If You're Happy and You Know It...

Today is the day of the week that is adored by most people...today is Friday. Back in the day, it was the day where I seemed to have the most energy because I was anticipating the occurrence of fun during the weekend. Yet today, several years later, my energy level is zero and the thought of going to sleep at 8pm sounds like a fantastic idea!

What did your week look like? Mine consisted of a doctor appointment, physical therapy, two separate car pool arrangements each day, leading a Bible Study, attending a Mom’s of Teens group, a conference call, parents night at school, Skyping with colleagues in Atlanta and Australia, cheering for one kid at two different volleyball games and driving the other to work, a tweet here and a tweet there, RSVPing to a child’s birthday party, reading a self-help book to learn and grow and writing a blog. It’s no wonder that I forgot it was picture day at school on Wednesday and had to run to the mall the night before and spend exactly 42 minutes finding a cute shirt only to fly back home with the kids for them to complete homework. Newsflash for everyone...I’m TIRED!

Now, I'm not complaining because this IS the life I chose. Things could be even more crazy if I had a 40 hour a week job in addition to the above items (God bless those of you who do!). There did seem to be a theme throughout my week. Let me explain....during my social media time, I read a blog from a woman who is implementing a 3-day a week 10pm bedtime for herself because she is not getting enough sleep and it is making her cranky. Then I read an article that said studies are showing that women are less happy today than they were in 1969 even though we are achieving more than ever thought possible.

Ladies! What is going on? Are we less happy? Are we more tired? Is our calendar too full? Are we working ourselves too much?

I really don’t know the answer to these questions, but I do believe that happiness is a choice. Some will agree with that and others won’t. Either way, I’d be interested to hear what YOU do to find/maintain some level of happiness in your life. Maybe if we each shared one or two things we could accumulate a list that could reach a generation of women! What if? Let me get your think tank started:

1. Surround yourself with favorite things – I have 6 brightly coloured plastic coasters with Mickey ears all over them that we just picked up at Disney World. They remind me of our great times and make me smile.
2. Set a timer while blogging – If there is a set time with no outside distractions then I can write more efficiently and effectively. The trick is to actually set aside the time. But when I do, I feel good about my accomplishment and smile when I lay my head on the pillow at night.

Okay…now it’s your turn. Send me your thoughts. Tell me what do YOU do to find/maintain a level of happiness in your life? Together, let’s see if we can ‘turn up’ the happiness meter in the crazy lives of women.

Perseverance with a Capital "P"...

I dare you to watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nifq3Ke2Q30
No, I’m not going to have you buy anything or send anything to your computer. Nor am I going to sway your political or religious beliefs. I dare you to watch this video (be sure to click the back button when you are done) and reflect on the emotion that it evokes inside of you. Go ahead…it only takes 2 ½ minutes. When you have that assignment done, then you are free to continue reading.

Ok. That was worth 2 ½ minutes of your time, wasn’t it?

That Olympic performance was perseverance with a capital “P”. Because of Derek Redmond’s sheer willpower and strength of mind, he completed that which he had started - The one thing that was his only focus for weeks prior. He persevered through extraordinary circumstances to accomplish his goal.

During the Olympics we see so many individuals stand the test of time and overcome great obstacles to earn the right to stand on a podium and watch the flag from their country raise while their national anthem is played. The thing that those athletes have in common is perseverance.

Perseverance is not only for the Olympic athlete. The woman diagnosed with breast cancer receiving chemotherapy and continuing to care for her children, has perseverance. The man who was laid off months ago and continues to seek employment after each rejection letter is received, has perseverance. The child who comes from the home where there is fighting and unhappiness, yet chooses to give their best during school has perseverance.

Perseverance comes in all shapes and sizes. What is your challenge? What are you pressing through right now? Are you in the beginning, end or somewhere in the middle? Have you had those days where you just don’t want to go on any more? Are you asking how to carry on?

A dear friend, whom I have great respect for, gave me this quote this week, “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass – it’s about learning to dance in the rain.” Derek Redmond didn’t wait for the pain to subside – he danced through the puddles in his way.

If you find yourself faced with a challenge and the road seems long and bumpy, look around you and see all the reasons to keep going. If nothing else…write these quotes upon your heart. They are sure to get you through the next hurdle:

Let your hook always be cast; in the pool where you least expect it, there will be a fish. (Ovid)

Aerodynamically the bumblebee shouldn’t be able to fly, but the bumblebee doesn’t know that so it goes on flying anyway. (Mary Kay Ash)

Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all. (Dale Carnegie)

In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins – not through strength but by perseverance. (H. Jackson Brown)

To Compliment or Not To Compliment...

An email came into my inbox today that caught my immediate attention. It was from an acquaintance that I have great respect for – Kevin Eickenberry at Remarkable Leadership. It seems that he is conducting a sort of ‘test’, if you will, on Twitter with regard to giving people authentic, genuine recognition more often.

I quickly thought back to two days prior of a discussion that occurred during a training session that my husband and I were conducting for a company in Ohio. During our training session, a participant shared that he feels that leading with a compliment while meeting a new person is a good idea. I in turn added that I have gotten into the habit of giving compliments to anyone I meet regardless if they are a stranger or friend. Many times when I am out ‘doing life’ and I see a girl with a cute haircut, a guy with attractive eye frames, or someone with an outfit that looks amazing on them…I will share my compliment with them. My theory is that the world is so caught up in their own day-to-day routine that we forget to notice others around us. If a compliment is deserved, it should be given (in my opinion). Someone on the other side of the room interjected because he was opposed to that idea. He felt that complimenting an individual immediately upon meeting, comes off as phony.

So here I am today, realizing that there are once again, two sides to each issue and wondering is there a happy middle? Although I understand that Kevin Eikenberry is speaking more of verbal recognition, giving a compliment seems to have the same uplifting power for a spirit.

What has been your experience? Possibly it is good for us to practice complimenting more often, but to be sure it is genuine and authentic. Maybe we can work a bit harder to craft a compliment in a genuine heartfelt manner. The middle may be the answer or maybe we can get a consensus from a twitter test. Either way, my belief is this: A compliment is about making the other person feel good, not about feeling good about ourselves.

I encourage you to go out and give a compliment today and see what happens. Together, we could possibly change the world.