They're *All* Positive, In Some Way

Both so-called "positive" and "negative" events and circumstances of our lives serve us well.  Each brings us greater clarity about how we want the rest of our lives to be lived--which experiences we will welcome back with open arms and which we learned enough from the first time.

On Fearlessness

Once and for all, I have learned that looking my fear squarely in the face is a highly effective way of dissolving its power over me.  Now I'm off to go convert some mountains back into molehills...

More of a Good Thing

Feel-good exercise for the day: Think of the person you know who makes you laugh the most.  If s/he is local (or even if not!), text, call, email, Facebook message...whatever it takes, set a date to see her/him soon and more often going forward!  We can all use more laughter in our lives :)

Gratitude

If any among us can't--right off the top of our heads--think of 25 things in our lives for which we are grateful, we're not thinking small enough.  After all, it is the everyday sprinklings of *little* joys, punctuated by the big events and circumstances, that combine to make a happy life (...23. Those lid stoppers they invented to keep the coffee from spilling, . 24. Quick-drying nail polish, 25. Blooper reels!...) 

Inviting Truth

If we have a burning question we feel the need to ask (of ourselves or another in our lives), we should say a prayer for the gift of illumination, summon our courage, take a deep breath, and ask it.  Even if the answer is one we didn't think or know we were ready to hear, and even if it requires us to take action we didn't think or know we were ready to take, our lives will be richer for having been lived in truth.

Helpful Criticism

When we put something of our own creation out into the world, we always invite the possibility of being criticized.  This should not be a deterrent.  Anybody who takes the time to criticize what we've created has been touched by it on some level.  If we take the time to consider the criticism and find that we disagree, we are no worse off for it.  If we examine it and find it has merit, it will help us create something even better the next time around.

The Energy We Bring

We all have instant reactions to seeing the people we know.  Sometimes, people who we know to drain our energy or constantly bring negativity into the room can cause us to feel unhappy or to withdraw the instant we see them.

Being aware of this, we can choose to be people who cause others to feel joy at the sight of us instead.  We are not responsible for people's reactions to us, but the choice to be the kind of people who drain energy or who infuse it is ours alone.

Unstuck

Life will take a little breather with us, yes, while we figure and sort stuff out, but it won't wait long. Life is always moving forward, and we're each moving one day closer to our respective ends. My hope for all of us is that we can get to that end without regrets (at least without major ones). Or, as it was put so well in Shawshank Redemption: "I guess it comes down to a simple choice: get busy living, or get busy dying." Happy Monday, y'all. I hope you're feeling very much alive :)