The Search for Quality

When you think about it, there really is only one reason to engage the services of a life-coach.  Clients want to improve the quality of their lives.  But each case appears different because everyone has a unique personal idea about what the word “Quality” means.   Many see money and wealth as big factors in their vision of a life of Quality.  Of course, there are many people who have money but who aren't happy with their lives.  Many years ago, I was just such a person.  I had money, but my life lacked Quality.  Deciding to pursue a life of Quality, to discover for myself what Quality means, to set my own standards and pursue my dreams with vigour are what turned my life from and exercise in drudgery to an adventure of great value.

I can remember coming home one day, putting the key into the lock of the front door and suddenly noticing that spring had 'sprung' and I had almost missed it.  The last time I had looked up from my work to notice the weather, it was in the dead of winter.  It was like I had completely missed three months of my life in a dull cloud of exhausting work. 

I was not alone in my predicament.  There’s no denying that modern life is hectic.  Add children to the mix and the proverbial rat race gets all the more demanding.  In homes where both parents work, or where there is only one parent present, life can be increasingly strained and chaotic.  At the end of the day, parents are lucky if they have a few minutes alone before they fall asleep. They set the alarm and do it all over again the next day.  Whew! 

We know we need time to rest, to recuperate, to take a breath, to actually be present, even just for a moment.  But many of us have talked ourselves out of taking a break, even when it is so vital to our health and psychic well-being that we have downtime.  Are you one of those people who thinks a vacation, is not possible?  Or is the two weeks away a year that we allow ourselves just not enough time to really decompress? 

And what are the results of such a lifestyle?  Speaking for myself, I was feeling burnt out, tired and old.  If felt like I had lost all my passion, and that I was wasting away in a deep rut.  And, like so many others in the same rut, I could not imagine that change, however desirable, was possible.  In fact, if it were not for a life-threatening car accident that left me in a wheel-chair, I would likely be still living that life of drudgery.  In my case, fate stepped in and forced me to take a break, to re-evaluate my priorities and dream a life with more to it than a relentless rat race.  The road to my complete physical recovery tested every assumption and opinion that I once held.  I was still very interested in being a financial success, but I wasn't about to give up my health and happiness in exchange for that wealth. 

Ultimately, changing ones lifestyle means re-arranging ones priorities, and questioning the core values that have thus far ruled your life.  For me, more than anything, I wanted to feel free, and to be in control, and I honestly felt that I for most of my life, money controlled me rather than gave me opportunity to be truly happy, to be free, to find the time to breathe.

The process of creating the life of your dreams starts with a brutally honest examination of what is truly important to you.  Even as adults, many of us cave into the “pack mentality” of chasing after things we don’t really need without giving our actions a lot of thought.   A personal definition of “Quality” demands that you go deep, and give it some serious contemplation.  Stop what you are doing.  Breathe.  Make the effort to be really present in the moment.  Don’t judge yourself harshly.  Simply ask yourself, what is important?  Take yourself seriously in this examination.  To know yourself is the key to your happiness.  You can start this examination by simply taking a few minutes every day and doing something for yourself.

Most of all, believe that it is possible to live a life of Quality, and know that, to do so, you need not give up anything that is important to you.  In fact, that is exactly where you will find your own personal Quality of life: in the things that move you, that make you happy, that make you feel whole.  You may find that it is a lifelong pursuit, but it’s worth it.  It is what you deserve.  Take a break, breathe, take a look around and decide to live large!