Tag Archives: contentment

Wash Your Bowl

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We are too busy, overstimulated and overextended. We’ve been taught that the answer is more: more things + more commitments = more happiness. But in reality we are so wrong—more is often much much less. The thinner we spread ourselves, in our commitments, relationships, and passions, the further we get from real and rewarding interactions.

I recently read an article entitled “Simplify” on zenhabits, one of my favorite blogs penned by Leo Babauta. Of the list of nine simplifying habits named, one stuck with me…wash your bowl. He wrote:

“When you’re done eating, mindfully wash your bowl. When you’re done with anything, get in the habit of pausing before moving onto the next thing, and cleaning up after yourself. Put your food away. Put your clothes where they belong. Put your keys in one spot. Clean the sink before you leave it. This simple habit will keep you mindful while saving you lots of cleanup later.”

It’s so true, isn’t it? We don’t “wash our bowls” anymore. Literally, many of us don’t wash our bowls because we have dish washers that do the washing for us. But figuratively, the issue is just as prevalent. We don’t take time to do things anymore, and in doing so our lives have lost a sense of intentionality.

The evidence? The evolution of multitasking as a bragging right. How many times have you heard a friend or coworker champion themselves as the ultimate multitasker? How many times have you claimed this right yourself? You check your emails, read the newspaper, and drink your morning coffee all at the same time, but do you really feel better for it? Aside from the fact that you aren’t actually multitasking (your mind is just rapidly switching between tasks), you are robbing yourself of the simple pleasure of seeing a task to completion. You aren’t just washing your bowl, you are doing the laundry, working out, and making dinner all at the same time. And what do you get in reward for your frantic efforts? Stress.

After all our exertions, we rarely emerge as calmer, more collected beings. Instead we become proverbial chickens, running around long after our heads have been cut off. So what do we do? How do we fix this growing epidemic of more? Simple, we simplify.

Start by washing your bowl—it’s time to do things with intention again. Whether it’s taking out the garbage or grabbing dinner with a friend, dedicate yourself to the task in front of you. If you’re on your computer, don’t leave Facebook looming in the background (I am very guilty of this). If you’re on the treadmill, don’t try and fit in all those calls you’ve been meaning to make. Exist in the present, wash your bowl, and live in the satisfaction of knowing that you set out to do something and then did it.

Image via blogspot.com

A Fruitful Life Versus A Successful Life

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I don’t know about you but at times I feel the pressure of quantity over quality. Am I working enough hours? Am I producing enough articles? Do I have enough speaking engagements lined up? And if I do, how many people will come? I have a bad habit of measuring my success based on numbers. Perhaps this is because I tend to be addicted to achieving and perhaps it is in part because our society rewards this addiction. Lately, I have been questioning what it means to achieve.

What does it mean to have a fruitful life verses a successful life. What does it mean to have a life that is meaningful and not just impressive? While numbers are a reality of the world in which we live, I believe there is much to be enjoyed in focusing on a fruitful life, rather than a successful one.

When we focus on being successful over fruitful, we lose the integrity of who we are. When we are oriented toward success, we try to change ourselves to be what others want us to be, losing ourselves and our effectiveness in blessing others. When we are oriented toward fruitfulness, we are able to embrace our unique giftedness and shine where we shine best–trusting that we will be used in ways that we are meant to be.

Success is insatiable. A drive for success leads to a life that always demands more of us. It makes us feel as though we are never enough, and peace never comes. Whereas a fruitful life begins with contentment—contentment about who we are and joy about the unique gifts we’ve were given. Knowing our value is complete and untouchable leads to our ability to bear true fruit.

Bearing fruit is difficult for a tree without the basic elements that plants need to grow—water, sunlight, good soil—and the same is true for us. We cannot be fruitful in our work or relationships when we are not able to take care of ourselves physically, emotionally and spiritually. On the other hand, success will drive us toward burn out as we try to please everyone around us without first nurturing ourselves, eventually rendering us useless and fruitless in our service to others.

Success seeks to compare. A drive towards success means that we are only as good as our last performance and our value is measured against those around us. Conversely, when we focus on bearing fruit we are truly able to live our own life well. Being fruitful looks different for everybody and therefore it is useless to compare. You cannot compare apples and oranges.

What kind of life do you want to lead? A life of depth and quality, or a life of fleeting successes to be counted and not appreciated? I can’t help but think how our world might change if more of us focused on the former.

 

Photo credit: Che and Fidel blog

Beautiful Cravings

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“Beauty deprived of its proper foils and adjuncts ceases to be enjoyed as beauty, just as light deprived of all shadows ceases to be fully appreciated as light.” – John Ruskin

I love beauty. I crave it, try to create it, and constantly capture it in my life. Physical beauty, stylish clothes, interior design, captivating pictures, artistic food presentations—everything that sparkles and shines—catches my eye.

But I’ve seen a problem with beauty. At some point, the things that are most lovely to me never fail to crumble and show signs of wear and tear. Suddenly they are not as shiny when brought into the light, aquiring scratches and growing mold…failing to consistently measure up to their beautiful requirements.  They’ve got flaws…

Flawed beauty? Is that an oxymoron? 

I always thought beauty couldn’t be broken or blemished, but I’ve begun to realize that beauty is not perfectionism. You see, beauty is supposed to be inviting, captivating, and healing. Perfectionism, however, is condemning, overpowering, and invokes jealousy. Beauty is meant to be light and cheerful. Perfectionism is by nature harsh and lifeless. Beauty lives in the hearts, eyes, and personalities of human beings. Perfectionism tries to hide feelings, character flaws, and the rawness of life.

If perfectionism is beauty, then beauty becomes un-relatable, and let’s face it—unachievable. That’s not at all what this world needs. Instead, it needs a form of beauty that embraces our brokenness, yet also shows us all we can become.

Beauty isn’t an airbrushed face, a perfect body, or a wardrobe that’s always in fashion. Rather, beauty is under-eye wrinkles from smiling often. Beauty is hands wrinkled from years of serving. Beauty is knees covered in dirt from working the earth. Beauty is wallets empty from giving, and well-worn houses from hospitality. It’s the worn out pages of a Bible. It’s cracked voices from singing so much, broken hearts from loving so many, and bruised feet from dancing so frequently. Beauty is bittersweet.

So we must learn to accept our flaws as part of the package of beauty. To be more relatable and open, and to crave a beauty that’s less than perfect—more than perfectionism ever could be. I want a beauty that points upward to the Creator, not a beauty that scares the world away by perfect façades. I want a life-giving, soul-stirring, awe-inspiring beauty that everyone in this world feels they can relate to and display. This is the true definition of beauty; the one we should all crave.

 

Photo Credit: unbeaujour.fr