May has been a month of surplus emotion. My mood has been going UP and DOWN like a seesaw.
‘UPs” or feel-good emotions are a result of positive triggers whereas ‘DOWNs’ are the opposite. Some ‘thing’ or some ‘one’ pulls a trigger in our mind’s eye. As a consequence, we experience a feeling.
Positive triggers are sensory experiences that make us feel good. They result in creating a positive STATE OF MIND.
I’m currently on the outskirts of Bodrum, Turkey undergoing a two-week juice detox. It’s an opportunity for a complete bodily system clear-out allowing my digestive system a much-needed rest; not to mention reducing the risk of disease and losing weight. I’m 13 days in and the signs are telling; my skin is clearer; my eyes brighter, and I feel much lighter. I have never not eaten solid food for such a length of time since I was a wee baby.
There is a diverse group of guests here. I am the only Canadian but not the only one from the UK. I have met fellow detoxers from Belgium, Scotland, England, Romania, Switzerland, Germany, France, Germany, Jordan, Finland and of course, Turkey.
“How many days are you here for?” is the opening line of conversation, often in broken English. Conversation inevitably continues with discussion of bathrooming, optimal time in the sauna and the quality of yoga instruction.
He had blonde hair, the lightest in the family – probably originating from the Swedish blood on our mother’s side. He had grey eyes but not the cold, steely kind; his sparkled. They told a story. During our teenage years, the house phone would ring off the hook with girls calling to speak with my brother. He was a handsome young man.
He could make me laugh like no other. I’d laugh until I cried. I remember tears streaming down our mom’s face too as she laughed from something quick witted, he had said. He made her happy.
Dolly Parton had a great line in the movie, Steel Magnolias. She said, “Laughter through tears was her favorite emotion.” I think it’s mine too. I’m so grateful he gave our mother that gift as she had led such a hard life and joy wasn’t available to her often. It’s probably why he did it.
My brother’s name was Kerry. Geez, I get emotional just writing his name. The difference he made in my life is palpable.
Amazingly, I turn 60 later this year. When I was a young girl, my mother used to tell me how fast time disappeared in adulthood. It wasn’t something I could comprehend and when we are young, we tend to live ‘in time’. However, she was right.
At this particular place in time, I find myself in a bit of a quandary. What do I really want to do in the next chapter of my life? Travel, of course. Lead an active lifestyle, of course. I’m not a lady who lunches or competes in golf although I do love to do both from time to time. No, not me. If only it were that easy. I am looking for intellectual stimulation, spiritual growth, creativity, fun, community and to be of service in an impactful way. Work that will align with my top values. I am looking for my life’s work, not a career as that ship has sailed. It’s the direction I wish to walk with the wisdom I have acquired over the years. In short, I’m in search of my calling.
After I left the financial sector, I walked many roads – from philanthropy, to marketing video business cards, trust protector, seed investor, participating on a couple of boards, and coaching. Some things I enjoyed more than others but there has always been a feeling deep within me that I am not doing what I was meant to do.
Do you do the Cha Cha?
Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.
-Upanishads of the Vedas
These words have been quoted by Margaret Thatcher and Mohandas Gandhi because they are powerful. For me, the first three words are the most powerful of the bunch.
WATCH YOUR THOUGHTS
People think they are their thoughts. People think what they think is true when really it may be true for you alone and not necessarily a perspective shared by anyone else. We think what we think based on our past conditioning and no two people in the world think the same way.
A good exercise to learn how you think is to listen to your inner self-talk. When you listen to your inner chatter, are those thoughts serving you? Do you say empowering things to yourself that will ensure you have a great day or are you hard on yourself?
Greetings from Athens! As I stare out at the Acropolis from my hotel room on Vasllisis Sofia Drive I remain as ever amazed at how people think. I’m attempting to fill a group workshop and I’m getting more requests to work with individuals 1 on 1 and no takers for the group workshop. I believe it’s because people are frightened to be judged by others in the group. Sometimes, being a confidence coach has a negative connotation attached to it even though I know confidence is in high demand.
As I contemplate other’s thinking patterns, I think it’s apropos to be in Greece, the ancient home of some of the world’s great thinkers such as Socrates for example. He was a classical Greek philosopher credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy who died 399 BCE. He was sentenced to death by drinking hemlock.
“An unexamined life is not worth living.” – Socrates
Plato was another philosopher and founder of the Academy in Athens. It was the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. He passed in 348/347 BCE.
“Thinking is the talking of the soul with itself.” – Plato
And last but not least,