A Balanced Perspective
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Welcome
Finding perspective in trying times is a challenge. How has your life been disrupted during this outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19)? Can we help you process things? Here at the Delight in Living office, we are doing a lot of our contacts on the phone and thru zoom. No way do we want to leave you in a lurch. If you are feeling the loss of control, or in a place of how to be more resourceful, chances are that you are not alone. All of us are in a new environment. It is good for us to think about how we will accommodate. Self-care and taking care of our families is important. Also teaching one another not to be selfish is the greatest lesson.
“Perspective is the only thing consistently more valuable than the answer itself.” Andy Andrew
Steve Dotto teaches us online techniques. This is a time to teach one another. How to reframe thoughts. We are resourceful people. I am here for you to help you process things. A program on pain is coming up—how to deal with pain and things you are going to deal with. A program on “systems” is also coming up.
Taking Shortcuts
We all tried as children to take shortcuts. Here Linda discusses how we can’t always do that. Shortcuts don’t always work. That is when we are called to be responsible and look at the larger picture. How do you take shortcuts? What is the destination you are trying to reach? Do you find things fall into place naturally?
Shortcuts don’t always work!
Dreams and Visions
We all need to have a purpose. This is a time to look at them. Set a new series of goals. The question becomes, how can I help to be responsible. This is a time to teach one another balance. Variety in life reflects every area of our life. Eating is only one area in which we can do this. We need to learn boundaries; how to conduct business. How to care for our bodies and the expectations we set for ourselves.
Mini Miracles is designed to help you to stay in the moment. Keep balanced and feeling well is now a new focus for everyone.
Take the first step, it may put yourself on the escalator of success.
What have you lost?
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What have you lost?
In a world of constant change, we are all dealing with losses. Some are temporary losses like a job, but we still feel the impact on our pride and certainly our pocketbooks. There are losses of companionship. Divorce can be devouring. Daily rituals disturbed by illness or health issues leave us weak and broken. Yet there is a lot to learn from losses and today’s podcast addresses those things.
One thing we all share as people is the pain or emotion that comes from loss. What have you lost lately? Is there a loss of a job? Have you intentionally quit? Linda shares how she intentionally quite a job because of a family situation that was calling for her attention. It still affected her as if she had been let go because she relished the people she worked with the job she had been doing. She was in pain, lonely, and had enjoyed her job. It was an emotional loss indeed. She was grieving.
Life is a maze.
Life is like a maze. How do we fill the voids when we go through grieving? What are the things you have to look at? Are these things happening to you directly?
Often sleep is inconsistent and we don’t do well with little or interrupted sleep. We need the rest to be our strongest and to think clearly. Losses often cause us to lose our focus and clarity. When we have a person who dies, we can also be sabotaged.
Hang On!
Looking for people to help us through these times do exist. Find opportunities to redirect your attention to because it will lift you up and out of sadness. Isolating ourselves is really a danger. Look for good books to read. Go to the library: meet a friend at the bookstore. Make it a good experience to reconnect with others.
Accept the stages of grief and recognize that this maze can be shortened or endured with a little less emotional pain. Connect with people from your church, from your work, from your neighborhood community. Volunteer in your community. There are always food pantries, senior citizen needs, and bingo. These may be temporary placeholders to help you move ahead.
Visually place good things around you that can lift you up. Listen to music to lift your spirits. Take the first step forward, it may put you on the escalator of success.
Labels, Tags, & Stigmas
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Labels, Tags, & Stigmas
Thanks to Jim Haisler who opens and closes our show each week. He continues to serve us and our community well at Heartland Realtor Organization.
One of the challenges we deal with include Technology. Many people are scared of divulging information or knowing how to navigate building a website. Are you a person who needs help with integrating different programs?
It is great fun to learn about websites, internet usage, and technology. Advance your skills in on an everyday basis. John Budd offers his skills for hire at https://www.realsimpletechnology.com
Podcasting Delights
Beware of how you interpret Labels and Tags!
Labels, tags, and stigmas can be temporary. These involve all of us. We have been labeled by our parents, teachers, and others along the way. Linda shares a comment she overheard when she was about 6 years old. As a small child in school, one may misinterpret or be confused by things being said. The comments may or may not be true. We also need to be careful not to label others either. Let this story speak to you and how it may help you jump-start success.
I am shy?
We must take into consideration that many tags are not correct. Some tags and labels are holding us back from striving and moving forward! I want to free you from the things that hold you back. As a counselor, I was made aware that the labels and tags used are very dangerous and hold people from enjoying life. Try new things. Throw away the stigmas that may be haunting you.
THINK ABOUT YOUR CHOICES CAREFULLY
Invite people onto your team to move forward. Feel free to call our office to talk about things that haunt you or things you need to get past. We can be part of the solution.
Remember to take the first step, it may put you on the escalator of success.
People, Places, and Things
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People, Places, and Things
Today’s podcast is about people, places and things. Yes, people, places, and things. We have amazing things to share. Most of us have the same potential to smell, see, hear, taste, and touch. We feel the same emotions. We have feelings that help us be fully alive. This past week I had an opportunity to be in the Land of Imagination with my favorite character, the Illusive Figment of your Imagination. Figment appears throughout Epcot when you least expect to see him. Here you can catch a video of Figment in action.
A few thoughts about Disney World and the joy of being with a 5-year-old with excitement and anticipation in every moment. It is the feelings so many of us once had as kids that we share again with children. When pretending is so much fun, we forget about our problems. Look here as Tinker Bell appears!
Every one has Special Qualities
We are blessed to have diversity in what we do and how we interact with one another. Are you an entrepreneur, a full-time parent. a worker bee for a big company? Are you kind to yourself? Do you feel connected, important, or alone?
Connecting with other people is our own responsibility. We need to make an effort to be connected. Volunteer, get to know others and make new acquaintances. Everyone is important and every effort you extend is important for you and others as well. Take classes, engage in your Park District.
(Are you feeling important and relevant? Call our office, if you need someone to help you move ahead. Linda is a coach and counselor who can help you move ahead).
411-A East Congress Pkwy in Crystal Lake, IL
The times have changed and the way we stay engaged with other people has changed too. Connecting ‘in person’ is still very important. We need the hugs, conversations, and daily interactions with other people. We have the desire to love and be loved. This is just one way to let other people know they are important. They want to talk and for others to listen
Linda wraps up with reminding us to use a journal. Journaling has so many advantages and Linda offers a few today. Lists, pictures, and writing down your favorite quotes may help inspire you.
Remember to listen to Mini Miracles from Minor Moments every Friday. Put the first step forward, it may put you on the escalator of success.
Discover the Solutions All Around
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Being Mindful to discover the Solutions that are all around!
How do you solve problems? What are you dealing with now? Here are a few thoughts on that matter. Have you ever found the answer to something you looking for and suddenly you have that “Ah-ha” moment? It is like finding a lost item. Bingo. You find it and the world seems so much better. What are the things you need to do to trust your own judgment and resolve a problem? Are you controlling part of finding the solution? Taking that step forward can happen easily. Listen now.
JOIN OUR MASTERMIND
Tomorrow is another Day!
Sharing your positive thoughts with other people is something that is so appreciated. We all want to be acknowledged and recognized. Everyone has issues and getting through them is made easier when one doesn’t feel isolated! Challenges of our own allow us to help others being challenged.
Perhaps you are being harassed by mental stress, physical pain, or a difficult job? We are running around putting out fires for our teenagers, grabbing groceries so our refrigerators are full, and preparing for the next day or next week. Sometimes worrying about what we are to wear to the next event. Our concerns are with what others are thinking. Our minds are racing and seldom relaxing until we crash in front of the television or from exhaustion. How can we be playful and happy when we are so confused?
My husband was and continues to do one thing at a time. Now he does it out of necessity because of health issues, but he has always done things with deliberation. He takes breaks and yet gets so much done.
When we were in our 20’s, we moved into a new home. A home that was a frame with parts of it to still be built. We had property without any trees or vegetation. It was a canvas for creating an environment we wanted. I look out the window NOW, these many years later and notice all the trees, plants, and beautiful groupings. I think of how we began by moving boulders, accepting plants from others, and working hard to make it our own.
We can also do that with our personalities. We can slowly, but with intent and passion create the ideal life; a life you want. We all have unique looks, gifts, and interests. We need to appreciate and share what we have received.
Are you appreciative of who you are? I have been thinking about that and how we are always trying to be better, smarter, and productive.
That brings me to a couple of simple solutions.
The first is Mindfulness. Much has been studied about Mindfulness. It does not require you to follow any particular belief. Nor is there is a leader to follow. Yet the effects of mindfulness include a reduction of stress, blood pressure, anxiety, depression, physical pain, risk of major medical issues, psoriasis, overeating, smoking, drinking, and loneliness.
Why is it then that we don’t exercise the simple remedy of stopping, sitting, and practicing mindfulness? It does not cost money. It can be practiced alone or with others around you. There is no risk. It is free for the taking, but so few of us take it.
Be mindful. Yes, I am laughing. Being rushed and overwhelmed is more common than not. In listening to a talk on mindfulness, one is reminded to keep the mind full. If you have ever held a baby, one just relaxes and melts. We often become as tranquil as the baby. We are aware of the beauty of a human person.
In this world, it is easy to be distracted. We are urged to read more, do more, earn more, and go more. We are engaged and thinking about the future. We are urged to watch the clock and be places.
Mindfulness focuses a person on the moment. It allows us to fully engaged at the moment. To have fuller moments.
Pray
Now I said there was another option and that is prayer. A prayer is also a form of focusing and relaxing. We can center our thoughts on the needs of others. We can communicate with God about our feelings, concerns, and desires to help others. We call upon a supreme being to help us make sense of things that are seemingly wrong. The person you love is ill, or the child you raised is striving for a scholarship. The job you wanted is serving you well and you find a sense of gratefulness for the path that led you there. You may want to relish and share the good things that happened in your week.
My dad would stop at the door of the church each week and bless himself. He would just stand there and seemed so tranquil. He would tell me that he was so thankful to be back and have time to pray and think.
To this day, I find prayer and also times of mindfulness very filling. I find it is where I get recharged and refocussed and I would love for you to have that same sensation and satisfaction.
“We deal with our mind from morning till evening and it can be our best friend or our worst enemy.” Matthieu Ricard
Take the first step forward, it may put you on the escalator of success! Linda’s own!
Clarity, Focus, and Loving Yourself
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Mini Miracles from Minor Moments this week is about clarity and focus. Trying to find clarity? Are you full of questions? Part of the solution lies in the preparation. We develop a process that becomes a never fail step-by-step list of things to do. Soon they become so habitual that you do not realize you’re carrying them through. Either create your own processes or ask for help. It will make your life easier and help you focus.
Compounding interest is earning money not only on the principal amount but also on the interest you have accumulated. Let’s take that principle and apply it to your life. When you have experienced a defeat or success you have the opportunity to grow. This is true when you are doing business. You may be blessed with a really good opportunity to serve someone or provide for a need they have. You may be able to have a favor done for you and it totally changes how you think or act.
The same is true with any relationship. One good friend introduces you to the people or hobbies they enjoy and now your own life is making ripples. People who value communicating help us communicate better. They help us live a fuller life. Although moments of joy and growth may appear far and few, but they do exist. Some come and go with time. That is true with our spouses, cousins, or colleagues. Learn from them. Collect the minor moments and times of interchange you had with them. That is part of the legacy they leave you. These relationships allow you to like yourself, to find clarity, and to focus on what is important to you.
When it comes to a decision you have made, it can be a blessing or a curse. Learning from it and gaining insight is a valuable piece of living a healthy and happy life. I made the decision to move into my own suite 15 years ago and it was a blessing. It took planning, as well as, asking lots of questions to bankers, business people, and even to myself. Why will this work? Why the move? What will it serve my clients better? How will I promote it and on and on?
What do you want to leave as your legacy?
In Erasing Adversity, (available at Amazon) I write that you don’t want to erase the difficult times in your life. You want to learn from the things you experienced. Valuable insights are the interest on having learned something. Keep adding those “nuggets of gold” and you become wiser and stronger. You can help yourself and other people who connect with you.
Build confidence, communicate more effectively, handle difficult situations and clarity becomes your gift. That is what I call compounding. It is taking those small moments and finding the mini-miracles that bring you satisfaction and joy. You grow in clarity.
As I end this week’s podcast, a shout out to everyone trying to get their life together. Working on yourself is hard, especially when you are reaching out to others along the way, but keep going. No matter where you are. Taking the first step may put you on the escalator of success.
Confine Your Gremlin
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Welcome to Mini Miracles from Minor Moments
Keep planning even though things may go astray. Linda shares the story of Christmas Eve when her extended family gathered together. The evening was wonderful, but things went astray when she went off to Midnight Mass alone. Things rather flipped at that time; Linda did too! The kindness of people to help her up after her tripping on the sidewalk, and a spirit to start healing began immediately.
We are all saddled with problems. Some of these issues are easier to deal with than other issues. There were many upsides to this situation. We have to stay grateful for all the good things. Linda’s glasses though badly scuffed may have protected her eyes, and they were under warranty and fixed easily. The aches and pains may last a while, but x-rays showed there were no broken bones. No one else was injured and this is all temporary.
Assigning Different Words to Each Month
Two new words for this month include “slowly” and “sharing.” Going a bit more slowly may prevent mistakes and make things better. Rushing has become a way of life for so many of us and a few minutes more really do help us to stay safe. Sharing is my goal to give all of you the benefit of my experience by giving talks, writing, and podcasting.
Returning Packages to Amazon
Have you ever had to return packages? I met the loveliest lady standing in line at Kohl’s this week when I went to return a few packages. So nice to talk with a woman with red shoes. She shared how she would never have bought them because of the color. They turned out to be her most comfortable shoes and came to love wearing them. In the past, she would not have felt comfortable in red, but now she does! And all because she needed red for one of her kid’s events!
What profile do you dress for? Are you comfortable with yourself and how you dress or perform in your job? Do you find yourself continuing to learn? Know that whatever we do calls for practice and learning to do well!
Your Gremlin
Lock up your Gremlin and the terrible things he may be telling you. You hold the key to keeping your doubts locked up! Take the next step forward and put yourself on the escalator of success!
Have a Blessed Week!
Are you Ready for A Mental Makeover?
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A Mental Makeover?
“I am sorry for the things I have done and the things I have failed to do.” This is a line from a prayer that made me think about the mistake I made this morning coming here. I failed to put on my indicator early enough. It could have helped a lady nearby. I didn’t intentionally do that, but something I was aware of not doing!
Prioritizing Our Mental Health is Essential
We need to put our Mental Health on a level higher than we do. Mental health has to be equal to our Physical Health in terms of importance. Both are very important. Our mental health is valuable. Are you ready for a mental health makeover? As a Psychologist, it bothers me that people pay for everything, but the one thing that drives their whole life and is most valuable they fail to invest in is their thinking. Yes, invest in your mental health. Do it now. Take time for your mental health – get good coaching. Also if you are a business person or entrepreneur think about registering for our Mastermind that meets online Thursdays at 10:30 CST
Stimulate your Mind with a New Word
On Sirius Satellite, Channel 129, I listen to a Lady by the name of Jen Fulwiler. She is a stand-up comedian, a mom of 6 kids, and a radio host. Her background is programming and has a few different sites. One of these is a site that generates a word of the year. It is a site that provides a word you can use to stimulate your mind to try new things or reprogram your thinking. I love the idea of setting a word to stimulate us to be better. Although if you follow me I believe we need to rest our goals on a quarterly basis and not for a whole year at a time. Maybe this will make you ready for a mental health makeover to feel better. A change of habits that can shine joy and a new direction.
Blessings to everyone as we head into the Holidays. Have a Merry Christmas and enjoy your family and friends. As always take the first step forward, it may put you on the Escalator of Success.
Thanksgiving Blessings
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Yes, ultimately I believe that Blessings in our life flow from God. Throughout each day there are many opportunities offered to us that keep them coming. Our brains allow us to think thoughts that in turn give rise to emotions and then behaviors. A simple example is: If you believe someone is unkind to you, it may make you angry. In turn, you may react in a poor way by being nasty to everyone around you or even physically lashing out. Rather than see the negative things, be kind and gentle to yourself and clarify your thoughts. Then your behaviors will be gentler and more amicable.
Affirmations
Dolly Pardon encourages us to affirm ourselves. “You are good enough!” Yes, you are great! We need to stop criticizing and encourage ourselves and one another. Provide affirmations for yourself. Note the things you are good at doing or enjoy and engage in those activities. Remind yourself or your own gifts. Walking hand-in-hand with others makes everyone’s life easier.
Today’s podcast is about helping yourself and giving yourself good vibrations! Having good thoughts repeated over and over again are affirmations that we can feed to ourselves. Therefore, do it regularly. When we help others carry the load, we help ourselves too! Sometimes it is for a friend, a family member, or our 4 legged friends that we love.
Don’t isolate yourself!
Linda talks about forgiveness and how it keeps us healthy on a physical and spiritual level. The “formula” sentence she shared is “I forgive (name) for (name the specific offense).” Do this for each offense rather than trying to forgive the person for all offenses and work through them one at a time. We need to clear our minds of things that pull us down and the way someone has hurt your feelings, upset you, degraded your work or disregarded you may need to be pulled apart and deleted. Forgiveness does not mean to forget. It means to feel better about yourself and to move forward. Forgive and forgive and forgive. It will help your heart, your mentality, and your days happier.
Align yourself with a variety of fun times and as a result, you will have a well-balanced life. Relax, play, pray, and enjoy. best of all find people who joke and laugh a lot!
Playing is fun!
Join our Mastermind on Thursdays at 10:30 am. You’ll be glad you did!
Working as a Team to Propel You Forward!
Enjoy something special this weekend. Make your days count. Happy Thanksgiving!
Want to get involved in a wonderful race, then join in on the first Sunday of December.
This Sunday is our Community Santa Run!
New Vision and Growth
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Creating New Vision and Growth may mean looking at things in a new way. Turning the ordinary into the extraordinary is a skill. It is taking a grassroots look at the bigger things in life. People accommodate and deal with what they have; many cultures really enjoy simplicity in life.
Pump It Up is the site of a celebration site for children. While watching all the children playing there, it got me thinking about kids being engaged in physical activities. The level of sounds filled me with many thoughts. It made me think of how open-minded we can be when we want to expand our visions. How kids so easily interact with friends. Acting on the example kids set for us can help us reignite and build a desire to grow.
Happy Birthday
What do you need to polish up? What do you need a new perspective on? Is it how you are learning something new. Perhaps you’d enjoy our mastermind group. As a result of joining in you will find opportunities to move ahead rapidly.
Do you have a lot to get done? Linda shares how easy it is to get impulsive and start doing something important late at night. When do sneak things in that have to get done?
If you are interested in hiring Linda to speak connect with us. Linda has topics that can be designed to move your company, community group, or church group. Dates available, rates, and topics can be requested.
Check out the Crystal Lake Kiwanis. It is a great community-minded group. Great people with wonderful hearts.
Our contact number is 815-459-5161. Contact us through www.delightinliving.com