Saying Thank You

By a show of hands, who has forgotten to do this in a day?  I mean, really saying thank you to someone for something they did for you.  I'm sure we all have forgotten this. Yet this simple little act of stating these two words can really impact someone's day.  It is all too easy to forget to do, but imagine lifting someone's life up in a moment by saying thank you.

I know, we get busy and we don't stop and think to do something such as this.  I get in that same boat as well.  Yet, I'm sure that if you are like I am and most other people, you like to hear these words from time to time.  They make you feel appreciated and wanted and cherished.  The same applies to those around us that impact our day.  They are just like we are when it comes to needing to hear how their life positively impacted our life.

It is really simple to do and of course we know that.  However, we just fail to stop and connect in those moments where we need to be saying thank you.  We might have to remind ourselves at times of how it impacts our life and then apply that to others around us.

You Do Unto Yourself

We've all heard the statement, what you do unto others, you do unto yourself. It's been passed around from person to person, through email, across facebook, twitter and many other places. It is a nice statement that we all love to hear. Yet, does it really mean anything to us?

Take for instance if you read comments on an article in the newspaper. If you read those, most of the time, they turn pretty mean spirited or nasty. I cringe at some of the things that get said on there and then I can't help but think of what we do unto others, we do unto our self. Of course, if you're not one that comments and this doesn't apply to you, read on.

How about the curt word that you give to someone on the phone, in the office or on the street that you may or may not know. Maybe it is some employee in a store or a restaurant that you demand something from or a driver you disagree with on the road. Maybe the scowl or angry stare that you offer to everyone around you. Just consider once again, that what you do unto others, you do unto your self.

Let's take this in a different direction for a moment. How about the healer that attempts to heal the client when their own fears are masking the true nature of the situation. Yet, the healer has decided not to evolve in awareness of how their own fear impacts the work they do on others. Again, let us consider what we do unto others, we also do unto ourselves.

I could continue with many examples of this that we all encounter in every day of our life. Of course, we can choose to act as if the pretty statement that is repeated many times over is our mantra rather than the way we live our life. I'm not talking about each of us being perfect in all that we do. What I am stressing here is that we truly own up to that which we do in our day to others instead of living in an oblivious state to how we truly are impacting others and our self.


Further Reading:
1) Needing To Be Right (Blog Post 2/20/2011)
2) Mindful Words (Blog Post 2/2/2011)




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Blog Post & Images (c) 7/16/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
http://www.donshetterly.com

If any part of this post is used or shared, a link back to this site is required.
http://mindbodythoughts.blogspot.com/
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Movie Review: I AM

I had the opportunity to see the documentary film created by Tom Shadyac. While you may not know his name, you most likely have seen or heard about some of the movies he has produced. These movies include Bruce Almighty, The Nutty Professor, and Ace Ventura.

Tom's life was going great with successful movies, beautiful homes and a life most would be envious. After a serious bicycle accident, Tom woke up to the feeling that life was so much more. In fact, he felt he was more of the problem than the solution.

Tom and a small crew set out on a quest to answer "what's wrong with this world?" and "what can we do about it?" In the process, Tom learned so much about his life and what is actually right with this world.

There were so many good parts to this movie and it really does challenge you as a human being. Example after example was used that demonstrated in a clear way, just what our life and our world is all about. It isn't just a bunch of new age mumbo jumbo but concepts that stretch us outside of our normal thought limits.

The point that I really liked the most (and that I can remember as I'm writing this), is that life isn't so much about us changing others in the world, as it changing our self which in turn will change the world. It is more about what we do to help enlighten our mind, our body and our path, which in turn will have dramatic effects on the rest of the world.

However, don't just take my word for this! Check out the website and the movie to see how this film impacts your own life. We are much more than we currently are or we currently understand.

Just an additional note that I'll share with you. I was so intrigued by the work of the Heart Math Institute, the effect of world events on the random number generators and the example of how we can impact something as simplistic as yogurt!

Website: I AM - The Documentary

YouTube: Video Preview

Theaters: Locations



To Purchase the Movie on Amazon (click here)



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blog Post & Images (c) 6/20/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
http://www.donshetterly.com

If any part of this post is used or shared, a link back to this site is required.
http://mindbodythoughts.blogspot.com/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Our Screaming And Yelling Affects Others

People, who scream and fight and argue, really cause me a lot of distress. It gets to me quickly and it leaves me feeling very agitated. Finding the silence of peace and calmness in our communities seems to be as rare as winning the lottery.

Sometimes in the morning when I am sitting out by my pool for my morning meditation, I can hear the neighbors screaming at the kids they are watching. In fact, as I am writing this, I can hear them scream and a car alarm buzzer is going off in the background. These things disrupt my quest for peace and calmness in the morning. I'd much rather hear the birds singing any day than listen to the noise from the neighbors.

Another example is watching TV. Even shows like America's Got Talent where Piers Morgan likes to argue with the other judges is something that really gets to me. His name calling, lack of respect and extremely critical persona make me very sad for whoever it is on the receiving end. While I do realize this is reality and drama TV, it affects people more than we sometimes want to accept.

Even on the new season of the Apprentice (with the unemployed contestants), the constant bickering and screaming made me feel on edge. I felt like a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. I could even feel my arms, shoulders and back tense up during this show.

When I was a kid, there was a show called "I Love Lucy" or I believe that was the name of it. Supposedly my parents would not let me watch it because the show would upset me and make me angry. Again, it was the screaming and yelling on the show that got to me.

All my life, I have struggled with this. I grew up in a home where my father constantly yelled, screamed and berated everyone around him. There was no pleasing the man! It doesn't take much either to affect me these days. There are times that someone talking fast, nonstop and loud is very difficult for me to be around.

The unusual thing is that as much as this bothers me, I found my own self doing the same thing. Only I don't berate the ones I love and I don't yell at them. I would never do that. The thing I do is scream and yell out of frustration at the little things in life. Sometimes I have very little patience or understanding for myself. Sometimes I demand perfection of myself while not forgiving any mistakes I make or could potentially make. I am very hard on myself. In fact, I am much harder on myself than I am on anyone else.

I had one of those wake up moments in life where I realized that my own personal outbursts were affecting those around me. From my relationship to my cats, everyone was on edge wondering when I would erupt. They never knew when the slightest little task as innocent as it could be would frustrate me and set me off. This was a big eye opener for me which made me take stock of my life.

I'm sure not perfect in this area of my life but I have really been working on it. I hate to think that something I'm doing brings tension to those around me. I know what it is like to grow up in a house of screaming and yelling.

Being a highly sensitive person, I know just how intense moments around me can impact my mind and my body in dramatic ways. I've worked to minimize some of those and to give myself moments of quiet in my day. I've stopped watching the news commentators on TV because so much of what they say comes from anger. It really just agitates the mind, especially my mind. For me, I see too many people screaming and yelling in life. It is too much for me to take most days.

There are many things we do in our own lives that strongly impact the lives of those around us. Often we don't realize just what these things do to others. We may realize that it is something we struggle with but we may not be fully aware of what we are forcing others to live through. We really need to be aware of this or at least be open to hearing from others how our behavior impacts them. Of course, we cannot go through life trying to be everything to all people.

I do realize that I am a highly sensitive person and that I am impacted stronger by things than most people. While I give myself moments of silence, I try to keep my distance from those that yell and scream. Finally now in life, I am able to really calm myself down so the little things don't get to me and erupt into screaming and yelling. I am learning that there is no need to add to the turmoil in our world. For me to be there for others, I need to offer my own peace and calmness, not my turmoil.



(Above Picture taken at the lighthouse at Ponce Inlet, FL - (c) 09/14/10)

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