©2009 IBKimage

Dear Readers,

It’s March 1st and I’ve been hibernating a bit and it does look like I’m springing forward to summer when this image was made at Crested Butte, CO – a year after I moved to Denver CO from the flatland of Nebraska. Bu it’s really an image I chose to illustrate something I’ve discovered or perhaps rediscovered about transitions.  When the world around you feels chaotic , when the changes are too many or to few or too fast or too slow; or oh so many choices in everything   … try thinking in threes.

I offer some questions:  What three things could I focus on that if done regularly would offer a “lot of juice for the squeeze”; who are three people in my life at various times that have inspired me and why; what three things have I learned about myself when I have failed; how about three things I really need or want to stop doing; what three books have I enjoyed the most or learned from and what were the three reasons I did; what are three ways that I could make a difference in something the world or my community or network needs; and so on.

It seems a bit silly, but thinking in three provides clarity, boundaries and flexibility to act on priorities. It’s also dynamic so as your situation changes … what three things … and so on.

A few examples if I might from my own life:  As I’ve aged and now am in what I call the “4th quarter of my life” I’m learning to listen more, talk less, and remind myself to listen more.  :-). I’ve discovered that many of the wonderful books I’ve read and enjoyed and learned from now seem like they belong on someone else’s book shelf. The three most important things for my health now is to move daily in some way, eat less and more nutrient dense food,  and sleep when I’m tired.  In terms of personal relationships, I keep trying to get over myself , invest in the next generation, and bask in the gift of friends past and present.

So as I like to say: “Offering insight and encouragement … now it’s your turn.”

IBK