One of My Best Kept Secrets to Improving Your Life

re: One of My Best Kept Secrets to Improving Your Life

Duparc — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 02:56:13 GMT

I too have read Maslow many years ago when he was a young man and followed his career path yet the only thing I recall to memory today is his hierarchy of needs. I guess the rest must have gone into the 'melting pot'. You say "intrinsic satisfaction comes from loving what we are doing in the absolute since, not the relative one". What, I wonder, do those of us who interact with others on the Internet gain from doing so and what is the dynamic that drives us. Could it be just a method of occupying oneself while we are on this crash course to death like Samuel Beckett describes in his play Waiting for Godot?

re: One of My Best Kept Secrets to Improving Your Life

Duparc — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 02:36:46 GMT

How did this guy God get into this discussion? Does anyone actually have a hotline to him (or is it a her or one of the third kind) and if not, from which fiction story is this guy God the protagonist? As a child, when told to pray, and physically and brutally beaten if I made a mistake, I discovered that I was talking to myself and no one ever came to my rescue. Would this be because I was a bad boy or just an intelligent one? Like all of us, I am here by accident, I was not chosen, and if anyone is about to suggest that this guy God had something to do with it then be assured that my mother did not have extra marital affairs! I believe in fact and not in fiction which only mirrors our desires and fears. Surely it is courtesy not to impose one's beliefs on others? Sadly, some dumb-dumb will be tempted to say that I have got it wrong.

re: One of My Best Kept Secrets to Improving Your Life

skip smyth — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 04:22:41 GMT

Zen principle- 'To organize, is to destroy'. Girl sang 'One day at a time, sweet Jesus'. We do not listen.

re: One of My Best Kept Secrets to Improving Your Life

lovechubb — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 05:39:01 GMT

I love this ideas! Awesome! This can supplement for the lack of thought involved in weekly worship rituals!

maybe people will start to include some positive intent in their weekly plans~*~

re: One of My Best Kept Secrets to Improving Your Life

katybo — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 18:19:08 GMT

Oops - I mean "your" web site.

re: One of My Best Kept Secrets to Improving Your Life

katybo — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 18:18:29 GMT

Eaglsong

How can I get you web site?

re: One of My Best Kept Secrets to Improving Your Life

mohammad kazemi — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 16:06:37 GMT

Nice

re: One of My Best Kept Secrets to Improving Your Life

Julieanne — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 10:09:07 GMT

I have a friend who got fed up with making lists that never end. He now lists what he has achieved at the end of each day, and finds it far more satisfying!

He still gets a lot done and is very organised.

re: One of My Best Kept Secrets to Improving Your Life

Julieanne — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 06:14:47 GMT

I guess this might be OK if you work in an office, but my work is mainly outside, and I work with the seasons and the weather, which I can't always predict.

If it's too hot or too wet, I work inside. But mostly I just do what needs to be done each day - pruning, feeding, watering, potting, seeding, harvesting etc - all in season. An unexpected storm can cause extra work which wasn't predicted.

Oh, if only I could ever get to the bottom of the list!!

re: One of My Best Kept Secrets to Improving Your Life

orchwife — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 16:53:19 GMT

While I practice this every week( and review it daily) - I can't believe he suggest "one preferably two hours" ! (obviously not a mom of little ones!) I can do it in 15-30 min. and I have a pretty complicated life. While an excellent and useful practice, too much time is self-indulgent and could better used.

re: One of My Best Kept Secrets to Improving Your Life

Docathelake — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 12:43:07 GMT

I think to each his own would be a better solution instead of po poing the need to write things down, I write things down because it helps me come up with new ideas and it also helps when I'm trying to convey these ideas to other people. If I've thought my ideas and plans through and written them out were I think other people could understand my point it seems to put the thoughts in some kind of order in my brain. I'm a very visual person, I never did very well on test that required a lot of reading, but I scored in the top 2 % of the nation in visual perception. I think this is why I always did better when I would involve this part of my brain, to take the time to write things out instead of just thinking about what I'm going to do, again this is what works for me!

re: One of My Best Kept Secrets to Improving Your Life

JayPatrick — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 12:24:58 GMT

Though there are some worthwhile points in this, personally I just wouldn't do it because I prefer doing my own thing too much.

Some of us enjoy our own take on "self improvement". Mine is more of less a journey of self-discovery along the line of "to thine own self be true".

I probably define my life in terms of actually experiencing life of enriched consciousness that transcends anyone else's definitions of "improvement". That doesn't mean that I don't realize areas of fascination and interest that I am willing to dedicate myself to over the long haul, usually "just for the heck of it".

For example, it took me three years of putting in hours most days on the ski slopes before I attained a level of mastery that could be described as a breakthrough. Finally I could enjoy a holistic experience of self-expression which also was not really an attainment as much as the foundation of continued experiential enhancement.

I realize that most people are other directed, and they may exceed me in a competitive sense, but I have great joy in just feeling the finesse of the unique, unfolding interaction between myself and the mountain. This is more of an absolute, personal experience than an a rational one.

The rewards of self-actualization are always there for those of us who choose to travel "the road less travelled". Usually I'm not a great talent when I start, but if I love what I'm doing, sooner or later I achieve levels of mastery that set me off from the crowd. Then they say "you have great talent". Nice words to hear, but intrinsic satisfaction comes from loving what we are doing in the absolute since, not the relative one.

To break from the self-limiting mind trip, why not explore some of Abraham Maslow's stellar writing. I really believe that too many have developed at consumers, not self-actualizers. Wake up -- smell the coffee!

re: One of My Best Kept Secrets to Improving Your Life

eaglsong — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 12:21:10 GMT

Interesting and enlightening re the path of EGOCENTRIC living. Self-analysis can tie one in knots.

There's a much more healthy, fulfilling, and forever-qualifying path. It can bring us to the kingdom of God.

"Our Father Who is in heaven, holy is Your Name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven..."

It's worked for me for 48 years. My days and nights are full , and my human relationships keep getting better. The scattered pieces of my life's puzzle are all moving together into the BIG picture, and I am joyful and content. Children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren have blessed me.

When it's my time to return to Father, my family will have a heritage far beyond silver, gold, and "things".

My life is productive and mostly stress-free.

I am at peace and I am thankful. Could there be a better day? week? month? year? I leave it in His hands.

re: One of My Best Kept Secrets to Improving Your Life

Kreative Keira — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 11:11:59 GMT

Wow!---I'm really surprised, I've been doing this already almost exactly the way described and I've never read any of David Allen's work or other organization books, etc.

On two pieces of paper I keep kind of a like a diary of each day of the week. One sheet of paper is divided into four columns labeled Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed and the other Thur, Fri, Sat, and then a column for that week. In each column I have a space for day of week; date; how I ate that day (low carb, low cal, reg, high); what news event happened; what kind of weather; what tv shows I watched; what book I read or studied; how many minutes, calories, and what kind of exercise/weight training; weight; what food I ate and what time I ate; and then a free space to write what events happened that day or what I did. In the column for that week I write current weight, BMI, body fat %, total exercise time for the week, review how I ate that week, weight gained or lost, thoughts of the week; things to improve/study.

With this I can review just about everything going on in my life and what things are connected to others. And it's easy to complete. That why I've been able to keep with it for nearly two years now. It only takes a few minutes a day, yet it's sooo useful. And best of all, I glue my many lists, notes, and memos to the back side of the diary pages. And I keep everything in a binder for each year.

re: One of My Best Kept Secrets to Improving Your Life

Duparc — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 10:21:29 GMT

I guess this guy must have a problem which he feels others share with him; it is typical academic sludge. Only those driven by ambition or feel in some way inadequate or lacking in achievement may have the desire to do something like this as a prop to their life but surely most have confidence and ability and manage their affairs daily without the need to doubt that they have not done their best under the prevailing circumstances.

It looks as if this guy has too much time to squander and has found a hook to hang his cap on which helps to stop him blushing when his salary goes into his account. I have never known of anyone whose life is not driven by expediency. From personal experience, if I plan the day ahead (or review the past week) and fail to achieve what I had set out to do, it becomes easy to feel like a failure but when I manage my time as expediency demands without planning, then all that has been done provides the feeling of accomplishment and reviewing the situation, with the eye to failure, is a sure way to become depressed or reach for the bottle when it would then probably become imperative to review the past! Steer away from his advice and discover the enjoyment of life.