Start It and Finish It

Have you ever started something and lost momentum toward finishing it about halfway through?

In today's world, it can be easy to get the ball rolling on a project or activity, only to fizzle out in excitement after a few weeks or months. Our attention is constantly pulled this way, and pushed that way. With the growth of social media and reliance on internet, distractions can make it challenging to stick with it. Though we're in the moment when starting an activity, this moment may pass by too quickly and seem irrelevant after a while. What's the trade-off in not following through with what you start?

"Following through" is an expression that comes up in sports a lot. Whether you're swinging at a baseball, tennis ball, or golf ball, unless you follow through with your motion and put your whole body and focus into what you're doing, the end result risks being a letdown. When you commit to your action and follow through completely, you've tried your best and may be surprised at just how much momentum and strength you can put behind your swing. The same goes for those things we wish to pursue in any area of life. Starting it, sticking with it, and finishing (or following through on) it can feel very rewarding and healthy. Not doing so can leave a unsatisfying dot, dot, dot at the end of what we do.

Beware of all the clutter that may come your way that tells you it's not worth finishing what you start. No matter how big the world feels in its apparent connectedness, you still have the space around you in your own life in which to do what you want. No matter how much the information on a screen proclaims its importance, you probably have things you've started in your own life that could feel even more substantial and satisfying if pursued further.

Are there areas of your life where you'd like to follow through more? Put that extra umph behind your swing and go for it!

When Can You Be Proud of Yourself?

It's not easy to be proud of yourself. That's not because you haven't done or are aren't doing things that you're proud of---it's actually the opposite.

We live in a world where enough is never enough and this mindset is contagious on an individual level as well. Often, we don't let ourselves feel like anything's good enough. We commonly overlook what we're proud of in favor of holding a magnifying glass to our perceived faults, shortcomings, mistakes, and unreached ideals. Is this fair?

Denying ourselves pride for who we are and what we do can become a vicious cycle. Instead of facing a challenge, job, project, or other task with a sense of satisfaction, we can become addicted to criticizing ourselves for what we're doing wrong. We may actually invent or search for things that we're doing "wrong" in order to perpetuate this cycle.

Being proud of what you do can even bring up feelings of guilt or fear. It's okay for someone else to be proud of you, or for you to be proud of someone else. What's wrong, then, with feeling proud of yourself?

The truth is, there's nothing wrong with it and you deserve it. You can bring the satisfaction to your own life that comes from enjoying who you are and what you do. You don't have to wait for that feeling to come from the outside first in the form of praise, recognition, or a promotion.

You can breathe even more life into what you do by acknowledging what you've already done. The credit you give to yourself is not false or illegal, even though it can feel that way sometimes. It's natural to feel proud of yourself because you have real and first-hand experience of knowing yourself and your work.

There will never be a perfect point in time when it's finally okay for you to be proud of yourself. You can do it anytime you want to. Next time you do something you're excited about and then start to feel that queasy "No--I didn't do it right" feeling: Stop. Ask yourself honestly whether you're really doing everything wrong. Could it be that you're proud of yourself and withholding that feeling?

Worth Your Time

What is worth your time?

There is so much out there in the world today, and there isn't enough time to do or see it all. Supporting health involves picking and choosing which pursuits are worth spending your time on. It might seem urgent to attend to everything all at once, and it's also a subliminal message of the fast-paced world we live in. Being stretched in many different directions has its limits, however, and can ultimately lead to more stress than you need. It can also hamper enjoyment in what you ultimately spend your time doing.

Being busy is okay, but it's helpful to prioritize what's worth busying yourself over. Are there certain areas of life where you've been craving more action, versus other areas where you'd like to feel more calm and less stress? No need to whip out a big To-Do list to prioritize what you want:  it's helpful to feel it first. Relax and try to picture what types of pursuits you'd like to bring more of your energy to. Leave the doubts and worries out of it for now. Let it be a simple exercise that helps you consider the possibilities of how to spend more of your time, your way.

Time may feel like it's against us sometimes, but often it's asking us to make choices regarding what matters to each of us the most. Time is more than just a number. So, what's worth your time?

Satisfaction in the Simple

We often seek satisfaction from the biggest and the best in life. We imagine that the bigger and better the experience, milestone, and reward, the more value it will add to our days. Then we look at a cat, happily preening herself in a sunny spot on the carpet, and we wonder how that small action can provide her such satisfaction. Is the cat weird, or are we sometimes out of touch with the satisfaction inherent in the simple?

Simple avenues of enjoyment are all around us, yet we often ignore them while chasing after the big stuff. Why? Sometimes we don't even know because bigger and better seems written into the trends of culture. But if you pay attention, you can feel the body and mind tugging at you to reward yourself with more simple moments like the cat does.

Instead of seeing it as a bummer when you don't have plans on a weekend, it's a perfect opportunity to relish in simple activities. If you enjoy cooking, pull out that unique recipe you've had stored away for months in a kitchen cupboard. Let the process of cooking and eating your food deliver as much reward as you imagine a "big" experience would.

If you want to try your own form of preening, soak your hands in warm water for 15-20 minutes, then massage lotion into them while watching T.V. or listening to music. You could do the same for your feet. Practice a new hair do for no reason at all, that no one will see but you. Re-arrange your closet and notice how your taste has changed over time. Write a short story, even if you've never done it before. Play piano or learn how to play. Make up a new song.

Daily activities like making coffee, washing the dishes, or walking the dog are all simple moments that offer not only satisfaction, but also an anchor during strange or stressful times. Just because you don't get a blue ribbon or trophy for creatively stacking the dishwasher doesn't mean it's an unimportant or useless part of your day. How you approach the simplest moments can influence how you approach other experiences in life, large or small.

This week, let yourself find satisfaction in the simple.