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Inspiration

by EvieBurke, posted in inspiration

Inspiration is a funny thing.  Some days a wave of inspiration will hit me and I’ll be able to just run with it.  Other days I try very hard to come up with something and nothing comes.

When the wave hits it’s easy to say that it came out of nowhere and want to wait for one to hit before I do something.  What I notice when I pay attention though, is that the waves of inspiration really don’t come “out of nowhere”.  They come because I’ve been working on the problem for a bit and my mind has been thinking about it.  Think of it like when you’re trying to think of that actor’s name from that movie and you can’t think of his name and then five hours later the name comes to you.  It didn’t really come out of nowhere.  Your brain has been working on it even if you haven’t consciously been working on it. I think inspiration can work like that too.  My brain has been working on the problem for a while and then it comes up with a solution.

Another way inspiration works is for me to simply show up.  Showing up means I decide that I’m going to do what ever it is that needs to get done and set aside some time to do it, with or without the inspiration.  What can happen when I simply “show up” is that somewhere along the way I do get inspired and stuff gets done.

So, don’t wait for a wave of inspiration to hit before tackling a problem.  Have confidence that you’ll solve the problem and then schedule some time to work on it. If a wave of inspiration hits immediately great! Bit if it doesn’t, don’t worry about it, because in both inspiration scenarios a problem gets solved, the project moves forward, or a blog post is written.

Time Management Observations

by EvieBurke, posted in planning

The last few days I’ve felt overwhelmed with everything that I feel I should be doing and things I feel I should have already done.  I’ve been putting a lot of pressure on myself to just get one more thing done.

Earlier this week I was looking through the audio library that’s available to me because I’m doing my coach training with iPEC and found one about time management.  My biggest take away was that time management is just another way to say choice management.  I realized that it’s absolutely true.  I choose at every moment what I want to do.

This morning I saw this quote:

Scattering your day means you never fully experience anything you’re doing. Choose what is most important, shut out distractions, and give all your attention to the activity at hand.—Martha Beck, O Magazine – April, 2002

For me this week, this quote is entirely appropriate.  I spent a lot of time the last couple days thinking about what else I need to get done while trying to get something else done.  Guess how effective that strategy is for getting the task at hand done?  Right, it’s not effective at all.  So, I’m noticing when I’m scattering my attention and asking myself what I need to do (or not do) to prevent it.

And this afternoon I saw a blog post over at Productive Flourishing called “Effectiveness Is All About Managing Your Time, Energy, and Attention”. In it Charlie says:

Instead of thinking just about how you’re using your time, think about how you’re using your time, energy, and attention.

Again, completely appropriate for me this week and a reminder to do my best with all three of them.  For example, I know that I need to exercise in the morning, if I don’t I won’t have the energy or attention to do it later.  I need to pay attention to where I can apply this to other parts of my life.

I laughed to myself when I saw the blog post because I realized that time management has been on my mind in one way or another all week.  I felt like the Universe (or God) was hitting me upside the head and saying “Hey! You don’t have to feel overwhelmed if you don’t want to!  Here’s some things to think about! And in case you didn’t get it the first time, I’m sending more messages.”  Thanks Universe!  I’m getting the message and I’m open to any additional input you have!

Stop that Bad Day

by EvieBurke, posted in attitude

Ever had a bad day?  I mean a really bad day from start to finish?  In the morning your juice glass breaks and then you get makeup on your shirt and have to change.  At work, nothing seems to quite go right and by the time you get home all you have the energy to do is sit in front of the TV and snack instead of making dinner.

Ever wish you could stop that bad day in its tracks? Do you know that you can?  No, really, you can.  Yesterday started out similar to the above for me.  My husband joked that I should just go back to bed.  Instead I decided that the tone of my day would not be set by a couple of unfortunate incidents.  I brushed the experiences off, changed my shirt and went to work.  When my work schedule changed unexpectedly I smiled instead of being grumpy.

We have the power to change our day.  When you have a couple of annoying or upsetting things happen, don’t dwell on it.  Instead, look for the good things in the rest of your day.

Excitement and Fear

by EvieBurke, posted in Fear

On Friday I start a three-day training class that will mark the beginning of my training as a life coach.  This is what I’m meant to be doing right now, but I get really scared about the changes I’m making as often as I get really excited about it.

What is it about these big changes that makes us excited and scared at the same time?  I think it’s because we’re leaving our comfort zone and going into something we can’t exactly know what to expect.  Part of us wants to put the brakes on and comes up with lots of excuses.  I remember having the scared feeling especially strongly when I was 18 and driving to my first class at my community college.  I was no longer going to be in the familiar company of the kids I went to my small high school with, many who I’d known since grade school.  I made it through that day and the next two years at that college and I met friends that I still get together with now.

This experience and others have taught me that the things I’m most excited and scared about are also the most rewarding.  I keep telling myself that when I get really scared about being trained as a life coach and the changes I plan on making to my life as a result.  When I get really excited about the changes that are coming I really allow myself to feel the excitement (and remember that excitement when I’m having a scared moment!).

I’d like to say that we shouldn’t be scared of change, but being scared is part of the growing process.  Instead, don’t let the part of you that’s scared define you or your choices.  Acknowledge that you’re scared and identify exactly what it is you’re scared about, for me it’s failure.  Work through that fear and if you need help doing that, then get help. Don’t let the fear stop you from making the right decisions for yourself.

Long-Term vs Short-Term Happiness

by EvieBurke, posted in Happiness

Have you ever found yourself avoiding certain topics with people because you didn’t want to cause a problem?  I do this.  I like to avoid confrontation and as a result I avoid certain conversations. So, I sometimes avoid talking about what I need to be happy in a relationship because it might lead to an unpleasant discussion.

I realized I was avoiding a couple of topics with my husband the other night.  I also realized that for my long-term happiness I really needed to discuss those things with him, even though I might not be happy with the results in the short-term.  Thinking about having that discussion scared me to death, but I did it anyway.  Thankfully I found that we really are on the same page on those topics.  It also opened the door for him to talk about some topics he had been avoiding.  We have a better understanding of each other now.

I must have felt like I was on a roll, because later that week I called an old friend out of the blue.  She gave my husband and I a gift a few years ago that had some strings attached.  It sits in a cupboard forgotten most of the time, but when I do think about it, oh man, the knots in the stomach!  I decided to call her and tell her that we couldn’t keep it any longer.  It turned out I had completely misunderstood her intention!  I literally felt like a weight was lifted from my shoulders.

I’ve found that the longer I wait to have these discussions the more worked up I get, and even if the discussions don’t go as well as those above, they always go better than I expect. We don’t always give ourselves enough credit.

Where are you sacrificing your long-term happiness for your short-term happiness?  We are a long stronger than we think we are.  It’s important that we have those difficult discussions, especially with those we love the most.