Sleep Well! What can happen if you don't get enough

Finding Calm Amidst Chaos

1. Look for some gratitude amid the chaos.

If it is hard to see right away, search deeper. There is always something to feel thankful for. It might not be immediately obvious when in a disaster or confronted with chaos, but it will be there. Shifting your focus from negative to positive can be what you need to find some peace with the situation you’re in. Be thankful that you and your family are safe, be thankful that you have health and life.

2. Be compassionate

Flight cancellations, traffic jams, disasters, etc can often spark panic, anger, disappointment or frustration. Remember to be kind, especially because often those around you are in the same boat as you. We can scream and shout and influence each other to react as we are, or we can offer our help and support to each other. Small acts of kindness can create a wave of love and compassion. Search for ways to assist those around you who need help or support.

3. Be creative. If your plan has not gone to plan, what can you do instead?

How can you make the best of the situation you're in? Can you look for fun or a creative way to cheer up those around you and end up having good time together? Remember: each day we make new memories. If this moment feels like it might be a hard memory to look back on, think of a way to change it. Make those around you smile and laugh and find some light in this situation.

4. Be still. Often when things become chaotic in life our minds can join the chaos!

We can start thinking of the future, what and how and when and forget the now. Anxiety and panic rise from worry and overthinking about what might happen. What WILL happen is going to happen regardless. Practice returning your attention to the now. Can you sit in meditation and stillness with your family or friends?

Find ways to be present together, accepting that what has happened may not make sense right now, but soon you'll understand why this experience was meant to be had by you and those around you as a life teaching of some kind.

The above tips will start you on your journey to becoming present to life. The state of pure consciousness is calling your name.

by Charlie Knoles.

A Walk in the Woods - A Story of Forgiveness and Moving On

Forgiveness and moving forward from negative experiences are the only ways to find happiness.

Imagine you went for a walk in the woods one day. You had no cell phone, no map, and there were many different paths to follow. After walking for awhile, you decide to start back home, and you see a person and ask them which path you need to take. They tell you, and you follow the path that they told you with certainty. Awhile later, you realize that was not the right path, and it’s getting dark.

What do you do?

Do you:

1. Blame that person, and stay where you are, cursing them in the darkness?
2. Try to go back the exact way you came, a mix of many different paths, all of which would take forever to get you to where you need to be?
3. Calmly move forward, trusting your intuition on which path is the right one. Even if it’s not, you won’t know that until you take some steps forward. The first one that you take may not be the right one…it may take a few tries, but you can always take another path if that one proves to be wrong, too.

Your life is the walk in the woods.

You do not have a map, and at times, people will come into your life who you trust, but who will lead you down wrong paths. Not forgiving them is like standing still in the dark woods. Even if it’s 100% their fault for where you are because you trusted them and they were not trustworthy, it still does you no good to stand there and blame them. You could stand there for the rest of your life, or you could look around, see where you are today, and move forward.

If you were to see another person or people in the woods, it would also not be a good idea to not even bother ask them which is the right path. They may know, or they may not, but just not trusting anyone because of that one who led you down the wrong one would likely hurt you more than help you. Again, the same goes for life. Many people have their trust broken badly with one person, then feel like they cannot trust anyone. In reality they cannot trust that person, but all other people had nothing to do with that person or experience, and should not be punished for things they didn’t do.

Forgiveness just means to let go of resentment toward a person or event. If you still have resentment, it clouds your thinking and does not help you in life or in future relationships. If you focus on today, your life, and the people in it, you are already moving forward. Trusting again and letting go of those thoughts that left you stuck in the woods will allow you to progress in your life. You can find your way “home,” or, “to happiness,” but you must keep moving. The less attention you have on what happened before, the more attention you can give to what’s happening now. It may take a little while, but step by step, you will get there.

by Doe Zantamata

www.thehiyl.com

Bobby McFerrin - Don't Worry Be Happy

(Not the best quality video, but still worth it!  Be Happy!)

Here is a little song I wrote
You might want to sing it note for note
Don't worry be happy
In every life we have some trouble
When you worry you make it double
Don't worry, be happy......

Ain't got no place to lay your head
Somebody came and took your bed
Don't worry, be happy
The land lord say your rent is late
He may have to litigate
Don't worry, be happy
Look at me I am happy
Don't worry, be happy
Here I give you my phone number
When you worry call me
I make you happy
Don't worry, be happy
Ain't got no cash, ain't got no style
Ain't got not girl to make you smile

But don't worry be happy
Cause when you worry
Your face will frown
And that will bring everybody down
So don't worry, be happy (now).....

There is this little song I wrote
I hope you learn it note for note
Like good little children
Don't worry, be happy
Listen to what I say
In your life expect some trouble
But when you worry
You make it double
Don't worry, be happy......
Don't worry don't do it, be happy
Put a smile on your face
Don't bring everybody down like this
Don't worry, it will soon past
Whatever it is
Don't worry, be happy

by Bobby McFerrin

See also:

Pharrell William's "Happy"

The Science of Happiness

We go where we look

From Lee Colan's The Letter:

I re-learned an important lesson at a recent family adventure to iFly. During our five-minute briefing to prepare for "flight" our energetic instructor repeated, "Keep your head up." She even gave a hand signal to remind us since the wind tunnel was so loud.

She continued to emphasize, "If you look down, you go down!" As in many other sports and activities, it reminded me that where you look is where you go. You can easily apply this advice to your own leadership (and life for that matter). There is a reason your car's windshield is much bigger than the rear view mirror. You need to spend most of your time looking forward to safely get to your destination.

If you look back into the past too much, then you will usually stay there. However, if you set your sights high and into the future, you will find yourself flying to new heights!

We go where we look!