Take a serious look at what your time is spent doing. Then ask yourself if it’s worth it.
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As I’ve grown my spiritual fitness practice, I have had to remove certain clutter in my life that was keeping me away from being me, my highest self…
I was surprised to turn on the TV today and see my favorite team playing, the New York Jets. Living in Michigan, it was a treat that they were on TV playing the Miami Dolphins. I don’t have Direct TV–all I get is the major networks–so the Jets being on was unexpected.
I didn’t turn on the television until 3 PM and the game was well into the 2nd half. The Jets had a commanding 21-0 lead. It was nice to be a fan, put my feet up, and watch the rest of the game. I watched for about an hour, and the Jets won 38-20.
All I know is that when I did play it, the game and lifestyle took me away from my family and from myself.
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As I watched today’s game in pure enjoyment, I recalled all the years of my past I had spent playing Fantasy Football. I played through my 20s, 30s, and finally stopped in my late 30s, but picked up for one year in my 40s. After that year I knew this wasn’t for me anymore.
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See, Fantasy Football was (and is) fun, and it wouldn’t be right for me to tell another person if Fantasy Football is good or bad so I’m not going to.
All I know is that when I did play it, the game and lifestyle took me away from my family and from myself. I would spend countless hours during the week doing homework to put the best lineup together, try and make a trade, or keep an eye on the waiver wire. On Sundays, I would watch too much football, fanatic about keeping tabs on how my players were doing, or I would be on the computer checking and rechecking the score against my opponent. But a bigger part of me knew that this wasn’t good for me because when I lost, my mood would shift in a negative way. I could spiral downwards mentally and emotionally, and what was the cost and benefit of that??
By nature, I love sports, I love competition, I love football. I also love ME. And sometimes it takes letting something go in order to grow.
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I truly enjoy watching sports now more than ever. I don’t nearly watch as much as I used to, but when I do watch, I’m present. Before I watched today’s afternoon game, for example, I had already done my morning prayer/meditation, a one-hour yoga class, and written several pages in my book prior to turning the television on. I enjoy Sundays much more than I ever have.
Notice if the places you are spending your time, energy, and attention are actually helping you achieve your priorities.
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Sometimes it takes time to figure out whether a particular activity might not be in our highest good. At the same time, each life activity serves a purpose–to motivate us to look within and discover our best self. Through trial and error, and learning what we truly enjoy and don’t (or what we grow out of or into), we learn to keep evolving on our own journeys. I must say I don’t miss Fantasy Football at all. Although I did have fun playing it, I have found a much more fun game–the game of truly showing up for LIFE.
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Ideas for cleaning up the clutter in your life:
1. Notice if the places you are spending your time, energy, and attention are actually helping you achieve your priorities. In my example, I had to give up Fantasy Football to spend more time with my family.
2. Clear out the foods in your fridge that don’t serve you. They could be expired, not your favorites, or simply foods that you don’t feel called to eat.
3. Now is a good time of year to clean out closets and donate all the things you don’t wear, need, or love. Suggestion: start small, with 10-15 items at a time.
4. Tackle 1-3 of your high priorities before settling into leisure activities for the day. Balancing rest, play, and work is part of a spiritual fitness program.
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This article was originally published on Humble Warrior. Read the original article.
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Photo: Getty Images