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