WANT A GREAT RELATIONSHIP? SPEAK THEIR LANGUAGE!

I’m not sure if you have read the book, The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman, but you definitely should. In a nutshell, it explains how different people give and receive love in different ways. Some, like myself, use words and verbal communication to express love. Some, like my lovely lady, use physical intimacy. This can be a hug, a kiss or even holding your hand. The crazy thing is people can give love in one language and receive love in another. If that isn’t confusing enough, the Languages can change throughout life!

Why is learning these love Languages so important? Here’s why. You can be showing love the best way you know how and your partner could feel like you are not showing any love at all. Do you think that could end up causing some issues between the two of you? That is why learning your partners love language is vital to a successful relationship.

Equally important is to know your love language. What makes you feel loved? Is it someone giving you time? How about giving you a hug? Maybe a meaningful gift? Doing an act of service for you? If you are thinking, “Hey, those all sound pretty good!” You are not alone. Most people can feel love in a few categories but are usually dominant in one or two. Want to find out what your love language is? How about your partners? There is a fun quiz you can take together or separately in the back of the book.

When you know your partner’s love language, it is important to use that language to communicate. They will receive your love a lot more and you will be a lot less stressed. Once you know your love language you can convey that to your partner and they can feel more effective at conveying love to you. That will have them feeling a lot less stressed as well. Two people who are less stressed in a relationship with each other? That is a recipe for success!

AND NOW…A PERSONAL EXAMPLE 🙄

A few posts back we talked about how your mindset can turn a hell into a heaven and the other way around. It would seem that life sought to provide me a personal example. My 2024 Toyota Rav 4 already has a bad sensor that needed to be replaced. They informed me when I made the appointment it would take roughly 30 minutes and I could wait. So, after my 10 hour work day I made my way to the dealer. Upon arrival, I was told it would now be a 2 hour affair as they had to check other parts as well.

A few things come to mind here. Of course after a 10 hour workday I could easily be irritated about having to wait 4 times as long as I was told. I could have brought a book or some other form of entertainment. I could have arranged a ride to go home and come back when it was done. All of this would be legitimate to think and feel. It would also lead to an unhappy and stressful evening.

Instead, I am going to look at and use this time constructively. I shall avail myself to the available coffee and snacks. I will use my cell phone to write this very blog you are reading now. Most importantly, I shall focus on the fact that I am so grateful to have the vehicle I do.

Both of these sets of facts are true. They both also come with an entirely different set of feelings. Would it be better if I had my laptop? Sure. It is far easier to write on that. Am I grateful that I can still write on my phone? Absolutely!

Life is full of choices. One of the most important is what we choose to focus on. As you can see, the difference can be between feeling stressed and feeling grateful. That may not seem like a big deal in the course of an evening. If you put enough of those evenings together, it is the difference between a negative and stressful life, or one where you choose to focus on gratitude and opportunities.

YOU LOOK BEAUTIFUL LIKE THAT 😍

A reminder today to be yourself. Copies are never worth more than the original. You can be the best version of who you think people want you to be and it will never be as good as the best version of who you were put here to be.

Each one of us has our own gifts and talents. Maybe you are a good listener? Maybe you are a good conversationalist? Do you cook well? It could be that you do a great job cleaning, or planning. Whatever it is that speaks to your heart, do that. You will not only find the most enjoyment in life, but you will be at your most beautiful.

CAN YOU FIGHT THIS TOUGH BATTLE? 🥊

Many people I know are facing very uncertain, and dare I say scary, futures. Many are concerned for their children. In a world that seems to be growing colder and angrier by the day. It can be tempting to walk around downtrodden, angry or with a defeatist attitude. This would not only be understandable, it would be excusable.

What we must realize is that we are always creating an example for our children and the young people coming behind us. Being able to remain loving in a world that can be anything but loving is true courage and true strength. We may feel our opportunity to live in a peaceful and loving world has been taken away from us. In some regard that may be true. What is also true is that we have been given an opportunity to demonstrate how to conquer that darkness. We do so not with mere words, but with action. We do so not by matching or surpassing their anger, but maintaining our love in the face of it.

Take advantage of the opportunity fellow warriors. Stand up and be strong. Be aggressive in your love. Be courageous in your compassion. That is the sign of a true warrior.

IT BEGINS WITH A CHOICE 

A simple choice to smile when you wake up may not seem like much. Done repetitively, it can become a lifestyle! What do you do first thing when you wake up? Go to the bathroom? Pour a cup of coffee? Many of us reach for our phones. That is about the worst thing you can do! Exposing yourself to outside influences before you have had an opportunity to determine and set your own mood is simply dangerous.

When you smile, and i would add feeling one thing you’re grateful for, YOU set the tone for your day. A simple affirmation such as,  “No matter what happens today, I will make the best of it and keep smiling.” May sound silly at first. Done for a month and it becomes who you are.

Don’t you deserve to determine your attitude towards your own life? I believe you do. The question is, do you?

YOUR NOT SO SECRET POWER 🦸‍♂️🦸‍♀️

Look at this list of amazing things that gratitude can do! It may be hard to believe, in fact you shouldn’t. Don’t take my word for it. Don’t take the word of whoever made this picture. When I was still in the early phases of my self-improvement journey, someone told me this very thing. I decided to try it for 30 days to prove them wrong. You can hear the whole story in my first book, A Happy Life for Busy People.

That is exactly what I am recommending  here today. Honestly do your best to be grateful as often as you can for 30 days straight. If you stumble and have a negative day, just dust yourself off and try to go for 30 days after that.  I guarantee it will transform your life for the better. With Thanksgiving being tomorrow, what a perfect day to start!

If you need help on how to start an attitude of gratitude, either search ‘gratitude’ on this blog, or even Google how to become grateful. So many people from Oprah to the Dalai Lama know the power of gratitude, so there is plenty of information online!

I would love to hear your results of this experience, or any experience you have with the power of gratitude. Let’s share and inspire each other!

TELL ME JUST ONE SENTENCE ☝️

We are influenced by so many people in our lives and given so much good advice. Every once in a while we are given a line that sticks with us. One sentence that can transform the path our life can take. Funny thing is, we don’t often realize it at the time.

To demonstrate, let me share one example in my life. Growing up, I spent a lot of time with my grandparents. They were married for many years. My grandmother could be a bit surly at times. She had a lot of medical problems and I’m sure that was a part of it. My grandfather, on the other hand, was very tolerant. He let most of it bounce off of him. I recall asking him one day how he did it and what the secret was to a lasting relationship. His answer was 4 words, Bend but don’t break.

In its simplicity, it was yet profound. At the time I was young, and if we’re being honest, rather stupid. It didn’t seem to be the complex secret I was expecting. Here is the irony. Now, years later, it is one of the main secrets to the success of my relationships. To me it means that you have values you do not compromise on, but the rest you have to be about to be flexible, or bend, on.

How about you? What one line do you recall getting in your life? Who did you get it from? I would love to hear your story.

LET US SHARE!

Whether it is political nonsense, office gossip or the news in general, we are regularly exposed to negative influences. Think about what you tend to share when you begin a conversation with someone. This could be in person, on the phone, social media, or even via text. How much of the conversation is positive verses negative?

I think we should make it as much of a point to share as much positive as we are able. If we look around, sometimes we have to look hard, there is always something good to find.

The benefits of this are two fold. First, we will make the person we are taking to feel positive by hearing the good news. We will also feel good sharing it. Second, by making sure we always have something good to share, our subconscious mind will be on the lookout for good things in life that we can share. This will go a long way to changing our perspective.

How will waking around with good news in your heart just bursting to share affect your day? My challenge to you is this – for the next 7 days share as much good news as you can. This can be sharing many good things with one person, or sharing one good thing with multiple people. You can start right here by sharing something good with our community!

6 ENERGY DRAINERS

As we prepare for the week ahead, let us be on the lookout for these energy draining activities. Knowing what to look for, and what to avoid, we assure that we have enough energy to make it through the week.

SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO TAKE A STEP BACK 🚶‍♀️

This is a picture from my second year of doing this blog. I recall being so excited that friends in Brazil, India,Great Britain, and Italy read what I wrote. In fact, I am still filled with a great amount of joy regarding that fact. I also recall wondering why that whole big piece of land between North America and Europe did not have one soul who did read what I wrote. That is when I learned more people live in the small city I live in than in the entire country of Greenland.

My life-long mission is to inspire, encourage and empower as many people as I can. I recall looking daily to see if this website reached 10 people. Every new country was so exciting to me. The thought that I could bring a bit of positivity to a someone halfway around the world just from my laptop brought me great joy. It also made me want to make bigger changes. Since then, with help from my fiance, I’ve launched my YouTube channel – Neil Panosian, my podcast – Living the Dream with Neil Panosian.

Then it happened. It started to feel like we were not reaching many people. I began to question my content. Was I really bringing something special to other people’s lives? Margie insisted I was, but I couldn’t see it. Sometimes when you are in the whirlwind it can be hard to see the difference you are making.

This is a picture of all the countries we have reached in 2024. Notice my friends in Greenland have yet to introduce themselves. Yet we are on all 7 continents and over 200 countries. That is just this year.

Looking at the 2 images next to each other, you would think one would have to be a fool not to notice how many more people are in our community. I did feel a bit foolish when Margie gave me the “I told you” look. My point of all this is not to get discouraged. It can seem like you are not making a difference, you might just need to take a step back. I would say have the objective viewpoint of the most beautiful woman in the world, but I’m about to marry her and she’s all mine.

Don’t give up on your dreams. Keep making that positive difference. You may not have an image to show you the difference, but every bit of kindness and positivity does make a difference. You make a difference.