In my recent blog post, “How to Live: Lessons from the Jedi Masters” I discussed the need to find a balance between living in the moment while planning for the future. Achieving that balance is central to achieving happiness; but sometimes, our own habits prevent us from taking that leap to get to great opportunity. This is true for any entrepreneur, but even more so for any parent who is also an entrepreneur. Being in charge of a home based business – and at the helm of a family – means that you must always anticipate future outcomes while handling the tasks of today.
That being said, I propose the following three steps to achieving happiness. This is a more scaffolded approach to a simple recommendation!
1. Let go and say yes: For one day this week, say yes to any opportunity that comes your way. Life has a tendency to present what we need and want in a way that we may not understand immediately. By saying yes, you can allow yourself to overcome any fear or anxiety that may be preventing you from getting in the game. This article regarding improvisational acting has a great take on the benefits of [...]
By Ja-Naé Duane
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Also posted in Creativity, Happiness, Peace, Philosophy, Uncategorized
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Tagged achieving happiness, entrepreneurs, gratitude, home-based business, life balance, Spirituality, working from home
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As a leader and an entrepreneur, one of the most important lessons I’ve learned:
Just Breathe. Everything else will take care of itself.
It’s true. We get ahead of ourselves instead of allowing life and its gifts to occur and grow within our lives. It is the same with our businesses and organizations. When we breathe (and smile), we remember that we have a choice in the decisions we make, how we experience life and all that it has to offer.
February 13, 2010 – 9:20 am
I know many of you are looking for that luxury lifestyle and hoping that you can design that lifestyle you’ve always wanted and finally work a “Four Hour Workweek.” But at what cost?
Perhaps it is the new year talking, but I have been on a total “balance” kick lately. While I value energy, happiness, and positivity, I also believe in a balance in temperaments, in the way of the Taoist philosophy of yin and yang. This informative article explains that “the yin, the yang, and the harmonious temperaments produce the collective, the individualistic, and the harmonious society, respectively.” Makes sense huh? I mean, if you spend all of your time taking care of others, you leave no time for yourself and therefore fail to achieve harmony (and vice versa). Failure to achieve balance within yourself might also give forth the wrong idea about who you are. For example, when I meet someone who is overly-energetic or overly-aggressive, it turns out that 9 times out of 10 that person is extremely insecure. Overcompensation in either yin (collective) or yang (individualistic) sides of yourself yields an unnatural sense of being, both inside and out. Suite101.com had a great article on Balancing Your [...]
February 10, 2010 – 9:13 am
I LOVE the first three movies of the “Star Wars” saga (I’m talking about Episodes I, II, and III of more recent years, which gets a little confusing given the whole “prequel” thing). In my opinion, “Star Wars” has been one of the most profound blockbusters of recent cinematic history, operating with the help of several themes. Like so many have claimed of “The Godfather,” ”Star Wars” carries lessons that are relevant to our everyday lives. For example, in Episode I, the following conversation unfolds between Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan:
Qui-Gon: Don’t center on your anxieties, Obi-Wan. Keep your concentration here and now, where it belongs.
Obi-Wan: But Master Yoda says I should be mindful of the future.
Qui-Gon: But not at the expense of the moment. Be mindful of the living Force, my young Padawan.
This idea of living in the moment while planning for the future extends from master to teacher once again, when Qui-Gon explains to Anakin that he must “not think, just do.” The lesson we are taught is that we must trust our instincts, make quick yet sound decisions, and be mindful of the future while keeping it in the background of our minds.
I am not alone in recognizing the [...]
