Welcome to The Purpose Post!

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

What would you do if you had all the time in the world?


In the James Bond film "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" James falls in love with the beautiful Tracy di Vicenzo. During the action-filled story, they dream of a time when they are not being chased all over Europe by the evil Blofeld. "We have all the time in the world," says Tracy, the only woman ever to marry James Bond.

James and his wife live happily for a time, with no thoughts about the past. The only tears at the wedding are those of Miss Moneypenny, and Mr. and Mrs. Bond look forward to living a life together as if they truly did have all the time in the world.

Time is such an issue for so many of us today. Schedules are overflowing with jobs, children, chores. Rollover your 401K now!, pick up the phone and call today!, don't let another minute go by!; our ears are constantly barraged with so-called urgency imposed upon us by others.

What about the urgency we place upon ourselves? Have you ever uttered the following: "I know it's late, but they're depending on me, I have to make the brownies right now." Or, "Billy really wants to take swimming lessons, I think we can squeeze in one more thing. He's only got three extra-curricular activities."
Or how about the insidious, "If I don't do this, it won't get done."?
(Generally translated, "...it won't get done my way.").

Now I am not suggesting that you break promises or shirk responsibilities. If we say we'll bring the brownies, then we should be men and women of integrity and bring them. But do they have to be homemade when the only chance you'll have to bake is at 10:00 p.m.? Can Billy drop Tae-Kwan-Do for the summer in exchange for swimming? Can you learn to look the other way and let your spouse fold the laundry, even if it's wrong? (gasp!)

In "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People", Stephen R. Covey talks about ways to re-prioritize our time by analyzing each task and assigning it a category. Doing some thoughtful planning can help us manage the frantic quality of post-modern life.

When I first started doing this, I noticed two things:
1. It really helped free up some time, and
2. The people whose action items ended up in the bottom category hated my new system!

I am still working on my journey of time-management, but I have found that making some changes in this area has freed me up to do the things I am called to do: spend more time with family, have a better career-life balance and work at staying healthy.

Of course, we do not have all the time in the world. Our life-journey is finite and there are things that must fill some of that time. But just for a moment, allow yourself to think about this week's question. What is your time desire? Would you take a year and backpack Asia? Would you spend more time archiving your family history? Is mission work a passion?
Try and think about big-picture dreams.

Then, because time is a concern, think about how you might whittle an hour into your week for your time-desire or something similar that would feed your passion in this area. Is there a class you can take? Maybe it's something you can translate into a family activity. Perhaps a family member or friend has a time-desire you can both share. If your time-desire involves travel, is there something local you can do, such as visit a restaurant from a part of the world you enjoy?

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven." What seems time-prohibitive may merely be so right now, in this season of your life. But that does not mean it will always be.

What would you do if you had all the time in the world?

Smiles and Blessings,
Sharon





Wednesday, February 13, 2008

What would you do if you were completely fearless?



Several years ago, I found myself alone in a rural French town a week before my birthday. I was there for work, not pleasure. The only French I could speak was what I could cram into my brain on the flight over. It was cold, wet and grey outside. I didn't know anybody. The only birthday party I could foresee was a pity party.

Then my dear friend, Mark, called me out of the blue. We hadn't seen each other since he relocated across the country, and he was astonished to hear that I was in France. He was traveling with his new business partners, who just happened to be German. Mark told me he would be in Munich the following week and asked if there was any way I could break away for a visit.

I was so moved and grateful to be rescued from such dismal prospects on my birthday. We arranged for us to meet at the train station in Munich.

When I arrived, I saw Mark and he took me out to the car. The car turned out to be a Bentley limo, complete with liveried chauffeur. It turned out that his business partners were from a wealthy, formerly aristocratic family. When they heard that Mark's friend was coming to visit AND it was her birthday, they pulled out all the stops.

Like Cinderella, I was whisked all over town in a beautiful silver coach. I was the only woman in the group and was treated like a real princess. Mark's friends belonged to all the exclusive clubs in Munich. When we arrived at a discotheque, we were the ones to get in while all the others waited behind the red ropes. I ate five-star food, stayed in a five-star hotel, shopped in five-star stores, and was not allowed to pay one pfenning for any of it. We ended that day in a very chi-chi rathskeller club in the former dungeon of a castle somewhere outside the city. (I have NO idea where it is now...) The members offered toasts to my health. It was one of my best birthdays ever!

The next day Mark and I were walking in the town square and I was musing on all the things I had experienced for the first time. I had never celebrated my birthday in Munich. I had never been to a discotheque on my birthday. Then Mark and I walked past a tobacconists' shop where there were Cuban cigars in the window. In the spirit of doing something we'd never done before, we bought a Cuban cigar and sat on a park bench, smoking cigars while we watched the world go by.

Ever since then, it has become a tradition in our family to do something you've never done on your birthday. It could be something small, like smoke a Cuban cigar (I admit this is not the healthiest choice...), or something big like going to Munich.

My challenge for you this year is to try something new on your birthday. A food you've never tasted, a place in your town you've never been, an activity you've never tried. Set a goal for a milestone birthday to take that special vacation you've always dreamed about. Try something outside your comfort zone. Maybe even try something that scares you a little.

One of the biggest fears we all face is that of change. But doing something unfamiliar, yet easy and fun, can encourage you to conquer those bigger changes when they come along. Some of those changes might not be fun or easy. But stretching your 'change' muscles in small areas can equip you for the tougher ones. Just as marathon runners start by running a 5K, start small. It's all about those baby steps!

What would you do if you were completely fearless? I'd love to hear your answers!


Smiles and Blessings,
Sharon

p.s. Thanks to those of you who commented last week. If you haven't read last week's blog comments, check out the dream story posted by one of your fellow bloggers. Here's praying that you get the chance to live out your dreams!



Wednesday, February 6, 2008

What would you do if money was no object?


Welcome to my exciting new blog, The Purpose Post! This will replace my former blogsite Speak with Purpose. Don't worry, I am still doing speech and audition coaching. But as Darrin and I begin to expand our business, I decided that I needed to have a name that was more inclusive of all the coaching services I am offering.

I am so happy that you have stopped by for a chat. This is meant to be a fun and motivational site, so I want to hear from you.

In order to get some comments going, take a look at the question at the top of the page. What do you think about it? How would you answer it? There's only one rule: It must be for yourself. No fair saying, "I'd pay off my house", or "Send my kids to college." We know that you'd do all those things if money was no object. I mean, we're women!!

This question is to encourage you to think about YOUR dreams. Even if it is something that is no longer possible to you due to health or other concerns, just thinking about your no-holds-barred dream can point your way to things you CAN do. It's all about those baby-steps.

I can't wait to hear your answers.

Smiles and Blessings,
Sharon

p.s. Remember, yesterday is history. Tomorrow's a mystery. Today is the gift. And that is why it's called The Present.

About Me

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San Antonio, Texas
I am a certified life coach and would love to help you discover and live your life's purpose!