Idleness by Earl Nightingale

When we think of service, we tend to think of being busy. But that’s only part of the story. Idleness is important too—the kind of leisure we need in order to listen to that inner voice, to let our imaginations really take off. 

In his book The Conquest of Happiness, Bertrand Russell blames modern parents for failing to recognize the advantages to their youngsters of what he calls “fruitful monotony.” He wrote, “A generation that cannot endure boredom will be a generation of little men, of men unduly divorced from the slow processes of nature, of men in whom every vital impulse slowly withers, as though they were cut flowers in a vase.”  

Today’s great concern is for organized, supervised, and directed activity. Each year fewer children are being left alone long enough to discover and enjoy the world—the time of fruitful monotony. Too many of us feel we have to pacify and occupy our kids with toys and more toys, games and television. Television takes up some of the time that would otherwise be spent in creative activity. 

Robert W. Wells, a feature writer for the Milwaukee Journal, wrote an article many years ago that I clipped and saved. In it, he said, “Children have an inalienable birthright—the leisurely pressure-free hours when a child is thrown on his own resources and forced to become acquainted with himself.” Wells told of a time when he was a boy that he found himself terrifically bored. He complained to his grandmother about having nothing to do. He explained, “She took me by the hand and led me out onto the big front porch, where a succession of fiercely preoccupied bumblebees plunged headlong into blue morning glory blossoms. The sounds and smells of summer were in the air.” And his grandmother said, “Nothing to do? The world is there. Go use it.” 

Boredom is a great time for reflection, for using the imagination. I suppose Isaac Newton was bored when he saw the apple drop from the tree and began to wonder about gravity. You can get your best ideas when you have nothing to do but think. Fruitful monotony—don’t fight it; use it creatively. 

This is an excerpt from Earl Nightingale’s The Direct Line, available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, 800-CEO-READ, and other fine retailers. The first beautifully packaged print edition of Nightingale’s famous audio program, this book offers a practical guide designed to help you find real and lasting success in your career, relationships, and finances. Pick up a copy today and begin the most exciting and rewarding journey on earth—your journey of self-discovery and personal fulfillment! Also, don’t forget the accompanying action guide, available from Amazon and Barnes & Noble!  

Sign up here to receive free samples from this and other Nightingale-Conant publications. 

Two Out of Three by Jim Stovall

One of the most questionable advertising, marketing, or promotional phrases is, “You can have it all.” You can have all of some things and more of other things, but you can’t have all of everything. 

Time, energy, and money are all finite resources. Wealth brings you choices, but the ability to choose “all of the above” doesn’t exist. I believe if you’re producing any product or service, your results can be fast, good, or cheap. You can pick two out of three, but you can’t have them all. If you want something fast and good, it will be expensive. If you want something fast and cheap, it will not be good.  

When you’re investing your money, you can invest for safety, liquidity, or return. There’s no right answer, and any of these goals will be appropriate for certain investors at various times of their lives; however, once again, you can’t have it all. If you want total safety, you will have to give up some liquidity and some return. If, on the other hand, you want the highest possible return, you will forego liquidity and safety; important decisions in your personal life, therefore, are not yes or no. They are top five or top ten type of decisions.  

We often overlook issues of health, family, spirituality, and well-being when we establish our priorities. All things being equal, more money is better than less money, but if you’re sacrificing your health or quality time with your loved ones for money, it is likely a poor bargain; we must, therefore, budget the things that are finite such as our time and money while prioritizing the elements of life that are infinite such as spirituality, well-being, and significance.  

A veteran airline pilot once told me that on a four-hour, coast-to-coast flight, we would be off-course at least three-and-one-half hours of the entire trip. Our lives are much the same way in that success involves a constant adjustment and precise management of all elements. We live in a high-definition movie environment, not a single-frame snapshot photo. The right priorities and percentages for me would likely be improper for you, and even if you have perfect balance today, it probably won’t fit for you next week, next month, or next year.  

Wisdom comes not only from making good decisions but in deciding how to decide. 

As you go through your day today, realize you can’t have it all, so get what matters most to you. 

Today’s the day! 

This and other motivational pieces by bestselling author Jim Stovall can be found in Wisdom for Winners Volume Three, an official publication of the Napoleon Hill Foundation

Achieving a Better Work-Life Blend in 2019 by Jennifer Janechek

In his forthcoming book, Motivate THIS!: How to Start Each Day with an Unstoppable Attitude to Succeed Regardless of Your Circumstances, Steve Rizzo writes: “If you put most of your time and energy into one area, you run the risk of leaving the other unfulfilled. This is especially common among high achievers.” According to Rizzo, it’s important that we dedicate quality time to our work, but a problem arises when this work interferes with what he terms our “cherished values.” Examples he gives of such core values include spending more time with family, establishing technology (and work)-free personal times, and engaging in activities that satisfy our spiritual and emotional needs. 

Rizzo encourages readers to brainstorm what activities feed their spiritual and emotional selves and to shift their priorities so that they can achieve a better work-life blend. Using his prompts, I identified three goals related to my core values: spending more time being fully present with my family (a.k.a. not scrolling Instagram, checking e-mail, or worrying about professional commitments), dedicating time each day to personal enrichment through reading parenting and self-improvement books, and committing to 30 minutes of regular exercise each day. 

Next, I needed to determine how I spend my day and evaluate each of my responsibilities to determine whether they are bringing me closer to, or pushing me away from, my cherished values. Once I mapped out my daily activities, I used Rizzo’s three “free-will will questions” to scrutinize my commitments: 

1. Will there be personal consequences to this choice I’m making? 

2. Will this choice affect others, now and in the future?

3. Will this choice make me happy, now and in the future?  

By applying Rizzo’s free-will will questions to each of my regular activities, I was able to determine which commitments are worth the time they require and which ones could be cut or reorganized in order to free up more time for living out my cherished values. The interesting this is, deep down I already knew which pursuits didn’t align with my core values and needed to be cut, but journaling responses to these questions gave me the motivation I needed to implement much-needed changes. 

So in 2019, I’ll be saying “no” to voluntary side commitments unless they specifically align with my goals; repurposing the time I lose to Internet surfing while I drink my morning coffee, instead dedicating those first 30 minutes of the morning to reading personal development and parenting books; and implementing 2-hour power work sessions, using one work break for a 30-minute workout or running session. 

I am excited to implement these new habits because I firmly believe they will enhance my professional success while also encouraging a significantly better work-life blend. So, win-win, right? I found Rizzo’s book very helpful in enabling me to see that it’s possible—and, in fact, completely necessary—to cultivate both areas of your life at the same time. I hope it will do the same for you! 

Read more advice on how to motivate yourself to identify and live out your values and then shift your priorities accordingly in Steve Rizzo’s Motivate THIS!, available for preorder now. 

What resolutions do you have for 2019? Do any of these relate to work-life balance? If so, how do you plan to shift your priorities to live a life that more directly reflects your cherished values? Share in the comments below!

Motivate THIS!: How to Start Each Day with an Unstoppable Attitude to Succeed Regardless of Your Circumstances will be released on February 19, 2019, but you can preorder your copy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, and other fine retailers.