Get a Grip -- We Can Overcome the Tough Times

Morning,
Well, let's see. Obama has been President Elect for nearly a week. Whether you voted for him or not... he's it. Will you help or hinder? Witch hunts are going on to figure out how he got in office. The finger of blame is all over the place, the pundits are still covering it all. Help -- when will it all stop? When can we just settle in with other things going on? And, NOT the economy.

I'm really tired of all the bad news. I learned a long time ago that "what you think about expands." It's a metaphysical dynamic. If you think bad things, more bad things happen; on the flip side, if you think more positively, more good things occur. What if we, in our collective consciousness all started to focus on what's good in the world, in our country, in our city, in our community, in our family, in our lives? What if we ONLY look at the upbeat things? Is it possible we could shift the current occuring in the world?

Point: STOP buying into all the negativity. START focusing in on what you have to be grateful for, how you can help another human being, how you can make the world a sweeter spot!

At this moment in time, I'm inundated by my own experiences of what's not working as well and by desperate calls from others about "what should I do ...?" I feel myself getting sucked into the "what's missing syndrome" and it can consume me.
So, what to do? How to handle it?

Here's the truth: You have NO control over much that happens around you ... NONE. But, you have total control about how you react to it, or how much energy you give it. So, start with you. Examine how you're reacting. What are you taking into the world and creating that is having negative impact? What MUST you do differently?

Take time to be still and quiet, maybe even meditate.
Take time to walk and breathe in the fresh air.
Take time to smile and laugh.
Take time to create a gratitude list ... what are you truly grateful for.
Take time to look around and see that there are many who have so much less than you.
Take time to tell someone you love them and be there to support them

Get the focus off of you and reach out.
Take care of yourself so you can take care of others.
Remember the law of reciprocity -- if someone does something nice for you, respond in kind -- do something nice for them OR pay it forward.

In other words ... take action.
Baby boomers were/are the activists of the century. Our activism made many wonderful things happen. In fact, if we were to mobilize our energy ... we could solve many of the problems impacting the world. I truly believe that.

I've been in total action these past couple of weeks. I've been on the phone promoting myself and my work, I've been writing, I've been teaching, I've been helping. I haven't been just trying to escape or hide under my blanket.

Ask yourself... in the words of John Kennedy: Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country!!!

Stop reacting, start doing what you CAN.
End of sermon.
Go out and make it a wonderful week ... for yourself and for others.

It's Not the Economy Stupid

Morning,
I expect I'll be ranting here a bit, but then I'll have some solutions or at least ideas.
First, more than ever before, I realize how much the constant news feeds the "worry frenzy." I visited my sister last week and while staying with them, they had the news on ALL DAY LONG. It was CNN and MSNBC -- and they continually talked about all that is "wrong" with the world -- from the political stuff, to the enconomy, to the bad weather trends, to who knows what. There were no positive stories -- only anxiety-producing material.

Now, I also know that some people accuse me of wanting to stick my head in the sand and NOT face some of the reality. Hey -- it's better than doing drugs -- I'll put my head in the sand as long as I can breathe.

I realized that when I hear all this How Bad it is stuff -- I get anxious. And the only reason I hear it is because of the media frenzy that highlights it.
When I'm at home, I watch the morning news or check online just to see if there's anything important to know about and to get the weather report. After that, it's quiet while I work ... or maybe I play background music.

Are there some challenges about the economy how? Yes ... of course. Have we seen economic challenges before? Yes, ... of course. Have we overcomed, moved through, moved on past them before? Yes.... of course. Will we again? Yes.... of course.
It's NOT the ECONOMY --- it's the frenzy.

Instead of talking about how expensive gas is, why don't we report on solutions or things each one of us can do individaully? Like, carpool, take trains or buses. How about working an hour or 45 minutes extra each day so that one of the 10 days in a two week period could be done from home? Wouldn't even not driving one day make a difference? How about people consolidating their errands to conserve drive time? How about families working together about how to consolidate or take public transportation together (where possible). It's back down to what can each of us do?

In other aspects of the economy -- food prices for example. How about people start eating at home more? How about families coming together with potluck meals... more sharing and stretching to make food go further. These are great idea and great for building family connections as well.

The point: Each of us can take personal responsibility to do things a little differently in order to impact our own pocketbooks. Boomers are great at this -- we are the acitivists from the 60's and 70's -- let's remember how we loved to make a difference and tap back into that spirit.

And my last point --- what have you done for someone else lately? You know, when you spend all your time whining about how bad it is for you, you forget that it's much worse for others. How about a commitment to volunteering in some way -- as a work team or as a family team -- to help those less fortunate. The upside -- it helps them, of course, but it also helps you. There's no better cure for depression (except "legal, prescribed" drugs maybe) than getting outside of yourself and being of service to others.

Boomers -- align. Go out and do some good.
End of rant.