oxygen

Last week I golfed with a friend who told me he hasn't golfed in about five years. He said that when he was asked to come along, his first reaction was: I'd like to, but I'm too busy. Then he told me that as he thought it through, he realized that he could come up with a thousand reasons not to golf. But he had one really good reason to say yes: doing something he enjoys with people he enjoys. So he decided to golf with us. I'm glad he did.

It reminded me of how easy it can be to say "no" to things that don't seem productive.

I received some good advice from a leader I respect. He told me that it's immensely important to actually DO the things that revive you and give you energy. This doesn't mean "wasting" time on mindless junk...it means that we all have stuff that we really enjoy doing and it actually gives us energy. This leader compared it to oxygen, indicating that if you don't have enough of it in your life, you're actually not going to be as productive as you could/should be.

He told me to make a list of 20 things I love to do and then look over the list and take note of how often I'm participating in those activities. He asked, "Are your oxygen tanks full or dangerously low?"

Too often...they are low. So I made the list. I won't bore you with all of it...so how 'bout 10 of them?

Here's my list of ten:

1. Yes, golf. Duh.
2. Ride my motorcycle (which is cool because I can ride it to work, thus accomplishing two things at once).
3. Just hanging out with my family.
4. Getting away...I mean AWAY...with my family.
5. Reading.
6. Movies.
7. Coaching my kids in sports.
8. Hanging out with friends.
9. Basketball.
10. Roller coasters.

As you can see, my list is heavy on summer-time activities. So my oxygen tanks are most likely to get low during the winter. I have to watch this stuff. I can be like my golf-buddy who can always find reasons to NOT engage in many of these activities.

Do you have a list? Leave a comment and share it. If you don't have one, make one and share it here. I'd love to know the things that energize YOU!