What are you waiting for?

"Sometimes opportunity doesn't knock, sometimes you have to go outside-down the street-cross the barbed wire fence- and dig it up yourself!" - CJ

As you know, we get bogged down in the barriers and challenges that are ever present in our life. We don't step back often enough to realize that many times we are our own greatest barrier to achieving our goals. We get comfortable in a rut, un-noticeably complacent or just down right lazy.

If it seems like you have been waiting a really long time for something better to come along or for the 'right' moment to make a change in your life, maybe that moment is now.

So, what are you waiting for?


CJ

You: Defined

"Smile at who you are, don't frown at what you've done; for the things of our past need not define who we are today." - CJ


How empowering it can be to realize that you don't have to fit into a category based on the things you have done in your life. Whether failures or successes, you are truely the sum of all the things you have done and continue to do. My thought for the day.

Under the weather?

"Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional." - M. Kathleen Casey

I was feeling out of sorts yesterday, but in the spirit of feeling much better, I embrace this quote...:-)

I think it speaks to our willingness to not let our sicknesses get the better of us. We all get sick from time to time and feel like we are suffering to no end. However, if we keep a positive attitude and do our best to handle the situation within our limits, we might find that we are not suffering afterall.

CJ

Taking Time

""Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." - John Lennon

I think sometimes we take for granted that we have such a thing as 'free will'. We surround our lives with all sorts of duties & menial tasks and we allow them to be monitored by the clock. We forget to take time for ourselves, time to wind down, time to gear up, time to reflect, or time to volunteer. It is our free will to do any of these things.

We must choose to devote time and space to these activities which offer no monetary reward and most often no outward recognition. But it can have the most wondrous effect on us when we make that choice and take time...

To meditate for our peace of mind.
To wind down and relax so that we don't get overwhelmed with external pressures.
To gear up and prepare for the day or an event and consciously ready ourselves for the challenges.
To reflect on meaningful things in our lives.
To volunteer our time or service to another or a worthy cause.

CJ

Enough for Today

"The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time." - Abraham Lincoln

Sometimes we feel like we cannot face another day. We are tired, sad, overworked and underpaid. What would happen if we instead considered the opportunities that each day brings?

Perhaps it's not just 'another day, another dollar', maybe it's more like another day of practicing patience and attitude re-direct brings another day of inner peace and outer positivity. One day at a time...:-)

CJ

Bottled Up

"Get mad, then get over it." -Colin Powell

How often have you seen, heard, or been a part of an incident where people are arguing and one person doesn't speak their mind? They walk away and keep their feelings to themselves, all the negativity and anger. This is most dangerous when you say nothing and harbor the anger you are feeling deep inside. Over time you begin to resent the other person, break away from any meaningful relationship with that person and in extreme cases end up hating them or planning revenge.

Of course it is not wise to react immediately to a confrontation where you find yourself constantly bickering or arguing, but there is a certain value to venting. Does that mean that walking away is a bad idea? No, but this works best for the kind of person who likes to think things over before reacting. You think things over, maybe talk it over with a trusted friend and then decide on the best way to respond.

Too often we harbor anger in our hearts and don't realize the harm we do to ourselves. Keeping the negative feelings of anger inside of us can distract us from doing more constructive things, can cause us to be less aware of our surroundings, and ultimately can make us physically ill. When we are angry at someone else and don't find a way to deal with the situation, it is much like stabbing our own heart and waiting for the other person to bleed.

So don't bottle up your negative emotions. Find a way to express your anger without hurting yourself or others and move forward to healing beyond that incident.

CJ

Turn, Turn, Turn.

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven" - (Common Bible - Ecclesiastes 3:1)


Charleton Heston passed away last Saturday. Hollywood, movies in general and the public have suffered a great loss. It reminds us all that life for each individual on this planet is limited to a time. We don't know when that time will expire, we only know that while we are here, alive and kicking, we should make the most of every moment.

CJ

Friday Positivity

"Turn your face to the sunshine and all shadows fall behind." - Helen Keller


Now that's deep.

CJ

Time to postpone procrastination

For today, a quick reminder that we cannot reach our next goal while remaining inactive. I think we have all been guilty of putting things off every now and again, but sometimes we get too complacent with where we are and that can be a problem. Of course there is nothing wrong with being comfortable and living life with out many worries. However, challenges and tasks (especially those we present to ourselves) can be tools that help us truly grow to where we want to be.

"Never wait so long to act that you forget your goal" - CJ

Been there, Done that.

"The ride up front is better when you've been in the back!" - Prince (from the song "Now")

Sometimes when I talk to people who need advice I find they are feeling stuck in a rut and can't see anything positive on the horizon. I share my story with them and remind them that hard work and perseverance really can pay off.

You see I certainly have been in the back before! I remember one fo my first jobs was working in restaurant, so long ago it seems like another lifetime. I worked very hard and would put in a 75 hour week sometimes. From open to close and everything in between, asst. manager, cashier, host/greeter, cook, butcher, sandwich maker, bus-boy, janitor, and garbage man.

But it was a learning experience and one of many places I would have to travel through to be a better me.

Happy Wednesday!!
CJ

Under pressure?

"Giving up or giving in is always easier than giving it your all, but not as rewarding." - CJ


Just a quick quote today....:-)