Posts Tagged ‘success’
Mastering the Chew-Toy Strategy
January 12th, 2010
You know things have reached a sad state in your life when you realize you’re envious of a saucy little miniature Daschund.
Oh, I know. I’m not the first to write about a dog’s life. But those who came before were lamenting how nice it would be to lie in the sun with no responsibilities.
For me, it’s all about the chew toy.
TAGS: anger, chew toys, frustration, inspiration, motivation, Self-Improvement, stress, success, vent | 
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Explaining where it hurts
January 11th, 2010
Have you ever cared for a colicky baby? Here’s what they do:
They cry.
No, they don’t cry that sweet delicate whaaa that inspires people to stick something called a “binky” in their little mouths, dry their tears, and coo over how precious they are.
They … holler!
That’s right. From the depths of those tiny bodies comes a hellish, shrieking, sirenlike wail … a deafening sound that can drive sane people to asylums, previously happy couples to divorce court, and family pets to surrender themselves to local shelters.
Remember that scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds when all the children ran screaming from flocks of attacking crows? That’s nothing compared to the stampedes inspired by the cries of colicky infants.
But you can’t blame the babies. All they know is they’re experiencing acute abdominal pain and they want someone to make it stop. So they wail … and wail … and wail.
And then there are colicky adults. No, I’m not talking about adults experiencing abdominal pain. I’m referring to adults experiencing emotional pain … only instead of wailing for someone to make it stop, they hold in their misery. But if they think their silent screams won’t cause trouble, they’re kidding themselves.
Overcoming your screw-ups
January 9th, 2010
Screwed up much in life?
Welcome to the club.
Sometimes the biggest mountains we have to move are the consequences of our own mistakes. We assume whatever we’ve done is so HUGE there’s no getting past it. Maybe we’ve gone bankrupt, destroyed a marriage, ruined our credit rating, damaged our reputation, alienated our children, wrecked our health, or committed a crime and wound up in prison. And we can’t imagine how we could ever put the Humpty Dumpty of our lives together again.
Are you a road menace?
January 8th, 2010
Are you a menace to society? If you didn’t get enough sleep last night but still got behind the wheel this morning, the answer is yes.
According to a recent study sponsored by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), nearly two million people have had accidents or near misses due to driving while drowsy. More than half those polled said they’d driven while overly tired during the year and nearly 30 percent said they did so at least once a month.
Yikes!
Fire up your smoldering brain
January 4th, 2010
It’s the start of a new year and in my head I keep hearing that oh-so-energetic Michael Bublé
It’s a new dawn!
It’s a new day!
It’s a new life!
Then I mentally roll over and hit the snooze button.
As much as I want to launch into this year firing on all thrusters, something seems to be holding me back. In my case, that something is a reluctance to admit the holidays—and my vacation—are over and it’s time to put nose back to grindstone.
But what about you?
TAGS: dull, fatigue, inspiration, lethargic, motivation, Self-Improvement, spark, success, tiredness |
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Resolving to succeed
December 30th, 2009
We’ve again reached that time of year when most people start thinking about all the things they want to change in their lives. For me, January 1 isn’t that significant. Hardly a week goes by that I’m not resolving to change or fix or start or stop something. New Year’s Day is the same with perhaps a little more enthusiasm because it’s not just a new day, week, or month, but a whole new year. But anyone can make resolutions. The challenge is to keep them.
3 reasons you fail
December 29th, 2009
As you get ready to embark on a new year of mountain-moving, maybe this would be a good time to think about the successes and failures of the passing year. If it seems you’re still facing the same towering peak you were staring at this time last December and haven’t made much of a dent the past 12 months, maybe you should ask yourself a few questions:
Do I really want to move this mountain?
Is moving this mountain in my best interest?
Is it within my power to move this mountain? Is the choice mine and mine alone?
Unpredictable outcomes
December 26th, 2009
Financially speaking, this has been a difficult year for many people around the world. Some of us keep hearing recovery is imminent–and things may be looking up for our friends–but our ship is still anchored in the distance, a long way from shore.
Although we understand the world’s economic woes have nothing to do with us, we can’t help feeling like we’ve screwed up somehow. If we’d only had the good sense to turn left instead of right, we wouldn’t be struggling so much. But we need to accept that, even when we make reasonable decisions, circumstances may conspire put mountains in our path. It’s a lesson Andre-Francois Raffray learned all too well.
The joy of togetherness?
December 23rd, 2009
The best gift for me during the holiday season is the opportunity to spend time with my extended family. And I feel doubly blessed when I listen to some of my friends discuss the trials and tribulations of being with their families—particularly the delicate task of trying to bring together the families of both spouses. I actually like my family. Not only that, I like my brother’s in-laws, too. I even like my sister-in-law’s dog.
Sharpen decision-making skills
December 21st, 2009
Finished with your holiday shopping? How did it go? Did you spend a lot of time second-guessing yourself? Calling friends, your spouse, your parents and asking them to validate your choices or help you make a decision? Do you sometimes wish you were one of those people who seem easily able to decide for themselves?
Then why don’t you try to become one of those people?