3 Responses to The Simplifier #53 is Online »»

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1. Chuck
   Comment by Chuck | 2007/12/23 at 18:58:19

   Hi Shawn and welcome back. Hope you had a great Christmas and a restful
   retreat. Just a note to say thanks for the periodic Simplifier. This
   last one I saved until I could read it in peace, which was today after
   lunch. As I sit here in my office listening to the Mannheim Steamroller
   Christmas “Extraordinaire” and read your missive, it calms me down a
   bunch. This past week was NOT something I wish to repeat, but the music
   and your #53 is moving me beyond the stress.
   I have also started my 2008 “goals”. I find, when looking back that
   several of my goals are continuous and flow through my life. Some I
   have succeeded in accomplishing, and some were dismal failures. This
   year I have added some “Fragrances” and I thank you for those.

   I have long ago stopped beating myself up about the failures but have
   celebrated the successes. Some of the continuous ones are things like
   becoming a better conversationalist, meeting more interesting people,
   simplify and discard (done a bunch of that this past year) and one of
   the key ones is to back-off the volunteer work.

   All most all the failures have to do with exercise; walking more, losing
   weight, and one home project a week. Didn’t do enough in this area this
   past year.

   But the one that keeps me going is the success of “Leaving footprints”.
   I will keep doing that one.

   Keep up the good work and keep your Simplifier going and I will keep
   reading. Thanks for your stability.

   Chuck

2. Shawn
   Comment by Shawn | 2007/12/23 at 19:12:56

   Thank you, Chuck. You bring a smile to my face and encouragement to my spirit. =)

   I love your awareness of the continuous goals that flow through your life. Thanks for calling attention to the big picture.

   Having a general understanding of just how much volunteer work you’ve been doing, not to mention the intensity of the projects you’ve chosen to get involved with, I’m happy to hear that you are taking some quiet time for yourself. There is a good mix for you of self time, family time, and volunteer time–and it probably isn’t in the same ratio as you’ve done in the past. Here’s to the right mix–sounds like a fine blend of grapes, eh? the right mix of grapes in the right proportions produce a wonderful aroma and delicious flavor of wine. And you, Chuck, are a fantastic vintage!

   In gratitude to you,
   shawn

3. Jeff
   Comment by Jeff | 2007/12/23 at 19:38:17

   Hi Lance,
   Way to handle the reins of power there, amigo!

   That’s an excellent story–illustrates something very interesting. I quit smoking too, overnight, when I was 31 or 32 (now 37) and I have never even been tempted to start up again. I believe my self-image changed from smoker to not-a-smoker. I didn’t realize this until this year, but it is a big theme in my life today.

   This is discussed indepth in Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz and is a pretty common sense idea. Tony Robbins also talks about why people count the days they have given up smoking–so they can say later “I lasted X days before I couldn’t take it anymore!” but if one actually saw oneself as a non-smoker it wouldn’t matter how many days it had been… You just aren’t a smoker and it’s an irrelevant fact. They both argue the key to behavior is self-image. Which is why mere ‘positive thinking’ doesn’t motivate change if there is no corresponding internal reality.

   Perhaps you did not internally correspond to dying in bypass surgery– or having bypass surgery at 30 — and meeting your true self you finally could engage your will to stop. What do you think?

   Yours, Jeff Kuns

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