Can You Answer This? Name something about yourself that you are proud of.
We all have wonderful gifts and personality traits that are unique. Can you name something about yourself that you are proud of? Did you graduate at the top of your class? Maybe you won a medal in gymnastics. You are always the person people confide in because you are a good listener. Generosity may be your thing and you have a big heart.
Name the thing that you are most proud of and feel good about. Don’t be shy. It is healthy to toot your own horn and big yourself up; every so often. Give yourself some flowers because if you don’t, who will? Right?
Celebrate you, feel good about yourself.
We have different aspirations in life so no matter if you think it is a small thing, pat yourself on the back, hug yourself. You deserve it and do not diminish your accomplishments in life. If you purchased your first home; big yourself up. If you started your own business, kudos! The new book you published; well done!! Celebrate yourself. If not today, when?
A few points to help us get rid of unhealthy, useless energy in our lives. The emotional baggage that weighs us down. Time to release the weight.
Holding Grudges
We have all done this at one time or another. Admit it. The thing about grudges is that it keeps us stuck in that moment, the past. No one is suggesting not to get upset or angry. Yes, get angry and/or upset about the situation or person. Have your moment and then release it. The longer you hold that grudge it keeps you stuck in the past. Think about this; holding a grudge does not change that event. Let the past be the past. Letting go of the past frees you up and allows you to live in the here and now. Also, while you are still holding that grudge, the person or persons who wronged you has already forgotten about it and are living their lives. Let it go!
Worrying
It is ok to worry sometimes. We are human and have emotions. The problem with worrying is that it can weigh you down. When the worrying disrupts your normal life and everyday activity, it is time to reassess. Excessive worrying will not change the outcome. It is undue stress that no one wants or needs. Worrying will take over your daily thoughts and activities, if we are not aware of it. Worrying in excess keeps us from important things and it is a time waster.
Being Hard on Yourself
We all strive to better ourselves. That is always helpful and healthy. The thing to remember is that we cannot be everything. Let’s focus on the positive attributes and accomplishments. Expound on those. Develop those. Do not, I repeat, do not dwell on certain things that we are not so good at. It does nothing to uplift our spirit. We all have specific gifts. For example, if you are a great dancer but cannot hold a tune and have a horrible singing voice. It’s ok. Don’t beat yourself up about it. The skills you have are the ones to develop.
Toxic Environment
This one can be hard to get away from. Remember, we cannot control other people and their actions. But we can control ourselves. and our behavior. Do not give negativity the energy to reside in your heart or on your mind. Re-focus or concentrate on positive things. When people try to suck you into a situation or conversation that you are not interested in, just walk away or simply tell them that you do not want to be a part of the conversation.
Release the weight. We have enough to worry about in everyday life. The stressors of life are enough to juggle. Free your mind. Embrace the things that bring joy into your life.
“In the waves of change, we find our true direction.”
— Author Unknown
The one thing that we can always count on in life is change. It is inevitable. No way to escape or ignore it. Opportunity presents itself in those waves of change. We can adapt to it and make the best of it, or we can use it to find a new direction. Unfolding discoveries about life and ourselves will afford us the chance to learn what we may not have otherwise known.
Iron or steam clothes for work the night before. Include shoes and any accessories. Getting out the door will be much easier when you already have these simple steps done. You don’t have to waste time looking for anything, it is already laid out.
Prepare your lunch the night before. Put your lunch in the bowl with anything else you need in the fridge overnight. In the morning just grab the already prepared portion and add anything else you want and go. Easy right?!
Feeling tired after work?
When you get home, before starting your home job, take a quick shower. You will get a burst of energy and be better equipped to handle your home obligations. You will have a refreshed mind to check homework, cook, and/or whatever other chores need to be done.
Need more time during the weekends?
Break up laundry duty by doing a load or two midweek. This way, when the weekend is here you will have some laundry done and have extra time to spare for more fun activities. If you are feeling really industrious, do one load a day and you may be finished with laundry by the time the weekend is here.
Going to the supermarket? Prepare a list before walking out the door. (I know this is old school). It is very helpful because you don’t forget to pick up certain items and you only get what you need. It saves time also from walking down each single aisle looking for items. On the other hand, order your groceries online. All you do is submit the order and drive to the store and have the items loaded in your vehicle. No fuss.
I hope these simple time saving tips can make your life easier. If you have some tips that you use, please share.
Success means something different for everyone. The measure of success varies greatly from person to person. Some may feel successful by obtaining material things. The next person may measure success because they have achieved a goal that they set for themselves. You may be a success due to overcoming something that was out of reach. Wealthy people may say they are successful due to the size of their bank account.
In the digital age, there are many people who measure success by the number of followers they have on social media. Musicians are successful when they have topped the charts or surpassed a certain number of sales.
Success can be as simple as providing for yourself. Working, by either self-employment or a company is a way to have success. Securing a place to live, being employed, having a vehicle. Continually meeting personal milestones is another way to measure success.
Photographic shots of life, just lying in the pasture. Life’s moments just abandoned and left for the taking. Who would do this? Who would leave those captured beautiful moments. These are the events of life that are one of a kind, never to be duplicated.
Baby pictures, pictures of grandma. Captured moments at the beach or the park. Candid shots just doing nothing. Pictures of you in your best outfit. Vacation pictures.
Milestones captured of your first car, first house. Pictures of those sweet moments with your man or woman. Graduation day, that proud moment of holding your degree.
You can call this the basket of memory lane. A basket that is priceless. When you look at the images captured you know why you saved all of them. What the photos meant to you and how you felt at that moment. Nostalgia, no? Perhaps. But how can you stroll down memory lane, when the snapshots are left out in the pasture?
Snapshots that contain a lifetime of memories. Of childhood dreams, triumphs and disappointments. Moments that made you laugh and cry. Proud moments and times of regret.
Think back on your life. Now, would you leave your snapshots out in the pasture? Of course not! Reclaim your best and worst accomplishments and own every single one of them. After all, they are your snapshots.
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Snapshots Out in the Pasture was written in response to Sadje’s prompt:
The Game of Life; Are You Playing Offense or Defense? Do you live your life on offense or defense? Usually when we hear these two words we think of sports. You play offense when you have the ball, and you play defense when your opponent has the ball. In this post, these two words will refer to your style of living. How you operate in your daily lives.
How do you play your cards in the game of life? Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
Living Offensively
Living life on offense is when you are always preparing for what is to come. Essentially, you stay ready. You try to anticipate what might happen in the future and get things in order. As we all know, we cannot see what the future holds. We can only try to navigate and guess what things might come up. Living offensively helps to keep the stress down.
Examples
Establish an emergency fund by saving. This enables you to have a safety net for those unexpected occurrences.
Keeping car maintenance up to date.
Servicing the HVAC unit before it breaks down.
Change your passwords often and create strong ones in an attempt to keep accounts safe.
Defensive Living
Alternatively, defensive living is when you react to things that come your way. You are good at rolling with the punches. Handling things on the fly comes easily. Becoming frazzled by the least little thing that happens, is not a concern for those who live this way.
Examples
You have engine trouble due to not performing regular oil changes. Now, you have to take the car in for repair to fix the problem. This causes a small disruption and inconvenience in your travel.
You have to go to the ER. The bill comes in the mail. You have to wait until next paycheck to cover the expense due to not saving. Or you are stressed trying to figure out how to take care of the bill.
The passwords you use are generic and can be easily guessed. Your privacy is violated by an unauthorized third party. Now, you have to scramble to protect your private information.
The Game of Life
The one thing we know about life is that it is uncertain. We can control some things but then there are others that are not within our control. At the moment of truth, when it all goes down is when we tap into our inner self. The choice to take a defensive stance or an offensive one, I think, depends on our personality. Who we are at the core.
There is no right or wrong way to handle these situations that arise. We just have to do it in the way we know best. So, how you livin’ the game of life; are you playing offense or defense?
