mardi 26 mai 2015

A Life Worth Waking Up For

wake-up

Last month, Tyler Tervooren posted an article titled, Why Productive People Always Have Time For Exercise. You can go read it, it’s good. But I didn’t—at least, not at first. I noticed the title. But because I was in the middle of something, I was left with only that.

The question was left for me to ponder alone: Why do productive people always seem to have time for exercise?

As the question remained in the back of my mind, it led to even broader questions: Why do productive people always seem to have so much time for everything they do? Are they working harder? Better at time management? More disciplined than the rest of us?

I was left to ponder the question for several hours. I looked up the original article as soon as time allowed.

In it, Tyler makes the wonderful case that productive people find time for exercise because they tend to be more intentional about taking care of their physical bodies. Like a tree-cutter taking time to sharpen his saw, productive people make time for exercise because it helps them be their best.

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe,” is a quote often attributed to Abraham Lincoln. He knew the importance of sharpening his saw.

And believe me, I agree. I have found this to be true. Intentional physical exercise and healthier eating habits have been an important addition to my life over the past few years. But interestingly, that is not where my mind immediately raced when I was left with only the title.

My mind offered a different conclusion: People who love the life they live find more time to live it.

You see, and I stand as proof of this, the more we experience joy in life, the more we can’t wait to get up and start living it. On a very small scale, compare the worker who hates his job and the one who loves it.

The man or woman who hates his work scowls at the alarm clock, rolls out of bed with frustration, takes his time getting ready, mopes around the office, counts the minutes to 5pm, turns on the television when he gets home to distract himself, and then goes to bed late only to repeat the cycle tomorrow.

On the other hand, picture the man or woman who enjoys their work. She can’t wait to get started in the morning, she prepares her body with healthy food and exercise to accomplish her best, she invests proudly into her work, and returns home with energy. And then, she can’t wait to get started again in the morning.

People who love the life they live naturally find more time to live it.

Personally, I want to live a life that doesn’t require an alarm clock—one that I can’t wait to wake up and start living each day.

Does exercise result in more productivity? Absolutely. But only a man or woman who takes pride in their life and their choices desire more productivity for it.

Tyler wrote an important piece. If you skipped over it the first time, go read it now.

As you do, ask yourself this question, “Am I living a life that energizes and motivates me to even sharpen the saw in the first place?” And if the answer is no, what changes do you need to make in order to make that a reality?

Most often, implementing the change requires the intentional removal of something holding you back from the life you desire. Sometimes it is a commitment, a negative thought, or an un healthy habit. For me, it was the excess possessions that were robbing me of time, energy, and money.

Identify the nonessential. And remove them entirely.

Because the first step in crafting the life you want is to get rid of everything you don’t.



from Becoming Minimalist http://ift.tt/1LBpzNM

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