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The 6 a.m Pledge for My Health
To the year 2020—you’ve been a disaster in so many ways. So many of us are tired and feeling the angst that has befallen us during these last many months. We’ve lost sleep, contact with people we love, the ability to move around in society in a normal way, and for many people, pay reductions and loss of jobs and livelihoods. Just this morning, I heard the story of someone who lost their store and is now homeless thanks to the pandemic. Additionally, as a consummate consumer of news, I’ve realized the very nature of this much negative news consumption that I inhale on a daily basis is affecting my…
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Completely Disheartened
First, I have to apologize to you, readers, because this isn’t going to be one of my typical uplifting and positive posts. In fact, it’s going to be the dead opposite, and yet, I’m working toward a positive ending—a silver lining—if I can effectively bring my thoughts full circle. After this week’s rollercoaster news coming from the media, I’m feeling completely disheartened. I’ve made it a point here on this blog not to share my political views on anything, and I’m sticking to that. However, the fallout of the national political climate leads me to a couple of disheartening conclusions, I’m afraid. And that conclusion is about our state of…
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Creative People, Please Listen: Ignore the Noise and Carry On! A Pep Talk.
*** A friend of mine, a fellow author, and I were having an email exchange about the nature of people. As the two of us are both authors, one with a publisher (my friend) and one going it alone on the independent author lane (me), we were discussing the way people sometimes behave when you decide to put something out there–when you decide to be brave and publish your work. Some people are genuinely ecstatic for you–they jump for joy and are over-the-moon (we love you.) Some people support you quietly (we love you, too). Some people pay attention to what you are doing but say nothing (we also love…
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Put Your Positive Pants On: Staying Positive Amidst Negativity
*** Some people enjoy dwelling in negativity. All you have to do is look at some of the political media coverage in our country to know this is true. The media loves to dwell in and propagate negative thinking and doom and gloom, and it can be suffocating. When I feel this way, I turn off the television. The same is true in real life: when people are filled with negativity, I tune them out as well. This is not to say that disturbing things don’t happen today. There are, indeed, very disturbing situations taking place all over the world, but when we begin to allow them to affect our…
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10 Words of Wisdom to Defeat the Negativity Monster in Relationships and at Work
Nobody likes to hang around with negative people all the time. Let’s face it—when you’re in the throes of feeling blue, that last thing you should do is allow negative influences into you life. People who never have a kind word to say or wallow in gossip can be detrimental to your well-being. At some point in our lives, we’ve all brushed up against destructive and toxic relationships. When you feel yourself going down a path that leads to more negativity, you are responsible for your own happiness, and must make adjustments in your life, whether that means altering friendships, dealing with family in a different way, or ending relationships…
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In The Words of Maya Angelou, “Don’t Bring Negative To My Door.”
I’ve always been a cheerleader. In 7th grade I made the squad, and then again in high school I made it, and I cheered throughout my years in school. When I was done there, I cheered with the band at Towson University for the Tigers, and then did it again for the Orioles as a front office employee. Now, as a grown, middle-aged woman who works as an educator, I cheer for my students. Cheerleaders want others to do well for themselves. We have hope inside of us, and wish the best for others. You may be wondering what’s charged me up tonight. It’s a long story, and one I’d…
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Relation-Ship Out
Remember when you were little and your parents or caregiver told you to “find the right friends” and hang around with others who have common interests—ultimately people who make you feel good about yourself and keep you from getting into trouble? They were spot on, you see. When you allow other people to infect your world with negativity, you’ve got to turn a blind eye to it, or do something more drastic. Like stay away from it altogether. This happens to people, both in the work setting and in our personal settings. It can grab hold of us whether it’s with a group of friends, one particular friendship, working relationships,…
