Scorecards

It’s been a long time since I’ve considered the notion of ‘keeping score’… maybe because now, the games I play are intended exclusively for my own accelerated evolution, and not much else!   Is that a good thing?  A bad thing?  I have no idea – I only know that I love being me.  I think that’s a clue.

A couple of weeks ago, I was reminded of the notion of money as a scorecard… a way of measuring performance and the scale used to assess that performance.  There was a time when that would have mattered to me and this time, I was a little startled by it all.  It’s been a long time since I’ve lived that way.

Nonetheless, it proved to be a very valuable moment for me as I pondered the notion of scorecards; how many different kinds there might be; and what would mine be today, if I were to name one.   I really did have to invest myself in the exploration and ponder what words I might choose to best express what is relevant in my life.

My first thought was that what gets me out of bed in the morning is the thought of living a meaningful life.  Without that, I’d just as soon draw my last breath and call it a day!  And since I’m still here… and still breathing… I’m clear that’s happening in my life.

The next question then becomes:  what gives my life meaning?  And the word ‘impact’ popped to mind.  Living a meaningful live requires that my presence have impact; that I can calibrate for impact.  Initially – in the early stages of creating this body of knowledge – impact was measured in raised eyebrows, growing curiosity and willingness to explore the unknown.  Over time, the notion of ‘impact’ moved to ‘depth of impact’… meaning (for me) that it was no longer enough to raise eyebrows and arouse curiosity – lives had to change, profoundly.  And indeed, that has been my life for the past 20 years.  Lives have changed profoundly , with magic and miracles of personal evolution, expanded capacity for connection, disappearance of disease and explosions of health and wellbeing, etc. etc. etc.

Now… today… I come to realize that ‘impact’ has morphed yet again from ‘depth of impact’ to ‘scope of impact’.  A new layer!!!  A discovery that has brought an increased flow of ‘energy’ into the tissue of my being; in addition to a great mindfulness of what, precisely, ‘scope’ will mean for me.  I continue to stay present to that exploration and move forward into yet another explosion of accelerated evolution.  I do indeed, love being me!

So, here’s where I now stand with regard to the notion of ‘scorecard’:

* many of us are handed a scorecard as we grow up, being told that this is the one that we must use to assess performance and from which we determine ‘success’ or our capacity to ‘measure up’.  Regardless of whether or not you measure up, when was the last time you stopped… and asked yourself… “Does this scorecard connect to anything meaningful for me, in my life?”  If not, you might want to consider a different scorecard.

* money – and its presence/absence and accumulation/loss – is often the fundamental scorecard we’re offered when growing up.  Not necessarily because we’re told directly (and many of us are!) that it is the meaningful measure, but because we see it all around us, permeating all that we see and hear.  That’s not good/bad, right/wrong – the question is : does this scorecard allow you to live a meaningful life?

* there are many from which to choose, if we notice.  Ask yourself:  “If I were living a meaningful life, how would I recognize it? ”  What would be present – every day when you opened your eyes and swung your feet onto the floor; in your interactions with others; and in your sense of your Self and the degree to which you love being you???

Scorecards are an interesting notion, as they give us a way of paying attention to what beliefs, values and attitudes are shaping our reality.  You might want to stop… take a breath… and pay attention to what is shaping yours.  Better to do so now, than to just keep on truckin’ and ignore it all for another 10 years and wonder:  where did my life go????

Breathing is good….