Oh dear, I feel like you must have been watching this week, as the urgent completely swamped the important. I had read Covey previously, and his reminders are practical and on point. It is interesting to me that in all the crazy busyness of his life, Marcus took the time to journal his thoughts. I find that the only way to really understand the difference between urgent and important is by stopping all activity to just sit, meditate, pray, and write down the jumble of thoughts and feelings. And when I get caught up in the urgent, none of that happens until I make that explicit decision to stop.
On the way to dropping off the kids to school this morning, the subject of self control came up, and how difficult it is for kids and adults, but it's an important part of maturing. The apostle Paul also identifies self control as one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, which identifies its connection to the divine. Much of the pressure to focus on the urgent can be helped by working on increasing self control - the ability to clue in when you're about to go off the rails and then stop and choose a different path.
I think you are exactly on point. Anything that increases our awareness of our "jumble of thoughts and feelings" and doesn't blame has remarkable curative powers. It adds wind behind our decision to stop. We do have to look at our darkness.
John, We are all in the same boat. I write about what I am still learning, too. And yes, the ego will try and sabotage your decision to turn away from its terrible advice.
When the ego's voice is most loud is the time of greatest learning potential. If you turn towards the still small voice and break a pattern, you see that the ego had no power other than your identification with its voice.
Don't look evidence of progress, look for a commitment to a process.
John, This is a lifetime of work so notice gently without judgment. The ego loves to step into the judge's role because the ego judging the ego is still ego.
Oh dear, I feel like you must have been watching this week, as the urgent completely swamped the important. I had read Covey previously, and his reminders are practical and on point. It is interesting to me that in all the crazy busyness of his life, Marcus took the time to journal his thoughts. I find that the only way to really understand the difference between urgent and important is by stopping all activity to just sit, meditate, pray, and write down the jumble of thoughts and feelings. And when I get caught up in the urgent, none of that happens until I make that explicit decision to stop.
On the way to dropping off the kids to school this morning, the subject of self control came up, and how difficult it is for kids and adults, but it's an important part of maturing. The apostle Paul also identifies self control as one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, which identifies its connection to the divine. Much of the pressure to focus on the urgent can be helped by working on increasing self control - the ability to clue in when you're about to go off the rails and then stop and choose a different path.
I think you are exactly on point. Anything that increases our awareness of our "jumble of thoughts and feelings" and doesn't blame has remarkable curative powers. It adds wind behind our decision to stop. We do have to look at our darkness.
John, We are all in the same boat. I write about what I am still learning, too. And yes, the ego will try and sabotage your decision to turn away from its terrible advice.
When the ego's voice is most loud is the time of greatest learning potential. If you turn towards the still small voice and break a pattern, you see that the ego had no power other than your identification with its voice.
Don't look evidence of progress, look for a commitment to a process.
John, This is a lifetime of work so notice gently without judgment. The ego loves to step into the judge's role because the ego judging the ego is still ego.