One Small AdjustmentWritten by Kathy Gates
I know that a lot of advice pundits often instruct you to focus on "big picture". And it certainly has it place in helping you move toward a better life. But it runs risk of letting you think that you need to totally redesign your life. And that's just not true! Often it only takes one small adjustment to make things so much easier, better, and happier in your life. Try instead to focus on details, and big picture will take care of itself. For example, I have a water hose that I use to water my garden. This particular one happens to be at far end of my concrete patio, where it hangs on a hanger mounted to wall of house. The problem is that where hose and concrete meet becomes a nesting ground for every blown leaf, stick, or piece of trash in my yard. After using hose one day, I decided to make one small adjustment - I wound hose back up so that bottom of it was about 2 inches off ground. Just one small adjustment took away completely one large headache. And that certainly helps me live a happier, easier, better life. Life's made up of small things - small frustrations - - like that. One small adjustment can take care of one seemingly large problem. Sometimes a small adjustment with a big pay off comes from making a small change what you require of yourself. For example, you might decide that you will make a small adjustment by requiring yourself to make sure kitchen is clean before you go to bed at night. Or you might decide that you will no longer purchase anything that you can't pay cash for. Perhaps you will decide to stop laying junk mail on kitchen table, and instead will go through it instantly. These are all small adjustments in what you require of yourself, yet, like my water hose problem, they can eliminate those big drains on your energy. Sometimes a small adjustment comes in form of simply asking for what you need, instead of accepting things "as they are". Years ago when I worked "for others", I had an office chair that had been used for years. It had lost its padding, its construction was outdated, and it had even become hard to roll around. When I realized that I spent an enormous amount of my daily precious energy fighting that chair, I simply went to my boss and told him that I was uncomfortable and I need a new chair. "Of course", he said, and I had a new chair within a week
| | Better Future? Better Start Now!Written by Kathy Gates
Famous Hockey Star Wayne Gretsky once said, "You miss 100% of shots you never take." Famous Southern mother (mine) frequently said, "You can't win if you don't play". Those words often still ring in my ears today - Am I willing to agree to losing by not at least trying, I ask myself.Many times I've heard myself complain, "I'm trying so hard, but nothing seems to be happening." When it actually comes down to it, however, what I'm doing is thinking about it a lot - not actually doing anything towards it. When you don't try something, when you never start towards your goal, when you put-off and wait-out your dreams, you are AGREEING to lose, to not have it. Starting is most important part of achieving your best life. If you want a better future, it begins today. It doesn't matter where you start -- it matters that you start. It doesn't have to be a big thing. Just Start. Consider where your life is at this moment in reference to your goal, and if need be, start very small. Put $1 into an envelope each week as a savings plan. Take a 10 minute walk. Clean out a drawer. Make a phone call. Delegate a job. If you can, take a much larger step, like putting $100 each week into a savings account, or walking for 30 minutes or hiring some help. We all get too hung up on what we do, or how much we do. It doesn't matter what you do --just do! Move forward. Are you sitting at home waiting on Mr. or Ms. Right? Mr/Ms. Right could be down at corner bowling alley, or in local church, or in neighborhood restaurant RIGHT NOW. Are you waiting on your next raise, or kids to grow up, or economy to get better before you decide to work on your goals?
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