I’m dreaming of a white Christmas... but if the white runs out, I’ll drink the red.
- Unknown
Ha ha ha. Seriously though, some people rate Christmas as being more stressful than divorce or being burgled. The endless to-do lists, family expectations, lack of funds and challenging relationship dynamics are legit sources of duress. Helping professionals advise us to lower our expectations and know that we’re not alone. Clearly the bars pack out this time of year for a few reasons, Lol. Just sayin’ ;) Hugs. xo
Merry Holidays all... and if the family stuff gets tough, may you find solace with your friends, great escapes and favourite past times!
Blessings,
Chatgirl
Sunday, December 24, 2017
Thursday, December 21, 2017
Getting older...
The older I get, the more I realize I don’t want to be around drama, conflict or stress. I want a cozy home, good food, and to be surrounded by happy people.
- Unknown
My thoughts exactly. Just sayin’ :) Hugs. xo
Blessings,
Chatgirl
- Unknown
My thoughts exactly. Just sayin’ :) Hugs. xo
Blessings,
Chatgirl
Wednesday, December 20, 2017
Laws of detachment...
The Laws of Detachment
Allow others to be who they are.
Allow yourself to be who you are.
Don’t force situations. Solutions will emerge.
Uncertainty is reality - embrace it.
- Sue Fitzmaurice (Author and Coach, formerly nurse, business owner, management consultant and CEO. Fitzmaurice holds degrees is philosophy, international relations and business. Wow. Her purpose now is to teach, research, coach and write about purpose).
Life is such a mixed bag of the expected, the unexpected, the welcome and unwelcome. It’s great to be in our comfort zone and in control whenever possible, but we all know the shit hit has a tendency to hit the fan. A healthy detachment seems like a great idea. If we allow a little room, maybe we won’t be so thrown off by the “bad” stuff. Food for thought. Just sayin’ :) Hugs.
Blessings,
Chatgirl
Allow others to be who they are.
Allow yourself to be who you are.
Don’t force situations. Solutions will emerge.
Uncertainty is reality - embrace it.
- Sue Fitzmaurice (Author and Coach, formerly nurse, business owner, management consultant and CEO. Fitzmaurice holds degrees is philosophy, international relations and business. Wow. Her purpose now is to teach, research, coach and write about purpose).
Life is such a mixed bag of the expected, the unexpected, the welcome and unwelcome. It’s great to be in our comfort zone and in control whenever possible, but we all know the shit hit has a tendency to hit the fan. A healthy detachment seems like a great idea. If we allow a little room, maybe we won’t be so thrown off by the “bad” stuff. Food for thought. Just sayin’ :) Hugs.
Blessings,
Chatgirl
Tuesday, December 19, 2017
More compassion?...
Compassion is so often the solution.
- Unknown
Forgiveness and compassion are supposed to set us free. Now, I’m pretty positive to a fault, but even I’m surprised at how challenging this can be, given some of life’s toughest challenges; betrayal by a trusted long-term friend or romantic partner, unexpected downsizing and job loss in a bad market, relentless family discord? I have experienced all of the above and I can’t say I’ve been a rock star in the compassion department. I aspire, to be sure, but the consequences moving forward require a lot of coping strategies. Betrayal can shake us to the core and require healthy guidance in learning to trust again. Job loss can hurt our finances for years to come and require much patience and commitment while we secure our future. Family discord can be nothing short of “Groundhog Day.” So, what do we do when compassion eludes is? First off, it’s normal to ride the emotional rollercoaster for a time ;) and then.... after twenty-plus years of psychological curiosity, research and guidance from many different experts, I tell myself; shit really does just happen in life, so don’t take it personally, embrace the emotions and hear what they’re telling us, learn the lessons and make sound changes, don’t be afraid to seek assistance when needed and absolutely try working with forgiveness books. Most of all, be patient because letting go in order to move forward is not a quick fix, even with much assistance. Just sayin’ :) Hugs.
Blessings,
Chatgirl
- Unknown
Forgiveness and compassion are supposed to set us free. Now, I’m pretty positive to a fault, but even I’m surprised at how challenging this can be, given some of life’s toughest challenges; betrayal by a trusted long-term friend or romantic partner, unexpected downsizing and job loss in a bad market, relentless family discord? I have experienced all of the above and I can’t say I’ve been a rock star in the compassion department. I aspire, to be sure, but the consequences moving forward require a lot of coping strategies. Betrayal can shake us to the core and require healthy guidance in learning to trust again. Job loss can hurt our finances for years to come and require much patience and commitment while we secure our future. Family discord can be nothing short of “Groundhog Day.” So, what do we do when compassion eludes is? First off, it’s normal to ride the emotional rollercoaster for a time ;) and then.... after twenty-plus years of psychological curiosity, research and guidance from many different experts, I tell myself; shit really does just happen in life, so don’t take it personally, embrace the emotions and hear what they’re telling us, learn the lessons and make sound changes, don’t be afraid to seek assistance when needed and absolutely try working with forgiveness books. Most of all, be patient because letting go in order to move forward is not a quick fix, even with much assistance. Just sayin’ :) Hugs.
Blessings,
Chatgirl
Sunday, December 17, 2017
Living well and longer...
The secret to living well and longer is: eat less, walk double, laugh triple and love without measure.
- Tibetan proverb
I think we kinda know this intuitively, but it’s not easy to maintain, is it. Just sayin’ :)
Blessings,
Chatgirl
- Tibetan proverb
I think we kinda know this intuitively, but it’s not easy to maintain, is it. Just sayin’ :)
Blessings,
Chatgirl
Saturday, December 16, 2017
Stay strong...
I truly admire those who stay strong, even when they have every right to break down.
- Unknown
We find out how strong we are when we’re tested don’t we (i.e. job loss, breakdown of a relationship, betrayal, death of a loved one, debilitating injury, financial duress etc.). I’ve faced most of these actually and I’ve been surprised at my lack of capacity to rise at times. My father was dying of cancer and I found it incredibly difficult to face him. It didn’t help that he was scarier and angrier than ever. Still, I was shocked and disappointed in myself. I continue to learn that strength and security need to be cultivated from deep within us. If we have to overcome a difficult childhood, or what have you, so be it, but nothing external can fill us up and make us feel truly safe for the long term. Just sayin’ :) Hugs.
Blessings,
Chatgirl
- Unknown
We find out how strong we are when we’re tested don’t we (i.e. job loss, breakdown of a relationship, betrayal, death of a loved one, debilitating injury, financial duress etc.). I’ve faced most of these actually and I’ve been surprised at my lack of capacity to rise at times. My father was dying of cancer and I found it incredibly difficult to face him. It didn’t help that he was scarier and angrier than ever. Still, I was shocked and disappointed in myself. I continue to learn that strength and security need to be cultivated from deep within us. If we have to overcome a difficult childhood, or what have you, so be it, but nothing external can fill us up and make us feel truly safe for the long term. Just sayin’ :) Hugs.
Blessings,
Chatgirl
Friday, December 15, 2017
Self discovery...
30 Questions for Self Discovery
1. How do I feel at the moment?
2. What do I need more of in my life?
3. What would make me happy right now?
4. What is going right in my life?
5. What am I grateful for? List at least 10 things.
6. When did I experience joy this week?
7. List all my small victories and successes.
8. What’s bothering me? Why?
9. What are my priorities at the moment?
10. What do I love about myself?
11. Who means the world to me and why?
12. If I could share one message with the world, what would it be?
13. What advice would I give to my younger self? (Do I follow this advice now?).
14. What lesson did I learn this week?
15. If I had all the time in the world, what would I want to do first?
16. What’s draining my energy? How can I reduce or cut it out?
17. What does my ideal morning look like?
18. What does my ideal day look like?
19. What makes me come alive? When was the last time I felt truly alive?
20. What/who inspires me the most? Why am I drawn to those aspirations?
21. Where does my pain originate? What would need to happen for me to heal?
22. What are my strengths? What am I really good at?
23. What is something I’ve always wanted to do but was too scared?
24. What is something I would love to learn?
25. What hobbies would I like to try?
26. Where would I want to live in my ideal life?
27. Where would I like to travel in the next 5 years?
28. What can I do to take better care of myself?
29. When have I done something that I thought I couldn’t do?
30. At the end of my life, what do I want my legacy to be?
Compliments of lavendaire.com
# 13 is my favourite. I’ve been thinking a lot about my younger self. I would love to tell my naive, people-pleasing self a number of things; wait for a great match, rather than getting caught up in attraction alone, avoid people and things that drain your feel good energy because you’ll never get that energy back and it’ll take away from the good that you can bring into your life and most importantly, learn to say no without apology because you need to take care of your well being above all or happiness will be elusive. Just sayin’ :) Hugs.
Blessings,
Chatgirl
1. How do I feel at the moment?
2. What do I need more of in my life?
3. What would make me happy right now?
4. What is going right in my life?
5. What am I grateful for? List at least 10 things.
6. When did I experience joy this week?
7. List all my small victories and successes.
8. What’s bothering me? Why?
9. What are my priorities at the moment?
10. What do I love about myself?
11. Who means the world to me and why?
12. If I could share one message with the world, what would it be?
13. What advice would I give to my younger self? (Do I follow this advice now?).
14. What lesson did I learn this week?
15. If I had all the time in the world, what would I want to do first?
16. What’s draining my energy? How can I reduce or cut it out?
17. What does my ideal morning look like?
18. What does my ideal day look like?
19. What makes me come alive? When was the last time I felt truly alive?
20. What/who inspires me the most? Why am I drawn to those aspirations?
21. Where does my pain originate? What would need to happen for me to heal?
22. What are my strengths? What am I really good at?
23. What is something I’ve always wanted to do but was too scared?
24. What is something I would love to learn?
25. What hobbies would I like to try?
26. Where would I want to live in my ideal life?
27. Where would I like to travel in the next 5 years?
28. What can I do to take better care of myself?
29. When have I done something that I thought I couldn’t do?
30. At the end of my life, what do I want my legacy to be?
Compliments of lavendaire.com
# 13 is my favourite. I’ve been thinking a lot about my younger self. I would love to tell my naive, people-pleasing self a number of things; wait for a great match, rather than getting caught up in attraction alone, avoid people and things that drain your feel good energy because you’ll never get that energy back and it’ll take away from the good that you can bring into your life and most importantly, learn to say no without apology because you need to take care of your well being above all or happiness will be elusive. Just sayin’ :) Hugs.
Blessings,
Chatgirl
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