We have only so much energy to give to the world.
1. To our spouse.
2. To our family.
3. To our work.
4. To our social life.
5. To our friends.
6. To our community.
7. To ourselves.
I’ve larned that numbers 1 – 6 will get taken care of
–in spite of how much they may interfere with each other.
But number 7 usually falls by the wayside.
Number 7
It’s where we nurture and value ourselves.
It’s what allows us to give quality energy to 1-6.
It’s not either or. We don’t have to let any of 1-6 suffer …or sacrifice 7.
Controlling the quality of 1-6 …has the biggest impact on 7.
What if we looked at relationships/situations as things that give and take energy?
What if we simplify 1-6 … and just call 1-6:
“The People in Our Lives.”
The people we give energy to, the people we receive energy from.
What if we think of our time and our energy as valuable,
and we start prioritizing how, who and when?
DUTY & OBLIGATION
We all let expectation and obligation make choices for us.
And often, we let others decide what our obligations and duties are.
There are some obligations (like work) that are mutually beneficial and harder to control.
But sometimes we don’t think about re-evaluating our obligations and duties
because they’ve been in place so long, or it would rock the boat.
It’s taken me so long to realize that what’s lacking in my life
isn’t time or luck or providence or circumstance. It’s quality control.
Time/Energy/Focus management.
I’ve begun to value my ability to pay attention to how I’m feeling about the people in my life. Limiting the control I give away.
It’s not about the amount of time we give ourselves. It’s about how we manage it.
And we can’t manage any one of the list above without also needing to manage the other six.
Life is complicated. But our priorities don’t have to be.
If we focus on the quality of the people in our lives. . . 7 will continue to feed not only us
but them. We’ve heard this before. Nurture yourself to be able to nurture others.
The “S” WORD: SELFISHNESS
Selfishness is perpetuated by not managing the quality of the people in your life.
Selfish people are protecting #7. In some way, they’re looking at 1-6 as the enemy.
The real enemy for selfish people…is where they place the blame in the world.
(but that’s another subject).
Nothing works all the time. There are exceptions.
But as a focus, this has begun to make a big difference in my life.
We don’t need anyone’s permission or validation to protect number 7.
We just need to focus on controlling the quality of 1-6 as best we can.
Easier said than done, some days. But tomorrow’s another day.
~Shephard
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