Thought For Today - November
 

Be Like Little Children

When little children stumble and fall, they may cry for a bit, but then they stand up and carry on. In the same way, we too have to be persistent like little children. Get over your embarrassment and self consciousness. Pick yourself up and carry on.

Calm in a Jam

Stuck in a traffic jam? Getting annoyed and irritable doesn’t get you through the traffic any faster. Accepting the traffic jam can offer you other options:
- Listen to music or sing along loudly and calm any stress
- Look out of the window and really notice the surroundings
- See it as an opportunity to practice patience

Keep cool and calm, and enjoy the journey.

Lost Your Equilibrium?

Are you being pulled in too many directions? Does life feel out of balance? Do you feel as if you’ve lost your equilibrium? Next time you lose your equilibrium, stop. Step back from your thoughts and emotions into a place where everything is calm. Here you'll find your inner stability.

Gain your equilibrium and then pinpoint: What pulls you off-center? Which elements of your life are out of balance? How to bring life back into balance? What adjustments do you need to make to maintain your equilibrium?

Like A Highlighter

We use a highlighter to highlight material we find important or interesting, things we want to emphasize or examine in more detail. We even use a highlighter as a beauty product to brighten up our complexion and accentuate our facial features.

How about doing the same in our minds and in our lives? Like a highlighter, emphasize and accentuate what's positive, what’s important, what's interesting.

What are you highlighting, right now?

Expressing Feelings

How are you feeling? What are you feeling? Often we’re a little out of touch with our feelings and not able to articulate them.

How about getting in touch with your feelings and expressing them? If you can’t do it verbally, do it creatively. Paint and give shape and color to your feelings. Draw, doodle, scribble, sketch or write a poem.

Express your feelings in a healthy way and increase your capacity to understand yourself, other people and situations.

Feel Like Running Away?

When you're going through a difficult situation and feel like running away from it all, replace run-a-way with runway.

Use the difficult situation as a runway to take a leap of faith in yourself and in life. Take off and face the situation or move towards creating positive change.

Filtered View of the World

We see what we want to see, not what's actually there. It's as if we view the world through a filter. Recognize the filter through which you view the world.

If it's negative or it's not working for you, think about changing the filter. Make it positive, or remove all filters and view the world as it is.

Creative Writing

Put yourself in a creative space and make time to write. Write poetry, fiction, anything. You don’t have to write for anyone, just write for yourself. Don’t let the rules of language become a barrier. Evoke a moment in time, a person, an event, an impression, a feeling, an insight. Give voice to the deep and meaningful part of yourself. Be creative, be honest, be brave and write.

Clouds of Anxiety

When anxieties grip your mind, try this:
1. Loosen your grip, and create distance between you and the anxieties.
2. Visualize the anxieties as clouds and see the clouds change shape or create
patterns in the sky.
3. Watch the wind carry the clouds away. Now there's no clouds, only an endless
stretch of clear blue sky.

Clear your mind of anxieties and return to your day.

Making Ideas Happen

Are you pushy with your ideas? Often we have to be pushy to make our ideas happen; otherwise we'll wonder 'Have I done enough?' But if we push too hard, we may meet resistance, and then we'll wonder, 'Have I gone too far?'

Maybe there's another way. Maybe you can draw others to your ideas without being pushy. Get excited and enthused and you'll make your ideas contagious. Others may then be cooperative and go the extra mile to make your ideas happen.

Relax by Candlelight

Just as moths are drawn to light, so are we. Light a candle and everything soon feels soothing, comforting and calm.

If you want, you can enjoy a candle light meditation. Rest your eyes on the flickering flame of the candle. If your attention wanders off, simply bring your attention back to the candle flame. Meditate by candlelight and you’ll soon relax your mind, warm your heart and illuminate your soul.

Re-contact and Reconnect

As life happens, it's all too easy to lose touch with old friends. So, if you've been meaning to reconnect with someone you've lost touch with, procrastinate no more. Today, re-contact an old friend.

Send an email, a text, a card or a Facebook message. Or simply pick up the phone and give them a call. Get in touch and reconnect. It'll make you feel good and you may just make their day.

Being An Ambassador

Be an ambassador of life. Faultlessly polite and dignified. Building bridges and forging connections. Always interested, never bored.

You may not be an ambassador of a country, corporation, or a brand, but you do represent the human race and you're always representing yourself. Be an ambassador of humanity. Be an ambassador of you.

Gossip, A Good Idea?

'Did you hear about...?' Even though we know gossiping really isn't a good idea, who hasn't repeated a story. But did you hear about the research that says that gossiping can be good for you - as long as it's positive.

If gossiping is almost a second nature to you, go ahead and get gossiping - just make it positive.

Say something positive behind someone's back. Affirm someone's successes and strengths, and spread positive stories.

Stop Being Controlling

To end most of the struggles in life, stop trying to control everything around you. When you decide and accept that you no longer need to control everything, you’re able to be at peace and flow with life.

Too Much Information

We share information, we share opinions, we share experiences. We share to connect, we share to keep up with others. We share face to face, we share digitally. But sometimes we share too much information.

Recognize where and why you might share more than you should. Does it happen when you're too comfortable or too nervous, or too eager to make a good impression?

Recognize what's appropriate to share and what's not. Think before you open your mouth or post online. Share mindfully.

Optimizing Your Workspace

Your workspace affects your mindset and your productivity.

Look at the space where you work. Does the layout, the furniture, the lighting, the colors work for you? If you work at a desk, look at where and how you sit. Is the chair, the computer screen, the desk at the right height? Can you add plants, pictures, messages to make the space your own?

Even if you don't have the possibility of making changes to your workspace, organize and optimize it as much as you can.

Anxious About Uncertainty

We like to reach for certainty, but the one thing that is certain in life - nothing is certain.

If you get anxious about uncertainty, get more comfortable with moving forward without knowing where you are headed. Learn to look forward to seeing what happens next. Maybe then you can embrace uncertainty, find joy in it and navigate through it more confidently.

Put On The Spot

Sometimes we’re put on the spot with unexpected questions. Sometimes people ask questions with a positive interest and intention, and sometimes not.

Next time you’re put on the spot, here’s a trick you can use: ask questions. You can say: That’s a good question, what do you think? Ask for the question to be repeated or repeat the question yourself. Ask for clarification or just start asking lots of questions of your own.

Asking questions will not only give you a bit more time to think, but it will also give you a little more input over the direction the conversation takes.

Get Creative

When your creativity feels ‘boxed in’, try this: release your inner child and let yourself go. Get imaginative and make mundane chores fun. Get curious and see things with wonder. Get outside the box to find solutions.

And if you've started preparing for Christmas, find creative ways to make your own cards and wrap gifts.

Going or Growing Through Life?

Sometimes, do you feel like you're simply going through the routine of life.... when nothing seems exciting? Go through life feeling like this, and you'll most likely end up experiencing fatigue and boredom.

However, if you were to just turn your perspective around, you'll find that the other side of the coin is much more pleasant. Grow through life, and you'll most likely find learning and excitement even in the routine.

What's it going to be - are you going or growing through life?

Sharpen Your Memory

Even though we may not remember everything, we can still boost our ability to remember things more easily. How? Make lists and keep life organized rather than trying to keep everything in your head. Be more aware of what’s going on around you, as often we sabotage the memory process by not paying close attention. Also pay attention to your lifestyle, eat right, sleep well, exercise, meditate. Doing a crossword or sudoku puzzle can also sharpen your memory.

It's Not All About You

Not all conversations go well. Sometimes we just don’t understand where the other person is coming from or why they said what they said.

But not everything is about you. Sometimes the other person is just having a bad day and we’re not able to understand what's really going on for them.

So, keep in mind that it's not all about you. This may just make your feelings and reactions a little more positive and compassionate.

Are You Always Tired?

“I'm so tired”, most of us seem to be complaining about how tired we are. But if we’re always tired, we need to examine our current lifestyle & find out exactly why this is so.

Are you trying to cram too much into your day? Are you getting enough sleep? Are you taking regular breaks? Does your tiredness stem from your state of mind?

What are you going to do about it? Do you need to visit the doctor? Do you need to make simple lifestyle tweaks? What will you do to revive & restore your mind, body & soul?

See. Think. Do.

What you see and how you see, affects what you think. What you think and how you think, affects what you do.

What do you see when you look at the people around you? How do you see the events in your life and in the world?

So take hold of the reins of what and how you see. And become the master of your thinking and doing.

Give Thanks, Be Grateful

Gratitude is a wonderful habit. So, why not infuse more of this habit into your life. How? Keep a gratitude journal. Daily or a weekly, list several things you’re thankful for.

Give thanks to your body for everything it allows you to do. Give thanks to water. Be thankful for not just the good things but also the big problems and the little petty annoyances.

Feel grateful and it'll make you happier, hopeful and healthier.

Drinking Guilt-tea

Do you drink guilt-tea? The next time you find yourself sipping the guilt-tea, stop savoring it. Instead, use that taste of guilt to look at what's not right. Understand where the guilt is coming from and what you will do about it.

Come on, be kind to yourself, stop feeling guilty and try some new teas instead.

Listen and Develop

Listen. We listen all the time... but are we really listening?

Listen to the words and develop a love for language, words and their meanings. Listen to the tone of voice and you'll understand others better.

Listen with an open mind and develop new insights and knowledge. Listen with your heart and you'll develop meaningful connections.

Listen with your being and you'll be inspired and enriched.

Intention in Interactions

Bring positive intentions to every interaction! Set an intention and choose how you would like to relate to the other person. “I intend to be helpful.” “I intend to treat the other person with dignity and respect.” Keep up your good intentions by matching your actions to your intentions.

What Inspires You?

What do you get inspired by? Maybe you are inspired by people, family members, people’s stories, or maybe it’s the books, blogs, quotes you read. Where do you find inspiration? Maybe you find inspiration in nature, art, music, in your favorite place, in yourself, or maybe everywhere. What inspires you? Maybe you're inspired when you solve big problems or when you do something useful.

Today find out what exactly inspires you and stimulates your thinking.