There is a an old saying that goes "It is a cinch by the inch and hard by the yard"
This week and last week, I have had a record number of views of this blog each week. Now one could say that though they are a personal record they are not exactly massive numbers. But they show progress and that is encouraging. I have allowed myself to enjoy those small moments not discount them as nothing because compared to someone else they may seem very small. They were significant to me and at this stage that is all that I am allowing to count!
The other Blog hit 100 views in a 31 day monthly period for the first time in 4 years. It also had its largest individual viewing in a single week within that month. I allowed myself to celebrate that as well. Steps along the journey to where I want to be. They reminded me of the old milestones markers on the roads to help travellers gauge where they were. Like the milestones they encouraged me to just keep moving forward, because I know I am getting closer.
When I did this I encouraged myself to such a degree that I began to notice other successes at work and other places. As they success breeds success no matter how small. As I accentuate the positive I become nicer for others to be around. Which is a welcome by-product!
If I wait till I have arrived I will never celebrate, because there is always more to do. I will probably never arrive but I can still achieve and celebrate much on the journey. Look around to see where you are winning and acknowledge that it matters. No matter how small!
Join with me and celebrate your milestones, it can make a difference!
As the Robert Frost Poem says:
I took the road less travelled and it made all the difference.
They say that a picture speaks a thousand words......... well this is a typical weekday morning coming onto the Greville Road interchange in Auckland. This was in fact the unlikely venue for my latest little revelation I want to share with you.
I am going to show you a second picture of the hill just before the interchange so you can picture what I am talking about.
As a regular frequenter of this particular interchange at about 6.30am the format that you see is quite important. Here is the relevant information you need to know.
There are 3 lines that travel up the hill with another lane that develops for the on ramp with the lights as you can see in the first picture.
Because the on ramp traffic is staggered by lights on the ramp lights only turning green at 20 second intervals .The fourth lane is open for traffic to race up the left hand side and try and jump back into the bumper to bumper traffic. (The photo does not completely represent the bumper to bumper traffic at 6.30am.)
When you have completed this manoeuvre you may on a good day make a gain of about 400meters or slightly more. You do however risk being caught on the inside lane amongst all the traffic merging at Greville Road as in the first picture.
To avoid this you must the cut across the lanes(if you can) to get from the inside lane to the outside lane because after Greville Road for a period of time the outside lane is quicker.
If you come up the Greville Road Hill in the outside lane all the way in the initial timeframe it is the slowest by quite some margin, but it will get better.
Now that probably seems very complicated and what is the point anyway.
Now I was in fact a regular lane jumper when I first started my Auckland commute. I enjoyed the cut and thrust of it all but after I while I just stopped and decided it wasn't worth the effort for 400 meters or about 4-5 minutes at best. So I just stay in the right hand lane and slowly climbed the hill.
This week was the start of the school holidays which meant there was less traffic on the road. So everyday the inside lane began to look more appealing. I in the end made no change.
I began to think about it why was I not interested in jumping lanes after all 5 minutes is 5 minutes in the 6.30 rush hour!. The conclusion was inertia.
inertia
ɪˈnəːʃə/
noun
1.
a tendency to do nothing or to remain unchanged.
"the bureaucratic inertia of the various tiers of government"
a property of matter by which it continues in its existing state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line, unless that state is changed by an external force.
"the power required to overcome friction and the inertia of the moving parts"
It was easier for me to remain travelling the same way than to make change OR there was not enough gain in for me to make change. It occurred to me we live so much of our lives like that subject to the inertia. We perceive that the gain we will make or have made is not valuable enough to sustain the level of activity. Will what I get out of this decision justify the effort........will it break my personal inertia to move in different direction!
Now I am not saying this is right or wrong, but it is just such a strong influence \in how we actually make decisions. No matter what we know about decision making strategies.
Next time you make a decision ask yourself is this the best decision for me or am I just under the influence of inertia. I would suggest that the only external force such as desire or some strong negative influence will overcome our inertia in the long term.
Our dog Mac is Great Dane and has badly damaged his back left knee. Because of his size it has meant that he has had to go to a specialist vet, which has proved both expensive and time consuming.
His specialist vet is in Pt Chevalier in Auckland and we live in Snells Beach, this is a commute of around 80 kilometres. I work in Mt Eden in Auckland so have a daily commute of around 70 kilometres one way. So I don't find the travelling difficult, it just goes with the territory.
The first time I took him in I left at 6.00am and arrived at Pt Chevalier at 8.00am I deposited Mac and then set out by what I thought was a good route to Mt Eden. Well I finally arrived at work at around 9.15am having been on route for 3 hours 15 minutes from home.
The second time I took Mac for x rays I left at 6.00am and arrived at Pt Chevalier at 7.30am. Now I claim no credit for the better commute it just panned out that way. So I sat and read for a while to wait for the 8.00am drop off for his sedated X-Ray. What I also did was watch the traffic and consider how the flow was moving along the road. It was much lighter than I had previously expected or experienced there. So I made a decision to change my route to Mt Eden. The result was that I arrive at work at 8.45am half an hour faster than previously and that included stopping at McDonalds for breakfast and eating it in the car park.
Why the difference?......................Because I challenged my previous assumptions that these two roads would be full. I used what I was observing to give me new information. Therefore I made an informed decision, not one made from 80km away at home as I had previously.
If You do what you always do you, will get what you always got!
Having a place that brings you peace and relaxation is worth it's weight in gold.
I have lived in Snells Beach New Zealand for 18 years. My circumstances have changed with my job and I now have two and a half to three hour commute a day. People say why don't move closer to work?
The answer is simple I am at peace in Snells Beach!
When I see this simple sign I am 3 minutes from home and begin to relax
I love to walk my dog along the beachfront , hear the waves, feel the wind, I begin to feel at peace again
.
I make this simple suggestion find somewhere that brings you life and peace and go there often.
A life that is considered and examined in a healthy way is a life with potential. I am not talking about constantly navel gazing so you become incapacitated. I am talking about taking time think and reflect on your day is positive, proactive way. Developing it as a source of power in your life.
An unexamined life leaves only room to react! Rather than putting forward a considered thoughtful response.
How much time do you take each day to reflect on the day.
What has happened during the day?
Who said or did what to you?
How valid was what they said?
Do you need to respond in some way to what was said or what happened?
Take time for self care!! Am I OK?
What should I do next?
An individual life lived well and thoughtfully is a powerful life! For me the time that I take to consider my life gives opportunity to take stock and make changes where necessary. Affirm that I am in the right place even it may not be going quite so well today. I use the down time when I am alone to prepare and reflect. For example going to and from work in the car. Where do you have time to spare ......................think a little
This week and last week, I have had a record number of views of this blog each week. Now one could say that though they are a personal record they are not exactly massive numbers. But they show progress and that is encouraging. I have allowed myself to enjoy those small moments not discount them as nothing because compared to someone else they may seem very small. They were significant to me and at this stage that is all that I am allowing to count!
