My Guide to Getting By…

As I come close to finishing off this blog, there are a few thoughts I wanted to share. Words I’ve tried to live by, ideas that I felt compelled to explore, concepts that I aspired to incorporate into how I act and speak.

Some old friends from my office work days might remember that I could be depended upon to have a motivational “thought of the day” calendar on my desk, anyone was welcome to goof around with the magnetic word tiles I’d arranged on my file cabinet in a quest to inspire, and I had a lending library of motivational books on the shelf. Yes, I was one of those annoying people.

And I’m not yet done with being that annoying person who tries so hard to see the upside of every situation and the recognize the best in every person. 

So here comes my list. I take credit for none of these ideas, I’ve borrowed and revised as I went along to see what worked for me. Sometimes success came along, other times crashing disappointment. Life?

What we put out into the world gets reflected back. If you don’t believe me, spend a day offering every single person you come across a genuine smile and see what happens. It’s magical.

On that note, smiles and a kind word are contagious. Nothing can convince me otherwise.

If your intuition has served you well in the past, keep trusting your gut.

Work hard, be nice. (Quote by Rafe Esquith, Los Angeles teacher featured in the film “Hobart Shakespeareans”). Not only does it cover off karma and The Golden Rule succinctly, it sums up the guiding principles of pretty much every religion quite nicely, doesn’t it?

We all make a difference. We can have a positive influence or a negative one, we each hold the power to shape the lives of others. A tremendous responsibility to be taken seriously.

Listen to children. Amazing insight can be found in the most innocent of observations.

You can choose your family, and define for yourself what that word means to you.

If a doctor or teacher gets high ratings on internet rating sites, you can bet that he or she is also someone very special outside of work too (I had to add that one, I delight in the fact that I’ve yet to be proven wrong on this!)

Walking on eggshells is just impossible. Any relationship that required me to do so is gone for good, I always ended up crashing through.

Giving the benefit of the doubt doesn’t always end well, but it wins out most of the time.

“The first time someone shows you who they are, believe them” Maya Angelou

“Once a word leaves your mouth, you cannot chase it back even with the swiftest horse” Chinese Proverb

There is a big difference between sympathy and empathy, there are times and places for each. The first is closer to pity, the second essential to the human experience.

And to finish, my hardest lesson. I can’t make everyone happy. Goodness knows I tried.