Wow. It was a fully lived day, I can say that. A day full of comforting a feverish little boy. I will report that I did get to brush my teeth, so horray for that!
I can say that after two days of restless fussing and a big blowout in the diaper, we are back to being one happy family! Funny how wonderful a poopy diaper can be!
The day in and of itself was beautiful however. Crisp, sunny with a slight breeze that made me think fondly of summers growing up in the country.
My day didn’t go as planned, to say the least, but as the realization dawned on me that my usual two hour nap break was only going to be 20min, I faced the fact head on and realized that all of life is this way, unpredictable. I said to myself, “You gotta roll with the punches.”
And it’s true, you do. If I would get down every time something doesn’t go “as planned,” I would be in a bad mood constantly. If I let my feelings of frustration control my mood, then who knows where I would end up emotionally… probably going on a rant about something or someone.
It’s not worth it.
So we got up from the disappointing nap situation and choose to still have a good day. And, I can honestly say, “We did!”
I am still amazed by the fact that I control my own thoughts and emotions and can guide them to better or worse places depending on what I choose to focus on.
Happy day to each of you!
Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be. – Abraham Lincoln
Question: How was your day?
Sounds like quite the day Claudia! Glad to hear your son is feeling better.
Yesterday was pretty good. Work was calm. Got a new blog post written and scheduled. My dogs behaved. And got in a difficult but much needed run.
Awesome Joe!
So, do you write your posts way in advance and schedule them out or as they are needed??
Right now I’m working towards getting posts written in advance. This will create a nice buffer as I dig into creating an eBook. It also allows me to have content in case I see an opportunity for a guest post on another site.
I’m kind of enjoying having them scheduled in advance as it decreases the stress of having to write a blog post that day(or the night before as I used to do it).
Joe, what will your ebook be about? And will you put it on Kindle or just offer via download?
One will be a download, 10 or 11 leadership tips, followed up by a Kindle version of 101 leadership tips. At least that’s what I’m gunning for right now.
Also tossing around the idea of a book on getting hired at the job you want. We’ll see about that, it may be on the backburner for now.
definitely decreases the stress. We are working on doing the same 🙂
Love that you are going to do an e-book Joe! Very excited for you!
It’s definitely freeing isn’t it? With Memorial Day and the summer season upon us, I can see it only being more so.
Thanks! I’ll for sure let you guys know when it’s ready and out.
It’s definitely freeing isn’t it? With Memorial Day and the summer season upon us, I can see it only being more so.
Thanks! I’ll for sure let you guys know when it’s ready and out.
Claudia your post was timely for me! Last week was an extremely difficult week – some personal issues including that my father-in-law is terminally ill and some surprising and upsetting things at work plus a mouse in the house (yes, we got rid of squirrels and then had a mouse!) all seemed to just weigh on me like a boulder. I got to the point of dreading checking my work email – cringing everytime the business phone rang – feeling like I just couldn’t take it and I found myself complaining. It hit me that the more I talked about it in a negative, worrying, complaining way – the worse I felt and the worse it was becoming! I stopped and got hold of myself and reminded myself of just what you said – I control what I think and my emotions and they were going to get in line. Once I took that step of faith – it was almost amazing how much better I felt and how much more smoothly the days went. So in answer to your question – My day yesterday was great and I expect more of the same today!
Ann,
Awesome! Sometimes I have to grab myself by the shoulders (in my head) and give them a good shake and then say, “What I meant to think – or say was…” and that gets me going down a better path.
So glad you felt better and your day went better.
I’m so sorry to hear about your father-in-law! What is his illness? Is there a lot of family around for support?
Claudia thank you so much for your support – he’s had a rough go over the last few years – he has had 2 bouts of bladder cancer, kidney cancer and now has a brain tumor. He’s going to be 90 in November so his age is working against him. It’s hard to watch him decline and see the effect on my husband, his brothers and our kids – but this too is part of life. Just not easy. He lives near his other 2 sons so they have the bulk of his care. We are about 3 hours away – but he is never alone thank God.
Ann,
That would be very rough for anyone!!
It really is very hard to watch anyone decline from the truly alive person they were. I will pray for your husband and his siblings that they would have peace and know how to support their father during this time.
That is so nice of you, Claudia – thank you.
That is so nice of you, Claudia – thank you.
Claudia,
I agree. When I let my circumstances rule my thoughts and mood, I can get more and more negative. I hate that. Just this morning, coming to work, I was saying a prayer as I usually do every morning, and I was asking God to help remind me everytime I get on that negative role to stop. I know when I speak positively about someone or something that’s going on in my life, I immediately feel better about that person or event. Focusing on the positive instead of the negative makes my days so much better. Yesterday I was starting to go down that negative road, but today I’m not. I’m going to focus on the good today! Thanks for your insight!
Donna,
Your welcome!
I know… It is a spiral!!!! Michael did a good drawing about that in one post a long time ago called the negativity spiral…
I’m sure you will have a very meaningful day by focusing on what you are grateful for!
How is your project going?
Claudia,
Still working on it! I’ve got my house for sale. Just put it up two days ago, for sale by owner. Hoping it will sell quick. Once that’s done, then my goal is to get a new job in North Carolina where I want to move. I’d love for the job to come along about the time the house sells so I could just move there directly. (That’s what I’m praying for 🙂 ) In the job search, I’m also trying to decide what I really want to do. I know what I like to do but at this point I can’t seem to make enough money from that to make a living.
Thanks for asking. I’m glad your son is better too. You guys are awesome.
Donna
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Donna,
This is awesome!! I am so excited for you!!! Will your move be far?? Have you always dreamed of living in North Carolina?
I will also pray that your job search goes quickly… what do you really want to do??
Wow… all I can say is, “I am so excited to see where your journey takes you!!” Keep us updated… I would love to hear what you are learning along the way!
Claudia, Thanks! I fell in love with coastal North Carolina about 10 years ago and have been working to get there ever since. I had to get my kids raised and out on their own, which I have and so now it’s my time. I am a registered nurse by training but have not worked in clinical nursing for over 10 years. I work as a medical underwriter for an insurance company. I really don’t know what I want to do! I’m not old enough to retire and still need to work to live. I’ve had tons of ideas but nothing yet that I can live on 🙂 I also don’t know how to get someone in North Carolina to give me a chance when I am still living in Tennessee. I really have to have a job just to be able to move there. So that’s the big “HOW” right now. I’d love any suggestions your readers might have. Donna
Donna,
Thinking about how we could crowdsource this for you… I’ll see what I can come up with.
That is one of my all time favorite quotes. I found a rare book about Lincoln’s life by Dale Carnegie, “Lincoln the Unknown” and read it several years back. You can’t even imagine the conditions he grew up in – almost ANY day in those circumstances would be a chore to me. In addition, he had a domineering (and thought to be mentally ill) wife that drove him nuts. And he brings out this quote. Amazing – reading this week in the “On Purpose Person” at how if a person doesn’t realize the “ebbs and flows” of life, it can take them out when they have a string of bad days. Everyone does, but know that better days are ahead!
Way too often Claudia, my attitude for the day is determined by those of my wife and daughter. If either are having a particularly rough day for any reason, my attitude can easily go south.
Same here Michael!
But… I am changing it, and I can see the benefits already!
I am beginning to be obsessed with Lincoln… and I heard about that book by Carnegie. Thanks for the reminder!
I experienced some disheartening criticism the other day and remembered that Lincoln talked a lot about how to handle what other people say about you etc. so I went straight to the library and got an audiobook on Lincoln. So excited to start it! It gives me encouragement that anyone can change the course of their life because he did… and look where it took him!
Incredible.
Thanks for the reminder about the ebbs and flows of life… that is so important to remember!! Jim Rohn talks about it as seasons and either way it is powerful. Nothing lasts forever on this earth!
Blessings on your day Michael!
I love this, Claudia! I know that we all have bad times, but our happiness and attitude is truly a personal decision. There’s always someone out there that has it worse than we do. This reminds me of a podcast that I listened to this evening from One Extraordinary Marriage. It was talking about how our spouse shouldn’t have to make us “happy.” If we rely on them, we’ll never be happy because no one’s perfect. They pointed out how happiness should be something that we have inside of us.
I was actually having a conversation the other day with someone about “morning people” and those who aren’t. They asked me if I was a morning person. This person knew me quite well, so I asked them when the last time was that they saw me in a bad mood. They thought for a second, and commented that they really never saw me in a bad mood. I don’t say this to brag on myself at all, but to point out that just because I’m in a good mood most of the time doesn’t mean that things are always great in my life. They aren’t! I just make a choice to be happy, because if I don’t it just adds “insult to injury.”
Great thoughts, and keep up the good work!
Ryan,
That was an awesome comment 🙂 Truly appreciate your support!
We were actually talking about that exact thing tonight (depending on a spouse to make us “happy”) It is so easy to fall into that trap… and it is lethal to a marriage! I am just a girl and he is just a guy and we get the joy of sharing our journey together.
Moods are another wonderful topic in and of themselves. They are like fog. So thick at times you can hardly believe there is anything outside of the fog, and then suddenly it is gone. A wise man you are… not to be ruled by them…
Lol! And thanks, Claudia! You all are awesome, as well!