Daily Thoughts

6/22/21

Self-Talk. For many of us, our self-talk tells us that we are less than good enough. We have heard messages from childhood that tell us that we need to be different than who we are designed to be. We have listened to commercials that tell us that we need to buy their product in order to be happy. This reinforces that self-talk that there’s something wrong with us. How we counteract those messages? How do we reframe our self-talk? How do we avoid the ongoing messages that bombard us in commercials, billboards, and other advertisements that tell us that this medication will make us feel better, that this makeup will make us feel better about ourselves, that this exercise program is the one that will transform our bodies, etc.?

From where I sit, I take the first step by tuning out as many of those external messages as possible. I also make note of the internal messages and actively rewrite and reframe them into messages of self-love in place of self-derogation. It’s a daily task. But it is worth the effort!

Daily Thoughts

6/21/21

Success. We live in a society that measures success by the amount of money or accolades that someone has achieved. That can be one goal and measurement of success, but it’s important to identify other levels of success for those who will not be at the top of the money chart, be a world-class athlete, be a chart topper as a musician, or become a famous actor.

Success is the achievement of new lessons learned.

Success is the achievement of a new goal.

Success is being kind.

Success is being true to your Self and your Life Purpose.

Success is being the best person you can be.

From where I sit, I change my definition of success for myself and for others. Today, I celebrate lessons learned, goals achieved, kindness, being true to my Self, and being the best me that I can be. Join me in this journey.

Daily Thoughts

6/20/21

Failure Is an Event, Not a Person. All too often, we label ourselves as failures when something that we have attempted to do did not turn out the way we had wanted it to. We are also quick to allow others to label us as failures or to label others as failures under similar circumstances. People are not failures. Their actions may not have worked, but they are not failures. They may not have achieved the highest level that they had desired, but they are not failures. When something doesn’t work, it is feedback. It tells us that there’s another way to do it. If we learn to reframe the concept of failure to look at it from the perspective of feedback, the messages that we will send to our children, our students, our trainees, our subordinates, and ourselves will be those of encouragement rather than denigration. It’s a simple solution, but it will make a significant difference.

From where I sit, I celebrate my actions and the actions of those with whom I work as opportunities to learn. It’s never failure. It’s always feedback.

Daily Thoughts

6/19/21

Freedom. True freedom is not the removal of the bonds that others try to put on us, nor is it the ability to do anything we want. True freedom is the understanding that we each have control over our thoughts, our deeds, and our responses to the actions of others. True freedom is the choice to either act from fear or to act from love. When others are acting from fear, we can either join them in that negative energy, or we can tap into the love within ourselves. I know that it is not an easy task because we have been programmed to defend ourselves. The best defense is often staying quiet or walking away.

From where I sit, I will make the effort to respond to the actions of others with love and not fear. I will remain calm and quiet when possible, and I will walk away when that doesn’t work.

Daily Thoughts

6/18/21

Grace. We often hear people say, “There but for the grace of God…” Why is it that we think that people who are struggling or who have experienced some level of trauma or difficulty are outside of the grace of God? Grace is not the absence of struggle or pain. Grace is finding the love of God despite the struggle or pain. When we embrace the grace of God, we are accepting the unconditional love that exists no matter what our circumstances. When we embrace the grace of God, we no longer see fear and division. When we embrace the grace of God, we realize the unity of all of Creation and choose to respond to the needs of Creation through acts of care, love, kindness, and peace.

From where I sit, my focus is on seeing the grace in everything around me. All of Creation sings the song of grace. I listen. I add my voice to bring harmony and peace.

Daily Thoughts

6/17/21

Spiritual Foundation. We all have a spiritual foundation of some kind. Our spiritual foundation is that one underlying core value upon which everything else is built. For some, it has a religious foundation. For others, it is a foundation in science. For others, it is a foundation in relationships with others. It doesn’t matter what form it takes; it is how we decide how to act, react, and interact. The decisions that we make regarding our health have a spiritual foundation. The decisions we make regarding our careers and work have a spiritual foundation. The decisions we make regarding relationships have a spiritual foundation. The decisions that we make regarding ethics, morals, and integrity have a spiritual foundation.

What is your bottom line? What is that underlying core value that influences every other decision that you make? Tap into that as you go through the day to make sure that your decisions align with that underlying core value.

From where I sit, I make my choices of how to act, react, and interact from my spiritual foundation which is rooted in love.

Daily Thoughts

6/16/21

Relationships. Most of us think of our significant others, parents, siblings, friends, and colleagues when we think about relationships. Those are key components, but relationship includes everyone. As we are driving down the road, there is relationship between ourselves and the other vehicles. (Hopefully, it is a safe relationship!) When we are shopping in the store, there is relationship between ourselves and the other shoppers as well as the workers. How do we deal with those around us? What choices do we make?

For relationships to work, collaboration and cooperation are key components in that process. When our actions have negative impact on those we encounter, relationships crumble, and community deteriorates. When our actions are self-centered and self-serving, relationships falter, and community suffers. How can we make better choices to foster collaboration and cooperation? How can we open ourselves up to relationship with others and recreate community?

From where I sit, I seek relationship on common ground that recognizes differences, supports individuality, and encourages dialogue.

Daily Thoughts

6/15/21

The Thought of God. The Thought of God breathed life into each of us. The Thought led to a Word, which when spoken, created each of us. In silence, we can reconnect to that Thought. In silence, answers come. In silence, we create.

From where I sit, I seek the silence so that I can reconnect with the Thought. Join me, and we can change the world.

Daily Thoughts

6/14/21

Integrity. Integrity is a word that gets thrown around a lot. It is also one of those concepts that is a core value for me. As I was thinking on integrity this morning as part of the daily ritual, the thought came to me that we talk about how the integrity of a machine, a structure, etc. can become compromised, resulting in the failure of that machine, structure, etc. This is true in my life as well. The choices I make regarding my physical, mental, spiritual, and financial health can either strengthen or weaken the integrity of each of those or begin the process of collapse. It’s important to keep track of what’s going on, because small failures to pay attention today could compound into catastrophe at some point in the future. Integrity is doing what’s right even when no one is watching. Integrity is the glue that holds our lives together.

From where I sit, I have learned the importance of paying attention to what I value and make choices to maintain the integrity of who I am.

Daily Thoughts

6/13/21

Making Choices. As I think about my core values, I realize that the choices I make must reflect what those core values are. At any given moment in the day, we are making choices. Most of the time those choices are involuntary or automatic. What if we took the time to become aware of not only the choices that we are making, but also how they align with the things that we say we value? If we say that one of our core values is integrity, yet we support causes or leaders who lack integrity, how do we justify our support? If we say that we value the environment and sustainability, yet we drive a vehicle that is not environmentally friendly, how do we “square that circle”?

From where I sit, living authentic lives means that we make choices based on our values. It may take some work, but to live from our core values creates congruence with and a coherence of thoughts, words, and actions.