| Michael Angier is the founder and CIO (Chief Inspiration Officer) of
SuccessNet based in
South Burlington, Vermont USA. He’s a father, husband, writer, speaker,
entrepreneur, coach and student. He's also the creator of The World Class
Business™ Conference. |
In
order to be successful it's critical that we become clear about what
we really want and why we want it. But the flip side to that is to
also be clear about what we DON'T want.
We all have things in our life that,
at best, don't serve us. Many of these things actually detract from
the quality and satisfaction of our lives. What we've found to be
helpful is to create a toleration list.
By simply listing the things we don't
want, we begin the process of their removal. I'm not advocating that
we dwell on these things--only identify them and begin to eliminate
them. I'm a firm believer in keeping our focus on what we want
because we tend to find what we're looking for. But we must also
discern that which we don't want as part of our experience.
Much time and energy is frittered
away by small but annoying things: a dent in our car, a window in
the house that doesn't shut easily, a towel rack that's bent, a
squeaky door, a button missing or a phone with an unpleasant ring.
They may not sound like much, but added together they reduce our
creativity, sap our production ability and detract from our
enjoyment of everyday living.
Identifying and writing these things
down is the genesis of their eradication.
I just looked at a toleration list my
wife and I had made a few months ago and was surprised to see how
many items had been handled--seemingly without effort. One by one we
knocked them off because we'd identified them as worthy of
elimination. As a result we have a greater sense of accomplishment
and things run more smoothly.
Of course there are now other things
we've added to our list. We've also found that our tolerance level
has been elevated. We no longer put up with things we used to
accept.
I highly recommend you start a list
of tolerations. Write down all the things that don't work, don't
look good--that you don't like using, looking at or having around.
Go through your wardrobe and give away what doesn't work for you
anymore--if it ever did. Walk through your house and list things
that are broken, shabby or create clutter.
As you get rid of things, you're
using the principle of vacuum--making room for what you want by
getting rid of what you don't. If your life is filled with things
that no longer serve you, there's no room for the things that can.
And there's no need to make these
items on our list bad or wrong, either. Trash is simply stuff that
was once useful but no longer is. Handling the things on your
toleration list is just another way of taking out the trash.
Start your toleration list today,
begin to eliminate each item and watch the quality of your life,
your creativity and your productivity soar.
Note: Our New Priorities Tool is a
great way to evaluate and prioritize your tasks, problems and
opportunities--as well as your projects, goals and purchases. It's a
simple yet powerful tool to help you get a handle on the many
important choices you make in your life. http://SuccessNet.org/priorities.htm
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