Connect Your Problems and Desires

August 6, 2012 By 4 Comments
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Take the opportunity today to connect your problems and desires.

Often the solution to a problem can be found in the desire associated with solving it. EG: My other half Em suffers from Non-completion Syndrome, the tasks she does at work never seem to end. She knows full well that if they did they’d be followed by more things to do but that’s ok. Imagine having a To Do list that never got ticked off. It just kept growing and growing. The tasks on it moved forwards here and there but they never finished.

A milkman for example has the same task each day. Seemingly never ending, except that each and every day he completes the task of delivering the milk. Next day he starts again, and completes it again. Tick. Done. Next. A sense of closure, of achievement.

If you have a similar situation at work or at home or in any other area of your life where things never seem to get finished try this: break the task down into smaller parts. Create achievable tasks so that you can tick them off as done. The bigger picture may continue unended but at least it’s constituent parts can, piece by piece, get finished. Make the tasks as small as you want, but separate them from the whole.

 This will go some way to relieving the stress believe me.

 

About the Author: Stuart Young writes his thoughts on his blog How To Change Your Life One Day At A Time. He  launched his book on this topic in May 2012 and has since helped people change their lives. Click here  to get your copy now! He is also one of the authors of the book, “The Best Inspirational Storie I Ever Read: Guide to a Purposeful Life”.

Filed Under: Daily Inspiration, Photography by Feliza Carrera, Take the Opportunity: Stuart Young Tagged With: , , , , ,

Self-Care 101: How to Start Caring for Yourself

March 9, 2012 By 22 Comments
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Photo of Shem-shem Pablo

By Catia Michelle

I was twenty-two years old when I first heard someone use the phrase “Self Care”. Perhaps because, for over a year, I had been feeling sluggish, pasty, and weak (even going to the doctor twice for muscle pain and spasm) that my ears perked and I turned my head.
“Self Care? Explain!”
My friend, a woman I  have always admired for her non-anxious and inviting demeanor towards life, explained that she understood Self Care to be fundamentally the attitude that we are ultimately responsible, and capable of influencing, our own well-being, stress levels, physical health and comfort. She explained that she had first begun researching Self Care after spending a year as a chaplain at our local women’s prison, a windowless place where she spent hours a day hearing stories of abandonment, injustice and deep depression. She realized quickly upon starting there that her own mental health and physical stability would be compromised if she didn’t pay careful attention to her mind and body both before she went to work and when she came home.
Learning Self Care: What is it?
I was intrigued. Something in me knew that the past year of trying to rely on medications and doctors to feel more energized, calm and inspired was not working and was never going to work. I scoured the internet when I got home that day for anything pertaining to Self Care and I was swimming in information on how to have more energy, live a happier life, and rest better.
Many of the ideas I came across were essentially basic. For instance: drink more water. Go to bed on time. The difference was this: no longer were these things I wanted to do because I should do them, or because a health professional or blogger told me they would be good for me, they were practices I was choosing because I love myself and want to take care of my body, mind and spirit.
I have decided that Self Care, fundamentally is defined by an attitude of care towards my body, mind and spirit and an absence of the word “should”.
Is Self Care selfish?
Over time, I’ve learned that Self Care, too, also isn’t really just about me.
It does involve my community because often good Self Care means saying No, and having a community that understands No is vitally important. This is especially true because often, in the name of Self-Care, I have to say ‘No’ to things simply because I know they won’t be good for me in the long run.
As a pastor, this is really hard. I feel like I am being selfish, like I should show up to every event, be prepared to work long hours every Sunday, and make sure I’m actively involved in everything happening in my community. And when I say No to some of those things, it feels a lot easier to have a “real” excuse: “I’m sorry, I need to be home taking care of my Mother” or “I have a previous engagement”.
Saying “I”m sorry, but I really need some extra time to rest this week” doesn’t feel as legitimate.
But sometime last year I started saying that, because it was the truth, and it was really difficult to do at first. Some people didn’t understand.
But as I began choosing to practice great Self Care, I knew I needed to only choose activities that were really life-giving for me, and by doing so I would actually be modeling healthy behavior for my community.
And you know what?
Despite working to focus more on my Self, because I have greater energy  and more inspiration and better emotional health: I actually have more time and energy for my community and more openness in my heart to form deeper relationships.
And – That’s not selfish at all!
Editor’s Note: Catia Michelle is a pastor, who loves to write about motivation, routines/habits, mornings, and exercise. She maintains a blog, Joy For Today and commits to contributing on AMSDaily twice a month.
Filed Under: Faith - Caitlin Desjardins, Photography by Shem-shem Pablo Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Day 78: A Letter to the Leader

September 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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Photo: Shem Pablo

WEDNESDAYS WITH BUENA

Dear Leader,

No, please don’t look behind you.  It’s not the person next to you either. Not even that one ahead of you.

It’s YOU!

Yes, it’s you- with whom some (or many) others’ lives depend on- your family, your workmates, your schoolmates, your spheres of influence.

You- who hold control of things that rely on you- that portfolio or project that will hit a million; that drive that will benefit many lives, that assignment that will leave a valuable impact in your world.

You- who can make things go as you want them to… in whose blood run the power, the ability, the limitless potentials and possibility to make things happen.

Yes, it’s you – YOU ARE THE LEADER!

The leader of the youth, who look up to you for a model simply because you had been there and you’ve been wiser,

The leader of the elderly, who rely on you for caring and kind-heartedness simply because you’ve got the strength and nourishment to do it for them and give back,

The leader of the less, who hunger for your words of inspiration and encouragement,

The leader of the rich, who trust you to be the overseer of their storehouses,

The leader of human resource, who strive to make you happy with their work because their daily needs depend on your authority,

The leader of faith, who has the power to transform people according to the way you live,

The leader of this country, for every progress starts in you- the citizen.

Yes, it’s YOU- the leader.

And I pray, you do not forget who you really are.

Even in times of distress, of exhaustion, of emptiness, of darkness…

Remind yourself, say, I AM A LEADER- whose power remains, whose compassion and love endures, who doesn’t just give up – no – who never gives up!

After being on bended knees, I get up!  Wiser, stronger, better. More directed, determined, passionate, and courageous.  Ready to keep my beautiful purposes ablaze.

Motivate, leader!

Motivate yourself, and motivate the world!

Love,

Buena

Filed Under: MOTIVATIONS, Photography by Shem-shem Pablo, Wednesdays with Buena Tagged With: , , , , , , ,