Comfortably seated on a business flight, I was watching people as they filed in. One passenger in a particular had a peculiar look of experiment.
She sat next to me and after a few moments of chit-chat, I asked her where she was coming or headed to.
She excitedly said that she just came from a retreat where she learned what she felt was the most important lesson she has ever learned.
Curious, I asked her what the most important lesson was. She said. “I learned the physical distance between heaven and hell.”
Of course, being intrigued, I just had to ask, “So how far is that?”
She said “About 18 inches—the distance from your head to your heart!
Heaven is the state when your head and your heart work together to help you realize the person you have the potential to be. Hell is when your head and heart are not in synch.
This was a profound idea. As I began to ponder what she had said, I thought it had merit in its application.
One of the first things that came to mind was how many wonderful things we already do without ever appreciating the profound effect we have on others and ourselves.
In other words, We are evaluating with our mind and forgetting to evaluate with the heart as well.
Consider this simple acts.
°°° You come home after a hard day's work, And your child comes running to you with arms open and a big smile to greet you and hug you. Doesn't that make you look forward to coming home the next day?
°°° Your boss notices your efforts at work, And acknowledges you in front of your peers. Don't you have just an added bounce to your step and want to continue to do a good job?
°°° Your frequent a store, Because they are cheerful and genuinely want to help you. Isn't that the reason you frequent that store, Even if their prices aren't better than another store?
These acts stem from the heart, Not just the mind. Do we respond in kind? What if everything we did was more than a sense of duty, But balanced with love? What if we consciously responded in kind to our child's welcome home greeting? What if we thanked our boss for that kind words, And looked for the opportunities to lift another colleague.
What if we acknowledged to the friendly and helpful person at the store, How much we appreciate the genuine service? What if in our planning we weighed the effects of our planned actions both on ourselves and others? What if we weighed them with the heart and the mind? If we did, We would recognize how much of what we already do is good, And that we need to celebrate those acts and do more of the same instead of thinking its not good, And that we need to celebrate those acts and do more of the same instead of thinking it's not a big deal. Are you kidding me? It's a huge deal!
Another lesson that I learned from this airplane passenger's excitement was her expectation. It was more than hope. She believed in her heart of hearts, That if her heart and mind were aligned, She would see improvement and experience fulfillment. It would be heaven.
Have you ever met people who, In choosing their careers, have reconciled the reasons for being in their professions, Both in their minds and hearts and not just the wallet? They love what they do, And they are very good at it. Whether it's your mechanic, Pharmacist, The person in the IT department, Or the master teacher in your child's school, Those individuals excel, Because they love what they do and they do it well. You have probably met people in the exact same professions And have wondered how they ever got their jobs or why they wanted those jobs in the first place. They either dislike what they do, Or there's no passion behind their work. They are just logging in hours, And they are miserable.
I think most people are somewhere in the middle. Most of us haven't yet taken the time to reconcile in our hearts and minds why we do what we do.
You may not have your dream job as your first job, But if you consistently pay close attention and evaluate your life's work with your heart and mind, Then every assignment, Promotions, Or job change, Guides you closer to the type of work that suits you best, And those impact will be so much better for your contribution and your adjustment. You can expect that going through such an exercise will make a profound difference. Deliberately evaluate your current situation with both the heart and mind. How do we make sure such thinking is incorporated in our time management planning?
In a conversation with a high school principal, He confided in me that he hated being a high school principal. He wanted to take some time to examine his life and figure out what was best for him professionally. The next time I saw him there was a change in his countenance. He looked happy and excited. He said he figured out what he wanted to be professionally. After taking the time to go through the mental and emotional struggle to decide what was best for him, He decided he want to be—a high school principal. In the day-to-day grind and minutiae, He said that somehow he had lost his way. He had forgotten why he got into the education profession to begin with. Taking the time to reconcile what he felt in his heart and knew in his mind he should do professionally, Made the difference between his professional work becoming a little bit of heaven or a little bit of hell. Maybe your experience won't be a recommitment to your current role, But may cause you to move toward a completely different industry all together. Regardless, If after you consider all the trade-offs, And the move in the end.
The same can be said of being a parent. Have you ever thought just how profound of an impact a parent has? Consider the impact of parents from the child's perspective. Here are a few testimonials.
All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel mother. Directly after God in heaven, comes a papa.
My mother said to me, “If you become a soldier you'll be a general; If you become a monk you'll end up as a pope” Instead, I became a painter and wound up as Picasso.”
I can only imagine that the success of these parents, Emanated from the heart, Mind, And their very being. When parents labor from the mind and the heart, They are revered and will forever become the most influential persons in the lives of their children. (Remember the earlier reference to taking a survey on the most influential person in your life and having others take a similar informal survey.) When parents exercise such wisdom, Their influence transitions to the next generation, And these parents truly earn the title: Grand parents.
As we talk about a new focus in considering time management, Know that this is not just a cerebral exercise. This notion of building a culture of being more and not just doing more requires examination of the heart as well as the mind or head. The problem with most time-management philosophies is neglecting the heart and our being in exchange for a focus on the doing.
As I teach workshops, Whether for work or for the home, People come into the course looking for ideas on how to get better. In other words, People are looking for changes of the mind (Unknowingly, Most are asking questions coming from their lizard and monkey brains.)The further into the training we go there is a point at witch the light bulb comes on; There is a fundamental shift in thinking as well as feeling, And people get it. Getting it means your heart and your mind are in agreement. Both the mind and heart are equally important.
This time management system will give a more holistic view of time management and leadership. It ensures that the philosophy is embedded into the time-management practice. This approach is exciting because of its simplicity as well as its holistic approach.
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Nice