How often do you say, “I don’t have enough time to do all the things I want to do”?
When you focus primarily on better results, there is a tendency to compromise the quality of life. There is a powerful answer to that dilemma: the idea that there is a lovely balance between focusing on results and being relaxed.
In karate, the power of a hit comes from speed, not muscle power; a tense muscle is a slow muscle. This means your ability to generate results is directly proportionate to your ability to relax. You can’t get things done faster until you learn to slow down, take a step back, and get a different perspective on how you do things. Relaxation is the key to focus. You must be able to clear your head to focus your energy appropriately. This truly is an elegant model of productivity.
To increase productivity there is a key lesson: taking responsibility – being responsible for where you have put your energy (= equal actions in the past) and being responsible for what you are doing with it now (your action now and in the future). We create our own experiences because we are the ones who allow stuff to enter our lives.
For example, what does your e-mail inbox look like? An overloaded inbox simply represents what you have allowed to come into your world that needs to be managed.
It’s not about how much you have, it’s about your comfort zone and how many unprocessed e-mails you feel comfortable with. You want to be able to close open loops and have clear agreements with yourself. This will allow you to be more relaxed when surprises come up. Rather than being stressed, you will get creative.
Simon Says:
- Take responsibility for where you put your attention and energy. In the end, this determines the results you produce.
- Our ability to generate results is directly proportionate to our ability to relax. When you’re too controlled, you limit your ability to respond to and deal with things.
- Slow down and breathe. Open up to different perspectives on how to do things. New perspectives bring unrealized ideas and solutions.
