It's been cold and windy in North Dakota for three days. All that time it's been cold in our office, and we've been shivering while we worked. I've been muttering and blaming the weather for our discomfort.
Now the wind has stopped and it's still cold in our office! Clearly, we have an equipment malfunction, and I just now called to have a repair person check it out. If I had called on Monday, we'd be warm by now.
In our lives, it's easy to blame people or circumstances for our problems. A family member, the weather, or God take the brunt of our discontent. Then we discover that no one is to blame, there's just some adjustment that needs to be made. As long as we're in blame mode, we ignore or avoid actions which would actually make our lives better. When we set aside blame (and the muttering that accompanies it!) we can take action and see improvement.
It's good to ask ourselves from time to time what situations are being held back by blame. Then we can turn blame off and start addressing the real causes of our discomfort. Then things can get better!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
New Beginnings
Every January I find myself writing about new beginnings. The turning of a year helps us all think about fresh starts and resolutions for improvements in our lives.
Here it is October and the middle of fall - not really the beginning of much of anything and close to the end of a year. But today is still a day for new beginnings. Today I can do what I've put off for weeks. Today I can focus on that decision I've been postponing. Today I can choose to see life with new eyes and new energy.
All it takes to make a new beginning is one deep breath and a resolve to make a fresh start. Think a positive thought. Look on the bright side. Find one thing to be grateful about, even if it's a small thing. Smile and your world shifts in that simple action.
Then get busy and do what you've been putting off. Not the whole list, but just one part. Take a walk around the block. Write an email to a friend. Clean out a drawer.
Small shifts in attitude and simple actions are the beginning of a new way of living, and they are always possible for you today.
Here it is October and the middle of fall - not really the beginning of much of anything and close to the end of a year. But today is still a day for new beginnings. Today I can do what I've put off for weeks. Today I can focus on that decision I've been postponing. Today I can choose to see life with new eyes and new energy.
All it takes to make a new beginning is one deep breath and a resolve to make a fresh start. Think a positive thought. Look on the bright side. Find one thing to be grateful about, even if it's a small thing. Smile and your world shifts in that simple action.
Then get busy and do what you've been putting off. Not the whole list, but just one part. Take a walk around the block. Write an email to a friend. Clean out a drawer.
Small shifts in attitude and simple actions are the beginning of a new way of living, and they are always possible for you today.
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