Thought For Today - September
 

Workout Meditation

Ever thought about adding meditation to your exercise or workout routine? Try it, it might just increase your concentration, discipline and enjoyment.

- Meditate before a workout. Breathe slowly, breathe deeply and relax all the muscles in your body.
- Meditate while exercising. Be attentive to what you are doing and be aware of how the body feels.
- Meditate after a workout. Slow down, cool down, just sit for a bit and rest your mind and body.

Bleak to Bright When things look bleak, bring back hope. How? Find a bright spot in the bleak situation. When you feel brighter, you’ll bring back hope. Hope doesn’t sit around ‘hoping for the best’. Hope is clear eyed, it allows you to recognize opportunities, as well as what's needed to overcome the bleak situation. Shift from bleak to bright. Feel hopeful and have hope for a brighter future.

September 3

Nurture, Not Neglect

Are you neglecting yourself, your health or your personal development? Neglect yourself and over time this affects your mental, emotional and physical well-being. Now neglect doesn't happen overnight. It usually starts with small things and gradually expands into several other areas.

Come on, stop neglecting and start nurturing. Because whatever you nurture, thrives. So give yourself a high priority, nurture yourself and the benefits will spill over into all areas of your life.

September 4

Turn Rejection into Direction

No-one likes being rejected, whether it’s in matters of the heart, work or life. But it does happen. Rather than feel frustrated because things aren't going in the direction you want it to go, accept. Then work out a) what went wrong, b) what to do better for the next time, and c) if what you want, is not what's best for you.

Take your lessons from the rejection, and turn them into stepping stones towards a direction that’s right for you.

The Best Advice You Ever Received

What's the best advice you've ever received? Here's another question: why do we so often and so easily turn to others for advice? The best person to take advice from is yourself. You know yourself and your situation the best, and only you know what's best for you. So, take your own advice.

Of course, it's good to ask others for advice, to get a second opinion, a fresh perspective. So, take advice from others but take your own advice first. And here’s some more advice, before you give advice to others, it's best to follow your own advice.

Get Curious, Not Furious

Do you ever get furious? Get furious and you're only adding fuel to the fire. So, calm your fury and try this alternative instead, get curious.

Get curious about a) your feelings and reactions, b) other people's opinions and behavior, and c) the positive possibilities in the situation. You'll find that curious works way better than furious.

Like a Pendulum

Sometimes life is exciting, sometimes mundane, sometimes we feel mad, sometimes sad. Like a pendulum, we swing from one side to the other, back and forth, left to right, right to left. This can drain our energy.

Like a pendulum, return to the center of your being and bring everything to stillness. This brings neutrality and balance, renewing your energy so that you're ready to start again.

Your Financial Priorities

Are you clear on your financial priorities? Well, just as we're wise about how and where we spend our time and energy, in the same way, it's all about making wiser choices on how and where we spend our money.

So, clarify your financial priorities and rethink your spending habits. The purpose is not to cut out the fun or reduce your happiness levels but to spend money on the things that matter most to you and make the best use of your money.

A Low Self-Esteem Day

There are days when we wake up feeling not so good about ourselves. So if you’re having a low self-esteem day, how do you get through it?

Embrace how you feel and remind yourself, it's not permanent, it will pass. Then do something you've been putting off, or do something you're good at, and most likely you'll feel good about yourself.

Something else you can do is affirm, "I love and accept myself completely". Whether you believe it or not, affirm it again and again. Do this in your morning routine and most likely you'll boost your self-esteem.

September 10

Uncomfortable, Unknown, Unfamiliar

Have you outgrown the known? Are you feeling stagnant in your comfort zone? No longer enjoying the familiar?

How about, venturing into the uncomfortable, unknown and unfamiliar? Even if it feels a bit bewildering and daunting, try to embrace the uncomfortable, get curious about the unknown, discover the familiar in the unfamiliar, and you'll most likely expand your capacity and potential.

September 11

Pockets of Silence

Noise. It’s everywhere. But you can still bring pockets of silence into your noisy world. How? Well, you don't have to escape the noise or enforce silence. Silence is within us, it's in our soul. So we can feel and experience the silence within, even in the midst of noise, in the stressful work environment, in a loud coffee shop, or on the crowded streets.

Simply bring pockets of silence into your world. And as result, you'll increase your self awareness and focus, create space for solutions and aha moments, and enjoy the sounds in the noise.

Back to School Everyday

All the kids are back in school. Now, did you realize that we too go back to school everyday? Life is a school and there's always something more to learn.

What are your essentials for the school that is life? An open mind, a balance of work and play, punctuality.... A pencil to make a positive mark, a sharpener to sharpen your attitude and skills, a highlighter to emphasize what's inspiring or interesting....

Are you ready to go back to school everyday?

Embarrassing Moments

Ever had an embarrassing moment? Who hasn’t! Was it embarrassing because there were other people around? Have you had a similar moment when you were alone and embarrassment was nowhere to be seen?

Most often, we feel embarrassed because we feel self-conscious. We're too conscious of what people might be thinking of us. But for all we know, they didn't even notice our embarrassing moment. And even if they did, people don’t think about us as much as we think they do.

Next time you have an embarrassing moment, try and be a little less self-conscious. Find your humor, embrace embarrassment and try and laugh it off.

"I'm So Busy"

"I’m so busy." "Busy" is our default reply for just about everything.... for not responding to a text or email, for not making time for friends or things we enjoy.... And because "busy" is easily accepted and often respected, "busy" is an easy way to avoid or get out of doing things.

The thing is, we're all busy, and so what we're really saying when we say "I'm so busy," is that we're not good at managing time and priorities. So how about avoiding saying "I'm so busy," and finding a better, more honest reply instead.

Mind as a River

Whenever you get stuck in your mind, stuck in problems and worries, think of the mind as a river, and all your problems and worries as boulders and debris in the river.

Then put your attention onto the flow of the river, and you'll naturally get unstuck and flow around and over the problems and worries. Stay in the flow and you'll soon find the solutions.

Whenever you want, let the flow of the river become still, let the mind be still, and you'll soon be on your way, flowing forward, enjoying new landscapes.

Feeling Sorry

When people are going through challenging times, do you feel sorry for them? Feeling sorry may be well intentioned but, is it positive, helpful, empowering?

Could you come up with a more constructive alternative than ‘feeling sorry’? You could keep your feelings positive and compassionate. Then, if and when you do reach out, your help will empower the other person, the situation and yourself.

September 17

Thought About Contentment

Have you recently thought about contentment? Here's a thought: Contentment doesn't mean no drive, no goals. It's not a bland acceptance of life.

Contentment means having your eye on the goal, having the drive to go for what you want, but at the same time, there's a happy acceptance of everything.

September 18

Check In, Not Check Up

Are you good at regularly checking in with people? With family, friends and people at work?

Check in with people and find out what's happening and how things are going. Check in, not check-up. Checking up doesn't instil trust or create a good feeling. Whereas checking in, is less intrusive and pushy, more positive and friendly. It allows you to stay in the loop and on top of things, as well as make people feel valued and sustain relationships.

Your Biggest Opponent Is....

Did you realize that your biggest opponent is always with you? Who? Your ego! Ego desires recognition and control, interferes with performance and learning, likes to impress and boast, gets upset and defensive. Ego gets in the way of your success, relationships and personal growth.

Did you realize that your biggest ally is also always with you? Who? Your humility! Humility puts others first without putting the self down. Humility values the self, as well as others, and understands that no one's better than another.

So embrace humility as best you can, and keep your ego in check.

Small, Simple Daily Habits

Are there any small, simple habits you really want to incorporate into your daily routine? Try this:
- Choose 3 small, simple habits, stack them together, and hook them onto something that is already part of your routine.
- You can do them in 15 minutes (5 minutes each) or in 30 minutes (10 minutes each), depending on your time and energy.

Expanding Your Gratitude

Gratitude not only stops you from taking things for granted, but it also just feels good. We can express gratitude for anything to everything. But often we overlook all those modern conveniences that make life easier and more convenient, and maybe even better.

Today, how about expanding your gratitude to include all your favorite modern conveniences - from escalators and lifts, cars and trains, to internet shopping and food delivery…. What are you grateful for?

Just Not Creative

Do you believe that you're not creative? Well, we may not all be creative geniuses, and some of us may be more creative than others, but we all have the capacity and the potential to be creative.

Even if you really believe, "I am not creative," try and be creative in what you do. Give "I am creative" a chance and you may end up becoming more creative.

So come on, believe you are creative and take your creativity with you, from the workplace to the kitchen.

Building Bridges

We probably all have a relationship in our lives that needs some bridge building. It’s good to remember that bridges are not built in a day, they require time and effort.

Put effort into the way you connect and communicate, and step-by-step build a strong and stable structure for your relationships. Build bridges and open up new opportunities and possibilities.

September 24

Try Kindness

When you're feeling under pressure, you may find that kindness helps. How? When you're being kind, you'll find that the act of kindness takes a moment, whether it's picking up something someone dropped, lending a pen to someone or smiling at someone. In that moment, you're slowing down for a positive interaction and this reduces the feeling of pressure.

September 25

Life's Tall Orders

Every so often, life presents us with a tall order - a situation that seems so difficult & one that occupies our mind so completely that we just can't see over or around it.

Next time you come across one of life's tall orders, try to either: a) rise above it & take a bird's eye view, or, b) stand back & view it from a distance.

From either of these viewpoints you can look at the bigger picture, get a better perspective & see how to overcome the tall order & move forward in life.

As Autumn Begins

As autumn begins and the leaves start to change into radiant colors, radiate your colors, your qualities into the world. And as the leaves fall off the trees, let go of all that is no longer essential. And as the trees become bare, return to what is essential, what really matters.

Radiate your colors, let go and return to what really matters.

Your Most Productive Times

Do you know the times in the day when you're at your most productive - the times when your focus is at its best?

Know your most productive times of the day, and if possible, schedule tasks accordingly. For example, schedule the challenging or the most important tasks when your focus is at its best, and routine tasks when it’s at a low. Do this and you'll most likely be even more productive.

The Sting of Rejection

When rejection happens, whether it’s in matters of the heart, work or in life, it usually stings our self-esteem.

To soothe the sting of rejection:
- Accept the rejection and understand that it's rarely personal.
- Appreciate that you were brave enough to put yourself out there.
- Acknowledge and process all the emotions rejection brings up.
- Affirm your value and boost your self-worth.

Finally, learn from what went wrong and even when you don't understand why you were rejected, find something positive to takeaway from the rejection.

The Traffic in Your Mind

How often do you find your thoughts racing and speeding through the mind, creating chaos and traffic jams? How about creating a traffic control system for the mind?

Stop for a minute. Observe the traffic in your mind. Slow the racing thoughts. Calm any chaotic thoughts. Redirect negative thoughts to a positive direction. Steer unnecessary thoughts off the road, out of the mind. Park aside important thoughts and come back to them later. Clear the traffic in your mind and get everything moving and flowing.

You can set up a reminder on your phone to signal you to stop, and integrate these stops into your day, as many times as you like.

A Little Extra Effort

Life's so busy, and it's all too easy to focus on only getting things done. But no matter how busy we are, it's good to make a little extra effort to connect with the people in our lives.

It can be something as easy as sharing a joke, a laugh, a smile, or getting together for a meal, a walk, a coffee.... Being fully present and making the effort to connect with the people in our lives, enhances our relationships.