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Does Everything Have Energy, and How Does That Energy Affect Us?

Do you believe there is energy all around us? If you do, have you thought about how we can use that energy for positive means? I believe strongly that energy is flowing all around us and in us, and we have the power to manipulate it. Energy is a force that can transform something, but what it can affect might not be something you have considered. Let me give you a few examples.

Your attitude. Your attitude has energy. What you send out in negative or positive energy will come back to you like a boomerang. My husband is still amazed at one of the simple ways I show him how this works. When we pull into a parking lot of a restaurant, I always say, “We are going to get seated right away.” He almost always looks at me as if I’m crazy and before you know it the hostess is leading us to a table even though the waiting room is full. It happened last weekend when we were out with my daughter and her boyfriend. Her boyfriend looked dumbfounded and said, “How did that just happen?” Positivity has powerful energy.

Your actions. Karma is real in my opinion. The actions you perform will come back in the same spirit they were delivered. Sometimes it takes a while, but your kindness will be rewarded, and meanness will be dealt with. I choose kindness.

Symbols. Do you have something that brings you luck, or something that is a reminder of someone you love? Symbols carry powerful energy because they can bolster our spirits.

Nature. I always say you need to go outside if you want to improve your health. There is energy all around you. Do some gardening and watch the energy plants have.

Food. Food is our source of energy. Have you ever started feeling run down and weak? A quick snack will have you back up again.

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Let Them

Do you sometimes allow others to steal your peace and joy through their judgment and treatment of you? If you do, you are not alone, but you need to know that you have the power to guard both your peace and happiness with your attitude.

I have a friend who says the person with the greatest power is the one who cares the least about what others think. I used to think that was easier said than done, but it is a beautiful thing when you learn to let others own their opinions without having to validate them. The next time they do or say something hateful, let them while you guard your peace of mind. Here are a few examples of times when you don’t have to react or take someone seriously.

The next time someone underestimates you, let them. When someone thinks you are less than capable, or treats you as if you are invisible, use it to your advantage. I was participating in an indoor triathlon. There were so many people entered that they were doing the competition in waves with a different group of athletes completing the triathlon throughout the day. I signed up for the early spot, so there were only about 6 people for that time slot. The swim event was first, and I was in the locker room with three women. One was a lifeguard for the gym. We knew each other, so she and I were chatting. The other two were in their thirties. They were talking about how easy the competition would be. Neither said a word to me, and I think they assumed I would not be competition as an older woman. I was invisible to them. This worked to my advantage because they didn’t see me as a threat, and there was no reason to try to beat me. I won the whole triathlon!

You can see the same thing happening at a road race. Listen to the conversations. One group will be listing the badass races they have done to let you know you cannot compete, and the other group will tell you they are not a threat and why. Spoiler alert! They are a threat. Don’t ever underestimate someone, but if someone underestimates you, let them, and then prove that person was mistaken.

If someone criticizes you, let them. No matter what you do, someone will judge you, so you might as well do what makes you happy and not worry about it. Feel sorry for the people who don’t understand what they are missing.

When someone wants to tell you why her life is perfect, (Fakebook) let her, but realize that behind all those pretty pictures, everyone is dealing with her own mess. Do your best each day, and don’t compare yourself to others, their mess might be worse than yours.  

When someone is carrying a heavy burden and needs to share it with you, or ask for help, let them. I may not be able to solve every problem, but sometimes it helps to listen, or offer some encouragement.

If people offer you help, let them. I always say that asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness. If you are struggling, and someone reaches out, consider accepting the offer.

What I am trying to say here is to let everything flow more in your life. Don’t internalize all the negatives floating around you. Find your joy without apologizing for it, and do your best to be a good human.

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Make a Love Board

Make a Love Board

Most people have heard about vision boards where you place pictures of things you want in your life, and you write goals for your future. It’s a way to put your dreams for your future into the universe. It puts our goals in front of us and keeps us focused on our priorities.

A love board can be just as important. When you make a love board, you fill it with notes of affirmation, encouragement and love. Words are powerful, and kind words filled with love can be exactly what we need on a hard day.

When I was teaching, our administrators would randomly leave words of affirmation for teachers. I remember arriving at my classroom door one morning when I was struggling, and on my door was a note that said, “You’re all that and a bag of chips.” It made me laugh, started my morning off on a good note, and turned my day around. There were also notes to encourage us to lift each other up. The notes said things like, “Be someone’s rainbow.” Or “Be the reason someone smiles today.” As teachers, we were expected to write two letters of affirmation to students in our classes. Everyone needs encouragement.

There is another positive element to making a love board. Each time you write a note of love or encouragement, it lifts your spirits. What can be better than an action that benefits both people involved.

You can make the love board in a variety of ways. Here are some examples.

  • Put up a bunch of colorful post it notes. Fill a few in so others get the idea, and leave the rest blank for others to fill in. Address each one to a person or group. Here are a few examples. Jeremy, I admire your kindness. Trish, thank you for always being a good friend.
  • Post notes that you have received that are filled with encouragement and love. You can also post pictures of memories that make you feel good. When you have a tough day, you can look at this board to feel better.

This is a great exercise to do in a class, or at the workplace. Have everyone fill out at least four post it notes with something positive about someone. If you want to make sure no one is left without a note, put everyone in a circle and write 4 notes about the person to your right.

I hope you have fun with the love board. If you want to start out small, just leave notes for the people who need them.

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10 Ways to Keep Your Sparkle Shining

Are there days when you feel like you are a diamond glittering in the light, and then others when your sparkle has been dimmed? We all have both kinds of days, but here are ten ways to insure you have more days when your light shines brightly.

  • Block out the noise. Interactions with others can be energy drainers, and navigating a variety of personalities can be difficult. Everyone has an opinion, and sometimes what people say can leave you shaking your head in disbelief.

I am a people pleaser and a conflict avoider, so I often do my best to not escalate a situation by arguing or responding to a crazy comment. What I have learned is my chances of changing someone’s attitude are slim, but I don’t have to internalize what was said to me. We need to know our own truth and know that because someone has a negative opinion of us doesn’t make it so. Don’t listen to the crazy voices telling you how you should be and instead be yourself.

  • Seek out good people. I decided to be more focused on choosing good people to be around me. I started adding friends on social media who were friends with the people I enjoy the most. I can feel a positive shift already. I have also eliminated a few people who are not really my friends. I’m adopting an attitude of quality not quantity when it comes to friends.
  • Let go of toxic. I have held on to bad relationships or been in bad situations way too long. I always think I can fix the person or the situation. I worked with several women who were hateful. I kept wondering if it was something I was doing, but when I would tell my husband the situation, he would say, “Jen, they are mean. Stay away from them.” Have you ever been in a job you hate, but you stay there because you tell yourself it will become better, but it never does? Are you in a relationship that doesn’t make you happy, but you don’t want to leave because you have invested so much time? It might be time to throw out the toxic.
  • Do what fills you and choose joy.  Do what makes you happy no matter who judges you for it. I have a friend who likes to ride her bike around her neighborhood at midnight. When she told a friend, the friend thought that was crazy. People will judge you no matter what, so go ahead and have fun!
  • Draw your boundaries. Others will take advantage of you if you do not let them know what you consider to be okay, and what you refuse to accept.
  • Spread kindness and encouragement. Spreading kindness and encouragement helps increase your shine. You can feel it becoming brighter with every new act of kindness you perform.
  • Do something epic. Anytime you do something extraordinary it makes your light shine brighter and inspires others.
  • Laugh a lot. Laughter is healing, it recharges us, and it is contagious. What a great way to spread your light.
  • Run away and recharge. We all need to regroup and recharge sometimes. If I’m feeling this way, I curl up under some blankets and nap or read.
  • Go outside and disconnect. Nature has energy and it’s a great way to connect with the beauty around us. It’s also important to disconnect from technology sometimes because it can be a drain on our shine.

I hope these ten ideas help you shine brighter!

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10 Shots of Inspiration

Do you ever have those days when the arrows or maybe daggers of the words people throw at you have pierced your mental armor? Do you wish your best friend was next to you to lift you up?

Here are 10 shots of inspiration you can use to heal mentally and rise back up to be the force you need to be.

  • Don’t allow others to limit or diminish you. When others start sentences with you should or shouldn’t and finish with how they think you should live your life, when they interrupt you mid-sentence as if what you say doesn’t matter, or they treat your dreams as foolish or insignificant, those are attempts to limit or diminish you. I say they are attempts because you do not have to accept that treatment. A friend recently put a quote on social media that resonated with me. It said, “Many people have benefited from you playing small most of your life. That chapter is done. Step into who you are. Take up space.”
  • Kindness and other positive energy will flow back to you. Everyone can use some kindness, and kindness has the power to make you happy. Whatever energy you send out will boomerang right back to you, so keep the positivity flowing.
  • You can always choose joy. No matter what your circumstances are, you have control about how you react to those circumstances. Sometimes, you have to dig deep to find the joy, but it’s always there.
  • Practice gratitude. God has a way of ending any pity party I was having by putting someone in front of me who is struggling with a challenge much greater than anything I could imagine. Make a list of everything you are grateful for. I hope it is a long list.
  • Stop relying on others for your happiness. If you are waiting for others to make you happy, you will eventually be disappointed because you are the only one who knows exactly what you need.
  • Reconnect with whatever fills you. It could be your faith, nature, community, or something else. I know prayer has energy that calms me, and nature has an energy that always fills me. When I’m upset, I go for a run and soak up the beauty around me. I also use gardening to reconnect. I sing and talk to the plants, and I swear it helps them grow better.
  • Close the door on negative thoughts. We can be so hard on ourselves, and it is easy to allow self-defeating thoughts to take over. Change them to positive ones.
  • Believe you are capable. Something is only impossible until you do it. Even if those close to you tell you your dream is out of reach, keep moving towards it. Success might be a second away.
  • Use music to heal. There is an episode of the cartoon Bluey where everyone is in a bad mood. The mom says, “Okay, we are all playing dancing characters.” It’s a cross between red light, green light and musical chairs. The person in charge plays the music, the others dance until the person in charge stops the music and everyone has to freeze. One by one everyone’s mood started to improve, so dance in the kitchen or sing at the top of your lungs or listen to your favorite music.
  • Have a time out. When everyone and everything starts to weigh you down, find a moment for yourself. Do whatever you love most or find a quiet spot. I need breaks from social media, so I’ll leave my phone inside and go out with a good book.
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10 Reasons Not to Give Up

Life can throw us curve balls when we least expect it and have you ever noticed that those curveballs seem to come in multiples? No matter what the challenge is, when you feel as if you are defeated, and your energy and spirit are low, don’t give up. Here are ten reasons why.

Something wonderful might be about to happen.

I have a sign on my desk that says always believe something wonderful is about to happen. Imagine if you have had a disappointment or heartbreak in your life, and you allow it to paralyze you. What if you had held on and persevered until something amazing happened to you? I believe in positive energy and that we can make good things come our way by believing it is possible. We certainly don’t have anything to lose by practicing that thinking.

Adversity makes you stronger.

Every failure I have experienced and all the rough moments have taught me important lessons and made me stronger. It isn’t fun to fail or go through tough times, but it can teach you important lessons about life and give you grit and resilience.

You have more power than you think.

We cannot always choose what happens to us, but we can choose how to react. The fact that you have choices on how you approach a situation gives you power.

Someone needs you.

You might not think this is true, but at least one person needs your help. It could be someone who needs to hear your message, needs your support, or needs someone who cares enough to listen. You never know when a simple act of kindness, or a positive word can impact someone.

There are resources to help you.

No matter what you are going through there is help out there. Don’t hesitate to reach out for it.

An attitude change might make a difference.

If you listen to your self-talk is it all doom and gloom? Turn the negatives into positives and see what happens.

There is always a plan b.

You need to know how to pivot and approach a problem differently when you deal with life’s ups and downs. When something goes wrong find another way to make it right.

Your perception can be adjusted.

How we look at a situation can change things dramatically and I don’t mean being positive instead of negative. I am blessed with a husband who is my voice of reason. I will be upset about a situation, and he gives me a whole different perception of what is going on that always leaves me saying, “Why didn’t I see that?” Ask yourself if you could see what is going on from a different angle or ask for someone else’s perception.

You have a gift/purpose.

You might not realize it, but you have a gift that this world needs. It might be your infectious laugh, sarcasm, brilliant smile, work ethic, kindness, or a million other things, but I guarantee you have value and are important.

Life is like a roller coaster.

There are highs and lows, bumps, and smooth spots in life. You need to hold out to make it to the sweet spots. If life were always easy we wouldn’t have any interesting stories to tell.

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Own Your Day

 

I believe completely in the idea that although we can’t always know what will happen to us each day, we do have a choice about how we react to what happens. Adjusting our attitude, staying rooted in positivity, and seeing the good side of a situation can not only change a situation but it can also change your whole day. You have the power to own your day.

You might ask why it is important to stay positive while your day feels like it should be in a disaster movie, so here are a few reasons why it makes a difference.

· Positivity is power. There are days when so many things are going wrong that you feel like you have to choose between laughing or crying. When you keep a positive attitude you are also maintaining control of the situation which makes you powerful. You can choose how you react, and choice gives you power. My morning started off a little shaky. I wanted to get up early to run because I had an early appointment, but the covers dragged me in longer since I knew how cold it was outside. As I headed out, I was carrying a cup of coffee and a can of seltzer I was going to put in the mailbox while I ran around the neighborhood. I tried to open the mailbox, but it was slightly stuck from the cold, and I dropped the open can of seltzer. As I tried to save it the coffee splashed everywhere. I could have started the oh, woe is me lament, but instead, I said, “Oh, Well.” And headed inside for a fresh drink.

· Your attitude could make you a change-maker. You might be the inspiration and the catalyst for change others need. If they see you handling difficult situations with ease, it might make them consider improving their attitude as well. I used to always tell my students that they were in control of their day. If someone or something had thrown negativity at them it was up to them to turn it around.

When my children were 14, 11, and 3, we had one of the roughest starts to the day I can remember. My husband was away on business, and I had a small window of time to get the three-year-old to day care and return to take the other two to school with me.

I had the three-year-old all ready to go and I was heading up the stairs to wake up the other two when I heard my daughter open her door and scream. I’m pretty sure that’s not a signal for a good start in anyone’s book. When I reached the top of the stairs, I saw that the dog had pooped all along the hall, (it was a long hall) and when I opened my son’s door I saw that the dog had thrown up behind the door. I picked up the youngest who was moving toward the poop, and I noticed the other two were looking at me waiting for my reaction. I said, “You know, I have meetings all day, so I’m not sure when I can come back and clean this, but, oh well, I’ll be back after I drop off Katie.”

When I returned I was surprised to see that not only were they ready to go, but they had also cleaned up the whole mess and all I needed to do was run the steam cleaner that night. I felt so much better about the reaction I had than the one I think my children expected.

Here are a few ways that you can own your day.

· Whenever it’s possible laugh at the pitfalls. If you get worked up over everything that doesn’t go perfectly it will only raise your stress level. Laugh at it instead and keep moving.

· Have an attitude of gratitude. When you start to have a pity party remember that it could be worse.

· Start the day off right. Starting the day in a pleasant way will leave you with that memory for the rest of the day.

· Disconnect from everything at some point during the day. I don’t know if you watch the amazing show called Bluey, but the mom says, “Sometimes, you just need 20 minutes without speaking.”

Start tomorrow knowing you have the power to own your day. It is your decision every day.

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Staying Planted in Positivity

I loved this expression because not only does it encourage us to stay positive, but it also provides us with the image of being planted. If we are planted in positivity we can allow it to nurture us and help us grow.

When you watch a plant grow you know it takes time and patience until the plant has fully blossomed. We become stronger and better with patience and the resources we need to nourish our bodies and spirit. Positivity leads us to the light while negativity is the darkness.

We need to remain positive in our expectations believing that good things are coming our way. Each day is the possibility of new adventures. We have to continue to believe that wonderful things are going to happen. Sometimes our wins require patience, but we need to believe that eventually, they will happen.

Negativity is the enemy that tries to creep in and steal your potential for growth. It robs you of your motivation and your drive. Positivity drives you forward toward your goals.

Here are a few things to help you stay planted in positivity.

Practice gratitude. List all the things you are grateful for in your life.

Surround yourself with positive people because positivity is contagious.

Shift your perspective and change something negative and make it a positive.

Focus on your successes.

You might not see the results you want immediately, but if you stay planted in positivity you will receive what you need.