What’s on Your Counter?

My wife and I needle each other when we know we are not eating nutritiously (all too often!). One habit that has become ingrained in us–and probably in thousands of others–is that we eat whatever is on the counter. If there is junk food there, purchased at the store, given as a gift, or brought home as a leftover, we will eat it until it’s gone. If there is healthy food like fruit and nuts, we will eat that. I guess it’s the “grazing” philosophy of snacking between meals.

I want to take that “What’s on Your Counter?” thought to a deeper level as it pertains to personal/professional development. I’m always reading something if I’m eating alone, and always have something to read in my car (audio and print), by my lounge chair, in my office, in my earphones at the gym, and of course, electronically on my devices. My “counter” is easy-to-grab information on personal or team leadership development, and I find myself reaching for a highlighter or a scrap of paper to jot down one takeaway from a person I’ve just read. Then I have to file those quotes in order to pass them on to others through seminars or social media.

What are you grazing on in between your productive tasks? In those in-between times, what is lying around for you to glance at? Is it mindless media that talks about Hollywood gossip, or is it inspiring literature that injects additional motivation into the rest of your day? Do you turn on TV junk food out of habit instead of reading? Of course, we all need down-time to veg-out and give our mind a break at some time each day. So, maybe it’s just subscribing to a magazine that is devoted to bettering its readers, or pulling a book you’ve always wanted to read off the shelf and next to your bed, or going onto itunes to download a podcast for your next jog.

Graze on good content, and you will grow–in mental acuity and not in the belly!

Lots of content here on this site to graze upon, or by signing up for Target Practice back on the home screen–my monthly full-course meal of personal and team development tips.