I attended an interesting workshop at the Baton Rouge Unity Church a few weeks ago about Effective Communication facilitated by Charles Frost. I was surprised to learn about his belief that “Why” may be the most damaging word in the English language. Charles explained that the word “Why” often puts people on the defensive because of negative experiences they had as children. For example, they may have been asked “why did you do that?” Or they may have received responses to “why” questions like “because I said so.” He suggested replacing “Why” with “How is it possible”. Read the rest of this entry ?
Archive for the ‘Personal Growth’ Category
Pay Attention to Your Words
January 21, 2012
Heeding Your Body’s Signals
January 12, 2012As I sit here at my desk, I can hear the whoosh of cars driving by on the main road outside my door. It’s been raining, so, the sound is louder, and it’s carrying better because it’s night time. I’m pretty tired, because I’ve been working hard on a project for work that has to be completed tomorrow and presented. But more than anything, Read the rest of this entry ?
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Celebrate and When You Cannot, Appreciate
January 11, 2012
Image via Wikipedia
“Celebrate!” is our theme for these first months of 2012. In Louisiana, we celebrate food and music with various festivals all year and we like to parade on holidays. Just a few days ago I thought I would be celebrating my college football team’s championship victory but I am not. LSU did not win the BCS Championship game on Monday night. No parade or rally to attend, just feeling disappointed immediately after.
I, like many fellow fans, have focused on what went wrong in the game and the sad feeling of defeat. For awhile, I lost sight of the fact that LSU went undefeated until this championship game and is 13-1 for the season. I forgot this year’s football team is being called one of LSU’s best teams in history and is expected to be even better next year. I was letting this one game take away what there is to appreciate until someone pointed out that LSU beat 7 of the teams who celebrated victories in college bowl games this season, including the University of Alabama team we met again for this game. LSU played in the championship game and is ranked #2, which is something we don’t see every year.
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Motivation and Follow-Through
January 6, 2012
Photo by Lisa Mayers Houff
Paths clear for those who know where they’re going and are determined to get there. ― Anonymous
Seeing this quote at the beginning of 2012 is just what I needed to remind me that when I’ve been passionate about what I want and focus on it, the way has opened. Lately I’ve been spinning my wheels on a few goals and this made me step back and review my stumbling. Am I going for what I really want? If so, am I determined in my actions?
As I pondered my motivation, I came across this blog post by Peter Bregman at HBR: “Your Problem Isn’t Motivation.” Aha! The challenge isn’t motivation, it’s follow-through, Bregman points out. Read the rest of this entry ?
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Musing on a New Year: 2012
January 1, 2012
Image via Wikipedia
2012 is here. It came with fanfare and parties. But now it’s here with us, and unlike a party guest, it’s not going away for a year.
In my neck of the woods, it’s a beautiful day. The sun is shining, it’s a tad windy, but the temperature is in the mid-fifties. Lots of folks are out and about. I’ve been watching them come and go from my spot at my local Star Bucks bar. They are chipper, and giving “Happy New Year!” salutations. The roads are also busy with cars, as people are moving about and getting on with their lives.
So, I can’t help but think about the doomsday predictions for this year, given Read the rest of this entry ?
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Treasure Your Desires into the New Year
December 31, 2011
As 2012 dawns, I wish for everyone to experience more abundance, peace, love, and joy every day. I hope prosperity and peace increase for you individually, collectively through your communities, and around the world. I desire for us all to contribute more and more to making the world a better place by first creating our own inner peace, which will flow outward to everyone around us.
I was intrigued to recently learn two variations of the new year’s practice of releasing those things you desire to let go of and choosing what to bring forward into the new year. The details are different, but each variation focuses on identifying what’s working and what’s not working in your life so you can consciously create a new year filled with more joy. I prefer this practice to simply making resolutions because I believe letting go creates the space for new possibilities and opportunities, and focusing on our intentions is the first step to bringing what we desire into our lives. Read the rest of this entry ?
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Evolving Through the Changes in Life
December 29, 2011
Recently I came across a handheld solitaire game I played in 2003. I marveled at how technology has changed because now I play solitaire on an iPhone that also performs a hundred other tasks. Back in 2003 I had a portable CD player but now I listen to music on my iPhone, too. I could have taken the picture in this post with my phone. It’s stunning to think about the changes in less than a decade though I don’t often focus on the leaps being made. I’m just using my iPhone and not using these other things. Technological advancement is wonderful and I’m glad of the reminder that our lives and the things around us evolve and change (mostly) for the better. I want to embrace new things and not view change as a threat, though it may feel uncomfortable at times. Read the rest of this entry ?
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You Might Call Me the Grinch This Year
December 23, 2011
Christmas is coming. Nothing will stop it. Nothing will diminish it. Nothing will change it. It will be here on Sunday. “Fah-who-foraze, Dah-who-doraze, welcome Christmas, come this way.” But, like The Grinch, there are those who don’t relish the idea of dealing with it. For various reasons, they don’t want to hear the songs, see the advertisements, share in the festivities, or revel in the joy that can be had.
It is a difficult time for those who have lost loved ones, who have no “home” to go to, whose families are torn apart for whatever reason. For people who are alone, it can be one of the worst and most lonely times of year.
Even I find myself in an odd emotional place this year…
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More Permission – Because Sometimes We Just Need It.
December 15, 2011
Image by postbear via Flickr
Following in Rebecca’s vein, I hereby give you permission to take some time off, or just to take some time for yourself! You are free to get out or stay in whichever one entails taking care of yourself, and your needs. Where ever you work, the place won’t fold because you’re not there for a day. Whatever your family life, there is a way to find time to yourself. Unplug from the computer, lock the door, turn your cell phone off – take some time OFF. It’s yours to take!
Permission to Say No
December 12, 2011I hereby support your decision to say NO to anything you don’t want to do. If you need “permission” then here it is: it’s okay to say NO to any party you don’t want to attend, any holiday task you don’t want to do, and any expectation you no longer want to continue.
This is what I had to tell myself recently when I was in the middle of doing something that was growing less enjoyable and more burdensome. If only I had said no when first asked to ride on a float in the local Christmas parade. I wish I had been more candid with my friend in the beginning about my lack of enthusiasm. I’ve ridden in lots of parades before, so that novelty has faded. Plus I knew it was likely to be cold weather and I’m recovering from a respiratory infection.
And now it had snowballed into many hours of last-minute work in cold weather to decorate the float and once it was done, I thought to myself, “I don’t care about riding in this parade.” I just wanted to go home, relax and be warm. So I did and decided not to ride in the parade.
