2012: A Lenten Meditation

Verse Friday, March 23: 1 Corinthians 13:3 If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing

An older gentleman looked at his friend and said, “You know, the pros on the Seniors Golf Tour don’t “cuss” “as much as the young guys on the PGA Tour.”

His friend replied, “That’s because they are a lot closer to meeting the Guy who doesn’t like the “cussing!”

Over time…Trust me…We really do change!

I’ve always enjoyed the process of developing detailed annual performance plans for myself and my business. Lately I’ve been surprised at the evolution of my plans in terms of their focus and simplicity.

Note my 2012 Annual Plan:

• To focus on my “faith walk” and “faith family”…
• To focus on my times with Susie and our children…
• To focus on the “now” each day and to let my yesterday pass away…

Loving life is in…Driven accomplishment is out. I’m surprisingly trusting in God to add more details.

And…I’m doing a lot less “cussing!”

Paul Bruno

“I am my own best me!”

I am continually amazed how easily I can be persuaded that I am, somehow, lacking as a person. It has come to mind that we are living in a pervasive environment that strives to convince us that we need to acquire that ultimate resource to ensure we will find a more significant life. Think about how often you find yourself being consumed by someone else’s opinions and/or judgments. In the end, we are resigned to a belief that life is “too big” for us to handle on our own.

Do any of these statements touch a respondent chord?

If so, here is an approach to consider…Some years ago, I discovered the power of reciting positive affirmations. And, I developed a personal mantra that “comes in handy” when I sense that I am slipping down a precarious path that ends in worry and self doubt. Here is a version of that “pick-me-up” for you to ponder:

“I really like and respect myself…I am my own best me…I am the best  Paul Bruno that I can be…I am a positive loving person and I enjoy catching myself and others in the acts of doing things right…I enjoy building up positive feelings of self confidence and self esteem…It seems that really good people are attracted to me…

But most importantly…I am attracted to me!”

I wish that I would discipline myself to take the time to recite these words every day. They seem to “come and go” in concert with the swirl of events on my calendar. However, I know that when I’m at the top of my game, I start the day reciting a spontaneous version of this mantra during my “wake up” process.

Now, as a result of reading this blog, my hope is that you will pause; listen to what you are currently telling “yourself about yourself;” and develop your own positive affirmation. My hope is that you will develop your ability to shape a “more confident way of being.” My hope is that you will begin to hear yourself saying and believing and feeling:

“I am my own best me!”

I am convinced that we have way too much time on our hands. We have forgotten how to take charge of our time and make the time to do things that define the quality of our lives. In short, there are more than “enough hours in the day.”

How many people asked you for “30 seconds” of your time today only to lock you up for at least 30 minutes? How many meetings did you feel compelled to attend because you wanted to be “in the know?” How many times did you visit your e-mail; your Linkedin account; your Facebook page; your twitter account etc.? Did you skip a meal today because you felt that you were “getting backed up?” Are you going to leave the day exhausted and with this nagging feeling that, though you were frenetically busy, you really don’t have much to show for your efforts?

Think back…When did you work on something that was really important to you, your family, your job; or your career? When did you break away and exercise? When was the last time that you noticed the warmth of the sun or the crisp air of a fall morning? When did you last see and smell the ocean or enjoy a view of a real mountain landscape that was not an electronic image? What does that inner voice tell you…about you…during the day? Do you feel optimistic or resigned?…Joyful or sad?…Grateful or bitter?…Alert or distracted?

We have that “essence” time embedded in everyday. We’ve chosen to let other people, events, and “digital gadgetry” lay claim to our time…We let other sources define our priorities and those priorities often do not include ourselves. We have forgotten how to live our own lives to their fullest…We have given up on our idealism, optimism, and our dreams!

It’s time to reconnect with people, places, and ideas that matters most to you? What used to excite you about you and your potential? And, when are you going to start making…no taking the time to work on something that connects you…to you? We all have that choice each day…that moment of truth. And, all too often, we step back from living and fold back to our comfortable distractions.

Hey YOU…Yes YOU…It’s time to get serious about you. You must reclaim and reinvest time each day to work on becoming the person that you know is in there. When I think about the downside of this proposition, I really don’t have a choice here. And neither do you!

A day is a long time…And, inside those hours there is time that reserved and waiting for you. Take heart…You still have the time to reclaim your life…to reclaim your essence…to become what you want to be…and who you want to be…DO IT!!!

Paul Bruno, President, REFocus, Inc.

Living in Gratitude

I believe that each of us needs to embark on an intentional quest that leads to discovering what is going right in our lives. I believe that we are in danger of missing “our moment” because we are focusing on “our future”…and, what we consider to be lacking in our present.

I believe that some of us may be missing our lives. I believe that we are forgetting to search for what isn’t lacking in our lives. I believe that we need to refocus and then use two words from our distant past that open new options; that focus on the positive in the moment; that re-connect us to each other…

Thank You!

Thank you…two words that capture the moment. Thank you…two words that guide us to our feelings about the moment. Thank you…two words that connect us to someone who is responsible for bringing us to the moment.

In other words, we stop; we acknowledge; and then we honor the gift and the source of that gift that has enriched our lives.

“Just trust yourself…Then you will know how to live”

-Goethe

In any life transition we all reach a point when we realize that, “more of the same is no longer my best option.” We come to realize that we’ve been “noodeling” with some other ideas and/or approaches but, in the end, we have been coming back to what feels to be more predictable and safe. And, we decide to “stay in place” and, sometimes, even resign ourselves to being miserable.

In fact, this experimental “breaking out” process is extremely important. We are teaching ourselves what we don’t want to do…what doesn’t work for us. And, that is a critically important step. We are learning through personal experience. And, what a powerful way to learn!

I recommend that instead of looking for ways to circumvent the process that we embrace proactively acquiring our life’s experiences. Experimenting with new options shouldn’t be a perfect science. Additionally, exploring new venues doesn’t have to be a personally combative, judgmental, and worrisome process that leaves you feeling inadequate and “down” on yourself.

There is great power in realizing if something isn’t working for you…then you can simply change your mind and you’re your approach.

Someone recently said to me, “Paul what you call noodeling is what I call living my life!”

So…

“Just trust yourself…Then you will know how to live!”