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Tips for Closing Out 2011 and Preparing for a Rockin’ 2012
Thanks to Amber Ludwig for today’s insightful guest post:
We are all winding down the 2011 year (hard to believe it went by so quickly!) and resting up to take charge in early 2012. It is important to really take that time to REST because January is an often hectic month where business owners, like you and me, are eager to expand, build and conquer. We are FULL of inspiration and creative ideas. Many also feel financial pressure from spending a little too much over the holidays, and expansion in business usually requires a budget to play with. Today I hope to provide some tips for consideration to help you through this transition.
20 Thanksgiving Gratitude Quotes
Intrigue-master Sam Horn compiled the best 20 Thanksgiving quotes about being thankful. She writes,
“If the only prayer you ever said was ‘Thank you,’ that would be enough.” – Meister Ekhart
You’ve heard the saying “out of sight, out of mind?”
Keep these quotes “in sight, in mind” so you and your loved ones can live in a state of gratitude year-round.
Gratitude quote #1: “When you drink the water, remember the well.” – Chinese proverb
Gratitude quote #2: “When I started counting my blessings; my whole life turned around.” – Willie Nelson
Gratitude quote #3: “Make yourself a blessing to someone. Your kind smile or pat on the back just might pull someone back from the edge.” – Carmelia Elliott
Gratitude quote #4: “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” ~ William Ward
4 Tips You Can Use Today to Silence Negative Self-Talk and Have Fun at Parties
While getting a pre-holiday haircut, I said, “Stefanie, are you going to any Christmas parties?”
“Yes, but I probably won’t go.”
“Why not?”
“Oh, I start thinking about how I’ll have to talk to people, and it doesn’t seem like much fun. So I usually stay home.”
Psychologists have a fancy name for this behavior. I call it Sinking Your Own Boat.
Stefanie sinks her boat with her thoughts, one at a time. She feels more and more burdened, heavy, and miserable with each message from her imagination:
- “It’ll be boring.”
- “I might not know some people, and I’ll have to talk to them anyway.”
- “I don’t know what to say.”
- “What will I wear?”
- “I don’t like driving at night.”
Glug, glug, glug. Down goes the Good Ship Lollipop, sinking a fun evening with it.
Ten Interesting Conversation Questions for Thanksgiving
Try these conversation questions at your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner party.
1. Would you eat a turkey that fell on the floor?
2. You’re in charge of choosing a new national holiday. You can ask for ideas, but ultimately, it’s up to you. How will you go about your task? What would you like to call it? What’s the date?
3. What common, household things are you grateful for? (The list should be long.)
4. What are you thankful for …at work? …with your family? …in your social life?…on the planet?
5. What would you like to be thankful for NEXT year at this time?
6. Do you donate regularly to any organization? Which ones? Why?
7. Some families buy holiday gifts only for the children; others draw names for an adult gift exchange. How do you do it in your family? What changes would you make?
A New Pledge of Allegiance for the 4th of July Weekend
A New Pledge by David Ault
by David Ault © 2004
I pledge allegiance to breaking the self-imposed barriers of my humanness. I recognize that my time on this planet is precious and limited. Every day is a canvas on which I can create. Everyday is an opportunity for me to move in the direction of the dreams and the expanded vision I feel inside. By setting aside petty grievances, past mistakes, righteous anger and my broken story, I pledge to move forward and embrace the experience of freedom right here and right now.
I pledge allegiance to the expression of my spiritual honesty. I fully own the fact that my presence here in this body and on this earth is a celebration of uniqueness and importance. Creation makes no mistakes. I am a creation of life, of a higher power, of perfection. My reason for being here matters in the grand divine plan. I must be honest with my contract of life and walk the path of my destiny with conviction, purpose and grace.
I pledge allegiance to the quiet soldier within. I understand that the championing spirit that is already cellularly alive inside of me, that was already in place at the time of my birth, waits patiently for my current belief about myself to join it in its knowing. I march forward towards a history of my own making, wisely, lovingly choosing the means by which I spread my beliefs and convictions. I never make others wrong for their chosen path for I recognize the innumerable roads that lead to the One.
I pledge allegiance to a partnership with divinity. I choose to see others and myself from eyes that already view the wholeness and perfection within. I do not entertain our past damage or encourage us to identify with it for I trust that a grander calling card has been printed for us to distribute in promoting our lives. I champion all of us to celebrate what is working rather than what isn’t.
I pledge allegiance to wise discernment – knowing when to speak and when to remain quiet, knowing when to comfort and when to leave alone, knowing when to intervene and when to avoid rescuing and interfering.
I pledge allegiance to people and projects of substance. I cannot travel this road alone. If there is anything we as a species need, it is each other. I actively choose to support those whose work I believe in with my time, talent and treasure. I joyously give to those whose intention and purpose is for self-empowerment and the awakening of humanity to its personal magnificence. I rally to make others aware of such light bearers and do what I can to support them in furthering their vision.
I pledge allegiance to the freedom from comparison. I once and for all lay down my wearisome, stale beliefs of unworthiness and not being good enough. I know that my past does not define who I am. I am forever evolving, growing and learning. I recognize that I am a marvel. I now choose opportunities to let my voice be heard; to let my light shatter the darkness of futility so that every personal dream is explored.
I pledge allegiance in knowing that things are not always as they seem. Just because something can’t be seen with the physical eye or rationalized by our current mode of understanding does not negate its existence. Understanding the difference between reality and illusion, I move into a fuller acceptance of the non-physical – the mystical, intuitive, soul aspect of living that expands my consciousness and deepens my days.
I pledge allegiance to actions that fulfill the greatest good for all. By becoming a gatekeeper of compassion, tolerance and love, I move into a fuller conviction of pure intent with regard to the words that I speak and the choices that I make. I pursue a win-win in all activities of life.
I pledge allegiance to those who have gone before me, the ancestral lineage whose courage, sacrifice and conviction still live in my bones. I honor the privileges given to me today because of the sweat from their pioneering efforts and the fortitude of their convictions. I give thanks for my responsibility in creating the same for future generations.
I pledge allegiance to a love that has no agenda. I no longer choose to give for what I might get, to manipulate in order to control, to abandon before I can be abandoned, to tolerate because there are seemingly no other options. I choose to love as a way of being. I am content in my choice whether outside circumstances respond or not. In being love, I create fulfillment above and beyond what the human condition can provide.
I pledge allegiance to the sacredness of laughter, knowing that the greatest healing force that exists reverberates from the vibration of this holy and irreplaceable gift. I allow humor, joy and eruptions of laughter to make their home in my heart. I let my physical body respond to the sacred stimulus and biological wonder that laughter creates and vow to keep this attribute alive and thriving all the days of my life.
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Tracey here with your conversation question of the day:
I especially like the section about wise discernment: “knowing when to speak and when to remain quiet, knowing when to comfort and when to leave alone, knowing when to intervene and when to avoid rescuing and interfering.”
- What parts of this pledge speak loudly to you?
- Would you care to add any pledges of your own?
- If you’re in a relationship, especially a new one, I dare you to create a pledge to each other. Feel free to adapt David’s beautiful thoughts. Don’t worry about getting it perfect. Make it a work in progress.
Memorial Day – Take a Vet to Lunch and Listen to His Story
A homeless guy was standing by the stoplight. His scrawled sign said, “Will work for food.” I scoped out nearby restaurants, then asked him, “Are you hungry?”
“Yes.”
“OK, meet me at Cracker Barrel in 10 minutes. I’ll buy you lunch.”
As we waited for his meal, I sized him up. He looked like a boomer like me, so I started the conversation by asking, “Were you in Vietnam?”
“Yes. I nearly died there.”
I was all ears. “Tell me more. Did you have a near-death experience?”
He did. After his truck hit a mine, he was looking down on it and could see everything: the shattered metal, the mangled men, even his own broken body. But he felt no pain. Just a great expansion and freedom. He said, “I knew I could go anywhere or know anything, just by putting my attention there.
“But I decided that I wanted to live, and SNAP! Just like that, I was back in my body, and it hurt like hell. I’m not afraid of death anymore. In fact, it’s something to look forward to.”
Now that’s real freedom. Let’s put that in our Bill of Rights! As D. Eagleman wrote,
“Humans have discovered that they cannot stop death, but at least they can spit in his drink.”
Here are more Memorial Day thoughts:
“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.” – General George S. Patton
“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” – Joseph Campbell
“A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is braver five minutes longer.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
As always, I welcome your comments and stories.
Conversation Questions About Passover and Easter
* Describe your family’s spring holiday traditions. What was your role in preparations?
* What foods do you associate with this season?
* Have you taken part in religious traditions other than your own? What was that like?
Last week I peeled apples and potatoes, plucked parsley from the yard, scrubbed pots and a pan or three, placed matzoh on 3 tables, and helped my cousin Cat cook a seder for 24 people. It was a 3-day job; but with 3 helpers, she finished 3 hours early with a smile on her face.
We all enjoyed the Jewish rituals with horseradish, mushed apples, and bitter herbs dipped in salty water; the explanations in the xeroxed booklet with the bright green cover, read back to front; the sounds of the Hebrew syllables and the English translations; and the abundant, yummy food.
Show Up at the Door and Wag Your Tail, Too.
Does your first impression measure up at home? When your loved ones step in the door, do you stop what you’re doing and greet them? Do you make them feel important and valued?
Let’s take a hint from the professionals.
Do you like being greeted at the door of WalMart? I do. A friendly welcome sets the tone for my shopping. It focuses me on a warm human being instead of a chilly store. WalMart knows that first impressions count, so thrifty as they are, they spend the bucks to have someone say, “Hello, welcome to WalMart.”
When I come home, Scooter (pictured) and OOdles bark and wag their welcome. As you can imagine, we’re delighted to see each other after a day — or an hour — apart. They have no concept of time. “You’ve been gone FOREVER, and now you’re home!” Wag, wag, wag! I love that first impression so much, I could bottle it.
But they’re not my favorite door greeters. My partner, Gaelyn, is. I just love seeing her peeking around the garage door, setting a playful tone for the whole evening.
And when Gaelyn comes home to me, I join the dogs at the door. I don’t bark, but I do wag and say, “I’m so glad you’re home. I’m happy to see you.”
Like the folks at WalMart, we know that first impressions count. Forget apples for keeping doctors away. A greeting a day keeps the grumpies at bay.
Who’s the official greeter at your place? It’s too important a job to leave to the pets. Show up at the door and wag your tail, too.
Olympic Ice Dancers Know How to Make a Great First Impression
Do first impressions count in Olympic ice dancing? Canadians Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir won my heart from the get-go. Before the first note of their music, even before they positioned their skates on the ice, my heart melted. I awarded them the gold.
Why?
Did you SEE the way he looked at her? Such appreciation, such love! And they’re not even dating. Were his adoring looks part of the performance? Who knows. Who cares? The judges gave them gold, too. Yeah, I know: they earned it with every twirl and lift. But it all got launched with a great first impression.
Here’s my Olympic-sized tip of the day:
Do you realize you’re making a first impression every day? Over and over? Yes, even with people who know you. Friends are always checking you out. Are they likely to say, “You look dazzling today!” or “Did you spill your coffee fix?”
And you never know when that stranger you bump today — “Oops! Sorry!” — will become the client who interviews you for a job tomorrow.
Every brick-and-mortar business is making first impressions too, starting at the curb. <Reader alert! Pet peeve coming.> What will you find outside my gym? Power bar wrappers. Plastic water bottles. Litter. Ugh. Faster than you can say “deep knee bend,” the staff could clean that up.
When I owned the Mango House Bed and Breakfast, I cleaned all the way across the street. My reward was finding coins, a pint of rum and 5 music CDs. I was proud to have the cleanest cul de sac in Honolulu.
I won’t preach. Now that you know to pay attention to your first impressions, you know what to do.
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What did you think about the Russians’ aboriginal costumes? Got a story about good or crummy first impressions? Leave me a comment.
Screw New Year’s Resolutions. Do This Instead.
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Every year I make the same New Year’s resolution, which is not to make any resolutions. I blow them by February anyway. Here’s an idea for the new year that doesn’t leave me feeling bad about myself.
I pick a word for the year. It’s a guiding star, kind of a Star of Bethlehem for the wise person I aspire to be. |
After my friend Pam told me about word picking (Thanks, Pam), I added the idea to my computer’s calendar so I’d remember every year.
My brain’s been addled from too much multitasking, so this year I picked “focus.” It’s only January 4th, and already I’m focusing more, multitasking less.
Then two more good words jumped onboard: ”completion” and “connection.” When I told Gaelyn about connection, she cheered and hugged me. Connection is working its magic already.
OK, your turn….What word—or words—sing to you, inspire you to be a better person this year? Please share your words in the comment section so the rest of us can be inspired, too.
BONUS: Use this word-of-the-year idea as a conversation question.
