Guest Blog - Kathleen Frati - "Design Your Day"

Trail Blazing Women! Elaine, Joanne & Kathleen

I want to welcome to the Trail Kathleen Frati. Kathleen joined the Trail Blazers on Tuesday to participate in the Blazing Trails Adventure “Find the Time to Get Lost – A Natural Approach to Time Management.” – she said she was inspired to write this post after she attended. It’s brilliant! I asked her if I could share her wisdom here – so be sure to visit her at http://www.grownupgirl.com/ Follow her, like her and be sure to comment!

“There is no path to happiness: happiness is the path.” ― Gautama Buddha

Do you sometimes feel like the day goes by and you haven’t really done anything productive or fun? Do you have dreams that you would like to fulfill, but you just can’t seem to find time to make them happen? Do you ever feel like you spend too much time on one part of your life, and neglect the other parts?

For me, staying balanced and productive is my path to happiness. Over the years, I have worked with different ways to keep me focused. I used to make big “To Do” lists before I went to bed. I used project management software to keep all my desires organized and created daily plans. I had calendars, Daytimers, and Franklin Covey systems. All of these worked at the time, but lately I’ve been feeling very overwhelmed by these methods of time management.

I figured out that it’s not really time management that I need, but really dream management. Maybe it’s because I am a creative person and have too many ideas and dreams running around my brain. Being creative is a great trait, but I have discovered that I need a different perspective on my life and time itself.

After reading The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson, I designed a better system for scheduling my time to make sure they match my desires.

First, I realized that only consistent small steps are going to get me to the bigger place that I’d like to land. Jeff talks about this in his book when he describes the exponential power of daily small steps. Have you ever found yourself starting some new project or passion, only to lose focus days or weeks into it? I have. I often give up because there are so many small steps that get mundane and sometimes hard.

This year, I have been working on a new way to keep me focused. I call it my “Daily Journey towards Bliss”.

Now, let me remind you of the definition of bliss according to the Collins English Dictionary:

bliss (blɪs) n
1. perfect happiness; serene joy

Who wouldn’t want that everyday?

Well, I sure would, so I devised a system for myself to record the steps I’d like to take for the day that puts me in the path of perfect happiness and serene joy.

Here’s how it works:

DAILY JOURNEY TOWARDS BLISS

Health

Here’s where I record my top activities for the day relating to health. Today it is:

Yoga stretches
A list of the meals I want to eat today
A list of the most important items I want to purchase at the grocery store

Wealth

Here’s where I record my top activities for the day relating to wealth. Today it is:

Pay some overdue medical bills and submit them for reimbursement
Perform three of today’s most beneficial tasks for my husband’s moving company
Perform three of today’s most beneficial tasks for my grownUPgirl.com business.

Love

Here’s where I record my top activities to make sure I give and receive love today:

Call my mother
Love my house by finishing 12 short tasks, like cleaning and filing
Get myself in a state of radiating love, through awareness meditation and scent therapy. (This is very easy for me to stay in this state–I’ve been practicing!)
Love my body by taking timeouts to relax in the summer sun.
Start packing for a getaway weekend with my husband

Gratitude

Here’s where I write down 5 things for which I am grateful; this always make me feel good! Today’s gratitude list is:

I am grateful for my backyard patio and the birds in my yard
I am grateful for my limber body that loves yoga stretches
I am grateful for my husband and how much he respects me
I am grateful for the chores my children do without complaint
I am grateful for having a creative and intelligent mind

All of these things I write down and keep near me throughout the day. (I used to write it on paper, but recently I have used Evernote to record and reference it on my computer and phone.)

Why do I only focus on four areas: Health, Wealth, Love, & Gratitude?

Because I like to keep my life simple and I feel these are the only foundations on which I really need to focus.

Does it work for me?

Sure does! I rarely get sick or moody, I have enough money to live on at the moment, I get to give and receive love from wonderful people everyday, and it’s very easy for me to get into a state where I feel “blissed out”–like I am high on life–through gratitude. It’s my daily practice that I have been doing for many years, and it works!

Q: What is your practice? Are you on the path to happiness? Or are you sitting on the curb waiting for happiness to come to you? Share your comments below.

I encourage you to ask yourself what activities can you perform today that will enhance your life and move you toward a happier (and healthier, wealthier, & more loving) state. You are worth it!

Wishing you many blissful moments,

Kathleen