Wednesday, April 28, 2010
I'm a REAL Blogger now!
I guess I am real not that I have advertisements on my blog...But, for them to work, I have to have followers who read the Blog AND CLick on the ads...hmmmm. How do others "entice people to read your blogs? Seems very self serving to me to promote an interest in the mundane workings of my life.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Well, I had a bad day
I failed miserably at avoiding the negative over the weekend. I was just plain cranky and found fault with everything from Gary's driving to the cleanliness of Alayna's room. Remembering to choose is useful but choosing correctly is just plain hard sometimes. I think I was infected with "it's all about me syndrome" this weekend. Definably stole my joy (and the rest of my families as well!)
Monday, April 19, 2010
2-Blessings
Intellectually, I know I have it good . This week I am going to record my many blessings and that which I am thankful for. I am going to make an EXTREME effort to say thanks, give credit where credit is due and generally appreciate what I have! I am going to practice the "Glass is half-full" theory. Will I feel more blessed by the end of the week and will I appreciate the people who love me and the things I have to a greater degree?
Sunday
Reading the Sunday paper in bed before church, coffee in hand, Maggie and Alayna close by
Welcome back Kotter videos with the kids, their laughter
The many bible translations in my home
The ability to worship freely and without fear
Monday
Husband Gary always greets me with "I love you" and a kiss upon waking (incidentally, he does this every day)
I get to "sleep" a few minutes longer while DH takes his shower first (5:30am)
Warm showers
DH brings me my coffee every morning. Coffee in the morning
DH Makes the bed, a chore I despise!
Beautiful Spring mornings-sky is blue, trees are green, blooming trees and flowers
I have eyes that see the beauty God created
A Canadian goose on the river
A good paying job in a field I like, bosses with a sense of humor,
Tuesday
Committed group of Godly women who meet regularly for study and accountability
DH cooks dinner upon occasion and it's always delicious
DH unloads dishwasher, another chore I despise!
DH snores, I am thankful that he is alive and sleeping beside me
Thankful for college age daughter who calls pretty regularly, not just when she wants/needs something
I've never gone to bed hungry
Good books to read
Good music to listen to, sing along to...Music in general
The sound of Alayna's laughter
A good cry
Dogs, especially Maggie
Rainy Days, Sunny Days, Snowy days
Seeing a deer in the woods, amazed at how well they blend in
My parents, their good health
The enjoyment I get from attending UL football, men and women's basketball
God hears my prayers
Freshly mown grass
Black Jelly Beans
The smell of babies
Wednesday
Granola for breakfast
A parking spot close to the door
Generally uneventful commutes to and from work
Technology-cell phones, I-pods, Computers, DVD players, microwaves
I have people who love me
I am forgiven because Jesus died for me!
A comfy bed to sleep in
Heat in the winter and AC in the summer
Healthy Children
Fresh asparagus out of the Garden
The first Hamburger on the Grill in Spring
Sitting on the deck with a nice glass of wine
Creative ministries-stamping, knitting
Thursday
Opening day at the Chow Wagon-gyros, funnel cakes, fresh squeezed lemonade
Thankful I have hair
a few bucks in the bank
a good joke
A cold beer
Popcorn
I live in a country where I am free to criticize the government elected to serve me
Friday
clean water every time I turn on the Tap
Stimulating conversations
Clean clothes and the washing machine and dryer that make it possible
Variety
All the different foods
SEASONS!
Saturday
Creasy Mahan Nature Preserve
Libraries
Birthdays
Friendship
Sleeping in while it rains
Houseboat trips
Memories
Gas water heaters
I am amazed at how richly I am blessed and dismayed at how much I take for granted. This week of blessings has helped me appreciated what I have. I will place a greater importance on the things that money can't buy and daily give thanks for all the gifts God has so richly give to me.
Sunday
Reading the Sunday paper in bed before church, coffee in hand, Maggie and Alayna close by
Welcome back Kotter videos with the kids, their laughter
The many bible translations in my home
The ability to worship freely and without fear
Monday
Husband Gary always greets me with "I love you" and a kiss upon waking (incidentally, he does this every day)
I get to "sleep" a few minutes longer while DH takes his shower first (5:30am)
Warm showers
DH brings me my coffee every morning. Coffee in the morning
DH Makes the bed, a chore I despise!
Beautiful Spring mornings-sky is blue, trees are green, blooming trees and flowers
I have eyes that see the beauty God created
A Canadian goose on the river
A good paying job in a field I like, bosses with a sense of humor,
Tuesday
Committed group of Godly women who meet regularly for study and accountability
DH cooks dinner upon occasion and it's always delicious
DH unloads dishwasher, another chore I despise!
DH snores, I am thankful that he is alive and sleeping beside me
Thankful for college age daughter who calls pretty regularly, not just when she wants/needs something
I've never gone to bed hungry
Good books to read
Good music to listen to, sing along to...Music in general
The sound of Alayna's laughter
A good cry
Dogs, especially Maggie
Rainy Days, Sunny Days, Snowy days
Seeing a deer in the woods, amazed at how well they blend in
My parents, their good health
The enjoyment I get from attending UL football, men and women's basketball
God hears my prayers
Freshly mown grass
Black Jelly Beans
The smell of babies
Wednesday
Granola for breakfast
A parking spot close to the door
Generally uneventful commutes to and from work
Technology-cell phones, I-pods, Computers, DVD players, microwaves
I have people who love me
I am forgiven because Jesus died for me!
A comfy bed to sleep in
Heat in the winter and AC in the summer
Healthy Children
Fresh asparagus out of the Garden
The first Hamburger on the Grill in Spring
Sitting on the deck with a nice glass of wine
Creative ministries-stamping, knitting
Thursday
Opening day at the Chow Wagon-gyros, funnel cakes, fresh squeezed lemonade
Thankful I have hair
a few bucks in the bank
a good joke
A cold beer
Popcorn
I live in a country where I am free to criticize the government elected to serve me
Friday
clean water every time I turn on the Tap
Stimulating conversations
Clean clothes and the washing machine and dryer that make it possible
Variety
All the different foods
SEASONS!
Saturday
Creasy Mahan Nature Preserve
Libraries
Birthdays
Friendship
Sleeping in while it rains
Houseboat trips
Memories
Gas water heaters
I am amazed at how richly I am blessed and dismayed at how much I take for granted. This week of blessings has helped me appreciated what I have. I will place a greater importance on the things that money can't buy and daily give thanks for all the gifts God has so richly give to me.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
3-LISTEN up!
I can be poor at listening when I am doing other things that require my attention or if you interrupt me in the middle of, say writing an e-mail to tell me something, when your story is long winded and when it isn't about me (ouch, that one hurts to write).
I have a couple of goals in mind with this week's challenge
1) Shut up and listen
2)To engage all my senses (eyes, ears, brain) when you are talking (particularly, my younger daughter)
3) To STOP what I am doing (even when it's important) and give you my full attention (because you're even more important)
4) Allow you to finish your story without injecting a similar one of my own
5) Ask questions and remember details
6) Remember a new acquaintances name when I meet them a second time
Well, I had an opportunity to listen to Alayna, remember a name (Karen) and to not inject my own stories. I did OK-need to do better. Had to remember a 2nd name (Mary) and still remember it today! WOW! That has to be a record. Praying I remember her face when I see her next so I can impress her with my memorization skills (since we discussed how bad we are at remembering names!)
It is harder to listen than I realized. I now find myself thinking about my need to listen instead of the comment I am going to make, which is just another form of distraction. How to break the cycle?
I have a couple of goals in mind with this week's challenge
1) Shut up and listen
2)To engage all my senses (eyes, ears, brain) when you are talking (particularly, my younger daughter)
3) To STOP what I am doing (even when it's important) and give you my full attention (because you're even more important)
4) Allow you to finish your story without injecting a similar one of my own
5) Ask questions and remember details
6) Remember a new acquaintances name when I meet them a second time
Well, I had an opportunity to listen to Alayna, remember a name (Karen) and to not inject my own stories. I did OK-need to do better. Had to remember a 2nd name (Mary) and still remember it today! WOW! That has to be a record. Praying I remember her face when I see her next so I can impress her with my memorization skills (since we discussed how bad we are at remembering names!)
It is harder to listen than I realized. I now find myself thinking about my need to listen instead of the comment I am going to make, which is just another form of distraction. How to break the cycle?
I also find myself offering advice (especially to my kids) instead of just listening to them. Sometimes all they want is to tell their story, concern or incident. The telling is the therapeutic part. I also find that I multi-task (type e-mail responses, etc.) when talking on the phone to Gary or Kara, for example. Very eye opening, as I can't fully concentrate on either "conversation".
I have learned that I can remember peoples names (Frances from a Derby Party! and her daughters, Madison, Ellery and oops-can't remember the oldest one) if I concentrate and apply the tried and true tools of repeating their names in the conversation, asking questions and association.
1-The POWER to CHOOSE
I don't consider myself an optimist. I tend to analyze peoples motivations, actions and words from a negative perspective. I ponder slights and hurts for far too long. All of this impacts my capacity for JOY each and every moment of each and every day. I want to change that. Life is finite and once a minute, an hour, a day is spent it is irretrievable. Therefore, I must CHOOSE to see the good (or overlook the negative), I must CHOOSE to overlook a slight. I need a change in perspective.
I know this is going to be hard for me...
On Tuesday morning my boss sprang an unplanned meeting on me. We were having out of town guests and needed to extend our meeting room reservation and have lunch delivered. This was at 9:20am. He wouldn't know a lunch headcount until later that morning and wanted Delivery from a local deli that was usually less than cooperative with deliveries and late orders (and I was heading out to another meeting). I CHOOSE to just ACCEPT these circumstances. I didn't focus on the lack of planning, the inconvenience this created for me or the insensitivity of my boss. Just making that choice was so freeing. I didn't stew about it and lose precious minutes in justifiable indignation. I was astounded that simply making the CHOICE to ACCEPT the situation had such a profound outlook on my entire attitude and the rest of my day. The success of this certainly made me look forward to the next "opportunity" to exercise my POWER to CHOOSE.
As you can imagine, it didn't take long for the next opportunity to present itself. The very next morning as I was driving to work, traffic began to back up doe to slow moving road machinery. I get resentful when drivers don't practice proper driving etiquette, are just plain rude or put their need for speed above my safety. As drivers pulled out from behind only to swerve back in 2 cars ahead of me I sped up to close the gap to prevent other like minded drivers from doing the same. Then I remembered my POWER to CHOOSE resolution, felt chagrined and vowed to refrain from such practices in the future. Could that choice impact my overall outlook and increase my daily JOY?
At home that same evening I was talking about Track practice with my husband, Gary (I help coach the field events of Javelin, Discus and Shot-put for middle school-ers). This particular evening several of the team members were less than motivated to practice. They literally dragged their feet and laid on the field, had to make numerous restroom breaks, refused to sprint and were generally uncooperative. I would have normally complained and maligned the kids for their behavior, sucking the JOY out of the few minutes a husband and wife had together preparing dinner. I chose to make the comments short but factual. Again, I was amazed at how framing my comments away from the negative impacted my attitude.
Wednesday morning I was reading Rick Warrens "A Purpose Drive Life" of a small group I facilitate. 2 phrases from the daily reading really jumped off the page and spoke to me.
The first "Nothing is arbitrary...it is all for a purpose" made me consider that my reaction to everything should also be for a purpose.
The second "The essence of God's character is love" ignited a desire that I would like my essence to be love. No one was ever going to accuse me of that so this one is going to be REAL hard to incorporate into my character...Difficult, but worth it!
Petty annoyances plague my days but having implemented the power to CHOOSE not to be annoyed by this has been very liberating. I am surrounded by poor drivers, rude people, insensitive boors but I have to accept that as a member of the human race. I am adopting the attitude that people are doing the best they can and not let their bad behaviors (by MY standards) ruin the moments. I also read that when you complain about people, the listener assigns the attribute you are talking about to the teller...so all the more reason NOT to complain. It appears that the old adage, you are what you think is true. I have felt less stressed this week because I employed the CHOICE to let it go.
Those things that cause me the most stress are things that are really not worth it. Why should I allow an inconsiderate driver or store clerk, things tasking longer than they should, traffic, people calling me DIANE (not DianA) to rob me of ANY joy? I have to repeatedly remind myself that these people mean me no real harm, they don't know any better or they are in a hurry (insert any excuse that allows me to move beyond the moment). This realization has added peaceful moments to my week. I think CHOOSING to over look a negative is a keeper!
We need the courage to start and continue what we should do, and coirage to stop what we shouldn't do--Richard L. Evans
I know this is going to be hard for me...
On Tuesday morning my boss sprang an unplanned meeting on me. We were having out of town guests and needed to extend our meeting room reservation and have lunch delivered. This was at 9:20am. He wouldn't know a lunch headcount until later that morning and wanted Delivery from a local deli that was usually less than cooperative with deliveries and late orders (and I was heading out to another meeting). I CHOOSE to just ACCEPT these circumstances. I didn't focus on the lack of planning, the inconvenience this created for me or the insensitivity of my boss. Just making that choice was so freeing. I didn't stew about it and lose precious minutes in justifiable indignation. I was astounded that simply making the CHOICE to ACCEPT the situation had such a profound outlook on my entire attitude and the rest of my day. The success of this certainly made me look forward to the next "opportunity" to exercise my POWER to CHOOSE.
As you can imagine, it didn't take long for the next opportunity to present itself. The very next morning as I was driving to work, traffic began to back up doe to slow moving road machinery. I get resentful when drivers don't practice proper driving etiquette, are just plain rude or put their need for speed above my safety. As drivers pulled out from behind only to swerve back in 2 cars ahead of me I sped up to close the gap to prevent other like minded drivers from doing the same. Then I remembered my POWER to CHOOSE resolution, felt chagrined and vowed to refrain from such practices in the future. Could that choice impact my overall outlook and increase my daily JOY?
At home that same evening I was talking about Track practice with my husband, Gary (I help coach the field events of Javelin, Discus and Shot-put for middle school-ers). This particular evening several of the team members were less than motivated to practice. They literally dragged their feet and laid on the field, had to make numerous restroom breaks, refused to sprint and were generally uncooperative. I would have normally complained and maligned the kids for their behavior, sucking the JOY out of the few minutes a husband and wife had together preparing dinner. I chose to make the comments short but factual. Again, I was amazed at how framing my comments away from the negative impacted my attitude.
Wednesday morning I was reading Rick Warrens "A Purpose Drive Life" of a small group I facilitate. 2 phrases from the daily reading really jumped off the page and spoke to me.
The first "Nothing is arbitrary...it is all for a purpose" made me consider that my reaction to everything should also be for a purpose.
The second "The essence of God's character is love" ignited a desire that I would like my essence to be love. No one was ever going to accuse me of that so this one is going to be REAL hard to incorporate into my character...Difficult, but worth it!
Petty annoyances plague my days but having implemented the power to CHOOSE not to be annoyed by this has been very liberating. I am surrounded by poor drivers, rude people, insensitive boors but I have to accept that as a member of the human race. I am adopting the attitude that people are doing the best they can and not let their bad behaviors (by MY standards) ruin the moments. I also read that when you complain about people, the listener assigns the attribute you are talking about to the teller...so all the more reason NOT to complain. It appears that the old adage, you are what you think is true. I have felt less stressed this week because I employed the CHOICE to let it go.
Those things that cause me the most stress are things that are really not worth it. Why should I allow an inconsiderate driver or store clerk, things tasking longer than they should, traffic, people calling me DIANE (not DianA) to rob me of ANY joy? I have to repeatedly remind myself that these people mean me no real harm, they don't know any better or they are in a hurry (insert any excuse that allows me to move beyond the moment). This realization has added peaceful moments to my week. I think CHOOSING to over look a negative is a keeper!
We need the courage to start and continue what we should do, and coirage to stop what we shouldn't do--Richard L. Evans
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
A list of challenges
Live a life that will outlast you
Nothing is arbitrary
Moral virtues are acquired through practice
Make LOVE the essence of my character
Do good instead of doing well
Choose the Good
Listen
Offer forgiveness
Eliminate swearing
Be an encourager
Take time to relax each day
Learn new knitting techniques
Exercise more deliberately
Possibilities
Eliminate the lists
Eliminate Gossip
Simplify
Reduce
Repurpose
Use up
Nothing is arbitrary
Moral virtues are acquired through practice
Make LOVE the essence of my character
Do good instead of doing well
Choose the Good
Listen
Offer forgiveness
Eliminate swearing
Be an encourager
Take time to relax each day
Learn new knitting techniques
Exercise more deliberately
Possibilities
Eliminate the lists
Eliminate Gossip
Simplify
Reduce
Repurpose
Use up
Introduction to my 52 weeks
Change and growth take place when a person has risked himself and dares to become involved with experimenting with his own life--Herbert Otto
Having decided that I want to be "different" 52 weeks from now I am embracing what I fear will be the MOST difficult of lifestyle changes I have ever resolved to make. I am making a list of the self improvements I hope to accomplish over the course of a year. I expect this list to expand as the week progress but for now we will begin with one lofty goal in mind: To create a life that will outlive me by bringing joy to those I encounter on a daily basis. For those who know me, this is not going to be an easy task to accomplish as I tend to analyze situations too intensely and focus on the negative (implied or imagined).
Always a list maker, this blog will serve as a high-tech way to keep me accountable! Wish me luck! and perhaps you'll consider joining me on this journey with your own 52 weeks list!
Having decided that I want to be "different" 52 weeks from now I am embracing what I fear will be the MOST difficult of lifestyle changes I have ever resolved to make. I am making a list of the self improvements I hope to accomplish over the course of a year. I expect this list to expand as the week progress but for now we will begin with one lofty goal in mind: To create a life that will outlive me by bringing joy to those I encounter on a daily basis. For those who know me, this is not going to be an easy task to accomplish as I tend to analyze situations too intensely and focus on the negative (implied or imagined).
Always a list maker, this blog will serve as a high-tech way to keep me accountable! Wish me luck! and perhaps you'll consider joining me on this journey with your own 52 weeks list!
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