{"id":4303,"date":"2011-02-14T17:21:06","date_gmt":"2011-02-14T21:21:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/joyfullyjobless.com\/blog\/?p=4303"},"modified":"2011-02-14T17:21:06","modified_gmt":"2011-02-14T21:21:06","slug":"living-with-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joyfullyjobless.com\/blog\/2011\/02\/living-with-love\/","title":{"rendered":"Living With Love"},"content":{"rendered":"

Several years ago I decided to start a list of things I loved doing so much I could do them every day without getting bored. I wanted the list as a reminder to integrate beloved activities and things on a daily basis.<\/p>\n

I thought of that this morning as I was driving home from yet another visit to the DMV and heard one of <\/em>Bach\u2019s Brandenburg Concertos, <\/em>one of the things that made my Everyday Love List.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just the music I love, however. I also love the story. Those lovely pieces were written for a competition held by the city of Brandenburg-Schwedt, Germany. It was a competition won by somebody else.<\/p>\n

Nobody seems to remember winner\u2019s name, nor his musical entry, but Bach\u2019s concertos frequently top the list of public radio listener\u2019s favorites 290 years after they first were played.<\/p>\n

Today I was also reminded that even onerous tasks can be more pleasant if we include things we love. It doesn\u2019t do much good, after all, if we know what we love, but don\u2019t have regular contact with them.<\/p>\n

A while back, Alice Barry and I had a conference call with participants who had attended our Follow Through Camp retreat. I asked everyone to complete an exercise before the call.<\/p>\n

This fun idea comes from Keri Smith\u2019s delightful book, Living Out Loud<\/a><\/em> . <\/em><\/strong>It\u2019s called Lifestyle for Sale<\/em> and it goes like this:<\/p>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

In recent years, lifestyle stores have become the rage, selling products related to all aspects of living: eating, decorating, reading, bathing, sleeping and dressing. If you were to open your own lifestyle store, what would you sell?<\/em><\/p>\n

Make a list of what it would contain. What items best represent you and your many layers? Are they eclectic? Chaotic? Minimal? Calming?<\/em><\/p>\n

Come up with a name for your store\u2014maybe it’s a character from your favorite book, or something that reflects the store’s contents.<\/em><\/p>\n

Before the call, I \u00a0also created my own imaginary lifestyle store. Like many of the other callers, I envisioned my store in a funky old house reached by walking through a garden.<\/p>\n

My store wasn\u2019t just about stuff, but also about stuff happening. There was a conservatory on the back called the Idea Factory for collaborative brainstorming. Another spot was called the Follow Through Room where people who felt stuck could find inspiration and support to get moving again.<\/p>\n

The bookshop section had four distinct sections, each housed in a separate corner. One was devoted to personal growth, another to biographies of kindred spirits, another on business building and another on supporting wanderlust.<\/p>\n

Every room was furnished with big, comfy chairs and vintage travel posters adorned the walls. Happily, the place where I live resembles my imaginary store.<\/p>\n

Although none of the folks who did this with Alice and me were interested in opening a shop, creating this vision got them dreaming about spending time in the kind of place they’d imagined.<\/p>\n

It’s a great exercise and I urge you to try it yourself. More importantly, surround yourself with people, things, and ideas you love as much as you possibly can.<\/p>\n

As the John Ruskin poster in my office never lets me forget, \u201cWe are not sent into this world to do anything which is not in our hearts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, first we need to know what that is.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Several years ago I decided to start a list of things I loved doing so much I could do them every day without getting bored. I wanted the list as a reminder to integrate beloved activities and things on a daily basis. I thought of that this morning as I was driving home from yet…<\/p>\n

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