Posts tagged Life
Thursdays are for Kindness
Research has shown that when you offer a kindness to someone, your seratonin levels (the “feel good” brain chemical) rises. The person who has received the kindness, their level rises as well. Best of all: anyone who witnesses or hears about your kind act, their level goes up, too. One act of kindness can ripple out and impact others far beyond yourself.
Don’t believe me? Go on the internet and find a heartwarming, “good news” story. Notice how you feel before and after reading it. You will notice the warm feeling in your tummy (or is that the tacos you ate for lunch?) Maybe you will have a smile on your face or find yourself suddenly wanting to sing Walt Disney’s favorite song, Feed the Birds, from Mary Poppins.
Now imagine, if just reading about a kind act can create this kind of “buzz,” imagine how you will feel if you are actually the provider of the kind act. It doesn’t have to be grand, even a small gesture can reap big rewards. So feed the birds, open a door, come over and do my ironing…small acts add up to a seratonin surge so big that you may even find yourself dancing to Chim Chim Cheree.
Weekends are for Chocolate!
Chocolate days are ahead of us every weekend. Time to rest and take in all of the rewards for our weekly efforts. Hot fudge, Hershey Bars and a cup of Hot Chocolate are at the ready. How about a long hot bath, coffee with friends, sleeping in, working out or reading a good book? Those are also chocolate moments.
You see, chocolate really refers to indulging yourself. Not just in the high calorie, high fat,, but totally worth it tasty treat. Indulging yourself means losing yourself in those things that make you feel good. Really good. The kind of good that allows you to truly exhale, relax your shoulders, dance a jig and chillax completely. Yeah, that good. Now that is a chocolate moment.
Fridays are for Forgiveness
Yikes! This is the hardest day of the week. To forgive myself and others is not the easiest of tasks. To carry a grudge – easy peasy, but to let it go and forgive, well that takes an entire day of practice. My favorite quote about forgiveness is by Mark Twain, who wrote, “Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet leaves on the heel that has crushed it.” Pause- take a moment to re-read that sentence. It is powerful and profound. Are you that violet? I’m not, but I am trying by practicing crushing non-living things, like crumbs and cotton balls, under my shoe and then seeing if it forgives me.
Yet we know that to carry a grudge does nothing but poisons us. The bitterness eats away at our soul and keeps us from feeling the true joy in life. Forgive and forget? Well, I may not forget, but I sure will practice forgiveness on Fridays.
Monday is for compliments
Day by Day the Laughter Club way, teaches us to devote each day of the week to a different value. I now do these things every day, automatically, but it is wonderful to review these from time to time with others. Living with these has changed my life for the better, and I know that by putting into practice these simple tasks, you will also get value beyond your imagination.
Mondays are for compliments. This means not only giving, but also receiving them. Make sure they are sincere compliments, as people can spot faux flattery and it will not be well received. However, liberally sprinkle compliments throughout the day and watch people light up. It is known that being acknowledged and validated is human nature. Call it “ego stroking,” call it “feeling good,” call it “spreading sunshine,”- no matter what you call it, know that you are making someone’s day….and that is the very definition of a good day. 
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,
Feel Better Now: 6 simple steps to grief relief
I have studied and offered healing techniques to those who grieve as a way to help ease the daily pain that is the companion of loss. Recently life created the unwelcome opportunity for me to witness the power of this process from the inside out. We all will suffer a loss during our lifetime. Each loss carries with it different circumstances, but there are still some strategies we can use to help us cope and heal. (more…)
Business FUNdamentals: Putting Laughter to Work
Oscar Wilde wrote that, “Life is too important to take seriously.” This is a concept that resonates with most of us in our industry. Every day we are challenged to meet the emotional needs of our clients while balancing our business and financial needs. We are pushed to tend to the piles of paperwork which seem to grow each time we pick up the phone. At the same time we must truly practice the art of presence each time we meet with a family. Our double edged sword is the knowledge that each day may contain the unexpected. This keeps our professional life from becoming routine, yet also creates situations where having a plan for the day is impossible. Many of us have experienced periods of stress where the workload of the gotta-do’s are not going to get done unless we stay late or get to the office early. We work in an industry where the time clock is never punched and there is no such thing as a true day off as long as you remain in your city. And the strange thing is: we would not have it any other way. This industry gets into our blood. There is immense satisfaction in knowing that we are able to help our clients at the worst moment of their life. We work in a field that most people avoid even thinking about, much less face each day: death. Yet, for us, there is simply no better way to make a living. (more…)
