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Claudia and I were talking recently about the importance of enjoying the process. How we never want to find ourselves waiting to be happy until we reach a certain goal or benchmark.
That’s when Claudia said, “You know, it’s really a pilgrimage. It’s not about different levels, where some people are higher or lower on the ladder. Life is a journey and everyone is just on a different part of the path.”
I couldn’t agree more.
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At one point in my life I was under the impression that change was wrong and if I loved change, it meant something was majorly wrong with me. Unstable, unreliable, and wish-washy were words that routinely ran through my head whenever I considered any major change.
What I have realized since, is I can bring about change in my life through many different avenues. Change doesn’t always have to mean a move across the country, or a job change (although I do these as well).
This is where I have discovered the beauty of a project. I have found projects to be a great way to both bring about healthy change and get awesome things done!
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There is fascinating new research on how our body language actually shapes who we are. We’ve known for a long time that our body language shapes how others see us, but this research shows how our own body language shapes who we are down to the chemical levels in our own brain.
For example, if you sit or stand in a certain way, you will have more confidence and be able to better handle stress.
The research was done by Amy Cuddy who is a social psychologist at the Harvard Business School. As part of her research, she conducted an experiment where she asked people to assume a high-power pose or a low-power pose for two minutes. She then tested their willingness to take risks and evaluated their body chemistry.
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Large souled people learn to give thanks – even for disappointment. They move forward after heartache and avoid the temptation to sit and brood – at least not for long. They realize that all things work together. They learn to adjust course and use what they have instead of complaining about what they lost.
Large souled people know the importance of trying things and learn to let go of expectations. They value lessons learned and refuse to live in regret. They trust the dots will connect somewhere down the road.
They wisely keep their eyes open, their hearts expectant, and without fail, new ideas and opportunities come. With thankfulness, they acknowledge their disappointments have done nothing but make them into deep and robust people with incredible stories to tell.
Want to see this in action? Watch this Ted Talk.
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I do my best to stay energetic, optimistic, and full of life. However, sometimes, for one reason or another, I find myself feeling a little flat. Even when I recognize I’m feeling this way, sometimes it’s difficult to shake it.
I’ve found when I’m feeling a little flat, it helps to shake things up. The change in routine often bumps me out of my slump and gets the juices flowing again.
Below are 25 ways to shake things up and regain your fizz, quite a few of which I’ve done.
photo by thigpen.robert
Sometimes we get stuck. Stuck in anger, or depression, or anxiety. We get stuck in a mindset, a negative way of dealing with life, or in relationships. All this happens and we don’t know how to get unstuck.
When we feel stuck, we replay words over and over in our minds, frustrating words, but never get clarity or any forward momentum. We don’t know how to change the stuck pattern we are in.
I used to feel stuck. Everyday I felt stuck in anger, depression, and regret. I felt stuck in my own head and was frustrated with the lack of answers I found there. I couldn’t seem to do what I really wanted to do, or get a fresh perspective. The same words would run through my head like a record, around, and around, and around. This went on for years.
photo by Richard.Asia
Recently, I ran out to some of the local businesses in our area to drop off receipts for advertising they had done in the program for our music school’s Spring concert. I debated whether or not to mail them and not hassle with actually taking the time to do it in person.
But I decided going in person was a chance for me to get out there and be in front of people again so they’d remember me better and be able to put a face to my name and business.
Well, it turned out to be a positive experience. Many of the business owners were very appreciative of me stopping by and told me to let them know if I do something like this in the future. Not only that, I may have gotten a new client out of it too.
photo by Rising Damp
What is your life’s message? Do you know? Few of us actually see clearly enough to know what our life’s message is, let alone live it out. Our eyesight is dim at best.
To begin to see our life’s message we must first be able to SEE. So, how do we see?
True seeing requires perspective and clear vision. It requires looking up, looking out, looking past, recreating, remolding, reestablishing, replacing.
Seeing clearer requires QUIET.
photo by pixtawan via freedigitalphotos.net
What do you do when the door to something you’ve been working long and hard on closes? Your business idea flops, you don’t get that breakthrough you were hoping for, your dreams are dashed.
It’s so easy to get stuck in a place of discouragement and feel like you’re the victim. I know, I’ve been there. I’ve learned it is critical to not give up hope. It’s better to believe the door closed for a reason and something better will come along.
A few years ago, Claudia and I were working towards buying the business I was working for at the time. It was a small guitar shop and the owner was looking to sell.
photo credit: wikimedia
I read this sentence about 9 months ago and was affronted by its bluntness. “You don’t understand,” I wanted to yell at the author who wrote it! “That is just the problem, I DON’T have the time to do what I want to do!”
Then an unexpected thought crept into my head. “What if he is right?” I blinked, scowled, and then let the phrase plunk into the depths of my subconscious and waited.
“Is he right? It can’t be that simple! I mean I have real things that are really taking up my time! I don’t even watch TV; how could I be wasting my time?”
On a normal day 4 years ago, my husband Michael and I realized we weren’t living the life we wanted to live. We were living a boring life! So, on a hot weekend in July, we started a new life.
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