Tag Archives: Thinking About What Matters

SAY THANKS 100 TIMES TODAY

Posted on April 29, 2013 by | 3 Comments

Think you already say thank you 100 times every day?  Good for you. Think it is too hard to find something to be grateful for? Think again.

Saying thank you is an easy way to practice gratitude. Say it to all who deserve it, say it to objects, to the sun, to the moon and stars. The major challenge is to thank pain, but it teaches important lessons.

Saying thank you is an easy way to practice gratitude.

emotional fitness tips

Tip one:  Always thank those who serve you.  Try adding a compliment to your think you.  Being in the business of waiting on others, working a cash register, selling things, nursing someone, doing for others as part of a job is hard work.  A genuine “Thank you”  makes the job easier.

Tip two: To say Thank you a hundred times you need to think more than just other people.  You need to thank life, to thank things that work, to think beauty.
Tip three: Enhance the power of a thank you by adding  a calming breath before saying thank you and again after.

Tip four:  Thank yourself. We forget we deserve recognition.  Sounds silly to say “Thank you” to you.  Well, than thank your brain or your body and specify what you are grateful for. “Thank you brain, for helping me solve that problem.”  ”Thank you feet, for getting me going.”  ”Thank you heart, for opening me to love.”

Stay strong

Big business knows the power of good manners and the carefully train employees to being polite.  When done sincerely, a thank you not only improves the other person’s emotional intelligence, but strengthens you. Like a hug you get as much as you give.

For all you do for me, thank you. Every like, every share fills my heart with gratitude and strengthens me.

Katherine

DISCLAIMERS

The first and most important: Emotional Fitness Training is a self-help, knowledge sharing, coaching program. It is not therapy. Nor does it replace therapy when therapy is needed. If the exercises and support provided here do not help you gain control of negative feelings, more may be needed. Support groups, coaching, and therapy are other paths to emotional fitness.

Anyone with suicidal thoughts, thoughts of harming other people, or who engage in dangerous out-of-control behaviors needs professional help. Anyone with serious suicidal or homicidal plans need an immediate psychiatric evaluation.  Call a suicide hot line if you are unsure of where or how to get help. Suicidal hotlines USA.  Life can be better.

The second: I have dysgraphia, a learning disability that peppers my writing with mis-spelling and punctuation errors. All my books are professionally edited. Not so my blog post. Although I use all the grammar and spelling checks, mistakes slip by. If they bother you, seek another source of support for life’s less savory moments.   Life is too short to let problems you can avoid irritate you.

→ 3 Comments

Posted in EMOTIONAL FITNESS

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

SHABBAT SHALOM

Posted on March 8, 2013 by | 4 Comments

May you walk in peace and may the light of love shine in and through you, now and forever

THINKING ABOUT WHAT MATTERS

The French proverb “Tout comprendre rend très-indulgent”, commonly translated as “To know all is to forgive all” is most often attributed  to Mme de Staël.  I first read it as a quote by the Catholic Saint Thomas Aquinas who lived many centuries before de Staël.  I have also seen it attributed to Evelyn Waugh.  I suspect variations can be found in many obscure ancient texts.

Why am I talking about this? Because trying to know or understand has made it possible for me to hope for peace.  Nevertheless, many who have quoted this as a truth have been called to task.  Why? for many some acts  are unforgivable.  I quite agree.

My way out of these colliding truths is to forgive the person but not the act.  Not easy.   Bishop Tutu  lead me to that path with his definition of forgiveness.

Tutu said, “Forgiving is not forgetting;  it is actually remembering–remembering and not using your right to hit back. Its a second chance for a new beginning. And the remembering part is particularly important. Especially if you don’t want to repeat what happened.”

I write this to explain that I am expanding my usual Shabbat Shalom posts.  Time permitting, I hope to provide links to facilitate understanding of “the other.”  By “the other” I mean not just other religions including atheism, but also to  philosophy, and psychology.

Jews were charged with the task of Tikkun olam meaning our mission is to repair or heal the universe –  a mission that resonated strongly with what my atheistic father and agnostic mother taught me about what matters.

One of my Twelve Easy Emotional Fitness Exercises says to Remember The Mission.    Several other of my exercises tell  you to  act on The Mission. The Mission is to bring peace and justice for all  to this world.

 As a student of history, I can easily fall into despair.  The Mission for bringing peace to this world has been a failed task across the ages.     I work against despair by doing what I can to act on The Mission.   That is all any one of us can do and it remains my biggest hope.  That hope? If each of us does what what we can, when we can and how we can peace will spread.

As Margaret Mead noted “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

My Shabbat Shalom posts will be one of my ways of acting on The Mission. I know it will strengthen me and I hope the posts will help you think about what matters and commit to acting on The Mission.

For now, remember to use the coming weekend for family and friend time, me-time, quiet time, nature time, and thinking about what matters time. Part of creating peace in this world, is creating peace in your inner world.

For all you do to support my efforts, thank you.

Katherine

IMAGE BY: adinadesigns.com

→ 4 Comments

Posted in EMOTIONAL FITNESS

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

SHABBAT SHALOM

Posted on February 22, 2013 by | Leave a comment

May you walk in peace and may the light of love shine in and through you, now and forever

THINKING ABOUT WHAT MATTERS

No matter what your beliefs about a higher power, a day devoted to a simpler life is strengthening.  To me that means thinking about what matters, not spending money, not working on any  commercial ventures,  not using my beloved computer, turning off the cell phone,  connecting with friends, nature, my G-d.

Create your own version, your life will improve.

STAYING STRONG TIP ADDED VALUE

Spend one day a week without traveling; turning on the tv, radio,  or computer.  Doing so  practices kindness for our planet.  Try it you might like it.

For all you do to support my efforts, thank you.

IMAGE BY: adinadesigns.com

→ Leave a comment

Posted in EMOTIONAL FITNESS

Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

SHARE YOUR KNOWLEDGE

Posted on February 21, 2013 by | 4 Comments

A blog about saying nice or nasty things as a way to practice kindness.   The main focus is on how to write reviews of books, articles, or posts you love or hate.

Praise and criticism help all grow, but both can keep one from being all one can be.

Praise and criticism help all grow, but both can keep one from being all one can be. The most helpful critics are honest and kind.

A number of my friends have written reviews only to have them fall into the dark holes that are always lurking on the Internet.  I have long thought to write a post about writing reviews.  So here it is.

EMOTIONAL FITNESS TIPS ABOUT HOW TO WRITE A REVIEW

Reviews sell books. When you buy a book, you help other readers as well as the author by writing a review. First some general tips:

  1. Be honest. Bad reviews are just as useful to potential readers as good ones. Moreover, if the author can stay open minded such reviews are also helpful to authors.
  2. Write a catchy title.
  3. Keep the review short. No longer than 250 words or you are wasting your time.

Here are the steps to writing a book review on amazon

  1. Click on your link to Amazon:  Go to
    http://www.amazon.com
     
  2. Enter the title of book you want to review in the search block. That will take you a  list of books with that title. The books may be hardback, paperback, audio or Kindle.
  3. Click on the title that applies to the one you want to review. You will then be on a page that provides general information about the book. Scroll down to the link to customer reviews and you will see a link that says Write a Customer Review.
  4. Click on that link to be  taken to a page that asks for your email address and your password if you already have an Amazon account.  If you have an account enter that info.
  5. If you don’t have an account  check the ‘dot’ for No, I am a new customer and, you will be taken to a page where you will set up your account. Once done you will be taken back to the page where you will ‘sign in’, and from there be taken to the review page.

GOODREADS REVIEW GUIDELINES

SMASH WORDS REVIEW GUIDELINES

ALL OF THE ABOVE TOO MUCH WORK? An easy out

I get that. Try reviewing, leaving a comment, sharing, or liking on the author’s blogs, Facebook pages, Pinterest boards or Google Plus pages. Same on the publisher’s blogs or pages

HERE ARE THE LINKS TO DO THAT FOR my stuff:

My blogs: Emotional Fitness Training; Parents Are People Too  MyFacebook pages: When Good Kids Do Bad Things, Parent Suvival Guides; Emotional Fitness Training ; My Publisher’s Metaplume’s Facebook Page ;  My Pinterest Site

STAYING STRONG

I hope this is helpful not just so you can help me, but so you can also help others. Doing so is practicing kindness, a key Emotional Fitness Exercise. Remember kindness always circles back to bless those who give it.

Katherine

DISCLAIMER ONE: EMOTIONAL FITNESS TRAINING IS NOT THERAPY.  It is a self-care, self-help educational program. Therapy is about healing, Emotional Fitness Training is about strengthening.

→ 4 Comments

Posted in BE WITH BEAUTY

Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,