I have been reading a number of articles  around the minimalist lifestyle and that got me thinking :  Can I fit my essentials into a suitcase?  What are the minimal number of things that I need to live on?  Maybe I should add to live comfortably on 🙂  That will clearly mean that I need more than one suitcase which will clearly defeat the purpose of the exercise.

So I decided to put this concept to the test and this was what I discovered:

1. Wardrobe:  I only really wear less than 20% of my entire wardrobe on a regular basis.
2. Gadgets:  I use all of them regularly which led to me think that I don’t have enough 🙂
3. “Stuff” :  I need 50% of the other stuff that I have and the wine collection is not part of this exercise.

My conclusion is that the only “excess” that I have are in my wardrobe.  I am faced with 2 simple decisions:  Don’t buy any new items or Give them away and at some point buy new ones.  I think that you can guess which path I will be taking.

This then lead me to a more critical point and a serious question:  What do I really need?  Need vs. Want.  Knowing full well that nothing that I have, I can take with me when I die.  So what is it that I need.  What is that I want to accumulate?  The answer lies in experiences, memories and relationships.   What we use the resources (time, money and creativity) that we have is to :

1. Build Relationships:  Family and friends and even “strangers” before they become friends.  Money only buys the coffee or meals but the fun, laughter and comrade spirit , that’s something that money can’t buy, only time spend allows that to takes place.
2. Learn:  Knowledge whether through books, studies or experiences.  Never stop learning.  Always dare to try.  Be curious and test things out.  Maximize the learning opportunities that you have.  You never know what might interest you until you try it.  As an example, I would never have thought that I would enjoy golf until I tried  it.  Now I enjoy it.
3. Decide to Enjoy the experience of this life.  Decide to enjoy your life.  It is a decision that each of us make how we want to accept the challenges and excitements that this life journey offers.   Decide to be grateful.  Decide to be appreciative.  Decide to be of service to the needs of others.  It is a choice that each makes on how we view the quality index of our life.  Decide to make this life count.

What do you think are your needs vs. wants?  Have you tried making a list?  What does it look like?  What changes would you make today?

“I am too busy.”  “I have so much to do so little time.”  “I am always running around and not sure what I have done or accomplished.”  There are a many more phrases that I hear all the time.  Most of the time it’s filled with much confusion and a tinge of regret.  The tinge of regret usually stems from a sense that all the activities that we are busy doing does not amount to much or is not aligned with our life goals.  Even if we are not clear on what our life purpose is, each of us know when something is not sitting right deep inside.

How many of us wish that we can stop running around like little hamsters or mice on the wheel?  The faster we run, the faster the wheel goes and its endless.  There is seemingly nothing we can do to get off it, at least without being flung into some direction from all that momentum.  To imagine some breathing room is like paradise.  However, for those who enjoy the sound of “I am very busy.” or just love the adrenalin rush of being running about, could it be because you are driven by a feeling of being guilty if you were now NOT busy?

Have you defined your life by how busy you are or can be?  What if you took stock of your life and stripped off “busy-ness”, what would your life look like now?  What priorities would you put in place instead?  Do you have things that you could now do that you might enjoy?  Would you spend more time with the people that you love and enjoy spending time with?

Each of us have 24 hours in a day.  How we spend it is entirely up to each of us.  What we fill our time with should be in our control.  Is that true?  What if, it is in your control to NOT be busy but be fulfilled?  What if you could get off the wheel?  How would you get off?

I would suggest the following:

1.  Don’t feel bad or guilty for not being as busy as the people around you.  Don’t compare.  Don’t judge.  Be prepared to stand your ground and make the decisions that are right for you.  Once we start to compare and think that there is something wrong with not having as much to do as the next person, we are getting back on the wheel again.

2.  Know what’s important to you.  Know your priorities and goals.  Focus on them and focus your activities to achieve it.  Your life journey is unique to you and you have a part to play in this world.  Be true to live the life that you are born to.  Don’t settle for someone else’s expectation of you as it will never fully satisfy you.

3.  Take stock and be self critical.  Like spring cleaning to declutter and to detoxify, we need to stop and take stock.  Check to see if the activities that we are doing align with our values and goals.  Some times we need to let go of some activities so that we can pursue something else.  Each session brings about new experiences and growth.  To embrace something new, there is a need to let go of the old.

I decided some time back that I was going to live my life differently.  This was due to an experience many years ago when I thought that I was going to die in an explosion that took the lives of 2 my colleagues.  I felt that with this new lease of life that God has given me, it must amount to something more than just the rat race.  I learned to prioritize, focus and stay the course.  I wanted to impact positively those around me, I wanted to inspire growth in others.  As a result, I have been focus on ensuring that I am not “busy” with activities that do not bring about impact.  Getting off the wheel was hard but well worth it.

No time like the present to think about it.

Routine or structure is a powerful tool to enable and to support action to take place.  Each of us has a routine.  A daily routine that that keeps our day going.  We know what we need to do and when we need to do it as well as with whom we are meeting with.  Routine helps us to manage our time, resources and energy in order to complete or achieve a goal.

We use various methods to remember or record our routine, ranging from old fashion diary to electronic calendaring system and even reminders.  Consider routine as a set of structures that we put in place to help us achieve goals and changes.   Hence, it becomes clear that in order for us to make improvements, changes or achieve new goals, we  need to consider the structure that needs to be created to support us.   Without having structures in place, any plans or desires that we might have, will have the remotest chance of success.  Having an action plan without placing structures such as time, people and other resources is just a plan on a piece of paper.

What are some of the things that we can consider as structures to support us achieving our goals?  Ask yourself:

• What do you need to help you achieve this goal?
• What are some “structures” or routines that will enable you to achieve this goal?
• What support do you need?
• What do you need to change?
• What behaviour do you need to reinforce?

As an example, I have a goal of learning to play the guitar.  My action plan would be:

1. Buy a guitar.  Research the best option based on feedback and review and suitable price point.  Structure that I need to have in place is (a) Research on the web, (b) Talk to someone I know who plays the guitar.
2. Lessons for guitar.  I can decide which method of learning whether through a teacher, friend who knows how to play or even youtube.  Structure that I need to have would be (a)  Talk to friend who plays and get a simple tutorial on how to play, (b) set aside time to learn lessons every week and (c) set aside time to practice everyday.

Putting a routine into place e.g. practice time, will help me achieve my goal of learning to play the guitar.  In order for me to make this real, I need to set aside time in my calender for practice which will create a new routine for me.  I might also need to change some previous routines to enable this new goal to take place.  We are all limited by 2 key resources time and our energy level.  To enable for action, we need to set up structures that will support our achievements without creating chaos.

Think about the structures that you have today.

• What are their roles?
• If you want to make improvements, what would it look like?  What changes to you need to make?  What new structures do you need to put in place?
• What structures are not beneficial that you can remove?

What is it to be responsible vs. to be accountable?

Based on dictionary.com, Responsible is defined as “answerable or accountable, as for something within one’s power, control or management.”  Accountable is defined as “subject to the obligation to report, explain or justify something.”

Therefore can a person be responsible and not accountable or not be responsible but accountable.

Is there a difference in your opinion?

Which is more significant in the workplace?  I used the word accountable more often that being responsible in the workplace.  I have asked myself why is accountable more significant to me?  The answer lies in taking ownership and being ready to take on the outcome whether good or bad.  Being responsible to me means that I am carrying out a task or a promise but I may not be ready to accept the consequences of that action.  For example, I am tasked with completing project A.  The desired outcome of project A is to increase sales by xx%.  To be responsible to is to take on the task, complete it and report back that I have completed the task.  To be accountable is to then take on the outcome of meeting the goal of increasing sales by xx% and taking on the consequences of achieving or not achieving the goal.

Being accountable takes it one step further, beyond just completing a task, it’s about accepting the consequences of the decision and actions.

What is your perception of accountability?

What is your attitude towards accountability?

Who holds your accountable?

I have experienced many direct reports, peers and managers who have demonstrated accountability at various levels.    I believe that the difference in the way that it is handled lies in courage/fear.  It is not easy to be accountable for bad results.  The human nature will want to find a blame factor or a scapegoat.  It is not a pleasant situation to admit that a decision was wrong or that an action led to a not desirable outcome.  To accept failure is not part of our DNA.  Hence lies the difficulties in being accountable.  It is either our fear or courage that will determine what level of accountability we are willing to taken on.  On areas that might not mean as much as to us in terms of significance, we might be extremely bold and courageous.  In situation where we are not afraid to fail or nothing to lose, the level of accountability is high.  However, when a situation might mean that we are going to lose a job or reputation, would we still be so bold?

Let’s face it, being accountable means standing up for a conviction without fear or favour.  It’s about doing the right thing.  Hence the varying degree of accountability.  When I first started my career, I will now admit that the fear factor was high and the fear of negative results, consequences drove a lot of the decision-making process as well as how I took on ownership and accountability.  As I became more established, built credibility and results, the fear naturally decreased as confidence increased.  And once the fear of losing my job diminished, it was incredibly freeing and empowering which allowed for greater level of accountability.  In my humble opinion, once we are no longer afraid of consequences, the level by which we are able to be self-critical and objective about success or fail is different.  We are able to take accountability to a different level.

Would you consider yourself as an Accountable or Responsible person or both?

What is your current comfort level with accountability?

Do you desire to be accountable?

Are you willing to get out of your comfort zone of blaming others vs. being accountable for your actions?

Who are you accountable for?

Who are you accountable to?

To be self-critical in assessing where we stand is the first step towards taking responsibility and accountability for your own development.  Are you ready to start?