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HUMP DAY REMINDER 🐫

This is an important and much needed reminder. There are so many of us that work so hard to make the world a better place and bring joy to others. Those same people are often the hardest on themselves. Check your inner conversation. Is it motivating? Recently, I noticed that my inner conversation started to lean a little more to the negative than I would care for. I mentioned to Margie, “I need to work on being more positive.” She gave me a look that showed her shock with my statement. I should have been a little more specific. My outer conversation was still very positive. However, my inner conversation was not. Allow me to give you an example. Winter is always difficult for me. The cold, the lack of life, it all has me feeling down. I decided to add a way to help with this. I decided to appreciate the effort and beauty behind the decorations people put up for the holidays.

On the outside I did pretty good. Whether I was with others, or by myself. I would remark, “Wow! That one looks nice.” or “That must have taken a long time.” I did feel better. That was until my inner voice started talking. I am not sure who that person is, but he didn’t have many nice things to say. I heard the voice in my head say, “That one is sloppy.” and “Why did they even bother to put up decorations if they were not going to take their time?” Here I was trying to find beauty and the holiday spirit and my inner dialogue turned into a holiday decoration critic. Then, I started getting down on myself for being negative.

We must remember that we are human. We must be forgiving and compassionate with ourselves. Especially during this busy season. As a solution to combat my newly negative self-talk, I have begun to listen to positive affirmations on the way to work in the morning. It places positive thoughts in my head before my head can come up with negative ones. Remember to be kind to ourselves the rest of the week. In what ways are you kind to yourself?

MAKING LIVES BETTER THROUGH KINDNESS

A few posts ago I mentioned a little act of kindness i found hidden in the Wisconsin State Fair. Here we are again! This act was not hidden. Quite the contrary. It was smack in the center. An activity of a local bank.

When I saw the sign in the first photo, I had to see what it was all about. I was told to take a puzzle piece and write something kind I had done or was done to me. This is a great thing to make people stop and think about in the middle of the festival. Then, you take your puzzle piece and put it on its proper place on a bigger sign. When it was complete it looked like the second picture

Lastly, this whole thing was run by volunteers that were super friendly and helpful. They smiled and shared kindness of their own. To me, this was the perfect activity to conduct where a large group of people was gathered. Activities like this are what can help to bring people together.

THIS IS A CALAMITY!

Few things in life can be so helpful as a purpose. It is not only a light in the darkness, but a compass on the high sea of life. After all, how can you know if you are going in the right direction if you do not know where you are headed?

The first step is deciding on your purpose. For some reason, this is glossed over in most education systems. Your purpose does not necessarily have to even be tied to your career. Your purpose could be to bring as much light and love to everyone you meet. It could be to volunteer to help animals.

Yes, your purpose in life could ultimately be intertwined with your career too, but the point is that it does not have to be. My life purpose is pursued outside of my daily vocation. Yours could be as well. Just make sure you have one. Do not wake up, pay bills and die. That is not what life is about.

Another fact to remember is that you can change your purpose. Yes, you can give your all to something and discover it is not for you. People change. Life changes. Your purpose can change as well. Do not let commitment scare you from deciding a purpose to begin with.

Decide your next port of call today. Then, raise the sails and set out on the journey. If you arrive at your destination, or even just get close, only to discover it is not for you, all you need to do is adjust the sails and change course. Just make sure you are headed towards somewhere.

A LITTLE GOOD MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE

I’ve been spending my yearly vacation at the Wisconsin State Fair. It is truly a fun time. Depending on who I am here with, we go see bands, a bird show, a magic show and of course go to eat. The prices range from acceptable to insane. At one of the more pricey venues I saw this little bit of kindness.

Although their prices were high at this stand, they did a little good by collecting the can tabs for Ronald McDonald house. A great charity! WIth all of the cans that were consumed, they could earn a lot for the charity. Not sure how many people knew of this, but it was nice it was there.

In an event where profit is often king, it was good to see some charity. This is like life. Just that little bit of good can go a long way! Can you think of a little action that you could take to bring kindness to the world?

UNBELIEVABLE… EVEN FOR ME!

Today we have reached 1500 days in a row of a blog! That is over 4 years! I recall reaching some number, it might have been 100 days, and asking myself (because I write alone) can I do this for an entire year? The answer was of course I could. There is no rule of law that states I could not.

The question was less about the ability, or legality, of being able to do something. Although I must confess asking those of myself too. It was more a metaphorical look in the mirror. Did I have the discipline to maintain wiring this every day? Would I even have something to talk about for that long?

That was over 4 years ago and there is no signs of slowing down! The world around us is a crazy place but that is a never-ending source of inspiration. Through these past 1499 blogs we have both grown in number of followers and locations in which people read this. Still working on Greenland, but that is a story we have discussed before.

As I reflect on this accomplishment, there is one amazing thing this shows me. That is that I have the discipline to stick with something daily for over 4 years! If I can do this with my writing, what else is possible? What am I leaving in the table?

How about you? What in your life are you good at sticking with? Can you learn tools that will help you in other areas of your life? Is there an activity that you enjoy that you could do daily? Maybe a walk after dinner? Spending 15 to 30 minutes a day reading? Try doing one thing you enjoy. It may give you the tools and motivation to accomplish more in your life!

DO NOT WAIT!

In the middle of enjoying the Wisconsin State Fair, this message appeared in my coffee cup. My mother, whom I was with, noted what a powerful reminder that was.

All too often we wait for later, tomorrow or next year to have a good morning, afternoon or evening. It is important to remember that one day it will be your last one. Crazy part is that you may not know that it will be the last.

That means right now is the best time to have a good morning, afternoon or evening. Make a life having as many good moments as you can! When the end does come, at least it will come with little to no regret.

THERE IS NO THIRD OPTION

Let me begin by saying this is not gender specific. It is also not just for intimate relationships. In our life, our relationships should be something that serves us. That is not to say that we should keep a “what’s on it for me?” Attitude. Still, why have someone in your life that brings nothing to the table? Worse, why have someone in your life that drains you or your energy?

Think about yourself and what you bring to the relationships in your life? Are you helpful? Are you a good listener? Do you encourage your friends? What do you bring to the relationships? If you can’t think of anything, you might want to work on that.

It can be helpful to look at the relationships you have in your life and both identify and appreciate what they add to your life. If you can’t think of anything, you might want ask why you are spending your time and energy in those relationships. Is it out of guilt? Maybe it might be time to let them go. At the very least spend more time with those who add to your life.

YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN YOU MAY NEED THEM

Life gets busy. We are working 40+ hours a week. Maybe pursuing a side hustle. Some of us are raising families. Add the stress of the world and current economy and you can see how time disappears without a trace.

One of the things that can get lost with time is effort to strengthen our relationships. Having in depth conversations with your spouse about the future. Pondering questions about life with friends. Taking time to listen to the dreams of your children and advice of your elders. These are not luxuries of life. They are requirements.

You never know when you will be required to have that depth of closeness that life requires. It could be traversing the depths of grief. Having someone to confide in. It could even be feeling comfortable enough to ask for toilet paper at your most vulnerable time. Take the time to foster and grow your relationships. You never know when you will need them!

A NEW WAY TO LOOK AT IT

Discipline is one of the words that I think we are taught incorrectly. When we are growing up Discipline is taught as something that happens to us of we misbehave. We get disciplined. At best it is used to convince us that we need to do things we might not want to do such as study or clean our room.

What we seldom, if ever, are told is that discipline leads to freedom. Discipline is the key to our success. When we have goals and things we want to accomplish in life, it is discipline that is the key. Here is the crazy part. As we grow older we think there is no punishment if we are not disciplined.

You might think as an adult you are free to act as you see fit. That is true to some extent. What you are not free from is the consequences of those actions. When you cease to remain disciplined as an adult, it is you who suffers. It is you who will not reach the goal you are working towards. It is true your family and friends may suffer as a result. Lack of discipline, however, is really a betrayal of yourself.

IT IS THAT TIME AGAIN

Today starts our state fair. The yearly 11-day celebration of food, fun and agriculture. 30 years ago I sat in the center of this event I enjoy so much and had a revelation. If I enjoyed going to the state fair so much, why not go all 11 days? With the exception of your waistline, there is no harm to be found in doing so.

That was 1996. Fast forward 30 years and I’m still going everyday. It is still something that brings me great joy. When that ceases to be the case, I will stop. There are always different things to do depending on the people you go with. Some like to shop, some like animals, some food, some drinks. My mother and I always do the walks they have to explore art and agriculture.

In life, if there is something that brings you joy, go all out with it. Squeeze every last drop of joy out of it. As long as it does not harm you or others, why not enjoy as much of it as you can. Life is too short not to create memories and have fun. See you at the fair!

JUST A QUICK REMINDER