Health and Lifestyle
How Can We Make Life Easy Peasey?
The term Easy Peasey has been on all social media and in our vocabulary for the last few years. What makes something Easy Peasey? Is it an expert status so that there is no thinking involved? Does it mean one should just go for it, because it takes little effort? Is it like a light switch that means a light bulb moment will just flip on without too much thinking?
I have several friends going through cancer treatments right now and it is not Easy Peasey. It takes time, fortitude, sacrifice, and courage. It is mentally stressing and often the results are physically painful or with side effects. Like all things related to health, there is so much more involved than just popping a pill or a ten minute treatment. Once upon a time, people took an aspirin and the headache or pain just went away. Or at least that is what I was lead to believe as a kid. My parent’s generation lived a long time. Many in that age range are still here and doing better than most of us younger folks!
Does Easy Peasey refer to learning something new for you? Does it mean an easy curriculum, quick money at at job, or working out in a sport you love? Is anything Easy Peasey for you? I can’t help but think that some days are easier than others. On somedays we sleep better and accomplish more than on other days. Business, living, eating, connecting with friends and doing our jobs is easier on some days, but for most of us life is not all that easy.
And so here is where I am going. I think we are all connected. We all have likes and dislikes, talents, opportunities, and excess material wealth. We like to be thought about and prayed for by our friends. So this post Easter Day season is upon us. Let’s continue in the spirit of giving, enjoying the day, and sharing whatever we can with one another. Let’s aim at flipping the switch and making things Easy Peasey for each other. Have a peace filled Monday and a smile on your face and in your heart. Delight in Living today and everyday. Try to a random act of kindness.
Where Do I Start?
Have you ever experienced that the simplest task turns out to be so hard? It can be cleaning out a drawer, responding to an email, or typing up an agreement. It is that same feeling students get when they are taking a multiple answer or True/False test. All the exceptions in our head pop up and it makes the answer harder than it needs to be!
Well we all face that every day in making decisions. Learning to be intent, concentrating on specific outcomes, and being realistic take time to develop. We need to take self-control and discipline ourselves. A major shortcut to doing this in by developing rituals, following systems, and creating new habits.
So let’s take rituals to begin with as an example in making decisions. In school, we may start our day with the Pledge of Allegiance or a song? Maybe in a parochial school, prayer begins the day. In churches, people may all rise and greet each other to start the service. At meetings, a gavel or bell may call everyone to attention. Rituals are defined as a series of actions or type of behavior regularly and invariably followed by someone. Rituals create chances for being fluid and learning easier.
Next we might create systems and follow them. Systems are step-by-step procedures created for clarity and completeness. When a system is followed well, anyone can follow and do it and the outcome should be the same. When things are deviated from a system, the results are less efficient and incomplete.
There is a simple way of creating new habits. It means however, one must create your own steps for doing something well. It may mean cutting out processed sweets and pastries with the intention of having a piece of fruit instead. It could mean answering all calls with the same greeting. Or as I have had to do in the last day, locking my car door in a different manner, so I don’t set the alarm off. Each thing requires a new habit to replace a previous one.
Setting realistic goals helps us feel accomplished and helps us discern the answer to living a wonderful and productive lifestyle. A lifestyle we are proud of and feel happy about each and every day.
Our animals learn rituals and live by them. We also teach them systems. Have you noticed they know how each person in the house responds differently toward them? My dog knows what I am about to do, before I even do, on many occasions. She lays down and waits. Opportunities for me to teach her new things are always around the bend. And habits make them eas
y to train. It makes us our lives filled with opportunities of growth too.
So think about what you want to accomplish and use these ways to make life easier. You’ll jump right into projects and get so much accomplished. Is that something your need to do? What are the things holding you back? Are these good things to consider?
Blessings for your day. Delight in Living!
It is Never Too Late to Start!
Well here it is late March and I looked at our lawn. Parts of it really suffered from the winter dryness and the dog running through and blessing it! It happens every year to different sections. This area started to look bad at the end of last year; everyone including me continue to use it as a shortcut to the back of the yard. This weekend I ran out to buy grass seed and will try to revive it. So as you can see, there are grass seeds newly planted this damp morning in Spring. I like to get the seed down during the last snowfall as was my mother’s teaching, but I am behind. It is never too late to start.
We need to remember those words every time we find ourselves disappointed, “It is never too late to start.” Whether it is because we have put off a diet, forgotten to clean out a basement, or postponed a job, one can always begin. Time is before us and we need to focus on using it well. Even the most disappointing situations can be reversed. Productivity and the incentive to do things well are by design. Developing good and repeatable steps can become habitual and oh, so good! And when things come to fruition and grow, as this grass will, one can celebrate. Brendan Burchard, an inspirational guru, tells us to celebrate the small accomplishments.
Taking the first step is often the hardest. Seeing the empty grass spots today reminded me to look for stepping stones to put in this area. I will be shopping for them this week. I put it on my list of “to dos” so it will get done. That is the power that comes from writing things down for me. It might help you as well. It happens when I make a shopping list. As I write things down, they are etched into my head, so even if I forget the list, I usually remember.
Where is your starting point? Is it on a list? Is it when someone nags you? What spurs you on? With the beginning of each month, I try to decide what needs to be done and attempt to do it. Sundays are another starting point for me as I discern from my calendar what I will be doing during the week. My schedule is pretty fluid, but it usually starts out the same each day. Consistency helps keep the flow of responsibilities get done.
Keep focused and have a “Delight in Living” kind of day!
Why STRESS?
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Welcome to Mini Miracles from Minor Moments where minor achievements may become big accomplishments. It is our small steps and daily habits can transform small issues into wonderfully wholesome and productive lives. It’s the wee little issue of being consistent that creates a problem for many of us. We start out with great intentions and fall by the wayside.
Good morning, this is Linda Gullo. And this is our 47th Podcast. Today we our topic is dealing with Stress! And yes, we all have it. Some refer the feelings associated with it as anxiety.
Mini Miracles from Minor Moments is designed to help you find insights about you! Our goal is to help you like yourself and love life. Every person I know is unique and that in itself is so cool. We are designed to engage differently with one another; to become the best at whatever you want to become. In our pursuit of independence and happiness though, we make foolish mistakes and can even cause our own stress. Think about that for a minute. YOU FIND YOUR SELF RUSHING AND SLIP—ending up with a broken leg. Or YOU FIND YOURSELF TEXTING AND DRIVING and miss the cutout on the expressway— it takes twice as long to back track. Or YOU RUSH OUT OF THE HOUSE — and forget the package you needed to mail.
It seems we create more stress for ourselves. Our behaviors no matter how small can backfire if we don’t slow down and recognize the value in small repeated and successful habits.
This week, I’ve been thinking a great deal about how we take on the problems of other people. Speaking for myself, it is easy to worry about other people when I truly care for them. With a family that has grown, life just seems to pile on worries. Many of us, including myself, cannot do anything to help others until they want the help.
The good old serenity prayer has been a help to so many of you. You know the one: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
When have you worried about someone? Is it your child’s behavior at school and the fear of having the teacher send home another note about their behavior? Is it about a spouse or loved one who has a bad habit like driving too fast? Is it about an addiction that someone close to you has; something like drinking alcohol or drugs?
People all around us are worrying and suffering, because of those family members or friends that they love. For me I have experienced that along the way with numerous issues. 28 years ago, my spouses injuries following an accident were life threatening. It wasn’t in his control or my own that things happened or escalated like they did, but it was never-the-less, a situation that created stress for both of us and our children. It was ongoing and seemed at one point to just multiply. That is when I recognized that taking one thing at a time and one day at a time made so much sense. Little things began to resolve themselves and bigger things cleared up.
You’d think one would figure out the process for dealing with issues around us, but that is what life is all about. One gets one thing resolved and another one pops up.
I work with individuals as a Counselor and with people in business to help them deal with Transitional issues when things seem to attack. Everyone is entitled to have this care, but we need to give themselves the permission to receive it!
Progress comes in increments and it’s something we need to recognize. I am blessed with several good friends who are in the practice of counseling and coaching. I am the first to ask for help, because there are so many things to learn and no one is exempt from these transitional issues until we die.
I may not have children of school age like you do or a spouse who is addicted to sex, alcohol, or some other life endangering issues, but lately I have seen myself fall into the trap of being concerned about my grandchildren.
I do feel it is our responsibility as adults to be there for one another, for aging parents, and the next generations regardless of whether they are related or not.
Some parents tell me they love to have there kids home in the summertime. They don’t have to worry about the school issues or the teachers they don’t like. On the other hand they put their children in every camp, day program, or activity to keep them out of the home. We are all in fact, the first teachers of our children from the time they are born. We are the ones who need to help them and guide them along. When they make poor decisions, we may not be able to change the circumstances, but we need to be honest with them and ourselves and guiding them.
Last week I discussed the idea of a memory stone. Each stone represents an experience one writes down. It is to recognize something that changed our path or redirected us into a different way of thinking. I challenged my listeners to think about analyzing their own paths.
In a conversation with another therapist and friend, we began to recount our own paths and the people who impressed us. Or did not help because of their own selfishness. Relationships are very important, but they are fragile. We all need to recognize and see that we make a choice to either do nothing about things or fight for the things we believe in. We can still do that in terms of being kind. but firm.
I was looking at this photo taken by me years ago and thought of all the different people living in a Metropolitan area. Each has their own set of issues. Some people are highly motivated, achievers, and fast paced people.
Others stand atop the buildings and take in all there is around them, but don’t engage as being a “worker-bee”.
Still others are lazy and can’t get themselves into the shower each day, yet alone being productive and insightful for others. It is what they have learned as acceptable whether they are from a family of achievers or not. Something or someone has rewritten their biological script.
That is still a very hard premise for me to take in when I see the potential people have and don’t develop. Eventually they come around to changing, but how will their baggage affect them? How does it affect you?
So here are a few suggestions for you:
1- Transform your year for yourself and those around you! It is still only March.
2- Pursue your dreams and continually set new goals for yourself. Use the serenity prayer as a guide for yourself.
3- Find a confidante, a coach, or a loyal friend and talk things through. Listen and hear yourself say what you are thinking.
4- Create a space for self development and take the opportunity to forgive, dance, and live fully.
5- Stay fully alive and engaged in new sports, learn new skills, and do the day-to-day chores that will keep you and your home in tip top shape.
6- Relinquish worry by taking action and being grateful. We can all do that.
Years ago on a trip to Warsaw, Poland the guide was telling us of the destruction of that city during the WWII. Following it people literally picked up shovels and began to remove the concrete debris and piles of rubbish. Small steps to rebuild are often seen after tornados pass or acts of nature create destruction. It is the will of resilient men and women who rebuild day after day, often doing things they thought they’d never have to do. Seeing the city completely revamped and vibrant was a tribute to the generations that had lived before I was there.
Regardless of what your worries are right now, know they will pass and that this doesn’t have to be your tomorrow. Have a great weekend and week ahead as you step forward. Remember that a “single step may put you on the escalator of success!” Have a great weekend and I will see you next week.
The Many Menus of Music
The sounds of music can do so much for our souls. Each of us has a different menu when it comes to music. Is it Country & Western, Classic, Opera, Pop, Rhythm and Blues, Jazz, or Broadway Hits that strike your fancy? About ten years ago, I got into Techno music. I found it delightfully uplifting and good music for thinking creatively. I often will go to Instrumentals for the very same reason.
Whether it is the music from a pipe organ, an acoustic guitar, or a piano, music speaks to us. It either energizes our spirits, calms our fears, or relaxes us in a unique way. It is therapy in a box.
Perhaps it is the Hip Hop era that takes you back to the days when you felt lighter? Or the Folk Music when you were in high school? Or the times when you got married or experienced a sacrament. Music can also take us back to moments when we were with a special person or engaged in a special project. That is why after someone has died and we hear a song, that we are totally shocked at tears flooding from our eyes. We are suddenly sabotaged. Likewise, it can bring us back to an exciting time.
Sometimes music is the common denominator that brings people of different backgrounds together to resolve issues or get connected. No matter how one uses music or for what reason, I think it has the ability to draw us together for the common good. It is an eraser for problems and the building blocks for improvement. Even our pets like certain songs. They may relate them to the time the whole family was at a barbecue or playing in the yard with them.
Turn on your Smartphone, listen to the radio, or have Alexa guide you to the place of great joy. Take yourself to church or a concert and listen. Focus and embrace the good things around you, your family, or your friends. Enjoy your day and let the Mini Miracles of sound and joy radiate through you. Delight in Living!
The Time Has Come To . . .
About 11 years ago I left a home I was visiting at and a storm began to pour water from the sky. I felt a little like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, who found herself lost. The rain came down so fiercely that I made the wrong turn. It was dark and I was indeed going slowly. I did not have GPS or a “Yellow Brick Road” to follow. At first there was no awareness that I was heading far from my destination. In fact, it wasn’t until I realized that the little I could see was totally unfamiliar. The time had come to turn the car around.
It was a good decision, because I’d still be going the wrong way. We do that in many areas of life. We either figure it is too late, we are totally unaware, or we don’t want to know we made a bad decision. That can be with our occupations and having invested time in a field we don’t like. It can be with our weight going either up to high or having lost way too much to be healthy. It can be in driving somewhere new. Or it can be with our education in learning that the money it cost or will provide doesn’t serve us well.
Going the wrong way means there is a consequence. It can be a financial consequence that sets us back like having to pay off a school loan without having a job. It may be a health risk by having made a bad choice in the diagnosing the disease correctly. Often the consequence is loss of time and talent or even years of our lives in a bad relationship. 
Many of these issues can be resolved with support from a good mentor or coach. They cannot do the work for us or make the impossible happen, but they can help one clear out their thinking and advance forward. They are in a sense, the GPS in life. They are the map for a lost direction or for clarity that something else can be done. If someone is truly ready to listen and is open to change, anything is possible. Our attitudes are the first line of change.
Peace for you day. Let it be one of delight! If you need a coach or want information, please connect here with us at www.lindagullo.com
How Do You Hear Success?
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Introduction by Jim Haisler (thanks to Jim!)
Welcome to Mini Miracles from Minor Moments where small achievement may become big accomplishments. Our small steps and habits can still take us to far away places by repeating them.
Hopefully, here at Mini Miracles from Minor Moments, where you’ll find of insights and knowledge about yourself. My plan is to help you like yourself and love life. It is meant to help you recognize the gifts you have been given. We all have these gifts and until someone or some experience shows us, we often miss seeing them. Instead we get caught up seeing our less admirable behaviors.
Hi, this is Linda Gullo and every week I share a few thoughts with you to inspire and get you thinking about your own life. Today, I’d like to ask you the question, “What does Success Sound like to you?”
When children are little, a mother listens to hear laughter and silly banter between the children playing nearby in the yard. She listens to hear if there is a problem and keeps a keen ear open to any distress. For her, success is hearing the children having fun and playing.
A few years ago there was a fun song called What Does the Fox Say? (by Ylvis) It was a creative and imaginative song that we all were listening to and singing along with on the radio. I guess hearing animals of prey in the distance to prepare encountering while on a camping trip would be successful in keeping everyone safe.
Last night on our local PBS station (WTTW in Chicago) we listened to Andrea Bocelli who paid tribute to songs from famous movies like The Days of Wine and Roses. I watched and listened to a man who is blind and yet so comfortable in singing and playing the piano. During the break the Host of the Show on PBS said she had been to one of his shows and that he was so relaxed singing. His ability to hear the notes and duplicate them was for sure with practice, but also with hearing it well. That is success spelled with a big S.
On an everyday level though success comes at the basketball game or the weekday practice on the school grounds. The sounds of “cheering” on friends spells success to those on the field.
Maybe success is communicating with another person who you needed to share some important things with for a better understanding of what is happening. It may simply listening and being together to heal an old misunderstanding.
After the power goes out in our home from some major power problem, it is unusually quiet for we have a well that also shuts down. When the power returns, it is the sound of having running water again. That is an awesome sound we take for granted.
Years ago we had a big, fawn colored Boxer named Lord of Regal Domain. He was fearless until it came to the overhead Hot Air Balloons that would come over our house in 3’s. As the balloons let out air to raise up the sounds could be heard in the distance and he would head for the back door of the house. To him it was ominous and threatening. To me it spelled success that the balloons were working and in the area.
Tomorrow I am heading out to the Geneva area for one of the Productions of the Wizard of Oz. I am told it is a very long production and yet great. In the past when I attend these singing and dancing theatrical presentations, the kids long for the responses of the audience (which by the way is right there next to them–it is performed in a very small space), the expressions of the audience are watched by the children and they light up when the clapping takes place. It puts smiles on their faces.
In business, success sounds like the phone ringing with a new client or the sound of someone walking into the office. It may be that you have just done a live presentation and it was well received with applause.
If you drive a car, the sound of the car starting is strangely a good feeling. It lets you know you are able to proceed on the way to your destination. If the sounds coming out are odd or rumbling, it may likewise tell you to get service.
In the event of a problem, sounds tells us that help is on the way, when you hear an ambulance or fire truck arriving.
The taking off of an airplane engines is a relief when you’re going up and the sound of the landing gear touching the runway is a relief upon arriving. That is success spelled in the way of joy and a big sigh that you have reached your destination—namely the ground in a safe way.
So it is as we proceed thru life that success can take on many different dimensions. Do you spell success in a different way? Next time you are thinking you are not a success, just think of all the sounds that are around you and encouraging you to step ahead.
Listen carefully from now on and see how sounds around you can make you feel better. Listen to the people speaking for clues of acceptance or rejection. Follow your gut when things sound oddly wrong. But then delight when things are happy and empowering.
Please join me here regularly at Mini Miracles. Each episode is based on simple and real stories. These short podcast episodes are jam packed with upbeat and encouraging tidbits for you to take along for the week.
There are so many things I’d like to provide for you. If this is your first time listening to me, you know that this is a treat for me. Podcasting allows me to reach out of the 4 corners of my office where I work as a Counselor and Transitional Life Coach. If you would like either service you can call our office at 815-459-5161 during the week or email me at linda@delightinliving.com I want to be part of your day as inspiration. I invite you to like yourself and enjoy life. Our Coaching services are available in different packages on line and over the phone to serve your needs when it comes to Changing Jobs, The Loss of a Loved One, the Empty House Syndrome, or just learning to feel your best at any stage of life. Mini Miracles provides handouts and encouragement while we serve you.
Have a fruitful week of Successful sounds and emerging joy. Bye for now and see you next week.
Learning to Play Again
Somewhere along the line, we lose our ability to play. We get so involved in growing up, being productive, and doing the things on schedule that we forget to play and enjoy ourselves. We consume ourselves with work to the point of being buried. We forget to get outside and breath in the fresh air or
We consume ourselves with work to the point of being buried.
get annoyed with the dog when he/she wants to run and spend time playing keep away.
Most of us know the value of playing and feeling free from time, temptation, and stress. It is a feeling that lets us sing, dance, or not care what others think. We fantasize and enjoy the music, the scenery, or the simple things. We play with the clovers in the yard looking for the special “4 leaf one”. We make up words to the song even when we don’t know the lyrics for real.
Playing is being part of a story book and being one of the characters. One gets so absorbed in the fictional book that it becomes real and takes us away from the reality of problems or pains. Playing is something we do naturally as children when we find a box of old jewelry, nuts and bolts, or buttons.
Perhaps that is why going to flea markets and garage sales are fun. Our inquisitive spirit is alive. We look for novel things that we would not otherwise go seeking. In playing we find answers and room to grow. It is such a great place to navigate and let our innermost gifts blossom.
Perhaps the “prescription for today’s pain” is to go play. Take time for that walk through your local Garden Nursery to dream about your summer garden. Let your imagination soar with the magazine showing new fashions for your trip abroad later this summer with your spouse. Go to the Boat Show or Local Expo to find the businesses around you and enjoy the freebies that are so often given away. Now is the time to play.
Delight in Living is a philosophy that embraces the joy in learning to play. Let the many “Mini Miracles from Minor Moments” flood into your life.
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Fishy or Fake
You are smart and me too, but we are easily deceived. The Podcast this past weekend was all about a Wax Museum that I visited with my daughter when we were in Dublin. Ireland. It got me to thinking that so many things can be made to look real when they aren’t real at all. We know that the movie producers and photographers can make things look differently than they are in reality. They spray artificial fruit to look real on the set. They make people look differently with makeup and costumes. I have always known that and so have you. Why is it though that we buy things we don’t need? Or we go to places of entertainment and then are mad that we spent money?
Lots has been said in the recent days about Fake News. Well, it got me to thinking that there are lots of fake people too. They may be the ones living next door to you who appear rich, when in reality have everything on credit cards and really are overspending. Or it may be the people you do business with who are providing a product that is not up to par. It isn’t always easy to spot them.
It is because we think about things as they appear and we are not really seeing all the facts. Look beyond the media of the press, look at the purchases, and the marketing that leads you to believe in certain things. Here are fish in a basket. It was taken at the wax museum. They didn’t have an odor. Yet they had been there was ages. We could tell they were not real fish, but they sure did look real.
When I was a child I saw a lovely Ballerina Doll on an advertisement. She danced on her toes and twirled around in pretty costumes to music. I wanted her so badly and Santa give her to me. She was however, a big disappointment! I knew I shouldn’t complain and only to be thankful, so I was quiet. It would have been impolite to say anything about a gift given to me, especially one I really thought I wanted. The doll didn’t dance unless I twirled her around. She didn’t have all the outfits; just the one she came with on her already. She had straw-like hair that twirled with her, and she wasn’t very big. I still have her and keep her as a reminder of a big lesson.
Well, it isn’t all the disappointments that are bad; it is the way we respond. I am glad I was not complaining about this doll. I learned a lot about being thankful. I learned that we need to check things out better. I learned that not all things are what they appear to be in reality. It was a learning experience. I have learned not to get mad at myself, but either return the item, or kindly express my disappointment. Then I try to move forward. Criticism doesn’t get us far and we burn many bridges behind us.
In today’s society, we see a generation that is feeling rather entitled. This is a real problem for those who have worked really hard to reach a level of success. They did not feel entitled and have pride in what they have earned. Attitudes can do so much to destroy relationships and make people appear something they are not. We all need to be responsible in helping those that are growing up to earn their way in an honest manner. It will help them be successful all during their lifetime.
What is your most recent learning experience? Did you buy something online and find the quality was less than expected? Did you go to a store thinking it was good FAST FOOD and it was dried and took you forever to get your order. It was not fast at all.
Be aware and it will make you feel more congruent with who you really are as a person. You’ll accept yourself more and enjoy life! Have a great day and just be observant. Thanks and may many miracles rain upon you today.
Coaching People Means Helping Them Find Success!
As a Coach, I want the VERY BEST for my CLIENTS! I want people to come to me and get clarification for themselves on how to forge ahead. I want them to feel confident and clear about reality and how to face it head on without fear. I want my clients to create their own safe boundaries!
I find that there is so much going on in everyone’s life that we often forget how to categorize what is relevant and what is not relevant. Do you find you are a juggler? You juggle family concerns, health issues, phone calls, business relationships, and you are doing really well. Any number of situations can suddenly turn your world upside down! All of a sudden, a tire goes flat and you now have to rearrange several appointments? 3 days have gone by and you have missed exercising? You lose an important account that funded your business? Something from out of nowhere throws you into a tailspin. Or you miss a deadline that was important.
Really successful people are excellent at prioritizing. Years ago, a school administrator I knew was very clear on deciding what things were important. Simplify, gather facts and prioritize. “Safety is number one and everything else falls into place.” Her words were acted out on a regular basis and it seemed to work well!
Being in business may be harder than you think. What once worked may no longer be fitting. Laws and tax regulations change that may have an effect you. You’d like to define yourself as a success, but you need help. So you turn to a coach for some direction. You ask for help and guidance to keep up to date.
It sounds too simple actually, but today I used that strategy to help myself. I was concerned about whether something was legitimate and gathered all my paperwork together and started making phone calls. I went online and checked for more information. I’d like to think this method works. It gave me a feeling of control. I feel better after taking action.
In another instance, I gathered all the facts about a situation. I got up-to-date information and a history to validate it. Along with common sense it whittled down to safety for a family. Making recommendations or referrals also is important. Knowing your own limits and what you are able to do is also important. The more people one knows, the better the chance of getting direction and information. Many of my “rolodex” files helps me help others.
Yesterday I had office help and we cleaned up all the filing here in the office. I straightened up piles according to the dates and tackled the most pressing. This person is from the “IT” world and knows so many facets of confidentiality. It is important that the people we draw into our circle are qualified in what they do. It is good for us and those we work to help.
Today, I completed projects and will not do anything new until these are done. The problems result when we are overwhelmed and have no one to help us. I recall a neighbor who was in major depression many years ago. I did not realize it at first until she called me for help.
It became crystal clear to me that there was a problem when I walked into her home. Her focus was gone. She was all over the place. She had a faucet turned on to do dishes, but the water was going down the drain. Instead of filling up a sink filled with dishes to be soaked, she had walked away to start another project. In her confusion, she never put in the detergent or did anything more. On the kitchen table were gifts to be wrapped. The television was blaring some soap opera; the radio was on in the same room. She didn’t know what to listen to and I realized she was alone. As I came into her home, she rambled on about several different things and concerns.
I began by shutting off the water. I silenced the radio and turned off the television in order to understand what was going on between her tears. Together we tackled one project and then another. We took care of the dishes. She was to focus on wrapping the gifts and labeling them. I helped her by discussing the issues. I slowed her down and helped her process the issues. By the end of my visit, we got her assistance from family members. In my own life, I try to do one thing at a time and complete that project. In a world that has condoned multi tasking, it is important to steady ourselves and take an inventory of how we operate.
Sometimes it may not seem that your problems are like this! You may not have clutter or have started many projects that are so evident. Instead you may have a mass of other things cluttering your mind. Worries may be mentally stimulating you and creating chaos in your head. The chaos turns good judgements into bad ones. Work is not completed or what is done is wrongly executed. You may have a desk, a car, or a closet full of unresolved problems.
Learning to delegate and dividing the tasks into meaningful pieces may help. Creating systems to deal with problems is also a service. My expertise is to help people do this or assist them to recognize what works best for them. We separate, clarify, and prioritize. With good repeatable guidance, things get defined. We determine the obstacles and patterns standing in the way to resolve problems. Tools and processes to take care of issues are created.
We need to slow down, make lists, prioritize, and gather help. As a coach, I may encourage others to purge on paper. I help them clean out the garbage thinking. Often people recognize the need to refocus on being productive and feeling good about themselves.
Look around you today and think about what aids are available to you. As always you can contact my office for Counseling or email me at linda@delightinliving.com for online Coaching Services. I am offering an initial 3 week insight package, with optional follow up plans. Follow up sessions also provide online contact with me, worksheets, handouts, and support.
Enjoy your week and Delight in Living!