Tag: neil panosian

YOU JUST NEED TO RECONNECT

In a world of adulting and Bill paying, sometimes you need to reconnect with the simple joys of life. Above is a picture of an alpaca. Animals can bring us a great amount of joy. Whether that is a family pet, going to the park to watch the birds, or even an alpaca at the state fair, Animals rarely fail to put a smile on our face!

Animals not your thing? Maybe you have an allergic issue that prevents you from enjoying them? Maybe you would just like to have another outlet to bring you joy? How about going back to simple childhood activities? In an age of cell phones and high resolution video games, it can be refreshing to pick up a crayon and draw a picture. That is just what my lovely lady is doing in the picture above! We, for some reason, feel we should leave these activities behind as we grow older. Truth is, as adults, we may need them more than ever!

What simple activity do you practice to bring you joy?

TAKE MONDAY OFF!

Here is a post we can all get behind! As I write this, I’m on vacation listening to a steel drum band. The funny thing is, I used to have every Monday off. It was my designated off day. Back then, I loved Mondays. Looked forward to them even!

This got me thinking, how taking off an occasional Monday could change our perception of them. How would your view of Monday change if it involved sleeping in, spending some time at your favorite coffee shop… or maybe listening to a steel drum band? I say do it! Treat yourself. Take a Monday off and plan something fun!

SOMETIMES YOU NEED A SIGN

This could be your sign

This week, and next, I will be spending at our local state fair. It is an event that not only brings me great joy, but has a lot of great memories attached to it. I can still recall sitting at a certain food stand with my grandfather when I was just 7 years old.

Wandering around the grounds with my mother, we happened across this sign. I remarked how each of the sayings were good reminders. My mom promptly added “you should write a blog about it”

Here we are, and I am! Here is what I like about signs like this. They take a lot of the work out of staying inspired and motivated. Having visual, or written reminders, around to place inspiring thoughts in your head means you do not have to remember them on your own!

It doesn’t even have to be a sign like this. It can be an inspiring work of art. It could be one of those great workout posters. My favorite is a motivational day-by-day calendar. Either way, having things like this can make living an amazing life less of a mental stress!

IT IS IMPORTANT TO TRY NEW THINGS!

Spending the week at our local state fair, there are many new culinary creations to try. Believe it or not, this is one I tried last night. It is a sausage made with gummy bears on the inside, then garnished with honey mustard and gummy bears on some sort of flavored bun.

This is not an item for the faint of heart. Nor for the faint of stomach I might add. The only other person brave enough to try it was my lovely Margie. By try it, I mean she had one bite and said “Oh no. Not for me.” Still, you have to try crazy things in life on occasion. It keeps you young. Another fun fact, the ladies serving these delightful morsels were all wearing gummy bear earrings!

IT IS MY DAY OF JOY!

Today is a day that I look forward to all year long. It is the first day of our state fair. Just something I have always enjoyed since I was a young child. I prepare for this all year long. I buy tickets ahead of time to save money, plan what day I’m going with who. We even plan what new foods we are going to try. This extends the joy even longer.

What event do you have in your life that you look forward to every year? Are there ways you can extend the enjoyment of it? Maybe take videos while it is happening to watch later? Look at pictures? Wear a t-shirt? Whatever it is, use that to extend your joy and live life to the fullest!

Oh, and if you happen to be at the Wisconsin State Fair, stop and say “Hello” to Margie and me!

FROM EVERY ANGLE 🤔

So many times in our lives we can become overwhelmed. A good many of these times is our perception. Inky Johnson, one of my favorite speakers, always says “perspective drives performance” meaning, how we look at things can determine how we act.

We must be careful not to fall in two categories. First, is those who busy themselves with trying to know everything there is and paralyze themselves into inaction. There is a time when you have to go for it!

On the other side of the spectrum, is those who fly into action, or make judgments without having enough information. In order to properly make a decision and come to a conclusion, we must do our best to look at life from as many angles as possible. Hear both sides of the story. Often we find possibilities we never thought of or saw! Today try looking at things from a different angle!

YOUR ASSIGNMENT TODAY🌞

How many of these things could you accomplish today? Refuel your soul. How do you do that? It can be as simple as a walk in nature with someone you love. Time with just a good book and a glass of lemonade. Simply avoiding the harsh news and realities of the world for a day.

Be grateful for your blessings. We have covered this one several times in this site. Gratitude has life transformational qualities. There is always something to be grateful for. A few years ago we did a monthly grateful exercise. We are coming up on a new month, so why not get your practice in today?

Take a deep breath and relax. In our go,go,go world, we have lost the ability to have quality relaxation. I’m guilty of this. With 7 jobs i pursue, there is seldom a moment off. This is why learning how to make those moments quality ones is so important. Plus, researching the best way for you to relax can be fun!

Spend time with family, friends and a good cup of coffee. When you do this, keep the conversation positive. Don’t waste time discussing politics and other topics that can create stress. Spend the time encouraging and lifting each other up. Enjoy the smiles and the love.

This Sunday, recreate and recharge yourself. You deserve it!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!🥳

Today is my birthday! This is not a post about celebrating that, however. It IS a post about celebrating. Once, listening to a talk by Michael Beckwith, I heard him suggest asking yourself 3 questions a day. I dive deeper into this in my second book, Living the Dream, but one of those questions is “What can I celebrate?”

Today, for my birthday, that’s what I’m asking all of you to do. Today, ask yourself what you can celebrate. There is always something. Do you have people in your life you love? People you can learn from? Do you have a way to make a living? Do you have something that can motivate and inspire you?

I certainly wouldn’t mind you celebrating the birth of a charming author and blog writer. Better still, I would like you to find and celebrate something in your own life. Don’t just acknowledge it, celebrate it! Please share what you are celebrating and how you are doing it! Add to my reasons for celebrating today.

THRIVE THURSDAY 😀

Have you ever thought about how often we think about building our future? When we are young it is almost all we think about. People are constantly asking us, “what are you going to be when you grow up?” Sometimes we even ask ourselves that question. Children can often be heard saying “I can’t wait until I’m 18 and can make my own decisions and live my own life!”

Then what happens? We do grow up. We can make our own decisions and live our own life. Sadly, we often forget, or take for granted, that we have this power. Our thoughts, which when we were young were almost always about building our future, have become almost entirely about surviving our present. How to pay the bills. How to get the kids on school today.

Today let us change that up. Whether you are 18 or 80, you have a future. Devote at least one day a week (Thursday thrive?) To building your life and not just surviving it. Learn something new. Invest in improving yourself. Think, and put into action, things that can improve your relationships.

Let us go back to when we were young. Let us decide again what we want to be when we grow up. That doesn’t have to start when you are 18, and it never has to stop.

YOUR WINNING WEDNESDAY!😀

In the middle of the work week grind, let us not forget to take a moment and refocus on what we are looking forward to for the second half of the week. What do you have to make you smile in the second half?

If you can’t think of anything at the moment, just remember WTF – Wednesday, Thursday and Friday! You have three days to discover that smile😀 Please share your second half smile with us!