ACIM: Bringing The Darkness To Light

Marianne Williamson helping you understand your shadow self:

ACIM: Bringing The Darkness To Light



See Stephanie's site Work Stress Solutions for more information like this.

The 14 Habits of Highly Miserable People

I sincerely hope you will click through and read the entire article by Cloe Madanes, but just in case you can't take the time, here they are:

How to Succeed at Self-Sabotage:

1. Be afraid, be very afraid, of economic loss.
2. Practice sustained boredom.
3. Give yourself a negative identity.
4. Pick fights.
5. Attribute bad intentions.
6. Whatever you do, do it only for personal gain.
7. Avoid gratitude.
8. Always be alert and in a state of anxiety.
9. Blame your parents.
10. Don’t enjoy life’s pleasures.
11. Ruminate.
12. Glorify or vilify the past.
13. Find a romantic partner to reform.
14. Be critical.


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Some Motivational Posters for Work Stress Relief

These technically have nothing to do with work or career...right? You guys are too sophisticated to fall for that old-school view! Personal and professional can't be separated. One will always "inform" the other. Unhappy at work...unhappy at home and vice versa.

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Lazy Days Are Gone

Today, someone called me lazy. It was in one of the Facebook groups I'm in, so the person doesn't really know me, but it got me thinking. Lazy isn't possible. You want to know why?

Interest can't be manufactured. You're either interested in something or you are not. Now, we can definitely make it possible for you to FAKE interest a lot better than you are right now. This is done through praise or punishment; the carrot or the stick.

If you don't have a natural interest in coming into work every day at 8am, are you lazy? I'd say no. I'd call that normal. Regardless, the employer needs you there at 8am. So she ensures that happens UNnaturally by bribing you (giving you a salary). Otherwise, you'd never do it. And if you take that carrot and you still don't find the motivation to get there by 8am? Well...now it's time for the stick: You'll probably be written-up, punished, docked pay and even fired for not faking your interest better than you did.

But make no mistake: The word "lazy" is just another stick. It's meant to shame so that a person will act when they have no natural interest in the first place.

Don't fall for it (unless there's a good reason).

See Stephanie's site Work Stress Solutions for more information like this.

Keep Your Enemies Closer?

I have a friend that I met through Facebook. We've met in "real life" too and confirmed it. Yep. We're friends alright. She just posted this in one of the groups we are in...and it's really gorgeous. Thought I'd share it here and have you consider it the next time you have workplace conflict:

A Soulforce Credo About My Adversary

I believe that my adversary is also a child of the Creator, that we are both members of the same human family, that we are sisters and brothers in need of reconciliation.

I believe that my adversary is not my enemy, but a victim of misinformation as I have been.

I believe that my only task is to bring my adversary truth in love (nonviolence) relentlessly.

I believe that my adversary's motives are as pure as mine and of no relevance to our discussion.

I believe that even my worst adversary has an amazing potential for positive change.

I believe that my adversary may have an insight into truth that I do not have.

I believe that one day my adversary and I will understand each other and that if we conduct our search for truth guided by the principles of love, we will find a new position to satisfy us both.

~From http://soulforce.com/

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Anger Is Never Justified

"Anger is never justified." ~ A Course in Miracles - Foundation for Inner Peace

Now this is tricky...because anger is necessary, it's just not okay to express it or repress it. Expressing anger hurts others. Repressing it hurts you. It's a matter of choosing others over yourself when you "sit on it" (or eat it away, drink it away, smoke it away, etc.). Not okay with me. We get to choose ourselves as LEAST as much as we choose others. I'm quite sure God/dess would agree with that!

So, what to do? Well, anger is an invitation. Anger is a catalyst. Anger is self-protection in action. When you feel it, that's your cue to find what you REALLY want to express. It's the force inside you to dig deeper, go further, GROW and find the real response in you.

This may be sadness, it may be fear, it may be a request for someone to love you better. It's okay to share THESE. These are justified. You are justified.

Try it. Test it. See for yourself.

See Stephanie's site Work Stress Solutions for more information like this.

Being Right vs. Doing the Right Thing

'Being Right' and 'Doing the Right Thing' are not synonymous. In fact, to do the right thing often involves admitting you were wrong, apologizing, letting someone else take the credit and so on.

Doing the right thing is not about keeping score. It's about recognizing that the only truth worth living is, "Everybody wins or nobody wins." That's Bruce Springsteen's quote, and I'm sure he won't mind me using it here (esp. since I have dedicated my life to drooling over his album covers whenever time permits).

Anyway (straightens shirts and smooths hair), as I was saying.

Being right is a tragic thing to pursue. The school system enforced this horrible notion and it's high time we dropped it collectively. The right thing is: Did you learn the math? Being right is: Did you learn it on this date, for this test, and outmatch your peers in the proving of this learning?

What a lot of effort for no pay-off except self-congratulations. Because let's be clear: the right person is no fun to be around. Haven't you noticed the lack of lunch companions?

See Stephanie's site Work Stress Solutions for more information like this.

Cool or Kind?

You can be kind or you can be cool. Those are the choices. There is no overlap between these choices. Don't kid yourself. You cannot choose cool and think you can somehow turn it into kind. It won't work. Try it. Test it. See for yourself.

If you choose cool, you will then have to move into one of two other choices: Victim or Bully. Will you recoil from the bite you receive from another also playing the cool option and then blame him for doing what you were doing too? Or will you dominate that cool player successfully and smack him down with finesse and cunning?

If you choose kind, you have only one choice remaining: love. The outcome of the exchange will result in love between the two of you. Every single time. Try it. Test it. See for yourself.

See Stephanie's site Work Stress Solutions for more information like this.

A Technique for Emotionally Rebooting Yourself

A technique created by Christine Wushke to basically understand your brain in four different sections, understand what each section does, and learn how to work it in a moment of high reactivity, or a big feeling.

Article or http://freelyhuman.com/hello-world/

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Plan to Fail

It seems to me more and more that the absolute worst way to prepare for life, a new situation, a challenge or difficulty is to hold the expectation of perfection. To spend hours and even days, tense and worried about not getting what I want or failing in some way, is automatic for me. Surely, a better way to spend the mental energy would be how I will walk away or fail or not get what I planned. How will I calmly and sincerely/humbly apologize or admit my error (which is a 50/50 proposition every single day) or stand in open laughter or judgment from others?

That will likely be an outcome. Perfection is just as likely anyway. I think I'd rather practice NOT getting what I wanted or having things NOT be accepted as I thought. then attempt to force things to go my way. I know I don't have to practice getting what I want. There is no need to learn or practice how to handle the result of getting what you want.

The other day I really 'stepped in it'. Instead of defending myself or arguing or running...I just said, "Yeah...wow...that was not cool of me. I'm sorry." And some of the folks were okay with that and some weren't. But I was okay with it. That's all I could do. I can't prevent screwing up...I can only try to repair what I've broken after the fact as graciously and kindly as possible. That's the nature of this life. Accept it or not, that's your choice---it's just easier if you do.

See Stephanie's site Work Stress Solutions for more information like this.