I was listening to someone this morning talking about old radios and how we used to have to twist a dial to get the station we wanted (those of you of a certain pre-digital age will know what I mean here)  and then a lot of the time, twist it again very carefully in order to eliminate interference in the sound and get the best possible quality signal. Then there was positioning the aerial – that was another part of the fun.

I think the analogy of the radio is great for thinking about ourselves.

How do we know what our best frequency is and whether we’re tuned in well or not? For me, the following kinds of  things should be happening :

• we have a good balance between feeling energised and contentedly restful
• our outlook is generally positive, the glass is usually half full rather than half empty
• we’re using our time well and not looking back on the day feeling we wasted much of it
• we’re aiming towards things (both small and large) that motivate us and make us feel good
• we find it pretty easy to focus, we’re not easily distracted
• we’re able to handle stressful situations quite well
• we’re using our natural strengths rather than feeling we’re going against the grain. In this, we’re being true to ourselves
• we take some time to think about others and not always inwardly looking at ourselves
• we know how to have a laugh. A serious part of a life well lived is about not taking it all too seriously 🙂
• we’re grateful for what we have and not constantly concerned about what we lack

I’m sure we could add more. the list is far from exhaustive.

Now, of course, I know that the points above make for one of those perfect, everything in harmony, isn’t life amazing lists and we know the reality isn’t always like that.

And that was often the reality of the old radios, where we would live with a less than perfectly tuned in sound and adjust our ears to a bit of interference and noise, whilst still enjoying the music.

So don’t worry if you’re not ticking all the boxes above right now. Maybe just zoom in on one or two areas that you feel are a bit mistuned and see if you can tweak the dial a little this week?