GenuLines (blog) | Chi For Yourself

Out With the Clutter and In With The Good Chi- Day 3

April 18, 2013 John Uncategorized No comments

We’re winding down the declutter process and today we’ll talk a little about where you’re spending your time and attention. ‘What does that have to do with clutter’, you ask? Well it’s possible to clutter your life with the things and people you commit to and the thoughts you choose to hold.

Your time is parceled out to various needs- family and home life, friends, religious and neighborhood. Make a list of your commitments. It might surprise you to actually see where your time goes. I like to use the 80-20 approach. This is called Pareto’s Principle, after the guy who is credited with inventing it. I look for the roughly 80 per cent of time well-spent from 20 per cent of my endeavors. If you can put this to work for yourself you can keep the good stuff in your life and shed those efforts and thought burners that are a drain on your time. Look at your list and decide whether each item really brings you enjoyment and value. Ask yourself if all of these things are worth your time. Be honest, and know that separating from some of your ‘time vampires’ might mean saying “NO” to someone-you may have to be less accommodating in the way you budget your time.

If your daily schedule has no rhyme or reason it might be time to add a little structure to the mix. Start to bundle your tasks. Instead of driving to the grocery store for different items on different days of the week, set up a schedule that lets you ‘make the rounds’ and get all of your items in one trip. A list would do nicely here. Post it where you can see it and follow it. Structure just might bring a new sense of serenity and order to your life.

JohnK 4/18/2013

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“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”

– Leonardo DaVinci

Out With the Clutter and In With The Good Chi- Day 2

April 17, 2013 John Uncategorized No comments

You spend a lot of your time at home, so clutter is not something you want in your space. Think about keeping things simple. If you weave back and forth as you step carefully through the rooms you’ll want to start the declutter there, if only for safety’s sake! Clear out anything that has made a home on the floor. You can donate usable stuff, or just throw it away. After taking care of the floor move to the tabletops and shelves. Put things in piles and be honest about what you need or don’t need. You can keep things, donate them, or throw them out. But a word of advice- don’t move from room to room. Pick a room and work it until finished. Organize the things you do keep and see if you can put them all where they won’t be seen.

It’s tempting to pack your stuff into the closet. Organize the closets, even if they won’t be seen. Closet stuff is often a good collection of things that you’ll donate. If you do that make sure that you clean them. And make sure your “keepers” deserve that label and get used often. Be honest about your clothes. If you haven’t worn it for some time, send it packing.

A word about drawers. They can collect a lot of those little things that you REALLY don’t need. Empty them and again sort by what you’ll keep and what you’ll hang on to.

Gonna have to wrap things up. The plumbers just left after fixing a leak in the laundry room. A whole ‘nother cleaning job to be done. More on clutter later in this space.

JohnK 4/17/2013

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Overheard- “Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”

~William Morris

Out With the Clutter and In With the Good Chi- Day One

April 16, 2013 John Uncategorized No comments

Okay, it’s time to roll up the sleeves and get going. I’m starting the de-clutter process in my office. No real surprise. I spend lots of time there, and it shows. Stuff on the desk, on the floor, and even stuff on the dining room table. If you want to be more focused AND productive you’ve got to get the clutter out of your work space.

Starting with the desk I take everything off of the desktop and out of the drawers. Here’s your chance to wipe down the desktop- when’s the last time you did that? Now, the stuff on and in the desk can be put on the floor. You’ll want to sort through it and toss everything you really don’t need. I mean, do you really need that mailbox coupon that offers 2 for 1 cheeseburgers at the local greasy spoon eatery? Now, when you’ve parted with the junk you’ve got to sort the saved stuff. I use folders of the kind you get during a 1-cent sale at Staples. Your system may be different, like maybe a filing cabinet setup. It’s a good idea to keep supplies and other items in designated drawers. Put labels on things if you must, but remember to have a dedicated spot for every item you decided to keep and make sure that it stays there, or goes back there when you’re done using it. I get lots of paper coming in every week. Before the papers pile up sort them each day – toss them or file them as you see fit. Just remember that whatever you do with your papers, DO NOT KEEP THEM ON TOP OF YOUR DESK. All you want on the surface of your desk is your phone, computer, and inbox, and maybe your favorite personal affects along with the documents you are working with at the moment.

Clutter can be a problem on the computer, too. Purge the programs, files and even desktop icons you don’t need. They slow down your machine and they make for visual clutter, too.

Information comes to us from more directions now than ever before. Get on top of it. Cut back on newspaper and magazine subscriptions. Limit your intake of radio and television. How much time are you spending on social networks? They can eat up your whole day. Limit your reading on these sites. No need to become a hermit. Just know when to “say when” and put some boundaries on yourself.

JohnK 4/16/2013

Overheard: “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.”

– Confucious

Slacks, Ties, and Video Tapes: Out with Your Clutter and In With the Good Chi!

April 15, 2013 John Uncategorized No comments

Problems with our BlogTalkRadio post caused the Tammy Strobel interview to be pushed back to Saturday April 13th. We saw a similar snafu with the previous week’s Polly Campbell interview. It’s rare when we have these types of snags, but we’re caught up now. If you didn’t get to hear the shows you can catch them here:

Polly Campbell is the author of Imperfect Spirituality: Extraordinary Enlightenment for Ordinary People

Polly Campbell

Tammy Strobel is the author of You Can Buy Happiness (and it’s Cheap): How One Woman Radically Simplified Her Life and How You Can Too.

Tammy Strobel

Article:

I’m really getting into this de-clutter “thing”. This week I’ve managed to unload what seems like a lifetime worth of stuff, though there’s still a long way to go.

Excessive clutter can creep into every area of your life, like waiting to do your taxes until the final day (which just happens to be today!) It spills over into your total enjoyment of life. Clutter can steal your attention, be a physical and mental burden, and ratchet up the chaos in your life. Moving out your stuff can seem to be mission impossible if you don’t have some sort of plan for getting it done. This week I’m “chunking it”- concentrating on small steps each day.

Today I’m starting with the office. There are papers everywhere (research, you know!) Then the computer area. I gotta get to work. I’ll have a report on the office cleanup, and in fact I’ll update ya with posts this week. If I get any brainstorms on how to make this project go a little easier I’ll send them along.

Later

JohnK 4/15/2013

Overheard: “Eliminate physical clutter. More importantly, eliminate spiritual clutter.

~Terri Guillemets

Smile and Say ‘Chi’: Your Essential Energy Never Changes

April 3, 2013 John Uncategorized No comments

April is spring cleaning time around my place. And since I like to put themes to Chi For Yourself episodes. I thought we would spend some time this month taking a look at de-cluttering. We all have stuff that we don’t really need but somehow never seems to get thrown out. I’ll bet you’re thinking of one or two items right now. Of course physical items are not the only things that can go to the scrap pile. Our thoughts can use a ‘cleaning up’ too. To that end we’ll get started with an interview with Polly Campbell, author of Imperfect Spirituality:Extraordinary Enlightenment for Ordinary People.

Polly Campbell

Polly is scheduled to join us on Thursday April 4th. I plan to stream the interview on chiforyourself.com before putting the recorded version on BlogTalkRadio the following day. So, if you’d like to join us we’ll get started at 1pm Pacific time..again that’s Thursday April 4th.

The following week we’ll hear from Tammy Strobel. Tammy is the author of You Can Buy Happiness (and It’s Cheap): How One Woman Radically Simplified Her Life and How You Can Too.

Tammy Strobel

The title says it all and Tammy will talk about how she did it. You can join in on this one, too. We’ll start the conversation at 1pm Pacific time on April 11th.

Overheard: “Unnecessary possessions are unnecessary burdens. If you have them, you have to take care of them!”

– Peace Pilgrim

Article: Smile and Say ‘Chi’: Your Essential Energy Never Changes

You’re looking through some photos that you stumbled upon and you can’t believe the gangly youngster looking back is you- all dressed up for a school function or possibly for a little league baseball game. The photos stir up a lifetime worth of memories, yet with all the changes in your appearance or your clothing you notice in each one there is something that seems to stay the same.
The quality that seems to burst through each picture over the years is the genuine self. It’s the marker that identifies us even more than ‘Dad’s smile’, or ‘Aunt Clara’s eyes’. The genuine self is our innate GPS. When we stay true to this self we will always have our direction.
We really shine in situations where we can express the true self. When our interests are recognized and supported we fell better. And we get clear about who we are and what we want. We feel that we are encouraged to follow our interests and demonstrate our abilities. There’s real joy is this feeling. It comes from moving toward our wants and passions and it can lead you to exactly where you want to go. But you must listen to it and trust it.
At some point you may feel that you don’t have the freedom to express youself and your desires. That’s the time when you’ll most feel the need for change. You may feel you are unappreciated or not getting the recognition you deserve. You may even be outright discouraged or punished. At these times you can ask yourself these questions:

Who am I?
What brings me joy?
What do I want/don’t want..what will I do/not do?

Find the you that doesn’t change. The you that you’ve always been. That’s your genuine self. It will lead you. Will you follow?

JohnK 4/3/2013
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Stalled on the Inspiration Superhighway? Get Your Bearings and Get Back on The Road to Fulfillment.

March 25, 2013 John Uncategorized No comments

Our lives wind along a sometimes tricky web of avenues that take us from one segment of life to the next. For some the route includes clearly marked road signs and few hills. For others it’s not so easy to see where to go next. The destination is fulfillment- defined as ‘satisfaction or happiness as a result of fully developing one’s abilities or character.’ But figuring out which turn will put you on the direct road to fulfillment and the living of a genuine life may not be as obvious.

There are a lot of ways to uncover what the next road on your life path should be. If you are looking to follow that “faint inner voice” then it’s vital that you start asking questions. Often that inner voice will suggest that it’s time for change. At this point it is important that you go inside for answers since only you know what’s best for you. When you push past the limits of your comfort zone you gain more confidence and you are able to guage your personal growth.

It’s also a good time to take a look at where you’ve been so far. Those things that made up your list of needs and wants may not be serving you any more. Knowing this could shine a light on what you no longer want and more importantly what you might need to do next. This little rest stop is a good point to get a clear picture of your perfect future. Start listing ways to bring that future into form and in line with your intentions. Meditation is a favorite of mine. You may want to keep a vision board, or a journal. These can give you the courage and the insight to move toward the next segment of the life road that will be most satisfying.

Pull back the curtain of fear and inertia that keeps you from knowing which step to take next. With trust your path will make itself known. When you move past the fear and listen to yourself getting to that next step will become easier.

JohnK 3/25/2013

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Notes to Start The Week March 17th, 2013

March 18, 2013 John Uncategorized No comments

Very much enjoyed our Chi For Yourself interview with Ajayan Borys. I hope it dispelled some notions about meditative practice and gave you some ideas to help in your own meditation..

If you didn’t catch Ajayan on the show you can listen here:

..and on a related note, here’s something from Business2community that can give you more encouragement:

Meditation: Making it a Daily Habit For a More Fulfilling Life

Meditation is an excellent habit to add to your daily routine. Not only does it help you relax, but it also helps with almost every other part of your life as well. Read more..

We’re enjoying a spell of the kind of weather that Southern California is famous for, and it’s the kind of weather that moves me to start cleaning out the house. Items are making their way out of my house most every week- shirts, pants, shoes, books, even an old computer that dates back to the Reagan administration. Gotta say I’m inspired by the writing of Tammy Strobel. Tammy has written a book called You Can Buy Happiness (and it’s cheap): How One Woman Radically Simplified Her Life and How You Can Too.

Tammy is scheduled to be a guest on Chi For Yourself on April 11th.

Also working to get Polly Campbell on the show. Polly is the author of Imperfect Spirituality: Extraordinary Enlightenment for Ordinary People.

Overheard: “Times change. For the usual person this is very discouraging. You cannot rely on anything. You cannot have anything. And you will see what you don’t want to see. So you [have to] change the foundation of your life. ‘That things change’ is the reason why you suffer in this world and become discouraged. [But] when you change your understanding and your way of living, then you can completely enjoy your life in each moment.”

– Shunryu Suzuki

Peace

JohnK 3-18-2013

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Notes to Start the Week March 10, 2013

March 11, 2013 John Uncategorized No comments

Well, lots of folks turned the clocks ahead one hour over the weekend. Time becomes a news story in the Western media when this part of the year rolls around.

Most of us have said, “If only I had more time,” as a way of explaining why we aren’t leading our most fulfilling lives. In her 2012 Chi For Yourself interview Marney Makridakis turned the concept of time management upside down when she brought us some new tools for viewing and experiencing time.

Listen to the show here:

Marney Makridakis is the author of “Creating Time: Using Creativity to Reinvent the Clock and Reclaim Your Life.”

Meditation is on the menu this week. Our scheduled guest on Chi For Yourself is Ajayan Borys, author of Effortless Mind: Meditate With Ease. The interview is scheduled for 1pm Pacific on Wednesday instead of the usual Thursday. The Google+ streams seem to be working well, so I’m planning to stream our talk on chiforyourself.com.

Speaking of meditation, there’s a global meditation planned for later this month. Get the details here at TheMasterShift.com.

…and, in Lexington, Virginia they’re observing Spiritual Wellness Month at the VA hospital there. Good quote from the VA- “At Lexington VA, we recognize that the Veterans we care for are spiritual beings having a human experience rather than human beings having occasional spiritual feelings,” Read the whole story…

Be well

JohnK 3-11-2013

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The Sultan of Silly on Why Laughter Really IS Good Medicine

March 8, 2013 John Uncategorized No comments

Allen Klein

Allen Klein is the self-styled, one and only “Jollytologist”. During his Chi For Yourself interview he gave us some chuckles, but also reminded us that life gets a little too serious sometimes.

If you didn’t get a chance to listen or watch last Thursday’s interview with Allen Klein you can do that here:

…and, our scheduled guest for Wednesday March 13th is Ajayan Borys. He’ll talk about why meditation is easier than we make it. Ajayan Borys is the author of Effortless Mind: Meditate With Ease.”

Ajayan Borys

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JohnK March 8th, 2013

Fear Strikes Out: Getting Around the Wall of Worry on the Way To a Genuine Life

February 20, 2013 John Uncategorized No comments

It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood, much like many along Pacific Coast Highway. Pelicans glide near the surface of the ocean while gulls let out a sort of shrill encouragement nearby. Yet I’m feeling a bit uneasy as I make my way toward my dental appointment. Now, I’m no coward but I’m wondering ‘what if?’ What if this time I’ll need extensive work? It’s happened before. What if that work leaves me with a big bill? Been a while since any work was done. Am I due for a surprise?

Fear. It can stop you cold, give you what athletes call ‘jelly knees’, and steal your ability to make smart decisions. It can rob you of rational thinking and even turn you into a shadow of your real self. And all because of a perceived threat. Feeling threatened is not the same as an actual threat. But how can you tell? Do you face real danger or do you advance confidently?

Fear of uncertainty can leave you too frightened to take the path you really want to take. You can freeze at a bad time and not take to the road you must travel. It can be a helpless feeling and one that could leave you playing the victim.

Fear, real or not, can play a big part in how and if we respond and in who we become. There are countless stories of people who’ve let fear get the upper hand, even if only for a short time. That fear takes on an air of paranoia when their judgement is colored by those who are ‘out to get’ them. It’s a bit over the top but that’s the power of fear brought on only by perception.

Who are you becoming? Who is that person you call your self? My own belief is that the combination of listening to the faint inner voice and thinking rationally can turn back even a natural fear. It may require getting past the perception of whatever you’re facing. This will go a long way toward keeping you on target to living genuinely.

Oh, the dentist appointment? Got a checkup, a cleaning, and a reminder to ‘keep up the good work’.

Overheard: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

– Margaret Mead

JohnK 2-20-2013

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