Friday, September 28, 2012

The battle for peace



Today's exercise is trying to be calm in the midst of my "everything is happening right now for some crazy reason" day.

A BAD way to commence is to start eating all the chocolate on my desk normally reserved for visitors (yeah right!!), washed down with a coke.

Now I'm completely hyperactive, and expecting a terrible sugar low.

Once I get home, I chose between a gym class (which is quickly dismissed) and google...Achieving Calm from Sources of Insight gives some tips so I put on my zen music and my yoga pants and try to reduce the sugar buzzing through my veins.

At the end of the day, I realise I'm human and this world is going to be crazy some days and I can either curl up in a ball and descend into denial or eat lots of ice cream, balanced with hugs from my amazing family and friends and put into practice all the find your zen things that work best for me.

It's much easier to be a cat I think.... ;)

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Emo Intel


So...Emotional Intelligence (Mindtools) is the "IT" word for "Alien Character Building"...in my translation...

Those annoying people who are always diplomatic, in control, say the right things, do the right things, at the right time...they're Emo Intel NERDS....essentially:

1) They're self aware: realistic and practical about who they are and what they can achieve

2) They have self control...(at this point I'm starting to think they're not human)...

3) Motivated, productive which most likely leads to being successful...(see? They're not human)

4) Empathetic: they can pick up vibes, are sensitive to those they are relating to, enough to understand how to interact look after those people.  (Ewwww they're nice toooooo)

5) They're social, everybody loves them at a party because they just fit in no matter where you put them...at this point, I'm starting to think this concept is limited to those aliens that are so nice you wonder if they ever get angry...at which point I think all they would do is frown.

But there is hope, apparently...for the mere mortals like me:
1) Start paying attention to your own reactions, stop judging and start living in the moment completely

2) Put yourself in the other's shoes always...it puts everything in perspective and helps you communicate better

3) Be yourself...really...everyone's human, not sure why we're all trying to be perfect when it only sells tabloids.  Imagine if everyone were just themselves...plain as day...they openly trip over, stuff up, apologise and wear no makeup when they go to the gym...Perez Hilton would be out of a blog...

Anyway..that's my latest self-project...let's see how close I can get to turning into an alien ;)


Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Flat Pancake Day



Today is flat pancake day.

When you get all the human problem issues at the same time,

on the same day,

in the one place,

and you just want to chase your stress ball that's rolled under the table from overuse and stay there with it...

nice...safe....

and the main thing I've learnt, that puts everything back into perspective is

never, ever, forget who you are.



I am me, I do what I do, the way I do it, because no one else is going to live my life....

so the grumpy people will come and go,

the ones you wish you could please but can't will go,

then you'll be the only one left to live with who you are.

so just...be you.

Monday, September 3, 2012

What the Successful have in Common


So, I've been watching the successful people around me and in our world and it seems, they have a few commonalities:

  • Constantly open and seeking new opportunities
  • Knows the value of giving back / generosity
  • Hard working / fun-loving (a fair few seem to have a liking for extreme sports, I'm not sure if this is their way of forgetting all the pressure/stress of their highly active/successful lives)
  • Rarely need to tell others how good they are because their success speaks for itself

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Staying Calm


Today, in the context of a debate between people who couldn't agree, I thought about whether it is somehow possible to calmly detached but show an active interest.

It's an art, some may call it effective negotiation, others may call it persuasion. 

I'm talking about those very rare individuals who manage to stay calm, get their perspective understood by all and agree to a consensus which may or may not be to their agreement.

From a little prodding of those individuals...I've found that they are simply better at controlling their emotions and they know from experience when the fight is worth the outcome.

Practically speaking...the Dumb Little Man's blog speaks some very cool words of wisdom on how to keep calm.




Wednesday, August 29, 2012

The Secret of Life

BALANCE

..sounds simple, but in practice, I'm finding it a little tricky...














  • Balanced diet
  • Balanced lifestyle
  • Balanced emotions
  • Even language tone
 
 













Sunday, August 26, 2012

Thought for the Day



There is no such thing as failure, only feedback...  
(lifeislimitless.com)

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Type A Therapy

So, for a mind that goes 100 miles an hour, I found this useful...

A friend was telling me how much more productive they were when they were relaxed and this was even after they got rid of their blackberry.

The common message from wise, experienced leaders is that the key to life is balance...it seems to be the answer for everything: controlling stress, living a good life, maintaining physical health, managing workload...

Ref: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/8-tips-to-focus-your-mind-how-to.html


1. Objective Thinking: Focus your thoughts. Stop other thoughts that are not specific to your wellbeing or task.

2. Be Still: Allow your thoughts to come and go, but resist the urge to follow each one. Your brain will eventually slow down and you will feel less pressured.

3. Count. If you find it difficult to let go of your thoughts, try counting slowly as you breathe. Watch your thoughts and try to resist following them. Turn your attention to the count as you breathe out.

4. Pay active attention. As you work and think, try to keep your attention on the task at hand. Be strict with yourself and each time your mind wanders, return it to the task. As you keep refocusing your attention, your “mind stillness” will improve.

5. Still your body. One sign of fragmented attention is fragmented movement. For example, when you are at the theatre, it is easy to tell if others around you are fully attentive to the performance. People who sniff and sigh, move their heads this away and that, and wiggle in their seats are having some difficulty concentrating. Rapt attention is usually accompanied by still body posture.

6. Find a comfortable position and don’t allow yourself to move. Concentrate on what you are doing or watching, drawing your attention away from physical distractions, and focus your thoughts on your task. After a while, you will notice that you fidget less and feel less physical discomfort. You are now channeled into mental exertion.

7. Interest your mind. Try to find interest in projects to help you concentrate. Taking up a new hobby can be a tremendous help. You should also try to find something interesting even in the dullest chore. If you are at a gathering, find someone and start a conversation. Be inquisitive and you might discover you have similar interests.

8. Open the mind. Just as strength, stamina and flexibility must be incorporated in your physical routine, the mind needs new and absorbing challenges to give it a change from its everyday journey. Notice something new on the same way home that you might not have noticed before. Buy a magazine on a subject you normally wouldn’t look at, read it, and open yourself to new possibilities.

Neurolinguistic Programming


There is no such thing as failure, only feedback...

Today, I'm intrigued by neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) thanks to a friend's suggestion.  I'm all about self-awareness and how one's attitude can affect their world.

Ref: http://www.businessballs.com/nlpneuro-linguisticprogramming.htm

In a nutshell: NLP helps to clarify goals and strategize how to get there.

1) Consciously identify goal
2) Pathway
3) Flexibility to reach outcome
4) Action

More Detail:
1) Visualize the goal. Understand that you can control the outcome.  
2) Are you moving towards the goal?
3) Consciously do things that are leading you towards your goal.
4) Act now.

Further bits & pieces:
  • Everyone's communication is according to their own perspective and life experience.
  • Effective communication depends on 2 people having the topic mean similar things to both of to them.
  • a person can change their physiology or their emotions by changing how they think. Mental Visualisation is powerful.
  • The person with the greatest flexibility of behaviour has the greatest control.
  • Actions speak louder than words - watch the body language and see what others are really communicating to you.

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Quotes: Positivity


  • Beauty: Find the beauty in everything - Lulamon (2012)

  • Trail Blaze: Do not go where the path may lead, instead go where there is no path and leave a trail - Ralph Waldo Emerson

  • Live: Some people are so busy trying not to die that they forget to live - Lulamon (2012)