Here is an interesting exercise to try for a week. With every action you take, ask yourself, "Does this serve any purpose?" Whether you're reading, working, eating, resting exercising, whatever the activity, ask yourself the question. Be honest with your answers.
This exercise can help us in several ways. It will immediately make us more aware in the present moment. We will focus better on our current activities. It will help us see how much of our life has become habit, crutch, or ritual.
Many of the activities in our life were functional and served a purpose at one time. However, being the creatures of habit that we are, we often forget to stop the behavior once its usefulness has passed.
This adds clutter to our life. It adds to the feeling that most of us have that there is too much to do and too little time to do it in. This feeling is a major cause of stress. When we feel overworked, under pressure, or out of control, the stress-o-meter needle can move into the danger zone.
Asking ourselves, "Does what we do serve a purpose?" can also be a disquieting experience. If we are honest, most of us will have to admit that some of what we do isn't very functional. Some things might even be destructive behavior like smoking, heavy alcohol consumption, or the misuse of prescription drugs.
By asking yourself the question, "Does this serve any purpose?" you can do some mental, emotional, and maybe even some physical "house cleaning." This will give you three immediate benefits. You will save time that you can re-deploy to yourself or another more productive and rewarding activity. Self-honesty usually brings relief. We feel good when we recognize, admit, and correct a non-functional behavior pattern.
Your stress level should go down. With more time, and greater self-understanding, you should feel more in control and less pressured.
Be systematic when you ask yourself the question. Take notes. Don't allow any aspect of your life to escape. Everything must explain itself. Be careful here. Don't use this exercise as an opportunity to be harsh on yourself. Don't use your honest answers as anything other than a tool to help you feel more in control and happier with yourself.
You will probably find that the answer to the question often will often be, "Yes, this does serve a purpose." Write that down in your notebook also. Write out the activity. Write down why you perform it, why you like it, and how it adds dimension and purpose to your life. This will help you feel better about your life. During your questioning and the writing down of your answers, you will find areas of strong, positive feelings. List what you feel dedicated to. List what you feel responsible for, and why you feel that way.
Make sure that the answers are your answers: that the what, why and how are yours and not what others have told you they should be. Follow the exercise for a week. Then do it once every six months to make sure you stay on target toward becoming an ever happier you.
Timothy J. O'Brien, MS, is the author and voice of a two-CD set titled Achieving the Dynamic Balance at http://hyperstress.com/achieving-the-dynamic-balance/. For more information, or more FREE informative articles, please visit Tim's performance improvement blog at http://hyperstress.com/.
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