This Is Water

Great advice about how to create meaning in a life full of routine:  choice!

Be Careful What You Wish For

It is common for us to look at our own set of problems and feel that life is unfair as we compare our difficult circumstances to the apparent ease that others experience.  Here's a video to help us think about this issue a little deeper.  I heard once that if we all threw our problems into a pile and then had to take others out of the pile, after seeing all the problems that everyone has, we would each quietly take back our own problems and feel a little more grateful about our own circumstances.  Our difficulties are tailor-made for us to provide opportunities for growth and development.  This is a reminder to be a little more grateful for our circumstances:

MY SHOES, by Nina Raoofi

Ashton Kutcher's 2013 Teen Choice Award Speech

Okay, so you've all seen it by now - Ashton Kutcher gave an amazing speech at the 2013 Teen Choice Awards.  He didn't just give the "thanks, I owe it all to the fans" speech.  Instead, he took the opportunity to use his moment in the limelight to teach the youth who were watching some valuable lessons:  1) opportunity looks a lot like hard work, 2) being sexy comes from being smart, being thoughtful, and being generous, and 3) creating a life for yourself is better than just living a life and accepting what's already here.  Pretty good advice for an old guy.

Ashton Kutcher's 2013 Teen Choice Award Speech.

P.S.  Can you believe his name's not even Ashton!?!?!?!?

The Science of Happiness - An Experiment in Gratitude

Every person I have ever met in my line of work as, at some time or another, has expressed that they would like to feel more happiness.  Not just fleeting fun or a quick fix - they genuinely want to feel happiness that lasts and that they can learn how to maintain.  The video below just might have their answer . . .

It's interesting to notice that expressing gratitude has the most positive effects on the people who are the least happy.  So if you want to feel more happiness - today - share your feelings of gratitude with someone!!

How to Make Stress Your Friend

How many of you are stressed?  I mean, really stressed sometimes?  Life is full of stress.  But did you know it is not all negative?  Watch the video below to learn how stress can be your friend :)

Kelly McGonigal: How to make stress your friend

Bullying

Have you ever been bullied?  How did it affect you?  I would guess that all of us have memories of being made fun of, feeling 'less than,' or being put down by others.  This video can feel intensely emotional, especially if you have dealt with, or are currently dealing with, bullying.  Find someone to talk to after watching this if you need support.

To This Day Project - Shane Koyczan

Let Go Of Your Stress

A psychologist walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they'd be asked the "half... empty or half full" question. Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired: "How heavy is this glass of water?"

Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.

She replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn't change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes." She continued, "The stresses and worries in life are like that glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed – incapable of doing anything."

It’s important to remember to let go of your stresses. As early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down. Don't carry them through the evening and into the night. Remember to put the glass down!

Dr. Carson National Prayer Breakfast Speech 2013

Great speech about the importance of education, not making excuses, and taking responsibility for our own futures.  Very inspirational speech :)

Dr. Benjamin Carson Addresses National Prayer Breakfast

Anger Hurts Us

“One day the Buddha was walking through a village. A very angry and rude young man came up and began insulting him. "You have no right teaching others," he shou...ted. "You are as stupid as everyone else. You are nothing but a fake!"
The Buddha was not upset by these insults. Instead he asked the young man, "Tell me, if you buy a gift for someone, and that person does not take it, to whom does the gift belong?"

 The young man was surprised to be asked such a strange question and answered, "It would belong to me, because I bought the gift."
The Buddha smiled and said, "That is correct. And it is exactly the same with your anger. If you become angry with me and I do not get insulted, then the anger falls back on you. You are then the only one who becomes unhappy, not me. All you have done is hurt yourself."

DROPS OF AWESOME

I read a blog post the other day that really made me think about enjoying the little moments when I do things well or even just well enough, and being able to really put my brain in a place where I can fully appreciate the goodness in me.  I don't have time to elaborate on my thoughts about this, but if you ever want to chat with me about it, I'll be happy to discuss it.  It's worth your read.

Click on the blog link below to read it directly in all it's awesomeness:

Drops of Awesome blogpost

VALIDATION

Sometimes we feel that we need to look to others to feel important or validated.  This video represents this concept in a very interesting way.  Hope you enjoy it.

VALIDATION:

THE FENCE (ANGER)

THE FENCE

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper.  His father gave him a bag of nails and 
told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the fence.  The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence.  Over the next few weeks as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily, gradually dwindled down.  He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.

Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all.  He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper.  The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.

The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence.  He said "you have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence,  The fence will never be the same.  When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one."  You can put a knife in a man and draw it out.  It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there.  Make sure you control your temper the next time you are tempted to say something you will regret later.

-Author Unknown

Carrots, Eggs, or Coffee; "Which Are You?"

Grandmother Says... Carrots, Eggs, or Coffee; "Which are you?" A young woman went to her grandmother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose. Her grandmother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs and the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word. In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her granddaughter, she asked, "Tell me what do you see?"

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied. She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they got soft.She then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee. The granddaughter smiled, as she tasted its rich aroma. The granddaughter then asked. "What's the point,grandmother?" Her grandmother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity--boiling water--but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But, after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water they had changed the water. "Which are you?" she asked her granddaughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?" Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity, do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength? Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart? Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hours are the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate to another level? ---AUTHOR UNKNOWN

10 Min Model Workout

I wanted to remember how to find this workout, so I thought this would be a good place to store it.  Go to it here.  It's fun to work on getting fit!