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Posts Tagged ‘positive thinking’

  1. Eliminate Regrets in One Easy Step

    October 7, 2013 by Diane

     eyeglasses and rose

    Regrets, I’ve had a few, but then again, too few to mention…

    Paul Anka’s words, not mine. From the song My Way.

    Me, I’ve had more than a few; and if you’re like me you’ve got a truckload of your own. I say it’s time to mention those regrets. Here. Now. It’s time to exorcise those squirrelly voices that niggle us awake at three a.m. saying: If only you had done this instead of that, gone here instead of there, spent time with them instead of those. You shoulda, coulda, woulda, mighta–but you blew it. On and on, until you’re ready to scream UNCLE!

    Go ahead. Scream.

    Then take a deep breath and relax. I’ve got a prescription that will make us both feel better. I’ve got the antidote to this particular brand of squirreliness.

    Are you ready?

    Grab a pen and a notebook. At the top of the first page write the word “Regrets.”

    Underneath that, write the words “I regret I didn’t…”

    Now finish the sentence by listing those regrets, one by one. A dozen regrets.

    Here are mine:

    I regret I didn’t…

    Act with compassion instead of anger

    Accept what is instead of fighting it

    Spend more time being in the moment instead of trying to escape it

    Challenge my distorted thinking

    Break out of my comfort zone

    Set realistic goals

    Honor my need for rest

    Practice being mindful

    Spend more time with others

    Focus on the positive instead of the negative

    Play more

    Explore the spiritual realm

    Whew!

    Okay. Now it’s your turn. Make your list. Write down all those regrets that are rattling around in your gut, boxing at your heart, clogging up your throat, whining in your ears, pounding in your head. Spill them. Quickly! A dozen regrets.

    Then, when you’re done, cross out the word “regrets” at the top of the page.

    Replace it with the world “goals.”

    Underneath that, cross out “I regret I didn’t…” and write the words “this year I will…”

    That’s it.

    Same list, but you’ve turned your regrets into goals. Those are your intentions for the year. Your to-do list. Presto! No more regrets.  How easy is that?

    Here are my intentions:

    This year I will…

    Act with compassion instead of anger

    Accept what is instead of fighting it

    Spend more time being in the moment instead of trying to escape it

    …you get the picture

    Now for the not-so-easy part. Start at the top of your list and work your way down.  One intention a month. For a whole year. Starting now. Do it. Your way.

    And let me know how it goes.

     

    Category Ain't Life Grand | Tags: ,,,, | 6 Comments

  2. Music is My Mission

    September 30, 2013 by Diane

    Trumpet player

    Music is my mission.

    So said a seventy-five year old jazz musician on break during a gig.

    What’s your mission?

    Dunno, you say.

    What do you mean you don’t know? You know. You know. Get past the squirrelly thoughts.

    When you’re in dharma, you’re living your purpose, you know the reason you’re here on this big blue sphere and you’re living it, you’re digging your passion, you’re putting forth in the world whatever it is that juices you up in all the good ways.

    What’s your juicy passion?

    Be-Bop. Riffing on all things political. Well-thumbed books. Cowboys. Vintage fashions. Watching golf on TV. Dagwood sandwiches.

    Who cares, you say.

    Be-bop loving, cowboy-riding, political fashionistas who golf, read, and nosh on gargantuan sandwiches.

    You! That’s who.

    You’re doing your thing, you’re singing your birdsong, you’re tweeting your tune, you’re blogging your big bad be-bopping bottom and you’re not taking any of it with you when you’re gone because you’ve left it out here, where it matters.

    That kid in you who believed in the word possible, the one you drop-kicked to Fantasyland when you skidded into Realityville and possible became impossible; when you started paying the rent oh, that—that kid in you wants you to grab those dreams again. Not the bad ones; not the dreams about the wall heater lurching after you—the good ones. The ones where your mission was music, or tiddlywinks, or driving a miniature ball down a swath of green. Pull those dreams on like old pajamas, the snuggly kind with feet, and go forth. Make your mark. Piss on your hydrants. You can do it.

    You can.

    Listen to the voice inside that says you can, and ignore the other one, the one with the breath of a thousand dead dreams.

    Category Ain't Life Grand | Tags: ,,,,, | 1 Comment

  3. Reeling ’em in

    September 7, 2013 by Diane

    http://www.dreamstime.com/royalty-free-stock-photo-vector-illustration-old-cartoon-fisherman-character-portrait-vector-illustration-image30293655

    “Nice fishing rod you’ve got there.”

    “This? Oh, it’s  just your average rod. Belonged to my father. But I’ll let you in on a secret. It reels in the most amazing things. Wouldn’t want to spoil it for you, though. Pull up a rock and try your own hand.”

    “Anything biting?”

    “Oh, yes. Plenty of bites.”

    “Have you reeled in any Ants?”

    “What’s that?’

    “Automatic Negative Thoughts. You know, Ants.”

    “Oh sure sure. Don’t hold much stock in them. We call them Nats around here. Negative Automatic Thoughts. This sinkhole was full of ‘em. My father snagged ’em all the time. Had my fill growing up.”

    “Any left?”

    “Oh, I reel one in now and then. Caught a whopper just yesterday.”

    “How big?”

    “Well, have you ever seen: I’m a failure?”

    “As a matter of fact I caught one myself not too long ago. Gave me the worst heartburn. Couldn’t sleep for a week.”

    “This was bigger.”

    “No kidding.”

    “Nothing to kid about this one. Took a lot of muscle reeling it in.”

    “What was it?”

    “Nobody loves me.”

    “That is a biggie.”

    “The week before that: Nothing works out for me.”

    “Holy mackerel. I haven’t seen one of those in I don’t know how long. With any luck I’ll hook one myself.”

    “I don’t think luck has anything to do with it.”

    “Whatever you call it, as long as I’ve got something to chew on for a good long…holy smokes, looks like I’ve got something here. I’ve got something! And it’s a biggie.”

    “Careful now.”

    “This one’s a monster! It’s about to rip my shoulder off!”

    “Careful.”

    “It’s gonna snap my rod in two! Come to Papa.”

    “You’ve almost got it.”

    “Come to Papa, come to…Got it! Got it! Wow. Will you look at the size of that sucker! Jimminy crickets. Will you look at the size of that thing?”

    “It’s a monster, all right.”

    “Unhook it, will ya? Unhook it before it gets away!”

    “You’ve caught yourself a real humdinger.”

    “What is it? What is it?”

    “I’ll be alone forever.”

    “Holy cow. That is a humdinger. Where’s my bucket. Where did I put that thing? Here, toss it in here, toss it….Hey! What are you doing? You don’t have to take a hammer to it. What are you doing?”

    “Throwing it back.”

    “Why’d you do that!”

    “It’s no good.”

    “Are you nuts?”

    “Don’t worry, it won’t be bobbing up anytime soon. I shoved some rocks down its gullet. Wouldn’t want anyone else catching it.”

    “You are nuts!”

    “You should be thanking me! Do you know what happens when you eat one of those? You won’t be able to pull yourself out of bed for a month. You should be thanking me! I saved you a month of misery. Doggonit, I thought I’d seen the last of them. Usually when I catch one, I bury it under that Cottonwood.”

    “You bury it?”

    “Along with all the other Nats I reel in. But I was afraid you’d dig it up.”

    “What do you expect folks to feed on? A man’s gotta eat.”

    “Here, take this. I’ve got plenty in my bucket.”

    “That? Doesn’t look much bigger than a snack.”

    “Oh it’ll keep you satisfied for a good long while.”

    “What is it?”

    “You can’t predict the future, things have a way of working out.”

    “Sounds like a mouthful.”

    “It is, it is. And I’ll wager that if you bait up again, and keep at, it you’ll catch one of those rare finds:  Just because I think it, doesn’t mean it’s true.”

    “No kidding.”

    “No sir. Catch one of those and it’ll last you a week.”

    “A week? Boy would that put a smile on the wife’s face.”

    “I guarantee it.”

    “Well, if you say so.”

    “What’s your name, by the way?”

    “Joe.”

    “Glad to meet you, Joe. I’m Bert. Pull up a rock.”

     

     

     

     

    Category Bite-size Fiction | Tags: ,,,,,,,, | No Comments

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