Hugs when spirits sag…

This is my wish for you: 

Comfort on difficult days, 

smiles when sadness intrudes, 

rainbows to follow the clouds, 

laughter to kiss your lips, 

sunsets to warm your heart, 

hugs when spirits sag, 

beauty for your eyes to see, 

friendships to brighten your being, 

faith so that you can believe, 

confidence for when you doubt, 

courage to know yourself, 

patience to accept the truth, 

Love to complete your life.

— Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882)

I don’t know about you, but I just find this poem comforting and up lifting. Just sayin’ :) Hugs and good luck. XO

Blessings,

Chatgirl  

 

Willingness to be intimate with oneself creates space for intimacy with another…

My primary relationship is with myself - all others are mirrors of it. As I learn to love myself, I automatically receive the love and appreciation that I desire from others. If I am committed to myself and to living my truth, I will attract others with equal commitment. My willingness to be intimate with my own deep feelings creates the space for intimacy with another. As I learn to love myself, I receive the love I deserve from others.

— Shakti Gawain 

If I could go back in time, this is the first thing I’d teach myself. Might have prevented two failed marriages? Just saying’ ;) Hugs and good luck. XO

Blessings,

Chatgirl 

Not seen but felt…

Why do we close our eyes when we pray, cry, kiss or dream?

Because the most beautiful things in life are not seen but felt by the heart.

— Unknown 

My favourite therapist says it all boils down to honouring how and what we feel. Just sayin’ :) Hugs and good luck. XO

Blessings,

Chatgirl 

 

Your own super power…

Self confidence is a super power.

Once you start to believe in yourself, magic starts happening.

— Unknown

I don’t know about you, but some of the most stressful and unpleasant times have unveiled new skills, and a surprising level of self-confidence. For example, I didn’t think I had the hard-wiring for admin. I’ve never been a detail person, and I struggle mightily with minutiae (more of a big picture, people person). In my least favourite job, however, I was forced to live in a paperwork heavy environment and I managed to figure it out. And now I know, if I must, I can be pretty decent at admin. So there you go! Just sayin’ ;) Hugs and good luck. XO

Blessings,

Chatgirl 

Stop doing what doesn’t matter at work?…

Trends suggest employees are pushing back on hustle culture, stopping doing a bunch of work that doesn’t matter and instead prioritizing their mental health in the workplace. 

There’s a growing realization that to get ahead, you also need some creative space to rest, iterate and ideate — and you can’t do any of those things if you’re always busy.

— Brooks E Scott (Executive Coach, Communications Specialist and DEI Strategic Advisor. He’s also the founder and CEO of Merging Path Coaching, where he’s coached hundreds of managers and trained thousands of employees. Formerly, VP of Safety Operations for a cybersecurity company, Manager of Operations for the protection team for the CEO and COO of Facebook, a New Jersey State Trooper and 5th grade school teacher). 

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been grappling with the more, more, more culture for a while now (32 years in Business Development will do that to you, Lol). Each company I’ve worked for has asked employees for; greater sacrifice and commitment (taking away from family/personal time?), increased productivity (more overtime without pay?), more sales (anxiety-causing pressure to perform?), return on investment (“do more with less”, I keep hearing, which means produce more with fewer resources and investment from the company). On the flip side, I’ve also been the beneficiary of impressive generosity; an extra week off with pay at Xmas during the pandemic, a full year’s bonus even though the company was mostly shuttered for the final 3 months of our fiscal year, a $500 Xmas gift during the pandemic years, and an extra month salary for each employee because we suffered during a merger. Amazing, and not all bad in my world clearly. Regardless, to deal with with the heightened pressure, I’ve been challenging myself to achieve greater results with less work and sacrifice on my end. (I’ve allowed low value activities to fall off my radar completely. In general, I’m far more discerning about where, when and how I spend my time ;) So far so good! Just sayin’ :) Hugs and good luck. XO 

Blessings,

Chatgirl 

 

Demand more of yourself (and for yourself)?…

You entire situation can change quickly when you acknowledge that there’s more inside of you and you’re brave enough to demand more of yourself. Heavy growth isn’t luck, it happens when you love yourself, commit to a positive mindset, and take consistent action on your goals. 

— Kristen Butler (CEO of Power of Positivity and best selling author of the 3 Minute Positivity Journal. Butler started PoP after hitting rock bottom and using the power of positivity to bounce back. She is passionate about helping others boost their mood, train their brain and improve their life). 

I pretty much hit rock bottom myself after two crushing events; losing my job during the 2008 financial crisis and what I decided would be my final relationship break up. There was nothing I could do about the financial crisis and a lack of suitable (or not suitable) jobs. But there was something I could have done about the bad break up. The relationship was winding down and I really needed to leave. Sadly, I idled in a fearful place, rather than focusing on a potentially fresh and transformative start. Fortunately, I conducted my own “exit interview” for both career and love relationships and made some key decisions. I’ve always done well at work because I like a sense of accomplishment. But, in truth, I knew I could work harder. So I decided to make myself indispensable (by doing a little bit more each and every day) and the results have been quite miraculous. I’m enjoying lots of kudo’s and financial reward. In love, I made the decision to wait as long as it took to find the right match and perfect partner for my personality and life goals. Looking back, I realized that there were deal breakers in each of my relationships. How crazy is that. Everyone always says you shouldn’t be so picky. I disagree. In order to live with someone, you need to be pretty darn aligned (because even when it’s perfect, there are still adjustments and compromises needed). Just sayin’ ;) Hugs. XO

Blessings,

Chatgirl 

Tired of it…

I know I’m going to get through it…

I’m just tired of going through it.

— Unknown

I don’t know about you, but I feel better knowing I’m not alone. Because sometimes life is just tiring, is it not? Of course challenges are to be expected in life, but at the moment, WOW; cost of living, the ongoing Russia/Ukraine conflict, climate change, post pandemic exhaustion, ongoing change, continuing lack of certain supplies, loss of certain businesses and restaurants, and financial losses (potentially devastating, depending on your phase of life and proximity to retirement). So, I’m thinking of you all during this trying time. Hang in there. You’re not alone. Just sayin’ :) Hugs and good luck. XO

Blessings,

Chatgirl