Little Irritants Aren't About Me

One of the hardest things to remember when we're stressed or frustrated, is that things didn't suddenly conspire to increase our angst.  It's often the way I'm viewing the circumstances that make it seem that way.  Some interesting things to rationally consider when we're very calm and controlled:

• traffic lights don't randomly turn red when a given car appears
• the trains that block traffic on Westheimer, San Felipe and Richmond travel on their schedule, not ours
• processing cut-off and pick-up times are uniformly applied
• expiration dates are set well in advance of our intent to use an item or service
• the "change password gremlins" have a preset timeline independent of our important deadlines
• adult proof packaging is intended to protect our children, not preclude us from accessing products
• airlines don't intentionally delay flights
• the copier and printer have a preset number of pages a cartridge will produce
• retail stores have established times for opening and closing
• many professional service providers tend to keep the same business hours that we do - so that very early or late appointment that would be ideal for us isn't an option
• Daylight Savings Time isn't optional
• the change in the postal rate was universal and every conceivable stamp denomination is not available (remember this if you receive snail mail from me with three stamps - 32 cent,  10 cent and 4 cent)
• the office doesn't have a mother-in-charge, we all are expected to be responsible adults
• the person declaring urgency or importance doesn't always have sway with the person assessing the situation
• there is no organizational mandate to have only one cashier

The list, is of course, endless.  Which minor irritants challenge you to remember "it's not all about me"/

What Does it Take?

One of the best, most painful lessons I learned happened in fourth grade.  My very capable and experienced teacher told me that if I did X I'd get an A. I did X and she gave me a B. I felt like a failure (my first B) and knew that I'd been betrayed.  After many tears and Mama's conversation with my teacher, we discovered that she thought (knew) I could do more.  She was correct.  I could have done more.  However, I did what I thought it took to succeed (make an A). 

Since 4th grade, I've always known that doing our best is all that ultimately matters.

Though my situation worked out fine (I graduated second in my class), it could have played out differently. 

We need to be clear in our expectations and the resulting rewards.  And we owe it to all involved to discuss what actions/changes might improve results. 

11 Things to Know

1. How to Connect with People
2. Healthy Habits - Eat, Sleep, Exercise, Stress Control
3. What Makes Us Happy
4. Who and What Matters
5. Personal Definition of Success
6. How We Want to Be Remembered
7. What Makes Us Laugh
8. How We Can Make a Difference
9. What We Believe
10. How to Express Caring, Gratitude and Recognition
11. How to Apologize

Get Up and Write It Down!

Too many sleepless nights...

I finally realized that getting up and writing down all the thoughts that were invading my sleep was time well spent.

It's hard to accept that hopping out of a cozy, but sleepless bed, will yield short-term results.

Each time I've fought the urge to toss and turn in my comfy bed and write it all down, I've ended the night refreshed, rested and with a comprehensive to-do list in the morning.

Just get up and write it down!