Humility

Dear Friend,

The master can keep giving because there is no end to his wealth. He acts without expectation, succeeds without taking credit, and does not think that he is better than anyone else.

Tao Te Ching

We return for the last of Benjamin Franklin's thirteen virtues this week. Benjamin Franklin suggests that to exercise humility we should "imitate Jesus or Socrates." What is humility? It is the act of being humble or modest. This is a significant virtue because it grounds us - encouraging us to think of we, rather than me. Consider the words of renowned teacher and preacher, William Temple, who encouraged his congregations to avoid "being a great deal occupied about yourselves." Rather he suggests, "Humility does not mean thinking less of yourself than other people. It means freedom from thinking about yourself." Let's be clear though, humility is not false modesty. It is not achieving success and acting as if it took no effort. Have you ever given someone a compliment and they said, "Oh, it was no big deal" or "That was easy?" How frustrating is it when we want to acknowledge someone and they just can't say, "Thank you!" Let us not be the person who cannot accept a compliment! Say, "thank you," be proud of the fruits of your labor, accept the compliment gracefully. How can we exercise humility? Give credit where credit is due. Celebrating the accomplishments of those around you before you celebrate your own. Do what is expected of you and don't over-emphasize what you've done. Put your head down and do your job rather than walking around seeking praise. Perform acts of service anonymously. As you do such acts enjoy the surge of joy and energy you receive. Stop one upping people. Don't pretend to be what you are not. Share your experiences to connect with someone not to be better than them.

Make it Happen This week do one random act of kindness anonymously. Don't over-complicate this it can be as simple as letting the car cut in front of you with a smile! Try This As Benjamin Franklin suggests, contemplate two quotes below from Jesus and Socrates. What do they mean to you? How do they nudge you closer to humility? Jesus Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth... Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy... Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Matt 5:5-9 Socrates The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be.

Blessings to you!

Tranquility - Don't Sweat the Small Stuff!

Dear Friend,

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;

courage to change the things I can;

and wisdom to know the difference.

Reinhold Niebuhr

Benjamin Franklin states, "Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable." Restated in modern day terms, don't sweat the small stuff! And yes, our lives are filled with lots of small annoyances - your spouse being late, the big truck cutting you off on the highway, your child having a fender-bender, your boss asking for a report at 5pm the day before your vacation, half consumed water bottles left all over your basement, finding your dry cleaning for the big event won't ready until Monday! As a friend of mine has often said, "don't major in the minors of life!" How true is it that we can become consumed with the little things that don't go just as we think they should? Each of us has a choice: to focus on the small stuff or resolve today that life's little things won't bring us down.

Why is it important to stay cool, steady, and focus on life's majors?

It is better for our health Anger and Stress raise our blood pressure and over time is thought to contribute to heart disease among other illnesses.

Our mind works better When we get angry blood rushes to our brain and disrupts logical and rational functioning. We are able to think more clearly and make intelligent unemotional choices.

We keep life in balance and perspective As we focus on what is working we remain with the big picture and with positive energy.

Take Action Challenge

Before life comes at you, resolve to distance yourself from the situation before you react. Ask yourself: Can I impact this situation? If yes, then change it. If no, then accept it. Consider the phrase: And, this, too shall pass. Allow yourself to linger on it. When you get heated, upset, or annoyed remember the impermanence of all situations. This week may you be slow to anger and quick to forgive. May you let life's little annoyances roll off your back, like water off of a duck! And may you change what you can, accept what you cannot change, and have the wisdom to know the difference! Blessings to you!

Cleanliness - One Step Away!

Dear Friend,

It's the little things you do that can make a big difference. What are you attempting to accomplish? What little thing can you do today that will make you more effective? You are probably only one step away from greatness.

Bob Proctor

This week we return to examine what constitutes a virtuous life. Benjamin Franklin suggests that cleanliness is part of a virtuous life. He indicates that we should be clean in our body, in our appearance, and in the way we live. Recently, a client told me that she had so many piles around her home that she didn't know what to do. To 'get rid' of this clutter she opened the nearest closet and tossed it in! Yes, this is a true story! And after sharing a good laugh, my concern was simple: now that the plies are buried, their impact and energy drain doesn't go away. She knows that this stuff is still in her home. And presumably at some point in the future she will have to address the situation. So what she did is postpone the inevitable. And yes, her house does look cleaner, but in reality it isn't any cleaner. How good do you feel when you are driving out of a car wash - the inside of your car is clean and the outside of your car is shiny? Pretty fantastic, right? To that end, I'd suggest that having a clean office, desk, car, or a clean appearance isn't about how it looks, but rather about how we feel. When we take action and get rid of unnecessary clutter, tighten our appearance, or dust the old books in the study what changes on the outside is merely a fringe benefit of how we feel on the inside! That is what being clean is about - being able to walk with our head held high knowing that we are living powerfully in our own lives.

Take Action Challenge

May I suggest that this week you resolve to do today, what you know needs to be done rather than postponing it for tomorrow? Your challenge this week is to select one small area of your life that needs to be deep-cleaned and take action. Here are some suggestions: get the hair cut you've been putting off, set up online bill pay, clean out the glove compartment or trunk of your car, go through the mail that is piled up on your kitchen counter, toss the dowdy suit, have those buttons, zippers, or tears repaired on your favorite garments, review your email in-box and take action or delete at least 50% of the emails, revisit the files on the floor of your office - organize, send some to storage, and shred what is no longer needed. This week I ask that you focus on cleaning up the problem, rather than postponing the inevitable! Take one small step each day! Good luck and remember you are a small step away from greatness!

Justice - Is that the right thing to do?

Dear Friend,

Justice is conscience, not a personal conscience but the conscience of the whole of humanity.Those who clearly recognize the voice of their own conscience usually recognize also the voice of justice.

Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Justice for each of us brings forth a variety of connotations. Some of us think of the law and the judicial system while others of us think of justice as the notion of fairness. Philosophers have pondered the concept of justice since Socrates and Plato. Benjamin Franklin states that we should, "wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty." I believe that viewing justice through the lens of what is morally right and fair will provide some lessons for us this week. We all have the ability to "get away with" many things, but the question we must ask ourselves is, "Are we doing the right thing?" Examples that come to mind include:

• Borrowing supplies from your office
• Leaving the market with unpaid items
• Failing to notify the waiter of your under-charged bill at a restaurant
• Taking your turn to bring treats or volunteer at your school or office - doing your "part"
• Showing gratitude for those who have helped you
• Driving off after you bump a car
• Failing to tip when you receive a service

I believe it is one thing not to notice for hours or days, but it is quite another to be aware of your circumstances and yet do nothing to rectify the situation. It is my experience that these situations always come back to visit us - when we take from others, people take from us. As Sir Isaac Newton taught us in his third law of motion, "every action has an equal and opposite reaction." Research conducted at UCLA this year indicates that reactions to fairness are hard-wired into our brain. This research is also consistent with the notion that we have an intuitive feeling about what is right and wrong. Listening to this intuition allows us to live just lives filled with integrity.

Take Action Challenge

This week as you move about your life ask yourself, is this the right thing to do? If yes, continue. If even an ounce of you says, no, then readjust so that your actions reflect your inner moral compass. May you have success in your journey.

The Virtuous Life - Frugality

Dear Friend,

Industry, perseverance, and frugality make fortune yield.

-Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin identifies frugality as one of his thirteen virtues. He glorifies saving money and wasting nothing!When you think of modern day examples of frugality who comes to mind? For me it's, Warren Buffett, Sam Walton, and Mother Teresa. They each, in their own way, illustrated to the world their need for less. Warren Buffett - lives in a modest house in Omaha and has vowed not to ruin his children's lives by giving them too much money upon his death. Sam Walton - although extremely wealthy and successful drove an old pick-up truck. Mother Teresa made her life's work about service to others. Rather than celebrate her awards with fancy and expensive dinners she insisted the money go to people in need. In essence each of these people could have used their vast wealth and resources to amass possessions. Yet they didn't - they gave lots away and spent far less on themselves than they could have. I believe there are three simple ways we can bring frugality into our lives today.

Save - Spend less money than you have Tip 1: Take an inventory of your money in and money out. Review your credit card statement and see where you can cut back.Tip 2: If you have debt, come up with a plan to pay it off.Tip 3: Put into place some fool proof systems to save your money. For example direct deposit of a certain percentage of your pay check into a savings account.Tip 4: Seek professional help to create a process. Search the FPA database for a financial planner in your area. Exercise Restraint - Spend money on what you need, not what you want Tip 1: If you see something you want to buy, put it on hold and then if you really want, need, and can afford it - go back and buy it!Tip 2: See if something that you already have will make do - rather than purchasing a new item.Tip 3: Don't put yourself in situations where you want to spend money - spend time walking with friends, hiking in nature, tutoring, reading a book, and enjoying the simpler things in life. Share - Generosity is a cycle that must begin with us Tip 1: There are many things that we throw away that could easily be shared with others. Some items include: books, furniture, clothes, purses, and sporting equipment.Tip 2: Each month make a conscious decision on how you will share what you have with the world. This can be done through money, time, or even sharing your services. Take stock of what you can give and as Oprah says, "Give Big or Go Home!" Take Action Challenge: My request is that you review the three steps above and evaluate what you need right now. For example, if you need to save a little more money begin putting together your plan. If you need to show some restraint, perhaps you can ban all unnecessary mall visits or curtail e-buying for a month. If you need to be more generous decide how will you bless the world with your time, talents, and possessions. Take two minutes right now to search your life to see what action you need to take to be more frugal in some area of your life . Once you've decided upon your action, tell a friend and give yourself a deadline so that you have some accountability. May you be successful in this journey. Blessings to you, Margaret. P.S. Encourage your friends, family, and colleagues by sharing this newsletter with them and invite them to subscribe! Direct them to www.MargaretPundmann.com where they can sign up. Margaret Pundmann is a life and business coach, speaker, and author of numerous articles on living your most powerful life. Stay tuned, this October Margaret's first book on powerful living will be available for pre-order.

The Virtuous Life - Order

POWERFUL LIVING, POWERFUL YOU

The Virtuous Life - Order

Subscriptions If the newsletter is inspiring to you, pass it along to friends, family, and colleagues who could use some inspiration and invite them to subscribe!

Dear Friend,

"Not what we have But what we enjoy, constitutes our abundance"-Epicurus

We meet again this week to understand and apply Benjamin Franklin's virtue of order. Franklin states to us that there should be a place and time for everything. To better understand where we can improve we must examine our lives clearly.

Areas to examine might include:

• Personal (Spiritual life, Significant other, Children, Parents, Siblings, Friends)
• Professional (Boss, Employees, Colleagues, Clients)
• Leisure (Vacation, Volunteer, Exercise, Hobbies)
• Physical Space (Home, Office, Car)

Lack of order leads to a lack of connectedness to who we are, who we want to be, what we are doing, and what we want to be doing. Order increases our effectiveness and our productivity. Order also enhances the meaning of the experiences in our lives. Having boundaries enables us to prioritize, plan, and fulfill our obligations as well as our dreams. Can you imagine what Franklin would do if he saw us (technology constraints aside):

• Eating while driving
• E-mailing from a cocktail party
• Dining with friends while talking on the cell phone
• Having quality family time in front of the TV
• Passing up our vacation time
• Renting a storage unit to store things that don't fit into our home

Might we be able to regain order in our lives by doing any of the following?

• Eating dinner at the table with no TV, and perhaps even some music or candles
• Organizing our "junk" drawer, closet, or room
• Answering the telephone when it is convenient, not simply because it rings - this is why we have answering machines, isn't it?
• Sitting, having meaningful conversation without distractions
• Scheduling quiet time into our day
• Prioritizing our "to-do's" in such a way that we can accomplish them
• Driving with our full attention on the road

How might you translate order into your life? Do any of the suggestions above resonate for you? If so, which ones? How and when might you apply them to your life? Let's challenge ourselves to add boundaries to our lives and to take these modern conveniences and use them - not abuse them.

Take Action Challenge: The challenge this week is to add order to your life. Be creative find some ways to embrace order of both your time and your space. Look at the suggestions above and see which resonate. My request is that you will add some order to one area of your life - this may be a closet, it may be eating meals with attention, or it may even be scheduling an afternoon for yourself having your only goal be relaxation. Think about what order you need in your life right now and take the steps to add it, so that you may enjoy that which you already have more fully. All the best to you,

Margaret.

P.S. Encourage your friends, family, and colleagues by sharing this newsletter with them and invite them to subscribe! Direct them to www.MargaretPundmann.com where they can sign up. Margaret Pundmann is a life and business coach, speaker, and author of numerous articles on living your most powerful life. Stay tuned, this fall Margaret's first book on powerful living will be available for pre-order. Please feel free to forward the "Powerful Living, Powerful You" newsletter to friends and colleagues, but please forward in its entirety. The "Powerful Living, Powerful You" newsletter is written and distributed by Emerge Enterprise. Copyright © 2008 Margaret Pundmann. All rights reserved.

The Virtuous Life - Silence

Dear Friend, The phrase "silence is golden" has been popularized by poets, authors, singers, and even movie theaters from coast to coast. Why is silence golden? Benjamin Franklin believed silence to be listening to others and avoiding meaningless conversation. While I believe there is great merit in these thoughts I suggest that we can take this further. True silence when incorporated into our life has a magical and powerful effect. Allowing silence into our lives creates openness and space. This space has a vast impact on our being. The silence I refer to is about silencing our minds, suspending thought, and quieting the chatter in our head. When we are able to do this, we stop doing and start being. This level of awareness opens a magical door, behind which we access our inner power and creativity. As the frequency and duration of silence in our life increase, the richer the rewards. The paths towards silence are varied. To find what method works best for you experiment and play a little. I’ll share some strategies that have helped me:

• Sit down in a comfortable chair.
• Close your eyes.
• Slowly begin to inhale through your nose.
• Feel the sensation of the air hitting your nose.
• Feel your chest rise as you take this first breath.
• After you’ve finished inhaling, before exhaling pause and hold your breath for a moment.
• When you’re ready, release the hold and gently exhale your full breath.
• As you exhale feel your chest and stomach sink into your body.
• After you’ve finished exhaling, again pause for a moment before you begin your next inhale.
• Feel the sensation of your body.
• Repeat this process. As thoughts come into your mind allow them to pass as you refocus your attention on your breath.

I realize that we are all incredibly busy juggling careers, family, community work, friends, and hobbies and that free moments to sit in silence are few and far between. The irony, of course, is that it isn’t until we have the space and silence in our lives, that we can fully appreciate the value of each of the joyous facets of our lives. In our stolen moments of silence we are able to feel our power and have gratitude for what surrounds us. I suggest that the rewards are far greater than sacrifice.

Take Action Challenge:

For our weekly workout let's make time for two, two minute undistracted, moments of silence each day. During these moments of silence you may use your breath to nudge your mind to release any thoughts and embrace stillness. Remember this is your journey so use whatever method feels comfortable and true for you. This is difficult, but I have confidence and I believe in you. Good luck!

Email your feedback and questions to Margaret@MargaretPundmann.com. Find resources and articles on MargaretPundmann.com. Connect to me: Margaret Pundmann's LinkedIn.com Profile

Sign up for FREE newsletter:

Sign up for our Email Newsletter

Newsletter Archives