James Clear indicates in his book “Atomic Habits” the compounding effect of a 1% increase every day.

“Improving by 1% isn’t particularly notable, sometimes it isn’t even noticeable, but it can be far more meaningful – especially in the long run.”

“If you can get 1% better each day for one year, you’ll end up 37 times better by the time you’re done.”

Let us leave the new year’s resolutions and rather make one small choice for the rest of the year. It is better to do something small for longer period, than to do something big short term right?

You can choose something within the following themes to make it easier:

– Your well-being: to practically think about thing like sleep, exercise, diet, mindfulness practice?
– Your work: if you specifically want to make a small decision about work?
– Your core relationships: if you want focus on a specific person in your life and make a small decision there?

Choose one and make it simple. Do it either daily or weekly.

Ask yourself one good question every week or do a small practice every day? And connect this question or practice to an area for the whole year. Then think about the structure that will support this – set a reminder on your phone, specific time, place of the day?

Look out for Cal Newport’s book, Slow Productivity which will be released beginning of
March – it looks like a fascinating and practical read.

Until next month!
Andre

Ps: I’m commencing this monthly refection after a 2 year break – after releasing my book the
writing dried up a bit, but let’s get the conversation on soulfulness going again!

Make sure to stay updated by following my Instagram, Facebook and connect on LinkedIn .

A lot of people that I dealt with then really needed time to disconnect and disengage from the “busyness as usual” and just recharge. Funny story – I bumped into somebody on December 9th 2021 and asked him :”How are you” – his reply: “Man, it feels like it is the 38th of December!?”. This summarizes the way a lot of people felt towards the end of 2021.

So how did this year start for you? Many people really go for everything now that we experience more “normality” – we are trying so hard to catch up on what we have missed the last two years that we forget the slowness of the pandemic. And this is great, seize the day, use the time that you have and make the most of it.

But…

…it will be really important to remember your basic rhythms. What helps you to stay anchored, focused, energised and centered?

Think about this for a moment about one basic rhythm that helps you to anchor, to catch your breath – it can be as simple as taking a 5 minute walk or just to stand somewhere and focus on something beautiful for 2 minutes.

What would that look like for you?

Choose one simple soulful rhythm for this year…one simple action that will keep you anchored. Keep it really simple!

Then make notes or an appointment with yourself to start with this as a new rhythm. Tell somebody about it, it will make you more accountable.

Let us also remember what is going on in the Ukraine at the moment and use our rhythms to also pray for peace. It is a real privilege to even have the freedom to think about new rhythms.

You are welcome to also listen to this podcast discussion on rhythms on my channel – follow this link and let me know if you have an interesting story on rhythms.

Go well

I often have the conversation with my children about the most important question in life.

“what is enough?”

If we could live with the wisdom to determine what is enough, and if the world were organised by the principle that everyone should have enough, it could be a totally different reality, couldn’t it?

Enough light, enough oxygen, enough beauty, enough energy, enough meaning.

But then we worry that when everybody has enough that we will stop trying.

Ryan Holiday, in his book “stillness is the key” states:

‘you will never feel okay by way of external accomplishments. Enough comes from the inside. It comes from stepping off the train. From seeing what you already have, what you’ve always had.’

The worry is that the experience of enough will make us complacent to not challenge ourselves or grow or even suffer – but it often is the opposite. You can be healthy, content and still be successful. Just see what you already have – and obviously there is the real experience of not having enough – we do need to acknowledge that!

Maybe ask your team to name one experience of enough today or maybe tell them where in the business there is enough and celebrate that.

We definitely have ample reminders every day where there isn’t enough, right?

Therefore take a moment today and reflect on the following questions:

• Where do you experience enough in your relationship?
• Where do you experience enough in your surroundings today?
• How can you live with an attitude to find the enough of everyday?

So how can you respond to this?

Make one decision today – what would one step look like to influence the experience of “enough” around you? One small practical step…

Enough will give us more clarity, insight, truth and presence.

May you have enough today!

]]> https://besoulful.co.za/soul-nudges-19-wilderness-found-us/ Tue, 12 May 2020 05:39:57 +0000 https://besoulful.co.za/?p=1298 It is a time of global wilderness, isn’t it? In South Africa, we have been in hard lockdown for almost 40 days, significantly the same time that Jesus spent in the desert. It is as if wilderness has found us globally – we were forced into a liminal space – liminal means threshold or waiting room in Latin. Often during liminal times or times of crisis, we reflect on what matters most to us. I am struck by how this time emphasises the great inequality in South Africa. While some families share photos of how they retreated to their holiday homes for 6 weeks, others queue for days to get a small meal. While some exercise in their gardens others are forced to sit in their one chair in a 3×3 shack.

But whatever our context most of us can identify with a time of wilderness, thinking about our needs and wants and what is really important and worthwhile – and I am so encouraged to see how humanity shows itself – people that are really concerned about each other’s wellbeing. It is a time to really take responsibility and be ethical – this is indeed the great wilderness test –  a test of ethical choices all round.
If nothing else we have more time! May it be a time of wisdom and discernment, where we use the TIME that we so crave when we rush and run through life. And when you get back to “life as you know it” be very aware of what is different and how you want to do things differently. Life as we knew it will never be the same, that is for sure!

Take 5 minutes and try this:

Take few deep breaths…

What is your wilderness experience during this time?

Reflect on one thing that you learned during this time about what is really important to you.

How will you respond to this? Make sure to share this learning with one person or post it somewhere.

SOULFUL CONVERSATIONS:
As part of the diverse global experiences and how we learn from each other during this time I’m starting a few interviews with people in different contexts that I want to share.

I interviewed Brian Draper in the UK on Zoom to start the Soulful Conversations and more will follow. Watch the interview with Brian here:

May wilderness, although uncomfortable, be a time of wisdom globally!