2010: An Opportunity to Re-Think "No time"

Hi everyone :)

I just wrote this piece for the newest edition of the Power of Wellness Newsletter and a little (yet very powerful) voice said "share it in your blog". So, here it is friends ...

Is there something you really want to do in 2010? It might even be the same thing you wanted to do in 2009 but just couldn’t find the time for. Do you want to exercise more, have more fun, make a healthy change in your diet, start a small business, give more, take regular time out for a passion or hobby, spend more quality time with family or friends ... or simply feel more awake to the beauty and joy around you? Recently I asked a new coaching client what she wanted most and she said “I want to know how to take the time to stop and smell the roses”. Sound familiar?

Whatever your desire, if you’ve told yourself “I don’t have the time for that”, I invite and challenge you to re-think it. 99% of the time, the thing that stops us is not a lack of time. The truth is that we all have the same 24 hours each day and we all get to choose how we use the time we have; we all choose how to spend our 1,440 minutes a day, 168 hours a week, and 365 days each year. We all set priorities and if we’re not doing something, it’s because we haven’t made it a priority.

In the words of Michael Neill, “the most important choice you make is what you make important”. If you notice yourself thinking “I don’t have time for that”, ask yourself “Is this a priority right now?” Maybe it’s not a top priority right now, and that’s just fine. I’ve discovered that I could easily fill 3-4 full days for every 1 that I have, all with things I’d truly like to do. So, to live my best life (and bust the big stress that would come with trying to actually do all that!), I consistently ask myself, “What’s most important in my life right now?” This is the only thing that helps me come back to my center, to my sense of peace and wellbeing. And believe me, I've made it into a bit of a daily prayer or mantra to help keep me on track. Without it, I can easily go overboard and lose that sense of wellbeing.

And if something does feel like a top priority to you and you still think you don’t have the time, consider asking yourself “The Million Dollar Question”: If you would be given a million dollars for the successful achievement of whatever it is you say you want in your life, what would you do differently to go about getting it? For example, if you knew you’d be paid a million dollars (or whatever would be inspirational for you) to find the time for a daily 30 minute dose of pure pleasure or fun, what would you do differently to make it happen? Would you say no to something? Maybe you’d delegate more. There are a lot of ideas and it’s amazing how creative we can be when the stakes are high.

Maybe you need help to figure out how to make this a priority. Go for it – ask for help. It’s a common thing to feel stuck and out of answers at some point in our lives and, as I say time and time again, if you’re alive, you need help. We all need help to live our best lives. And we all deserve it. We really are designed to help each other.

You might ask a good friend to brainstorm possible solutions with you, to encourage you and hold you accountable. It could be fun to do this for each other. Or get radical and hire a life coach – research shows that you’re 80% more likely to make the shift you want to, and make it stick. It’s pretty powerful teamwork indeed.

The bottom line is if you want to “move out of stuck and into possibility in 2010”, make it a priority to tune into your priorities. You’ll be so very grateful you did! In the words of Mary Oliver ... “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”