CONTENTS
What shall I do next? Consequences?
What is necessary so that we will operate this way?
An example
A way of making this happen
Will I forget? How can I remember?
What is worth my life?
I will gladly spend my life...
A corollary exercise - what is not worth my time?
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WHAT SHALL I DO NEXT? CONSEQUENCES?
If we answer the question of what shall I do next, we will be fairly likely to choose without perspective. We will be very likely to choose short term. We will more often choose something short term that may not add up to good consequences over time.
And isn't it positive "consequences" that we are looking for in life?
Therefore, wouldn't we choose based on that criterion and live happily ever after?
If we did, we would. But we don't.
WHAT IS NECESSARY SO THAT WE WILL OPERATE THIS WAY?
We don't predict consequences well. We don't "think" and use reason to determine those - and, where needed, we often don't seek information from good sources. Hopefully, you will seek "wisdom" through the paths that this site recommends (tried and true ones). If you do, and you learn to "think", then you have a fair portion of the battle potentially won.
But without the second ingredient, the winning is less probable and/or less great.
The second, and key, ingredient is to take a higher perspective and to decide to operate off of long term consequences. Knowing how to predict consequences well and actually doing so are two different things.
And, beware, having ourselves use the second ingredient takes practice, repetition, reminding, and effort. From that we will build this as a habit, a way of doing something automtically and easily without effort.
AN EXAMPLE
"OK, right now I feel stiff, tired, depressed, and energyless. Right now what is worth my time, what will enhhance my life over the long term?"
The answer is not so likely to be "ice cream"", which is the answer to "how can I escape this short term discomfort?"
The answer was, for me, "I'll go exercise. Even if I have to walk slowly, I'll at least be moving. And I know that is what will serve me in this situation."
A WAY OF MAKING THIS HAPPEN
This latter statement then suggests that we should have "rules" set up based on what works for the long term or, lacking the rule, a good set of pre-decided "if I do this, then I get this" pairings.
Most likely, you can produce a good 80% of those with a "quick list" taking 20 minutes:
"If I exercise when tired, I will recover more quickly, be more energetic and get tired less often."
"If I exercise on a scheduled basis weekly for 1/2 hour 3-4 days and do my 10-15 minute stretching the other day, I will experience more aliveness in my days, I will live more days, I will be more efficient, I will have more strength of character."
Etc.
The list would have one colum with a heading "if I do this, when" and the second column with a heading of "then I will get this".
This is like a little formula book. Except we need a place to put these formulas...
WILL I FORGET? HOW CAN I REMEMBER?
Now the next question is "will I forget this at times?" And, of course, for a human, the answer is "yes!"
Therefore, we need to practice it more and more to have it be less forgettable PLUS have a place to get a reminder that is easy and accessible. Use your Reminders Notebook (see format).
At the top of your calendar daily, and even on a stickie stuck up on the mirror, put the question "What is worth my time and my life?"
I would recommend you add it to your key affirmations list that is repeated daily for a set period of time.
WHAT IS WORTH MY LIFE?
The next step in this process is actually to answer in a thinking session "what is worth my life?" This means "what would I feel pleased with doing with the time in my life?"
Set up, and put into your Reminders Notebook, a list of some things you can think of, scribbling as you think of them, making sure you spend only 20 minutes, no more, no less, for now. (You'll add automatically as you use your Reminders Notebook and do the Life Plan.) Anything that turns you on, would be great, to you, to do, would feel good to you (selfish is more than ok), etc. Of course, this is a bit in the Purpose area.
I WILL GLADLY SPEND MY LIFE...
Developing a systematic way for people to better their lives, to become enduringly happy and fully satisfied with live. I want to alleviate the totally unnecessary suffering that I see people puting themselve through, totally out of a lack of awareness.
On creating all the above and applying it to myself.
On doing what promotes my physical heatlh and on what is "healthy" for my overall self, such that I also could be a model for others, influencing them to live much healthier and happier lives. This would also garner more respect so that it would create a better listening to and honoring of my advice and the quality of my materials.
I will also happily accept that it is good and also necessary for me to do those things that handle the logistics of life, so that I can live to be able to do these things that I especially value. And, of course, I especially value "life" and thus what is necessary to sustain it. (I used to resent it and be caught up in the boredom of it rather than the appreciation of it and just singing along...)
If I could find a partner that I can be with, I would gladly, provided I can do my bigger life purpose, spend special time with her, discussing what is of interest, seeing the world...
A COROLLARY EXERCISE - WHAT IS NOT WORTH MY TIME?
One thing that helps me is to be very definite about what is a waste of time, otherwise I will waste time doing something that avoids discomfort or effort.
