Keeping it Real

Posts Tagged ‘Satisfaction’

I was out the other day putting the finishing touches on my preparations for Christmas this year.  I found myself spending some time observing Moms and Dads and sometimes their kids shopping, waiting in line, or any one of several other activities that it seems everyone has to do prior to Christmas festivities…

There was a common theme that was rather disappointing… very few people were smiling or enjoying themselves.

There’s no doubt that the time of year adds unnecessary stresses to everyone’s already hectic schedules but there are several things you can do to prevent stress from getting the best of you at this time of year…

• Put perfection behind you – Everyone wants the holiday season to be perfect…from striving to achieve a perfect reaction from your spouse or children to a gift you purchased to desiring the perfect feast and family get together, the perfect gift wrapping and decorations, etc.  Accept that you may not be able to achieve perfection in every aspect of your holiday season.
• Set yours plans for visiting family and friends in accordance with your priorities – There’s nothing quite as stressful as trying to be in 4 or 5 places (Mom’s place, Dad’s place, Granparent’s places, etc…) all at once.  Set your priorities for family visits with family and friends in accordance with YOUR priorities not those of your Great Aunt!  Consider alternating between your’s and your significant other’s families yearly and leave yourself the time to truly enjoy these opportunities – especially if visiting these families requires any significant travel requirements.
• For those last minute items, plan before you shop – It’s natural to forget an item or have to make a trip to pick up a few things at the last minute.  Make a list and plan where and what you will buy before you hop in the car and head to the mall.
• Take a moment to enjoy the moment – The stress caused by hectic schedules and season related to-do lists can be relieved by simply taking a moment to breathe and enjoy the wonderful around you!  Take a moment to remember why you celebrate this time of year.

How do you handle seasonal stresses?

photo credit: isabisa

It is important that we work towards our goals in life… personal and professional goals and aspirations… we’ve all heard that we need to keep our eye on the ball. 

Past experiences, especially less than favourable ones, contribute to fears and serve only to put perceived barriers in front of us.  These ‘limitations’ can prevent us from staying focused on our goals and put us into a state of accepting mediocrity.

But, for some, staying focused on some future end-result can be overwhelming at times also.  Sure, we all want to achieve goals and aspirations and achieve a certain level of success.  We know that if all we think about is past failures we are likely just putting ourselves into a state of inaction.  The same can be said, however, of focusing to far into the future… to live only in that end result takes our focus off the now.  A big goal, no matter what it is, can be daunting to think about if it’s not broken down into achievable steps that we can focus on today… steps we can take right now to get us that much closer to our goals.

“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” 
~  Robert Brault

It’s true.  For me, personally, I know that if I have a particularly big goal in front of me that focusing only on the end-result can overwhelm me and force me into a state of procrastination and making excuses… or it can take me out of the present moment and result in my absence to what is going on around me.  If instead I focus on the little steps I need to take right now, and I take action to achieve those little steps, then I can be satisfied at every moment that I am getting closer to my goal while staying present for myself and those around me.

“Develop an appreciation for the present moment. Seize every second of your life and savor it. Value your present moments.” 
~  Wayne Dyer

Appreciate the small things in life and take action on the steps necessary to achieve your goals.  You will live a m0re fruitful life and achieve beyond your imagination if you learn to savor the moment you’re in.  Furthermore, living in the now allows us to sieze opportunities as they unfold right in front of us…

“It would be incredible if we all lived every moment as if to create a memory we could cherish for a lifetime.”
~ Darren Sproat

photo credit: PrASanGaM

Will you remember in five years what you did today?

It would be incredible if everyone lived every moment as if to create a memory they could cherish for a lifetime.  What kind of life do you want to create?
~ Darren Sproat, 2008

Take a moment to absorb all that is wonderful going on around you and you stand a good chance of creating those memories you can cherish for a lifetime.  What kind of life do you want to create?

Warmest Regards,
Darren

Halloween marks an interesting time every year when kids of all ages (even us 30/40-somethings) dress up, wear masks and makeup, and conceal their true selves all in the name of fun… and to get boat loads of candy, of course!

I would argue that many of us wear masks every single day… to conceal fears or shortcomings, to reinforce an excuse or to convince those around us, or even ourselves, that we are something or someone we are not.

I write about being authentic a lot… I believe I’m putting my authentic self into everything I write for this blog. One individual I follow on Twitter initiated an interesting dialog with me shortly after I sent out a tweet about being authentic.  The entire dialog can be summed up in one tweet… 

“REVEALING authenticity is like removing layers from a “mask”.  Any attempt to CREATE authenticity just adds another layer.”
~ Carl Ingalls (Follow Carl on Twitter at @Carl_Ingalls)

Carl’s tweet sums up the true means to presenting your real self… the authentic you.  Peel off your masks and present the authentic you in all you think and in all you do.  Resist hiding behind excuses or perceived barriers…

“One can have no smaller or greater mastery than mastery of oneself.”
~ Leonardo Da Vinci

Have a safe and happy halloween… 

I would be honored if you chose to leave a comment.

Regards,
Darren

Posted by MsTausha,

When I started writing this I was listening to a friend tell me about, yet another questionable relationship he’d gotten himself into. Once again, he was telling me that a woman he was dating turned out NOT to be who she originally claimed to be. God had given him signs; little “happenings” here and there that were intended to slow him down and prove that the relationship might not be what God had for him, but he longs for a mate so bad that he ignored the signs and kept pressing forward…again. So there we were, having a conversation about how he is disappointed in another relationship that’s gone “bad.”

I wondered what I could say to him that would help him see himself in the situation. We have all done this at one time or another; we let our heart’s desire become our heart’s dis-ease. We become so enamored with getting what we think we want that we ignore the red flags intended to make us go in the opposite direction. When it ends (and it will), we are disappointed and disgusted in the other person’s actions, without fully taking accountability for our own actions. Recognizing the other person’s faults is the easy part; but admitting where you went wrong is a completely different story.

As I began to reflect on some of my own past relationships, I was reminded of something God spoke to me several years ago: “What is it on the inside of you that makes you susceptible to these types of relationships? What is the root? What is it that makes YOU put YOU in these situations?” What I came to realize about myself was humbling…

I was desperate…

I was so desperate to have a mate that I was compromising.  I was clinging to relationships I KNEW were not ultimately what I wanted because I was trying to fill a void. Little did I know, that void could only be filled by surrendering that part of my life to God, and facing things about myself that I had been running from; things that made me vulnerable in this area.  If you feel there is a void in your life, whatever you are turning to in order to fill it is a cheap imitation of what God would do if you turned to Him. Desperation for things or people will only leave you disappointed. The only thing we should be desperate for is an intimate relationship with God.

As far as relationships, I have learned that when a man/woman causes you to act out of character (degrade not upgrade); do things you would usually oppose; and/or neglect your purpose/calling, then that relationship is not the will of God.

In God’s will, there is peace…not confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33)

In God’s will, there is freedom…not bondage (Galatians 5:1)

In God’s will, there is security…not insecurity (Proverbs 3:5)

You can sit around and talk about the other person’s faults and wrong doings all day long, but until you get down to the root of why YOU keep subjecting yourself to relationships that are not good for you, you ain’t talking about nothing.  Don’t be desperate…be destined!

Please leave a comment with your thoughts or stories.

Grace and Peace,
Ms. Tausha