Embrace this “TUNE YOUR LIFE” Strategy.
When I first became aware of a “Tune Your Life” thought process, I had no idea the positive impact it would have on me. That’s why I’m so excited to share it with you today in hope that it will have a similar positive impact on your life. It’s the simplicity of the thought process and the ease that you can add it into your daily life that has me inspiring you to be prepared to implement it the moment you finish reading this article. After implementation, a simple monthly reminder will help you maintain its value for the rest of your life.
I’ll introduce the thought process utilizing a piano as an example. Every piano has a harp made up of various lengths, widths, and types of wire. Each wire emits a specific musical note when struck. Each wire is attached to the harp with the ability to be lengthened or shortened to achieve the perfect note that was intended over time by its inclusion. Many things impact each wire’s ability to maintain its perfect note and if not tended to regularly the wires can’t quite achieve harmonious music, thus failing the intended goal. You see, over time and with use, each wire stretches from being struck. Is there a fix?
The best piano tuners are the ones that come out to tune a piano and, when done, inform you that they’ll be back monthly for the first year or so. Why? Because those wires have a memory of their comfort spot. The tuner may tighten them on their first visit and those wires will quickly return to their old comfort spot. It’s only after the tuner forces the wire to be where it needs to be several times that the wire finally relents to the new position and maintains it. After a year of monthly visits, the wire’s memory has adapted, and it stays where it needs to be for longer periods of time. The tuner may only need to come a couple times a year and finally yearly to maintain the piano consistently being in tune and performing as it was designed to perform. Does any of this ring a bell regarding us humans?
Most people that have studied human habits conclude that it takes over 21 days to break a bad one or create a new one. Why? Because we keep going back to our comfort spot. In the book “Atomic Habits” the author entices readers to utilize “streaks” as a method to create habits that last. That book should be required reading for anyone who creates New Years Resolutions that they actually intend to keep. Question: Do you personally know anyone who has ever kept a New Years resolution? Me neither. How often do we learn something new that could enhance or benefit our life, but neglect to take any action to put this new knowledge to use? What might be a realistic solution? Quite simply, it’s developing your own personal “Tune Your Life” strategy.
What’s a “Tune Your Life” strategy look like? Think of it like the way a personal budget works. For personal budgets to work they need to be tuned and reconciled monthly. The flow of money isn’t perfect, and each month may require adjustments (tuning) for both income and expenditures that result in increased savings over time. There also should be an emergency expense fund that prevents your financial ship from ever completely sinking,
When you create a “Tune Your Life” strategy, you’ve provided yourself with a tool that can benefit every important area of your life. Areas like Family, Work, Health, Spiritual, Self-Improvement, Financial, Community, and what I like to call Give Back (Helping Others). Similar to building a piano, you create a strategy that provides a harmonious life, play your personal song each day, tune up your strategy in each area of life one a month, and continue to live life as a symphony of success.
This “Tune Your Life” strategy leads to consistency of joy, happiness, and general well-being. But only if you commit to it and make it a habit. It’s even easier when you openly share it with people that love you who can help hold you accountable to sticking with the tuning. It’s also a wonderful parenting strategy that provides your kids with a valuable tool that can last their entire life. If you begin to falter, utilize the Atomic Habits streak system to hold yourself accountable to the maintenance. Rather than give up when you break the streak, just start a new streak and attempt to make it longer than the previous one.
While I can’t play the piano (yet), I sure love listening to the sounds that come from a properly tuned piano. That’s why I used it as an example. Many of you may be more familiar with watching someone about to play the guitar. It’s near impossible for a skilled guitarist to begin to play without first making sure each of the strings is properly in tune. That way they can provide you with the very best that instrument has to offer. It’s the same with you. When your life is in tune, you offer to the rest of the world the very best you have to offer. And just like hearing music that pleasing to our ears, we appreciate all that comes from your lovingly tuned life to the rest of the world. Hey…I Believe In YOU! GiddyUp!