I met a woman that was struggling in her life and seemed to worry excessively about everything. She would worry about her kids, getting in an accident, getting old, being robbed, losing her job, her husband’s loyalty and the list could go on. The worry factor had become ruler of her world and it was evident that the result was a life lived in a state of chaos most of the time. She had trouble concentrating, staying focused, felt sick much of the time, had trouble sleeping and her marriage was suffering.
This is an extreme example of how worry can impact our lives but it led me to a very important question. How much does worry control our daily lives and what can we do about it? When I thought about my life I have to admit that there have been certain things in life that have consumed my thoughts and if allowed, I would worry incessantly about those things. But I also think that the key word here is “allowed”. As I have mentioned before, the mind is a powerful thing and I believe that we can learn to control our thoughts and change the way we think about things.
Worrying can drain us at so many different levels and more often than not, we worry for nothing. So much of what we worry about never happens and it ends up being such a waste of energy. Someone once told me, “Don’t bleed before you are shot because if you are never shot then you bled for nothing. If you are shot then you bleed and try to stop it and recover from it.” I will always remember that because it is so true. How many times have you bled for nothing? How many times have you worried about something to the point of being stressed out and exhausted and all for nothing?
Life is short and it is so important to find that balance and peace in our daily lives. Try to focus on the now and live in the moment. Focus on the beauty in that moment and just enjoy what is in front of you right now. Try to not worry so much about what might happen or what tomorrow might bring. The reality of life is that we cannot control much of what happens and tomorrow is not really ours to have so enjoy the blessing of today.
Have a wonderful day and I hope you find peace in it!
Michele
I was at Panera Bread the other day to have lunch with my boyfriend and while waiting for our order an adorable elderly man came up to me and randomly handed me a beautiful yellow rose and then said “have a wonderful day”. He then proceeded to walk through Panera and hand each and every woman a rose with a smile on his face. I found out later that Elmer goes to Panera every week with a bag full of roses that he gathers from a local floral shop and gives them to the women having lunch. My daughter and her best friend were the recipients of this amazing gift of kindness just one week earlier.
This simple but wonderful gesture made me think about the importance of doing random acts of kindness in our daily lives and how even the simplest things can bring true joy to everyone. I can tell you that the gift of that rose brought a huge smile to my face and made my entire day. My daughter came home beaming after receiving her rose and could not wait to tell me the story of Elmer. I have since heard more heart warming stories of Elmer’s kindness and the impact it has had on so many women’s lives.
This leads me to think about how simple it would be for each and everyone of us to take just a few minutes every day to do something kind for someone. This could be someone you know and it could be a complete stranger. Regardless, I can guarantee that it would brighten someone’s day and they would not forget it. Life is busy and it is easy to get caught up in the craziness of it all but I have to believe that if everyone would make an effort to give a little extra every day the world would indeed be a better and happier place.
These gestures do not have to be time consuming, expensive or grandiose in any way. In fact, it is often the simple things that bring the most joy! Elmer recognized the value in going to a flower shop, gathering up the discarded roses that would never be enjoyed and then giving them to complete strangers just to make their day and bring a smile to their faces! I would bet there are women going back to Panera just to feel the warmth and kindness of Elmer’s smile. Everyone likes to feel special and important and sometimes a random act of kindness even from a complete stranger can do just that.
I challenge all of us to consider expanding our circles of influence in spreading joy and kindness during these difficult times. Give someone a compliment, open a door, pay for someone’s coffee or parking in the drive-through lane, give a gift just because, send a card or in honor of dear sweet Elmer, hand out flowers to strangers. I promise you it will make someone’s day and it will give you a renewed sense of joy!
Have a wonderful day and enjoy the journey.
In Peace and Gratitude
Michele
I am amazed at the complexities of the mind and the amazing ability the mind has to learn and re-wire. I am even more amazed at the infinite power of the mind and just how much control our thoughts can have over us on any given day. I have heard the phrase “change your thoughts – change your life” and while it is not quite that simple; in my experience there is truth to that principle.
Many people have talked to me about the “old tapes” that seem to play, re-play and then play again in their heads and at times there is this feeling that the thoughts connected to those tapes are running the show. It becomes difficult to shut off the noise of the mind and it can interrupt sleep patterns, facilitate the making of bad choices, cause a lack of confidence, decrease productivity and be extremely distracting to name a few.
For me, I have found this to be true and while it takes a great deal of discipline and self-awareness it is possible to start changing the way we think and eventually we can regain control of our thoughts. I think it is important to remember that we are not our thoughts! I am passionate about this concept and will be writing a lot more about it as there is a great deal of research that is being done on this topic and some of the “tapes” playing in my head have caused difficulty for me over the years. It is a great feeling when you can take some control back and run your own show.
In closing, remember that you are not your thoughts and you have the power to choose whether or not you will listen to your thoughts at any given moment. Again, change your thoughts – change your life! Have a great day…..
In Peace and Gratitude -
Michele
We all have an identity but what is the true signature of YOU and YOUR life? Michele DeVille is a successful Life Coach, Speaker and Author dedicated to empowering YOU to find YOUR inner voice, discover YOUR amazing potential and create that personal signature of self that only YOU can have. The time is now – go for it and live a life you love.