Why?

Have you ever had a conversation with a young child and have them curiously ask you several times in a row the question, "Why?" If you can be patient with the exercise, you find that repeatedly asking, "Why?" results in getting to the root of the initial question.

Do you ever ask, "Why?" Have a conversation with yourself and ask the question, "Why?"

• Why don't I write down my dreams and do something about them?


• Why am I busy? Am I accomplishing what is important or am I just doing stuff?


• Why do I plan my schedule at work but don't plan my life?


• Why can't I get anything done?


• Why do I focus so much time on my work and relationships and not on taking care of myself?


• Why do I spend so much time dealing with email? Is it productive?


• Why are we having this meeting?


• Why don't I read more?

It is important to regularly stop, reflect and as yourself some questions that could change the course of your life. What distractions do you need to remove? Why?

"Me Time"

After a program last week we had a participant write on their feedback form: "Today I learned that it's okay to take "me time." We so often neglect ourselves and wonder why we feel less than engaged at work or not as connected in our relationships.

To help you more often take some time for yourself, why not make a "Me Time List" that you keep on a note card on your desk, in a location that you see often or even on an electronic note on your smart phone. We so often neglect our "self ring" because it doesn't command our attention (until something goes wrong) like the other areas of our lives.

Make sure the list includes things that can be done in as little as 5 minutes and also ones that take a day or two.

As we say in Juggling Elephants, A successful circus has quality acts in all 3 rings.

Measuring The "Well Being" Of Your Circus

We often ask "how's your circus?" when helping people get a picture of their current situation. While doing some research, we found one another way to evaluate your circus. It's called the Gallup Healthways Well-Being Index. It's a daily assessment of American's health and well-being. They poll 1000 people every day on 55 indicators of happiness or well-being from work to eating habits to social life. The site can be a bit overwhelming, but the data is interesting to review. If you want a quick synopsis of the results, a good blog to read is in the Economix section of the NY Times from a few weeks ago.

If you review the indicators, the big question you will be left with is, "What are the indicators for me that things are going well?" If you find that the indicators are constantly changing for you, it might be a sign that you have become a little fuzzy about your purpose. If the indicators tend to be the same, you most likely have a better idea of what you are striving for on a daily basis. The level of satisfaction with the various indicators will change, but not the indicators.

The next time you're trying to get a better idea of how things are going in your circus, it might be of benefit to first stop and ask what you are basing your answers on.

What Have You Done For YOU Lately?

You have probably heard the question "What have you done for me lately?" It might have been a frustrated response to a neglected "relationship ring" or it could have been a statement made by an employee or employer. But, we tend to be a little more worried about our relationships and whether or not we are taking care and doing things for those around us.

But what about taking care of and doing for yourself? What have you done for YOU lately? It really is easy to get caught up in our relationship and work rings and forget about our self ring. We talked about sleep in our last blog. How is your diet? Are you eating healthy foods? How about exercise? When was the last time that you stretched your brain? If you think about it, your body and mind are the tools which will enable you to accomplish those things that matter the most to you as well as enjoy the time that you have in life.

Schedule a check up from a doctor, get up and go for a walk, eat more fruits and veggies and less junk food, go see the dentist, read a book, work on a puzzle or difficult problem, zip up your overcoat and be sure to get enough sleep. Take care of you because you are the only you that you have got!

White Space

If you have ever had an art class you might remember the teacher saying something like, "pay attention to the white space." The white space or "negative space" your teacher was referring to are the areas on your page that are not marked - that are blank. It is the space between text and graphics. It is the margins, gutters and space between the lines.

In business, white space is sometimes referred to as the gaps in an organization chart or between job functions. These are areas or responsibilities that no one is in charge of or responsible for.

What about the white space in your life? Let's define white space as the time you have between events. It is the 15 minutes that you have in the doctor's office while you are sitting in the waiting room. The 30 minutes that you have between meetings on a busy day. If you commute, it could be your drive time. How about the time that you have after dinner and before you go to bed?

Consider how you are spending and utilizing your white space. Are you being productive or are you just waiting for the next event to come along? Well, I doubt you are just sitting there waiting but maybe you are surfing the Internet, watching TV, checking email AGAIN or reading/updating your social media. These are not bad things but you need to consider if they are helping you to achieve the things that matter most to you?

Pay attention to the white space! Have a list of important, meaningful tasks that you want to accomplish. When you have the rare 15 minutes, review the list and get something done - something that will make a difference and really matter. Best wishes with your masterpiece!