The Importance of Taking An INTELLECTUAL INVENTORY

Sometimes the idea of being alone with yourself can feel extremely daunting and even more so intimidating. When we finally do slow down and have the time, whether by choice or by force, to stop, think, and get away from all the clutter that fills our daily lives, it can leave us feeling empty, lonely and unhappy.

When we are gifted some alone time, and yes it is a gift, the question we all need to be asking ourselves is “What am I feeding my brain?”

As a collective society, we are living on INFORMATION OVERLOAD, never shutting off, day after day, year after year, as if in a continuous loop. By constantly functioning in this way and absorbing the “noise” of our surroundings, we are depleting our energy levels and running on empty. We are sponges, whether we like it or not.

In order to break free from this draining cycle, you have to take an INTELLECTUAL INVENTORY, that is, a mental inventory of what it is you are consuming on a daily basis, and find a way to FILTER through what information is beneficial to you versus what information is working against you.

To take an INTELLECTUAL INVENTORY, ask yourself these fundamental questions:

+ What do I read?

+ What do I watch?

+ What do I listen to?

+ Who do I communicate with?

+ Who do I HAVE to communicate with?

Keep in mind, you are ALLOWED to set boundaries for yourself; regardless of whether those boundaries are among certain individuals, specific things, or previously learned habits, doing so can be EMPOWERING. Making a list, in this way, and then evaluating where there is room for you to crowd out the negative can FREE you from the chaos and confusion.

Conscious or unconscious, we REPEATEDLY take for granted what it is and who it is we we surround ourselves with.

As adults, we do not give ourselves enough quiet time. Quiet time, even if it is for as little as 30 minutes a day, is a VITAL component of self-respect. When we allow ourselves the time and space to be in the quiet, we affirm WHO we are and WHAT we value, WITHOUT the need to seek validation from external sources.

Make quiet time a MANDATORY part of your day and actually schedule an appointment with yourself, carving out a chunk of time that is JUST FOR YOU. By physically putting it on your calendar, rather than mentally telling yourself you will do it, you significantly increase the likelihood of it ACTUALLY happening. If it is not on the calendar, you will not get around to it, because “something else” always comes up.

What else is MORE important than spending time with yourself? Why would that NOT deserve a spot on your calendar? Stop disrespecting yourself, because out of quiet time comes CREATIVITY, the chance to simply BREATHE, and the ability to OBSERVE, without resistance or judgement.

INPUT LEADS TO OUTPUT. Input is made up of two things: taking an inventory & embracing quiet time. Output is focused on one thing, and one thing only: your energy.

The energy you give off, you will get back, OR, the energy you give off, you will turn off. The concern with energy is that it MASKS OUR MESSAGE. Too much energy can, and often does, feel overwhelming, while a lack of energy can take away your passion.

We need to be a lot more sensitive to HOW we DELIVER information. I am not saying you need to change who you are or be inauthentic, but rather, take the time to breathe and create a visual that places us in our preferred headspace.

Not everyone is going to like you and that is okay. In fact, if everybody likes you, you actually have a problem. People, more so than ever before, appreciate AUTHENTICITY, and they see right through it when it is not present.

Input and output, put together, affects your relationships. Today, we are in poor shape when in comes to building DEEP, MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIPS. It is NOT about the number of relationship, social media friends or likes you get on your posts. QUANTITY is irrelevant, as it IS about the QUALITY of your relationships that matters most. You should actually KNOW the people you are in relationships with.

Building relationships take time, and time is something we tend to take for granted and don’t necessarily pay much attention to. In order to maintain and develop real, strong relationships that will stand the test of time, BOTH parties must have the CAPACITY and the WILLINGNESS to invest in one another.

Choose WHO you want to be in relation with and WHAT deserves your time, energy and attention, because you have so much to GIVE and enormous VALUE to provide in this lifetime.

Xx, Leah Kutsch P.S. Keeping IIN Touch