Thought For Today - September

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A Holiday State of Mind

When we return from our holidays, most often, there's a spring in our step, a sparkle in our eyes, we're feeling good, feeling relaxed. But how long before that holiday feeling fades? Here are 4 ways to make that holiday state of mind last a little longer:

1. Put your holiday photos and mementos around so that you can easily recall those holiday feelings.
2. Often we return with fresh perspectives and clarity for the changes we’d like to make. Create reminders to remind you.
3. Do something fun and relaxing regularly, or, turn one routine activity into something exciting.
4. Just as everything is wonderful when you're on holiday, appreciate the wonder of everything around you.

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Someone Else's Anger

When someone is angry, it's probably best to avoid getting angry in return, reacting defensively, or telling the other person to calm down. If the person is really angry, it's probably best to get away from them and let them be, but sometimes it's best to listen and hear them out. And if you need to get your point across, it's probably best to wait till they've cooled off.

How do you respond to someone else's anger? Are you able to stay calm in the eye of other people's storms?

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Nurture, Not Neglect

Are you neglecting yourself, your health or your personal development? Neglect yourself and over time this affects your mental, emotional and physical well-being. Now neglect doesn't happen overnight. It usually starts with small things and gradually expands into several other areas.

Come on, stop neglecting and start nurturing. Because whatever you nurture, thrives. So give yourself a high priority, nurture yourself and the benefits will spill over into all areas of your life.

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Turn Rejection into Direction

No-one likes being rejected, whether it’s in matters of the heart, work or life. But it does happen. Rather than feel frustrated because things aren't going in the direction you want it to go, accept. Then work out a) what went wrong, b) what to do better for the next time, and c) if what you want, is not what's best for you.

Take your lessons from the rejection, and turn them into stepping stones towards a direction that’s right for you.

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Comparison to Compassion

Compare yourself to others? Comparison can be a source of motivation. But it can also leave you feeling inferior or superior - and both these states devalue yourself and the other person.

How about changing comparison to compassion. With compassion, you can value yourself and the other person. Value the uniqueness, the talents, the experiences, the contributions. Then instead of striving to be as good as or better than the other person, you can strive to be the best person you can be.

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The Art of Patience

What cannot be achieved with pressure can easily be achieved with patience. Patience gives you the time to chip away at your dream and turn it into a reality. It tells you not to push, not to rush; there is a reason and a season for everything. And when things go wrong, patience tempers the feeling of failure and buffers the heart. It teaches you to keep your cool. A cool head knows when to wait and when to act.

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Obligation or an Option?

Often we do things not because we want to, but because we feel obligated. Doing things out of obligation creates a sense of burden and resentment.

Why not, shift obligations to options. Even when you're obliged to do certain things, you still have an option. Approach things as options, not as obligations and see how that changes how you feel.

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Swap, Not Stop

If you're trying to stop an unwanted habit, stop. It's quite difficult to stop doing something altogether. You may just find it easier to swap than to stop.

Swap an unwanted habit with a habit you would like to develop. For example, swap crisps for celery, cucumber or carrot sticks. Swap chocolates with currants, berries and nuts. Swap criticism for compliments. Swap fizzy pop for fresh mint lime water.

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Like a Jigsaw Puzzle

Sometimes life is like a jigsaw puzzle. We don't always see the big picture coming together. We may try to make things fit where they simply don’t belong. We may get anxious when there’s a piece missing. But we just have to be patient and persistent.

And just as each piece of a jigsaw puzzle is important in creating the big picture, each moment in life has a place and purpose.

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Uncomfortable, Unknown, Unfamiliar

Have you outgrown the known? Are you feeling stagnant in your comfort zone? No longer enjoying the familiar?

How about, venturing into the uncomfortable, unknown and unfamiliar? Even if it feels a bit bewildering and daunting, try to embrace the uncomfortable, get curious about the unknown, discover the familiar in the unfamiliar, and you'll most likely expand your capacity and potential.

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Pockets of Silence

Noise. It’s everywhere. But you can still bring pockets of silence into your noisy world. How? Well, you don't have to escape the noise or enforce silence. Silence is within us, it's in our soul. So we can feel and experience the silence within, even in the midst of noise, in the stressful work environment, in a loud coffee shop, or on the crowded streets.

Simply bring pockets of silence into your world. And as result, you'll increase your self awareness and focus, create space for solutions and aha moments, and enjoy the sounds in the noise.

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Know Your Weaknesses

Do you know your weaknesses? Behaviors and attitudes that hold you back? To find your weaknesses: a) Think about your behaviors and attitudes that may have contributed to your past failures. b) Think about your behaviors that cause distress to yourself and others.

Now list your main weaknesses. If you find it difficult to sum them up, find someone you trust to give you honest feedback.

Know your weaknesses, not to undermine your self-esteem, but to gain a better awareness of yourself. Then you can a) manage your weaknesses better, and b) decide if you want to make improvements or even turn weaknesses into strengths.

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Summer’s End

Summer – it’s a time of abundance, to enjoy the summer sun, flowers and fruits … but, summer, like everything else, doesn’t last forever. If summer was forever, all the energy and potential would reach its limits and inertia would set in. And so slowly but surely, the cycle turns; everything moves on. Everything has its own time; its own season. Remember, the end of something good, means the start of something also good. All you have to do is be connected and in tune with the natural flow of natures energies.

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Tips for Making Decisions A Little Easier

From the moment we wake up, until we go to bed, we're constantly making decisions. Despite it being a common activity, most of us struggle with decision-making. Make, making decisions a little easier with these 3 tips:

1. Decision Deadline. Set a time limit on your decision making process.
2. Quick but don't rush. Know when to make swift decisions & when to think things through.
3. Decide not to decide. Not because it's easier but because it's sensible.

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See Like An Artist

Most often, the way we see things is not the way things are but the way we think they are.

To see things more clearly, see like an artist. Put aside what you think and really observe and notice all the little details and subtleties, the textures and tones, the light and colours, the shadows and shapes.

See like an artist and notice if it changes how you see things.

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In the Middle of Stress

When you're in the middle of stress, stop for a few seconds or minutes and give yourself some breathing space.

Breathe. Breathe in through your nose for a count of three and then out through your mouth for a count of three. Pause and repeat three times.

Breathing will trigger relaxation. And this will help you put things into perspective and handle the situation with a calmer state of mind.

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Thought About Contentment

Have you recently thought about contentment? Here's a thought: Contentment doesn't mean no drive, no goals. It's not a bland acceptance of life.

Contentment means having your eye on the goal, having the drive to go for what you want, but at the same time, there's a happy acceptance of everything.

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Check In, Not Check Up

Are you good at regularly checking in with people? With family, friends and people at work?

Check in with people and find out what's happening and how things are going. Check in, not check-up. Checking up doesn't instil trust or create a good feeling. Whereas checking in, is less intrusive and pushy, more positive and friendly. It allows you to stay in the loop and on top of things, as well as make people feel valued and sustain relationships.

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Everyday Greetings

Hi! Hola! Bonjour! Ni Hao! Ciao! Namaste! No matter where we are in the world, being greeted is like a ray of sunshine, it just lifts our spirits and gets a smile out of us. So why not bring a smile to others through a simple greeting?

The absence of a greeting may make the other person wonder if I’m upset with them or if they've done something to upset me. So as much as possible, don't wait for others to greet you, greet them first. And when you greet, make eye contact, smile and greet them by name (if you know it).

Go on, greet others around you, everyday.

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Forgive Yourself

Replaying your mistakes and failures over and over again doesn’t help you nor does it change what happened. To stimulate growth and positive change, you have to forgive yourself. This helps you learn from your mistakes and failures. Find the lesson, then put a full stop to the past and move on.

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Creating a Sacred Space

Would you like to have your very own sacred space in your home? Well, you can. Find a place in your home, a corner of a room, & create a space for you. You can keep it minimal or fill it with things that inspire, plants, flowers, paintings, photos, candles... Make your space sacred by making it a digital free zone & creating positive & powerful thoughts for yourself, others & the world.

Now, what will you do in your sacred space? Well, you can write, draw, read, meditate or just sit for a bit.

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Starting Somewhere New

When you start working somewhere new, it can be exciting & challenging.

To get settled into your new role & fit into the new environment, confidently ask questions & learn as much as you can, not just the new skills but what's acceptable & what's expected of you. Be ready to work collaboratively with others, develop new routines & embrace new experiences.

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Best of You

Do you compare yourself to others? Why? It could be because you want to gauge how you are doing in comparison, or it could be just plain force of habit.

Find out why you compare yourself to others. If what you really want is to nourish the best in you, then the best person to compare yourself to, is you. Gauge how you compare to your own potential, then you can strive to bring out the best of you.

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Try Kindness

When you're feeling under pressure, you may find that kindness helps. How? When you're being kind, you'll find that the act of kindness takes a moment, whether it's picking up something someone dropped, lending a pen to someone or smiling at someone. In that moment, you're slowing down for a positive interaction and this reduces the feeling of pressure.

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Life's Tall Orders

Every so often, life presents us with a tall order - a situation that seems so difficult & one that occupies our mind so completely that we just can't see over or around it.

Next time you come across one of life's tall orders, try to either: a) rise above it & take a bird's eye view, or, b) stand back & view it from a distance.

From either of these viewpoints you can look at the bigger picture, get a better perspective & see how to overcome the tall order & move forward in life.

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Like the Lotus Flower

The lotus flower is a symbol of purity and resilience. Its roots are in the mud but it rises above the muddy waters, to grow into a pure, bright and beautiful flower.

Like the lotus flower, be grounded in the realities of life and let life enrich you to grow into something more beautiful.

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Positive Affirmation

Notice how many times you put yourself down during the day. Include what you think and say, even words spoken in jest. Pay particular attention to how you react to your mistakes and poor choices. Instead of putting yourself down, affirm positive messages about yourself. Treat yourself gently and with respect. You deserve it. Think of yourself as a child who is learning to walk; you need encouragement – not criticism.

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How to Take Criticism

The key to taking criticism constructively is taking criticism gracefully.

When criticized, pause your reaction, calm your emotions & then respond gracefully. Take criticism gracefully & better your ability to constructively deconstruct the criticism. Take the helpful tips & discard the rest.

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Thank You ...gonna add that to my spiritual tool box...right next to the Q-Tips

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What Will You Sacrifice to Achieve Your Goals?

It is good to have goals. To achieve our goals, sometimes there’s a sacrifice we have to pay in the short term. But even then, we can determine what we're willing to sacrifice, for how long, & what we’re not willing to sacrifice.

To prioritize what's important, sometimes we have to be flexible with our goals. But even if this delays our achievements, often, in the long term, it pays off.

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Where is Your Place of Residence?

Like a filing cabinet, the past is a source of information for learning but it's not a place to live; a place of reference, not a place of residence.

Learn your lessons from the past and file it away. Visit the filing cabinet and refer to the past when necessary.

Make the ‘present’ your place of residence and experience the happiness and the possibilities that life has to offer.