It’s Monday morning, the weekend is over and it’s the beginning of another weekend of life. You tell yourself “the weekends are never long enough! You wish life wasn’t so pushed, and there was more time for a life you could design. BUT another week filled with things to do!”

The reality is most don’t feel in control of their life! For many it is a racetrack filled with lots to do and never enough time to get it all done. The Pace seems to be out of control. 

In my 40+ years of working with human behavior one of the top energy enemies for people is their inability to control the Pace of their life. They don’t manage their life; their life manages them. They are a hostage to their time, their job, their family, their life. The result is a feeling of frustration, disappointment, constant tiredness and their own form of depression with their life. 

Pace is not as much about time as it is about control. It is about the speed you are living at. It is you saying “YES” to too many things, then being upset with everything on your plate for “YOU” to get done becomes a constant struggle. 

As I have studied the life of Christ, I always marvel how with everyone pulling and pushing at Him, He was calm with the people, attentive to their needs, but always finding time for Himself. How many times do we read about Him going “alone” to spend quite time to recharge and prepare?

I made this statement when I was speaking at a conference and afterwards this gentleman come to me and said, “Yea, but I am not Christ!! I am a human who lives in a world where things come at me from all directions. Every day I have people pulling at me, dumping on me and just expecting me to be superhuman, which I am not. I want to slow down, but I don’t know how!!!”

Have you ever felt like that? Everywhere you turn there is something or someone who needs you! Whether it be family, work, friends or even people you don’t know coming at you with “their needs

The challenge with living a life that is managing you, rather than you managing your life, is understanding this is your life until you decide you will give it away. 

One of the many lessons I have taken from the life of Christ is when my life is no longer my life, my value to others becomes less and less. Others will do to you what you allow them to do. When your life is out of control, the pace of your life will make it difficult to manage.

What does a PACE you can’t manage do to your life?

•          Punish you and those around your life

•          Affect your attitude in a negative way

•          Cost you your calmness

•          Each day you remain out of control

When YOU are controlling your life, you

1. Prioritize the movement of your life

If your time is not organized around what is important for you to achieve, you will be scattered and touch things, rather than complete them. This means you saying “NO” to the things you must say “NO” to. Lose the fear of living by everyone else’s agenda for your life.

2. Adapt and Adjustment to completing, not stacking

Without adapting and adjusting to your priorities you will just continue to stack, not complete. That will continue to add more clutter to the stacks that are already overwhelming you.

3. Create a path you know you can manage

When controlling the pace of your life becomes a priority, you have the strength to say “NO” to the things that are stealing life from you. This takes courage to communicate your “what,” “why” and “how.” The fear of “what if” or “what could” keeps you paralyzed and not facing what is taking your life away from you.

4. End each day with a positive feeling about your achievements and a mindset for tomorrow

A day is all about choices. Choices create whether you are in control or have given control away. When you complete your day feeling good about the experiences of the day, you have less stress, a great feeling about you, a calmer environment to live in and the belief your life can be even better. 

When you are living at a Pace you can manage, you put you in control of your life.

With that control, you:

• Create a calmer living environment

• Organize your life to complete, rather than just touch things

• Navigate the path with greater confidence

• Take your life with steps going forward

• Respond, rather than react

• Open your life to seeking greater opportunities

Look at your life through the windshield, not the rear view mirror!!!