I am a firm believer that our actions are telling.  We may think we have certain values or priorities, yet our actions or behaviors might tell a different story.  So when we want to get an honest look at what is important to us at any given moment, stop and look at your actions.

This concept has become clear to me many times in my life.  The first time I embraced this concept, I was going through my life coaching certification and we had to do a life log.  You think a food journal is bad, try tracking everything you do for months in 15 minute increments.  Thank goodness for our ability to get in the habit of doing things.  Yet this still was no easy task.  I was eager to take a clear, honest look at how I was spending my time.  It is eye opening.  You can’t hide.  You see how much you work and what “work” you are really doing.  You see how much you sleep, how often you eat, how much “free” time you have, etc.  Although this task was tedious, I was glad I got the opportunity to be real with myself and was able to have some great realizations. The Life Log allowed me to see where I was spending my time and in turn what was important to me.  Or what things I was doing to not do other things…lol!

The other significant time this concept came to my awareness was during my studying of Intuitive Eating.  In Intuitive Eating they talk about making food choices based on taste and nutrition.  When you choose to eat something that doesn’t taste great because it’s “healthy” or low fat you aren’t honoring your need for pleasure via taste.  When you choose a food that tastes amazing but is loaded with fat and gives you a stomach ache, you aren’t honoring your need for nutrition.  So here in IE I realized that our food choices also illuminate what is important to us.  And that we must work on making food choices based on multiple components such as taste, nutrition, etc.

Our decisions in all areas of our lives give us insight into what is important to us at that given moment.  It shows us what our priorities are.  If our priority is comfort, we might eat more “fatty comfort food” and we may choose to move our bodies less.  If our priority is to increase our financial stability, we may choose to eat meals out less or make a monthly deposit into our savings account.  If our priority is to have a loving relationship, we might choose to spend more time with our kids or significant other, or have more open communication.  But many times what we want cross wires with how we act.

It’s tricky because many times we “think” our priorities are one thing yet we don’t act in ways that align with that priority.  This is where we need to stop and do a life log so to speak.  We need to analyze how we are spending our time or money.  We need to look at where we are putting our energy.  We might not like what we see.  We might be spending time, money or energy on things, people, etc that aren’t aligned with our priorities or values.  Sometimes we think or say we want something out of life, yet unconsciously we don’t.  We aren’t sure why we do this, but we do.  We “self-sabotage” in ways big or small to stay safe or comfortable.  This is because many times what we want puts us out of our status quo or comfort zone.  And you must decide how bad you want something and what you are willing to do to get it. It might take time and a lot of patience, as well as some painful ups and downs, but I believe people can change.

Sometimes the hardest part is figuring out what you want, yet until you do your actions will be all over the places and lack purpose and intention.  To have a successful life, we must look at all the areas of our life and figure out what we desire from each one of them.  There will be times when certain areas get more of your attention, energy, time, etc than others, yet we must remember not to neglect any area of our life.  It’s about harmony not so much about balance.  If we start looking at our behaviors/actions with our money, time, food, energy, etc we will learn a lot about ourselves and what we value.  Take inventory, maybe try doing a life log.  Like I always say be honest and get real with yourself.

Your self assessment of your time, your life log is the same “lie detector” as the boxing ring or the road.  Once you get in the ring or on the road there are no lies.  You will see where you spent your training time.  You will see where you need to give more of your attention.  Stop and look at what you are doing, challenge yourself to make improvements and adjustments, you will see your sport & life improve!