Sweet N Social

Tag: inspiration

  • The Transformation

    The Transformation

    Anything worth value will take time and effort to cultivate.  Like writing this blog post. I started writing several years ago.  Writing has never been something I saw myself doing.  I struggle on many occasions to come up with topic to discuss because like so many of us, I don’t think I am “smart” enough.  The experts were once amateurs. It comes down to realizing that with practice, any of us can develop our skills in any area that we choose.

    A friend of mine always says “the quality of your life is determined by the quality of your thoughts”.  If we hold onto “wormy” thoughts, such as I am not good enough, we will never transform into the beautiful butterfly that is within us.  As with anything, pay attention to those thoughts.  Awareness is the first step in self-creation. The second step is working to changing them.

    The process may sound easy but the concept is not and I understand that. Best believe that changing your thoughts, will definitely change your life. And you are worth it.

     

  • Apple Juice

    Apple Juice

    I love watching my granddaughter grow up because as she is learning, I’m still learning through her.  The latest lesson came from watching her transition from the bottle to the sippy cup.  We have been trying to introduce juices to her through the sippy cup instead of just giving in and giving her the bottle when she asks for it.

    I would put the apple juice in a small cup and offer it to her after she finished eating her breakfast.  She would push the cup away or throw it while still asking for her bottle.  I couldn’t even get her to take a sip. I slowly began to realize we were tackling two different issues; new cup and new juice. We would have to change our strategy.  Slowly we would offer water in the sippy cup and she would drink it. Once she became more comfortable with the sippy cup we would offer apple juice in the cup.  Once she started taking the apple juice we offered milk in the sippy cup as well.

    It wasn’t until we noticed that everything can’t be offered at once.  It takes “baby steps” in order to change.  This practice is one I always have to remind myself as I try and implement new habits.  As my granddaughter reminded me, do not give me “change” all at once, offer me a “little change” at a time.

     

     

  • Not Today!

    Not Today!

    My favorite quote is “how you do anything is how you do everything.”  Its in those moments when I feel like giving up or simply thinking that no one will know the difference that this thought always comes to mind.

    It is not true that no one will know the difference, YOU will!  And that is the most important person it should mean the most to.  Only you know the thoughts that are floating around in your head. The negative ones are the ones that keep you from living the kind of life you want to live. Its the thoughts that we feed on that create the reality of our lives.

    Once I learned that little tidbit of information, I started to pay closer attention to the thoughts I had once let roam freely in my mind.  I stand guard each day to the quality of thoughts that I will allow to enter my mind or even attempt to tiptoe in.  I must admit that once I decided to take care of my mind like I take care of my body,  life got a whole lot more generous!

  • My Way Mentality

    My Way Mentality

    When my children were younger, I took on many of the tasks of child rearing not considering what effect it had on my husband.  There are many joys and frustrations that come with raising children.  Many arguments usually started at times when I was tired and just didn’t know how to ask for help.  I took too much on and wasn’t willing to share the load with my partner because I though it had to be done MY way.  When people offer to help, let them.  We get so caught of in the belief that if something is not done in a particular way, that it is wrong.

    Of course at the time I didn’t know this.  It is now, as a grandparent, that I realized that some of the frustration was self-induced.  My husband loves taking care of our granddaughter. I can see how it has changed him and I know she absolutely loves to spend time with him.

    Many people just want to know that they matter.  By opening yourself up to receive help from others,  you are allowing them to experience purpose and meaning in their life.

  • Plant Yourself a Garden

    Plant Yourself a Garden

    What is it about reading that I love?  I was not always a reader.  I picked up the habit of reading more once I turned off the television.  I love to read nonfiction books. The self-help to the neuroscience.  Not everything I read do I understand at first, but the more I read, the more I learn and start to understand.  Slowly the information sinks in to my brain.

    It has happened over many years that some of the information that I’ve read started to make sense years after I’ve read it.  It’s like planting a garden. The harvest will not bloom immediately, but eventually the seeds start to sprout.  I start to understand.  Another way to look at it is in the effects of compound interest.  We build a foundation and everything after the foundation is built upon the information that we learned previously. Each layer is helping you raise up to the next level. Each new book plants a new fruit, flower or tree.

    I would also like to share that the more I read, the more my world expands.  You do not have to put into action everything that you read nor do you necessary have to agree with the author’s opinion. Learn to process what works for you and let go of the stuff that doesn’t. In the end, you have a much broader harvest to pick from.

  • The Fill Up

    The Fill Up

    When is enough, enough?  There is a such thing as being there to help your friends in times of need but when your friend no longer takes responsibility for the decisions that they make. Its okay to say “NO”.  It’s called self-care and there is nothing selfish about it.

    Many years ago I learned that so many of us are always ready to help others but fail to put the same kind of energy into helping ourselves.  We can’t pour out what we have not taken the time to pour into.  I like to think of ourselves as vehicles on this Earth. We zoom around running errands for our children, spouses, and friends.  As in life, we need to gas up the car in order to keep the car in motion.  The self-care that we do for ourselves is like going to the gas station for a fill up.  When we don take acre of the car, we run the risk of damaging the vehicle.  Everyone I know, hates to see the check engine light come on. That’s the same thing that our bodies are doing with headaches, backaches and other aches.

    Don’t wait for the check engine light to come on before you decide to take care of yourself.  You are just as important as your children, spouse and friends. We are given this one life to live. Make is your best life by taking care of yourself like you take care of your car.

  • Playing Catch

    Playing Catch

    Today is the day I walk with a walking club.  I don’t compete but I do use other walkers as incentive to push myself.  In most cases, you look for a walker who is ahead of you and you make them your focal point.  Once I can find a target walker, I put my head down and focus on my walking technique and breathing.  With such focus, you can usually “walk them down” in other words, you can catch them.  I’ve been catch and I have caught others.

    I did not try and walk anyone down today. I started late so I just focused on my walking stride and breath. I did start to pass people.  After the walk was over, a gentleman can over and told me he looks for me on the trail.  I’ve seen this man on several occasions but we’ve never spoken to each other before.  He told me he had to let me know, he looks to try and stay ahead a head of me but he knows that I will pass him eventually.

    What I’ve found most beneficial is to not worry about who is behind you. Stay focused on whose ahead.  Its not about getting catch, its about making them reach.

  • What’s Not Working Here?

    What’s Not Working Here?

    I love to read personal development books! What I have to pay close attention to is getting sucked up in do all of what the author is recommending.  Like so many things out there, these books are recommendation that the author has shared with the reader.  It’s their life, their research or their opinions.  You still have to put action behind your own purpose and dreams in order for them to come to fruition.

    I am a firm believer in personal development but I am also a firm believer in creating a life of your own design. I take bits and pieces of the knowledge I read, and use what works and discard what doesn’t.  Reading does expand your thought pattern but if your not careful, you’ll begin to live the life of the author and not your own.

    I would never not recommend reading, I just recommend paying attention to how the book is making you feel.  If its not helping you but stressing you out, step back, breathe and see what’s working and discard whats not.

  • Braving the Weather

    Braving the Weather

    I just made it back from my morning walk. It’s a cloudy morning which often makes me ponder just when will the rain pour down.  I debated on whether to go to the gym and walk the treadmill instead. I prefer a walk in the park over the treadmill any day.  I have gotten caught in the rain on several occasions in the past.

    I decided to go to the park to walk.  I felt a few rain drops falling. Definitely not enough for a wash out.  As I walked and I knew I was going to be able to get a complete walk in, I realized I could have let the dark clouds over head keep me from doing the one thing that I absolutely love.  In that very moment the clouds took on a whole new meaning.

    The clouds are like the fears in our mind. The fear of what others think or say.  Success comes when we chose not to let the clouds in our minds keep us from do what we love to do. Go all in and enjoy the walk!

  • 58 Minutes

    58 Minutes

    Treadmill-Control-Panel

    I love walks in the park but this past winter I told my husband, “I am getting soft”. I just couldn’t handle walking in the cold anymore so I started going to the gym to walk on the treadmill. The maximum workout setting is 58 minutes. I would go in each morning, grab my hand towels, hit manual workout and start walking. One morning I was just watching the countdown timer, noticing the seconds turn into minutes over and over again. Then it hit me! I was spending 58 minutes walking on a treadmill. Those 58 minutes I would never get back again. In that moment, I realized every second of every minute is a gift.

    We all have this one precious life to live. Take a moment, stop, breathe and enjoy it.

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