inspirational – Page 6

Take a Deep Breath

Today, I decided to take a walk out in nature after having been down with a cold and being cooped up in my place for little over a week. I was miserable to say the least. Stepping outside, I realized that there was a chill in the air so I put on a thicker jacket and made my way to the fields and open spaces. Freedom from my thoughts was what I was seeking as it suddenly dawned on me that the cold had not only robbed me of my strength by my good mood as well. Normal? Well, I was going to mend, come hell or high water!

I found myself all alone out in the open with only the birds and a duck or two for company. The fields looked empty having been robbed of their normal output of corn, potatoes and whatever else the farmers had thought was a necessity for human or animal consumption. The wind picked up speed and I pulled my jacket closer around me. Is it that time of year again? The time when summer takes leave and fall comes in almost on silent feet? It is one of my favourite seasons and I felt myself relaxing. Summer with its blazing heat and all that comes with it especially the “sweat it out” part was never my cup of tea.

I kept my eyes focused but on nothing in particular. It was just wonderful to be out in familiar territory and I noticed that the apples were halfway harvested which meant we still had a while to go before fall walks in and takes its rightful place.

It seems that nature has a way of taking care of itself. It knows when the sweet apple blossoms should show up, they then give way to apples and when not picked, fall to the ground and make way for the next season to begin with very little fanfare. Humans know about progression too but we often fight it every step of the way. Why is that? Perhaps fighting is in our nature and God forbid if something becomes too easy. Nope, we can’t have that.

I spent the week bundled up feeling miserable and to make matters worse, I decided to take a look at all the things that were not so right in my world. Take it from me, never do that when you’re not feeling well. It’s the easiest way to stumble, fall and go to the depths of depression. That’s exactly what happened. Suddenly all the progress I had made the last few months came to a screeching halt and I was crying, “Poor me!” in no time at all. Add to that the constant nose blowing and nothing tastes quite right feeling and you’ve got the picture I think. Self-pity is often self-serving and it does its job well.

I went from a simple cold to my whole world is messed up! How did that happen? Well, humans have a knack for botching things up. We can take something small and blow it out of the water. Building mountains out of molehills is my expertise BUT I might let it go for a while and than I reel it back in as I am doing now.

The sun feels great on my face and the world is righting itself back into normalcy again. Taking a deep breath, I make my way back thanking nature for having come to my rescue again. It’s going to be an amazing day.

“The difference between a mountain and a molehill is your perspective.” Unknown

AND

“A molehill can only become a mountain if you give it the power to grow.” Unknown

Stay Calm, Stay Focused

Staying calm and focused when your mind tells you otherwise is normal. It is human nature. My mind goes haywire and jumps around like a monkey when I’m stressed or I have to concentrate on what is before me and what needs to get done. Oftentimes I need to take a step back, go within myself to find the strength in silence and to focus on what I need to do to move on. It doesn’t always work but it does work if I stay focused.

“The ability to remain calm and focused on what truly matters is a superpower.” Unknown

Be like the tree that has weathered many storms and is still standing. It takes practice and a certain kind of mindset to weather a storm, any storm. If you’ve never worked a day in your life and the time has come to find a job, to get independent and to stand on your own two feet, you tend to lose focus because the unknown is formidable. However, with each fall you take, you gain the strength and the know how to get back up and to keep moving. Time, focus, calm and lots of practice makes it possible and soon you will be standing like that tree, strong and unshakeable in any storm. Breathe and keep moving. Standing still is never the answer.

“Breathe darling. This is just a chapter. It’s not your whole story.” S. C. Lourie

Stay focused but not on the wrong things. I can’t do this is not one of them. This is way too scary is not one of them. The ‘monster’ is too hard to slay is not one of them. Focus on finding the positive within the negative. Be prepared to put one foot in front of the other but whatever you do, do not take the easy way out or rather the coward’s way out and give up. It is easy to give up but much harder to step into an unknown arena and to win the day. YOU CAN DO THIS!

“Sometimes you need to slow down, remain calm, and simply let life happen. Take a deep breathe and focus on the simple important things: you are alive, you are breathing, you are enough as you are. You got this.” Unknown

Finally, tell the monkey in your brain that keeps dragging you all over the place with no end in sight to take a hike! Breathe, calm yourself down and stay focus on what you need to do to make it. YOU’VE GOT THIS!

Have an amazing day.

Life Happens

“I’ve learned over and over that life happens on its own terms, not mine.” Kate Walsh

Ms. Walsh is absolutely right in that respect. Life happens as it happens and most times you have no control over it whatsoever. What fun is there in having a crystal ball to show you everything before it comes knocking on your door right? Well, I for one think it might just make life a tad easier but no luck there. Life happens and you’ll just have to deal with whatever comes your way whether you want to or not.

“Life happens,” is an idiom used to express that there are things we can’t control, foresee or prepare for. The future is unknown, and anything could happen.

According to Sarah Pierson of Huffingtonpost, here are some tips on how to make life happen instead of just letting it happen to you.

Create a timeline of the things you most want to experience or accomplish. Basically have some goals and go out and get them done.

Take risks. I’m not a risk taker so this is hard for me. However, taking risks is the way to go according to Ms. Pearson. You need to get yourself out there in order to overcome the fears of facing life head-on.

Invest in people. Investing your time in people is well worth the effort it seems because the rewards are plenty. It is time well-spent, cuts back on loneliness and it gets you out there in this great big world of ours.

Learn to let go of that which you cannot control and to adapt. This is another hard one for me. Letting go has never been my forte and adapting, well, that’s right up there with one of the hardest things to do! I am willing to give it a go.

Seek advice from those who are living life fully. This is a good one. Learning by example is never a bad idea.

Travel

Learn not to compare. If you’re always comparing yourself to someone who has more than you, who looks better than you or someone who just seems to have it altogether, you’ll never get a handle on your own life because you’ll always be hoping and wishing instead of bringing the focus back to you and that is where it needs to be to move forward.

“Be available for life to happen.” Bill Murray

In order for life to happen, you’ve got to start making life happen. If it’s a job you want, make a plan. It’s not going to fall into your lap, you’ve got to move to make it happen. Read up on the best interview strategies. Find out how you can hone your skills to come across as the best candidate for the job. Spruce up your appearance, those old ratty pair of jeans and seen better days t-shirts will have to go. Invest in some good clothes. It matters. Finding a job in this fast-paced and dog eat dog world is never easy and daunting to say the least but with hard work, dedication and effort, you can land the job of your dreams. Never give up and you are almost a winner!

If it’s a relationship you want, get rid of the no gooders. Period. If they don’t contribute to your life, get rid of them. If you’re looking for that perfect someone, it starts with you. Do your homework and find out what it is that you want. There is no such thing as ‘perfect’ but you’ll get pretty close if you’re willing to settle for mutual respect, love and honesty. The rest will fall in place.

If it’s happiness you’re looking for, you’ll have to do the work here as well. Nothing is ever handed to you on a silver platter. Know what makes YOU happy and go out and find it. Easier said than done? Well, yes but there is no other way unfortunately.

“Life happens to all of us. It’s not what happens to us, but how we respond to what happens to us that really decides if we’re going to be victims or if we’re going to get and have everything we’ve ever dreamed of.” Eric Thomas

Finally, get to know yourself. Spend time with yourself to find out what it is that you want. If it’s one or all of the things mentioned above but you don’t know where to start, have no fear because you are fully capable of figuring it out. You know what makes you tick, what makes you happy so don’t just let life happen, make it happen the way you want it. If it scares you, you’re not alone. Join the club!

“No matter what happens, you can get through the day. Inhale. Focus on the word, ‘relax.’ Exhale. Say, ‘I can do this! And then do it.” Ace Antonio Hall