Source: Nezartdesign: 1 and 2.
Choose: Up. Or Down.
December 4, 2012 by 38 Comments
The trick is in what one emphasizes.
We either make ourselves miserable,
Or we make ourselves happy.
The amount of work is the same.
Sources: Image: novoheroi. Castanda quote: iheartloons.
You are what you do. Get on with it.
November 8, 2012 by 32 Comments
wsj.com: Eight Principles of Successful Optimists
If there were one guiding principle that encapsulated all pragmatic optimists, it would simply be: “judge your worth not by what you own, but by what you create”…In my travels documenting and working with a number of these individuals I’ve observed number of core principles they all seem to share, and they’re principles any of us can adopt:
- Have an unashamed optimism of ambition. (Don’t feel embarrassed to say that things can be better. Have no qualms about imagining an improved world and advocating for it, no matter how much derision you may receive at the hands of the cynical.)
- Engage in projects that are bigger than you are. (“Find something more important than you are and dedicate your life to it.”)
- Your ideas are for sharing, not protecting. (Pragmatic optimists happily let their ideas go out dating.)
- Making mistakes is OK, but not trying is irresponsible.
- You’re defined by what you do, not by what you intend to do. (Pragmatic optimists aren’t interested in what you might do if you had more time, or if your manager was more understanding, or if you were the manager, or if it was next week. You are what you do. That’s it. Get on with it.) [Read more…]
Unstoppable
September 16, 2012 by 53 Comments
This is my youngest brother Lorne. This photo was taken one year ago yesterday after his successful bone marrow transplant. He celebrates another year of a remarkable life. This man, my Brother, carries himself with such grace, with such gentleness, with such kindness and with such optimism – – I shake my head in wonder. It makes me believe that he was “selected” because of his indomitable spirit and strength.
Today will be…
September 13, 2012 by 23 Comments
I’m not…
September 11, 2012 by 47 Comments
I’m not Plato. Or King. Or Kennedy. Or Churchill. My words aren’t a symphony. I don’t have a spin cycle. Yet, you’ll know precisely where I stand.
I’m not the great mind or the brilliance that surrounds me. I’m an Electrolux. A Cuisinart. A rough chop.
I’m not an Olympic sculler. I don’t slice through the water with grace, with ease, with yeomanlike efficiency. My boat lurches left and right. I’m not first but I’m in the race.
I’m not a woodchopper. Yet I chop. When I miss, the vibration shudders – rattles my teeth, my bones and that of others. Yet, the tree will come down.
Running…with Jung.
September 3, 2012 by 27 Comments
6:17am: I’m up and out the door. It’s a beautiful morning for running. Wisps of cool air cutting through the early September humidity. Streaks of clouds cover the sunrise. A splash of color on a few trees getting a head start on autumn. It’s September 3rd. And a great day to be alive. (Hello September. Where did the year go? Love, LOVE, the fall season. The pulsating picture above feels like my heart does now. Ba Boom. Ba Boom. Ba Boom. Ba Boom. Keep tickin’ baby. Keep tickin’.)
6:23am: Pace is good. Both jets feel good. No one is out and about. Pesky squirrels are sleeping. Even the birds are quiet. (Yep, it’s just me and my head. And that can get crowded. Managed to contain the food intake yesterday. Miracle. Determined to get this weight down before the hibernation period. As Brenna would say, Thanksgiving is the time of the year “when I feel like I’ve eaten a gallon of mashed potatoes and a gravy-injected turkey and washed it down with six or seven espressos.”)
You need 4 Positives to offset 1 Negative
August 29, 2012 by 23 Comments
Source: WSJ – Self-Help For Skeptics.
- Self-compassionate people are happier…(it) helps people overcome life’s little, and not-so-little stressors
- You can train your brain to focus on the positive – even if you’re wired to see the glass as half empty
- To enjoy life and feel good, people need roughly four positive emotions to counteract the effect of one negative emotion
- Instead of “pushing through” a bad day, look for ways to actively improve it. Take a small break. Get an ice-cream cone. Invite a friend out to dinner.
- Resist the urge to make your problems worse. “Ask yourself, How much of my distress is the real problem, and how much is stuff I am heaping on myself unnecessarily?”
- Boost your daily ratio of positive-to-negative emotions…What do you enjoy doing? Seeing your best buddy, watching a funny movie, walking in the park? Make a list and do one a day.
- Then list things you really don’t enjoy. Are there people who bring you down? Hobbies that no longer interest you? Errands you can delegate? Some of this stuff can be avoided.
- If you don’t feel happy, fake it. You wouldn’t constantly burden a friend with your bad mood, so don’t burden yourself. Try holding a pencil horizontally in your mouth. “This activates the same muscles that create a smile, and our brain interprets this as happiness,”…
See full article @ WSJ – Self-Help For Skeptics. Train Your Brain to Be Positive, and Feel Happier Every Day: It Only Sounds Corny
Image Source: carnetimaginaire via showslow
Lead-Learn Mashup
August 23, 2012 by 18 Comments
- Waiting For The Karma Truck: “You Want To Talk Leadership? Talk to the Hand“
- Execupundit.com: “The Success/Failure Index”
- The Atlantic: “Why Women Can’t Still Have It All” (THNQ Rina)
- Penelope Trunk: “Marissa Mayer Becomes CEO of Yahoo and Proves Women Cannot Have It All“)
- Image Dynamics: “Where Are You on The Ego Elevator” (THNQ George P)
- Nicholas Bate: “Excellence 7 x 4“.
- Broadside: “What’s your personal brand?“
- David Pollay: “The Law of the Garbage Truck“ (THNQ Ed O)
Image Source: Source: beantz via crescentmoon06
Running, around in my head…
July 8, 2012 by 26 Comments
Thinking too @#$%^&* Much…
I got off to a late start this morning. Reading posts. Watching videos. (Now, in addition to these cat videos that I can’t seem to stop watching, I’m watching Mimi’s and LaDona’s video posts – they’ve figured out how to post videos – watch out world, these ladies are Game On.)
It’s hot. (Cursing that I got off to a late start. Maybe I can go half-way today. Oh, here we go again. Rationalizing away my exercise before I’ve even started. You are sad sack, Pal.)
Today’s theme: I see. (I think.) (Too much.)
Rescue me…
June 23, 2012 by 22 Comments
After posting my work-out video this morning (For Those Who Suffer, We Ride…), I stepped on the scale to find that I had set a new personal worst…a 12-month high. On with the running shoes, and out the door…no matter that the air was thick with humidity and threatening rain…I was determined to shake this weight off in one long run.
(Clank) (What is going on with you?) Flashback.
After Rachel left home to go to college, I camped out in the attic. Meaning, on the couch…curtains drawn…big screen flashing…Friday night after work through the weekend. This went on for several weeks.
I watched five consecutive seasons of the TV Series “Rescue Me.” 5 seasons = ~ 50 episodes. 50 shows = ~38 hours of TV. Back to back to back to back to back to BACK. (Obsessive Personality Disorder. Topic for upcoming post.)
There was no other TV during this Rescue Me marathon. I took short breaks for meals, showers and potty breaks. No exercise. No walks outdoors. No Zeke dog walking. Minimal human interaction. Just sayin’ – I was hunkered down. (Who says it’s Moms that fall apart after the kids leave the nest).
I hate being alone…
April 5, 2012 by 28 Comments
NO. Not me. I LOVE my solitude. Especially during the early morning hours.
No traffic. No distractions. No meetings. No presentations. No phone calls. No revenue pressure. No emails. No idle chatter. No Nothing.
So, then, Brutus, you have found Peace in your solitude?
No. Just me and my mind. Alone.
And boy, is she working me over…
Banging away. Interrupting the silence.
“All that we are is the result of all that we have thought. It is founded on thought. It is based on thought.”
– The Dhammapada
Sources:
- Image & Inspiration: Mme Scherzo
- Quote: Steve Layman via from thejournelofanobody
How do YOU see the Glass?
April 3, 2012 by 56 Comments
I came across this visual post in Kate’s blog (365till30) and I locked on.
I wasn’t exactly certain why this image left a mark on me…so I shared the link with several friends and colleagues and asked them to share their perspectives.
Now, keep in mind, everyone was looking at the same image. (I think).
Here come the unique interpretations:
Live & Learn 
