Molloy Design Your Own Destiny

Life Planning for the 21st Century
1. Auflage 2012
ISBN: 978-0-9853796-4-3
Verlag: TRB Press
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 192 Seiten

Whether it's looking for a job or trying to figure out the next steps to take in a relationship, award-winning author, speaker and life planner Mary A. Molloy takes readers to a place where possibilities become realities. Combining years of experience working with Fortune 500 companies and clients all over the globe, Mary provides the answers to how people can make it happen. Examining the complete life with deeper connections Molloy helps people to: . Find work/life balance . Create tangible goals . Put plans into action . See results and measure success

Autoren/Hrsg.

Molloy, Mary A.

Leseproben

CHAPTER ONE: Are You In Balance? People with great gifts are easy to find, but symmetrical and balanced ones never. —Ralph Waldo Emerson Did you ever notice that some of the happiest people in life are also the most balanced people? These are the people who look at life realistically yet optimistically. They try to keep balance in their energy levels, their thoughts, their activities and in their lives. They look at life as a whole. This is something that needs to be focused on by everyone. The more in balance we are, the happier we are and the better we can deal effectively with the difficult situations that life may present to us. As life situations occur, we may decide we want to change our lives—maybe move on to the next step or stage in life. Therefore, it is very helpful to determine how in balance we are every so often. Perhaps this is where you are now. You might be looking at getting out of or changing a current situation, or by contrast, you might be looking at all of the fun things that you would like to do. Before you start planning for the next step in your life, take a few minutes to assess yourself and your balance. How in balance are you? Take a look at Figure 1.1. There are four points in every life that need to be in balance. They are your mind (Intellectual); your material world, meaning your body’s health and your wealth (Physical); your relationship to God or the Universe (Spiritual); and your feelings (Emotional). These four focal points are the main contributors to health, happiness, peace of mind, security, prosperity and balance. Figure 1.1 I call the center of the human in Figure 1.1 (his navel) his balance point. Have you ever heard anyone asking you to give an opinion based on gut feeling? We have all been given a built-in radar detector at birth by God or the Universe, and that radar detector is our gut feeling. You will find that when you use your gut feeling to answer a question or to determine how you feel about something, the answer that comes from your gut is usually the right answer. This part of your body is your balance point. The importance of your gut Many of us prefer to live our lives thinking and making decisions with our heads or by our hearts. Physically and physiologically, our brains tend to be dominant in either the left lobe or the right lobe. People who depend largely on the left side of their brains tend to make decisions by analysis. These people are called “left-brain” thinkers, and they are very common in developed countries. This is mostly how we’re taught in school. Left-brain thinkers experience a situation, then they analyze it. They judge/interpret it; then they act based on what their head tells them to do. People who have the dominant lobe on the right side of their brains tend to make decisions based on their feelings or emotions. These people are called “right-brain” thinkers. Many right-brain thinkers tend to be more artistic. Right-brain thinkers experience a situation and then they feel certain emotions about what they just experienced. This feeling leads them to take action based on what their heart tells them. Some people are actually equally lobed. Their brains experience about the same amount of activity on both sides. These people move quickly between their right and left brains when making a decision. It is easier for them to base decisions on analysis and feelings at the same time. It is also easier for them to jump back and forth between looking at a spreadsheet and looking at a picture. Be aware of wonder. Live a balanced life—learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some. —Robert Fulghum No matter what your thinking style is, you need both your head and your heart to come to a balanced decision. Your head and your heart come together in your gut as your gut feeling. As human beings, we have been given a built-in barometer. It is where our minds or intellect intersects with our heart or emotions. What your gut tells you is what you really think and what you really feel. In all aspects of our lives, the best place to look for answers is in the gut—inside you, at your core. It’s important that we recognize the value and importance of our gut and our gut feelings. Most of the time, when we ignore our gut feelings, we get into trouble. So be aware and listen to the voice that comes from deep down inside you. Step One: Assess your mind (your intellect) Let’s begin to determine your level of balance. Let’s start with your mind. Are you in balance or are you out of balance intellectually? Do you need to use your mind more? Do you need to learn new things? Are you using your mind enough? Or conversely, do you need to use your mind less? Is your mind too active—so active that it needs to be calmed down? Figure 1.2 If you look at Figure 1.2, we call balance the center of the body. If you are in balance in a particular area, rate yourself a zero (0). If you are way out of balance, then rate yourself ‘10’. If you are somewhat out of balance—somewhere in between, not quite in balance but not totally out of balance—then rate yourself somewhere between ‘1’ and ‘9’. Realize that you are using a gut feeling here to determine your own level of balance. That is okay. Your gut feeling is right, so trust it. Go with whatever number you tell yourself is correct. It is best to use whole numbers, not decimals, when scoring yourself. In order to assess yourself, get out a piece of paper and on the top write the words, “My Balance Scorecard.” Use Figure 1.3 as a guide and draw a circle with vertical and horizontal lines through it and place the words, “Intellectual,” “Physical,” “Health,” “Wealth,” “Spiritual” and “Emotional” on it. Also use Figure 1.3 as an example and give yourself a score for your Intellectual balance on your personal balance scorecard. You can also graph your score if you so desire. To assist you in graphing, refer to Figures 1.3, 1.6, 1.7 and 1.8. In Figure 1.3 John rated himself a ‘5’ in Intellectual. He feels that he needs to learn more and is somewhat out of balance intellectually. Although John uses his mind in his job, he feels that he is constantly in “think mode.” It’s almost as if he has to soothe or calm his mind. John also has gaps in his learning. He feels that if he finishes his degree, he will get a better job over time. Figure 1.3 Step Two: Assess your body, your material world and your physical wellbeing When you think of the balance of the physical aspect of you, as in all of the balance factors, this is a subjective judgment. It is your opinion of your situation and how okay you are with it. I’ve done life plans for homeless people. In one life plan, I asked a woman (let’s call her Susan) how she would rate her physical situation. This woman was extremely overweight and she was homeless. Yet she rated herself “in balance” for the physical aspect of her life. She said that she was okay with her current physical situation but that she wanted to make many changes to her life which included getting an education and getting an apartment so that she was no longer homeless. This being said, if your physical situation is not acceptable by other people’s standards, but you are okay with it and you feel that you are in balance, then you are in balance. Whatever you say about yourself is true for you. Now ask yourself if you are in balance or out of balance physically. Think of “Physical” as the material aspect of your life. So, in this context, the physical aspect of you would include both your health (your body) and your wealth (your money, your material world and your physical surroundings). Did you ever hear of the term fiscal in relation to money in business? When companies start the beginning of a financial year, they begin their fiscal year. So let’s use the word fiscal in the context of your life as well as your money—your financial “health”—and let’s look at it as a component of your physical balance. Your body—Your health Let’s start with your body and your health. Is your physical body in balance? Do you need to exercise more? Do you have a physical condition of some sort that puts you out of balance? If you are in balance, give yourself a ‘0’ in Health. If you are way out of balance, give yourself a ‘10’. If you are somewhere in between, rate yourself between ‘1’ and ‘9’. Go with your gut feeling. Use Figure 1.4 as an example as you ask yourself how in balance you are in your own body. Place your answer on your personal balance scorecard. In Figure 1.4 John rated himself a ‘2’ in Health. He is pretty much in shape but he is not totally satisfied with the health of his body. He feels that he needs to exercise more and to eat healthier. John feels that these changes are vital to help him calm his mind. Figure 1.4 Your wealth—Your material world Now let’s assess your material world. Include your surroundings, the things that you own and your satisfaction with this, your possessions and your financial situation...