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Do you awaken in a fog, with a little tug of anxiety in the pit of your stomach about all you have to do? Or do you rise with a smile, ready to greet the new day with positive expectation that it will be a good day? It is easy to be caught up in the epidemic of busy-ness that has become the norm.
Too many of us have fallen into a lifestyle that feels crazed and out of control. We find ourselves overwhelmed by pressures to go faster and do more. Even retirement is no sanctuary from stress and hurry. It is too easy to fill our calendars with countless demands and activities. Somehow, overdoing has become a way of life, and we have created the most time-stressed era in history. A friend recently said to me "The hard drive in my brain is full. I'm just totally exhausted. I can't take on any more -- not one more thing."
I wrote my new book, A Pace of Grace: the Virtues of a Sustainable Life, to offer hope that we can indeed reclaim our lives, and create a pace of life that nurtures our joy and gives us a greater measure of the grace that is meant to be ours. It contains a four-part program: Purify Your Life, Pace Yourself, Practice the Presence, and Plan a Sustainable Life.
I'd like to offer three simple practices from the book to you now.
1. Take time for daily reflection.
Early in your day, take time for a routine of reverence. Pray, meditate, stare out the window, journal, breathe deep. Ask yourself, "What would a pace of grace look like today?", taking into account the energy and time you are given today. Be thankful for it, whatever it may be.
2. Make a Plan
Create a plan for your day, not by making a long list of everything you're afraid you'll forget if you don't write it down. Create a short, manageable list. Set yourself for success. Include three priorities. Take them step-by-step. Set boundaries to guard yourself from interruptions. Focus your full, relaxed, purposeful attention on each task before you. Immerse yourself in excellence. Remember to plan time for rest, exercise, play, and dreaming, if only for a short while during the day.
3. Put your first passion first.
What is the one thing that if you focus on it and accomplish it, will give you the deepest sense of satisfaction? It may be that you need to play today. It may be a task you have been postponing, one that would provide great relief upon completion. It may be an act of kindness for someone you love. It may be a project that you feel is most important. When you put your first passion first, everything else you do today will follow a flow of grace.
All the best,
Linda Kavelin Popov
You can order A Pace of Grace now from: www.amazon.com , www.bn.com (Barnes & Noble), www.booksense.com or by calling your local bookseller. |
