & what we really care about while cropping out the superfluous clutter.

If pays to heighten our awareness as to where we regularly aim our focus and energies.  Knowing what is important sharpens our focus on what matters most: the people who count, the goals that make a difference & the crucial things first!

Determining our priorities allows for better self-knowledge – which provides a clearer lens for putting first things first.   That Wisdom is succinctly stated by Von Goethe – that

“Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.”

With small pivots, we can redirect what we pay attention to & aim our valuable resource of focus to shoot for the best & all that really matters.

As we close out 2^nd quarter marking the midway point of the year, make time for some high leverage activity by reviewing the vision & mission of your priority goals.   It’s an opportunity to engage & strengthen commitment to your priority goal pursuits.  And – to adjust  key objectives, initiatives and projects assure continued alignment driving the overarching vision and desired year-end results.

If you haven’t created clear benchmarks with a ‘scoreboard’ for key projects & initiatives, how will you assess & chart progress indicators for priority goal achievement? Metrics are the benchmarks of success to keep you and your team engaged to sustain motivation for taking current success to the next level . These metrics can be indicators for revenue growth, satisfaction level or any other designated priority factors.   They can also serve as tools to plan & prepare or circumvent potential issues, challenges & obstacles that may arise. When your trajectory is off, take pause to create adjustments.  When you’re on course, they reinforce what is working well to remain aligned with intended targets.

Reaching benchmarks creates traction to fuel an upward spiral of positive performance and momentum to goals for anchoring commitment to keep striving forward.

Four steps to keep you steadfast for reaching higher levels of success:

1. Commit to no more than top three goals, in order of priority for each quarter. These are the goals that really matter & would make all the difference for you and your organization.
2. Plan and schedule the metrics and benchmarks for key initiatives and objectives leading to achievement of each designated goal.
3. Invest and dedicate resource of time, energy with unwavering focus as you work on each step of each initiative to completion.
4. Make time to evaluate, assess, and adjust for effectiveness.

This time of year seems to trigger the crazy in most of us – for reasons we know all too well, along with the auto triggers – engaging our less than stellar reactions.

What IF we can just press pause to reframe what we’re doing, to rethink  all the “Need to, got to, absolutely must do… urgency” lists we carry on our phones, on paper and in our head. Ask yourself – are they really worth the stress you’re feeling – and the way you will show up, on edge and completely depleted?

What IF the goal is to reframe the countdown between holiday time and year-end, and to simply focus on being present, as you create timeless moments that really matter of bonding for positively memorable times throughout this holiday season? What if the goal is more about making memories you’d want to hold onto, and replay as a source of heartwarming joy and peace all year long? How about that for a soulful breeze to envelope and fill your memory bank with for year-round glad tidings of joy and peace!!

Doing anything else may create the perfect impression from the outside looking in,  but exacts a toll too high for you and those dear to you.

Wishing you a meaningfully warm, fun, and festive holiday season.

We all operate on energy.  Awareness of how and where we invest or squander it can help us harness and direct it for better returns.  Our personal ‘energy pie’ is finite which means each interaction taxes and uses chunks of that pie. Developing awareness by consciously appropriating energy, time and focus, helps us invest rather than deplete those resources for a higher ROI.

How are you using your personal energy? Do you regularly invest it into what you want develop and grow in your life – or are you squandering that precious energy aimlessly on non-fulfilling, short-term, dead-end, inconsequential pursuits?

In choosing the later, you are operating out of fear. Fear will drive and keep you busy and safe. That’s its primary function. It will mislead and keep you so busy doing anything and everything other than taking the risks that help you grow by stepping out of your comfort zone. But that’s exactly what growth requires, not only to achieve your dreams and vision of a bigger, more self-actualized life, but to simply experience surges exhilaration and vitality, in pursuit of your goals for growth and success.

Investing your energy by way of time and focus, infuses purpose and meaning to life and compounds priceless returns in terms of success for confidence building, growth, satisfaction, netting quality of life experiences.

Remember, you build and grow whatever you put energy on!  So – where will you direct your energy and attention? What success will you navigate towards to manifest those big, important goals for your defined success in life?