Paperwork of Life

"We can lick gravity, but sometimes the paperwork is overwhelming." ~Wernher von Braun

Recently I spent a day with my wife going to her pre-operative medical visits. She was going to have surgery in a few days and these visits were a necessary part. So together, we bravely marched on towards the day.

Now I will admit that previous medical visits required numerous forms to fill out. We know that a visit to the doctor is probably also a date with paperwork. Even in today's 'electronic' age of computers, the need for paper still exists.

And again, as we made our way to each of three appointments, additional paperwork to read and sign. I am certain there are legislators, regulators and lawyers out there earning a very good living by the looks of it.

But in all of the ink and pulp, the human factor remained. People in a profession (medical) doing a professional job and being friendly. Each and everyone of them, happy, pleasant and just enjoying the work. We may have been 'another patient and husband' but we certainly didn't feel that way.

Do you project a positive image in your daily work? Will people get the impression that they matter and that you enjoy your work? If not, then one of two things need to happen. You either need to change your attitude or find new work. It isn't worth being miserable just to earn a paycheck. It isn't worth living your life in that manner.

Change the way you approach your work. Make it an enjoyable experience not only for you but for those around you. If you can not do that, think about finding something that does bring joy to your daily work life. Most of us are going to spend nearly forty years or more working.

That is at least half of your life time. Don't spend those years in a miserable way. Spend those years enjoying the days.

You are the only one that can make that change. It is not your boss, it is not your co-worker, and it isn't even the money. It is you that controls your own attitude.

Get on with the paperwork that will always be there. But also get on with a great and enjoyable life. It is your choice. Initial those pages, sign at the bottom and get on with it.

Tuesday

“I always give 100% at work:
13% Monday
22% Tuesday
26% Wednesday
35% Thursday
4% Friday”

Not really.

It is 100% all of the time because that is how you live life. You give 100% to work. You give 100% to your relationships. You give 100% to yourself.

You live life and you work at it. Whether it is Tuesday or Friday, you live life to its fullest. You live life at 100%.

Compassion For Others

"Compassion brings us to a stop, and for a moment we rise above ourselves." ~Mason Cooley

Each of us have witnessed on television the devastating images from Japan. The earthquake and then a large scale tsunami wreaked widespread death and destruction. One can not help but be moved to compassion for those people affected.

The Wednesday before this natural disaster, I was flying through Tokyo on my way home. During my four hour layover, I learned that I had just missed the rumblings of an early morning earthquake. Little did I or anyone sitting around me was was about to happen.

It is in our hearts to spill over with compassion when others are hurt. This compassion not only extends to great disasters, but should be an everyday piece of your heart.

There are people all around you in need. Some more then others and some with just a little need to get them through the day. This does not mean that I am ranking need. I am only saying that when you rise above yourself, the compassion for others will naturally flow from you.

Individually we can not solve many of the problems of the world. But start small, start with yourself, start by simply having compassion where its needed. Eventually you will find yourself among others doing great things.

Here Today

"My today is both my yesterday and tomorrow." ~Joseph Primm

Recently I returned from a two week business trip to Asia. It was a very good trip and successful in what I was able to accomplish. As always though, it is good to be back home.

When traveling to that part of the world, the clock is roughly thirteen hours ahead of my normal time zone. So for the length of my stay, I tend to be half a day ahead in time. In the practical sense, you are a day ahead of those you normally hang around.

The change can have a dramatic effect upon your body. There is an appropriate scene in the movie "Lost in Translation" in which Bill Murray is sitting on his bed looking out the window. It is the middle of the night in Tokyo, but he is wide awake as if still sitting in the U.S.

The movie itself is not my wife's favorite, but I like it only because of the lost feeling one experiences during a dramatic time change.

Writer's note: The movie does not depict the writer's beliefs in how one handles the situation.

The feeling is one of not being in one's own present time. The balance of past, present and future is out of whack. You push through and do the right things, you tell yourself that its simply a time adjustment. But deep inside you feel you have missed something.

Upon returning home, my adjustment is normally pretty quick. Sure, a few nights of sleeping extra and getting back into the swing happen. Yet the feeling of slipping back into the normal comes quickly.

Its the idea that where you are now is where you are supposed to be. It is the balance of what has happened to you and the direction you are headed. We each live our lives the best we can.

We are products of our past but we should not live there. Also, we can not live in the future until we have fulfilled the present. Learn what you can from what has happened in your life and use today in preparation for a greater tomorrow.