The Simple Things Again

This seem to be something that I am always coming back to as a theme. How the simple things in life are the things we over look can cost us in the long run. I have regained a appreciation for walking. I have always known that daily walking could be beneficial. No I am not walking because of the high gas prices though it could come to that. I am walking now for my health. If you have been following this blog then you already know that I am a marshal artist who practices Tai Chi and Wo Shu. These activities have health as well as practical benefits. But walking in and of it self has many benefits we often over look. When we walk we fine tune the body. As we walk our bodies speak to us and tells us what is wrong or right.  Some days as you walk you will notice that you have more pep in your step. This can be from a good nights sleep or the food we ate the day before (fuel). It is a good habit to walk everyday .I suggest at least a mile a day, it will take this long for the body to tune up and begin to speak to you if you are in fairly good shape. It will talk to you much sooner if you are in poor shape:). But that’s O.k because where ever you start you can always improve by going a little further each day. You will be up to a mile in no time. The point is the further you can go and the longer you can walk the better shape you are in.

Walking is a very good metaphor for life ( our daily walk). You have heard the expression before what is you walk in life. What is your destination? How long will it take you to get there? How far are you going? And what kind of shape are you in.  I wrote this article after I found myself spending to much time at the computer and not enough time using my body. Walking is a simple way to find balance again. For those who don’t have any other fitness program.

Another benefit of walking is thinking. A natural bi-product of walking is self dialog. Listen to the thought as they come to you when you walk. I have many good ideas that have come from a long walk. Also walking is a great way to deal with anger andfrustration. The first benefit of walking is that it removes you from the situation giving you time to reflect and not respond, in Tai Chi we would call this transferring energy. Walking allow us to deflect an attack it also allows time to respond properly and in a way that does not cause us more problems. You would be surprised at what a simple walk can do.

Empty Words

How many times to you find yourself saying the same old thing over and over again. or having the same conversation you had with someone all over again. Many times this happens with family, friends and in the work place where we see people daily. When certain topics come up. The end result is the same and no one has changed. The only thing that happens is the clock on the wall says you have lost some minutes or even hours accomplishing nothing.

This habit comes from  not knowing when a conversation or idea is dead. Knowing when it’s time to move on is very important. These kind of conversations are one  of our biggest time wasters. Somewhere in the back of our mind we get the idea that we can change other peoples opinion or point of view. This seldom happens, when a person has a strong opinion no matter how wrong they may be usually the only person that can change that opinion is them self.

This is very true form a business perspective. Either a person agrees or they don’t, they see the point or they don’t. The simple truth is we are not going to agree on everything and we need to know when to let a dead horse go. Have you ever heard the term ride it into the ground. I look at the same idea  from a different perspective, riding a horse in a different direction away from your task and goals. The next time you find  yourself exchanging empty words, stop and ask yourself have we had this conversation before? If the answer is yes don’t waste your time.