Words to Live By – 8/1/2022

This is a deep one for a Monday, but the Universe was very insistent that this message needed to be shared.

What kind of world would we have if we stopped and reflected on how what we think, say, and act impacts our HIGHEST good and the highest good of all?

Stop for a moment and think about what that would look like: a world full of people acting in support of not only their highest good but the highest good of all. Making choices that benefit everyone involved. Getting your cake, eating it too, and having enough to share with others.

Ask yourself:

Does it serve your highest good and the good of all others to flip off a driver you think is driving too slowly?

Does it serve your highest good and the good of all others to complain about your job, family, friends, or your government on social media?

Does it serve your highest good and the good of all others to judge the color of someone’s skin, who they worship, or whom they choose to marry?

Before you make your next decision or take your next action that involves yourself and others, stop, take a breath and ask your higher power: God, Buddha, a Tree Spirit, Mother Nature, or whom every you feel connected to as a guiding force, “What serves my highest good and the highest good of all”.

It will take practice and effort but the rewards you will reap will not only benefit you but all of us. It is worth it.

We can build a world where everyone lives in kindness, respect, and harmony. A world where we take care of each other and the planet. A world where we can all be happy being ourselves.

Isn’t THAT the world for which we are all looking ?

Words to Live By – 7/30/2022

We go through life assuming that those we love know that we love them. We think that our words and deeds prove our love. And they do. But how often do we sit down and look a friend or family member in the eye and say with sincerity, “I love you”. Not as often as we should.

So today, pick a friend or a family member (or a complete stranger if you’re so inclined) and with complete presence and genuineness tell them you love them. Tell them why if you choose or simply tell them and leave it at that.

Do it in person if you can or through a video chat, but make a person to person connection.

Don’t require a response back and don’t be upset if they don’t respond the way you think they should. Your purpose in this exercise is to share your feelings with your loved one and the Universe. Your words of love with do a great deal to positively impact both.

Have a happy healthy day and a great weekend!

Kindness Challenge – Week 3

Compliments, we love to get them. But all too often we fail to give them to others.

This week resolve to give at least 2 compliments every day. You can compliment a family member, a friend, an employee, a coworker, or a stranger. The who doesn’t matter. As far as the what, make it honest and heartfelt, don’t just toss out a half-ass compliment because I told you to, do it to show kindness and appreciation. Your kind words will make someone’s day just a bit brighter.

Don’t forget to make some notes in your journal about how this activity made YOU feel.

Don’t forget to “LIKE” us on Facebook!

Kindness Challenge – Week 2

Welcome to week 2 of The Kindness Challenge.

The purpose of this challenge is to spread kindness, love, and appreciation in an effort to make our world a little happier and more peaceful.

My challenge to you this week:

Say “Thank you” to a stranger.

Nothing breeds kindness and goodwill like gratitude. We all love to be told, “thank you” when we have done something for someone else.

This week make it your mission to say, “thank you” to 1 stranger every day.

• Thank the grocery clerk for working
• Thank the woman in the parking lot for putting her cart in the cart corral
• Thank the customer service representative for helping you over the phone
• Thank your bank teller for always greeting you with a smile
• Thank the man in line with you for standing 6 feet away, whatever.

No act is too small to garner a “thank you”.

Have fun with this, get creative, think up different reasons or ways to say, “thank you” to someone you don’t know.

As always you may want to keep journal or some notes about how thanking a stranger made you feel.

Don’t forget to share this challenge with your friends and family!

Do Something Nice for a Stranger

In a world where we are so distracted by our phones, iPads, and Bluetooth ear buds, it is difficult to engage in real human contact. However, humans a social animals. We are designed to interact face to face not text to text. Regular human contact improves our mood and can even help improve self-esteem.

On a similar note, acts of philanthropy, aka giving to others, can also help improve mood and make us feel happier and more positive.

So today, make it your goal to do something nice for a stranger:

• Give a stranger a compliment
• Hold the door for someone, look them in the eye, and say, “Good day”
• Pay for a stranger’s coffee
• Help someone carry groceries

This simple act of kindness is a powerful way make another person’s day brighter and although you may never know, your action could snowball into something even greater for the whole world.

And don’t forget, you’ll feel terrific too!

As always have a happy healthy day and don’t forget to LIKE us on Facebook.

Thought of the Day – 12/19/14

 

            Happy Friday!

Tips for Loving Yourself Through the Holidays

I just read 2 great blog posts about ways to practice self-compassion through the holiday season (and all year) and I thought I would share the links with you.  Both posts have several tips and tricks to help you take care of you.  After all you deserve your own love and kindness just as much as everyone else.

I hope you enjoy them and find them helpful:

http://blogs.psychcentral.com/weightless/2014/12/self-compassion-during-the-holiday-season/

http://blogs.psychcentral.com/weightless/2014/12/other-ways-to-practice-self-compassion-this-holiday-season/

December Wellwork

Season’s greetings!  Happy Holidays!  Merry Christmas!  Happy Hanukkah!  Happy Kwanzaa!  Happy New Year!

‘Tis the holiday season and no matter which holiday you observe some basic themes exist,  the celebration of religion and culture, charity/gift giving, and traditional foods are a few.  In fact, in many ways Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa have more in common than you might realize and it would be worth a few moments of your time to learn a little bit about a different culture’s beliefs and customs.  But, I’ll leave that for you to decide.

The principles of community and charity are the focus for this month’s WellWork exercise.  Over the next month I am encouraging you to increase your connection to your community and practice charity by taking the opportunity to give to a stranger.  Your charity can be as simple as helping another shopper carry packages to her car, offering to shovel snow from a neighbor’s drive or buying coffee for the person in line with you at the coffee shop.  Perhaps you’ll choose to devise a more complex plan of putting together a charity drive or paying for a holiday feast to be delivered to a family in need.  Your charitable endeavors can be as small or as large as you like but practice your acts of charity several times a week (or every day hint, hint).  As you perform your gestures of holiday spirit take time to enjoy the act of giving.  There is no rule that says you should not derive some benefit yourself.  Have fun with this and be creative!

I encourage you to share your altruistic adventures in the comments section below as a means of inspiring others (and to toot your own horn a bit).

Enjoy the season, help others enjoy it as well and be safe!

Until next time, have a happy healthy day!

Advice from Socrates

This is a great story attributed to Socrates with a message that is more important today than ever:

One day, a man rushed up to Socrates, saying, “I have some news to tell you!”

Socrates put up his hand to stop the excited man.

“First let me ask you three questions,” Socrates said.

“Okay,” said the man

Socrates asked, “Is the news you are about to tell me something you personally know to be true?”

“Well, no,” replied the man.  “I heard it from a good source though.”

“Let’s go to the second question,” Socrates said.  “Is the news you want to tell me about someone you know personally?”

“Well, no,” the man said.  “But I think you know the person.”

“I see,” said Socrates.  “Then let me ask you my final question.  Is this news positive or negative?”

“Well, it’s negative,” replied the man.

“Let me see,” said the wise Socrates.  “You want to tell me some news that you don’t personally know to be true, about someone you don’t know, and the news is negative.”

“Well, it sounds bad when you put it like that,” said the man.

“I think I’ll pass,” Socrates replied.

Be honest.  How many times have we done this very thing?  Enthusiastically shared information or news about someone when we don’t know the facts, circumstances or possibly even the person we are talking about.  Even worse how often do we then make judgments about those individuals based on what we think we know?

The next time you are tempted listen to someone gossip, judge or criticize another person take a moment to think back on the sage Socrates and say, “I think I’ll pass.”