In growing older, two realizations dawn. Firstly, one will
not have seemingly endless summers to enjoy. Secondly, one’s energy levels,
slowly but surely, decline.
Time is now of premium value. Therefore, to simplify life is
an urgent necessity and a new priority!
Six areas of life that may need attention and simplifying
are:
(1) Stressful Pace
- Are commitments, and time needed
for them, out of control – to the point where I feel overloaded and driven
most of the time?
- Am I aware of time
robbers, such as needless interruptions, procrastination, and
perfectionism?
- Do I need to slow my pace
and more efficiently manage my available time?
(2) Possessions
- Do I need to streamline,
and possibly downscale, my living space with all its various items?
- Do I need to declutter, or
throw out, needless accumulated and disorganized personal possessions?
- Can I live with less, and
thereby live with more freedom and joy?
(3) Expectations
- Are my deep-seated expectations
of myself, others, and life indeed valid?
- Do I continually compare
myself with others, and measure my worthiness in relation to them?
- What do I mean by the term
“success”, and how do I measure success?
(4) Activities
- Do I regularly ask myself:
Why I do what I do?
- What do I really aspire to
do with my life – and how can I leave a heritage of value?
- How can I reduce my
activities to focus on that which matters most in the long-run?
(5) Relationships
- Am I mindful of the people
I keep company with – are they edifying, helpful, and service-oriented;
or, perhaps critical, negative, and controlling?
- When with others, do I
spend too much time in foolish and irrelevant talk, gossip, or just
“shooting the breeze”?
- Am I carrying needless emotional
baggage, such as past hurts, resentments, and anger?
(6) Spiritual Life
- Am I involved in service
activities that match my gifts and talents?
- Am I serving where I truly
feel called to and can make a difference?
- Do I ensure that my daily
spiritual priorities are being taken care of?
In examining our lives in this way, we may now need to
urgently pare down what is unfruitful in order to have more time for what truly
counts in the long-term.
Re-reading the above list of six areas, I noticed a mnemonic
emerging – S.P.E.A.R.S. May we use these “six spears” to maximize the potential
of our lives for the service of others!
Source: The idea for simplifying the above six areas of life
originated with the following book. Wright, H. Norman. Simplify Your Life
and Get More Out of It! Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.,
1998.
Alexander Peck (November 2019)
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Reflection: "As a river rushes to the sea, As the sun and moon glide across the mountains of the west, As days and nights, hours and moments flee, Life flows away, inexorably." (Padmasambhava) |