#37

Welcome to Week #37

What whisper did you hear from #36?

What have you been building and developing that you are now made for?

Are you willing to surround yourself with people that have a better resume than you?

Do you prefer to belong? With whom? And why?

What lessons did you hear from Simon Goodwin’s experience?

What’s struck me this week?

1. Busy is what happens when you're at the mercy of someone else's schedule - Derek Sivers

So often I hear people say “I’m really busy” and I wonder just how busy or whether there’s a little invisible badge of honour being worn to make them feel worthy and significant. We all need a little external significance and validation now and again but do we really need to be so busy that our validation comes from our busy-ness?

So maybe you could consider your busy-ness and begin to shape and design your own schedule by saying yes to certain things and no to others.

As Stephen Covey said "we get caught in the thick of thin things" – how many thin things are contributing to your busy-ness?

2. How are you busy?

Picking up on the busy theme again. Have you considered how you are busy?

If you have something urgent and important, life-threatening, or an emergency situation I wouldn’t expect you to consider this question. However, for other parts of your life, have you stopped to consider why you’re so busy? Because you can? Because no one else can? Because you’re at the mercy of something else? Because you’re asleep to your unproductive habits? Because it’s a status marker?

So, maybe it’s time you paused and considered how, why, where, and when you’re busy. In doing so you might just find a little spare time for more important things

3. Quote of the week - Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma—which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition - Steve Jobs

Commit to finding some space for stillness so you can hear your own voice. Turn down the noise so you can hear your inner self think. Sit with silence and consider what your heart and intuition are trying to tell you.

 
4. Question of the week - Are you time-poor or space-poor?

We know time is a made-up concept and yet we use it often to mask our underlying thoughts.

To quote Lao Tzu “Time is a created thing. To say I don’t have time is to say I don’t want to”. Instead, what if you were to say “I don’t have space”. You could probably find the time if you wanted to, but having the right space or mindset could be the most significant barrier.

Next time, consider finding space instead of time.

5. Freedom Fridays Podcast

My weekly conversation with ordinary people doing extraordinary things. We explore some of the big changes people have gone through and what’s helped the journey. The intention is to share as openly as possible some of the ingredients – the good, the bad, the ugly – that shape our shift from ‘I have to’ into ‘I choose to’. The lessons are hiding in open sight within the conversation – it’s up to you how you apply them.

This week I chat with Howard Tinker who shares his story of coming from significant poverty in the UK to being a self-made entrepreneur teaching other entrepreneurs and living a life beyond his childhood dreams and aspirations. This is a 2-part episode.

Check out Part 1 Episode #35.

If you're a listener of the podcast on Apple we'd love a review from you. To do so, open the Apple Podcasts app on your iPhone, iPad, or computer and locate the Freedom Fridays Podcast Page (not the individual episode page). Scroll to the bottom of the page where you'll see the subheading "Ratings and Reviews" and click "Write a review". To say thank you for your time and energy we'll provide 1 day of digital training skills to Aboriginal communities.

 
That’s all for this week and I hope you enjoyed Weekly Whisper #37.

Feedback is my fuel so if you have any comments please send me an email at [email protected] and let me know your thoughts.

Cheers

Pete