Monthly Archives: May 2009

Ten Tips for Improving Your Quality of Life

Posted on May 25, 2009 | 2 comments

Over the years, I’ve learned a great deal from life’s little lessons. So others may benefit, I now pay forward my Top 10; they are:

  1. Respect self and others. We are our worst critic. How we perceive our selves often projects to others. So capitalize on strengths; create opportunities to strengthen weaknesses; learn from past mistakes; and most of all…always move forward.
  2. Live in the moment. Do not dwell on a past that cannot be undone and do not place too much emphasis on a future that may not occur. Rather, savor the moment. Using all your senses, take in the present moment. You not only become more aware of the people, places, and events in your life, but you also learn to appreciate and find wonder in everything and everyone in your life. And this is what creates a better tomorrow.
  3. Be realistic and always be real. Be honest and realistic about your shortcomings. In acknowledging your own imperfections, you not only acknowledge your realness to others, but you also permit others to be real with you.
  4. Be totally open. Openly share ALL your thoughts, feelings, and concerns with others. Do not have ANY expectations about how others might react; you are guaranteed to be wrong. What’s more, do not hold ANY details back; it not only creates disappointment, but it can prove to be misleading, too.
  5. Maintain balance. Place equal energy into all your life areas, be it individual, family, professional, spiritual, and/or love lives. All are meant to be lived harmoniously, not separately. Too much emphasis in any one life area creates imbalances in all other areas.
  6. Keep it simple. Often times we make things way more complicated than they need to be. Low tech may be better than high tech; face-to-face is always better than e-mails or phone calls; and self-checks are never frequent enough.
  7. Work as a team. No one was meant to go it alone. We are here to learn from one another. One person’s weakness, is another person’s strength. So collaborate, brainstorm, delegate, and/or outsource, where practical.
  8. You are the creator of your experiences – both positive and negative. Joys may be downplayed or celebrated. Life’s challenges may be viewed as punishments or a series of lessons from which much good could be found. It’s all in how you to choose to view your experiences.
  9. Take the road less taken. There is more than one way to do everything. Be open; assumptions only get you into trouble. Be creative; find the extraordinary in the ordinary and try new ways of performing everyday tasks. Schedule phone calls; make appointments with your self to go out to the park or to the beach; block out time each day to pray or reflect without interruption; and most of all … try a new route to work, school, or errands. All make a profound difference.
  10. Never stop learning. We can learn as much or as little as we want. It’s our choice to accept or limit our experiences. Continuously explore everything and from every vantage point, remembering always to experience it all with first time wonder.

And need I say it……..always maintain a sense of humor! Do you have any lessons from life you would like to add to this list? Feel free to share.

Remember … touch a life today “The Little Way” by following the lead and need of others.  Also, if you ever thought to yourself, “I wish my customers, knew…”, then be sure to visit White Light Communications at http://www.tothewhitelight.com.

~ Theresa

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Living in the Moment

Posted on May 12, 2009 | Leave a comment

Like many out there, I’ve always taken pride in how well organized I am. I keep my “To Do List” current; my Palm Pilot up-to-date; and what’s more, I am usually on time for my appointments… if not early. To keep up with all I wish to accomplish – both personally and professionally – I find myself deep in thought much of the time… even as I drive to and from a destination. Then it happened; the wake up call everyone eventually gets. Mine came this weekend in the form of a speeding ticket. It was not just any ticket; it was as if God was saying, “Theresa… STOP it!!!! You’re moving way too fast and you’re missing out on soooooo much.” It hit me like a ton of bricks. In spending so much time dwelling on the past so as not to repeat past mistakes and in planning for a future that may not happen according to plan, I was totally missing out on absolutely everything that was occurring around me in that moment – including the speed change!

So this morning with a new day upon me I vowed to focus on each moment and what was occurring in and around me. I don’t know why, but for some reason I thought it would be easy to empty my mind of its many thoughts much like cleaning off my desktop or sorting through outdated mail. The reality was that allowing myself to simply exist, to fully be “in the moment proved to be far more difficult than I ever imagined. How do I silence the constant stream of thoughts, plans, images, and stories that played in my head? Where do I begin in focusing outward rather than inward? In that moment, paying attention to every little thing that presented itself to me and to every single person young or old who came into my life seemed overwhelming. By lunchtime, all I knew was that I had to think less … way less… and see and feel a great deal more.

As difficult as today was, I survived it and learned just how remarkable St. Therese’s life really was. It served as a reminder of what “living in the moment” really meant and just how much love is involved in paying attention to even the smallest matters during the course of a single moment. While many may not be familiar with St. Therese or her life, many readers are familiar with Eckart Tolle’s book, The Power of Now (http://www.eckharttolle.com/eckharttolle-powerofnow) which teaches us in very real ways just how valuable it is to “live in the Now” rather than in the past or in the future. In his latest book, <A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose (http://www.eckharttolle.com/eckharttolle-newearth), he offers reassurance that we are not alone in our struggle. He explains that in our quest to focus on the moment, we often perceive conflict between “living in the moment” and our lofty goals when in reality there may be none. Mr. Tolle writes:

“The great arises out of small things that are honored and cared for. Everybody’s life really consists of small things. Greatness is a mental abstraction and a favorite fantasy of the ego. The paradox is that the foundation for greatness is honoring the small things of the present moment instead of pursuing the idea of greatness. The present moment is always small in the sense that it is always simple, but concealed within it lies the greatest power. Like the atom, it is one of the smallest things yet contains enormous power. Only when you align yourself with the present moment do you have access to that power. Or it may be more true to say that then has access to you and through you to this world.”

So with that said, how do we go about doing great things by only living in the present? First, consider every day a new beginning; a new opportunity to live in the moment; and another opportunity to find beauty in and savor the moment as a child would. It starts by:

  • Smiling from the time you wake up until your head hits the pillow at night;
  • Being aware of the world around you with all your senses;
  • Focusing on whatever you are doing right now rather than on what has already been done or what still needs to be done;
  • Practicing random, spontaneous acts of kindness on a frequent basis; and most of all…
  • Being thankful for absolutely every single thing and every single person who comes into your life.

    • What suggestions do you have for “living in the moment”?

    Remember … touch a life today “The Little Way” by following the lead and need of others.  Also, if you ever thought to yourself, “I wish my customers, knew…”, then be sure to visit White Light Communications at http://www.tothewhitelight.com.

    ~ Theresa

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    Cleaning out that closet…

    Posted on May 5, 2009 | Leave a comment
    Do you feel weighed down by everyday life; everything from work and relationships to responsibilities that never seem to end? Do you often feel hopeless from it all? You are not alone. In fact, according to a 2007 American Psychological Association study:
    • 1 out of 3 Americans feel they are under extreme stress.

    • 48% of Americans believe their stress levels have increased during the last five years.

    • 3 out of 4 Americans say money and work are the leading causes of stress.

    Further, as a direct result of this stress, quality of life has suffered:

    • 50% of Americans say stress has a negative impact on their personal and professional lives.

    • 31% of employed adults have difficulty managing family and work-related responsibilities.

    • 54% of Americans say stress is the reason they fight with people who are close to them.

    • 25% of Americans say they have become estranged from a friend or family member due to stress.

    What can you do to reduce stress? One great stress reliever is to “clean out your closet” – figuratively and literally. This involves decluttering not only your living and working space, but your life too. Whether it be attitudes, relationships, or clothes that no longer fit, we often accumulate way too much. Like our homes, our heart, mind, and spirit are often crammed with possessions – thoughts, emotions, ideas, attitudes, and beliefs – we no longer need. And as we accumulate all this unwanted stuff, our life gets complicated and actually suffers.

    So how does one declutter and by how much? The rule of thumb is to divide and delete by 50%. The following are some tips to get started:

    1. Follow your heart. Determine what is truly important – be it possessions, thoughts, emotions, ideas, attitudes, or beliefs; discard the rest. The act of letting go or giving away feels oh so good!!!
    2. Take a hard look in the mirror. Spend a quiet Saturday afternoon in front of your wardrobe and mirror. Try on every item you own, then give away any clothes that no longer fit or match your image.
    3. Clean room by room. Purge unnecessary paper and computer files. Consolidate address books. Get rid of old correspondence. Do the same with your medicine cabinet, pantry, book shelves, multimedia center, cosmetic drawers, garage, etc.
    4. Be mindful. Monitor your thoughts, words, and actions, making sure to edit out the negative.
    5. Eat healthy. Eliminate one item from your diet you know you should avoid. For example, soda, potato chips, etc. When you get used to life without it, then try eliminating one more item.

    Once you declutter, you will discover you have room for:

    1. Exercise. Start off slow then build up. For example, start walking 15 minutes per day. When you get used to it, then try adding another 15 minutes to your routine. Better yet, vary your routine by periodically adding a new form of exercise such as dance or aerobics.
    2. Keeping a joy journal. Write down what brings you joy. Refer to it when you feel down.
    3. Meditating. Block out some time and find a quiet place to reflect. Whether indoors or outdoors, ensure your privacy for a set period of time. Start off slow, perhaps with a simple prayer or an inspirational message, then build from there. Vary your routine by periodically adding a new form of meditation.
    4. Seeking out the positive. Remember the “Law of Attraction”? It not only works in science class, but in real life too. Positive breeds positive. So surround yourself with positive people, places, and situations. Distance yourself from toxic relationships.
    5. Pursuing fun. Take up a new hobby or revive an old interest.
    Decluttering is nothing more than simplying your life. As you let go of your old stuff, your old feelings, and your old ideas, the freer you feel. Before you know it, the “ball and chain” that weighed you down are gone. You not only feel lighter and breathe easier, but there’s now room for some much-needed joy.Have you started to “clean out your closets”? If so, can you share how you did it along with some tips you found helpful?

    Remember … touch a life today “The Little Way” by following the lead and need of others.  Also, if you ever thought to yourself, “I wish my customers, knew…”, then be sure to visit White Light Communications at http://www.tothewhitelight.com.

    ~ Theresa

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