Month: August 2022 (Page 1 of 3)

So much of where my head is throughout the day is based on how I perceive the world in that moment. The situation that lies before me. The good, the bad and the ugly.

The crazy thing about it is I can talk myself off the metaphorical ledge by just taking practical steps to alleviate the stress, anxiety, fear and worry I’m gong through. There are multiple ways for me – whether it’s a series of questions – asking why or logically answering what my biggest obstacles are in front of me at the time and giving some possible solutions that may or may not be available to me.

We all have the capacity to look at the world from a perspective in which no matter what comes our way, we have the ability to not only get through that experience, but to blaze through it with style and a smile.

It all comes back to your view of how you see the world. Is your glass half full or half empty?

I think we can all agree, hearing a clear articulate sounding voice with someone who resonates is quite a treat to listen to and calming. It is for me anyway.

We can all improve how we articulate our words and clarity our speech if we can just slow down and give a hoot.

In general, it’s not difficult, it just takes a little awareness. The level of your voice, pronunciation, how you articulate your words and the speed with which you speak all come into play in improving your speech. Most of the time we are in such a hurry when speaking that slowing down and taking your time while talking rectifies many of the issues.

Like anything else, awareness is our first step.

From then on, speak easy.

It bears worth repeating, as we can all be reminded of living in the present moment and not allowing an outcome to taint our view moving forward.

Once upon a time, there was a Chinese farmer. One of his horses ran away. 

His friends came by to console him. “We are so sorry to hear your horse has run away. It’s very unfortunate for you,” they said.

The farmer replied, “Maybe.” 

The following week the horse came back and had eight wild horses with it.

The farmer let them in his gate with a grin.

Later on, everybody came back saying, “Wow, isn’t that lucky. What an awesome turn of events. You now have nine horses!” The farmer again said, “Maybe.” 

A few days later, the farmer’s son tried to break one of the horses. While riding it, the son was thrown from the horse and broke his leg. 

The farmers’ friends said, “Oh no! that’s too bad,” to which the farmer responded, “Maybe.” 

A few days later, military officers came by to summon soldiers into the army. They rejected his son because of his broken leg. 

Again the friends came by and said, “Isn’t that great!” 

“Maybe,” he said.

We can all benefit from not defining each and every moment and labeling it either “good” or “bad.” Sometimes it just is and that’s just fine.

One of first thing Darin Olien (author and podcast host) does after getting off the plane from a long trip is find a patch of earth where he takes off his shoes and socks to walk barefoot across the soft green blades of grass. This is his way of reconnecting himself to this planet and reset his circadian clock.

Any time we are able to directly connect with living things on this earth we’re better in the long run. Be it a walk in the mountains among the tall pine trees, a picnic on the grass, a cuddle session with your pet or a backyard bbq with our friends.

Isolating ourselves in dark air-conditioned rooms lit by artificial lighting, humming hard drives and fans blasting air around the room is less than healthy for us physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

There’s no doubt we have to do what we have to do. Whether it’s our work environment, living conditions, etc. let’s remember the wonderful gifts of simple connections with everything living among us in this great wide world of ours.

Who knows, we might just get addicted to it.

To this day, I hear friends and family members bragging about how little sleep they need to get through the day and week. No doubt some people need less than others, but as a whole many of us go through the day sleep deprived. I’m not quite sure where this comes from, but I speculate it’s from the prior generation’s philosophy which goes something like this, “No rest for the wicked.”

I played three sports in high school, so I didn’t have a whole lot of down time. On weekends I did my best to catch up on much needed sleep as a teenager. My father didn’t see it that way. He saw it as “I was sleeping my day away.” I’ve recently discovered studies that say some teenagers require up to 10-12 hours of sleep a night as their body’s are growing and changing at an incredible pace during those years.

Today’s pace of life is faster than ever and the gaps for down time to lay under trees and look up at the sky or sit on a park bench to take in the fresh air seem fewer and far between. Stimulus of all kinds is barraging us at every waking moment and the expectancy of work production is higher than ever while many of us work remotely in our homes.

Getting ample sleep is just as important in taking care of yourself as exercise, diet and your mental well-being.

You’re not a hero because your going on 5 hours of sleep. You’re probably underperforming. Let’s see what we can all do about that.

Now, get to bed!