Maximizing Your Life's Landmark ExperiencesWritten by Julie Jordan Scott
Eric closed his eyes as he rubbed his temples for what seemed like twentieth time that hour. His life lately resembled an episode from a daytime soap opera rather than reality. A thought entered his crowded consciousness: "What is it about me that I can not have a quiet, calm, uninterrupted life?"Sheila discussed twists and turns through past decade with her new friend, Danelle, over a Mocha Java at her neighborhood coffee house. The aroma of baking bread filled room as her hands gestured with her eyes wide. Her hearty laugh rose through room. Danelle stated simply, "Your life has been anything but dull! How do you do it?" Sheila paused as she allowed her warm drink to fill her throat and chest. Looking contemplative, she softly said, "I would not have it any other way." Eric Hoffer, twentieth century American social theorist said, "The remarkable thing is that it is crowded life that is most easily remembered. A life full of turns, achievements, disappointments, surprises, and crises is a life full of landmarks. The empty life has even its few details blurred, and cannot be remembered with certainty." Making most of your landmark experiences will insure your life will be both memorable and filled with meaning. Here is how to maximize your landmark experiences: 1. Facing a landmark experience with gratitude is sure to energize it towards positive. Being grateful for something which on surface looks contrary to your plan for life is highly unnatural. Perhaps THIS is why it is so effective. As ridiculous as it sounds, practice tiniest gratitude for situation, and grow that gratitude daily. You will notice a difference in a short period of time, guaranteed. 2. Honor message landmark experience is sending you. Instead of pushing through time or aggressively creating a struggle, invite experience to dance. Listen for its rhythm. Match its movements with your own. Engage it as a partner. Deciding to honor and respect your experience will bring you through it more quickly than rushing it: sort of tortoise and hare race in life practice.
| | How to Make a Smart Career, Love, or Other Important DecisionWritten by Michelle L. Casto, M.Ed.
Learning to make smart decisions will help you to avoid painful and embarassing situations in your personal and professional life. Unfortunately, many of us have to learn hard way, or sometimes never at all, and are left wondering "how did this happen to me again?" But when we stop to think-- it often comes down to our inability to make decisions. Instead of taking an active approach to our lives, we act clueless, and end up reacting to what life throws at us. But it doesn't have to be that way! The good news is that you can learn to make smart choices which will help you to avoid unwanted jobs, people, and situations. Life is About Learning (Sometimes Hard Way) Life's ups and downs are often cleverly disguised as learning opportunities. But when relationships or jobs don't work out as we planned, we seldom stop to find meaning in "mess." On other hand, if you learn to make use of disappointments and let-downs, you will soon begin to see that all of it-the good and bad, were nothing more than lessons to be learned. Yes, you are a student, still learning about being single, romantic relationships, career development, financial management, and life in general. Life is tricky, you have to make it work for you and not against you. The best way to do this is to learn your lessons, and to make smart choices on front-end. This will enable you to follow path of least confusion, which will prevent you from making costly mistakes. How can you take more control over your life? By using "Get Smart!" decision-making process. Getting smart means raising your self awareness, practicing active reflection, and following your intuitive guidance, which will greatly increase your chances of selecting right person to share your life and family with.
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