Showing posts with label overcome obstacles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label overcome obstacles. Show all posts
Friday, December 18, 2020
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Touching the Sky
I love gravity-defying dreams. I had one last night. I climbed on top of a large rock and jumped off. Before I hit the ground I had the power to slow myself down and enjoy a feather-soft landing. I was playing this game over and over with friends. Jump, slow down, land softly.
I’ve had even better dreams where I jump up and turn on some magical powers where I could inch myself even farther up into the air. Sometimes it was just air, other times I would inch upward until I could touch the ceiling.
In my wakened life, I’m vertically challenged. At 5 foot 2 inches tall I’m lucky to touch the ceiling of a doll house without a ladder. However when morning comes and I open my eyes, I still carry a piece of these empowering dreams with me throughout the day. I don’t put these jumping feats to the test. That would ruin my fun (and my knees). However, I let my imagination enjoy these gravity-defying moments before I look in the mirror and see that Newton’s observation
about falling apples is indeed hard at work and pulling my breasts, butt and skin to the ground.
While there are physical realities that are not a lot of fun (aging being one of them) I remind myself that I’m in charge of my own thoughts. When I was a kid I probably spent more time in my imagination than in the “real world.” A box could be a rocket, a tree could be a castle and, as Shakespeare said, “All the world’s a stage…”
A great deal has been written about creating our own reality.
Some may scoff at the notion, but I believe it is true. Detractors tell me, “Why would I create negative things in my life?” It’s a good point, but unfortunately the reality is not only we put a lot of our attention on negative outcomes, we give it OUR PASSION.
Think about the last time someone cut you off in traffic or did some other rude action. Did you release the negativity after a minute or so or did you replay it in your mind over and over? Did you let it rest, or did you tell a few friends and family members about the episode?
I imagine thoughts are like little bubble pictures above our heads. They are fragile and can pop and disappear, or we can charge it with strong emotion and give it a burst of energy. Given time, this unhappy situation will demand a repeat performance and manifest itself in your life again.
In the first chapter of our book, Erase Negativity and Embrace the Magic Within, I encourage folks to reduce unpleasantness in their lives with three simple steps.
1. Pay attention to your thoughts, speech and actions.
2. Erase the negativity and replace it with something more positive.
3. Smile. Even if you don’t feel like it.
If you prefer to see me mug for the camera and go into more detail on these three tips I invite you to go to my you tube site
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=208XAm-x3R8
I also invite you to use your imagination and create happy scenarios in your mind. When slumbering a dream can turn into a nightmare, but in our awakened imagination we can bring our dreams to life, and no one will have any idea of why you are walking around playing with friends, making a soft landing from a tall cliff, or simply touching the sky.
I’ve had even better dreams where I jump up and turn on some magical powers where I could inch myself even farther up into the air. Sometimes it was just air, other times I would inch upward until I could touch the ceiling.
In my wakened life, I’m vertically challenged. At 5 foot 2 inches tall I’m lucky to touch the ceiling of a doll house without a ladder. However when morning comes and I open my eyes, I still carry a piece of these empowering dreams with me throughout the day. I don’t put these jumping feats to the test. That would ruin my fun (and my knees). However, I let my imagination enjoy these gravity-defying moments before I look in the mirror and see that Newton’s observation
about falling apples is indeed hard at work and pulling my breasts, butt and skin to the ground.
While there are physical realities that are not a lot of fun (aging being one of them) I remind myself that I’m in charge of my own thoughts. When I was a kid I probably spent more time in my imagination than in the “real world.” A box could be a rocket, a tree could be a castle and, as Shakespeare said, “All the world’s a stage…”
A great deal has been written about creating our own reality.
Some may scoff at the notion, but I believe it is true. Detractors tell me, “Why would I create negative things in my life?” It’s a good point, but unfortunately the reality is not only we put a lot of our attention on negative outcomes, we give it OUR PASSION.
Think about the last time someone cut you off in traffic or did some other rude action. Did you release the negativity after a minute or so or did you replay it in your mind over and over? Did you let it rest, or did you tell a few friends and family members about the episode?
I imagine thoughts are like little bubble pictures above our heads. They are fragile and can pop and disappear, or we can charge it with strong emotion and give it a burst of energy. Given time, this unhappy situation will demand a repeat performance and manifest itself in your life again.
In the first chapter of our book, Erase Negativity and Embrace the Magic Within, I encourage folks to reduce unpleasantness in their lives with three simple steps.
1. Pay attention to your thoughts, speech and actions.
2. Erase the negativity and replace it with something more positive.
3. Smile. Even if you don’t feel like it.
If you prefer to see me mug for the camera and go into more detail on these three tips I invite you to go to my you tube site
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=208XAm-x3R8
I also invite you to use your imagination and create happy scenarios in your mind. When slumbering a dream can turn into a nightmare, but in our awakened imagination we can bring our dreams to life, and no one will have any idea of why you are walking around playing with friends, making a soft landing from a tall cliff, or simply touching the sky.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Send In The Puppy Clouds
I was riding home from the airport and looked out the window. Recent rains had washed the dusty air. The sky was a brilliant blue. I commented on how pretty it was. My daughter, Alicia, and two granddaughters, Rosannah, age 4 and three-year-old Briannah looked out at the brilliant skyscape. Briannah’s attention was drawn to the cumulonimbus clouds overhead.
“Look at the puppy clouds!” Briannah exclaimed.
Rosannah assumed her sister meant “puffy” clouds so she had a great laugh. Briannah was unaffected by the guffaw. In her world they probably did look like one of her favorite things – puppies.
Briannah is quite a character and says things that make us laugh. Recently, when asked if she had to go to the bathroom she replied.
“I don’t have any poops in my butt. I left them at school.”
As a writer, I love words. They can inspire and elevate your mood, expand your mind, or make you laugh. However, they can also be destructive. The following excerpt is from entrepreneur, Ed Daniel Jr. from our book, Erase Negativity and Embrace the Magic Within.
Ed’s path to success was the same as the principles in many religions – right thought, right speech and right action. One of the areas that proved troublesome in many of Ed’s businesses – particularly the beauty salons – was right speech.
“I absolutely will not tolerate gossip,” said Ed. “I remember once when I was a young man, I started complaining about one of my bosses. My dad stopped me cold and said, “don’t take a man’s money and then talk bad about him.” The same is true about anyone in the workplace. You have to respect one another. Gossip is like a poison. If I hear that an employee is gossiping about another, I give them a strict warning, maybe two. If they do it a third time, they’re out the door.”
Janet, who works as an educator for the same chain of beauty schools that Ed owns, agrees.
“Gossip is not only hurtful, it’s destructive,” said Janet. “Criticism and gossip stops any work environment from being a positive, joyful, fun, fulfilling experience. We can be having a wonderful time at our jobs, then one negative or critical person walks in and everyone seems to follow the negative, feeding frenzy. It’s like inviting ants to a picnic. Unfortunately, what follows is the whole environment turns negative. We find ourselves agreeing with, and even adding to the gossip and criticism that is being tossed about. From there it spreads and fuels the fire of dissention – often beyond repair.”
Janet offered this advice for turning the tide of gossip in the workplace.
“We each have an obligation to stop this vicious cycle of negativity and destruction. When we catch ourselves being critical or wanting to gossip, we need to stop and refuse to allow ourselves to fall into that trap. We may have to work on this for the rest of our lives as the programming is strong and society as a whole tends to be negative. We have to choose not to participate or associate with the people that seem to thrive on the negative side of life. We have to learn to say, “I'm sorry you feel the way you do, but I really can't let your negative attitude interfere with my joy and happiness.” It may be hard at first, but when you hear gossip, you need to have the courage to stop it, or at the very least, learn to walk away.”
If there is a general problem in the workplace, then a person should have the compassion and courage to address it with the individual in question. This can’t happen if you are spreading rumors behind someone’s back.
Here are a few tips on how to reduce negative speech from your life.
ERASE NEGATIVITY
•Don’t gossip about others. Before you speak, imagine the person you are talking about is standing right next to you listening to what you have to say. If you wouldn’t have the courage to say it to their face, or would be embarrassed for them to hear your opinion, don’t say it.
•Be mindful of your intention when you speak or act. Before you say something, imagine someone said the same thing about you. Would you find this information helpful or hurtful? If you wouldn’t feel good hearing it, they probably won’t either. However, if there is something important that needs to be said, try communicating in a compassionate, not authoritarian, manner.
EMBRACE THE MAGIC WITHIN
•Be aware of your thoughts and actions. Think of every good thing you do as dropping a golden coin in a bank, and for every negative cause, you need to take a coin out. At the end of the day, think of how you’re doing and what you need to do to increase your positive behavior.
•When you communicate with others, imagine that your words are going directly from your heart to their heart. The same holds true when you are listening. When you do this, you will find your interactions will be more compassionate. If you find you cannot communicate with someone from that “heartfelt” place, try again when you are in better spirits.
Remember, we can use our words to hurt or to heal. Rabindranath Tagore once said, “Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.”
We don’t need to be poets or philosophers to use our words to inspire others. Thanks to Briannah I don’t think I’ll ever look at the sky and not think of “puppy clouds” and how the very thought of it makes my imaginary tail wag with joy.
“Look at the puppy clouds!” Briannah exclaimed.
Rosannah assumed her sister meant “puffy” clouds so she had a great laugh. Briannah was unaffected by the guffaw. In her world they probably did look like one of her favorite things – puppies.
Briannah is quite a character and says things that make us laugh. Recently, when asked if she had to go to the bathroom she replied.
“I don’t have any poops in my butt. I left them at school.”
As a writer, I love words. They can inspire and elevate your mood, expand your mind, or make you laugh. However, they can also be destructive. The following excerpt is from entrepreneur, Ed Daniel Jr. from our book, Erase Negativity and Embrace the Magic Within.
Ed’s path to success was the same as the principles in many religions – right thought, right speech and right action. One of the areas that proved troublesome in many of Ed’s businesses – particularly the beauty salons – was right speech.
“I absolutely will not tolerate gossip,” said Ed. “I remember once when I was a young man, I started complaining about one of my bosses. My dad stopped me cold and said, “don’t take a man’s money and then talk bad about him.” The same is true about anyone in the workplace. You have to respect one another. Gossip is like a poison. If I hear that an employee is gossiping about another, I give them a strict warning, maybe two. If they do it a third time, they’re out the door.”
Janet, who works as an educator for the same chain of beauty schools that Ed owns, agrees.
“Gossip is not only hurtful, it’s destructive,” said Janet. “Criticism and gossip stops any work environment from being a positive, joyful, fun, fulfilling experience. We can be having a wonderful time at our jobs, then one negative or critical person walks in and everyone seems to follow the negative, feeding frenzy. It’s like inviting ants to a picnic. Unfortunately, what follows is the whole environment turns negative. We find ourselves agreeing with, and even adding to the gossip and criticism that is being tossed about. From there it spreads and fuels the fire of dissention – often beyond repair.”
Janet offered this advice for turning the tide of gossip in the workplace.
“We each have an obligation to stop this vicious cycle of negativity and destruction. When we catch ourselves being critical or wanting to gossip, we need to stop and refuse to allow ourselves to fall into that trap. We may have to work on this for the rest of our lives as the programming is strong and society as a whole tends to be negative. We have to choose not to participate or associate with the people that seem to thrive on the negative side of life. We have to learn to say, “I'm sorry you feel the way you do, but I really can't let your negative attitude interfere with my joy and happiness.” It may be hard at first, but when you hear gossip, you need to have the courage to stop it, or at the very least, learn to walk away.”
If there is a general problem in the workplace, then a person should have the compassion and courage to address it with the individual in question. This can’t happen if you are spreading rumors behind someone’s back.
Here are a few tips on how to reduce negative speech from your life.
ERASE NEGATIVITY
•Don’t gossip about others. Before you speak, imagine the person you are talking about is standing right next to you listening to what you have to say. If you wouldn’t have the courage to say it to their face, or would be embarrassed for them to hear your opinion, don’t say it.
•Be mindful of your intention when you speak or act. Before you say something, imagine someone said the same thing about you. Would you find this information helpful or hurtful? If you wouldn’t feel good hearing it, they probably won’t either. However, if there is something important that needs to be said, try communicating in a compassionate, not authoritarian, manner.
EMBRACE THE MAGIC WITHIN
•Be aware of your thoughts and actions. Think of every good thing you do as dropping a golden coin in a bank, and for every negative cause, you need to take a coin out. At the end of the day, think of how you’re doing and what you need to do to increase your positive behavior.
•When you communicate with others, imagine that your words are going directly from your heart to their heart. The same holds true when you are listening. When you do this, you will find your interactions will be more compassionate. If you find you cannot communicate with someone from that “heartfelt” place, try again when you are in better spirits.
Remember, we can use our words to hurt or to heal. Rabindranath Tagore once said, “Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.”
We don’t need to be poets or philosophers to use our words to inspire others. Thanks to Briannah I don’t think I’ll ever look at the sky and not think of “puppy clouds” and how the very thought of it makes my imaginary tail wag with joy.
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