Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are
willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new.
~Brian Tracy~
- Are you living a mindless life or a mindful one?
I love a good zombie flick, so this is the right time of year for me. All I need to do is give a quick flick of the remote, and I can spend hours watching the living dead moan and groan, munching on the delicious brains of their victims as I munch on my popcorn.
Last night, As I was watching the premier of The Walking Dead, it started me thinking about the life of a zombie. Operating only on brain stem stimulation, a zombie is motivated, not by goals or dreams, but by a mindless need to feed; focused only on their next meal that will quell their appetite until the next unsuspecting victim crosses their path. Zombies, when they notice other zombies moving towards a victim, will follow. They operate with a mob mentality, and without independent thought. The spark that was once their life, their living soul, has long since departed.
Zombies are not prioritizing the activities of their day. They have no strategic plan to improve their flesh intake. They do not, at the end of the day, take a moment to give thanks for their success, but rather continue on the incessant journey that has no end, no point of success. They do not think of the needs or safety of others, but are driven by their own needs.
And we watch them for entertainment, not realizing that maybe the reason we enjoy them so much is we are, at times, more similar to the walking dead that we would care to admit.
How many times have you trudged through your day on autopilot? How many times have you been in a mindless state as you talked to your kids or ate your dinner? How many times have you sort of listened to a conversation as you checked on the status of your Facebook friends? How many times have you procrastinated on the things that could take your life to the next level in favor of the easy things that you can get right now?
I don’t know about you, but I’ve decided to give myself a “zombie reality check.” I’ve noticed that I have let the minutia creep back into my life. I’ve noticed that I am feeling a little more overwhelmed lately, feeling that there are not enough hours in the day. But perhaps it is not the lack of hours, but rather my management of those minutes that is the problem. So, it is time for a long hard look at my to-do list. I am going to make sure it matches up with my dreams and vision for my future. I’ve made a plan to step outside of my comfort zone, and get some things done.
I like zombies. I do. But I don’t intend to be one.
What about you? Are you living a mindless or a mindful life these days? We have 75 days left in this year. Make a promise to yourself to make the most of what’s left of 2011.
I am winning Monday,
Kelly
