Thought For Today - September
 

Eat Right, Good Night

Ever thought about the connection between food & a good night's sleep? What you eat, how much & when you eat, affects your sleep.

This week, experiment with your evening meals & snacks. Discover the foods that help you sleep better. You may want to avoid heavy, rich foods & big meals at night. You may want to try eating right, eating light, & eating earlier.

Curious, Not Furious

When things don't go your way or work out as expected, do you get furious? Get furious and we shut down. It's as if fury hijacks us from remaining open to learning from what’s happened.

The next time this happens, don’t shut down, get curious! How might this be a good thing in disguise? What possibilities exist here? What can I learn from this?

Curious works way better than furious; as fury dissipates you make what’s happened a learning opportunity.

On the Road to Peace

Peace is a popular meditation destination. On the journey to the destination of peace, you may encounter some distractions.

Think of the distractions as all the traffic on the road. When you're driving, you can't empty the roads just because you want to get to your destination. In the same way, rather than focusing on emptying the mind, let all your thoughts come and go, just like the traffic on the road.

If you get distracted, it's OK, simply steer your focus towards peace. And then before you know it, you will have reached your destination.

Time Well Spent

How do you know if you have used your time well each day?

Lots of ticks on your to do list? Enjoyed the day? Interactions were good? Made time for things that matter? Feel a sense of satisfaction?

How do you measure time well spent?

Comparison to Compassion

Compare yourself to others? Comparison can be a source of motivation. But it can also leave you feeling inferior or superior - and both these states devalue yourself and the other person.

How about changing comparison to compassion. With compassion, you can value yourself and the other person. Value the uniqueness, the talents, the experiences, the contributions. Then instead of striving to be as good as or better than the other person, you can strive to be the best person you can be.

The Art of Patience

What cannot be achieved with pressure can easily be achieved with patience. Patience gives you the time to chip away at your dream and turn it into a reality. It tells you not to push, not to rush; there is a reason and a season for everything. And when things go wrong, patience tempers the feeling of failure and buffers the heart. It teaches you to keep your cool. A cool head knows when to wait and when to act.

From the Heart

Take a moment and think about your day yesterday: did you live from the heart? What you couldn’t do yesterday, do today! Today, live from your heart.

Forgetful or Stressed?

Ever forget names, can't remember where you put your keys or whether you locked the door properly....? Forgetfulness is often a symptom of stress. Stress reduces our capacity to retain information.

If you’re experiencing forgetfulness a little too often, take it as a sign to check if you’re under too much stress. Lower your stress levels and you'll retain information more easily and increase your capacity to remember things.

Seize The Day. Carpe Diem.

When was the last time you did something that made you feel great, something that made a huge difference? Well, what are you waiting for - someone to give you permission?

Give yourself the permission, the encouragement or even a dare to just get up and go. Live, love, dance, sing, laugh. Utilize every skill you posses, all your hopes and dreams, and seize the day, today.

Heated Words

We've all had days when we’ve said things in the heat of the moment that we regret later. But once words escape our mouth, we can't rewind or take back what we've said.

Next time you're heating up and you find yourself speaking too much, too fast, try to take a deep breath and slow down. Consider the full impact of your words and phrase them carefully and kindly. You'll thank yourself for it.

Time to Contemplate

Have you thought deeply, recently? No time or space for contemplation? You can think deep thoughts as you're walking, waiting, in the shower.... Make time, just ten minutes.

Contemplate on something positive & inspiring that you've heard or read recently. Take one question, a problem, or a word and think about it. Think deep & you might get some insights, answers, realizations.... plus it's a good exercise for the mind & soul.

Know Your Weaknesses

Do you know your weaknesses? Behaviors and attitudes that hold you back? To find your weaknesses: a) Think about your behaviors and attitudes that may have contributed to your past failures. b) Think about your behaviors that cause distress to yourself and others.

Now list your main weaknesses. If you find it difficult to sum them up, find someone you trust to give you honest feedback.

Know your weaknesses, not to undermine your self-esteem, but to gain a better awareness of yourself. Then you can a) manage your weaknesses better, and b) decide if you want to make improvements or even turn weaknesses into strengths.

Summer’s End

Summer – it’s a time of abundance, to enjoy the summer sun, flowers and fruits … but, summer, like everything else, doesn’t last forever. If summer was forever, all the energy and potential would reach its limits and inertia would set in. And so slowly but surely, the cycle turns; everything moves on. Everything has its own time; its own season. Remember, the end of something good, means the start of something also good. All you have to do is be connected and in tune with the natural flow of natures energies.

Too Many Choices

We assume that more choice means better options. However, beware of choice overload; it can leave us confused because a world of possibilities can also be a world of missed opportunities! Any choice will be close other doors that we’d rather keep open. Instead of exhaustively scanning all options until finding the perfect one, narrow your options. And then decide on something you feel good about.

The Mind Body Connection

Have you noticed the connection between the mind and the body? Think anxious thoughts and your muscles tense up. Worrying thoughts affect your digestion. Angry thoughts increase your blood pressure. Stress triggers headaches.

Notice the mind-body connection and think positively for better health. You can't necessarily think your way to better health, but your thoughts can make a difference.

Saying I Don't Know

Did you know that saying “I don't know” when you don't know something, actually makes you look confident, not incompetent? Saying “I don't know” gives you the chance to know more and learn something new.

But do you say “I don’t know” by default? Out of habit, laziness or low confidence? You probably do have the answer and the know-how that's needed.

Know when to confidently say “I don’t know” and when not to.

Life is like Baking

Many things in life are like baking.

Baking cakes, pies, biscuits, bread.... it's a messy process. And when you're in the in-between stages, it often also looks a mess. But when it comes out of the oven, it looks good and tastes good. Even if it doesn't look good, it still tastes good. And if it doesn't taste good, you can always adapt the recipe or try again.

If where you are in life, right now, is looking a bit messy, say to yourself, "If it's not good now, it's because it's not the end yet!" And if it's still looking messy when you get to the end, it's OK; you can always adapt or try again.

Stop Breaks

You know how busy you are, how busy your mind is, it's no wonder you're exhausted! Here is a simple exercise to integrate into your busy lifestyle - 10 second stop breaks.

Stop and meditate for 10 seconds. Stop at regular intervals through the day, every few hours or every hour. Stop & slow down, slow your breath, slow your thoughts and achieve a meditative state. Regain your energy, refresh your focus and then continue with your day.

Everyday Greetings

Hi! Hola! Bonjour! Ni Hao! Ciao! Namaste! No matter where we are in the world, being greeted is like a ray of sunshine, it just lifts our spirits and gets a smile out of us. So why not bring a smile to others through a simple greeting?

The absence of a greeting may make the other person wonder if I’m upset with them or if they've done something to upset me. So as much as possible, don't wait for others to greet you, greet them first. And when you greet, make eye contact, smile and greet them by name (if you know it).

Go on, greet others around you, everyday.

Forgive Yourself

Replaying your mistakes and failures over and over again doesn’t help you nor does it change what happened. To stimulate growth and positive change, you have to forgive yourself. This helps you learn from your mistakes and failures. Find the lesson, then put a full stop to the past and move on.

First Thoughts

Whatever you are experiencing in your mind now, is what you put in there earlier on. Let your first thoughts of the day simply be peaceful. Fill your mind with peace and your mind will give you an experience of peace in return. Through the day, remind yourself of your morning thoughts of peace, and move on in the same direction till the end of the day. If obstacles come your way, don’t let it block your peace.

Is Anything Original?

Is anything ever original? Art, films, books.... Rarely is something absolutely original.

Even these 'Thought for Today's' are influenced by so many people, so many things. Ideas are borrowed, and then repackaged and reshaped; aligned to fit who we are.

Maybe we just need to embrace all the different influences to create something that fits who we are. Maybe that's what makes something original.

3 Steps to Switch your Perspective

When life is tough, improve how you feel by switching your perspective in 3 steps.

First step: Feel good about life by thinking, life is lining up situations to maximise your potential. Where you are right now, is the best place for you.

Second step: Feel good about yourself by counting your success. Acknowledge what you are already doing well and keep doing more of that.

Third step: Feel good about the future by noticing how life is looking out for you and supplying you with opportunities. Notice your response to it all and how things are improving. And keep going!

Ask, Don't Tell

No one likes being told what to do! Tell someone what to do and their ears close and mind switches off. It comes across as if you’re ordering or demanding.

The next time you are ready to tell someone what to do, ask, don’t tell. Ask and you are extending respect to the other. It’s a much better way of communicating.

Coach Your Couch Potato

Are you someone who isn’t very active? Sitting at a desk all day? Sitting on a couch when you get home?

If you’re a bit of a couch potato, coach yourself to get fit and more active. Make it easy by doing what you enjoy. Start small, 15 minutes a day and then build on it. Exercise with others and it may help you stay on track when your will begins to fade….

Peel away all the excuses you make not to get off the couch. Peel your inner couch potato and you’ll gain a lot more energy, better health, and your couch will probably last longer!

Like the Lotus Flower

The lotus flower is a symbol of purity and resilience. Its roots are in the mud but it rises above the muddy waters, to grow into a pure, bright and beautiful flower.

Like the lotus flower, be grounded in the realities of life and let life enrich you to grow into something more beautiful.

Positive Affirmation

Notice how many times you put yourself down during the day. Include what you think and say, even words spoken in jest. Pay particular attention to how you react to your mistakes and poor choices. Instead of putting yourself down, affirm positive messages about yourself. Treat yourself gently and with respect. You deserve it. Think of yourself as a child who is learning to walk; you need encouragement – not criticism.

Coffee Break Wisdom

When you stop for a short break, whether it’s for a hot drink or water, use those few minutes wisely – breathe deeply, slow down the speed of your thoughts, pause and reconnect with your inner calm.

When Feelings Come

Unwanted feelings.... big emotional feelings... When feelings come, what not to do? Don't ask why, don't wonder how, don't fight them and don't put yourself down for having these feelings. But most of all, don't blame someone or something else for how you feel.

What to do? Say, 'I choose this feeling.' This doesn't mean you want the feeling. It means you're accepting and taking responsibility for your feelings. This is the first step. But only the first step. Start by trying this. Then ask yourself what the next step might be.

Admire to Inspire

List the people you admire, real or fictional. A leader from politics, business, sports…. A parent, teacher, friend…. A character from a book, movie, comic book….

What is it that you admire about these people? Certain characteristics, their intelligence, humor, creativity, kindness, hard work….? Do you see something of yourself in them?

Be inspired by the people you admire.