"It's not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are"

            - Roy Disney

When you think of values, you may be thinking of those ideas that were taught to you at a young age. These values shape how you function as an adult. Being respectful, being kind, telling the truth, these are all examples of values that you may have been taught by your family, or even picked up from others while growing up. Wherever you did gain your values from, they play a part in the way you behave, and how you think. Ultimately, shaping the decisions you may make. The people you chose to spend time with, the job you hold, the activities you engage in are all driven by your values.

"Comparison is the Thief of Joy".
-Theodore Roosevelt

One of my most popular posts thus far has been All That Glitters Isn't Gold. Many people have read this post, maybe because they can relate to comparing themselves to others, or feeling like they don't measure up to their own expectations. With this, you may feel anger, and all the intensities within it, irritability to full out anger. Sometimes with anger comes envy. You may feel irritable because really you are envious.
You may be thinking ok I feel angry but I'm not envious. Well... I'll have to disagree. Envy comes from a place where we are looking at what others have, and maybe longing for the same thing. Or thinking, why did that person deserve to get promoted, buy a new house, or find a new love interest? "They don't deserve it", you might say, or "They didn't work as hard as me", "I spent more time at this company than they did". It's amazing the things you may tell yourself to make yourself feel better, "She probably slept her way to the top", "He managed to buy that house with the help of all his relatives, not his own money". The point is, when you are angry you start to rationalize how the other person got to where they are, and that rationalization shows the green monster inside... envy.

"We must be willing to let go of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us."

-Joseph Campbell

If you don't already know, I'm a big believer of the power words hold. They can help or hurt, inspire and destroy. I look at positive words having the ability to empower, uplift, and enrich people. When I first heard the Joseph Campbell quote above, it struck a chord with me. Having a planned life is great, but it's not always realistic. How true is it that many times disappointment, anger, and sadness stem from setbacks, and not having life go as we might have planned? When you are stuck in a plan, the more likely you find it a challenge in looking for other possibilities. Likely, when you're stuck you may miss out on the opportunities that may be standing right in front of you.

The words you say about yourself contribute to how you feel. How you feel contributes to how you describe yourself, and the internal conversations you have.

Feelings, thoughts, and behaviours are all inter-related. The internal self-talk we have, influences the direction we take in our path in life.

"We can be sure that the greatest hope for maintaining equilibrium in the face of any situation rests within ourselves."

             - Francis J. Braceland

I recently attended a talk on work-life balance. As with anything, I try to note the take-aways from what is presented, and how I can apply the lessons, thoughts, and inspiration that I gained, into my own life. One of my take-aways from that evening was this. A simple yet complex question was asked, that will most likely make you say, hold on give me a minute to think about this. It was to ask yourself: What is one thing you can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary? The speaker shared that the question came from the book, The One Thing, which is written by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan. I haven't yet read this book, but I hope to in the very near future. When I heard this question, my reaction was, "wow, this is tough". Usually there are so many things going on, but to center it to one thing, that's something I needed to sleep on. So, what is the one thing at work? What is the one thing this week? What is the one thing today, which you can do that will make everything else easier or unnecessary?

"The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear."
-Nelson Mandela

I always get inspired when I watch a show like American idol. Why? Because it's about people taking a risk, doing something scary, and who are giving it their all to live their dreams.