Let's Go Outside!

Remember how exciting it was when you were a youngster and someone would say, "Let's go outside!" It was a real treat.

Playing outside was so much more fun than being inside the house all day. Imaginations ran wild as stick horses turned into stallions, bicycles became motorcycles, and porches were miraculously transformed into army headquarters.

Outside! It was a beautiful thing.

Today the challenge is to go outside. Leave the computer, the television, the X-box, the Wii behind. Make a concerted effort to breathe in deeply the crisp clean air; feel it as it wafts across your skin; drink in the beauty of the world around you; close your eyes and listen, really listen to the sounds of nature. Those few moments, away from everything electronic (yes, leave that cell phone inside) will rejuvenate you and give you a sense of freedom from the stresses of life.

Your outside time should be pleasurable so no work allowed! Not unless, of course, you're raking up those leaves to take a flying leap into them!

Remember the joys of being outside. Relive those joys again.

Let's go outside!

Playfully yours,
Jean

Tell Them--You'll Make a Difference!

Is there someone in your life whom you admire? Perhaps a relative, a friend or a colleague?

Many times we go through life, noticing the good qualities of others yet failing to tell them. They may not realize that their kind word or gesture made a difference in our life or the lives of others. It's time to tell them! Giving praise where it's due is a good thing. It's a gift you can freely give. It won't cost you a dime but it offers a great return on the short amount of time you've invested. You'll be blessed!

Sometimes it seems that negative criticism comes easier than praise. Even so, that's no excuse to keep our positive thoughts to ourselves. Let the good things in your heart flow; let your words lift up someone else. What you say may be the only positive comment they hear today. Wow, that's pretty powerful!

Recently, a friend of mine did something for someone else that I felt was pretty awesome. It was an act of giving without expecting anything in return. It touched my heart in knowing this as I'm sure it touched the heart of the recipient of his gift. I sent a simple email, praising his generosity.

Take a moment. Can you think of someone who has touched your life or the life of someone else? Today is a good day to let them know. Not only will you be a blessing to them, but you'll find it makes you feel pretty good as well.

And it won't cost you a dime.

Is there something you admire about someone in your life? Tell them!

Admiringly yours,
Jean

Never Too Old to Learn

It amazes me how easy technology comes to the youngest of us. For instance, in the United States, there is a television commercial that features a four-year-old girl who is expertly using a computer program to make a picture of her fish Dorkie 'better' and email it to her family. Plus, I know of teenagers who send text messages from phones in their pockets, without ever looking at the keyboard. Then there are the wiz kids who spend hours writing computer programs. Today, my challenge is to put this blog on some RSS directories in order to create more exposure.

Simple? Let's just say, maybe I should have called the wiz kids to help! Still, I did have a couple of responses on my Facebook page when I posed the question about RSS feeds. (Thanks, guys)!

I decided to try my hand at it...with just one directory to start with. Hope I get this right. Time will tell.

Have you ever tried something for the first time and wondered, how in the world the younger generation found it so much easier? Still, I think as we grow older (and wiser!) we should never pass by those opportunites to learn, to grow, to expand our knowledge and skills.

What can you try today that you've never tried before? It may be something technical or not. What about learning to grow a better garden? Or learning how to knit a scarf? What about learning how to use MS Access? Or how to hang glide?

Many times we find that trying new things is exhiliarating. At the least, we'll definitely have a sense of accomplishment. I challenge you, today, to try something new, to spread your wings. After all, you're never too old to learn.

Jean

Blessings in Disguise

I remember as I was growing up my mom used to use the phrase, 'blessing in disguise'. She was referring to those circumstances that we often find ourselves in that, at first, feel like a negative situation, but end up as a positive. Have you ever had a blessing in disguise?

Just this week, I had my very first ear infection. Let me just say, for those of you who have never experienced this, it certainly didn't feel like a blessing. However, it prompted me to slow down, take care of myself a bit, and pull away from the rat race for a short time. A blessing of self-care in disguise.

Another instance happened a few years ago. My son could no longer afford the private university he was attending unless he became very deep in debt. He weighed his options and began looking for alternatives. He wisely chose to enroll in a state-sponsored school. Two years later, at college, he met the woman he'll marry next year, with a lot less college load debt than he would have had. Their love for each other proves to me that this was another blessing in disguise.

This prompts me to question those (seemingly) bad things that come into my life. If I'm late going out the door and, on my way, see that there's been an accident on the highway, I often wonder…if I had been on time, would I have been involved in that accident? I've had instances where I did not get a position I applied for and years later the company has closed its doors. For me, that may have been a blessing in disguise.

As life goes on, I intend for positive circumstances. I embrace changes and look closely for the good that can come from those less-than-perfect circumstances I do find myself in. How do you see your circumstances? Could they simply be blessings in disguise?

Many blessings,
Jean

A Little Me-Time is a Good Thing!

How often do you find yourself doing so much for others that you seldom have time for yourself? Life often demands that we're stretched beyond our limits; however, if we schedule in a little me-time, we do ourselves and those around us a big favor. After all, who enjoys being stressed out or being around stressed out people?

Lately, I've been stretched to the limit. Life has demanded a lot of time and energy, meeting deadlines and dealing with a family member's illness. Today, I realized that I needed a little me-time to rejuvenate. If you're a busy person, you're probably due for a little me-time yourself.

What is 'me-time'? It can be a variety of things. Maybe it's taking time to walk through the park, alone or with a good friend. Maybe it's sitting in a local restaurant (as I'm doing right now), writing, putting your thoughts down. Maybe it's being alone in the house, playing piano. Maybe it's taking time for a nice massage, mani or pedi. Or, your preferred me-time could be taking the time to read a favorite book.

Just now, why not jot down a few ideas of what your me-time of choice might be? (Go ahead; I'll wait).

Now, pick one and, if necessary, put it on your calendar for next week. Treat that appointment as if it were as important as any other activity you've scheduled. And, most importantly, follow through.

A word of advice: Don't let anyone, even your own little voice, accuse you of being selfish. This is your time to revive, to rejuvenate, to better yourself so that you may serve others (and yourself) more productively.

A little me-time….it's a good thing.

Refreshingly yours,
Jean

Hidden Blessings

Sometimes the hard times come to you. Life throws you a curve ball. You feel like curling up in a ball, shutting out the world, crawling under a rock.

Sometimes the hard times come to you. Life throws you a curve ball. Instead of succumbing to self pity, you choose to take it, to experience it, to make it real, to learn from it, to move on.

We have a choice in how we deal with the tough times, the hard things, the disappointments. We've all had times like that. Life is full of disappointments. However, life is also full of joyful moments, many of which we have to intentionally allow into our lives.

Have you ever had a little thing, a very little thing, tick you off so much you felt the anger rise within you? Those little things that get under our skin can set the tone for the whole day. They can cause us to snap at our children, our co-workers, our significant others. What if, instead of allowing the anger to rise up, we chose to laugh at those little things, and to laugh at ourselves for allowing them to get under our skin? What if we chose to find humor in those situations instead? If so, we might find that when the really hard times come around we're better able to deal with them.

The key is to change little by little. Start small. It can make the difference in living a miserable life or in living a life full of joyful moments.

Enter......The JoyStream!

We can have freedom from stress, anxiety and depression. To free ourselves from these things, we can choose to enter The JoyStream. When we enter The JoyStream, we allow our Authentic Self to reveal itself. We find the hidden talents, the creativeness that we didn't realize we had or maybe had forgotten about.
Are you feeling the weight of the world on your shoulders today? Are you feeling down and downcast? Can you barely face the world and your many responsibilities or critical people?
Think back to a time when you were free to dream. When you had a real vision. Remember how free you felt, how enthusiastic about the future? God created you with that dream, that desire to achieve and succeed. Your circumstances, your environment and other people may have chipped away at your vision, your dream, until there's hardly anything left that resembles it.
If this sounds like you, you owe it to yourself to enter The JoyStream and make your life what it was intended to be.
To learn more, visit this website: www.thejoystream.com.