You find yourself refreshed by the presence of cheerful people

“You find yourself refreshed by the presence of cheerful people. Why not make an earnest effort to confer that pleasure on others?”

Carolyn Fansler, ElderShare Program Manager at Central Pennsylvania Food Bank

Image from Unsplash by Tyler Nix

Over the holidays I had extra time to be with family and friends, and for a bigger helping of entertainment.

One quiet afternoon while others were napping and digesting their last meal, I finally got a chance to begin watching the Apple comedy, Ted Lasso.

After only a handful of episodes I can see why it is a fan favorite.

Ted’s cheerful personality and warm “good old boy” charm definitely smooths the rough edges on virtually everyone he meets.

EXERCISE:

Who are the cheerful people in your life that bring smiles to your face and brighten your world?

To what degree would you be mentioned on the list of others as you try to lasso their lives?

Friday Review: BEHAVIOR

Friday Review: BEHAVIOR

What do your behaviors say about you? Here are a few related posts you may have missed.

Upgrade your morning routine to get an even better start to your day. What small or significant adjustments will you make?

 

 

 

 

To be. To do. To have. Take life in this order.

 

 

 

 

“Your beliefs don’t make you a better person — your behavior does.”

 

 

 

 

 

Some say that birds of a feather flock together. To expand your world, you may wish to

Some say that birds of a feather flock together. To expand your world, you may wish to seek out and embrace an odd duck now and then.

—Calm App Reflection

Image from Unsplash by Kevin Gedge

Take a few minutes to examine your personal and professional communities.

To what degree do the people around you look, act, and think like you?

Where and in what areas of your life do you observe and participate in groups of people with diverse backgrounds?

Where do you notice some odd ducks that challenge your thinking and your comfort?

Where might you be the odd duck, feeling out of place and awkward?

How do these experiences expand your world and help you grow?

EXERCISE:

How does flying with your current flock limit the places you can go?

How would a few detours with some different birds reveal some new sites to build your next nest?

Be a model instead of a mouthpiece. The best coaching is a good example

Be a model instead of a mouthpiece. The best coaching is a good example.

—Calm App Reflection

Image from Unsplash by krakenimages

Who do you want to lead and influence in your life? Perhaps there are co-workers and professional colleagues, or some family members you hope to inspire in a particular direction.

Where would you like them to go and what would you like them to do?

When you speak with them, what types of reactions and responses do you usually get?

How engaged and enrolled do they seem when your actions don’t always line up with your words?

EXERCISE:

Where and how do you model the behaviors you wish others to take in your various communities?

How can you adjust your coach approach to make an even bigger impact on those you wish to influence?

If there was no money, and everything depended on your moral standards

“If there was no money, and everything depended on your moral standards, the way that you behave, and the way you treated people, how would you be doing in life?”

Tupac Shakur, 20th Century American rapper and actor

Image from Unsplash by Markus Spike

Money and possessions are a primary way many of us measure our success and status.

Who are the people at the top in your various professional and personal communities?

What are their extrinsic and intrinsic measures of excellence and achievement?

How do you measure yourself against these people?

How often do you use good character and high moral standards as benchmarks for a meaningful life?

EXERCISE:

If you were to eliminate all external evidence of success how well would you be doing?

Create a list of 5-10 people in your life that model the moral standards and behaviors you most admire.

Do your best to spend additional time with these folks and let their example help you up your game.

 

In all affairs, it’s a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark

“In all affairs, it’s a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have taken for granted.”

Bertrand Russell, 20th Century British Philosopher

Image from Unsplash by Jon Tyson

Did you do a year-in-review assessment for 2022?

If you did, where did you notice things not progressing as you had wished? You may have even noticed some areas regressing.

If this is the case, it may be because we keep doing and thinking the same things over and over since they worked reasonably well in the past.

So many things around us have changed in the past year. When we remain fundamentally the same, it’s not surprising that a good number of our efforts miss the mark.

Questioning our thinking and adapting our behaviors accordingly seems like a wiser strategy for the year ahead.

EXERCISE:

In what areas of life would a few more question marks help you break some of your personal patterns so that new worlds may emerge?

Friday Review: Behavior

FRIDAY REVIEW: BEHAVIOR

What do your behaviors say about you? Here are a few related posts you may have missed.

 

“Don’t let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace.”

 

 

 

“Your beliefs don’t make you a better person — your behavior does.”

 

 

 

“Human nature is like water. It takes the shape of its container.”

 

 

 

A classic sign of addictive behavior is when

“A classic sign of addictive behavior is when something not human starts to supplant human relationships.”

—Arthur C. Brooks, faculty member of the Harvard Business School

Image from Unsplash by Unsplash

Over the 4th of July holiday we attended a family pool party. The weather and water temperature were perfect. It was extra special because everyone focused on each other the entire day without a cell phone in sight — except for one individual.

When not swimming or eating, this person was head down in his device, even when his bathing-suit-clad children were seeking his attention to talk or play.

EXERCISE:

Where do you or others in your life prioritize things over people? What addictive behaviors need some adjustment to demonstrate that the best things in life are not things?

Upgrade your morning routine to get an even better start to your day

Upgrade your morning routine to get an even better start to your day. What small or significant adjustments will you make?

—Calm App Reflection

Image from Unsplash by Khadeeja Yasser

What do you include in your morning routine? How often do you need an alarm to wake you? How often do you push the snooze button for a few extra minutes?

What time do your go to bed? What bedtime rituals occur before your head hits the pillow?

When was the last time you experienced jet lag?

When have your circadian rhythms been knocked out of whack by changing time zones, daylight savings time, or even staying up extra late to watch a movie or go out on the town? When we do, there almost always seems to be a cost we pay the next day in our ability to focus and be productive.

EXERCISE:

Consider reexamining your bedtime and morning routines. What tweaks or tectonic adjustments can and will you make to get a better start on your days?

To be To do To have Take life in this order

To be. To do. To have. Take life in this order.

—Calm App Reflection

Image from Unsplash by Paico Official

The CALM app I use each morning recently added a new seven-minute morning meditation/guided journey called The Daily Jay with Jay Shetty. Jay is an English author, a former Hindu monk, and a life coach. Prior to joining the CALM team, he was perhaps best known as the host of the podcast On Purpose which included many famous guests and has received over 60 million downloads.

In a recent offering, he suggested the idea of a To-Be list to go along with our often-crammed To-Do lists.

Considering how we currently behave, and then shifting and choosing how we would prefer to be as we do the things we need and want to do, can make a remarkable difference. Consider the following word list and expand it for yourself as you do your chores, go to work, listen to your children, and relate to others in your various communities.

Calm Patient Positive Hopeful Courageous
Generous Loving Supportive Helpful Kind
Open-Minded Bold Caring Disciplined Funny
Joyful Content Fair Nurturing Adventurous

EXERCISE:

Add an extra To Be column next to your To-Do list today.  Please reply to this post about the kind of day you have. What other words of being did you add to your list?