When my times feels most valuable

I wanted to make buttermilk pancakes this morning. Correction, I wanted to eat buttermilk pancakes. I wasn't bursting with enthusiasm to make them. Isn't that how it is sometimes? You want something, but you don't actually want to work for it.

For instance, I want a million dollars, but I'm kind of just hoping I'll go to the bank and there it'll be without my having to do anything. Or how I really want to spend a summer in a luxury apartment in France, but do I want to work my tail off to earn enough to go to France...nope. But life doesn't work like that. You have to do something to get something.

If I want a boat load of money, I have to be willing to do two boat loads of work to get it. Sometimes it's all worth it. You work hard and feel proud once you've achieved the end reward. Sometimes it's not worth it, but in those cases at least you can say you put in your best effort. At least you tried.

Most of what we do is trival. It doesn't mean all that much in the grand scheme of things. I mean, me making pancakes is not going to help the world much (not unless I'm sharing). Even the hours spent working is done to stuff something in between the slots of time I've been alotted. It helps me contribute, but I'm not doing anything incredible simply by working.

The only real time I feel the time and energy I'm giving is doubled (trippled), and I really feel it is valuable is when I'm spending time with God. To the outside viewer, I'm not doing much in those moments. I'm not rushing around; I'm not trying to please everyone in sight; I'm not conquring the world, but in those moments I am doing the very best thing I can do for the world. I'm opening my heart; I'm letting him in; I'm boosting my self worth and yet humbling myself. I'm filling myself with joy, releasing my fear and sorrow, I'm conquring my demons, and I am connecting with everything he has put on this planet. All this lets me do whatever it is I'm expected to do with renewed excitment. It gives me courage to face the things I couldn't otherwise. It keeps me hopeful, joyful, grateful.

God gives me more than the world will ever give me. No matter how hard I work, the reward will never match up. And there is no possible way I can ever give to the world all that God has already given it. So while I do my trival work on earth, I remind myself to work even harder for God. Not because it will change the world, or even send me to heaven (it might not) but as a way to say thanks for all the times I didn't do anything but was still blessed by him.

Picture Credit: http://enoqi.tumblr.com/

When you feel life is unfair remember this

When you feel life is unfair--that the pressure is too much, or you are exhausted from trying, remember that the flowers must start out as buds. They must wait for the rains and the sun to come and go. Up and out from the ground, they must push themselves in order to be the beauties we all stop and admire. Do not be afraid of life's challenges. Celebrate the rain, the sun, and before long you will be like the blossomed flower: beautiful and admirable.

Photo is my own. The wild rose is native to my Province.

XX 

Success tastes like apricots

 Do you feel like just don't have the motivation to tackle all the things your day requires? Here's the solution-munch on apricots. Apricots can sharpen your thinking. How? They are loaded with zinc, a mineral that can help you outsmart a sticky situation. Studies have shown that it can boost mental acuity by 15%.

Its color is also known to heighten motivation. Just glancing at its fiery orange can prompt you to take on even the most daunting tasks, by stimulating the pituitary gland to prompt the release of adrenaline. Plus, the eye and brain process orange faster so it immediately grabs your attention, prodding you to make decisions and take action quickly and more easily.  

How to achieve a balanced life

One of the most difficult things to do in life is to keep your life in balance. If you meet someone who looks as if all is going well for them, they are usually working very hard at it.

 General life obligations, and personal expectations make the art of living a very challenging one to master. Something in your life may be going great while another is part of your life is falling apart. And lets not forget the moments when it seem as if everything is crumbling around you.

Some people never feel in balance with their life. They never feel life hands them what they want, when they want it or they feel exhausted at constantly having to keep things in balance.

But if you look at people whose lives do look joyous, peaceful and balanced you may be see a some common elements.

1. They make themselves a priority. If you're always committing to others, never making time for yourself and the things that make you happy; if it's always your friends, kids, boss, spouse, parents that come first then it's no wonder you're feeling fed up with life.

You're not giving enough of your time and energy to yourself. You are not doing anything wrong if you make yourself a priority. In fact, it is essential. If you're not at your best then, no matter how much you're giving, nobody in your life is getting your best.

You need to take care of yourself first: body, mind and soul, before you start dishing parts of yourself to others.

2. They ask for help. Nobody can do it on their own. Each of us has only one body and we are only capable of so much. People who have their life in balance seek the help of others.

It is not a sign of weakness to ask for help. Instead, it gives you a chance to  a) sort out other things in your life
b) get things done faster.
Ask for advice, help, resources when you can to make your life easier.

3. They don't expect everything to be perfect. Most of us are trying way too hard to obtain an unachievable state of perfection in our lives. This is never going happen. Life moves in waves-- high tides and low.

 It's not realistic to expect that every part of your life is going run smoothly at the same time. We are human; we get sick; we get into disputes; we're thrown curve balls. It's more a matter of how to positively deal with things rather than expecting every moment of your life to be perfect.

4. They celebrate the good, deal with the bad. Some people don't take time to rejoice over the good things that happen in their lives. As I said above, they're too busy trying to make everything perfect to see what is actually going right in their lives.

Others fail to acknowledge the parts of their lives that need tweaking. They either don't want to admit they are making a mistake, or don't know how to address certain issues in their lives. But people in balance know that they have to deal with the things keeping them out of balance and take the time to appreciate all the ways life is being good to them.

Having a balanced life is a day to day thing. It's not something you do once and forget about. It takes making yourself a priority, asking for help when needed, dealing with issues that may be holding you back and not expecting life to be perfect.

My Sweet April

If March is a lion then April really is a lamb. It is more gentle towards me; more understanding, innocent and calm. I can handle April and it's challenges. I feel content. I don't know why I never achieve this level satisfaction with March, but I suppose everyone has their "winter."

The winds are brisk this April. There are still patches of snow and ice, yet I feel no disain for the slow coming of spring.

I look at April fondly, like that friend that is gentle and calming. The one you can spill your heart to without feeling judged. The one that smiles sadly at you knowing what a long a journey you've had and how much further you have to go.

 It says rest here, catch your breath. I won't over disturb you. March is demanding. March has expectations. March forcefully wants me to succeed. April wants me to try but not exhaust myself. April is courteous. It listens; tell me your woes; speak to me of your adventures.

 If you ever meet someone like the month of April, someone who is gentle and warm, someone who is patient and uplifting thank them--for they are like spring giving you a kind of renewal by implanting confidence and hope into your garden of life after a long winter. 

Why playing it safe isn’t always best

It makes sense to avoid the risks involved with hazardous things, like jumping off a cliff without a parachute. However, when it comes to getting out of an unfulfilling relationship or job those same cautious instincts can backfire.

Because change seems, scary we believe that it posses a greater risk than sticking with the status quo. However, we often fail to factor in how not taking a risk can lead to an unfulfilling life. As well as all the things we could be missing out on. Consider the following if you are on of the many that play it safe.

Get out of your comfort zone
Many people don’t like to “rock the boat” especially once they obtain some level of success. The downside of this is that you no longer “play to win” instead, you “play to lose”. Experts confirm that this approach of hesitation and second guessing rarely lead you to the desired outcome. Because what you are doing is subconsciously scaling back our efforts and robing yourself of chances to flourish.

In order to “play to win” you have to acknowledge your fear of the unknown in a proactive way. If you are scared of setting up starting your own business or going after that promotion at your company, list your hesitation and ask yourself how you’d handle the worst case scenario. By looking at specific what ifs, you can evaporate some fears and give yourself the confidence boost to get back in the game.

 Stop waiting for the right moment
A lot of us put of doing things we dream of, like taking that dream vacation or starting our own business, because we are holding out for the best conditions possible. What we forget is by waiting for the right moment we may never accomplish these things. Iris Songivliano, a clinical psychologist in New York City said it best when he said “In order to be dealt a winning hand, you have to be in the game.

Rather than waiting around for the right moment, go after what you want. Create your opportunities by setting tiny yet, specific goals. If you always wanted to start your business, you can start by doing some research, figure out what it would take by drafting a business plan. Same goes if you always wanted to visit Germany. Decide which season you would like to go and then read a travel book on the city.

Since the brain interprets small everyday goals as easier to tackle then big lifelong goals, you’ll jump start a stalled mind-set to propel you toward reaching your ultimate outcome.

Don’t dwell on past disappointments
You, like many others, may allow only the negative memories or our past failures to impact your future decision-making. By doing this, you ignore all the positive things you’ve learned from earlier experiences. But the more you see the broader the picture surrounding life challenges, the faster and easier the trail to triumph will shift into focus.