Next time you're stressed . . . .

....take a step back, inhale and laugh.

Remember who you are and why you're here.

You're never given anything in this world

you can't handle.

Be strong, be flexible, love yourself,

and love others.

Always remember,

just keep moving forward.

Here it comes . . . .

As we struggle with shopping lists, invitations, crowded malls, obligations, and a huge to-do list, it is good to be reminded to slow down when things get hectic. You don't have to say yes to everything! You don't have to find the "perfect gift" or plan the "perfect party." It's better to lower your expectations and be surprised when things turn out better than planned, than to have expectations that are too high, only to be let down when things don't prove to be perfect. Web MD says....."shorten your list of holiday to-dos and relax your inner Martha." Have realistic expectations when entering the shopping mall, plan ahead, stick to your budget, and remember that you won't be able to control everything. And you certainly won't be able to control the amount of holiday stress that others are experiencing. But you can control how prepared you are, and how you react to stressful situations. Stress believes that everything is an emergency. Nothing is that important. Just take a step back, regroup, and breathe.

Let's do this......sit quietly and observe. When we're overly busy and stressed out, we overlook just how beautiful the Christmas atmosphere really is. See that? It's a beautiful thing. 

I hope you feel how beautiful

 Christmas really is.

Got "perfect" plans? . . . .

It's Friday! What are your plans this weekend? Are you going to a neighborhood barbecue? Graduation party? Or are you hosting a dinner party of your own? Whatever the occasion, remind yourself to let go of the notion that everything has to be "perfect." If you embark upon any occasion with your expectations set too high, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. There are too many variables that are out of your control. Unfortunately, you cannot control the weather, the fact that the food is not being delivered in a perfectly timed matter, nor can you control family dynamics, such as the fact that your Uncle often drinks too much. Things happen, and if you go into it expecting everything to be perfect, you will be let down the very moment things don't go according to plan. If you expect life to be tailored to your specifications, you are inviting frustration. Try to remember why you are attending (or planning) this event in the first place. It was obviously to celebrate an occasion or to simply have some fun. Hang on to your sense of humor and remind yourself to be somewhat flexible. Don't let your hopes be shattered when things don't follow a "perfect plan." Relax. You'll have a great time. I promise.

"The best things in life are unexpected,

because there were no expectations."

-Eli Khamarov

Wasted energy . . . .

Are there circumstances in your life that you feel you have no control over and in turn are blaming others for your own unhappiness? It takes an enormous amount of mental energy  to blame others. It's a "drag-me-down" mind-set that creates stress and disease. Blaming makes you feel powerless over your own life because your happiness is contingent on the actions and behavior of others, which you can't control. Yes, there are times when other people and/or circumstances contribute to our problems, but it is we who must rise to the occasion and take responsibility for our own happiness. Circumstances don't make a person, they reveal him or her. When you stop blaming others for anything and everything in your life, it doesn't mean that you don't hold people accountable for their actions, but that you hold yourself accountable for your own happiness. Take responsibility for your reactions to other people and the circumstances around you, then hold yourself accountable for that. When you stop blaming others, you will regain your sense of personal power, and you'll begin to see yourself as a choice-maker. At this point life becomes a great deal more fun and much easier. 

"People spend too much time finding other people to blame, too much energy finding excuses for not being what they are  capable of being, and not enough energy putting themselves on the line, growing out of the past, and getting on with their lives."

-J. Michael Straczynski

Compiled from a "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff...

and it's all small stuff" calendar

Stress: The enemy of passion . . . .

The one thing that robs more people of their passion more than anything else is stress......in all it's forms. Let's face it, life is full of stress! Unfortunately, there are several "enemies" that will steal every good thing you possess if given the opportunity. These "enemies" are everyday life experiences, forces, and people who are looking for every opportunity to steal our joy. 


A Readers Digest article documented that 90% of all doctors visits can be attributed, directly or indirectly, to stress. Stress suppresses the body's immune system, interrupts sleep, and makes you vulnerable to all manner of illnesses. You get sick and experience a whole host of other problems related to missing work and the inability to fulfill other responsibilities - and that just leads to more stress. Please understand that all stress is not bad. Stress in the form of adrenaline can work to our advantage. It's what causes us to flee a burning building, to jump out of the way of oncoming traffic, or to complete a project with a looming deadline. But when it's too frequent, it can destroy us by stealing our passion.

The message of Life 101 is that life is stressful, but it can be managed so it doesn't rob us of our passion. So how do we keep stress from doing just that? Here are 6 ways to defend yourself against the attacks of stress:

1. WAIT TO WORRY

Many people rush to worry about situations before they have the facts. For instance, when our teenagers are not home by curfew, we become convinced there had been a car crash, only to have them walk in a few minutes late. Wait to worry. More often than not, you discover you are worrying about something that doesn't need to be worried about at all. Once you get the facts, you may be glad you waited.

2. STAY IN THE GAME

I'm pretty sure it is safe to say that nobody goes all the way through life without getting knocked down. Some people never get up, and some people get up so slowly it takes years and even a lifetime of anger & bitterness before they recover. People fall down. Winners get up. Getting up and back in the game removes the possibility of stress from long-term failure. Failure is not falling down - failure is not getting back up. When you are moving ahead confidently, you have no cause to be stressed.

3. INSIST ON INTEGRITY

You can make a conscious decision in your life to do everything with integrity. When you do that, you inoculate yourself against any stress arising from guilt or shame. I've heard it said by many people that the great thing about telling the truth (living with integrity) is that you never have to remember what you said. If you're the kind of person who tells one person this and another person that, you're setting yourself up for big-time stress. When you speak the truth, you speak and forget about it. It's amazing how much stress you avoid when you play it straight. Do things with integrity, know what is wrong, practice what is right, and make decisions accordingly. Your conscious will remain crystal clear, you'll live without regrets, and, as a result, your passion will remain alive and well.

4. STAY OUT OF DEBT

Keeping up with the Joneses puts us under mountains of stress. We go into debt in order to keep up with appearances and then worry because we can't pay what we owe. Eighty five percent of the conflicts in marriages today are caused by disagreements over finances. No one can live a passionate life when he is worried about bill collectors and bankruptcy. If you want to stay free of stress, stay out of debt. It may take months, even years, to get there. But the freedom of being debt free will allow you to unleash your passion in a way you'd forgotten could exist. 

5. FEAR NOT
The fears that lurk inside of us are the ones that keep us from launching ourselves into the great adventure called life! We fear failure, of course - perhaps most of all. But we also fear losing the security of our own inhibitions. We fear losing control, and we fear the future.  We fear living with the tension that exists between what we know and what we don't know - the security of the present versus the insecurity of the future. Some people just can't handle the unknown, so they remain confined to the reality of the past instead of the potential of the future. Life is often like having one foot on the dock and the other foot on a boat that is leaving. We want to leave, but our desire for the safety of the homeland keeps us tentative and indecisive - and often lands us in the water! Did you know the opposite of faith is fear? We have two choices for facing the future: we can face it with faith or with fear. The future is all about the unknown, and we can let that empower us or enslave us. We may not know what the future holds, but we definitely know Who holds the future. Your faith in God will allow your passion to be boundless.


6. HAVE THE FIRST LAUGH
Laughter is a great stress reducer. Next to love, laughter has been described as the second most powerful emotion we can express. It has been said that laughter is like internal jogging - it stimulates the respiratory system, oxygenates the body, relaxes tense muscles, and releases pleasure-producing chemicals in the brain. You cannot laugh and be mad, or laugh and be stressed. Laughter is low calorie, caffeine free, and has no salt, preservatives, or additives. It's 100% natural and one-size-fits-all. 
You can get high on laughter but never overdose. Laughter is contagious - once it starts, little can be done to stop it. Laughter never felt bad, committed a crime, started a war, or broke up a relationship. Laughter is shared by the giver and the receiver, and it's free! If we can find ways to laugh first thing in the morning, it may in fact set the tone for the rest of the day.


When you begin to practice these 6 ways to defend yourself against stress, passion is free to increase. And your life is free to become "better than good."

Condensed from the book 

BETTER THAN GOOD 

by Zig Zigler