How Strongly Do You Feel?

How strongly do you feel…about the things you think you want? Are you willing to go to bat for them wholeheartedly, to give it your all? Or at the first sign of trouble will you say to yourself something like “Oh, I guess this wasn’t meant to be. I’d better find something else to do although I really liked the idea of doing (you fill in the blank)”

Did you know Sir Edmund Hillary, the first person to climb to the peak of Mt. Everest in May of 1953 actually failed to reach its summit in 1952?

He felt like a failure even when he was being honored for his valiant attempt.

It was only when he shook his fist at a picture of the mountain and said something like “you’re not going to beat me!” And then he gathered himself up, got himself ready, took a deep breath and started up the summit again, this time to be victorious.

So how strongly do you feel about the goals you have for yourself? Are you willing to put it all on the line to achieve them or will you back down when the going gets a little tough?

Are You Entertaining It?

Are you entertaining it…envy? Are you keeping it alive, feeding it with anger and longing to have the things you do not have?

it has been said that “A person is wise when he doesn’t long for the things he does not have but is instead thankful for those things he does have”- John Mason.

So many times we look over at our neighbor’s house and think that life just be just perfect over there; after all, look at their new cars and their new furniture. But what you may fail to realize is that you have a a car you really like and your furniture is exactly your style.

Shift your focus to those things you already have in life (and I’m sure there’s plenty) and be grateful for them. Be happy for what others have, but don’t spend a good chunk of your time wishing you had the same.

Don’t entertain envy; it won’t bring you what you think you want but it will push you further away from enjoying what you already have.

 

Are You Helping or Hurting?

Do you help others…or do you literally “beat” them out of the way to get what you want.

A few years ago, at a Special Olympics in Seattle there were nine runners. Shortly after the race began, one of them fell. All of the others, instead of continuing on, returned back to him, helped him up. Then they linked arms and they all walked together…to the finish line.

The crowd was on it’s feet cheering. People were crying tears of joy seeing how compassionate and helpful these contestants were.

Remember, that the more you help the more help will be there when you need it.

 

Are You Letting Go Or Holding On?

Are you letting go or holding on…to some past hurt, some grudge, or some unpleasantness? Do you keep reliving those moments over and over in your head even when the people who may have said them don’t even remember saying them or don’t even know that they hurt your feelings to begin with?

It has been said that “living a life of unforgiveness  is like leaving the parking brake on when you drive your car…it’s a drag!”- John Mason

It certainly can eat away at you, leaving you feeling lifeless and ill, so what is the point of holding onto it?

You can start today, right now by asking yourself who you need to offer that olive branch to. Forgive someone today and everyday until there’s nobody left to be mad at:)

How Do You Talk?

How do you talk…when you speak to others? Do you support their ideas, act as a sounding board, nod sympathetically and try to be genuinely helpful?

Or do you shoot down every word that comes out of their mouths? Do you say things like “Well that’s stupid,” or “Who would ever try a thing like that,” or “You’re not smart enough,” or any of those things…you get the idea.

You know, everyone is entitled to his/her own way of doing things and to have their own opinions. You don’t have to approve;what they are doing may not be your “cup of tea” but that doesn’t mean you have to condemn or tear apart every idea they have or everything they do.

Ask yourself this question “Would I like being spoken to in this way?”

What’s the first answer that comes to you? Okay then, ’nuff said.

Are You Noticing?

Are you noticing the signs all around you? The ones the Universe sends you on a regular basis… the signs that you ask for but never seem to notice and then you say something like ” I never get any indication as to which way I should go.”

But you are getting those signs, all the time in fact. They most likely will be subtle…maybe an advertisement on a billboard that you’re passing when you’re driving…directing you to a service you might need, or a song on the radio brings memories of someone you haven’t spoken to in a long time…but you thought of that person recently and also that you need to connect again. maybe you hear two people in a coffee shop talking about a job opening in a company that you would like to work in.

These are all signs for you. These are all guideposts for you, but you have to listen to them. You have to look for them. You have to be open to them. It is then that they will truly benefit you.

Are You Waiting and Waiting?

Are you waiting and waiting…to make decisions? Are you kind of hanging around, half hoping somebody else will make them for you?

If you wait around long enough, that very well could happen. You’ll lose control of your own destiny. Your power to decide could be taken right out of your own two hands.

And once somebody else has said something like “Okay, you’ve been saying you’re going to do something for the longest time, but you end up doing nothing, so now you’re going to do…”

What if you don’t like whatever word is at the end of that sentence? What if you’ve been waiting around all this time. thinking that something great could happen, and now somebody else made the decision for you and you don’t like it? What then?

Take a stand. Make a choice. Even if it’s not exactly what you had in mind at least you made a decision.

And you might just surprise yourself and be one heck of a decision maker at that!

Are You Making Yourself a Priority?

Are you making yourself a priority, taking the time out to do the things that you not only enjoy doing but also will bring you closer to your goals? Or do you shove what you want aside any time somebody asks you to do something?

Your friend Linda calls you and asks you to go to a movie. You really don’t want to see this movie; in fact when you saw it was coming out you said to yourself “I won’t be seeing that one!” You had plans to go to the gym; in fact your gym bag was already by the door. You just joined this gym recently and were looking forward to getting into a little better shape and feeling better. But what do you do? “Sure Linda, I’d love to go,” is what comes out of your mouth and you kick your gym bag aside as you grudgingly lock the door behind you.

Or Jimmy stops by on a Saturday afternoon with a new multi-level marketing business. Now Jimmy enjoys new things; he is good with talking to people and he honestly believes in what he is doing, so it is right for him. But you have no interest in it. You don’t like the products and you’re shy around people; in fact, you were going to spend the afternoon at the library reading up on how to do some at home repairs.But you pull up a chair for Jimmy, make a fresh pot of coffee and end up getting involved in something you have absolutely no interest in, as you watch the kitchen faucet drip; the one you wanted to learn how to repair yourself today.

There is no harm in saying “no thank you, I have other plans.” It is not wrong to want to do what YOU  want to do and not always cater to anyone who comes your way.

Be pleasant, but be firm. You don’t always have to say “yes” to everyone all the time. Why not try saying “yes” to yourself more?

Are You Living For Today?

Are you living for today? Or are you locked in yesterday or projecting forward into the future? Or do you bounce back and forth between the two but somehow keep stepping over today?

Are you ever really in the moment? Are you ever focused on maximizing each moment as it comes to you? It has been said that by doing our best and focusing on it as each moment unfolds, paves the way that helps what follows be to the best it can be as well- because you are already in that positive vibration.

Seneca tells us “Begin at once to live.” And you should. Start right now, enjoying each moment and letting those moments unfold as they should without thinking about all the stuff that happened last week or last month, and without focusing on what’s going to happen tomorrow.

The Tale of Two Sign Holders

There is a busy street close to my house with lots of stores and a big flea market. In front of it there is a guy holding a sign happily waving at the passing traffic and jumping up and down and waving…even in the 90 degree heat. Everybody looks for him; everybody knows him; and the store he is holding a sign for gets lots of business that day.

A few miles down there is another sign holder; this one works solely for a barbershop that offering haircuts for seven dollars. He sits in a chair, fanning himself with one hand and the other hand holds the sign that most of the time he is holding either upside down or sideways-in some position that makes it difficult for a passing car to read; and he almost always has his eyes closed. He obviously doesn’t want to be there, and you can feel that negative vibe- even driving past him.

Last week, he wasn’t there anymore…and neither was the barbershop. Apparently the sign holder wasn’t drumming up any business.

But each day I drive down the road I still see the happy sign holder, smiling and waving and jumping up and down; the parking lot of the store he stands in front of is packed with cars. People can feel the positive vibe he generates; and they happily pull into the parking lot.

Be happy and be energetic in all you do. It will attract more happiness to you.