by Amy Shearn
Maybe it’s because I’m a Libra but I’ve always had a hard time making decisions (or maybe none of that astrology stuff is real, I can’t decide). Big life-changing decisions I can make in the blink of an eye. It’s the little things that get me. For example, I am tortured by menus, only to immediately, inevitably regret whatever it is I’ve ordered. And then there is the matter of light fixtures. To wit, the fan that until quite recently was attached to the ceiling of my kitchen.
By: Amy Shearn
I happened to be looking at Facebook at the brain-busting hour of 5:00 am when I saw a status update from someone I didn’t really know that read, “On hold with Suicide Prevention Hotline. I give up!”
“Getting to know yourself” has become a billion-dollar industry. Self-help books have carved quite a niche out of it. Myers Briggs and countless others reap quite a profit every year from people like me who hope to “find themselves” by plugging some information into a magic formula and then expecting to look over to the other side of the equation to discover who we really are. But is it really that simple?
All the fuss got me to thinking that the whole self-evaluation thing is maybe a tad overrated. And that if you are finding it difficult getting to know yourself, then maybe the answer just might be to start looking outward instead of inward. In other words, perhaps some of the time we spend reflecting could be put to better use living and engaging.
“In my walks, every man I meet is my superior in some way, and in that I learn from him.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
by Leo Abdella
1. Calling to mind your accomplishments can help you more hopeful. Why? They’re a reminder that good things have happened in the past and are likely to do so again down the road.. So take a step back and pay attention to how you appear to others. Peruse a list of achievements, such as your resume. Read over written compliments you’ve received, like references or performance reviews. Or pull out old awards. (Yes it’s O.K. to go back as far as High School.)
Rebecca Rapple
2. Keep upbeat reminders online; Create a board on pinterest.com featuring inspirational photographs or posters. (Think neat intentions, happy children and you-can-do-it expressions.) Encourage friends and family members to comment on them to provide you with even more positive support. Looking at cheerful pictures can give you a lift, and often that’s all you need to get an optimistic mindset.
Colette Ellis
3. Introducing absurdity into even the most humorless situation can push pessimistic thoughts aside. When I go into the hospital room of a sick child, I’m a total goofball. I wear footie pajamas and Easter Bunny teeth while singing “Old Macdonald.” Within minutes, my wacky behavior transform a worried room into a place of hopeful thinking.
Karen McCarty
4. Anytime I undertake a new challenge, whether it’s learning to knit or solve a Sudoku puzzle, I’m optimistic that I will ultimately succeed, And the more I try things, the more confident I am that I can overcome obstacles. It’s made me a stronger person and better in my comedy routines. When I’m onstage, I often ask someone in the audience a question. I’m never sure of what that person is going to say, but I tell myself that I can deal with whatever comes. And then I find a way to mold the response into something funny.
Wali Collins
5. The words we use, both with others and in our thoughts, help shape our perception of the world. So try to rid your vocabulary of always and never, since they usually don’t reflect reality. And bump-up any adjectives you use to their most positive form. When asked how you are, don’t respond “Fine.” Be excited and say “Great” or “Wonderful.” Also, when talking about your daily life, choose action verbs. Say, “I gained three new clients today,” instead of stating something passively like “My business is doing well.” Speaking more enthusiastically attracts sanguine people, and more opportunities will naturally come your way, brightening your outlook on life.
Samantha Ettus
Begin summer and the sea
a cracked-open quince
the sky like a child’s
balloon
far above the water
Under the umbrellas
like stripy sugarsticks
“Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind.”
― Henry James
Writing is a concentrated form of thinking…a young writer sees that with words he can place himself more clearly into the world. Words on a page, that’s all it takes to help him separate himself from the forces around him, streets and people and pressures and feelings. He learns to think about these things, to ride his own sentences into new perceptions.”
Don Delillo
“There is only one page left to write on. I will fill it with words of only one syllable. I love. I have loved. I will love.”
― Audrey Niffenegger, The Time Traveler’s Wife
“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”
― Dr. Seuss
“Under the seams runs the pain.”
― Anne Carson, Autobiography of Red
Reblogged from Leo Abdella.com:
EMOTIONS - Clearly your behavior is directly affected by your emotions. In order to rule your behavior, you must control your reactions. – Click the link of EMOTIONS!
We are gifting you the complete principle, just click the link of: EMOTIONS
He who rules his spirit is greater than he that takes a city.
Did this spark a thought? Jump-in the global Circle of Trust, “Post Your Thought”.
“Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind.”
― Henry James
Writing is a concentrated form of thinking…a young writer sees that with words he can place himself more clearly into the world. Words on a page, that’s all it takes to help him separate himself from the forces around him, streets and people and pressures and feelings. He learns to think about these things, to ride his own sentences into new perceptions.”
Don Delillo
“There is only one page left to write on. I will fill it with words of only one syllable. I love. I have loved. I will love.”
― Audrey Niffenegger, The Time Traveler’s Wife
“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”
― Dr. Seuss
“Under the seams runs the pain.”
― Anne Carson, Autobiography of Red
Not everyone is the creative type, right? Wrong. Peggy Orenstein uncovers the roots of imaginative thinking.
By Peggy Orenstein
