Monday 15 April 2013

Thoughts on Quantifying the Quality of Day-to-Day-Life

I write about the things I need to learn most. It’s my way of putting it out there so that you, as my audience can hold me accountable for the things I want to achieve. In a way you can say I'm using you as my accountability partner, because I know you’re watching. I learn this trick a while ago because sometimes “will” or discipline can be a weak motivator to step into action. When I discovered that I was a talker and not the walker (or at least I perceived myself to be so); it freaked me out! More than anything I want to be the person who does what I say and this is a technique (among many that I know) that I use to keep myself in check or on target.

When it comes to seeing change, you need a clear overview. You need a way to measure you actions so you can see if whatever you are doing is bringing you the desired results. This is what this post is all about. MASUREMENT… A necessary way of tracking to build clear insight to the results you receive by action or inaction.

I'm into challenging the status quo; the concept behind my brand (and what I have planned for the future of my business) is to introduce a new status quo, questioning how we quantify the overall quality of our day-to-day lives. As the word "yoga" means "union"; how do we really feel about the lives we lead... since we are just that resonant energy that all our systems exist upon?"

Definition of quantify:
verb (quantifiesquantifyingquantified)
[with object]
·              1 Express or measure the quantity of: it is impossible to quantify the extent of the black economy
·              2 Logic define the application of (a term or proposition) by the use of allsome, etc., e.g. ‘for all x if x is A then x is B’.

Synonyms: appraiseassess, calibrate, check, compute, countdetermineestimateevaluate,figuregauge, look over, rankratesizespecifyvalue, weigh, measurement, milestones, markers, observable feedback, inventory.

The thing that will serve us so well… is if we were consistent at quantifying our actions or inactions.
If we were reflective over the things we quantify, we’d be able to shift a perspective in order to gain the result we desired.
You've done it before… gains a desired result from consistent action… I bet it involved some sort of method of recording!

Once upon a time I used to write in my journal everyday… yep, every day. It’s actually pretty addictive one you get into the flow of it.
The one thing that I suck at the most is being consistent at recording things that are important… like how many grams of carbs I ate in a day or keeping record of where I spend my money. Let’s face it… most of us are sloppy when it comes to keeping record of things that are important…
… Or are they important? Here’s an idea: if I claimed that I wanted to be wealthier financially, wouldn't it make sense to keep a record of how much money I have, how I spend it and how I earn it? I used this example in an earlier post.
If I wanted to lose weight and get into a state of ketosis, the sweet spot for train my body to be a fat burning machine, wouldn't it make sense to keep a food log (carb log haha) to see what’s going through my system when I feed my face?

I claim I want to be abundant… but perhaps I haven’t learnt how to value money consciousness enough… and deep down it stems from a place of feeling the value or the worth of the work I do (or lack thereof). Perhaps if I valued and trusted what I have to give more, and felt abundant inwardly, then perhaps I would value the green.
But “perhaps” suggests a concept to be toyed with. When does the “action” happen?

You make it happen...  right now you can choose to it, be it, even if you weren't it 10 minutes ago…but you have to choose it. There is never a comfortable moment to stretch OUTSIDE of your comfort zone… It’s not meant to be comfortable. Committing comes at the cost of letting go of that "pay-off" you get from not committing... are you with me here?

You know what I am pretty consistent at? Heading towards the uncomfortable… It’s my saving grace quality. Facing the discomfort got me to a level of capability in my yoga practice that even I’m proud of.
What scares me more than risk or heading towards discomfort is stagnation and an unfulfilled and meaningless life that offered no value in this world. We all have those things we want to see realised…
So what’s yours?


This is why measuring your life or your actions are so important. Life slips by way to easily…

I love Robin Sharma’s big idea:

“Your days are your life in miniature. As you live your hours, so you create your years. As you live your days, so you craft your life. What you do today is actually creating your future. The words you speak, the thoughts you think, the food you eat and the actions you take are defining your destiny – shaping who you are becoming and what you stand for. Small choices lead to giant consequences – over time. There’s no such thing as an unimportant day.”

Without anything to quantify your life by, how will you reach your markers, small targets towards your bigger picture? Without a record how will you be able to see that your current actions won’t deliver you the desired results… How will you re-work a new action plan without the “perception” to see the change that is necessary or working? More importantly... how are you going to be able to see ALL YOU HAVE accomplished? We can come down hard on ourselves at times... but acknowledging your own efforts puts to ease the need for acknowledgement from outside ourselves as well; and that's an added bonus... don't you think?

This is why I keep recommending Susan Alexander’s app4 mind map. The 4 M-word principles that help you to succeed at your endeavours: Mindfulness, Motion, Mastery, MEASUREMENT. Head on over there to her website and imprint the concepts into your brain! YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO DO WHAT YOU DREAM OF DOING!         app4mind.com

The days slip into weeks, the weeks slip into months and months into years… what’s it going to look like in 1 years’ time, 2 years, 3 years… 5 years?

Get excited to be alive, soak the marrow out of life, so that your days (your journey) will leave a wild legacy. Journal and start small so you don’t get journal-burn-out! And journalling counts as quantifying your sh*t lol…

“Journaling builds self-awareness. I also use my journal to write daily goals, plan and record what  I'm grateful for, and capture and process new ideas along with lessons learned…”

“As you live your days, so you craft your life.”  ~ Robin Sharma

So I know what it is I need to do to step into action… I'm going to get real clear with what I'm trying to create more of in my life rather than what I don’t want… that starts with “Mindset” like any successful person will tell you throughout the ages… and they are spot on.

So what’s your big picture, how can you quantify the overall quality of your day to day life so that it counts and so that you are more Mad-Crazy-In-Love with your life?

You are a co-creator of life... Just take record as you go about doing your thing

ox
Mads