Thursday, January 27, 2011

Got Perseverance?

The greatest oak was once a little nut who held its ground.’ ~ I’m not sure who said this, but it’s certainly something that cannot be recalled often enough – by me at least! Holding my ground, or ‘stick-to-it-iveness’, requires me to manage those emotions that want to pull me off track, distract me with other tasks undone including all that ‘must-do’ social media! I find the act of persevering sometimes needs some help, and a few deep, long breaths can be just the ticket – especially if they’re followed by a big smile. Really. This is not a Pollyanna suggestion, it really does help! Smiling activates some of those 'feel-good' endorphins that make our brains work better, more creatively, making sticking to something easier and more likely! Oh, there’s a great story about perseverance that also addresses self-acceptance called The Young Oak Tree. That story is on our Member Zone page. Check it out!

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Don't Worry, 'Send' Happy!


 Do you ever have the experience that your child, or someone you love, is having difficulty with something and you are not in a position to help out? Rather than allowing yourself to worry, take a moment to be still and bring your focus into yourself, your own body and breathing. Slow it down.

Tune into the love you feel  - for your child or whomever the concern is about – FEEL IT …. And ‘send’ it to him or her. Imagine it beaming out from your heart to his/hers and back at you. Imagine how good it makes her/him feel and allow yourself to enjoy this :-))))))))) 

You don’t need to do this merely when your child (or whoever) is having a problem; you can do it on a regular basis, as a means to give support … and see if you can monitor the effect it has & whether it makes a difference to your relationship……
Personally, I always find it makes a difference. I would love to hear about your experiences …….

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

A Short Story

There’s a story from the Cherokee tradition about a grandfather who tells his grandchild that he has a fight going on inside himself; it’s between two wolves. “One wolf is angry, envious, greedy, mean, arrogant, resentful, self-pitying, deceitful, and has a huge ego,” the grandfather explains. “The other wolf is peaceful, loving, kind, compassionate, joyful, generous, trustworthy, honorable, and humble.”
The child looks at him and ponders a while, then finally asks; “Which wolf wins?”
The grandfather smiles and responds, “The one I feed.”

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

New Year Tips

Days into another January, most of us have made our new year’s resolutions – that is if we are going to! And every article I read about it asks: 'How do we keep ‘em?'
The Heath brothers (authors of SWITCH), have come up with five great tips; my favourite one is ‘watch for the bright spots.’ 
I always find it helpful to ‘habituate what works.’ In other words, don’t focus on when you slip up, eat that cake or procrastinate again(!) – focus instead on the step you did take, the smaller slice of cake you ate or whatever you have done today that worked. Pat yourself on the back for that, then do more of it! Works for me! (Note to self: Remember this!!)
To read more of the Heath brothers’ tips go to this article http://bit.ly/hQwtQk 
Wishing you all a year filled with health, happiness, peace, prosperity, and FUN!