by: David Bates




We live in a very busy age with many pressures and demands on our time. Often in workplaces there is a culture of busyness, where it’s important to be seen to be busy and stressed. Isn’t that how you show that you’re important and care about your work? Outside of work there are often enormous numbers of things competing for our time and attention: family, friends, hobbies. And if we relax in front of the TV we see adverts for things we "should" have, or see things we’d like to, or "ought" to be doing. It can feel overwhelming at times which is why many people find themselves rushing, rushing, rushing, busy, busy, busy, with barely time to draw breath.


If you find yourself in that situation, you may want to ask yourself where the punctuation points are in your day. Think about how a book is structured: chapters; sections; paragraphs; sentences; and the sentences themselves divided up with commas, semicolons, etc. It’s structured in this way to enable us to make sense of the words. The punctuation points not only provide a structure and context so that we can understand the meaning of what has been written, they also tell us where we can take a breath. To find out the truth of this, why not read this paragraph out loud twice, either to yourself, or somebody else. The first time try and read it as if there was no punctuation, in a monotone voice, continuously until you run out of breath. The second time you read it pace yourself, vary the tone of your voice, and follow the punctuation. See what difference it makes. In fact why not try it now?


That was interesting wasn’t it? So in a busy day, what might be your punctuation points? In the workplace you might leave your desk to get a drink. At lunch time you could leave the building, if only for a few minutes, for a complete change of scenery. At home, does the TV have to go on automatically? Could you just sit quietly for a short while and start to notice where there is any physical tension in your body and start to release it?


And when you actively find these punctuation points you’re expressing the first of the Five Elements of Personal Development © by taking responsibility for yourself

About The Author David Bates is a life coach, published author, public speaker and workshop leader. For further information and for pages of tips, tools and resources for your success, visit: www.treeoflifecoaching.co.uk david@treeoflifecoaching.co.uk