Recent events in my life have forced me to focus on what is really important. I’m looking at a new business opportunity that will have me coaching full-time. With that has come a new sense of peace and reduction in pressure to complete certain self-appointed projects.
I have become more selfish (in the true sense of looking after oneself) and with that comes a pruning exercise of cutting back much which is not really essential or important. All of a sudden I have more time, a greater ability to catch up on lots of little important things and a sharper clarity for the future.
It was no surprise then to come across a couple other posts on the same topics. One is from [David Allen](http://david.davidco.com/blogs/davidallen.nsf/dx/ puttingthingsonpause) who says:
What are your “pause buttons”? I was on stage with Beverly Kaye this morning in Phoenix, and she mentioned a wonderful little trick that we all do, but probably not enough. She said, “What do you do to put the pause button on, so you can just stop and reflect about what you’ve been doing (like, this week) and what you want to be doing (like, next week)?” I reflected on what my own “pause buttons” were, and was heartened that I was able to come up with quite a few. A hot bath, pruning my trees, a nice dinner with my lady and friends, a good massage, a good movie, playing GO on my computer, to mention a few. These are real doing-nothing-with-a-vengeance kind of things that interrupt my patterns and give me very different kinds of zones to get into. I also do spiritual retreats at least once a year, sometimes more, and those are a biggee in this regard.
The second is an article by Paulo Coelo on TimeShifting.
Time is not a measure: but rather a quality. When we look at the past we are not rewinding a tape but remembering a gift of our passage on Earth. Time is not measured like a road is measured, since we take gigantic leaps backwards (memories) and forwards (projects).
Managing is not living: “time is money” is nonsense. We have to be aware of each moment and know how to take advantage of each single moment in what we are doing (with love) or in just contemplating life. A day has 24 hours and an infinity of moments. If we slow down, everything will last much longer. Of course, washing the dishes can take longer too, but why not use that time to think about pleasant things, singing, relaxing, being happy at just being alive?
Yes, we all have our problems, which have to be faced–why not do this today? Stop. Think. Maybe suffer a little. But in the end, understand who we are, what we feel, what we are doing here at this very moment–instead of wanting to determine the Agenda of Life.
Find some space to pause and reflect. Imagine what it would be like if you didn’t need to make that call today or write that blog post. Maybe you will find that you don’t have to. Let it go, without guilt.