Friday Review: Honesty
Where and when is honesty most important to you? Here are a few related posts you may have missed.
“Tell a lie once and all your truths become questionable.”
Tag Archives: Barry Demp
Sometimes I wrote things because I couldn’t say them
“Sometimes I wrote things because I couldn’t say them…. couldn’t keep them bottled inside me.”
—Octavia E. Butler, 20th Century award-winning American science fiction author
Image from Unsplash by Bianca Stancescu
How often do you enjoy beverages with bubbles? Recall the sounds when each bottle is first opened and the audible fizz when you pour its contents into a glass.
Liquids under pressure are always waiting for us to release them.
What pressures are you experiencing these days?
How often do you internalize the stresses and strains of life and keep things bottled up?
EXERCISE:
How could keeping a journal or notebook help you express and release some of the strong feelings you keep bottled up?
How could talking with a trusted friend or family member help you release even more of this pressure?
Do not ask what it is. Let us go experience it
“Do not ask what it is. Let us go experience it.”
—T.S. Elliot, one of the 20th century’s major poets
Image from Unsplash by Maria Oswalt
I tend to be a home body — I’m not into large events or running around to check things off my bucket list.
I do, however, go outside this comfort zone for the people closest to me — especially my children and grandchildren.
My daughter is constantly creating opportunities for her kids to experience new things. Being invited along for the ride, to watch the delight of our little ones, is definitely not to be missed!
EXERCISE:
How often do your find yourself living in your cave of comfort?
Where would FOMO be a good thing to get you off your seat and into the world you’ve been missing?
Alter your thinking about thinking
Alter your thinking about thinking. Sometimes sitting with a question can expand your mind without always needing to find an answer.
—Calm App Reflection
Image from Unsplash by Eugene Lagunov
A powerful question can act like a mind-altering substance. It can be a catalyst to help fire previously underused neurons and emit floods of neurotransmitters to help us think new thoughts.
Modifying our thinking on our own can be difficult. We are constantly bathing our minds with many of the same messages, 24/7. Consider relating this idea to Newton’s Law of Inertia which states:
“Every object will remain at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless compelled to change its state by the action of an external force.”
EXERCISE:
What are some ways you can alter your current thinking?
What are some internal and external forces that can support you to change your life for the better?
What questions can you sit with that may help you in this effort?
Friday Review: Beliefs
Friday Review: Beliefs
How often do you review and reorganize the beliefs you hold? Here are a few related posts you may have missed.
“Plant the seeds of beautiful ideas in your mind and water them with belief and action.”
“The truth you believe in and cling to makes you unavailable to hear anything new.”
“You must look into people, as well as at them.”
The past is a place of reference, not a residence
“The past is a place of reference, not a residence. The past is a place of learning, not a place of living.”
—Roy T. Bennett, Late Author of The Light in the Heart
Image from Unsplash by Shantung Kulkarni
Our minds are marvelous. In a split second we can use our imagination to go anywhere and do anything.
By working at the speed of light and beyond, we can use mental worm holes and folds in spacetime to explore our limitless inner and outer worlds.
Another handy trick is our ability to go back in time or into the future whenever we wish.
Although daydreaming about the future and how our life may unfold is common, trips down memory lane seem to be even more prominent, since these roads have already been traveled.
Unfortunately, all this mental leaping can have us miss the very moments that make up these memories we hope to reflect upon down the road.
EXERCISE:
How much of your life do you spend residing in the past?
What lessons have you learned to make sure you prioritize opening the gifts of the present?
Sometimes, to keep going, we have to allow ourselves to stop.
“Sometimes, to keep going, we have to allow ourselves to stop.”
—Gretchen Rubin, NY Times Bestselling Author, Podcaster, Speaker
Image from Unsplash by Shane
It wasn’t until I had grandchildren that I learned “happy hour” was a new definition for a nap.
Regardless of my meditation practices, exercise efforts, and nutritional pursuits with the latest super foods, just a handful of hours with our two little ones drains most of the pep from my steps.
With some adjustments to our schedules, we have found ways to include the kids in some of our renewal and recharging efforts, including lots of quiet cuddling with pop-pop and grand-mom.
EXERCISE:
Where and when in your life do you feel the greatest need to stop in order to keep going?
How can you monitor and manage your energy levels to optimize your intentions and actions?
Consider picking up a copy of The Power of Full Engagement if this post resonates.
“If you can’t pay it back, pay it forward.”
“If you can’t pay it back, pay it forward.”
—Catherine Ryan Hyde, American novelist and short story writer
Image from Unsplash by Ekaterina Shakharova
Who are the people who have invested the most in you over the years?
How did they spend their time, energy, and resources to help you become the person you are today?
In what ways did you repay them for their invaluable contributions?
When I examine my own list, I sometime feel unsettled.
A good number of my teachers, mentors, advisors, and family members are no longer with us. Simply sending my prayers and feelings of gratitude into the domain of spirit doesn’t seem to be enough.
Upon deeper review, I realized that these special individuals probably never expected anything in return. They would probably be very pleased to see me paying many of their lessons forward to others in my communities.
EXERCISE:
Where and with whom would a pay it forward strategy help you balance the ledger of your life for all that you have received from others over the years?
Your mind is like a bookshelf
Your mind is like a bookshelf. You can browse the titles without opening them all.
—Calm App Reflection
Image from Unsplash by Patel Czerwinski
What’s on your mind these days?
How many open tabs, apps, and pages have some or most of your attention? How does jumping from one thing to another at the speed of thought make you feel?
When was the last time you visited an actual book store or library? What was it like to browse through the shelves at a leisurely pace?
How many books did you select and actually open to see if the contents were worth a longer look?
EXERCISE:
How would patiently browsing through the bookshelf of your mind help you be far more discerning with what you let into the library of your life?
Friday Review Strategy
Friday Review: Strategy
What are your strategies for success? Here are a few related posts you may have missed.
“Being a nice person can be an effective strategy.”
“Don’t Let the worst people get the best of you.”
“Don’t focus on only one growth path.”