{"id":198,"date":"2019-11-15T01:05:59","date_gmt":"2019-11-15T01:05:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/?page_id=198"},"modified":"2020-03-09T10:45:58","modified_gmt":"2020-03-09T00:45:58","slug":"streamlining","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/streamlining\/","title":{"rendered":"[7] Responsible Stewardship"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>In growing older, two realizations dawn. Firstly, one will not have seemingly endless summers to enjoy. Secondly, one\u2019s energy levels, slowly but surely, decline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Time is now of premium value. Therefore, to simplify life is\nan urgent necessity and a new priority!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Six areas of life that may need attention and simplifying are:<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(1) <strong><em>Stressful Pace<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Are commitments, and time needed      for them, out of control and where I feel overloaded and driven most of      the time?<\/li><li>Am I aware of time      robbers, such as needless interruptions, procrastination, and      perfectionism? <\/li><li>Do I need to slow my pace      and more efficiently manage my available time?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(2) <strong><em>Possessions<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Do I need to declutter accumulated\n     and disorganized personal possessions? <\/li><li>Do I need to streamline\n     and downscale the various items in my living space?<\/li><li>Can I live with less, and\n     thereby live with more freedom and joy?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(3) <strong><em>Expectations<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Are my deep-seated expectations\n     of myself, others, and life indeed valid?<\/li><li>Do I continually compare\n     myself with others, and measure my worthiness in relation to them?<\/li><li>What do I mean by the term\n     \u201csuccess\u201d, and how do I measure success?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(4) <strong><em>Activities<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Do I regularly ask myself:      Why I do what I do? <\/li><li>What do I really want to      do with my life \u2013 and how can I leave a heritage of value?<\/li><li>How can I reduce my      activities to focus on that which matters most?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(5) <strong><em>Relationships<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Am I mindful of the people      I keep company with?<\/li><li>Are they edifying, helpful,      and service-oriented; or, perhaps critical, negative, and controlling?<\/li><li>Am I carrying needless emotional baggage, such as past hurts, resentments, and anger?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(6) <strong><em>Spiritual Life<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Am I involved in service      activities that match my gifts and talents?<\/li><li>Am I serving where I truly      feel called to and can make a difference?<\/li><li>Do I ensure that my daily      spiritual priorities are being taken care of?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In examining our lives in this way, we may need to now urgently pare down what is unfruitful in order to have more time for what truly counts in the long-run.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In re-reading the above list of six areas, I noticed a\nmnemonic emerging \u2013 S.P.E.A.R.S. May we use these six spears to maximize the\npotential of our lives for the service of others!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Source: The idea for simplifying the above six areas of life\noriginated with the following book. Wright, H. Norman. <em>Simplify Your Life\nand Get More Out of It!<\/em> Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.,\n1998.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alexander Peck (November 2019)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For a PDF copy of the above, please click <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"here (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"http:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Six-Areas-to-Simplify-Life.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Spacious-Sea-and-Sky-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"Spacious Sea and Sky\" class=\"wp-image-253\" width=\"512\" height=\"384\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Spacious-Sea-and-Sky-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Spacious-Sea-and-Sky-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Spacious-Sea-and-Sky-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Spacious-Sea-and-Sky-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Spacious-Sea-and-Sky-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><figcaption>Reflection: We must eliminate clutter from our lives so that we can discover and focus on what truly counts in the long-term, including beyond this life.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<a class=\"synved-social-button synved-social-button-share synved-social-size-32 synved-social-resolution-single synved-social-provider-facebook nolightbox\" data-provider=\"facebook\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" title=\"Share on Facebook\" 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