{"id":17446,"date":"2019-10-16T12:39:00","date_gmt":"2019-10-16T17:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/Life-Insurance-Blog\/learning-to-balance\/"},"modified":"2019-10-16T12:39:00","modified_gmt":"2019-10-16T17:39:00","slug":"learning-to-balance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/2019\/10\/16\/learning-to-balance\/","title":{"rendered":"Learning To Balance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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I knew I was going to crash. I was on a new 10-speed bicycle heading into a curve when I willed myself to fall off the bike.<\/p>\n

I was already nervous because I was on a bicycle way too tall for a 12-year-old. In those days, you graduated from a banana-seat, Schwinn wannabe with streamers flapping from the high handlebars to something that was meant for the Tour de France. The bike seemed designed to get the rider\u2019s posterior high enough to propel it over the rider\u2019s head as soon as the dime-wide wheel hit a hole.<\/p>\n

Of course, that\u2019s what happened on that afternoon. I saw the curve and thought that would be a likely place to crash, allowing me to see the arc of my trajectory play out in my imagination pretty much how it actually occurred.<\/p>\n

It took me a few decades more to know that nearly every endeavor was won or lost in my head before it was even ventured. I still learn that every weekend when I think about getting to the gym that week. \u201cOf course I\u2019m doing it,\u201d means I\u2019ll do it; \u201cI\u2019ll fit it in\u201d means I don\u2019t even have to bother setting the alarm for hitting the gym before work.<\/p>\n

In this month\u2019s interview with Publisher Paul Feldman, Paul Kingsman tells us that we all need to time-block our days to be successful. But he also says that is a waste of time if we don\u2019t know why we are doing it.<\/p>\n

Why do we want to be successful? Seems like a goofy question, especially if we have been on autopilot all our lives, either just heading for the next thing or drifting until we hit something else. That is how we arrive at dissatisfaction: \u201cI don\u2019t know what I wanted, but I know this isn\u2019t it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here is a map based on Kingsman\u2019s advice:<\/p>\n

Set The Destination<\/h2>\n

Kingsman talked about setting a goal of where we want to be in four years. The first question is why we want to be there. If it is still the destination with that answer, then break down the journey.<\/p>\n

Set The Course<\/h2>\n

What do we need to accomplish by next year to get to that point in four years? What needs to happen in the next 90 days? What do we need to do now?<\/p>\n

Set Your Days<\/h2>\n

Kingsman believes we have to time-block our days to achieve our goals. In the interview, he explains how time-blocking helped him win an Olympic medal in swimming.<\/p>\n

Set Your Timer<\/h2>\n

It takes just 25 minutes at a time. Kingsman believes pushing beyond that makes us ineffective. We can probably test that by keeping an eye on when we start picking up our phone or cruising over to the internet. Certainly, studies have shown that it is healthier to get up and move around often during the day.<\/p>\n

An important element in Kingsman\u2019s plan is imagination. For this, he asks us to envision ourselves a year from now.<\/p>\n

What will we be happy about at this time next year? Kingsman even suggests writing it out by answering key questions.<\/p>\n

Imagine it is the end of 2020 and finish these statements.<\/p>\n

2020 has been an awesomely successful year because:<\/strong><\/p>\n