Simplify

Sometimes, it's too easy to get caught up in the little things. I'm sure you've heard of the Serenity Prayer, which is fine for us non-religious folk, too.

Grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the Courage to change the things I can, and the Wisdom the know the difference. - Niebuhr-

Are there things in your daily life that are bothering you? What would happen if you just eliminated it? Sometimes, it seems like a hard thing to do, but once you accept that your well-being and sanity is more important than the situation, it's easier to walk away.

I did this yesterday when members of an internet group I enjoyed continued a cycle of making it un-enjoyable for the rest of us. Rather than go out, guns blazing, I just left. Even though I was technically an admin. For as many hours of support and comraderie as I had found there, I was not interested in spending more time explaining why I was leaving. It's the internet; I don't know many of them personally and it's not worth the time it would have taken to explain why I was leaving.

And just like that, I was gone. I have to admit, my participation in that group DID use up a lot of time, so now I will enjoy applying myself to other aspects of my life. Like writing blogs, and saying the words outloud in a Scottish accent. I'd like to thank the movie Brave for giving me another source beside Mike Meyers.

So, don't be afraid to make eliminations every once in awhile. It can be simpler than you think.

KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid

Take Your Time

It's been half a year since I imparted any sophomoric wisdom upon this blog page. I wanted to write a quick note about Taking One's Time. (That seems a little ironic, doesn't it?)

We've all heard that "Slow and Steady Wins the Race". But Life really isn't a Race because Death is at the finish line. So if Death is the reward for Life, no matter if you win or lose, then I guess it's the Race that matters. Or speaking more eloquently, the quality of life is most important.

What am I suggesting when I say to take one's time? Well, to be honest, I figured out that if I took my time, I would sustain fewer injuries. Seriously! The more I was rushing around, the more I would be bumping into things and getting hurt. I realized that if I just performed actions without rushing, I'd have more success and fewer bruises and cuts. And this has been true ten-fold.

But this also applies to work or tasks you've undertaken. At my part time job, I now take my time to make sure that I'm doing correctly the multitude of things that need to be done in order to successfully do my job. I've noticed that the more I talk with my co-worker (distracted), or the quicker I try to work, the more things I do incorrectly or not at all.

There are a multitude or reasons a person should slow down:

• Less injuries sustained
• A job done correctly the first time
• Become more present in your own life and surroundings
• See the world differently
• Lower stress levels

What are some other reasons that come to mind?

http://36525daystolive.com/2011/06/19/take-time-to-smell-the-roses/

Happy Accidents: Timing is Everything

One of my personal philosophies is that everything happens for a reason. This often involves finding the silver lining when things don't work out as planned. Sometimes this is easier to do.

My previous post talked about a knot game I shared with my family. Earlier in the week, I had emailed by older brother, telling him I wanted to make a playdate with my three nephews to try out a game I bought for them. In my mind, this meant me going out to the farm. I told my brother he and his wife could even take some time off while I entertained the boys.

My plan was to go to the tax center for a noon appointment, stop home and eat, take my younger brother with me and head out to the farm for a 2 pm playdate.

I got to the tax center on time, but my tax consultant was still helping someone (his older brother, it turns out). They said it would be a little longer than expected, and would I mind? No, I could use the time to just sit since I'm usually running all over the place. When all was said and done, I got out at 2 pm, when I was supposed to be arriving at the farm.

Quick call to my house to see if my younger brother was ready to go visit our nephews. My parents wanted to take dinner to the farm but hadn't called my older brother to arrange it. I tried calling my oldest nephew (it gives him a kick to get calls and texts!) but no answer. I sent my older brother a text saying sorry I was late, but I would be there in 30-45 minutes.

Drive home and younger brother is in the shower and my in-town older sister is there visiting my parents. Okay, so my younger brother isn't ready, but I needed time to grab something to eat anyway. So, once we are finally ready to head out, we walk towards the front door, the doorbell rings and through the window of the door, we can see a little kid. Open the door: my older brother brought my nephews over! Apparently, he thought my email meant for him to bring the boys to me, instead of me coming to them!

We just kinda laughed and looked at each other. Had my appointment gotten out on time, or had I left the house five minutes earlier, I would have missed my brother and gone halfway to the farm before getting called back!

Thanks to the mis-communication and the timing of people being late, we had the playdate at my parent's house and my parents AND my in-town sister got to enjoy time with the grandsons/nephews as well! AND we still made it out to the farm later for dinner.

This is one of those times when it's pretty easy to see the silver lining and how everything CAN work out to benefit everyone. But it's a good reminder. You don't have to be a Pollyanna and say "Gee, getting hit by that bus was the best thing that ever happened to me!" but you can try to find some of the positive aspects to come out of unexpected situations.

So, what is your favorite "happy accident" story when the timing of unplanned events worked out in your favor?

Mental Challenges are Quite a Challenge These Days

When was the last time you did something that was mentally challenging? How long did you try to succeed before giving up?

Yesterday, I introduced a knot-tying challenge to my family members and myself. There were 40 cards of knot examples and we all sat around and tried to make some of the easiest knots. Family trend? Most of my family members gave up after doing a couple knots once or twice and went and played video games, watched TV or played a game on a cell phone. I was flabbergasted!

You can't do a knot once or twice and consider it learned. You have to do that one knot 20 or 50 or 100 times and then you've got it down. You can do it with your eyes closed. And you feel good about yourself because you found something new to challenge yourself and you progressed from when you first started. And you know that the knots you try afterward are built on the first knots you learned. Sure, it's much easier to find it boring and walk away, but it doesn't have to be knots. Maybe it's learning an instrument or painting, or doing Sudoku or something, ANYTHING that stimulates your brain. This applies to physical activity as well.

We played again later in the evening and there was more emphasis put on mastering knots, helping the others learn knots you mastered and being solid on the knots you then knew before moving on. And then going back and re-practicing to keep it fresh in your mind. The television in the room still got in the way, but it's up to the individual how to react to a challenge. I knew I found an activity that interests me as I lay in bed last night visualizing how to make knots.

It can be a challenge in this world of flashing bright lights, loud distractions and brain-free activity to take the time to work on something that presents more interaction and thought process. But spending time on an activity and knowing you have made progress, you've expanded your mind and you were better than when you first began? That's a more satisfying feeling than sitting through a television marathon, that's for sure! Besides, when all your gadgets power down and lose battery life, what do you have left? If you've learned something new, you have a talent that you didn't before. Can you imagine, if everyone waiting at the airport, instead of being on the phone or a laptop, had a slice of rope and were practicing knots? Or if they were learning sign language? Or if they were folding origami? No one is really born knowing how to do these things. And no one is probably going to require you learn them once you stop going to school or summer camp. But it's part of lifelong learning to constantly challenge yourself and find something new and unique that excites you!

So, what is your new activity and goal? A new language, sport, instrument, sudoku, knot-tying, origami, juggling? How hard is it for you to rise above the impulse to give up, walk away and plop yourself down in front of a screen?





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Whether you think that you can, or that you can't, you are usually right.
Henry Ford

Read more: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/h/henryford131621.html#ixzz1mx4aXnEI

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By the way, here's a link to the knot game:  Knot So Fast

http://www.amazon.com/Think-Fun-7090-ThinkFun-Knot/dp/B0032UP5R8