Change is afoot, and I’m trying to absorb the lessons.
On April, 22nd Malcolm, left home just before his 17th birthday to pursue his dream of being a chef. That made Cheri and I part of the empty nester club.
On June 6th, after a terrible breakfast out in Durango, Cheri commented that it’s time for us to move to Portland. After 19 years in a small mountain town were moving back to a city.
Two significant changes in six weeks.
For us, part of moving is selling our condo that we have lived in for 10 years. In one whirlwind week, Cheri and I:
- Painted Malcolm’s old room and touched up all the scratches and dents.
- Sold three pieces of furniture.
- Rearranged the living room to streamline
- Took two loads to the thrift store.
- Gave away my collection of 150 business books.
- Took decorations off the wall.
- Cleaned and sealed the tile grout.
In short, our condo looks like a model home.
This got me wondering, why I’d clean the grout for someone else but not myself? It only took me us a few hours to clean and seal it. It looks brand new.
Using grout as a metaphor
What could you do in your life:
- That would only take a few hours?
- Produce lasting results?
- Give you a new perspective?
How would doing it help you live your purpose more fully?
What’s keeping you from taking action?
One of the things that I’ve done that fits into “grout cleaning” is changing my sleep habit.
- Instead of setting my alarm for 5, 5:30 am or earlier. I’ve begun setting my alarm for 6 am.
- Sleeping from 10 pm to 6 am has changed me from sleep deprived to rejuvenated. I’m waking up about 10 – 20 minutes before my alarm goes off feeling great.
- Being refreshed and clear thinking in the morning has improved my morning productivity, which centers on writing projects – the Purpose Newsletter and others.
- I was being held back by the belief that I had to get up hours before my family if I wanted to get anything done. And the notion that I don’t really need to sleep more than 6 hours.
Hit reply, I love hearing from you.
What’s the “grout” that needs cleaning in your life?
Live a Bold & Authentic Life
Matt
