I got called "a bundle of negative energy" yesterday.
Right when I was thinking the same thing about the person who said it to me!
I am not always the one rubbing off negativity, but at that moment it was me. There was this happy, smiling person, laughing and talking. Then I make one "cribby" remark and the other person's mood got soured too. It was not even anything about them, just a general comment, but that upbeat spirit felt sad listening to me.
They say when we interact with people, we see our own reflection in their attitude towards us. This is mostly true.
If you smile at someone, you're most likely to get a smile back (unless you have pissed them off big time!)
If you're nice, most likely even a rude person will get shamed into being nice to you.
If you're rude, most likely you will wipe away the smile on the other person's face.
If you're upbeat, you can lift the spirits of the most wretched and miserable person.
If you're negative, you will most likely dampen the spirits of an otherwise confident person.
So, be happy, stay positive, most likely it will rub off on others too :)
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Just Do It!
Mantra for today:
A lot of us are procrastinators! We'll do things we like, and keep putting off the other boring ones. For some of these tasks, tomorrow never comes. More often than not, these are simple, 5-10 minute tasks. They are insignificant enough to ignore for now, but important enough to not completely push them off our to-do lists. The longer we postpone them, the bigger they seem to get.
One very common example is mail! I get so many things in the mail that simply need to be filed away. That's all I have to do with them. Open them, read them, put them away. And since it is such a small, boring task, I have a big pile of mail! The bigger the pile gets, the more impossible the task of sorting it out seems! A task which was once going to take only 2 minutes will now probably take 2 hours!
And since I know in the back of my mind that I have this pile to sort out, I feel guilty about doing other leisurely things like reading a book for some time. The guilt is very valid, there IS work to get done! And so the cycle continues. I cannot enjoy my leisure because there's this nagging thought about the mail in my head. And I won't do it because its boring, and by now its taken on a life of its own, and become a big task!
There are quite a few such examples we all encounter everyday. The easy way out would be to just do it! Right there, right then! Get it over with. Make it a thing of the past!
Make it a habit to take care of these mundane things right away and see how much easier you breathe! How much spare time you have! Remember that old saying,
How true it is!
And now for today's blessings...
Today I am grateful...
Just Do It!
A lot of us are procrastinators! We'll do things we like, and keep putting off the other boring ones. For some of these tasks, tomorrow never comes. More often than not, these are simple, 5-10 minute tasks. They are insignificant enough to ignore for now, but important enough to not completely push them off our to-do lists. The longer we postpone them, the bigger they seem to get.
One very common example is mail! I get so many things in the mail that simply need to be filed away. That's all I have to do with them. Open them, read them, put them away. And since it is such a small, boring task, I have a big pile of mail! The bigger the pile gets, the more impossible the task of sorting it out seems! A task which was once going to take only 2 minutes will now probably take 2 hours!
And since I know in the back of my mind that I have this pile to sort out, I feel guilty about doing other leisurely things like reading a book for some time. The guilt is very valid, there IS work to get done! And so the cycle continues. I cannot enjoy my leisure because there's this nagging thought about the mail in my head. And I won't do it because its boring, and by now its taken on a life of its own, and become a big task!
There are quite a few such examples we all encounter everyday. The easy way out would be to just do it! Right there, right then! Get it over with. Make it a thing of the past!
Make it a habit to take care of these mundane things right away and see how much easier you breathe! How much spare time you have! Remember that old saying,
"A stitch in time, saves nine"?
How true it is!
And now for today's blessings...
Today I am grateful...
- For the opportunities presented to me everyday...for correcting my mistakes, and for doing things I want to
- For the fact that I am not poor! I saw this kids' picture on a photoblog. Was a small boy who had rough hands because he had to work hard to get his next meal!
- For the fact that there are organizations out there that help me help kids like him! (It still breaks my heart that these kids have such a life...through no mistake of theirs!)
- For my sister :-) She left yesterday while I was still at work. House was a mess since there were 6 of us, including 2 kids, living in a small space, and I was not looking forward to the mess. She left it spick and span :) God bless her for doing this for me!
- That this blog of mine is actually helping folks feel happy :) That means a great deal to me!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Don't worry!
Mantra for today, a very cliched one:
Its the biggest enemy of our happiness! You are probably saying, but there are so many problems, how can I not worry? And my answer is, yes, there are, and there will be problems. Those problems need solutions, not worry! Right?
There really is no benefit to worrying. My parents always tell me, we are so worried about you, you are so far away. I ask them why? And they say, it just happens, we can't not worry. Don't you worry about us? And honestly, no, I don't. I don't see the point of it. If something is bothering me, I will tell them, suggest a solution. Thats about all I can do, right? My worry, or their worry, or anyone else's worry is not going to help anything!
I have inherited my mother's worry genes. Her name is "Mani" and she is nicknamed "chintamani". Chinta literally means "worry". And she does it 24/7! So do I!
And I am slowly realizing how it is eating away at my happiness and the happiness of those around me. I constantly stress about this is not working, that is not working, how will we ever do this or that! What will that person think of me, will someone get angry if I do this, or if I don't do that, stress stress stress. And the chain of thoughts just does not end! I spend so much time thinking of all things that could possibly go wrong, that I forget to enjoy my life at the moment.
So now...I take a deep breath, shake off all that negativity, and I KNOW that I can handle whatever life throws at me only if I don't get scared of it!
And here are the blessings....
Today I am grateful...
Don't worry!
Its the biggest enemy of our happiness! You are probably saying, but there are so many problems, how can I not worry? And my answer is, yes, there are, and there will be problems. Those problems need solutions, not worry! Right?
There really is no benefit to worrying. My parents always tell me, we are so worried about you, you are so far away. I ask them why? And they say, it just happens, we can't not worry. Don't you worry about us? And honestly, no, I don't. I don't see the point of it. If something is bothering me, I will tell them, suggest a solution. Thats about all I can do, right? My worry, or their worry, or anyone else's worry is not going to help anything!
I have inherited my mother's worry genes. Her name is "Mani" and she is nicknamed "chintamani". Chinta literally means "worry". And she does it 24/7! So do I!
And I am slowly realizing how it is eating away at my happiness and the happiness of those around me. I constantly stress about this is not working, that is not working, how will we ever do this or that! What will that person think of me, will someone get angry if I do this, or if I don't do that, stress stress stress. And the chain of thoughts just does not end! I spend so much time thinking of all things that could possibly go wrong, that I forget to enjoy my life at the moment.
So now...I take a deep breath, shake off all that negativity, and I KNOW that I can handle whatever life throws at me only if I don't get scared of it!
And here are the blessings....
Today I am grateful...
- To have realized a few things that can put a smile on my face, no matter what!
- To have such great friends...in blogville and otherwise
- For my ability to write!
- For the chocolate souffle that I just ate
- For the simple, helpful and non-judgmental people that work with me!
- For the husband that I have! I feel so happy to have him in my life!
- For my home, and all the critters I get to see in my backyard. The squirrels, the birds, the cats, love them all! (as long as they stay in the yard and out of my house, of course!)
- For my friend who recently got engaged (you know who you are, and I am waiting for pictures!). This one makes me very very happy!
Monday, June 2, 2008
Think before you speak
This one, I think is one I need to follow everyday! Not just for one single day.
I have a tendency to worry about things (to the point of insanity) and when things don't go the way I want them to, I find some scapegoat or the other (usually the husband, who, I claim, is not 100% innocent, but is still a scapegoat!) to vent out. And once I start, I completely lose all sense of what I am saying. Once I cool down, the 20-20 hindsight shows me what an ass I have been. But hindsight is no good, is it? There are, unfortunately, no reverse gears in life where you could use the hindsight and back up. The damage is done, the other person is really, really hurt. And more often than not, the point I am trying to make is completely lost in the verbal torrent! Not something I am proud of, but I figure if I speak about it out here in public, and hopefully get some flogging for it, I will watch my words :(
So, my mantra, think before you speak. If it is something you don't want to hear, then it is something the other person also does not want to hear. If it hurts you, it hurts them too! And if its hard to find something nice to say, then say nothing at all! Silence is definitely better than accusations.
And now for the blessings...
Today I am grateful...
Think before you speak!
I have a tendency to worry about things (to the point of insanity) and when things don't go the way I want them to, I find some scapegoat or the other (usually the husband, who, I claim, is not 100% innocent, but is still a scapegoat!) to vent out. And once I start, I completely lose all sense of what I am saying. Once I cool down, the 20-20 hindsight shows me what an ass I have been. But hindsight is no good, is it? There are, unfortunately, no reverse gears in life where you could use the hindsight and back up. The damage is done, the other person is really, really hurt. And more often than not, the point I am trying to make is completely lost in the verbal torrent! Not something I am proud of, but I figure if I speak about it out here in public, and hopefully get some flogging for it, I will watch my words :(
So, my mantra, think before you speak. If it is something you don't want to hear, then it is something the other person also does not want to hear. If it hurts you, it hurts them too! And if its hard to find something nice to say, then say nothing at all! Silence is definitely better than accusations.
And now for the blessings...
Today I am grateful...
- For the hindsight actually. So that I can develop a good foresight :)
- For a whole new week ahead of me to do everything I was not able to do last week
- For the 5 new lilies in my yard :) They are SO beautiful!
- For finally feeling good about my cooking :) Its a big milestone!
- For the sweet words my friend said to me today (I had cooked some special pasta for her kid, and they all loved it :)
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