Tag: self improvement

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!

FOR YOUR TUESDAY 🙂

A little bright and positive motivation for your Tuesday. What are you doing to keep your mood up and keep moving forward?

BE THE BEST & KEEP THE FAITH

As we look to finish the week strong, let us remind ourselves to keep our perspective fresh and positive. That does not mean pretending the challenges of life are not there. It simply means focusing on the blessings. It also means having faith that those challenges will eventually turn around.

Keep a mind full of joy and a heart full of faith my friends

I’M DOING WHAT?!😲

Today I am doing something that I like to do every year, I am going to run a 5K. This may not sound too crazy. Especially to any of my friends who are runners. Let me explain, I do not fit into that category. My body is better equipped to cheer on runners than do any of the running myself. This is exactly why I do it. It is important to test and push yourself.

This year will be a little bit different than the last 5 years I have done this run. In addition to my asthma, and the fear of hyperventilating, I am only 6 months removed from open heart surgery. Some people think I am crazy, but I am excited to not give up on the idea of self-improvement due to a set back like heart surgery.

I am not advocating being foolish with your health. My doctor advised me to listen to my body. There is a certain growth and self-realization that only comes when you push yourself and become uncomfortable. There is also a feeling of pride and accomplishment when you complete the task.

Think of ways in which you can push yourself, and step outside of your comfort zone. Think of ways you have done this in the past. What growth came out of that?

WHICH PAIN WILL YOU CHOOSE TODAY?🤔

It is Monday, and that can be a pain. People generally focus on what is causing them pain in their lives. Why? In a physical sense, it can be pretty hard to ignore. When the pain is mental or emotional, it can be overwhelming.

The bad news first, there will always be pain in your life. Pretty inspiring for a Monday, right? Pain is not always a bad thing. It can be one of life’s greatest teachers. It can let us know when something is not right in our lives. This can be the pain of a physical injury, where our body is letting us know something is wrong. Even the heartache of a toxic relationship is pain that is telling us that person is not right for us.

The good news is that in many ways you can choose your pain. In most cases this comes down to the decision of the pain of discipline verses the pain of regret. I am forever reminding Margie that “discipline equals freedom” a quote I stole from Jocko Willink. So much so, she probably is sick of hearing it. That does not make it any less true. If we choose to skip the initial pain of discipline, we will have to face the pain of regret.

Let us look at our examples above. In the case of a physical injury, physical therapy and doing exercises can be painful. If we do not do them, we could heal incorrectly and suffer the pain of regret. Toxic relationship? Breaking up with someone can be hard and painful. Staying in that relationship can have us waking up to the pain of regret with every painful episode.

How about you? Are there disciplines you are putting off because they are painful? Not disciplined in your fitness because you “don’t have time” or it is “too hard”. Let me tell you from experience. The pain of a good workout goes away in time. The pain of being out of shape is something you have to deal with daily. Not disciplined in your diet because you would just rather “eat what you like. ” or “eat what tastes good.” Then you must suffer the regret of all the pains an unhealthy diet give you. These pains, such as heart disease, can be fatal.

This week, if you find yourself trying to get out of the pain of discipline,ask yourself what the pain of regret will be if you don’t follow through. Be honest with yourself. The pain of missing just one workout or the pain of eating just one doughnut can lead to the regret of choosing bad habits over good ones.

A SUNDAY THOUGHT 🙂

Use some of this Sunday to relax and recharge. Starting the week with a fresh body certainly has its Advantages. Your ability to handle any stress the work week can throw at you will be increased. In the likely event responsibilities may cause you to sacrifice some sleep, you’ll be better off if you have rested during the weekend. Even your immune system will be stronger!

All of this seems pretty obvious. What about relaxing and recharging your spirit? This is equally, if not more, important. What can you do to take on the week with a relaxed and recharged mind and spirit? Personally, I spend some time alone in meditation or even some sacred silence. Your mind is usually going 100 miles a minute during the week, give it a break on Sunday.

My Sunday to Monday is always a bit rough. Margie and I get home from our DJ gig at 2am, and my alarm for the post office goes off at 4:45am. To account for this, I make sure to get as much physical and mental relaxation as I can. What do you do to relax and recharge your mind, body and spirit?

GET OFF TO A GOOD START!😃

If there is one trait that you should work on develop, it is gratitude. It is important to remember the greatest gift we receive is the opportunity to wake up another day. We may not have everything we want, but if we wake up, we have the potential to create it.

Today, as often as you can, take a moment and be grateful you are here. You have the gift of opportunity!