Month: February 2023

Today’s Positive Thought ~ Failure is NOT Fatal

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“A failure is like fertilizer; it stinks to be sure, but it makes things grow faster in the future.” Denis Waitley

Failure happens. It’s our attitude toward failure that makes all the difference. I can choose to look at failure as fatal and toss a pity party. Or, I can look at failure as motivation to prove to myself and others that I’ll be back and will succeed at this challenge. Choose to use failure as motivation to come back even better and stronger, it will make all the difference. 

Today’s Joke

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Joe: “I went to my psychiatrist and told her no one listens to me.”

Pete: “What did she say?”

Joe: “Next.”

Today’s Positive Thought ~ The Only Person You Can Change

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“There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self.” Aldous Huxley

Most of us do an excellent job at trying to get others to change. The problem we face is that we fail most of time. A person only changes if they want to change.  Edgar Schein, (a guru on change) based on his research, indicated that we change only when the pain not to change is greater than the pain of remaining where we’re at. If we’re sufficiently introspective we may catch glimpses of where change is beneficial for us. Once we catch a glimpse, it takes courage to accept the need to change and act on it.

Today’s Poem ~ Drifting

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Drifting

Oliva Ward Bush-Banks

And now the sun in tinted splendor sank,
  The west was all aglow with crimson light;
The bay seemed like a sheet of burnished gold,
  Its waters glistened with such radiance bright.

At anchor lay the yachts with snow-white sails,
  Outlined against the glowing, rose-hued sky.
No ripple stirred the waters’ calm repose
  Save when a tiny craft sped lightly by.

Our boat was drifting slowly, gently round,
  To rest secure till evening shadows fell;
No sound disturbed the stillness of the air,
  Save the soft chiming of the vesper bell.

Yes, drifting, drifting; and I thought that life,
  When nearing death, is like the sunset sky:
And death is but the slow, sure drifting in
  To rest far more securely, by and by.

Then let me drift along the Bay of Time,
  Till my last sun shall set in glowing light;
Let me cast anchor where no shadows fall,
  Forever moored within Heaven’s harbor bright.

 

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Today’s Photo ~ Follow Your Own Drummer

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Follow your own drummer and do with joy and love of life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Today’s Inspiration ~ Stuff Happens – It’s the Way of Life

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“Things do not always happen the way I would like them to happen, and I had better get used to that.”

~ Paulo Coelho

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Feeling Good ~ 3 Habits to Adopt to Become Happier

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Three Habits to Develop to Become Happier

1 Find the joy

‘Bringing focus to the small things in your day that have the potential to bring you joy is an essential habit for happiness,’ says positive psychology coach Dawn Baxter. ‘Upgrade your towels and wrap yourself in luxury each time you get out of the shower; start each day with the invigorating aroma of your favourite coffee; and make time to sit in that spot in your garden that gets the last of the sunshine. Life’s simple pleasures are easily overlooked when we’re consumed with what we need to do and where we need to be. But bring your focus back to those micro-pleasures; it’s incredible how they help you find your balance and give you the resources to enjoy your life day to day, regardless of other things that will come at you.’

2 Shift views

‘How often do you arrive at the office loudly listing all the things that have gone wrong that morning: “I couldn’t get the kids out of the door today! I forgot my bag! I hit every red light!’’ asks Baxter. ‘Instead, try “positive stacking”: acknowledge the fact that you dodged the rain, remembered your lunch, and put your favourite top in the dryer last night so it was available to wear today – and you didn’t have to iron it! We’re programmed towards negative bias, but get into the habit of spotting the good stuff. It’s easy to shift perspective back into your favour when you try, and once you’ve done it regularly, for a month or so, it soon becomes second nature.

3. Take Time

‘One habit we should all try to introduce is giving ourselves time to process what’s going on in our lives,’ says business mentor Rhiannon Bates. ‘Look at your diary and build in time after a challenging meeting to go for a walk to clear your head, or to talk with a friend after a tough day. Process your feelings and let them out, rather than bottling it all up inside. This can feel hard when you’re busy with work or children, but giving yourself even 15 minutes to decompress and reflect on what’s happened in your day, and how you are feeling, can have a huge impact on your happiness levels.’

Source: HAPPY HABITS and six tricks to make them stick!” Psychologies, Oct. 2022, p. 30. Gale OneFile: Psychology, link. Accessed 12 Feb. 2023.

Today’s Health Tip ~ A Mattress, Toothbrush, & Salmon – Your Partners for Good Health

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A mattress, a toothbrush, and a salmon dinner: on the surface, those items don’t seem to have much in common. But they all represent healthy lifestyle habits that help fight chronic inflammation, a persistent state of the immune system that’s linked to many health problems. And the more healthy habits you practice, even simple ones, the better chance you’ll have at thwarting chronic inflammation and disease.

    1. Eat fatty fish twice a week.  Salmon and other fatty fish (such as anchovies, halibut, sardines, and tuna) contain omega-3 fatty acids that reduce inflammation. “Omega-3s disrupt the production of chemicals that cause inflammation by certain immune system cells. They may even help lower the risks for stroke and for the type of brain inflammation associated with Alzheimer’s disease,” says Dr. Robert Shmerling, a rheumatologist and medical editor of the Harvard Special Health Report Fighting Inflammation (/ui). “But our body doesn’t make omega-3s. We need to get them from food.” Other ways to fight inflammation with diet include minimizing processed foods and added sugars, and eating lots of fruits and vegetables, legumes, whole grains, poultry, fish, and healthy oils (such as olive and canola).
    2. Get a new mattress. Does your mattress make you toss and turn? “Even one night of disturbed sleep can spark inflammation,” Dr. Shmerling says. “It increases inflammatory substances in the blood. Regularly missing sleep contributes to obesity, which is also linked to inflammation.” If you suspect that the fix for your poor sleep is a new mattress (or maybe just a mattress topper), it’s worth the investment. Getting seven to nine hours of sleep per night is associated with reduced risks for many chronic diseases, including dementia.
    3. Brush your teeth regularly. We’re all supposed to brush our teeth twice per day, and floss them at least once per day. It’s necessary to brush away the bacteria that can inflame the gums, lead to infection, and cause inflammation or infection elsewhere in the body.
    4. Go for a walk. Aerobic exercise — the kind that gets your heart and lungs working, like brisk walking — is an important way to fight chronic inflammation. “It helps reduce body fat, which contains inflammation-promoting substances. Exercise may also increase the production of hormones that help keep inflammation in check,” Dr. Shmerling says. We all need at least 150 minutes of aerobic activity per week to stay healthy. If you’ve been inactive for a while, start with a five-minute daily walk and work your way up to 20 or 30 minutes a day. If you have heart disease or are at increased risk for it, check with your doctor about your best exercise program.
    5. Do some deep-breathing exercises. Feeling stressed? Chronic stress promotes inflammation and is linked to several chronic inflammatory conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease, depression, and inflammatory bowel disease.

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Today’s Positive Thought ~ It’s All in Our Attitude and Actions

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“Let life happen to you. Believe me: life is in the right, always.” ~ Rainer Maria Rilke

Life is going to happen to us, there’s not much we can do about it. The wise ones tells us it’s the attitude we take toward what happens to us that makes all the difference. The attitude and actions we take toward events in our life leaves an indelible mark on our character. We have the freedom to choose our attitude and actions. Choose those attitudes and actions that inspire you and those who observe you.

Feeling Good ~ Laughing is Good for You

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The Health Benefits of Laughter

The benefits of laughing include:

    • Relaxation and reduction in muscle tension
    • Lowered production of stress hormones
    • Improved immune system function
    • Reduction in blood pressure
    • Clearing the lungs by dislodging mucous plugs
    • Increasing the production of salivary immunoglobulin A, which defends
    • against infectious organisms that enter through the respiratory tract.
    • Aerobic effects that increased the body’s ability to utilize oxygen (Cousins called laughing “internal jogging” and it has been estimated that laughing 100 times is equal to 10 minutes on a rowing machine or
    • 15 minutes on an exercise bike.)
    • A rapid ability to disregard aches and pains or to perceive them as less
    • severe (Children watching funny videos while undergoing painful procedures required less pain medication during as well as after the procedure. Patients who were told hilarious one-liners following surgery also had reduced requirements for pain drugs compared to controls.)

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