-
What If?
What if everything in this life has happened exactly as it was supposed to? What if all the injustices (perceived or real), the missed opportunities, the almosts, the not quites, the coulda woulda shouldas disappeared? And all that remained was life…exactly as it is in the present moment. No regrets. No remorse. No worry about the future. What if the yardstick by which we measured life never came up short? What if our lives were laid before us like a hand of cards? Not to be judged as winning or losing but rather to be played…joyfully…thoughtfully…with great gusto! How would your day be different if it were free from regret, worry, and doubt?…
-
Rule of Three
It’s been said that if you feel surrounded by three or more blockheads, the blockhead is you. (During the holidays, you might convince me to go to four; but under normal circumstances, three is the rule.) In this way, our perspective of others’ behavior is actually a helpful barometer of our own. Some people seem to stay wonderfully on the beam all the time. They don’t get rattled. They don’t “take it personally”. They are unflappable. They seem to have discovered ways to remain tolerant and kind effortlessly. I don’t think it’s effortless. Disclaimer: I’m no expert in this space…but I have learned a few things. I like you best when I’m okay with me. When…
-
Honest Maps
The last week of the year is like the free space on the bingo card of life. Often, we are out of our usual routine. Businesses keep special hours. Folks are traveling or shopping After-Christmas sales. Some use the beginning of the week to recover from a sugar cookie hangover only to exchange cookies for cocktails on New Years Eve. This change in our routine lends itself to some reflection on what we believe–a precursor to resolution setting. What we believe is important, because it is the basis of our actions. What we believe about ourselves is even more important. It informs every interaction we have. When what we believe about ourselves is not current, it’s like we are…
-
No Complaints
“Complaining does not work as a strategy. We all have finite time and energy. Any time we spend whining is unlikely to help us achieve our goals. And it won’t make us happier.” –Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture Nobody likes a whiner. Consider this…most, if not all, of the situations in your life you have had the privilege of creating. Your environs–home and work, the relationships in your life, and even the nature of those relationships are the direct or indirect results of your choices. You’re the chooser. It’s a powerful thing to look around your life and acknowledge that you chose it. At the very least, we choose our response to our situations…if not the situations themselves. Whining for…
-
Messengers
There are times when it seems old friends come out of the woodwork. Your paths cross for some mysterious, karmic reason, and it takes you back in time. Sometimes, it’s not an actual encounter at all–a glimpse of old photograph or a simple turn of phrase, and we become virtual time travelers. Instagram is full of the ubiquitous #TBT. (Does anyone even use hashtags anymore?) Facebook, too, incites rumination with its Year in Review and On This Date functionality. Whatever the trigger, rearview reflections are often useful in considering just how far we’ve come. Or maybe how much farther we’d like to go. At the beginning of 2015, I wrote three goals on my mirror. Run a marathon. Write a book.…
