Month: April 2024

“Is there anyone so wise as to learn by the experience of others?” Voltaire.

Recently, I was extremely flattered when a friend said that I was wise and that they valued my advice. It was kind of them to give me that feedback out of the blue. It felt good to be appreciated for just being myself.

Wisdom is a quality that grows over time. It’s shaped and developed through life’s experiences both positive and negative. The dictionary defines wisdom as the quality of having valuable experience, knowledge and good judgement.

The trials and errors that we encounter on our life journey together with the insights we gain from having new adventures, meeting new people and our interactions with others help to build it.

Wisdom differs from knowledge as it’s the ability to discern what’s true or right for us. It rests insides us and is the quiet inner voice. If we choose to tune in, it offers us guidance on the best direction or course of action for us to take. It helps us to focus on things of real worth rather than the trivial.

We’re also fortunate to be able to tap into the wisdom of older people if we wish to. It’s sad that sometimes society doesn’t fully value and respect the knowledge and experience of older people. It’s too easy for people to be unfairly labelled “past their sell by date.”

On occasions, businesses take the decision to part company with older long serving employees and bring in young blood. In doing so, they subtly demonstrate that they prefer youth over experience. On this theme, there have been some high-profile legal cases in recent years involving television personalities who claimed that they were the victims of ageism when losing their television roles.

As with everything in life, we need a balance in society between the energy and enthusiasm of young people and the wisdom and experience of older people. When blended together effectively, working harmoniously and collaboratively, the combination of young and old in a team is very powerful.

I’ve detailed below some wisdom from old people that I found when doing some research: –

• The most important person in your life is the person who agreed to share their life with you. Treat them as such.
• Stuff is just stuff. Don’t hold onto material objects; hold onto time and experiences instead.
• People always say “Make sure you get a job doing what you love!’’ But that isn’t the best advice. The right job is the job you love some days, can tolerate most days, and still pays the bills. Almost nobody has a job they love every day.
• If you’re getting overwhelmed by life, just return to the immediate present moment and savour all that is beautiful and comforting. Take a deep breath and relax.
• Don’t take life too seriously. Even if things seem dark and hopeless, try to laugh at how ridiculous life is.
• A true friend will come running if you call them at 2am. Everyone else is just an acquaintance.
• Nobody ever dies wishing they had worked more. Work hard, but don’t prioritize work over family, friends or even yourself.
• Don’t take anyone else’s advice as gospel. You can ask for advice from someone you respect, then take your situation into consideration and make your own decision. Essentially, take your own advice is my advice.
• The joints you damage today will get their revenge later. Even if you think they’ve recovered completely. Trust me!
• We have one time on this earth. Don’t wake up and realize that you are 60 years old and haven’t done the things you dreamed about.
• Appreciate the small things and be present in the moment. It seems today like younger people are all about immediate gratification. Instead, why not decide to appreciate every small moment.
• We don’t get to stay on this crazy/wonderful planet forever and the greatest pleasure can be found in the most mundane of activities. Instead of sending a text, pick up the phone and call someone. Call your mother, have a conversation about nothing in particular. Those are the moments to hold onto.

 
This week, why not pause for a few moments to reflect. Consider what is the best piece of wisdom that you’ve learned in your life?

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk

 “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Leonardo da Vinci.

The clocks went forward in the UK in the early hours of yesterday morning and we are now in the spring season. This annual event always signals to me that it’s time for me to reflect and consider if there is a need for me to let go of anything, to declutter and simplify my life. I feel that clearing clutter helps to create some space for growth, new projects and adventures.

Completing a decluttering exercise always provides me with a sense of completion and accomplishment and it energises me. It sharpens my focus, provides clarity on my key priorities moving forward and somehow makes me feel lighter.

Clutter is defined in the dictionary as a “crowded and untidy collection of things”. That is true but it is only part of the story and describes clutter on a physical level.

A more complete definition would be:

• Items that you no longer need, want or love.
• Things that are untidy and disorganized.
• Too many things in a small space.
• An overloaded busy mind, with too many priorities to focus on.
• Anything unfinished. This can be projects or emotions.

 
Clutter can affect us on a physical level and have a negative impact on our energy levels. It can lead us to feel tired and lethargic and make us feel stressed and overwhelmed. Valuable time can also be wasted as we search for things such as looking for a document in a pile of papers.

It can weigh us down, make us put things off, procrastinate and keep us stuck in the past. As a result, we may not be able to “see the wood for the trees” and there may be no room for anything new to come into our lives.

Disposing of clutter is an important part of the change process and aligns with the Socrates quote “The secret of change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old but on building the new.”

Why not pause for a moment and consider how much of your life, home and workspace is taken up with clutter.

Clutter prevents us from focusing on what’s really important and valuable to us, our key priorities and the people closest to us.  Everything we have has a call on our attention and therefore the more clutter we have means that more of our energy is tied up in mundane matters.

When we clear out the clutter, it allows us to focus and put the important things in our life into perspective rather than being bogged down in the details of day-to-day maintenance.

The process of clearing clutter is all about learning to let go. It isn’t just about letting go of the belongings but the feelings and fear that keep us holding onto an excess of stuff. Life is constantly changing, so when something comes into your life, enjoy it, use it well and when it is time, be prepared to let it go so that you can experience new things.

As well as physical clutter, our minds can become overloaded and we can suffer from mental clutter. This is a bi-product of the modern world and our access to many forms of technology and distraction. It’s said that our conscious brain can hold just 7 bits of information. Is it any wonder then that we can sometimes feel overloaded mentally given that we’re exposed to millions of bits of information every day?

This week, why not take some time to reflect and consider if you need to let go of anything.

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk