Does Social Media Waste Time?

Written By Don Shetterly

I'm considering dropping off of social media altogether.  In my mind, I'm asking the question, does social media waste time?

If you drop off of social media, does that mean you still exist?  I wonder some days because it seems like all that matters.

On Facebook, people post "simple things" that would have been emailed forwarded at one time.  These things barely say anything, but everyone does it.  Then people react.  When I see that "someone has reacted," I'm thinking ok - is that a good thing?  It just seems so superficial to me.  It doesn't feel real or authentic on Facebook.  If it does to you, then by all means continue.  I've just seen people that once emailed me with "substance" now click like or react to something I've put on Facebook.

On Twitter, people retweet and do all kinds of gimmicks that just get annoying.  They are superficial responses in my mind.  After seeing a thousand of these come through at a time, it gets mind-boggling.  

On Instagram, people love to share pictures of their food or other things that you can barely tell what they are.  I guess if you're there, the image means something but to most people, it doesn't give a clear picture.  Of course, there are the likes on that as well which are supposed to mean something in our day.

Let's not even worry about all the other social media sites.  There are too many to name.

We have so much superficial communication going on that no wonder it seems like we're all so disconnected.  We have so many ways to connect with one another, and yet we're like superficial wanderers passing one another in the dark.

People rant and rave all day thinking they are doing something good, but in my view, it is just passing the stuff on, not helping in the least.  If you elevate that which you don't like, you're suppressing the good stuff in my view.

People exclaim how bad some people are, yet they go off and do the same thing.  Am I doing the same thing here?  I hope not.  They elevate the bullies by giving them a voice when if most bullies had no audience, they probably would not do half of what they do.  Maybe I just live in a pie-in-the-sky world with how I view things, but I'm really tired of all of this on social media.

I think we are either part of the solution or part of the problem.  The answer is not always out-screaming the other person proving that you're right and they are wrong.

Social media feels like a waste of time to me. 
I'm not sure if I will continue it or severely limit how
much time I spend on it (more than I do now). 

I honestly think we need to learn how to be human again in our communication.  Likes, retweets, shares, and screaming isn't doing it.  We're becoming less than human in my view.  It is not how you build a society or find ways to work together.  Well, at least in its current form, this is not working.

Surely we can find better ways to make use of social media then letting our own egos take control of the keyboard.  No, it isn't everyone else out there doing this.  We're all at fault.  We just don't see the log in our own eye.

What do you think?  How do you see Social Media?

By the way, read an earlier blog post about "Your Personal Power Of Communication."  It speaks more to this issue.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 1/1/18 by Don Shetterly

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How Fast Can I Heal?

I remember asking this question myself many years ago and sometimes I still do.  How fast can I heal?  How quickly can I get beyond this?  Why do I have to go through this stuff over and over with sometimes no end in sight.

There are times when the difficulties mount in life and it is all you can do to hold your head above water long enough to get a gulp of air, before the next wave crashes over your head.  Sometimes, that is enough and all that you need in that moment.  Sometimes anymore than that is setting expectations a tad bit high.

Even in the moment where you think, when will this be over - it is in those moments that your body, mind, and soul are finding a way to connect together and align for your continued development.  It is like each part is trying to come online and sync up with the other.  To hurry that along, may mean you are only operating with partial systems functioning, rather than your entire self.

Rebuilding Neural Pathways...

Sometimes, I think that as you endure the difficult moments for what may seem like an eternity, it is then that you are really going in and processing all the neural pathways.  From all those moments in the past where you built the neural pathways up to survive, you are now going in silently and without knowing as you rebuild and re-evaluate each and every one of them.  This takes time.

I have found that so many times on this path of healing, that I've had so much to deal with and I can only deal with so much at one time.  If you try to force that too quickly or rush it before it is ready, then there's a chance you can just overload your system.   Your system stays in survival mode, rather than learning and growth mode.  Sometimes being okay with taking things slow allows your growth and enhancement mode to take over which really benefits you.

Hurrying the process will exhaust you...

The more you have gone through and experience, the more there is to sort through.  Just like clean up after a storm, you can only accomplish so much at one time.  It literally takes time to complete the storm cleanup.  Trying to hurry through the process will most likely only exhaust you and serve little purpose.  If you pace yourself and take it one step at a time, you'll find the storm clean up goes much better.

It is easy to want to heal and get things over with because who would want to stay in the mess that they see their lives in at that moment.  However, healing is not a linear step 1, step 2, step 3 scenario.  It is going in and finding the root of the pain and despair and hopelessness, trying to turn that into something that is hope, possibility and joy.

Healing takes time.  It is not a race even if we try to make it into one.  It is a matter of continued growth and evolution because I believe that when you've been through horrific experiences in life, there is something that you will see when the rest of the world turns a blind eye.  It is a part of you that is needed for the universe because you will have an understanding far beyond what most people do.

Allow yourself to grow and evolve.  Allow yourself to surrender into the pain and be okay with where you're at in the moment.  That is the point that really gives you the option to go forward, because the more you fight it, the more difficult it gets and the longer it takes.  Both ways get you to the final result, but one will exhaust you quicker than the other.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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Living A Disconnected Life

Hello?  Is anyone there?  Okay, you're here, but are you alive?  Are you present and connected?  You say, "Yes, I am here and connected," but are you really?

You see, we tend to keep ourselves so busy in a day.  Its far easier that way because then we don't have to feel.  You know, feel all the stress and torment we've experience in life or feel all the stress from the weight of responsibilities in life that we have.  Its easier to just not feel.

If we begin to feel, sometimes life gets too overwhelming and we look for the mind numbing escape routes.  We sure do have those escape routes.  It is part of being human in a human body, but when we numb out, we're not being human.

Hear the birds sing....

In the course of your day, how often do you just go outside and feel the sun upon your face, or hear a bird sing?  How often do you just notice your breath and stop in stillness for 30 seconds?  How often do you immerse yourself in nature or just take a moment and watch your pets run and play through the house?

We tend to go on Facebook or Twitter constantly during the day and night.  Yes, they are designed to keep you engaged, but the mind and the eyes and the body need a rest.  They don't need to stay this engaged all the time.  It is not healthy.  It is living a disconnected life.

We engage in the latest political gossip of our day, making it our life's purpose to set those straight that disagree with us.  We know that it is our responsibility to do this which is true to a point, but at some point, we lose the limits of life.  We become disconnected in life chasing down the lowest form of discourse.

Often we don't read what we share or pass on through social media.  We just like and click.  Granted there is far too much out there in a day to read, but it doesn't stop us from being part of the problem, rather than part of the solution.  We mindlessly forward and share all that comes our way, not stopping to realize just how much we are living a disconnected life.

Fail to stay engaged with family...

We go home and our families and children and friends become something we chat with when we have little else we're doing.  We fail to stay engaged and keep them in the loop of our life, thereby alienating them from what is happening with our life.  We just assume they know how much they mean to us, but we fail to communicate this to them.  After all, we are living a disconnected life.

We dish out memes to those around us hoping to make them feel like we appreciate them, but our words often fall short.  There is no true feeling and connection in the meme, but it doesn't stop us from allowing it to take our place in the relationship we have with those we care about and love.  Living in a disconnected life keeps us from seeing what it is we actually do to others we care about and love.

Not everything is worthy of our time...

Not everything that happens in the news is worthy of our time.  Not everything that others expect from us is an expectation we should put on our self.  Not everything that we think is important is as important as we think it is.

Taking care of ourselves and learning how to stop and smell the roses is far more important than all the hundreds of tasks you try to do in a day.  It is more important than all the likes and shares on social media.  Taking care of yourself is far more important than being engaged with the latest tirades from the news-makers of the day.

Living a connected life should be what we should strive for in our years.  Connecting with our mind and body, learning to stop and enjoy life or just taking a moment to truly connect with others; this should be on our list of goals.  If you're living a disconnected life, you've lost site of what being human is and its taking you on a dead-end road to nowhere.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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Top 10 Social Media Annoyances

Some days I scratch my head at what humans do.  Of all the brain cells that could function and make different choices, it seems that those brain cells must have fallen asleep.  These poor choices create annoyances on the internet.

I have compiled my top 10 online social media annoyances that I have found on both Twitter and Facebook.  In fact, I stopped using Facebook some time ago and it is like a breath of fresh air.  Twitter is almost as bad with these annoyances.

I really wish it was different where people could use social media for a balanced approach of good information, rather than seeing how much they can scam and spam everyone.  I know, there are some good people out there, but the bad ones far outweigh the good.

Top 10 Social Media Annoyances.

#1 Naked Pictures Doing Sex Acts

Don't call me a prude here!  That's not what this is about at all.  Its about having some of the most graphic sexual pictures show up on my news feed.  These aren't small pictures either so when they show up, you can't miss them.  If I am in a public place, it is very inappropriate and it more than crosses the boundaries.  Even if I am not in a public place, I really don't want to see this all day long in my feed.  Most of these people do get reported and blocked, but it makes me wonder why people think that everyone wants to see this.  It usually isn't a once-in-a-blue-moon occurrence either as they plaster the news feed with them all day and all night.  Enough!  If that's all you are adding to civilization, you may want to rethink your role in humanity.

#2 Like My Other Social Media

I gave up on Facebook.  I got tired of so much fakeness on there and too much junk that was posted every minute.  Most of what is shared on Facebook isn't worth two seconds of our time.  Even the marketing people who value your time are the biggest time wasters on Facebook and Twitter.  They really don't offer much value, but they sure waste your time.  I don't do LinkedIn anymore either because I find the site ridiculous and hard to navigate.  When I add someone on Twitter and the only thing that they think is important is for me to add all their other social media sites, I have to wonder about them.  Why would I go to multiple social media sites to follow you.  Do you not think I have anything better to do with my day than that?  Again, I think it is a big time waster.  It is not good online marketing in my view, because when I see it happen, the individual is knocked down in my value list.

#3 Spamming The News Feed

Yes, I understand that you want to reach as many people as you can and not everyone is online at the same time.  However, when I see 5, 10, 20 posts one after another, I tend to completely ignore you and scroll past what it is that you are tweeting.  I'm sure we all have done this in a minor way, but I'm talking about the ones that must have drank 5 tall cups of coffee before coming on Facebook or Twitter.  There is more in a day to do than sit there and see this type of behavior.  If you have that big of an ego, then I'll do like I have always done and either "mute" you or "unfollow" you.  You're abusing the relationship I have with you online and that doesn't sit well in my book.

#4 TrueTwit Verification Nonsense

From what I can tell, using the TrueTwit verification service does very little.  Yet, I see it time and time again.  Maybe the people using this nonsense don't understand what the recipient gets, but let me tell you, it is an annoyance.  It is a nuisance.  I just ignore it now because if I followed you, then I want to read your posts.  I don't wish to jump through hoops to prove to you that I am a valid person.  Sorry, you are asking far too much from me and abusing the trust I have put in you to be on my news feed.

#5 The Fake Link

I get so annoyed by the fake link.  You've probably seen it also.  It is the link that you think will take you to something you might be interested to read.  The link that looks safe, but yet it is not.  It is the links that take you to some site that gets you to sign up for whatever it is that they are pushing.  Most of the time it has nothing to do with what they put in the post, but you don't know that until after you clicked on the link.  It makes me so leery to click on any links these days because I just got hit badly with malware.

#6 Overly Large Pictures

If I am reading my social media accounts on my desktop, the overly large pictures aren't such a problem.  If I am on my smart phone, then it becomes a bigger issue and annoyance.  I now have to scroll down past these.  Most of the time, the ones that post overly large pictures must think that one is not enough and so they post multiple pictures.  The pictures are posted one after another.  The larger the picture, the more difficult it is for me to read the other tweets in between because they almost get swallowed up by them.  Do everyone a favor and find some moderation.

#7 How Many Clicks Does It Take

I think back to the commercials of the lollipop and how many licks does it take to get to the center.  Recently, I had one that when I clicked on the link, it took me to a page without the information.  There was another link to the information that you had to click on.  When I clicked on that, it then took me to another twitter page with the same information as was in the original post.  I still don't know where the information was and I suspect it didn't exist.  It was just meant to get me to click.  What an annoyance!  I believe I rewarded that individual with an "unfollow" and that probably wasn't the result they were hoping for.

#8 Unsolicited Advice

I marvel at this one in real life and its also annoying online.  It happens so much.  The person that comes by and doesn't even read what you posted or an article you linked to or checked out your website, but boy do they have advice for you.  They are quick to tell you what you should do or should not do.  It doesn't matter if it applies or not, they will tell you anyway.  There are far too many noisy people who think they have all the answers.  If that were true, we would have no problems in this entire world!  Let your ego know that not everyone loves your unsolicited advice.  It turns people off and they most likely do like I do, click that unfollow button.

#9 Content Waste

Oh, those auto-generated articles on the internet that are such an annoyance.  If I wanted to read regurgitated content created by a program, I would read source code from a website.  It is such a waste of my time, but people who aren't creative, think that this is good marketing.  I'm sorry, but if you don't have something good to say, just sit in the corner and be quiet until you do.  I have no forgiveness for people who do this, because you are wasting my time and filling the internet up with trash.  Those that do this type of thing obviously do not value the people they are trying to sell to or get as a client.

#10 Pesky Questions And Requests

I am amazed at how many people send automated responses out and ask questions in them.  The thing is, if you respond, they never respond back.  I have gotten to the point where I am ignoring most of these things now which sucks if you're one of the good guys that doesn't do this.  If I just followed you, I'm not going to spend hours reviewing and critiquing your website for you to most likely disregard it anyway.  While you may think it is cute and intriguing to ask me some irrelevant question, I've found that you could care less if I am happy or what happened in my day or what topics I want to see you post about on your news feed.  Again, all these things are time wasters and they are not authentic.  They don't make me want to trust you.  In fact, they make me want to unfollow.

Final Thoughts

We are becoming a spam and scam society and with the internet, it makes our reach much more broad.  However, if you cannot be trusted and people see this in what you post, then you are not adding value to the internet.  You're not adding value to social media.  You are an annoyance.

Marketing is about offering something of value, not trying to get one over on the other person and make them click or cringe.  Marketing is about building relationships and showing the other person that you care enough to not waste their time.  Unfortunately very few online really understand marketing.

Try to offer value and information that others will be better for if they click and read what it is you share.  Make a difference by being authentic, not by being a scammer and spammer.  Its not hard to spot the ones that give little value to everyone who follows or subscribes to them.  Be human by being real.  The internet community will thank you!

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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Setting Boundaries In Massage

When you work for yourself, there is one issue that will most definitely rise to the surface.  The issue is setting boundaries.  When you work in an office from 8 am to 5 pm, it is easy for people to know that they should come and see you or call you at that time.  When you work from home or for yourself, those boundaries get blurred easily.

In these days, we are connected via social media, cell phones, and email.  It isn't easy to unplug and stop.  We are all just too available in this world.  It is part of the world we live in and setting boundaries becomes very difficult.

For my business that I run out of my home and my office, I had to get a second phone.  This way, I can shut it off and turn it on at my set office hours.  I realize people will still try to call me and think I should be on the phone all hours of the day and night, but that will drive you crazy.

Social Media Break

Don't tell anyone!  I'm taking a break.  Yep, I'm taking a break away from Social Media.  I really just mean Facebook and LinkedIn and Twitter.  I'm sure they don't want me to take a break and in fact it is hard to stay away.

So much of society and our friends these days, use Facebook rather than email to communicate.  So, if you don't have Facebook, you're going to lose contact with your friends.  It is that plain and simple.  If you don't believe me, try it and you'll see this quickly.

Facebook has made it very addictive and I'm sure I'm not telling them anything they don't already know.  In all reality, you're an income stream for them.  The more they get you on Facebook, the more advertising they can pass by your eyes.  The more chance they have to get you to play a game and buy something, or just spend money on their site.

Twitter is almost the same way these days.  LinkedIn is well, just LinkedIn that no one knows what to do on it.

The thing that really got me on Facebook is the hatred posts that get added and shared and liked so much that one is just ready to scream.  I was so tired of seeing this and that is an understatement.  No one has any decency online it seems.  I just have no desire to see this, hear it, read it, or participate in it.

Time is My Most Precious Asset

Lately, I have been pushed and pulled in many directions.  My cell phone has become a ball and chain.  Email consumes me.  Everyone needs me.  Everyone demands my  time.  However, time is my most precious asset.

I navigate these moments trying to figure out how to do what it is that I am expected to do, but yet maintain my life and find a center point in the day.  Most other people could care less that my life is being intruded upon.  It is like a thief in the night that visits you all day long.

I try to push back, but it seems like it takes more energy then I have to give.  I become exhausted by the fight and by the pushing back.  Yet, no one seems to care.  They hold the baseball bat of what is expected over my head, waiting to make me flinch if I dare stand up and say no.

I feel like I'm in a room full of children that won't take "NO" for an answer.  Even if they hear "NO" the first time, they keep asking and demanding as if you had not said it moments ago.  It becomes irritating and more stressful than words can describe.  It begins to haunt me day and night.

Bending Time And Music

I never really think much about this subject, but it is one that has always impacted my life.  Bending time and music gives so much depth to our every day experiences.  I don't believe time is any more consistent than most facts that we believe in.  I think there is a much more to this world than we often see, feel, experience, or know.

Today I saw two totally unrelated postings on social media about how many people felt off as to what day of the week it was.  It was like a collective mind thought of something we all take for granted.  What intrigued me more was how the two totally unrelated and unconnected event just caught my attention today.

Many may explain it one way or the other and sometimes it is often hard to say with certainty what is going on.  Yet, I don't think you can deny that something is shifting and changing in this world.  Sometimes those shifts and changes come with great struggle and difficulty because we are morphing from one plane into another.

Time Change Hard On The Body

I feel for this country that constantly does the time change twice a year. Not only is it a major change in life, but now they have changed the date when we actually do this. Everyone wants to act like it is an innocent event of our life, but I submit, it is anything but innocent.

When people get into a daily rhythm of life, their body syncs up to that pattern. The brain produces chemicals to be awake, sleep and function based upon our patterns. Our routines give structure to when we eat and when we interact in this world. Yet, for some reason, we in this country think that putting our body in upheaval is a good thing.  Changing our body clocks is a major stress upon our body and our life.

I'm sure some are saying, it really isn't that big of a deal. Others most likely would think, you just need to suck it up and go on. However, the body is the truth detector and if you look around at the evidence in people after the time change, you will see just what I am talking about.

Do Something Special With Leap Year Day

2/29/12
Leap Year

While I know we really don't get another day in life, the way the calendar is aligned, there is an extra day this year. It is leap year! I'm amused by it and think it gives us an extra day to do something special in life. We could all take a day and think about our impact on the world.

There is a site that explains more about Leap Year at http://www.timeanddate.com/date/leapyear.html if you want to learn and understand more. I can only wonder what it is like for someone who was born on February 29 and technically only gets to celebrate a birthday once every four years.

Anyway, I thought I would just write a lighthearted blog post today because I find leap year to be cool. It just makes me stop and think about time and how we either use it to our benefit or we waste it. It helps me stop and think about what I do with the time I have been given.

A Time For Everything

Normally I don't quote the Bible in this blog, but I think the following from Ecclesiastes Chapter 3 is appropriate based upon the post from yesterday. Sometimes, there are parts from the Bible that just speak so eloquently of what is on my mind.

Most likely we have all heard this in some form or another but I thought it was a good time to just state the obvious.

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heave:
a time to be born and a time die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace




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Is Time Speeding Up?

I see a lot written these days including guests like Shirley McClaine on Oprah talking about time speeding up. Everyone seems to notice time speeding up or at least that is what was indicated on the Oprah show (April 11, 2011). While time may be speeding up, I have no way to prove that it is or that it is not. I'm sure there are many out there that can give justification to this.

The only thing that I do know is that I cannot control time. Each one of us only has so many seconds, minutes, and hours in any given day. Whether those change at any given point, is of course the question. There is always the possibility that they do. I learned a long time ago when i was doing research, that what we think is correct is not always as it seems.

Again, I go back to my biggest concern. Can I influence how fast time goes in a day? I doubt I can. If I can, I have absolutely no idea of how to begin doing that. For what is time, but a measurement we all use in life to organize our day. Of course, time could be more than that and I'm sure it most likely is.

What I do know is that if I spend my all my time in front of the computer, on Facebook, running from this meeting to that meeting, going to this event or filling my every waking hour with something to do, I feel like time really speeds up. We, the collective we, of course spend more of our waking moments keeping ourselves busy than stopping to feel, sense, observe and notice all that is around us. Meditation practices are for those really dedicated, spiritual, new age people, not for the rest of us. Mindfulness is something that is thrown around in our day but not truly understood or observed.

So, here's my plan that seems to work for me when I feel like time is out of control. I do this very simple and profound thing, I STOP! Yes, you heard me correct. I STOP! That may mean I take a walk in the park or along the ocean. It may mean that I spend some time reading a book, taking a nap, sitting by the pool or enjoying time with my plants. It may mean that instead of seeing how many events I can participate in for any given week, that I begin to pick and choose what really matters. Of course, it means that I spend less time on Facebook and reading all the news that society deems is important so maybe I can have more time to just relax, rest and rejuvenate my body, mind and spirit.

Many years ago, we did not have all these electronic devices that crowded our days and our minutes for attention. We spent more time out doors, playing, running, walking and getting to know our neighbors. It was a simpler life that we have left behind.

Maybe the important question should not be so focused on is time speeding up, but what are we doing with the time we have? How are we effectively managing our lives so that we get to stop, rest and energize? Are we just doing everything that we can because it is easier to keep our minds busy that way rather than allowing our minds to unwind and catch up?

You, the individual, are the only one that can answer that question. You are the only one that can make changes and discover what is truly important to your life. We need not worry so much about what it is that we cannot control but more on what we can control.

Further Reading:
1) When Life Is Too Busy
2) Mindful Words



Blog Post & Images (c) 4/1/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
http://www.donshetterly.com

An Ocean Meditation

Sitting at the ocean, watching the waves come in and listening to the sounds is a relaxing and energizing experience. There is something about water that acts as an agent of transformation in our life.

Just picture the sun shining through the deep blue sky. A few clouds appear and others drift in and out. The birds fly by as if they are watching out over the shoreline. A few birds run around on the hot sand hoping to catch a meal that appears.

The breeze blows gently as the roar of the ocean waves making their way in to the shore, crash against the water return to sea. The ripples of water flow over the varying heights of the ocean floor. Patterns of many colors appear one minute and are gone the next as a wave washes them away.

People run and play as the water mesmerizes time. For time, at the ocean never runs out. There is as much of it as there are grains of sand. A plane flies above and a boat sails by but it seems to all if time is of no concern. There is no worry about another day. It is that moment which becomes the joy of life.

The tide goes out showing a part of the ocean floor that is not always seen. It gives way to an enlarged beach as tiny pools of water heat up in the sun. Then, as the tide comes in, the water deepens and the beach seems to shrink as if it is saying goodbye. What appeared before, is now lost in time. It is like it was there but no longer seen in that moment. When it returns another day, its shape and size will be different than the day before.

Feeling, hearing and jumping into the power of the greeting waves, brings the energizing power of time to the shore. As the water rushes back to the ocean, it pulls everything with it at such a force. The strength of the water is something to observe with awe.

Yet, throughout a day at the beach, time stands still. Our worries and concerns dwarf in comparison to the never ending body of water. Our eyes are mesmerized by the sun dancing with the wind on the water. Our bodies, minds, and souls are refreshed, energized and relaxed at the sights and sounds.

For me, there is a spiritual connection. If I have any problems or concerns, I know that the ocean is big enough to carry them away. It brings in what I need and it is happy to take away that which I do not need. It reminds me of a larger force within my word. The ocean gives me a sense of being just one person in a very big world. It helps show me that no matter what I am connected to, something much larger than myself is present.

The ocean is a place of retreat for my body as my mind wrestles with life's difficult moments. it is where time stands still when it is rushing by. It is where I feel renewed in my mind, body and connected to my soul.

There is something to the ocean that is mysterious and inspiring. It is not something that can be explained but must be experienced. The connection is to something greater that just accepts me in the moment while it demands nothing in return. It just allows me to live in that moment with no strings attached.

A day at the ocean is wonderful. My life is filled with renewal, as I offer all my concerns and worry to the waves. I breathe in the energy as I feel the power of the sun. I give thanks as the birds run and play.

For the ocean is my rock, my transformation and the view of so much more. Without it, life would not seem complete. I am thankful for it.




Check out Relaxing Ocean Wave Sounds I recorded.





 
*For more articles, check out the Mind Body Thoughts Blog

Negative Vs. Positive Thinking

I'm amazed at some of the research studies that are done and the ways they come about creating a conclusion. One such study was written about in an article in Time Magazine, Self Help Through Negative Thinking.

In the article, the researches suggest that thinking positive actually drives you more into the negative patterns. They go further in making the statements that the more you are challenged in your thinking or if someone tries to change your thinking, the more set you get in your ways. Sorry, but I'm summarizing the article into a small nutshell here.

There is a time and place for everything and to view things narrowly through a window of survival where little human growth and awareness takes place, is painting half a picture. At times, positive thoughts help a person hold on when they are in the midst of despair just long enough that they can grab the next rung on the ladder. Sometimes a positive thought can even allow a person to raise their head just enough to look over the peak of the mountain and give themselves the knowledge of just how far they have come. Sometimes a positive thought gives a person the motivation to take the next leap into the unknown. To say that positive thoughts invoke negative reactions and that's the end of the story, is just plain inaccurate in my view.

Of course one of the conclusions they draw towards the very end of the article is that some of the mind body practices which teach people to go into the negative, accept it instead of fighting it can be very effective. In the article however, they fall short in really making a proper connection between the thoughts and the body and mindfulness.

To confront the negative issues and bring it into your awareness through mindfulness while mixed in with positive thoughts can be extremely healing, rewarding and life altering. One of these aspects without the other may not necessarily lead to a break through or a furthering of the person into consciousness. Positive thoughts alone will only lead the body so far down its path but when you combine that with connected mindfulness with the body, it is like strapping on a jet engine and taking off!

It is fine to study things and understand things but let's not draw conclusions without all the facts and in ways that really are not helpful to humankind. That is called fuzzy math in my view and some days it is more hurtful than helpful.