Comfort is not a Luxury

Pursuing peace on day nineteen brings to mind something I have watched over and over again in the last few weeks…awareness brings change.  It is my personal belief that people do the best they can, if they knew how to do better they would.  There are arguments about “he knows to do this or that he is choosing that choice”  yes, and yet we all do things we wish we understood why we continue not to choose differently on.  Again, if were ready to be aware of what was truly behind the choice, we’d have done the work to change. Peace is about accepting who you are, changing what you cannot live with, and learning the difference between perfect and profitable.

In my perfect life, the house would be always kept, the projects I so love would keep me on location more often, and the laundry would do itself. It’s not going to happen by itself, but in a profitable life, I allow time or finances to do what needs to be done and engage where my comfort is for working and existing within boundaries my life profits.  Sometimes we get in to routines that do not support our needs for comfort and that in turn affects everything. A co worker on a project about a year ago mentioned that with my visual issues, perhaps I’d enjoy an iMac much more when working in the studio or at home. I travel with a 15″ Macbookpro, but I do a great deal of editing, reviewing copy, and writing, and he was kind to notice the wear and tear on already damaged eyes.  Comfort. Within 24 hours the iMac was in place, in fact a dear strategic partner carried from the Nashville store for me that night to the car.(who says chivalry is dead?)  That awareness of my comfort needs has increased my productivity, allowed me to enjoy working on fine detail work screen pieces, and has so improved my daily existence as did later the 55″ screen we use for meetings. It wasn’t a luxury, it was a necessity.  It turns out when it’s not in use, its a 24/7 visual representation of our success, our projects, and our brand.

What do you do day after day after day that could be fixed, changed, mended or improved to provide you comfort, your family comfort, or your perspective of peace as you face something uncomfortable?  One of my changes this summer was changing how  much natural light entered a work space. If it’s not working for you perhaps it’s time to change it.  Maybe its a color of the room you work in, maybe its a chair you work in all day, perhaps its a drop off laundry service (found mine!)  Perhaps the type of shoes you wear when you’re traveling through three airports in a two day period. It will take time to become aware, we’re so used to just getting through the deadlines at hand, but you might make a point to listen to what your body is saying.  Nothing changes over night, but with awareness you can make many changes with little or no cost, so choose what is important to get done, but make sure you choose well for your support needs as well.

There are hundreds of inexpensive ways to bring comfort to your life. Music in your spaces, colors or temperatures. Taking time to make sure our pantry and freezer is stocked when you are on a hectic schedule.  I am protective about the hours of the day I work on solo tasks. Perhaps opening the shade so you get daylight not blue bulb light. Maybe you have a favorite style you save for “business” but you really feel good when you dress that brand or way, what about narrowing down your wardrobe, are you facing too many pieces to deal with when well put together outfits would do?  What about tools that fit your hand comfortably for writing? For facilitating?  Do you plan for what you need to be okay on the road? Do you take snacks for long days when your energy is waning? What brings you personal comfort? I bet if you take time to do it, you’ll have a hard time finding 50 things if you’ve been working hard lately. When you stop to think of it so many of the things on your list are an organizational or time management issue…not a price point problem. We all own so many comforting and peace giving experiences that we simply don’t do in our pursuit of other things. YOU matter. Our basics matter, our personal and professional support systems can facilitate healthier, happier, more comfortable success? Have you taken stock lately of what works and doesn’t work for you? Pursuing peace means that comfort is not a luxury, its an ingredient for a better life. When we take care of our personal needs for comfort, we are more prepared to be at peace both physically and mentally. Profitability in every area of our life increases when we can be at peace with our work, ourselves, and our environment, our own peace increases when we know we can give without resentment, share without lack, and love others through our actions.