Can you remember?

When was the last time you gave yourself a gift? Did you buy yourself something nice that you had wanted for a long time?  Was it a pair of tickets to an event, concert, or show that you had been looking forward to?  Was it a day off work that was desperately needed?  Or can you even remember?  Maybe it is past time to give yourself a gift.

I must admit…

I am not a great gift-giver.  My gift-giving abilities pale in comparison to the fabulous Amy Recker.  Maybe you have someone in your life that knows the perfect gift for you.  It seems to be a recurring event at our house with two different perspectives.  Two or three weeks before Christmas or a birthday or anniversary, I start to panic because I don’t have a gift.  I use Google and Amazon and any number of random searches and finally find a gift that is good enough but not great.

Amy, on the other hand, has been prepared.  She has been observant.  She has watched for things that I mention or that catch my eye.  And it is likely that she purchased them long ago.

Then it is time to open our gifts…

And you can imagine how this plays out.  I open a gift from Amy and it is perfect and thoughtful.  And there is a story behind it.  Something like this- remember when we were in that store six months ago and you remarked that you thought this was cool? Or like this- you said you had always wanted x, so I was able to locate it on this obscure website. And then I try to have a story for the gifts that I gave.  And let’s just say this- it isn’t quite as meaningful.

But what if you gave yourself two thoughtful gifts…

Gifts that would improve your life and make a HUGE difference in the battle against urgency.  These would be gifts that would turn you into an even better gift-giver.  Your life would also level up and bring you one step closer to thriving.  Would you be interested?  Here they are…

Time Blocking

Urgency causes our heads to spin.  It reminds us that we always have to be productive.  That all time has to count and sitting still just isn’t going to work.  We have to have something to show for our time.  And this is where I was- for a LONG time.  Until I discovered time blocking.  Here it is in a nutshell- you take a look at the discretionary time you have- it may be a lot or a little- but write it down in a journal.

Maybe you have an hour after work on Tuesday and an hour Saturday morning and two hours on Sunday afternoon.  Then plan what you are going to do in those times.  Instead of having ambiguous time that makes our heads spin, give yourself the gift of knowing what you are doing.

I don’t know about you, but I need this structure on the days that I am out of the office.  My day is planned for me in my dental practice, but the other days- if i don’t have some structure, I don’t tend to get much accomplished.  And yes- I even time block rest.  Even if it is just 15 minutes.  Because if I don’t, it won’t happen.  If you want to learn more about time blocking- check out this blog to get started with this gift.

Be An Observer

Be an observer of people.  Of the world around you.  Of the clouds.  Take some time and just observe.  And journal what you see and experience.  Why is this a gift?  When urgency ruled my life, I was lousy at noticing things.  I missed the beautiful sunrises and sunsets.  I missed the clouds.  Missed people.  Missed life.  I was stuck.

And I was gray, similar to the character Walter Mitty in my favorite movie.  His life was gray.  I will let you see how it evolves.  When I started seeing the world through observation, my life changed.  I started seeing color.  Experiencing life.  Living as an active participant in my own story.  It was life changing.  Here’s the thing- it does involve stepping away from screens.  So there is that challenge.  But what if you gave yourself the gift of truly observing the world around you?  What a difference that could make!

So what if you gave yourself a gift this week?

It seems like as good of a week as any to give yourself a gift!  Try some time blocking.  Experiment with observation.  Believe that good days are ahead.  Because you got this!  I believe in you.  I hope you believe in you!

Need a little extra encouragement- check out these words to help you on the journey. And, as always, please reach out with any ways I can help you along the path of life!