Joyful Recreation
This is a time of extreme activity. Holiday shopping, parties and other events leave us longing for a minute just to put our feet up and rest. Take some time for Joyful Recreation….or looked at another way – Joyful Re-Creation. For when we take time to enjoy life, to relax, to have some fun – we are also able to re-create ourselves. We can focus on what is important to us and what we truly want to invest our time in. By stepping back from the busyness of it all, we are able to evaluate what is and what is not working for us. Too much running around and we have no time to get clarity. Recreation is not an option – it is necessary in order for us to maintain our balance. As the New Year approaches, we begin to think about our resolutions and what we want to change in our life. We know that in less than 365 days we can find ourselves in an entirely new situation – job, relationship, exercise, diet, etc. So why not start now? Take some time for Joyful Re-Creation. It is the best holiday gift you can give yourself.
Intersection: The question girl
Every day our paths intersect with others. These encounters can leave us changed for the better if we ask the right questions and truly listen to their answers. Ordinary people can teach us how to have an extraordinary life. I will be sharing with you some of the tales of those people I have met.
The Question Girl
Checking out at the grocery store, I had the most curious of checkout girls. Beyond the standard, “Did you find everything that you needed?” Her probing went into areas such as what I did for a living, what type of food I liked to eat and how long Bob and I have been together. Her questions went on and on endlessly – with no apparent story thread, just randomly tossed out queries. Whatever popped into her head, she asked. I suppose it was a way to pass the time with so many short encounters with customers that she was instructed to make artificially warm and fuzzy. Finally she looked at me and said, “I’m sorry I asked so many questions. I am just curious about people.” Curious about people. Make that two of us. People are fascinating, yet we will never know how interesting they are unless we ask them some questions… and then some more questions….and then some more…. well, you get the idea. When we stop talking about ourselves and start listening, is when we begin to connect to others. Ask a question, get an answer…sometime you will even discover the treasures each person holds.
Intersection: Hopes and Dreams in a Jar
Every day our paths intersect with others. These encounters can leave us changed for the better if we ask the right questions and truly listen to their answers. Ordinary people can teach us how to have an extraordinary life. I will be sharing with you some of the tales of those people I have met.
Hopes and Dreams in a Jar
Attending a workshop, I walked over to the coffee shop across the street. Behind the counter were three young ladies. On the counter was a tip jar that said: Hope and Dreams. I asked the first girl what were her hopes and dreams. She told me that she was newly married and wanted to start a family. The second girl told me the same thing. Such a basic desire of life to have children of your own. The third girl hesitated when I asked her what her hopes and dreams were. She did not have an answer. Her co-workers told me that she was still young and would in time have one. I did not believe that there was nothing she didn’t dream about, so I pushed a little harder. “Are you in school?” I asked. “Yes” came the reply. She was in an environmental studies program. She began to tell me all about it and what she hoped to do someday with her education. This was a girl ready to change the world for the better. Her hopes for the future would ultimately touch us all. We all have hopes and dreams and, if we allow them to come forth into the world, who knows the lives we may touch.
Intersection
Every day our paths intersect with others. These encounters can leave us changed for the better if we ask the right questions and truly listen to their answers. Ordinary people can teach us how to have an extraordinary life. I will be sharing with you some of the tales of those people I have met.
Alice
My neighbor is 85 years young. She runs for thirty minutes each morning. Today she was outside raking and mowing her yard. It seems that nothing slows her down. Perhaps there is one thing – the death of her beloved husband. Today she shared with me how they met and it was truly a magical beginning to a lasting love affair. Alice’s husband had a band. Not the rocker type, more the Glenn Miller kind. He was invited to play at a local club, with one caveat – he had to use their singer. Begrudgingly he agreed, but only because he wanted the gig. In walked Alice and out went his heart. They made beautiful music together for over sixty years. It seems that destiny brings into our paths those people we are meant to meet, to love and to share a song or two with.
Leaving a Legacy
It is said that everyone has a book inside of them. If you could write a book, what would the topic be? My uncle wrote a book on seashells. My dad has spent years on a book on Japanese stamps. My book on stress relief was just published. What about the title? What would the illustrations look like? By answering these questions you can begin to uncover your passions. So many people have lost sight of what brings them joy. The heaviness of life replaces the childlike wonder that we once possessed.
The time to start writing is now. Start to record your thoughts, your knowledge and your passion. Everyone wants to leave a legacy to the world. They want their family and friends to remember them and also want to leave a lasting mark on the world. A book is a wonderful way to accomplish this. It does not matter if you only have a few readers or if you make the best seller list, as long as you re-ignite your inner joy and provide those you love with a bit of your true self.
A book, a blog, an article or a letter – it does not matter what you write, just as long as you write something. You will gain clarity and your family will gain a lasting legacy.
If you want to be happy
Everyone wants to be happy. In fact the Declaration of Independence gives Americans the right to pursue happiness. It is not guaranteed, but we can chart our own path to joy. At times when our life becomes overwhelming, we may feel stressed and unable to rise to the level of cheerful delight. However we all know people that no matter the circumstances always seem to have a smile on their face and a joie de vivre. How do they get there and how can we achieve this same satisfaction in our days and allow this feeling to spill over into the work we do? Happy people have three qualities that other people don’t have: they know it, they show it and they grow it.
They Know It
People who are happy remain in touch with their emotions. They allow their feelings to act as their guide. When they get stressed and lose their feeling of well being, they immediately take steps to get centered and clear. If they lose their temper or get angry, happy people start to feel anxious at going into such a place and quickly regain control and try to resolve the situation from a better state of being. In short, happy people enjoy the feeling of feeling good, that they will do almost anything to return to this state when life takes them from it. Happy people know they are happy and they are grateful for the good times and grateful for those times that challenge them to look inside and change for the better.
They Show It
When you are around a happy person, you know it. You immediately start to feel better and lighten up. Their joy is contagious and you look forward to interactions with them, whether in person or on the phone. If you are that happy person, then you understand that you become the cheerleader at your place of business. When the work becomes difficult, others turn to you to lift their spirits and calm their nerves. It is a lot of responsibility to be the designated happy person, but happy people are happy to take on this role!
They Grow It
Happy people look for reasons to maintain their joy. They participate in fun activities, continue to learn new things and spend time with people they love. They do not waste their time on tasks that have no purpose. They will not take on other people’s burdens that weigh them down and stress them out. Their time is filled with work that fulfills them, people who nurture them and fun that energizes them. If they must do something that is tedious or tough, they find a way to make it into a game. Life is not wasted on moments of obligations, but filled with one great adventure after another. Even dusting and vacuuming can take on a new energy when performed by a happy person. Very simply, happy people find ways to make each moment fun.
So what can we learn from their example if we are feeling less than giddy and a bit beat down? Happiness is, not only a choice, but an obligation. We owe it to ourselves, our co-workers and our families to be happy. It is the one gift that no one can give us, we have to find it ourselves. So, here are three simple steps that can take you from okay to fantastic:
1. Understand that happiness is a choice. We make hundreds of small decisions every day. What you wear, the route you take to work, where you park, what you will eat for lunch, etc. etc. All day long we must make decisions, yet we don’t realize that how we feel is a choice we can make as well. If you want to be happy, act happy. Motions create emotions. Try it, it works.
2. Play. By engaging our right brain, we get away from the lists and the figures and the facts that bring us down. Playing brings out our creativity and problem solving abilities. Want to “think outside of the box?” Better grab a toy and play. Keep your home filled with small toys such as stress balls, bubbles and bobble heads. I just added a slinky to my collection because when I am struggling, I remember, as their jingle states, that it is “the hit of the day when you’re ready to play, everyone knows it’s Slinky.”
3. Don’t take life too seriously. Oscar Wilde wrote, “Life is too important to take seriously.” As my teacher once told me, “People who take themselves seriously, tend to end up in serious condition and those who are too critical, end up in critical condition.” So lighten up, let go and laugh, and if you do, happiness is sure to follow.
I want…
Yesterday I began to track my thoughts – specifically those that began with either “I need” or “I want.” I was surprised at how often these random thoughts pop up. Getting dressed for work I had five “I need”s – new underwear, a red shirt, brown dress shoes, socks, make up brush. At work the list included a new laptop and cell phone. Flowers for my garden, take a cruise, furniture for my son’s new apartment – the list grew and grew.
Yet none of these thoughts distressed me. Upon scrutiny most of my “needs” were truly only “wants” and all of them were obtainable. I did not seek an Italian villa, a pony or a day with Brad Pitt. Each thought came as a reaction to a situation in my day and I knew that if I truly desired the item, I could have it.
We are beings that are constantly desiring things. We are also capable of manifesting amazing items, moments and opportunities into our lives. With clear intent, focused effort and absolute certainty, we can have almost anything we want (Brad, are you listening?) Visualize, affirm and banish doubt in order to connect your thoughts to your reality. “Wanting” is not a bad word – as long as it motivates you to create a life filled with flowers, cruises and a drawer full of new underwear.
If we could only be like children on Christmas Eve…
Tonight children around the world will go to sleep certain in the knowledge that sometime during the night Santa Claus will bring to them exactly what they have asked for. They do not question whether or not it will happen, for they know it will. They do not wonder how it will happen, for they do not care. They will not wonder if they should have even asked for that new bike, doll or video game, for they know that they deserve it just by their desiring of it. Children understand the rules of manifesting what they want- they desire, they ask and they trust that it will be given.
So tonight, and every night, when you lay your head on your pillow, consider what it is that you would like to have in your life. Know that you are worthy of receiving it and then trust that it will be yours. We must believe as the children do, for they show us the way.
How can I be lost if I don’t know where I’m going?
So many people that I see as clients are lost. They know that they are not feeling happy or engaged in life, but they are not sure how to reverse the situation. They are lost without a destination in sight. These wanderers are unhappy souls just letting the days take them where they may. They have long ago given up setting big, lofty goals or even teeny tiny ones and they find themselves drifting. Life is not an adventure, but an endurance test.
This is not how life is supposed to be. We are by nature dreamers. We want, we yearn, we desire. We must also however focus, act and believe. If we do these three things that which we seek will come to us – the law of attraction.
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Focus – get clear about what you want. Just as a waitress will not bring you food until you order what you’d like – so too must you determine what you really want. Do you want a better job or just enough money to live on? These are very different things to ask for. The job may provide you with your financial needs, but so can winning the lottery or inheriting a fortune from a long lost uncle. So write down your goals and place your order.
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Act – I always say that the Law of Attraction is a law of action. I have clients that just want to wait around wishing for their doorbell to ring with the perfect partner, job or opportunity. They can keep waiting, but it is a better idea to get out and take the steps necessary to connect with that mate, that career or that new offer. Trust your intuition to guide you to your next step. Send out e-mails, call people who may be able to help you and do whatever bold steps you must in order to realize your dreams and ambitions. Constantly adjust your plans and do not be rigid in your approach. Act, but with a plan.
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Believe – This is essential if you want to get where you are going. If you don’t really think it can happen, then it can’t. While dreams are important, they are not enough. You must believe deeply in your soul that your vision will happen. You must feel worthy of getting your desires and be a happy receiver. Don’t just be a good giver; you must also be good at letting others do for you. Don’t shut off the supply source by being unwilling to receive. To be effective, it must go in both directions. Trust that if you can dream it, you can achieve it,
