May 27th, 2009

Cash in On That Beginner's Luck

I realize that not everyone loves to start from the beginning.  But on the contrary, I absolutely LOVE trying new things!  Maybe it’s my inherent curiosity or my low tolerance for sameness and routine or my grandmother’s advice to me as a kid “to always learn something new” but I’m addicted to being a novice.  It has taken me from belly dancing to sky diving and from pilates and yoga to zumba and inline skating.  I’ll almost try anything at least once.  There are others however, who cringe when I invite them to try it for themselves for sameness breeds familiarity and comfort.  In contrast, trying something new can bring up unconscious fears like the fear of humiliating one’s self or the fear of not being good at something.  So here’s a few tips on how to lay those fears at rest for those of you contemplating starting a new career or just a new hobby.

1) Learn to laugh at yourself!  When I tried belly dancing for the first time, I was nervous especially since we had to bare all and expose something I’d rather keep hidden, my belly.  All that nervousness transformed into giggles, however, when I stopped taking myself so seriously and had a good laugh at myself in the mirror.  It not only helped relieve some of my nervousness and fears, but it also worked my abs and reminded me that no matter what I was doing, the most important thing was that I had a good time doing it!

2) Ask questions.  When you’re trying to learn something new, it’s important to ask a lot of questions.  It’s a great way to get to know the subject as well as get to know other people. 

3) Take advantage of being a beginner.  The great thing about being a beginner is that people won’t expect you to be great at it.  This means whether you’re starting a new job or learning how to skate, it’s totally okay for you to “mess up.”  People will expect you to fall so don’t be so hung up about being perfect.  I really think that this is the best time to learn how to make mistakes and learn from them.

4) See life through the eyes of a child.  Remember the kind of awe you used to feel when you tried something new?  Well you can experience it again as an adult.  While you’re experiencing that new hobby, try to let yourself go and remember what it was like when you were an extremely curious kid exploring the world.

5) Don’t be so hard on yourself.  This means don’t compare yourself with others.  I’ve noticed how newbies react when they join a new exercise class for the first time.  There’s fear in their eyes.  I’ve also been through this several times.  You often feel like the world is watching your every move.  What I’ve learned is that no one cares about what you’re doing cause they are too busy with themselves.  So don’t be so hard on yourself.  You’ll eventually pick up the steps but we all start from somewhere.

6) Baby steps!  If you’ve spent most of your life eating the same things, going to the same places and avoiding anything and everything that’s new, you might want to start off small. Maybe you might try eating at an ethnic restaurant or taking a class with a friend, that way the experience won’t seem too overwhelming.  Start off small and with time you’ll be a novice expert like me!

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May 26th, 2009

Befriend Envy

Jealousy can be a hard pill to swallow.  It makes our stomachs turn, our hearts beat and gives us an overall bad feeling about ourselves.  When other people do well, we shouldn’t be envious or should we?

I’d say the best way to deal with feelings of jealousy is to embrace it.  That may sound odd but being envious is actually a good indicator of what may be missing in your life.  I use it as a barometer for what goals I need to work on and what’s important to me.  

Try it.  The interesting thing about envy is that you won’t have the same reaction to everyone and everything.  Pay attention to what it is that’s making you envious and you’ll get a good clue about what you need to focus on for yourself.  For example, your next door neighbor’s good news about being promoted might not do anything for you but hearing your co-worker just ran a marathon might get your jealous juices flowing.  That’s also good news for you because it may push unconscious desires to the surface where you can work on obtaining them.  So the next time you start to look a little “green with envy,” don’t try to wash those feelings away.  Instead, stop, take inventory, and go out and grab those things you desire for yourself!

May 23rd, 2009

Synchronicity

Synchronicity is kind of like a God wink. It’s what happens when meaningful but unrelated events randomly come together (Wikipedia).  I’m all too familiar with the term since it’s occurred quite often in my life.  Several years ago, for example, while I was going through a particularly difficult time, the rain brought me to an old musty bookstore.  Here’s a passage from a 2004 blog entry I wrote about the event:

1) I am grateful for old bookstores on a rainy day. Walked into one and was looking for some message or sign. I went directly to the religion section and found nothing. Walk toward psychology/self-help, mystery, no clues. Headed out towards the exit and stopped to see “Daily spiritual thoughts.” The cover was unbound and torn. The middle pages looked like they were burnt. I turned to February 21. It said patience. Patience and appreciation that like nature everything comes in due time. Flowers start from the seed in the soil, it takes several days and months before they unfold and bloom into a flower. How can we expect life to hurry because we want to find out the answers? In times of distress, be patient and trust like the seed to the flower, with love and patience, our answers will unfold and develop in time.

May 22nd, 2009

God Wink or Guy Wink?

I don’t know if this is more about signs or that I have a thoughtful husband.  Maybe it’s a little bit of both.  Anyhow, today while I was humdrumming at work, my hubby sent me an email with a photo taken from his iPhone.  I have to admit that it took me several looks to get it, but I finally realized just what it was.  While on his lunch break, he randomly saw a sign that read “Not Too Shabby,” the same title as my sister blog and decided to send it to me.  It lifted my spirits, was great confirmation for what I was doing and oh so sweet.  What do you guys think?  God wink or guy wink?

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May 21st, 2009

Positively Positive

I used to think that you either were or weren’t a positive person. (Spoken like a true pessimist!) But, after reading an email newsletter sent from Beliefnet.com and written by Chris Widener, I realized that anyone can transform negative thinking by focusing on positive thoughts. And in light of the stress and worries brought on my today’s economy, I thought we could certainly use a bit of positivity.  

Widener’s article discussed ways to redirect negativity by focusing on solutions instead of problems and by “keeping your eye on the goal.”  What a simple yet somewhat daunting task.  It’s easy to get sucked in to the way we wish things were instead of how they really are.  Common reactions, “Why me?  This couldn’t/shouldn’t have happened.”  But it’s often that resistance that breeds more negativity.  Instead, remember this moment because you might be grateful for that challenge one day.  Learning to focus our attention on what we can do now to get through it, will help make that day come sooner.

So what do you do to stay positive when life is making it hard to do so?  Some use prayer or meditation, listen to happy music, take a walk, talk with friends or spend moments thinking about what they are grateful for.  Watching Oprah always lifts me up and I also read positive quotes and inspirational stories in books and on websites to keep my positive meter running high.  Either way, I’d say, have fun and do all of them.  After all, life is short, why not choose to be positively positive!

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May 19th, 2009

See Your Life Unfold Like a Movie

Maybe I haven’t entirely let go of my favorite TV show Scrubs yet, because today I thought about another poignant piece featured in the last episode.  J.D. was watching his life as if it were a movie.  Specifically, imagining all the amazing possibilities his future could bring like getting married, having more kids, and making memories with his closest friends.  That image gave me goose bumps not because I was vicariously living through his character, but because it hit close to home.  

It got me thinking about the importance of dreaming and visualizing fantasies of our own future.  Obviously, no ones life turns out exactly the way we want them to be (unless you’re psychic), but it’s dreaming that helps motivate us and leads us to our goals.  

The best part?  You’re totally free to be the producer of your own movie without the fear of being judged or criticized for what you want. That means in my dreams, I can be a successful Carrie Bradshaw wannabe making enough money to buy tons of clothes not to mention shoes and enough time to hang out with my friends on a daily basis and still come up with witty, intelligent copy on a daily basis.  Aw, to dream.  It may not automatically make me a star but it’ll surely give me the chance to be the star in my own future movie.  And that kind of reaction, well that can inspire real dreams to unfold gradually.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=War9m52LrV4&hl=en&fs=1]

May 19th, 2009

Endings Breed New Beginnings

1 fort mason at night 003The last episode of one of my favorite TV shows “Scrubs” came to its final end recently.  I was oh so sad to see this comedy show say its good-byes and it was a reminder to me about how hard it is to let things go.  And it doesn’t have to be the big goodbyes that are the hardest. Whether we are saying goodbye to a TV show or a friend, ends are hard because it is an awakening of consciousness that life is short with its own inevitable finale.  Some of us avoid ends like the plague by resorting to isolation, not connecting with others, or just by resisting change. I know I’ve been guilty of all three at least once in my life.  So how do we learn to accept endings in the most graceful, beneficial way possible?  By first grieving the lost of whatever that end brings.  Whether it is a saying goodbye to your single self or to your married one, it’s important to fully respect what that ending means to you and represents in your life.  The main thing to know is that change will come no matter how hard we try to avoid it.  But when we can have the courage to accept it, that’s when we gain the most benefit for ourselves and for others.  

The best thing about endings?  There’s always a new beginning around the corner.  Saying goodbye to your older self, means that there is a new you waiting to bloom.  And isn’t that what self-growth is all about?  Facing the tough growing pains in order to be a stronger, more authentic you?  Though no one voluntarily wants to feel pain, it’s comforting to know that through dealing with it, there is a beautiful light at the dark end of the tunnel.  And it’s called hope.  Hope for being a better, stronger, more compassionate and authentic you.  It’s a lot like the quote by Robertson Davies that I received today from Beliefnet.com,

“Extraordinary people survive under the most terrible circumstances and they become more extraordinary because of it.”

May 16th, 2009

Faith Keeps One Foot in Front of the Other

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I had a lightbulb moment when I realized that ALL people regardless of social status and class, go through moments of uncertainty.  

Though it’s easy to get lost in the familiar tunes of “woe is me,” it also doesn’t really suit your cause.  If your cause is to fulfill your dreams.  I just got this a few days ago as I was typing away thinking about how that BIG space in front of me that points to my future was still empty and I still didn’t understand how I would get from where I was standing to where I wanted to be.  I started to fantasize about all of the successful people in my life and the ones on TV and thought about how they were so lucky that they had life figured out and didn’t need to think about these things like me.  And then it hit me!  They still had challenges like everyone else but maybe that mountain in front of them is that much bigger because they had already climbed all those bunny slopes before then.  What a wake up call that was.  

I thought about Oprah’s story the one that she tells of not knowing whether she could make it on TV and the funny moment when she pronounced Canada CON-YA-DA and started laughing live on camera.  That’s when they put her on a morning talking show and in an instance she knew that that’s what she was meant to do.  It reminds me a lot of hiking.  When you see that mountain up ahead, sometimes it’s hard to struggle and put in the effort especially when there are days you doubt whether you’ll make it.  But I realized that all you need to do when your in moments of self-doubt and uncertainty, is do what Finding Nemo’s Dory says, “Just keep swimming…” and somehow that blank empty space in front of you will transform into steps, tiny at first, but then it’ll become clearer and more certain and soon you’ll be there-right at your goal!

May 11th, 2009

Riding the Roller Coaster of Life

DSC04751I was off on another mini adventure this weekend, and this time it was with my favorite mouse.  Yes me and the hubs headed to one of our favorite destinations, Disneyland, for the upteenth time.  Though we had tons of fun riding my all time faves like Pirates and Big Thunder, it was a different kind of magic that befell me and that inspires me to write this entry.

It all starts with my love of roller coasters.  Let’s just say though I can’t get enough of them, they scare me to death.  Even though I’ve ridden Matterhorn and Big Thunder Mountain a hundred times, I always get stricken with fear right before I get on.  My husband thinks it’s funny that, for example, I always look down when approaching the gigantic mechanical snake in Indiana Jones because I’m too scared to look at it, or that I get so nervous before any ride even though I’ve been on it a thousand times.  But here’s what’s so magical about it.  I realized that these “rides” were symbolic of CHANGE in my life.  Right before I get on, there’s a lot of waiting which leaves time for anticipation.  And questions such as, “Can I handle this?  What if I don’t like it?” make my palms sweat and my heart beat faster.  I start to question whether or not I’m prepared for it.  Then, I began to doubt myself.  Wouldn’t it be easier, for example, if I just stuck with something safe like, “It’s a Small World”?  Sure, it may be a big bore, but at least I know what I’m in for.  Yet, though there are enough excuses not to try, there’s only one reason why you should.  Because life isn’t supposed to be about predictability and safety.  Life is about living.  It is hard and it is challenging but it is meant to be fully lived.

And so in the end, I always take the plunge.  Although I’m afraid of the challenge, I can’t risk what I’d be missing.  And the result?  Well it’s a lot like life.  You feel the fear and adrenaline as you climb, but when you let go and move with the flow, it produces the most awesome kind of ride.  The kind where you feel alive.  While I was racing through the dark in sharp turns and unexpected dips, I screamed until my voice was hoarse but I was laughing at the same time, and I realized that this joy I was experiencing was not just the magic of Disney’s Magic Kingdom but that it was also about that magical little gift that we call life.

May 7th, 2009

A Wink in the Right Direction

I first began tracking my “signs” when I read a book called When GOD Winks on Love: Let the Power of Coincidence Lead You to Love by SQuire Rushnell.  It was a tiny little book with a BIG message!  It’s all about observing signs from God which Rushness calls a “wink” that tells you when you’re heading in the right direction.  I actually began taking notice of these signs as far back as 2004 and notated everything from having a water bottle almost hit me on the head when I was extremely thirsty to finding a Masters program in a topic I was interested in while perusing a newspaper.  Five years later, I’ll admit that I haven’t really been dedicated to my search for signs.  That’s why when I had a “Godwink” moment today, I couldn’t wait to share it here.

Recently, I’ve been feeling the effects of modern day busyness.  I often feel like my body can’t quite catch up with my mind.  And the end result?  I get sick and need to take time off to recuperate.  And I know I’m not the only one.  Lot of women feel the pressures to “have it all”: great relationship, successful career, perfect family life.  And as Cher would say in my favorite 90’s movie Clueless, “As if!”  

Recently, I wondered how I was going to continue to work full-time, exercise, write new articles and keep up with two of my blogs.  Then, I got it!  Literally.  I got the answer to my prayers in a package that came from Amazon.com that I wasn’t expecting.  And the title?  The Life Organizer: A Woman’s Guide to a Mindful Year.  The book is all about how to obtain your dreams and written for the busy woman.  I know I must have ordered it, but I honestly don’t remember doing so.  All I know is that I’m grateful to have received the right book at the right time in a Godwink and am SO looking forward to receiving more!