“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”
~ Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama

Life can be confusing sometimes. Even the simple act of getting everything that needs doing completed each day can turn our heads round and make us forget that we are living a unique life and that we are individual bits of divine spirit energy. To be honest with you I am known to be a huge procrastinator and often several days can go by without me pausing to take notice of life, spirit or my connections to others.

Over the years I have gotten much better at doing things that need doing, even if I don’t feel particularly motivated to do them, at least more often than I used to. Like when dishes need washing, I use the “just do 5 dishes” mentality and, inevitably, I end up doing 20. Starting is the hardest part.

Days are the same way. Starting them may not be as hard as picking up your tax forms and filling them out, but how you start you day most certainly sets the pattern for how the remainder of your day will flow (or stagnate.)

Oddly enough, my own busy-ness and procrastination, which are always in the way of me starting or completing things, seem to end right at the place where my comfort and desires begin. In other words, I never have trouble finding the time to bake brownies or getting up and starting a new knitting project. Those things are easy to remember and to place priority on. Yet, publication deadlines, jogging, paying bills and mopping the floors can get pushed back for weeks and even months.

I suppose you could call this self-indulgence, and in some instances our distracted mind can fall into such a “pleasure and comfort” pattern. But, in most people’s case, it is so much more than just that.

We live in a world filled with over-stimulation. The mental and visual landscape seems designed, and often deliberately intended, to keep you distracted, to silence the voice within, to reinforce your separateness from other human beings. This is the mentality that has ruled our westernized society for hundreds of years, and it has led us into many of the social, financial, moral and environmental troubles that we have today.

When we see the purpose of life as one of gaining fortune, of acquiring power over others, of conquering our circumstances at any cost, we inevitably become someone who is perpetually over-scheduled, lacking in compassion, physically or psychologically unhealthy, mentally scattered and unfocused or any of a number of other personally or socially unfulfilling things.

I am no different, having been up and down the roller-coaster of money versus fulfillment and bravado versus low self-esteem. In the past I have been someone who wants to please everyone and have vastly over-committed myself in order to try and achieve that. What it leads to is stress, procrastination and unfulfilled promises. And, if you keep ignoring your own inner truth while trying to be everything to all people, eventually to a nervous breakdown. This is a modern ailment, brought on by our externalizing contentment and looking for happiness in the opinions of others.

Recently a new approach to living more mindful, sensible and fulfilling days has been helping me to clear up the connection between who I am and what I do. The answer for me is a simple one, but is a realization that has been a long time in the making.

What I have found is that if I begin my day with “fun” stuff, such as surfing the internet, knitting, laying about and watching a movie, then I am likely to continue in a “self-oriented” way throughout the rest of my day. Obviously this leads to low productivity, but after a prolonged period of time can also lead to anger, depression and a lack of compassion. If a person is unfulfilled on the inside, it will eventually work its way out and effect their moods, relationships and even their worldview.

But, in a world so desperately in need of compassion, connection and personal responsibility, if one begins their day with actions that benefit others, then a complete change in the pattern of one’s day occurs. And this is a change that can sprout wings and flitter into positive changes for other people’s day as well.

What do I mean by actions that benefit others? Quite simply I am referencing any action that you need to do, which has an effect not only upon yourself. This can be changing the snow tires on your family min-van or washing the laundry. Having a safe vehicle benefits your whole family, having a clean environment makes everyone feel better. It can also be taking yourself to a doctors appointment or meeting with a business contact. You being healthy benefits those who love you. You meeting with someone benefits not only yourself, but the other person.

For me this concept generally means channeling readings for clients and writing magazine or blog articles. Allowing my gift to inform, inspire and enlighten others brings more light to their lives and to the world. But, as you can see, doing the things that benefit others as your first priority of the day, also means that you are bringing huge benefit to yourself. When I connect to spirit I am reminded of my own unique purpose, and the lower heart-rate, peace and contentment that it brings me is priceless.

Like I said, beginning something is the hardest part, whether it is one single task or how you choose to begin your day. Choosing to begin your day by accomplishing the tasks that most benefit others allows us to feel truly relaxed when we then sit down and do something completely for ourself. It could be that you enjoy fishing or reading or oil painting. But think of how much more fulfilling those moments of enjoyment and relaxation wil be when you realize that you have connected with others, fulfilled your responsibilities and completed all of your pressing tasks for the day.

And this mindset, this simple approach to task management, will also change you in the long run. You may find yourself becoming more open to the viewpoints of others, more willing to be charitable with your time and energy. We are all in this journey of life together, if we help others who need it then there may be someone to help when we have a need. To approach your day by doing what you can do to benefit others, perhaps the society as a whole can eventually morph into one of compassion and attention to the welfare of others.

As for myself, I hope that this idea can spread. Yet, regardless, it has benefitted me as I begin each day by benefitting others.

“Even if you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.”

~Will Rogers, Cowboy, Comedian and Actor

In our hectic everyday lives it can be so easy to become complacent about things that bother us and about the things that we know we are supposed to do. A deep lethargy can set into us, and do it so slowly and subtly that we don’t even realize we have fallen asleep on our own life.

We can be sitting in a pile of junk, knowing that we would feel better if it were only clean. But yet we seek out that one clear corner and cower in it day-after-day. Or we can be feeling depressed knowing that our self-esteem would improve, if only our backside didn’t have so much cellulite, but we never get on that treadmill. Or maybe we are wanting a change in career, knowing that we should learn a new skill, but never seeming to implement that thought into action.

When we have a big task to complete or a large challenge to overcome, it can seem so overwhelming that taking it past the point of realization and thought is virtually impossible.

Well, I have been there, I have faced the place of hopelessness, daydreaming and inaction so many times in my life. After all those false starts, after living through the periods when something that could have taken me two weeks wound up taking me two years, I have finally mastered the ability to face that lethargy monster and move it out of my way quickly and efficiently.

You’ve heard the old adages: Make hay while the sun shines. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. No time like the present. Just do it.

The truth is clear, if you want to have the energy to complete something, if you ever want to manifest your desire in your life, all you have to do is start! And that is always the hard part. Whether it is something pleasant or something harrowing, the best way to move beyond it, to achieve it, to get it out of your life or whatever, is to just do it! Can’t argue with that logic.

Things which seem very difficult at first glance tend to grow into absolutely terrifying obstacles the longer that you procrastinate on them. I don’t care if it’s a paper that’s due, a room that needs painting or getting that lump in your breast checked, it is always more stressful, more frightening and more depressing when you choose to live with the knowledge of it instead of simply doing it now. Honest.

So instead of ignoring that skeleton in the cupboard until it rots away or instead of trying to swallow a whole pie at once, a great approach for making that guy seem less threatening and less daunting is to gift yourself with five minutes of action.

Here is how it works. You are watching t.v. and some hot guy (or chick) comes on the tube. You instantly look down at your not-so-svelt abs and feel a momentary dislike or discomfort about yourself. BOOM. Stop right there.

You don’t have to feel bad about yourself and then reach for the chips and turn back to the t.v. Sure, you can do that but, what will that change? Nothing at all. You will keep feeling those glimpses of derision and continue subconsciously piling them up upon yourself. All of which is in no way going to lead you to the happier result.

So you stop at that moment, when you feel dislike for your current circumstance. Now, you don’t have to turn off the t.v., throw away the bag of chips and tie on your sneakers for a ten-mile run. Just gift yourself with five minutes toward achieving your positive goal. You can just mute the t.v. and set down the chips for five minutes. Only five minutes is all that it takes!

Now, get up and use that five minute gift to jog in place, or do jumping jacks, or walk around your house, or throw a ball with your dog. Then, when you have used up your five minute gift, go back, un-mute the t.v. and unroll that bag of chips, if you choose.

There is now an elevated vibration about you. You feel better about yourself and your life. You can continue what you were doing before, without feeling guilty and bad about yourself. Whether the feeling lasts for five minutes or five hours, you know that you are taking right action on your own behalf.

Do this every time you catch yourself consciously feeling bad about something that you could be taking action on. We feel bad only when our actions are not in alignment with our own highest goals and desires. By following this simple habit, at the end of the week you may have done 30 minutes of exercise or cleaned ten square feet of that pile of junk or written half of that paper that’s due.

Marathon runners don’t just wake up one day and decide to run 26 miles, so you don’t have to either. Run the 1/4 mile that you can squeeze into your five minutes. That is a start. And, instead of the low vibration of depression, you will have the heightened vibration of knowing that you have taken some action for your own betterment.

Eventually you may find that, when your five minutes is up, you are actually not wanting to stop. Instead you may find yourself just getting up when you see something that needs doing and bringing it to instant completion. Imagine how good that would feel!

Even if you never find yourself on such a roll, at least there will be positive progress towards your goals. And, when you achieve them, you can say that you did it all in just five minutes.