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How Breaking Routine And Unexpected Acts of Kindness Can Energize Your Day!
Sometimes life becomes so routine, we don't have to think about a thing we're doing throughout the day. We're programmed to run on automatic. It's important to shake things up every once in a while to get the creative juices flowing, give us an added boost of energy or give us something to concentrate on for a change. When routine sets in, particularly in relationships, we can't always see the impact it has until we throw a new ingredient into the mix. This week, I ventured outside of my regular routine, and performed a very unexpected act of kindness. The results were terrific! Picture it, Cicely, 1945 oops, wait, wrong story ... Picture it, Northern Ontario, Winter 2004. It's Friday morning, snow is falling, there is a nip in the air and neither my husband nor I want to get out of our toasty warm bed to get ready for work. We go through the same exercise every morning. We both wait for the other one to get up first to turn up the furnace, then he heads to his washroom to get ready and I go into my office to meditate for half an hour. This morning, however, neither of us would budge. He did not want to get up, shower, make breakfast and prepare lunches, and I did not want to meditate, go through my agenda for the day and start prioritizing my long list of outstanding tasks. We were stuck. I must have been desperate or temporarily insane because I suddenly blurted out, "Hey! You get up and get ready and I'll make you breakfast today!" He was stunned at first and did not say a word, then started laughing, "Yeah right. What about your meditation?" For anyone who knows me, there are two things I don't do cook (unless I'm in a real bind) and deviate from my routine. I insisted I was going to cook for him anything he wanted. Eggs, bacon, you name it! There will be no meditating today. He hesitantly agreed and headed for his washroom, wondering if his dear partner had been possessed during the night and lost complete leave of her senses. The last time I made him breakfast was, hmmm, let's see when was the last time the Oilers won the cup? I whipped up a hearty breakfast and while he ate, he repeatedly commented on how he could not believe I had done this. He thanked me several times. Once I had finished in the kitchen, I went to my room to start getting ready for work. I could hear him singing and talking to himself in the kitchen. I called out to him, "You're happy, aren't you?" and he answered, "My baby made me breakfast!" It was amazing how performing a small task for the benefit of someone else made such a BIG impact! My husband was excited and happy, and I felt fantastic for making him feel appreciated and loved. For the remainder of the day, I was a fireball. I joked with everyone at work and had them laughing and feeling great. The day flew by. I accomplished loads of work and had tons of energy. When my husband got home from work, he told me about his great day, how he was zinging off one-liners at the guys and making them laugh, and how good he felt, mentally and physically. Changing our routine and experiencing an act of kindness elevated both of us mentally, physically and emotionally. It is no secret that change and giving to others boost our energy levels, but we get so caught up in daily living that we easily forget. We fall into the comfort zone of habit. Today is a new day. What can YOU do differently? Take a different route to work? Part your hair on the left instead of in center? Take the stairs instead of the elevator? Whatever it is and no matter how small, change makes a positive impact. What can YOU do for someone else today? Something completely unsolicited and without expectation. If you are going through the drive-thru at the coffee shop, pay for the coffee for the driver behind you. If you see someone struggling with her bags at the grocery store, lend a hand. The simplest act of kindness will reap big rewards for the giver, receiver and everyone they touch throughout the day. Laurie Hayes is a Life Strategy Coach and owner of Where the Heart Is Life Coaching. She works with people who want to live life more authentically and on purpose. She can be reached at http://www.wheretheheartis-lifecoaching.com
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Business Management Book Summary: If Life is a Game, These are the Rules This #1 New York Times bestseller offers some useful and understandable advice that can be applied to many situations. The idea of life as a series of lessons can help to put things into perspective and add to anyone's ability to deal with setbacks and reach their full potential. How to Beat Procrastination and Self Doubt Fear of failure (or success) and a lack of energy leads to procrastination. People who procrastinate become frustrated and generally accomplish nothing. To change this negative behavior, you must first identify the things that cause you to procrastinate in the first place. Feelings of fear, rejection, and unworthiness take a real toll on your self-esteem. Taking steps to improve your self-esteem will make a huge difference in your energy level and will motivate you to make other positive changes in your life. Darkness of Winter Encourages Insights The darkness of Winter has descended. Whats Stopping You? We're all familiar with the cycle: Success -- The Key and the Fire Self-discipline is a powerful tool that can help you accomplish about anything you can dream or imagine. Self-discipline is the act of controlling our emotions, actions, thoughts, words and personal direction. Some people seem to be naturally self-controlled and some seem to have no self-control at all. Others seem to constantly struggle with self-discipline. Seven Habits Of Ineffective People For maximum effectiveness in life, love or business, it helps to have the right habits. You knew that, of course, but don't forget that it also helps to not have the wrong habits. What are these? The Best Day Of My Life Today, when I awoke, I suddenly realized that this is the best day of my life, ever! 5 Ways To Feel Super-Optimistic: Tips for Your Health, Wealth, & Career Success Optimism is the hidden key to your personal and business success. Optimists possess a clear vision of an exciting life, confidently work on goals to achieve their vision, and take seflf-responsibility. In contrast, pessimists have no clear vision of a fantastic life, and they love to complain, blame, and moan. How to Take Your Stalled Projects to the Finish Line Q. I have several projects going at once -- but I never seem to finish them! I'm pulled in so many different directions -- and I end up with nothing to show for my efforts! After the Big Project: Recovering From Success My older daughter got married 10 days ago. The wedding was a joyous and extraordinary experience, way beyond our imaginings. I am deeply happy about all of this, and feel strongly validated by the whole experience. How To Deal With Denial Denial is a coping mechanism commonly used when something happens that we really don't want to see. Doing this is actually quite natural. After all, we want to keep our lives in order, and we resist taking in information that we feel would result in a loss for us. Two Ways to Feel Fear In a memorable Depression-era radio speech on the radio, President Franklin Roosevelt declared, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." He was dead right. And for the next few minutes we're going to look at why he was right, and what FEAR really is, and how it can be turned into something strong and productive for you with just a few simple tactics you can learn in less than 10 minutes. 10 Things To Do This Summer Looking for a summer project? How about working on who you are, and what kind of life you really want to live? Here's some ideas. Remember, Worse Things Can Happen At Sea, So..... Dont Ever Quit! Throughout the many pages of scores of motivational books, with the Bible being at the forefront, we are encouraged to "not give up." We are told to believe that we can come through any situation and be victorious in life. Ask yourself this question: Am I up-beat or am I beat-up? Hold That Elevator! As Prince, or whatever his name is now put it in one of his songs, "When Life's elevator tries to bring you down go crazy, punch a higher floor!" Why Do 9 Out of 10 People Never Live Their Dreams? When we were kids we all had dreams. There were no boundaries to our imagination and anything was possible. Do you remember your dreams? What happened to your dreams? Did life get into its way? Are we all to busy to use our imagination? Starting Over I worked hard for the past 17 years. I felt I had to. I only finished high school. Without a certificate to flaunt and yet wanting to climb the corporate ladder, I dedicated my effort and time to my work. I was proud of myself. At 40 years old I had reached a manager's position. If Not Now, When? How many times have you made excuses for putting off something you really needed or wanted to do? Probably too many times to count. It is all too easy to get in the habit of putting the desires of your heart on hold. You may have been taught to put the needs of others first or that it is selfish to think of your own desires. Change Your Life, Release Fear, and Create What you Really Want Do you have a dream? Or do you just have a nagging feeling that life could better? The Simple Life When we talk about a Simple Life, we are not talking about Paris and Nicole. We are talking about a life that is in harmony with our values. We are talking about a life that is joyful to live.
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