Tag Archives | emotions
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Where is Your Sense of Humor?

By on August 19, 2011 in Happiness, Sanity Savers
Smiling can imply a sense of humour and a stat...

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Where is your sense of humor?

If you’re like me, sometimes you get so wrapped up in the daily grind that you forget to laugh…especially at yourself.

Every day so many things don’t go the way we’d like them to. We can’t control it, we can’t change it; sometimes all we can do is laugh at it. You have to have a sense of humor if you don’t want to be frustrated and angry all of the time. Very few things or situations are worth the aggravation we allow them to cause.

Ask yourself, “Is this really important?” and if it’s not try to find the humor in it.

Don’t take life so seriously!

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Complete Contentment is Not a Fable

By on May 6, 2011 in Life Balance

animalsComplete contentment may be one of the most treasured states that we will ever have the opportunity to experience.  It’s there somewhere buried under the surface of stress, worry and anxiety. We just have to dig down deep and pull it up. Re-frame our focus and be open to a different way of looking at our lives.

Yes, we’re busy.  Certainly we have way too much to do and not enough time to do it in.  Of course we’re under stress and pressure.  Undoubtedly we’re exhausted and overwhelmed.  And? That’s life my friend.

If we step back for a minute, don’t we like something about our work?  We surely love the money and benefits we get from it if nothing else. Perhaps we even get satisfaction or recognition from it. If not, then at least it finances the rest of our lives.

We certainly value and love our children, family and friends.  They’re annoying at times, but funny and supportive at others. We may never know what to expect, but they add something of significance to our lives and keep us from being dull.

We can even the respect how tired we are. That usually means that we are contributing something to the world and hopefully accomplishing our goals and that feels good.

Contentment not a place you get to, but a place inside you that you can step into and experience at any time. It is quiet and busy, calming and energizing all at the same time.  It may be submerged under chores and worries, busyness and chaos, but if you look deep enough it’s there – I promise. You just have to look!

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Choose Your Attitude Wisely

By on February 18, 2011 in Success
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I discovered I always have choices and sometimes it’s a choice of attitude. – Judith M. Knowlton

What attitude have you chosen today? Did you choose to be optimistic, wondering, generous or patient? Or did you choose to show up complaining, frustrated, resentful, angry, critical or bitter? All are valid choices. The wondrous thing about freedom of choice is that we get to choose how we experience our lives. We may not always be able to choose the circumstances, but we can choose the attitude with which we experience them.

The other fabulous thing about freedom of choice is that we can change our mind at any given moment. If your day didn’t start out so well and you don’t like the way you are feeling right this moment, try a different attitude. In this one aspect of your life you always have the power.

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Annoyance Triggers

By on February 4, 2011 in Personal Growth, Success
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Inner nag

What are your “annoyance triggers?” What are the little things that bother you on a day-to-day basis? Do loud people or noisy places drive you nuts? People talking on cell phones in restaurants, when your inbox is full again, when people drive too slow or park their cars incorrectly? Is it the rudeness that abounds in today’s society or maybe those annoying soliciting phone calls that hang up just after the answering machine picks up? We all have them and they seem quite rational to us….

We don’t have to allow these minor stressors to affect us in this way. The first step is just to notice them, label them, and assess them if you will. Then take a moment to ask yourself if it is really the “thing” that annoys you or your reaction to it? If you have no control over it, then why do you give it so much power to dictate your mood? The trick is to not allow outside people or situations to sap your peace of the moment.

Life is filled with petty little annoyances. At work, at home, on the street, even with the people closest to us. When you catch yourself becoming annoyed try to re-frame the situation rather than allowing it to interfere with your attention and focus, whether it be on work, your family or enjoying the world around you.

When someone is rude to you, instead of getting irritated, try feeling compassion for them because they are probably unhappy and miserable. When you get those series of tele-marketer hang ups on your voice mail, be glad that’s not your job!

One of the keys to a happy, productive and peaceful life is to not allow other people or situations control your attitude and attention. Breathe and let it go.

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Defining Moments are the Checkpoints in Life

By on October 13, 2010 in Life Balance, Personal Growth

Do you know what your defining moments are?  We all have them, those marks on the timeline that separate our lives into before and after. If you stop to think about it you probably have many. I certainly do; the moments I got married, the signing of divorce papers, the births of children and without a doubt the death of my father are all forever etched in my memory.  As I look back over the 40+ years of my life, one moment clearly stands out as having had the most life-altering impact and serves as a checkpoint in my existence. On October 13, 1989 @1:28 PM life as I know it vanished, to be replaced by a fresh, uncertain reality. 21 years ago I became a mother. That’s it. A simple declaration, yet more than a label, it was an indescribable alteration of reality.

I think in our society we often give the importance of motherhood lip service, but for me truly, in a single second, the trajectory, focus and purpose of my life shifted. My views on religion, politics and the role of women dramatically changed. My goals and dreams were drastically transformed. The way I viewed life was now child-centered and then world-centered, rather than self-centered. I encountered fears and worries that had never plagued me before. Of course there was love that I was completely unprepared for and a strength and fierceness that I could not have envisioned. In that defining moment I became more; more caring, more determined, more thoughtful, more purposeful. And yes, I correspondingly became more anxious and more fearful at times. I became more of the person I was meant to be. My life is divided into halves; the 21 years before and the 21 years after. The funny thing is when I think back now I can hardly remember life before. My life has become all about life after.

In one lightening flash of an instant my heart cracked wide open and life rushed in…

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One Month to Live

By on June 17, 2010 in Personal Growth

What would you do differently if you only had one month to live? Would you change jobs or leave relationship? Would you apologize or be more caring to others? Would you take a risk you’ve always wanted to take? Everyone’s answer will be different. The book One Month to Live: Thirty Days to a No-Regrets Life by Kerry & Chris Shook can help you answer those questions and guide you along that journey of changing the way you live your life.

From the book:

“Be brutally honest with yourself. Your time on earth is limited. Shouldn’t you start making the most of it? If you knew you had one month to live, you would look at everything from a different perspective. Many of the things you do now that seem so important would immediately become meaningless. You would have total clarity about what matters most, and you wouldn’t hesitate to be spontaneous and risk your heart. You wouldn’t wait until tomorrow to do what you need to do today. The way you lived that month would be the way you wished you had lived your whole life.

If you knew you had one month to live, your life would be radically transformed. But why do we wait until we’re diagnosed with cancer or we lose a loved one to accept this knowledge and allow it to free us? Don’t we want all that life has to offer? Don’t we want to fulfill the purpose for which we were created? Wouldn’t life be a lot more satisfying if we lived this way?

I’m challenging you to start living your life as though you have one month to live, and I’ve designed this book to help you. There are four universal principles in the one-month-to-live lifestyle: to live passionately, to love completely, to learn humbly, and to leave boldly. I’ve divided this book into four sections or “weeks” accordingly, and I encourage you to live these next thirty days as if they were your last.”

I find this book to be fascinating, thought-provoking and inspiring. Happy reading! What will you do with your one month?

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Beware of Emotional Parasites

By on April 30, 2010 in Life Balance, Personal Growth

We all have them; you know who they are; those people that we encounter that just leave us feeling drained and empty. They may be family, neighbors or co-workers (worse even if it’s a supervisor.) You may cringe when they come into view or let their calls go to voicemail. They are always complaining, whining or gossiping. Nothing is ever their fault; it seems they are always the victim and never the cause. The worst are the ones that are malicious and say bad things behind people’s backs.

You must distance yourself from these emotional parasites and energy vampires as often as you can. We tend to absorb the energy and emotions around us and if we are surrounded by negativity, then it is all the more difficult to remain positive and upbeat. Remember, no one has the power to decide your mental state or happiness, but you. However, the wise person avoids people and situations that are bound to drain us. Kick the parasites to the curb, or at least don’t answer the phone!

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