Positive Thinking

My friend Jill shared this video on Facebook this week.  I loved it and decided to share it again here:
http://youtu.be/qR3rK0kZFkg

When I watched the movie and read the book, "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrnes about six or seven years ago something clicked for me.  She was telling us that the power of positive thinking was real.  So real in fact that you could manifest positive results in your life by practicing it.  I found myself smiling, nodding my head, and taking notes that day.  I knew this was true.  I am not really sure how I knew, but I did.

Every day, every moment, we have a choice about the thoughts in our head, the words we say and the actions we take.  These thoughts, words and actions pave a path for us.  When we stay aware in our thoughts, words and actions then we have a choice to change them, to choose the ones that serve us, that serve our greatest good.  If we are checked out, unaware, unconscious, then something takes over.  I have heard this something called ego before in several books.  I am not sure if labeling it helps.  All I know is that if I check out, then some little voice in me takes over, and that voice is not always that helpful.  I have to check back in to turn it off.  I have to wake up and show up inside my own life, be aware.

The power of positive thinking is real.  We have to choose to practice it.  There are so many opportunities to go in the other direction.  So many things/people/events that bombard us with stress, negativity, suffering and pain.  We can choose to detach from these things and events, to not judge them or react to them, to stay positive, grounded, centered, and aware.

One of the worst things that ever happened to me career wise was being "let go" from a job.  My entire self esteem and worth was obliterated with that one sentence from my boss.  I was drowning in the negativity and stress of the situation.  Until I made a choice to pursue another path.  Thanks to that choice I was able to move on to become an owner of my own business.  I spent a lot of time torturing myself in my own head about why I was fired, what that meant about me and my skills, and why someone would do something like that to someone like me.  Looking back, all those moments spent in self doubt were a waste of time.  There was something bigger, better and healthier waiting in the wings.  I just couldn't detach from the negative thoughts.

I have heard people who label others as a Pollyanna.  I think the Pollyanna's of the world are on to something.

The Cutest Heating Pad Ever!

I recently met with a woman who I took a yoga class with long ago, Maggie Wong.  She teaches yoga at the Carderock Springs Swim and Tennis Club, which is where I will be starting my Therapeutic Exercise class in just a couple weeks.  Maggie is a very experienced yoga instructor and I recently learned that she is also a seamstress.

This is the "bed companion"

I will now be carrying her super cute animal print heating pads at Bodyworks!  This microwavable heating pad is larger than it might look in the picture, very comfortable around the neck, for the back or for the abdomen.  It comes in "giraffe", "cheetah", or "leopard" for $38.  Makes an awesome holiday gift!  I am working being able to sell through my website, but until then, email me if you would like to purchase one!

You will love having one of these during the cold winter months...

The Black Belt Notebook

I have been working on a project for my taekwondo class over the last several months and even though it will be a work in progress, with periodic updates, etc....I am happy to announce the Gentle East Black Belt Notebook!  The notebook will be available to belts red and higher who need to begin to gather information and study it to prepare for their black belt exam.  It covers all the basic information for belts white through red, kicks, forms, test requirements etc... and provides resources for teaching and testing.  Thanks to my classmates and teachers for being my inspiration for this project.  Email me to get your copy!

Crushed the Lawn Mower with my Car

Well, I was going to title this "Lack of Awareness" however this new title seems more catchy.  TP cleaned out the garage a little bit over the weekend and one of the things that was going out to the "curb" (these neighborhoods have grass strips, no sidewalks) was an old broken lawn mower.  It went out next to the garbage cans and the recycle bins for Monday morning pick up, only it didn't get picked up.  Once in a while we play "put it out there and see if they take it" roulette and mostly we win at this game, but this week we lost, and there it was all alone on my grass strip in front of the house.

So later that day I had an errand to run before rushing back to the house to take JP to his baseball practice.  I walked down my driveway staring at the old lawn mower that they rejected thinking that I would have to call for a special pick up and got in my car that was parked just behind it.  I then pulled forward into my driveway as usual so that I could turn around and head out Carteret Road...and I drove right over the lawn mower.  Realizing that I drove over it, I panicked and backed up over it too, and ripped my front license plate off the car.  Good news is I have a big enough car that that was the only damage (TP checked the underside of the car when he got home).  Wow, did I just run over the lawn mower?  Yep, yep I did.  Thank goodness this wasn't one of my kid's bikes.  Or the good mower...




I think that some things that we do day to day are so habitual that we do them without thinking.  Ha!  Understatement.  The deformed lawn mower got me thinking about what else I was doing, as routine, that I wasn't thinking about or bringing awareness to.  It got me thinking about what or who I might be running over in the process.

So today I am going to slow down a little and practice more awareness, and try not to run anything over.