The Tradition of Traditions

Have you ever wondered why you follow the same ritual and behaviours during the same celebrations or events?  How did they start? Where did they come from? Is there a bigger meaning behind them? Or, did it just start as a bit of fun and you’ve kept doing it?

In Australia we’ve just had our Christmas break where all Australian’s have a couple of public holidays and days off from work – Christmas Day and Boxing Day.  Even though these days started out in Australia as religious and historical celebrations, having been originally settled by the British the settlers bought their traditions with them, all Australians now have these days off regardless of their religion.  Interestingly, because Australia is now so diverse, we have also taken on a number of the celebrations of other cultural traditions such as Chinese New Year, the Hindu tradition of the Holi Festival (Festival of Colours), Greek Orthodox Easter, St Patrick’s Day, Ramadan, Diwali, ANZAC Day, Remembrance day and a host of others.  Each one of these days involves tradition, thought, observance and meaning.

When you move away from the initiation of these traditions, either by distance or time, things invariably change. For example:

In Australia our Christmas lunch and dinner now traditionally has a large portion of prawns, crayfish, lobster and other forms of cold shellfish and seafood.

Some of the reasons – we are surrounded by the best seafood in the world; it is invariably 30⁰ – 37⁰ C (that’s 85⁰ – 100⁰ F) on Christmas Day; with so many different nationalities of Christians each has bought their own traditional dishes with them (eg. Polish, Croatian, Filipino, Samoan, just to name a few); and we spend a lot of time outside in our summer.

But traditions are not always the large things that are part of a whole culture or large group.  I was discussing with friends our family traditions for Christmas day and one was that Dad always had to cook ham and eggs for breakfast and then we could open presents.  Very simple but it always started our day as a family.

One of the other traditions my family had was camping.  Our camping season always began on a long weekend in October (a weekend with a public holiday attached so we had 3 days off) and finished with Easter the following year. Our group of families spent time camping by the beach fishing, swimming, playing beach cricket and cooking that just caught freshest of fresh fish on an open fire.

Another of the very Aust-idiosyncratic traditions is that if you can’t make it to Sydney for New Years Eve you watch the event on TV.  It’s in the same vane as the Ball dropping in Times Square or Big Ben striking 12.  Most of us have the goal of watching the event live at least once, and even better would be being on the bay watching.  I have to say being out on the water in Sydney Harbour at midnight is amazing.  The atmosphere of excitement counting in a new year, celebrating with friends, the music, the fireworks and being part of thousands of people all just enjoying the moment is an incredible feeling.  So much more than just being at a party.

Traditions can be huge, like New Years Eve, or as simple as the way you say hello with a kiss on each cheek.

Schools have traditions at graduations. Workplaces have traditions and rituals for new employees and for retirees.  Weddings are full of traditions.  Did you know that the tradition of placing the groom on the right started because the groom needed to keep his sword arm free to protect his bride? And that one started back in the 1300’s.

Do you have traditions in your family?  How did they start?

You may find that many of the things you do and take for granted, the prayers you say, the way you play certain games, even the songs that you habitually sing at Christmas time started with someone in your family and you’ve just kept doing the same thing.  Possibly because it feels good, it has a certain meaning for you, or simply because it’s what you’ve always done.

Traditions can be wonderful for the right reasons however, if they are destructive you don’t have to follow the other sheep.

What traditions do you follow? What traditions would you like to change?

 

The Paradox

At this time of year I find myself becoming reflective.  Not just of the past 12 months, although that does get a mention in a long list that goes through my mind, but more about life in general, where I’m heading and where I’ve been.

I don’t have massive goals in life (and I know that some of you just huffed out a huge OMG) but the smaller life goals and the work goals keep me grounded and purposeful at the moment.

I have never really ‘planned’ my career but I’ve tried quite a few different avenues that have been ‘right’ at the time.  And as you might imagine, I have a very eclectic CV (Curriculum Vitae).  I have been a Manager of many, I’ve been a trainer, a writer, a restaurant owner and a teacher.  I have tried businesses on my own, with partners and with family.

My brother recently asked me when I’m going to settle down and stop trying new things.  I don’t think I will.  The fact that he has been in his job now for at least 12 or 13 years doesn’t mean that I have to.

In fact, a couple of years ago I decided to go back to University to study something that I was really interested in – people and how they work together and with each other.  I met some great friends and had a great time learning.

One of the last units I had to do while writing my Thesis was one about writing.  About the free flow of writing as your mind concentrates on a subject but is allowed to move around that subject at will. I know it sounds a little loopy the way I have described it but it was a great week that allowed us to give ourselves permission to be creative and to use that creativity in our formal writing.

This week of reflection I came back to a piece I wrote during this time that still has amazing resonance for me.  I hope it resonates with you too…..

 

 

The Paradox of Circles

There’s circles of life and lives going in circles
There’s circles that create tension and circles of arms that ease.
The aggressor circles its prey
While the prey is looking for small circles, loopholes really, through which to escape.

The circle can be a formal dance where the male takes the lead.
The circle can be the board table where the lead circles round until there is a winner.
The circle can be messy, bloody, stifling or contemplative.

There is no beginning and no end to a circle
There can be no life without both genders.
There is an inner and an outer
But things still keep moving round.

The circle of learning where the more you learn the more you want to know
The circle of the family that nurtures and protects
The circle of life where the infinite beginnings overlap the finite ends.
What really happens in the confines of a circle has no bearing, no import, to those not there.

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5 Things That Happy People Do Every Morning

Want to make sure you’re consistently waking up on the right side of the bed? Try incorporating one or more of these into your morning routine.

1. Move.
Please notice I said “move,” not “exercise.” While some people love to jog before the sun rises or go to a 6am spin class, formal exercise isn’t the only way to benefit from morning movement.Something as simple as a 10 minute stroll or even just some light stretches when you get out of bed will wake up your body, get your blood flowing, and help you feel more refreshed as you start your day.

2. Meditate or Journal.
Five minutes of quiet time doing some deep breathing, writing in a gratitude journal, or anything else that requires you to be calm and present will help you remain calm and present as the day progresses.

3. Hold off on checking devices.
Plugging in as soon as we wake up puts us in “go mode” way too early. Before our feet hit the floor our minds are already cluttered with messages we need to respond to and Facebook statuses we need to like—which almost guarantees our lives will feel cluttered the rest of the day.Next time your 6am smartphone alarm beeps, try turning it off and putting it down without looking at it further, and see how it affects your morning.

4. Eat a satisfying breakfast.
Giving your body some proper fuel within a few hours of waking is key to feeling energised throughout the day. And unfortunately, a cup of coffee by itself does not count as proper fuel.The ideal morning meal will make you feel full and satisfied but not weighed down. You know the right things, you just have to choose them. Additionally, when you eat healthy from the get-go it usually makes it easier to make good food choices the rest of the day.

5. Plan for the day.
Happy and productive people intentionally take a few minutes in the morning to map out their day – that way they don’t end up fluttering around aimlessly from task to task, or procrastinating on the stuff that really needs to get done.

Keep in mind that this plan can and should go beyond your to-do list; it should also be a plan for your attitude. What challenges might you face today? What hurdles might you encounter? Making a plan includes adopting a daily resolution for how you want to react to whatever life throws your way.

Does your morning routine include any of these?

If you enjoyed this post, please share it! Who knows, maybe you’ll make someone else’s day a little happier!

12 Habits of Highly Productive People

Being productive isn’t only for those people who have a 9-5 job, are in management or own their own business.  I have often commented to my adult students that they have amazing time management skills, being able to juggle parenting, household responsibilities, a job as well as possibly study or looking after relatives takes a huge amount of skill to do well.

You possibly already have some habits that make you really productive and this list of 12 habits of highly productive people will give you an even greater start to your day so you can get all you need to done.

 

1. Daily dedicated planning time.

Set aside 5-10 minutes in the morning or the evening to think through that day’s (or the next day’s) tasks and to outline a game plan for getting them accomplished.

2. Take care of quick tasks immediately.

If a task pops into your mind and it requires less than 5 minutes of your time, attend to it right away, eliminating the need to write it down or try to remember it later.

3. Prioritise your to-do list.

When the day’s list is too long to realistically complete in 24 hours (which for some of us is a daily occurrence), rearranged the list to reflect the absolute essentials.

4. Identify and utilise your productivity window.

No one is at his/her best all day long. People who are on top of things know their most productive times—usually a 2-3 hour window that occurs once or twice a day—and intentionally use that time to tackle the most important tasks or the ones that require the most focus. For me it’s about 4.00 in the afternoon and then again later at night.  I’m definitely not a morning person so I save the little things for earlier.

5. Know when (and when not to) multitask.

Multitasking gets a bad rap, but highly productive people understand that sometimes it does work—like when you’re listening to a career-related podcast while wiping down your kitchen counters, or when you’re brainstorming project ideas while going for your morning walk. They also know, however, to differentiate between multitasking and just being distracted. Hopping on Facebook every 10 minutes at work? That’s the latter.

6. Use a planning/scheduling tool that works for your lifestyle.

A diehard pen-and-paper person probably won’t be successful with an app-based system, while a true techie would likely lose that day planner within an hour. Similarly, someone whose schedule is closely tied to other responsibilities or person, needs a system that accommodates that lifestyle.

7. Take breaks.

It may sound counterintuitive, but working from sunrise to sunset does not a productive person make. Regular breaks for things like food, water, and movement actually make people more effective and efficient.

8. Be realistic about how much time things take.

If you underestimate how long it takes to write that report or clean your house, you’re inevitably going to get behind. On the other hand, if you always overestimate how long tasks take, you’ll never be as efficient as you could be. Highly productive people find that sweet spot where they can accurately estimate how much time something will take, taking into account occasional breaks and inevitable interruptions.

9. Have someone hold you accountable.

Highly productive people are open about what they want to accomplish that day, week, month, or year—and then don’t want to disappoint when others follow up.

10. Be a perfectionists, but only when it counts.

If every single task, no matter how small, has to be completed without flaw or error, you will probably never finish anything. Striving for perfection can be a help or a hindrance, depending on the stakes, so save the nit-picky attitude for when they’re especially high. (Cover letter for a job application? Be a perfectionist. Email to your Aunt Suzy? A missed typo is OK.)

11. Delegate the right way.

That is, delegate a reasonable number of tasks that are appropriate to the skill level of the person you are delegating to, particularly children and teens, and they always say please and thank you.

12. Appreciate what did get done instead of stressing over what didn’t.

Like most things in life, being productive requires a good attitude. At the end of the day, looking at the bright side and choosing to see the accomplishments rather than the missteps means that you’ll feel better, sleep better, and be better prepared to be productive again tomorrow.

 

If you already have some of these habits and skills, you need to recognise them and give yourself a pat on the back.

5 Ways to Experience the Great Moments in Life

Have you ever noticed that people, probably yourself included, often say that they are waiting for whatever their big / wonderful / great thing is? Unfortunately, this rarely happens when we want it, if it happens at all.

What I have found so much more rewarding is looking for the great things that are happening all around you. And if you want to use one of those cliché’s it’s all about “waking up and smelling the roses.”

Wonderful things are all around us we just need to pay a bit more attention. And while we’re paying attention it would be a very worthwhile exercise to teach our children how to do it too.

Here’s 5 steps that will help you experience Great Moments.

1. Pay attention to the “small” things.

Pay attention to the here and now. Be mindful – be where you are, heart and soul. Great moments do happen, although we tend to take them for granted or are simply too preoccupied to notice.

2. Make a conscious effort to engage routinely with family and friends.
Great moments tend to have to do with the people we love.

3. Make mental notes of the great moments or better yet, write them down.
Life’s bad moments tend to be more attention grabbing, so make an effort to give our blessings the attention they deserve.

4. Stop trying to make things better by working on people’s shortcomings (including our own).
Instead, encourage their many talents and find proper avenues through which their strengths can be expressed, as well as your own.

5. Be grateful.
Gratefulness is a habit. One way to nurture that habit is by starting a Gratitude Journal or simply identifying 3 things at the end of each day that you were grateful for.

 

Stopping to smell the coffee or roses can be heartwarming as well as very beneficial.