No more unexamined life.
The years I spent teaching English are a blur now. While many students' names have faded from my memory, their faces remain vivid. Among them was a nameless student with long brown hair and a confident air about her. She was quick to learn and laugh, friends with all her peers, but somehow separate from them. One day, she shared with me how her father checked in with his brood of children every Sunday to evaluate how each was doing in their lives. He asked about their social lives, health, education, and many other areas that I, unfortunately, forgot - the list was long.
I remember admiring this system of keeping track of a child's development - checking in regularly is a great idea. I even searched for this list online when my kids were small, but I had no luck.
Just last week, I stumbled upon a similar list on a leadership blog by John Maxwell. He calls his list the Daily Dozen, and it's a set of guiding principles for living a better life. These twelve principles cover a broad range of topics such as attitude, priorities, health, family, thinking, commitment, finances, faith, relationships, generosity, values, and growth.
Although Maxwell's target audience is organizational leaders, I realized that we are all leaders of our own lives. So, I used this list to evaluate my well-being and set a weekly intention.
Inspired by my former student's father, I checked in with myself on Sunday. I reordered the Daily Dozen list from most important to least important and asked myself, "How am I doing with each guiding principle, and where would I like to improve?" I gave myself a + or - for each principle and decided to focus on commitments.
I have a small list of things I said I would do for others and have yet to do. These unfinished tasks include finishing setting up an arts night schedule for the nonprofit I volunteer with, ordering a gift for a departed employee, and sending a friend a book club invite. But bigger picture, I’m saying yes to more things than I have time to complete well. Writing a blog is bringing me pleasure but at a cost to the other commitments I already have. Each time I add in an activity, I need to think about time in more concrete ways. I like to think of myself as someone who does what they say they will, right now, I'm not. People waiting - I feel so anxious just writing this.
As I have been writing about physical and mental health and their reciprocity, I found that the Daily Dozen covers thinking and actions grouped into wisdom, ethical conduct, and mental discipline. All twelve principles are interconnected and influence one another.
Maxwell's list reminds me of the Eightfold Path in Buddhism, which is a set of interconnected principles or practices that guide a person toward living a mindful, ethical, and purposeful life. The Eightfold Path consists of Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration. Practicing these principles in Buddhism is considered crucial for achieving wisdom, ethical conduct, and mental clarity, ultimately leading to liberation from suffering and the realization of enlightenment. Both the Daily Dozen and the Eightfold Path are not linear but interconnected systems where each aspect supports and reinforces the others.
I love to reflect on how it is all going - this life. And lists like these - and others - can serve as a guiding light towards living a meaningful and fulfilling life. It's not about perfection but about progress, and by setting intentions and committing to improve in different areas, we can create positive change in our lives and the lives of those around us.
So, happy intention setting!
Daily Dozen
Attitude: This involves maintaining a positive mindset daily.
Priorities: It emphasizes acting upon the most essential things in life everyday.
Health: Following healthy guidelines daily for overall wellbeing.
Family: Regular communication and care for loved ones every day.
Thinking: Practicing positive and constructive thoughts daily.
Commitment: Making and honoring promises consistently every day.
Finances: Managing money properly and responsibly daily.
Faith: Deepening and living out one's faith or beliefs daily.
Relationships: Actively initiating and investing in meaningful relationships daily.
Generosity: Modeling kindness and generosity as a daily practice.
Values: Embracing and embodying good moral and ethical standards daily.
Growth: Actively seeking personal improvements and growth daily.
8 Fold Path
Right View (or Right Understanding): Developing an accurate understanding of the nature of reality, including the understanding of the Four Noble Truths and the law of karma.
Right Intention (or Right Thought): Cultivating wholesome and compassionate thoughts, intentions, and attitudes, aligning them with the pursuit of liberation and the well-being of oneself and others.
Right Speech: Practicing truthful, kind, and non-harmful communication, avoiding lies, gossip, harsh language, and divisive speech.
Right Action: Engaging in moral and ethical behavior, refraining from actions that cause harm, such as killing, stealing, or engaging in sexual misconduct.
Right Livelihood: Choosing a livelihood that is ethical and supports one's spiritual development, avoiding occupations that harm others or involve unethical practices.
Right Effort: Making a continuous and diligent effort to cultivate positive qualities and thoughts, while eliminating negative or unwholesome states of mind.
Right Mindfulness: Developing present-moment awareness and attentiveness to one's thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surroundings without judgment.
Right Concentration: Cultivating mental focus, concentration, and meditative absorption (samadhi) to attain a deep and tranquil state of mind, leading to higher levels of awareness and insight.
