“Distance has the same effect on the mind as on the eye.”
~ Samuel Johnson ~
Last month, we enjoyed a cruise to Alaska – beautiful! I thought the cruise would be relaxing and I would find time to gain perspective on the many things on my plate right now. Not surprisingly, though, there was a lot to do and it was not till we got off the ship that I noticed a tension and angst. I felt unclear about what was important – I had lost some of my perspective.
For most of us, stuff happens continually and we are always reacting, lost in busyness and overloaded with information and ideas. Unless we take the time to manage the contents of our mind in terms of perspective, importance, relevance and right relationship, we will experience an inner tension.
To overcome this tension and anxiety, we need some form of integration or assimilation or synthesis or balance or order.
And how do we do this?
I get great success from writing a list of all the competing stuff on my mind.
I review, sort, rank and make a few notes on each item. I put them into perspective with each other. What is most important? What is most urgent? What is the next step? What must I do and what do I want to do? This process can be done very methodically or if this is not your style, just review the list and allow insights and intuition to arise.
I recommend taking integration time daily and from a progressively higher perspective weekly and monthly. As we review the contents of our lives, information re-enters our minds from a new relaxed view point and we can see things more clearly.
Each of our Growth Tools newsletters offers a reminder to take time to answer daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly questions. Treat yourself to a mini mental retreat by answering these smart questions on a regular basis.
Enjoy integrating integration into your routine. You’ll appreciate the added clarity, perspective, follow-up, completeness, balance and inner harmony.