Where do you spend your time?

Does this sound familiar? – “I’m incredibly busy right now juggling multiple projects and numerous deadlines.  Things are just really crazy.  Everyone I work with is flat-out and working under constant stress to accomplish our goals.  But our work is important and once we get through this current push, there will be time in maybe six to nine months and I’ll be able to get home a little earlier and focus more on planning our family trip next summer, and maybe pick up piano lessons with my daughter.  And things won’t be crazy anymore.”  Or something similar?  Marshall Goldsmith repeats a story like this in his presentations and his point is simply to focus on the one thing you can and will change today – not the twelve things you think you might change sometime in the future.  Pick just one thing you are willing to do today to get closer to a goal.

How you spend your day is how you spend your life. – Annie Dillard

So with this in mind I was attending a recent conference and focusing on changing some of my fitness habits on the road.  We were down in Clearwater, FL at a resort and I took time to run on one of the most beautiful beaches in Florida.  We are all constantly reminded of the importance of balance – of building both mental and physical provocations.  Many people you know may say they do their best thinking on their bike, while running, in the car, walking in the woods, etc…  Jim Loehr suggests this is the time we are recovering from mental stresses.  He reminds that problems arise not from stress, but from chronic stress – from not allowing time for recovery and growth.