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My intention with each of these posts is that you’re challenged to interrupt the noise and routine in your life, just for a moment, to think more deeply about what really matters in life… your relationship with yourself and with others in your professional and personal life.
Action Summary
- Become more intentional about your choices and actions on a daily basis
- Challenge yourself to become a lifelong learner to boost your competence and character
The WHY:
Like many things in life, depending on your perspective, the glass can be half full, or half empty (and every now and then, empty or overflowing).
Sonja Lyubomirsky1 is one of the leading academics in the field of positive psychology. In her book ‘The How of Happiness’, Lyubomirsky’s research suggests up to fifty percent of our overall sense of life satisfaction is genetic – not much we can do about that; ten percent is contextual or environmental – this is based on the human capacity to adapt. We just get used to things in our lives very quickly and so what is exciting in the short term, can over time simply become ordinary and expected; The remaining 40 percent of our sense of life satisfaction, based on Lyubomirsky’s research, is determined by our intentional choices and actions.
The challenge of course is to therefore become more intentional about your choices and actions.
For some people a challenge can be a threat, and for others a challenge is an exciting opportunity. What would your life be like if you didn’t have any challenges? Do you think it would be comfortable, preferable, complete?
Challenging yourself to be more intentional about your choices and actions, will increase your capacity to build more trust in your life – the confidence required for self-trust, the courage required to trust others, and the combined character and competence to earn others’ trust.
One way to become more intentional about your choices and actions is to tap into one of the innate human motivational drives – the drive to learn and comprehend2 . If you’re not growing, you’re stagnating. If you’re not challenging yourself to continually develop your skills, knowledge, or strength of character, you’re stagnating.
Become more intentional about your choices and actions to take on experiences and opportunities that will challenge you to grow in your personal character and competence. These two combined are key to you being able to earn others’ trust. Challenge yourself to become more intentional about your choices and actions to increase your personal discipline – a key to you developing a deeper sense of self-trust.
Connect with your intention to wanting to make life better for the relationships you have in your personal and professional life and challenges will seem more like opportunities than they will feel like threats.
The enigmatic Carol Burnett once said:
“I have always grown from my problems and challenges, from the things that don’t work out, that’s when I’ve really learned.”
My best to you for now and remember when you intentionally improve the life of others in your professional and personal relationships, you set up the power of reciprocity … what you give out, you get back.
