#380: Priorities vs. Options (Friday, April 11)

"I value the friend who for me finds time on his calendar, but I cherish the friend who for me does not consult his calendar."  

A big part of protecting your balls is prioritizing. When someone or something is a priority, it will show in the attention you give to them/it. 

This week's action: Go through your phone list. Look at every single name and put it in one of three categories:

• Priority: These are the people 'for whom you don't consult your calendar.' They need you - you're there.
• Option1: These are the people who you'll be there for them, even if sometimes it may be a little inconvenient.
• Option 2: You'll be there for these people, only if it's convenient.

Now ask yourself two questions: 1) Am I spending my time in the right places (i.e. with my Priorities)?; and 2) Am I in the same category for them, as they are for me?

Why we're doing it: It is your actions that show people how you truly feel about them.

#379: Thanks! (Friday, April 4)

When was the last time you just sat and thought about how lucky you are?

This week's action: Start a gratitude journal. Every time you think of something you're grateful for, jot it down in your journal. I did it this week and logged 32 things.

Why we're doing it: Sometimes when you just keep doing, you forget to spend some time to be thankful for what you've already accomplished.

#378: Protect Your Balls (Friday, March 28)

"Work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. The other four balls - family, health, friends, integrity - are made of glass. If you drop one of these, it will be irrevocably scuffed, nicked, perhaps even shattered." -Attributed to several different sources

What do you think about every day? Chances are most of the things that occupy your thoughts are either unimportant in the grand scheme of things, or are things outside of your control.

This week's action: Make a list of all the things on your mind at this very moment.  After you've listed everything, put each item into one of two categories: 

• Things I Worry About That Matter, and 
• Things I Worry About That Aren't Important in the Grand Scheme of Things

Repeat this exercise daily for a week.

Why we're doing it: We can refocus the energy we spend worrying about unimportant things to "protect our balls."

And it's also the last Friday in the month, so make sure you get in a Month End Action Blitz. Complete the tasks you'd set out to do this month, but haven't gotten around to.

#377: Do You Measure Up? (Friday, March 21)

"Measure the strength of your relationships by the moments you miss." - Jullien Gordon

By now, you're well into your plan for the year. Some of you may have even gotten a goal or two out of the way already. But how do you know when you've achieved success? What's your measurement?

Some goals are easily measured: "I want to lose X pounds" or "I want to learn to do Y by Z date." Others - like "I want to spend more time with loved ones," or "I want to be happy," or "I want to be successful" - require a little more measurement.

This week's action: Think about your personal mission statement and your goals for this year. How will you know that you're successful in living up to them. Look at each measurement, and see if it makes sense. And for the goals/parts of your mission statement that you "can't measure", should you have a goal that you don't know when you've completed it successfully?

We're up to Week 12. How's it going?

#376: Being "Passive" Pays (Friday, March 14)

I know you read the title of this post and thought that I must be confused. Since the beginning of the year, I've been saying 2014 is the year we're actin' up, and here I am telling you that passivity pays.

Relax, I haven't gone off the deep end. We're still doing this year, but passivity has its place. Let me explain (this week, the "Why we're doing it" is coming first):

We're always looking to fix/improve the things in our lives that are broken; things we could do better; and things that we want to accomplish. But at this very moment, there are parts of your life that are great just the way they are. But why wait until those things fall apart before you do something about them? "Passive" maintenance can prevent that from happening.

This week's action:  Identify one area of your life that's spectacular, that's going just the way you want to. Think of something you can do to keep that part of your life strong. For example, love your job? Go on interviews anyway even if you're not actively looking for a job. Completely in love with your partner? Take them on a "first" date. Have something you do really well? Use that skill to help a community organization...you get the idea. Don't wait until it's broken; keep it maintained.