The Teeter Totter of Life full of Ups and Downs! : Positivity

The Teeter Totter of Life full of Ups and Downs! : Positivity: J Last week I had a work meeting about the Elephant in the Room campaign which if you have some time check it out at www.mooddisorderscanada...

Positivity

J

Last week I had a work meeting about the Elephant in the Room campaign which if you have some time check it out at www.mooddisorderscanada.com , but afterwards a colleague and I were just catching up and he said to me how do you stay so positive? Well that is a good question especially these last two years. We have had a lot of family stuff go on. In fact the last 24 years have had there ups and downs. 

So I looked at him and said you know that is a good question and I have two answers. The first is that I don't like who I am when I become a negative based person, and trust me I have been there and it is easy to go there. The second is that life is too short not to look for the positive in life. It doesn't come easy or quickly and it is something that I need to work at, but I love who I am when I work at it and I find that good things happen when I am positive. 

I think that positivity ties in to being a forgiving person, you need to be able to forgive yourself and others. It doesn't mean that you forget just that you will not allow the negative to rule your life. 

I work daily on being a positive person and trying to find something good in each day. I strongly believe that HAPPINESS is the key to a good life. I try to be happy everyday and do good things for myself and others in my life. The other thing that I have embraced is MINDFULLNESS each day I take moments to be thankful for what I have, what I do, and the wonderful people in my life. I believe in God or have faith, how ever you would like to take that works for me. :) but I do ask for help in being a patient, kind, resilent, loving person. I also ask for skills that will allow me to succeed at work and in daily life. I am thankful for the good in my life, I feel truly blessed. I do have days that do not go well but I try to not carry them forward into tomorrow except to find the positives that did occur. 

I am also trying to embrace a better connection to nature. There is so much support for this but I have seen this first hand, when I go for s walk in the woods how much calmer I feel and how the stress seems to float away and I can clear my mind of all the clutter and flutter. I also use a childhood memory of walking through the woods to my special place as a meditation vision when I need to clear my mind but can't get out in nature. 

So how do I stay positive, well it is a combination of these things, the love of my family and friends and a lot of hard work. But in the end I like who I am much better when I am positive then when I am negative! 

The Teeter Totter of Life full of Ups and Downs! : Friendship!

The Teeter Totter of Life full of Ups and Downs! : Friendship!: So I haven't written anything in quite awhile, sorry about that, but once again life has been a bit more than crazy! :)  I thought...

Friendship!

So I haven't written anything in quite awhile, sorry about that, but once again life has been a bit more than crazy! :) 

I thought this time I would share some thoughts on friendship. Ok I just had a great girls weekend with my BFF from college, which has inspired me to share. So what is friendship to you? What does it mean to be a friend and what does it mean to have friends. 

Well I like to think that I am a good friend, I can always be a better friend but to be honest I get caught up in my drama and I forget to be a good friend at times. I like to think that I have a lot of friends but friends in different categories, which is a good thing, I feel that everyone I meet is now a new friend. Ok I know how can that be, but how can it not be. I think it is important that we make real connections with people. I am not saying that all of my friends are my deepest truest friends, but it means something to me to think that I should treat all people as if they are. Ok I know GAG! And yes there are some people in my life that drive me crazy and that I wouldnt call up and say let's hang out but hey that is ok too, cause they probably don't want to hang out with me either lol. But that being said, we all have a diverse group of friends. We have childhood friends, work friends, school firiends, our children's friends parents, and then we have our closets girlfriends that we tell them absolutely everything if we are lucky and then most important our significant other as our ultimate best friend. I am so blessed to share that I have friends in all of these categories and I treasure each and everyone of them for how they have enriched my life and I hope that they would say the same. 

Growing up I had a close group of girl friends of course during our teenage years we went our separate ways can't even remember why now lol. But we have all reconnected and we get together once a year for a blast from the past. I am so happy to have reconnected with them and other high school friends, thank you social media! I also have been amazed at all the new friends that I have now thanks to the work I do. They have been tremendously supportive and wonderful to work with. I could not do what I do without them. I think that our friends can ebb and flow through our lives. Here comes the, people come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime! 

Building friendships and relationships can be difficult, scary and rewarding. It means putting yourself out there and taking the risk that comes with that. Usually you are rewarded by gaining another person in your life. Sometimes though this can backfire and it can be a negative situation. I do feel that you can "fire" a friend if that is what is most healthy for you, but try to be kind if you can. This often happens when the shit hits the fan, you quickly find out who are true friends. Don't blame others for their inability to stand beside you, it does not reflect on you. Remember them for the good times that you have shared together. Take the positive and build from there. 

If we are truly lucky we will come across a person or if we are extremely fortunate and fate smiles upon us we will have a couple of these people come into our lives. I have three such people in my life and by no means do I feel that this diminishes any of my other friendships but only enhances them. I have my college BFF, we connected on the first day of school and 28 years later we are still just as crazy together as we were then. There is no way to explain what this person and her friendship means to me except to say that if she reads this she will automatically know what it was that I am trying to say. We could talk every day or not talk for a year and it is just like we chated five minutes ago. She is truly my soul sister, I know that we have been friends for many life times and will continue this friendship for eons to come. My next friend is practically my sister our birthdays are only a day apart, we have cared for each other's children, had some wild times in New York and other locations. She is a pillar of strength in my life and I thank her for that. Last but certainly not least is my wonderful partner in crime, my husband. He truly is my best friend in all the world, he makes my day happy, loving, secure and perfect in the non perfect way. In 27 years we have grown up together and I could not think of a better person to do so with. We have had many ups and downs in our years, but he has been there for me holding me together and making me strong. His love and support allows me to be independent, a risk taker a better person and mother. Thank you my love. 

Ok enough sappy stuff, lmao, so to each and everyone one of my friends thank you, thank you, thank you, for teaching me supporting me and laughing with me. You hav enriched my life and I hope when you think of me it brings a smile to your face! Love you all xo