My response to 6WS comments

My Six Word Saturday post yesterday generated some disbelieving comments and that's good because if we all agreed and were all enthusiastic all the time then life would be pretty boring. For the record I'm not enthusiastic all the time and I'm also not a positive thinker all the time.

That makes me human because I still moan and groan, I still get annoyed and despondent. If I could get away with it, I would throw myself on the floor and kick and scream occasionally about the unfairness of life.

Let's face it, people who are over the top with enthusiasm all the time are quite simply a pain in the butt.

One of the things I did mention in the post was that enthusiastic people are completely open in their interactions with others so yes Audrey, I agree anyone who doesn't complain is not being totally honest. Nothing in life is perfect, nor is any one person.

Ron - I love the word 'bunk' and you would probably get on really well with my hubby, because he is a disbeliever as well, but that's fine because as I've mentioned before, I have enough enthusiasm for both of us and it's contagious so he can't escape from it.

I guess what I was trying to get across was that surrounding yourself with positive people and trying to find the positive in things can help you overcome obstacles and challenges quicker than if you let it bog you down.

So maybe my post yesterday should have been called 'Living, loving, laughing - enthusiastic about life (most of the time)' - only that wouldn't have been six words.

Cheers, Fi

Living, loving, laughing - enthusiastic about life

Enthusiasm is contagious, but you can't share it if you don't have it and you can't catch it if you don't surround yourself with it.

Enthusiastic people are those who smile readily, who really listen to what another is saying, are passionate about the things they believe in, are completely natural in their interactions with others and are living in the moment. They gather people up and carry them along with their enthusiasm for life.

These are the people we like to be around because they make work more interesting, socialising more fun and life more interesting.

Six steps to help develop your enthusiasm;

1) Counter negative thinking, try to look at the positive side of things. There's always good in everything if you look hard enough.

2) Do things you enjoy that make you feel happy, don't wait until you have time - make time. Make a list of things you want to do and choose one to start now.

3) Surround yourself with enthusiastic people, people who laugh and are positive about life will boost your mood.

4) Get inspired - do something to express yourself; read, write, create.

5) Challenge yourself and try something new, step out of your comfort zone. Always wanted to try something - well what's stopping you, give it a go.

6) Remind yourself to be enthusiastic, it takes practice. If you find your mood is slipping backwards then get energised by doing one of the five things above.

"Reasearchers have found that enthusisastic people have greater peace of mind, higher self esteem, a stronger sense of well being, better physical health and increased success at work and school." Tom Bay, Ph.D

I hope you have something to feel enthusiastic about this week.

Cheers, Fi

Enthusiasm releases the drive to carry you over obstacles and adds significance to all you do ~ Norman Vincent Peale

Same, same but different

Psychic, tuned in or incredibly switched on? I'd like to say all three, but dumb luck or life is probably a better explanation.

On more than one occasion in the last week I've posted something on my blog which has corresponded with something happening in a friend or a followers world.

The reality is I'm writing about things that happen in my life or things that have made me stop and think. I actually read something really cool the other day which are exactly my reasons for writing this blog. It stated that "recording your life is a powerful means of organising your thoughts, understanding your motivations and giving you a valuable perspective on life"

I guess that's why others can identify with what I write because we all experience the same sorts of things, we all go through similar dramas and we all react in similar ways to certain events. That's probably a very generalised way of looking at things because no two people have the same experience or reacts exactly the same, but you get my line of thinking.

I read other people's blogs because they provide an insight into how others deal with things and it also validates the way I react to happenings in my life. I like feeling that I'm not alone with drama and happenings in my life and I also love nothing better than reading about good things happening to people.

So rest assured that I'm not actually reading your mail, listening in on your conversations or peeking through your windows to learn what's happening in your life, I'm simply sharing my life and my experiences.

I wish that for those of you who are experiencing similar pain or stress that you didn't have a need to relate (and you know who you are). For those of you who are experiencing great times who can relate to the good things I'm writing about - well keep on keeping on, because everyone needs good things in their lives.

To my darling friends who I had dinner with tonight and who I don't see nearly often enough any more, thanks for a fantastic night. You guys keep me real and remind me of the good times when we all worked under one roof. I'm humbled that so many of you read my blog and mentioned it tonight. When we all get together, we're a force to be reckoned with and I miss that more than anything.

The title of this post 'same, same but different' is a saying we picked up in Bali last year which I absolutely adore because it can be used for so many things and in so many ways.

Cheers, Fi

Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending

Making the pieces fit together

What makes one marriage last and another end as quickly as it started? Marriages in many ways have become throw away commodities. Where divorce was once a dirty word and almost unheard of, these days it's more common and I wonder if sometimes people give up too easy.

The media is full of stories about celebrities who are not the most shining examples of the sanctity of marriage when they drift in and out of numerous marriages with all their dirty laundry on show for the public.

I'm learning with this blogging caper that I also need to be really clear in what I'm saying to ensure I don't send the wrong message, so let me add at this point that not all marriages are worth fighting for. Physical and emotional abuse are not worth enduring and in this case walking away can be the only solution.

My husband and I are both very stubborn people, we fight, we argue and we make up. We've been together 18 years which is almost half my life - gees when I say it like that it's a really, really long time. He frustrates the hell out of me sometimes and I have moments when I want to throttle him. At the same time I know that I can be really annoying and stubborn and pig headed as well. Don't I sound a treat to live with?

I guess I'm not entirely sure why some marriages work and why some don't. I think that when the shiny newness of a relationship wears off you've got to have similar goals and values to get you through the tough times. Tough times are a fact of life, they will happen and they can destroy even the most rock solid relationship.

The one thing that I've discovered through the years is that respect for one another is essential, as well as a balance of give and take. There's lots of things that can make or break a relationship and forgetting that you need to contribute to the relationship be it a year old or thirty years old must be the greatest mistake that people make.

My hubby has his faults and for the most part I can live with them (or ignore them) as I'm sure he has learnt to live with and / or accept my faults. Nobody is perfect and I believe we all have someone out there who is the other half of us.

I think relationships are a bit like jigsaw pieces, sometimes you think the pieces fit together until you find a piece that fits even better. Some of us choose the right jigsaw piece first time up and some of us spend a lot of time trying to make the wrong pieces fit together.

Cheers, Fi

We fit together so well...it's like pieces of a puzzle, the way your hand fits the curve of my hip and the way my head rests on your shoulder, the way our hands just melt into one, and the way I feel complete when I'm with you...like the picture's finally completed and I'll never have to wonder what I'm missing

Words of Wisdom 1

I've discovered that Wednesdays seem to be my go slow day especially in terms of blogging, probably because it's the middle of the working week, life is busy and the weekend is still so far away.
 
I thought about participating in Wordless Wednesday blog hops which would simplify things because I'd only need a pic and I wouldn't necessarily have to write a post, but I don't have time during the week to give the attention due to fellow blog hoppers.
 
Besides the thing is, words are what I'm all about, so Wednesday's are now going to be my Words of Wisdom posts. They will be brief (as opposed to my normal long ramblings) and hopefully interesting. In essence I will share with you something I've discovered, read or learnt during the week.

Cry your blues away - source Australian Womans Day

-  Women cry 30 - 64 times in a year
-  Men cry only 6 - 17 times a year

Research from German Society of Opthamology found women cry mostly because they feel inadequate or when they remember past events. Men are more likely to shed tears out of empathy or due to a relationship breakdown. Men cry only for a few minutes where as women cry longer and harder.

Crying is good for us - it helps release tension and helps rid our bodies of a build up of chemicals and hormones.

There you go, I knew I was crying for a reason, because its good for me (although I'm probably on the upper scale, because frustration makes me cry and I get frustrated a lot)

Would love to hear your thoughts on Words of Wisdom.

Cheers, Fi

wis·dom – noun
1.the quality or state of being wise; knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action; sagacity, discernment, or insight.
2.scholarly knowledge or learning: the wisdom of the schools.
3.wise sayings or teachings; precepts.

I need to clarify something

I'm big on positive thinking - and yeah I'm good at stating the obvious. A comment on my blog this week had my stomach churning though, suffice to say it's not for me to mention the details of why that comment was made.

What it did do was make me realise that here I am yapping on about the things we attract with our thoughts. The reality is that there are bad, no I'm going to rephrase that and say - shitty things which happen to good people.

Unfortunately all the positive thinking in the world can't stop the shitty things which happen to people. Some things happen as a result of shitty people (pardon my word usage but knowing the reason for this comment prompts my use of the word)

Positve thinking can certainly attract better things into our world and helps us better deal with the rotten things that happen, but it doesn't cure or fix everything. Speaking from my own experience, and yes I've had some shitty moments through my life and been through the depression and anxiety attacks, positive thinking has helped me gain control and attract better things.

I'm no expert, I don't understand half of what happens in this crazy old world but finding a way to step up and take control of your life is better than letting it knock you down and then sink in the boot while you are down. Positive action and one little step towards improving things is a step in the right direction towards a happier life.

I for one, never ever want to return to the depths of despair where I was too afraid to leave my home (not an easy task with a school aged child and a toddler). So that thought is always in the back of mind. The reality of how bad I felt during that time makes me continue to step out of my comfort zone, take a risk and make my life a better one to have.

Now when IT (and there's a story here about when IT came to visit me) knocks on my door I put out the do not disturb sign, because the truth is I'm leading the charge these days, not IT.

Every day may not be good, but there's something good in every day

Life works in mysterious ways

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I promised yesterday that I'd share another story about the power of positive thinking and I'll try to be succinct (my new word for the week and meaning 'expressed in few words; concise; terse') Yeah okay you don't believe I can be succinct at all do you?

Anyway, in 2006 I was working part time in a crappy little job in a factory so that I could finish my university study. The family owned company that I worked for had just been bought out by a large national company and everyone was feeling unsettled by the changes. I'd heard that the new boss had arrived but I knew very little else about him.

The one thing that I was entirely certain of was that he was a man I had to meet, that in some way he was going to be important to my career future, I just wasn't sure how or why I thought this. I considered interviewing him for an article I was writing for uni and then decided he would probably think I was a twat for wasting his time when he had more important things to focus on, so I chickened out of asking him.

Not long after his arrival there was talk of forming a consultative committee to formulate an enterprise agreement for the employees. I was incredibly busy with uni study and three boys who were playing numerous sports at the time so I didn't give it much thought. By default though I ended up being the representative for our department.

Remembering here that I'm trying to be succinct, suffice to say that during those meetings about employees rights I was my usual outspoken and forceful self and following a 100% approval by employees for the new enterprise agreement, the HR Manager approached me and said he wanted me to come and work for him. At this stage I'd only briefly met the 'new boss'.

Their incredibly generous offer (remembering I was on a pitiful part-time factory worker wage) coupled with the knowledge that I could finish my remaining 12 months of study and then move to a full time role was enticing. This was all despite the HR role not being related at all to what I was studying.

Six months after I completed my study, the 'boss' who I'd had a number of dealings with, approached me about moving into a role as his personal assistant. I told him while his offer was an honour I was not prepared to lose my handle on HR. I'd found a role that I loved - working with people to improve their working environment.

I was doing a lot of focused positive thinking at this time about what I wanted for my future. My refusal actually worked to my advantage because the HR Manager and boss agreed to split my duties so I could have the best of both worlds and they hired a HR assistant to help me.

The thing is, when the boss left the company in May last year to move to a new role at the corporate office, I was devastated. I was also doing some heavy duty thinking about what I really wanted to be doing with my future. Ironically when my position was made redundant in August last year guess where I ended up - at the corporate office with the boss.

Admittedly it was an administrative role on a project that had yet to receive approval. My boss is one of those people who doesn't think much of position descriptions and focuses more on a person's talents and abilities, so I was willing to give it a go. Now in just one short week I will move into a role in communications which has been my main goal since I first signed up for uni.

So five years after our company was bought out I've finally got to the role I wanted, a role that didn't exist at my original company. A role that evolved out of my communications work in HR. Ironically the HR role was one of the greatest learning curves for me and strengthened my communication skills tenfold.

So was it positive thinking, coincidence, dumb luck or hard work. It's probably a combination of all of them. The thing is I believed that I would eventually get my dream job and before even meeting the man, I knew he would play a part in my career future. Amazing how things work huh?

So if there's something that you really want badly; imagine it, work towards it, believe it and then just do it.

and yes you're right, I have no ability when it comes to being succinct.

Cheers, Fi

I don't believe that old cliche that good things come to those who wait. I think good things come to those who want something so bad they can't sit still. ~ Ashton Kutcher

Believing in the power of thought.

This post is not what it was meant to be. The title is correct and I spent a lot of time writing my thoughts on the power of positive thinking. In fact I wrote a whole lot of words and then I added an awesome image with a positive saying on it at the bottom and as I went to add a caption, I inadvertently deleted the whole post and then Blogger did an automatic save and I lost everything.

I've now spent several minutes staring at the screen in absolute disbelief and the reality is that no amount of positive thinking is going to bring my 'wonderful post' back. I have to laugh or otherwise I'll cry.

I'm not going to write all the words again, besides the fact that I can't remember half of what I'd written. I am going to re-write the essence of what I was trying to say and here's positive thinking for you - maybe this post is going to be better than the last. The thing is I do believe in the power of our thoughts, that what we think is what we attract be it good or bad. Not sure how my thoughts led to deleting my post but anyway....

There are people who will passionately agree with the theory that what we think we attract or there are others who will vigorously argue the fact. My hubby is one who will vigorously argue about it because he's a black and white man - unless he can see it, feel it or hear it he won't believe it.

I've had too many occurrences in my life where what I've truly believed in and / or pursued has eventuated. That's not to say that my thoughts are always happy, shiny positive ones either. Sometimes life is bloody hard and I have times that I feel like everyone and everything is against me. Good or bad though - I believe we attract what we think

Several months ago I was going through some really difficult times with my two eldest boys. I wasn't sleeping well, I wasn't eating properly and I was making myself unwell through the stress of it all. It was only when I started suffering from migraines on a weekly basis that I realised I wasn't following my own beliefs, I was letting my fears get in the way of my positive thinking.

So I did an about face and started going to bed with my mental tape re-programmed in my head to remind me that 'everything will work out the way it's meant to and I trust in the universe to provide all that I need'. This was my sleeping thought for several weeks and I don't know why I was suddenly able to discard the worry and negatives thoughts but I did and I truly believed in my mental tape.

This post was the result of my positive thinking

The thing is, it doesn't matter whether any of you believe in this concept, the important thing is that I believed it. Trust me when I say that I live with the biggest disbeliever on the subject of positive thinking and the power of the mind - but that's okay too because I have enough belief for the two of us and I wouldn't change his beliefs because then he wouldn't be him.

and while I'm on a roll, tomorrow I'll share another story about the power of my positive thinking

So the question is - do you believe that what we think, we attract?

Cheers, Fi

Affirm the positive, visualize the positive and expect the positive, and your life will change accordingly.
When you have control over your thoughts, you have control over your life.
You can close the windows and darken your room, and you can open the windows and let light in. It is a matter of choice. Your mind is your room. Do you darken it or do you fill it with light?

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