My home page for the internet is Louise Hay’s Affirmation page, so every time that I go online I have a nice affirmation there waiting for me. Today the affirmation was “I balance my life between work, rest and play. They all get equal time.” Hmmmm. How true is this statement in your life?

Do you balance work, rest, and play? I realised (somewhat to my horror!) that, in my case, playtime really comes in only if I’ve ‘booked’ time to play – like my day at the beach last week, or going to see Hamlet in Stratford tonight – or if I have time ‘left over’ to play after I’ve worked and rested! The end result is that playtime is getting about 20% of my time at most. RUBBISH!

Enough already! It’s time to bump playtime up the priority list! I admin I have gotten into bad habits lately. I’ve been busy and working quite a lot…and because I am good at self care, resting a lot too…but at the expense of playtime! Shocking.

And what’s worse, I know that I am better at this balance than most people I know. Many are very unbalanced (in terms of “work, rest and play” that is – not mentally unbalanced!), and the big missing ingredient is playtime. It’s heart-breaking to see, because playtime makes you come alive, playtime is fun, playtime is vital to you having a happy life – let’s face it, how much better do you feel when you’ve been on holiday? And why?
Because you’ve had uninterrupted playtime!

Holidays are all about recharging your batteries and devoting yourself to having some fun…and then we come home and forget to play for another 11 months and 2 weeks. It’s foolish to neglect your fun muscles – if they get flabby you’ll get miserable. I’m sure I don’t really need to extol the virtues of play – you know yourself that when you take part in activities that you enjoy, you feel better.

So when was the last time you deliberately took part in an activity you enjoy and made a conscious choice to savour that playtime? Why not start tonight? Instead of sitting numbly in front of the idiot box, make an effort to do something playful and fun (if that’s tv for you, ok…but as long as you’re actively enjoying it, not just wobbed out in front of it!). You see people, it’s time to take playtime seriously!

Something to play with

Part 1: What is the balance of work, rest and play in your life? 60/30/10? 40/40/20? Have a guess at the proportions – your best guess will be quite accurate! What can you do TODAY to start restoring the balance (especially the playtime bit!)?

Part 2: What do you do to play? Aim to get a list of 100 things (it might take time, but you can do it!).

Part 3: Do something off that list DAILY.

This is a syndicated article, courtesy of Syndicate Kahuna

More about…

• affirmations
• Goal setting

Setting Goals to Bring Results

There is a big difference between scampering and running. Sure, they’re both actions designed to make person move fast, but the difference lies in goal setting. When a person scampers, that person moves to no purpose. It is an action performed instinctively. However, a person who runs does it to achieve a goal.

No matter how much effort you make, if you do not have direction, you will be wasting your energy. How can one have direction without a goal? Goal setting is important because it is the first step towards a journey. People may think that we started out without having any real goals, but let us examine life for a moment: When a sperm is first released, it has a goal, does it not? It swims towards the egg. This goal gives it direction.

As we mature in life, our goals get bigger and more ambitious. However, we still set goals. Goal setting is an inherent part of life. It answers the question of purpose. It tells us why we have to live, if only until the next day. Goals actually give us direction. For without goals, what would we direct our efforts toward? Goal setting is the key and essentially gives us the first step in our individual journeys.

Think of it: When you set a goal, you try to follow the most direct route towards it. So you take the first few steps towards achieving that goal. In setting a goal, you will always have the first step. However, in life, we encounter little detours. Sometimes, in order to reach our set goal, we must first accomplish another one.

Goal setting is the key to achieving success in life. If you set goals, you will be able to know which steps to take. Setting goals does not mean you make a list on what to do or what not to do. That would merely be the semblance of goal setting. True goal setting involves commitment. From the moment you set a goal, every effort you take should be directed towards the achievement of that goal.

Goal setting is important in life because it allows you to measure yourself. Through proper goal setting, you will be able to see just how far you’ve come and how far you will still be able to go.

Syndicated courtesy of SyndicateKahuna

For more on goal settng, see Gems4friends’ ten part series: How to Set Goals to Create Your Life.