Tag Archives: how to be positive

30-Day Challenge – November 2012, Day 1

Posted on November 1, 2012 | 7 comments

It’s November 1st and time to begin the second of what I hope to become monthly 30-Day Challenges.

For this month’s challenge, I am going to attempt something I have never done before. Something that is bound to be a very, nay extremely, difficult challenge for me.

For the next 30 days, I am not going to eat any bread.

No bread.

I am having a hard time even typing that. No bread.

In the bread category, I am including sandwich bread, bagels, croissants, waffles, english muffins, muffins of any kind, and yes, even pizza – Gasp! (I was going to include pasta too but I fear this will be enough of a challenge. No need to go crazy. One step at a time)

I love bread and cutting it out for a month will definitely be a challenge but one which will bring me a step closer to regaining the healthy eating lifestyle I once enjoyed.

I have already managed to remove it from my breakfasts by drinking smoothies instead – a spill-over benefit from my yoga challenge. One meal down, two meals and snacks to go.

I also intend to continue the yoga practice that I have incorporated into my daily routine from last month’s challenge.

So, are you with me?  Are you going to cut out bread for a month? Or have you decided to challenge yourself in another way?

Share your November 30-Day Challenge below. Misery loves company! 🙂

photo credit: http://photopin.com
flickr.com/photos/fornal/363700193/

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30-Day Challenge – Day 30!

Posted on October 30, 2012 | 8 comments

Pop the Champagne! Strike up the band!
Today is day 30 of the 30-Day Challenge.  I/we made it!

Thirty full days have passed since I started my first-ever 30-Day Challenge. My task: to do yoga every day for 30 days without fail; without missing even a single day.

Did I succeed in my endeavour?

Yes! Yes I did!

So what does this mean? What’s the significance of all of this?

What it means is that I made a commitment to myself to step toward a healthier lifestyle and I kept that commitment. I chose good health over poor. Activity over inactivity. Flexibility over stiffness.

But perhaps more importantly than any of those, I put myself first.

By focussing on what is a change for the betterment of my overall health and fitness, I was in effect saying, I am important; I value myself and I am willing to do what it takes to ensure I remain on the path that I am trying to lay out for myself.

I guess I need to take a step back and realize that in order to have done that, I needed to have had a vision in the first place. There must have been something that I wasn’t happy with or a will to achieve something more for myself, which I guess isn’t unusual or earth-shattering. I would assume most of us, if not all, have desires for things we haven’t done, things we want to achieve, things we would like to be, things we would like to do.

What this 30-Day Challenge did for me was to make me think about those things; evaluate my priorities, but mostly, it made me get my butt in gear and actually do something about it.  

My daily yoga practice lead to another unplanned and positive change. Upon completion of my morning routine, I followed it up by making a healthy smoothie. Good-bye toast and jam, so-long sugary cereal, sayonara fatty muffins.

Did the 30-Day Challenge teach me anything?

Most definitely.

I learned:

  • I can achieve my goals.
  • Flexibility is gained slowly.
  • I have limitations but can work within them.
  • Small daily changes amount to greater gains.
  • It’s never too late to try something.
  • If at first you can’t do something, keep trying. It gets easier.
  • One small change can spur on others.
  • Learn from the masters.
  • Be patient with your progress and you will see results.
  • Those who are stiff in the beginning can limber up over time.
  • Progress takes time.
  • Habits can be formed and unformed.

Some 30-Day Challenges are meant to be executed, completed and checked-off a list; a fulfilment of Bucket List items. Some are meant as a spring-board. Some are meant to instil permanent change. I am intending my yoga to be the latter of these three.

I intend to continue building on the foundation I have begun; adding strength-building and other methods to my repertoire all working toward my goal of healthy living.

Will I attempt another 30-Challenge? You’d better believe it!

Check back on Thursday, November 1st to see what I am doing next. You may want to join me!

In the meantime, start thinking about what you would try for 30 days.  Just imagine, by November 30th, you may have accomplished something you have always meant to try.

Until next time,
Namaste.

Did you complete an October challenge? Share it below!

photo credit: http://photopin.com
flickr.com/photos/toniblay/77906706/

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Positive Ponderings: Seeing Clearly

Posted on October 29, 2012 | Comments Off on Positive Ponderings: Seeing Clearly

Are blind people prejudiced?

Are prejudiced people blind?

photo credit: http://photopin.com
flickr.com/photos/nbhattac/4425765423/

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Bright-Side of the Web: Bobby McFerrin plays…the audience

Posted on October 26, 2012 | Comments Off on Bright-Side of the Web: Bobby McFerrin plays…the audience

Think you aren’t prone to sugestion? Bobby McFerrin challenges this notion in this week’s Bright-Side of the Web. From the World Science Festival in 2009, he demonstrates this principle.

Watch here.  Don’t worry, you’ll be happy you did!

Happy Friday!

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

30-Day Challenge – Day 26

You’re rounding the bend.  The finish-line is in sight. 

4 more days!

This is the last weekend.  You’re almost there! 

Keep up the great work!

 

Photo Credit: http://photopin.com
flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/5518186835/

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Put One Foot In Front Of The Other

Posted on October 25, 2012 | 2 comments

“He who fails to plan is planning to fail” Winston Churchill

Do you have somewhere that you want to be? A career choice? A position in the community? A home in a specific neighbourhood?

How are you going to get there? Win a lottery?

We can all hope for the big freedom-inducing win but for most of us, buying the ticket only sweetens the pot of the winner.

So in the likelihood that your ship never arrives in port, what are you going to do? What’s your plan?

Think about where you want to be in 10 years. Financially. Spiritually. Physically. Socially. Career-wise.

How far are you from attaining that vision?

What are you going to need to get there?  More education? A healthier diet? More exercise?

Now, break it down. What are the steps that you can take now to work toward those goals.

Now break those steps down again. Then again. Until you have easy to manage steps that you can start today and which will steer you in the right direction.

Make some sort of reminder for yourself of your goal that you can carry around with you. For instance, if you want to save up for a special vacation but can’t ever seem to put money aside, carry a photo of the location in your wallet. Each time you reach in to make a purchase, look at the photo. Do you really need that latte now?*

Putting one foot in front of the other, even if they are only baby steps, will get you closer to attaining your goal.

Keeping the goal at the forefront of your mind will keep you walking in the right direction.

Plan for success!

What is the first small step that you will take toward reaching your goal?

*Financial tips like this one can be found on the Smart Cookies website.

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photo credit: http://photopin.com
flickr.com/photos/monkeyc/95191971/

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Should Preschoolers Rule the World?

Posted on October 23, 2012 | Comments Off on Should Preschoolers Rule the World?

You have likely heard the saying ‘All I really need to know I learned in Kindergarten’.  It has become a common phrase, thought and concept but do you know who said it?

The author of this wisdom-for-a-modern-age is Robert Fulghum and it is more than a saying. Fulghum has delved into many early lessons and shares them beautifully in his book by the same name; a book of concepts that we all learned in Kindergarten that can be attributed to everyday adult situations.

What first comes to mind, at least to my mind, when I think of such early life-lessons is ‘sharing’ – definitely something acquired in the pits of preschool that affects our daily existence, no matter what our age.

So does Fulghum mean that after Kindergarten we might as well go out into the world since we’ve learned all we need to know? Of course he doesn’t. Or does he? Perhaps we should, because as adults, we seem to have forgotten some of the lessons – some of the important ones – or at least we have forgotten that they still apply to us and not just to our kids.

Why, as adults, do we not live by many of the lessons that we learned at four, five, six years old yet we consistently pass them down to our children generation after generation?

Why do we inherit or inhabit a ‘do as I say, not as I do’ approach to life?

I bought a book once, in a similar vein to Fulghum’s.  It is a small little book, the size you would think to buy a child.  It is filled with the wisdom of children derived from the author’s observances of her own children.  Each lesson on each page is short and sweet – much like children.  Some make you laugh, some bring back memories and some draw a tear.

The book is entitled Really Important Stuff My Kids Have Taught Me by Cynthia Copeland Lewis.  It is filled with wisdom such as:

“If the flowers you draw don’t look like anyone elses, that’s good.” 
“Anybody can skate on smooth ice.” 
and one of my favourites because of its true-idity:
“It’s possible to feel full when it comes to vegetables,
but not full when it comes to a piece of cake.”

Along with writing daily gratitudes on my Buddha Board, perhaps I will make these books my daily wisdom books – my how-am-I-doing check.

So in my journey toward walking on the brighter side of the street, thanks to Robert, I’ll remember to hold hands while I’m crossing, and thanks to Cynthia, I’ll resolve to never pop anyone else’s bubble.

…And of course, many thanks to Mrs. Ormsby, my kindergarten teacher.

As with many things, Robert Fulghum’s essay has been YouTube-ized and I feel it is definitely worth sharing.  A Bright-Side of the Web mid-week treat. Enjoy!

Photo credit: http://photopin.com
flickr.com/photos/wwworks/2908834853/

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Positive Ponderings

Posted on October 22, 2012 | Comments Off on Positive Ponderings

What are you waiting for?

What are you waiting for?

What are you waiting for?

 

Think about it. 

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

30-Day Challenge – Day 22

How’s your challenging coming along? Are you still going strong?

You’re nearing the finish line. Don’t give up now.  

You’re 3/4 of the way there. 

Only 8 more days!!!

You can do it! I know you can. 

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Bright-Side of the Web: Coursera

Posted on October 19, 2012 | 5 comments

Free University Education For All!

I mean it.  Everyone.  Everywhere.  No pre-requisites. No matter your income. The only provision is that you have access to a computer.

Coursera is a web-based portal from which to access free online classes offered from universities around the globe.

Have you ever wished you could say that you had a certificate from Stanford, Johns Hopkins, U. of London, or U. of Melbourne?  Well now you can.  Currently there are 33 universities offering a total of 198 courses from eighteen categories, and they continue to add more.

Courses generally range from 4-12 weeks in length and because it’s all online, you can study on your own schedule.

Check it out!  Over 1.6 million people already have!
What have you got to lose? (I’ve already signed up for four!)

Find Coursera’s Course Calendar here. 

Coursera? Definitely a Bright-Side of the Web!

What courses are you going to take?

 photo credit: http://photopin.com
flickr.com/photos/29008389@N03/4587170691/

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Go Ahead, Make My Day!

Posted on October 18, 2012 | 6 comments

If not mine, why not someone else’s?

Has anyone ever said something to you that immediately lifted your spirits?  Likely, so you’ll understand how I felt in the following situation.

Twice in as many months, complete strangers have come up to me and said “I love your hair colour!”

I am a 40-something woman and my hair is its natural colour – grey.

These women have gone on to tell me that they have been thinking of letting theirs go grey and after seeing mine, they are convinced that they want to go through with it. I am complimented beyond belief and when we part, I walk away feeling a little bit taller, somewhat proud, definitely happier, which in turn makes me more pleasant to the next people I meet.

I have had a few others strangers over the years say the same thing and it always comes at a time when I am seriously considering dyeing it. Their unprompted comments give me a boost and literally “make my day”.

The kindness of strangers has a particular power that the kindness of friends or family does not.

We are suspicious of compliments from the familiar people in our lives.

They’re only saying that because they feel they have to.

They don’t want to hurt my feelings.

They don’t really mean it.

However, if a completely unknown-to-us person, a random individual, goes out of their way to tell us something, then it must be true and no matter how many others have told us the same thing, we can finally believe it.

How frustrating for all the others! When you tell them that a complete stranger said such-and-such to you, their response is no doubt “I know! I’ve been telling you that for years!”

One day, my mid-teen son and I were in a local sandwich shop and we were served by a young man in his late teens/early twenties – an employee, not the owner. In fact, the owner wasn’t even on-site – I know because I frequented this particular shop. Also, I had never met this young man before.  We received enthusiastic, polite and pleasant service for the entire time that it took him to make our order and cash us out.

Barely outside the door, my son commented on what a nice guy he was and what great service he gave us.  We both remarked that you don’t often get that kind of service and I noted that he should keep that in mind when he begins working. He agreed that it definitely made a difference in our experience.

My son witnessed customer service at its best, we discussed its benefits and I hoped he filed it away for future use. I had done my job.  I could have left it at that – but I didn’t.

The next week when I went in to pick up a sandwich for lunch, the owner was there. I asked to speak to him. He stepped aside with a worried look on his face. This was an unusual request from me. What was I going to say? What was I going to complain about?  I started off by telling him that my son and I had been in and two young men were working the counter and he was not on-site.  The look of worry increased. Then I went on to sing the young man’s praises.  Worry was replaced with relief and then pride. I had made his day – and I hope, reciprocally, the young man’s.

We don’t hesitate to complain about bad service so why don’t we also praise great service? Who knows, the manager may be looking to advance an employee to another level, or it may be review time and your comment could end up meaning a salary increase to someone who desperately needs one.

We don’t realize the power of our words – a stranger’s unbiased, therefore they must have some truth to them, words.

So the next time you get great service, make sure the manager hears about it.  And when you see a stranger in the check-out line, on the bus, or in an elevator and you think “What a beautiful coat”, “Nice shoes” or even “Great hair!”, tell them.

Go ahead. Make their day. 

Share your ‘make my day’ experiences below.


*This post was written before my resent Liebster Award nomination. Talk about making my day!!

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Photo credit: http://photopin.com
flickr.com/photos/ejpphoto/4878517967/

 

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A Major Award!

Posted on October 16, 2012 | 7 comments

That’s the way I feel about it anyway!

I signed on to my computer Sunday morning and the first message I opened was from a lovely young woman with a spirit that exceeds her physical being. I met her in cyber-space only a short time ago. She is on a journey toward positivity and she is well on her way achieving her goal.

We have exchanged comments, exchanged ‘likes’ and she has graced me with the honour of following my blog. As a new blogger, this is something very special. I don’t know how she found me but I am glad we have met.

I eagerly opened her message to see which of my posts she liked and what her comment would be. I value her feedback – always positive and encouraging.

To my surprise, shock and sheer delight, the message read: “Just nominated you for an award peach!”.  Really? Me? Wow! How nice! …what’s an award peach??

I followed her instructions to check out her post for more details. It turned out that she had been nominated for a Liebster Award and part of her requirements were that she nominate eleven other bloggers whose followings are under 200 and to whom she is to then pose eleven questions.

I was thrilled to be one her chosen group. I have only been blogging for six weeks so for her to think that I am worthy of such a nomination is humbling. And upon further investigation, I realized that she wasn’t nominating me for a peach award but instead for a Liebster Award too!

A Liebster (German for ‘dearest’ or ‘favourite’) Award is a blogger-to-blogger award. A chain letter of sorts. One blogger receives the award and then nominates their favourite bloggers. There is no actual winner among the nominees, which was what I had first assumed but rather the ‘being nominated’ was equivalent to receiving the award.  She had chosen my blog as one of her favourites!

A search for the rules that accompany the award have turned up various findings. It seems the blogs must have less than 200 followers (although some posts say 3,000). Some rules say you should nominate eleven other blogs and some claim only five.  Some say that you need to provide eleven details previously unknown about yourself then answer eleven questions posed by the nominator, while others say five details and five questions and some say no such thing.  Since there seem to be no hard-and-fast rules, I will do a combination.

I will answer the eleven thought-provoking questions posed to me.

I choose not to give out random facts about myself. Instead I choose to retain some privacy since the answers to these questions and my postings will likely reveal more about me that I realize anyway.

I will nominate four of the blogs that I am currently following. I would nominate all seven but three already exceed the ‘number of followers’ stipulations. (Some of these four may too but I couldn’t see their numbers so I’m nominating them anyway). Again, as a newcomer to this venue, I have not explored its depths. I follow and select those whose messages I feel support my philosophy and I am sure with time, my list will grow.  To my four nominees, I will pose seven questions – because that’s all I can think of.

So, to my new friend, a special and heart-felt thank you for your nomination and thoughtfulness.  Here are the answers to your questions:

If you could go one place right now, where would you go?

That’s easy and hard at the same time. The easy answer is Europe – anywhere in Europe. The hard part is, where specifically in Europe? Sometimes I imagine going to the airport with my passport, a small suitcase packed with clothes that I can layer depending on the weather and a credit card (with money in the bank to cover the charges). I would then walk up to the international departures board and buy a ticket for next European destination – my starting point from where I will branch out and explore. 

What is your favourite thing to do to relax?

Watch romantic comedies with a bowl of popcorn or potato chips.

What is your favourite flower?

Hmmm…tricky. There are so many to choose from. I love purple flowers. In the spring, it’s lilacs but then again seeing the tulips pop up seems rejuvenating.  In summer, phlox is lovely. In the autumn, I’m drawn to airy asters and deep dark purple mums.  To purchase a bouquet, I tend toward alstroemeria but gerbera daisy are quite attractive too. 

What do you most like to do whilst with friends?

That’s easy; meet for tea and a bite to eat so we can catch-up and chat about the events in our lives. I treasure those times.

When listening to music, which track do you have on repeat right now?

I don’t often sit and listen to music and having music on while I’m working can be a distraction for me especially if it is music with lyrics. Having said that though, if I choose to listen to music while I’m working, I sign on to www.sky.fm and listen to the Smooth Jazz feed. I find it uplifting; it has a beat that keeps me motivated and it is instrumental. On the occasion that I put on a CD while I’m doing something, I often reach for Jamie Cullum, Michael Bublé, John Mayer or Diana Krall.   

What does writing do for you?

Writing is a creative outlet for me. I am finding that writing this blog has helped me develop my voice. I am taking the time to explore ideas that I have been noodling with for quite a while. It is giving me confidence in my abilities as a writer. 

How does blogging help you?

I have partially answered this with the previous question so I’ll expand here. My hope when starting my blog was that I could provide a place where people could go and be assured of reading something positive – a contrast to much of the media that swarms around us on a daily basis. A place that would encourage self-reflection and perhaps spark changes for the betterment of our world. Grand goals, especially not knowing how this blogging stuff all worked. 

I am fairly new to blogging and I have been surprised at how excited I am about the process. Getting responses and follows from people who I have never met is uplifting. I am encouraged when I look at my stats page and see from where in the world people are linking in with me. I find that fascinating. It is giving me hope that there are others out there who, like me, believe that we need to be projecting positivity.  

Writing about positivity and having people like what I write is actually making me even more positive so you can imagine how I felt to be added to this list of nominees!

If you could be an animal, what would you be?

Very interesting question.  The first thing that came to mind was a monkey, then a dog but I think (and I’ve never really thought about this question before and may come up with a better answer later) I would like to be a dolphin. They are intelligent creatures, fun, playful, and seemingly free and I could spend my days swimming and traveling long distances. One of my bucket list items is to swim with dolphins.  

What was the first thing you did when you got up this morning?

After the routine hygiene stuff, I went downstairs, popped in a dvd and followed Rodney Yee as he guided me through a yoga routine. I’m half-way through my 30-day challenge, and loving it!

George Clooney, Gerard Butler or Johnny Depp?

Haha! Wow, you really ask some tough questions… Hmmm, George Clooney, Gerard Butler, George Clooney, Gerard Butler…I would have to say Gerard Butler solely based on his character in P.S. I Love You. I don’t know if he is anything like that in real life but I’ll take the movie character version. 

 Thank you again for nominating me. This has been a lot of fun. Love and Happiness to you!

And now for my four nominees:

For the Liebster Award, I nominate the following inspiring bloggers:

http://iheartchange.wordpress.com/
http://noveldestinations.wordpress.com/
http://everywhereonce.com/
http://itsbeautifulhere.com/

To my nominees, here are the seven questions that I would like you to answer:

1. To where have you traveled that you would like to return?
2. Where or when are you the most happy?
3. What is your favourite quote?
4. What advice would you give yourself if you could go back ten years?
5. Who inspires you?
6. What is your favourite indulgence?
7. Name one thing that you learned last week.

Please take the time to visit the other bloggers and websites that I am following. I think you will agree, they are all Positively inspiring!

 Photo credits: http://photopin.com
leg lamp: flickr.com/photos/brianjmatis/6586603047/
Liebster logo: flickr.com/photos/backdoorsurvival/6843770565/

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