Ah....bliss!



True Bliss for Murphy

 Yeah, I know Christmas was awhile ago :-), but when I thought of the word I wanted to write about this week, this picture is what came to mind!

Bliss...we know it when we feel it, but most of us would be hard-pressed to actually describe it.The first definition listed at www.m-w.com (Merriam-Webster dictionary online) is "complete happiness." Yes, that'll do!


And I think Murphy is a pretty good representation of that in this picture, don't you? Actually, I felt bliss when I saw him so comfortable in front of the fireplace with the twinkling lights of the tree beside him - our favorite violin "soaking" music playing in the background (www.ruthfazal.com) and a fragrant cup of Keurig coffee beside me.  Ahhhhh...

You might wonder why I picked a word not used in our everyday language - at least not in mine. A client requested a mini-workshop titled "Find Your Bliss at Work" and I thought that was a great topic - and a challenging one to boot. So I added a word to the title and it's now called "Find Your Bliss at Work ~ Really!" It's full of thought-provoking tips and questions encouraging the participants to ponder what really makes them happy. I love helping people ponder those kinds of things!

I am fortunate to find bliss in my work - most days. I am privileged to help other people "sort things out" - whether that has to do with leadership, personalities, emotional intelligence, balance in their lives, or any one of many other topics. When I see the proverbial light bulb go on for them, I can honestly say I feel bliss.

So...what brings you bliss? What makes you happy? Often it's not about money, things, status, power, or jobs. It may be a feeling you get when you spend time with a good friend. It may be the fleeting moment when you take a sip of your favorite coffee - or when you watch the kids playing or the dog galloping across the yard. It may even be when you're learning and growing - or helping something else grow by digging in your garden.

Whatever brings you bliss, take time this week to consciously remember it. Think how it makes you feel. Reflect on how you might bring more of it into your life. And drop me a note to let me know what came to mind!

Blessings,
Linda
www.LindasWorkshops.com
Linda@LindasWorkshops.com

Time

Ha, that's a funny word to talk about, isn't it? Especially considering the LENGTH of it that I have allowed to pass since my last posting :-)

I bring it up today because our perspective on time can change so rapidly. I once heard if you want time to pass slowly, put yourself into a miserable situation (job, marriage, whatever). Hmmm, that does NOT sound appealing to me, although I would like time to slow just a teensy bit over the next few months.

It seems my calendar is more full than it has ever been in my years of conducting training - and I am not complaining!! I love what I do ~ but you know how it goes...when we're TOO busy, we complain about not having enough time - for anything. When we are BORED, we complain because we are waiting for time to pass so we can get to an event or activity in our lives that will be more enjoyable. As always, we seem to never quite be at that perfect place ~ unless of course, we choose to be!

I have little "time pockets" in my calendar over the next couple of weeks and I am trying to be very protective of them - to "choose" being at a perfect place when they come along. I schedule little "mini-vacations" for myself - things like taking 10 minutes for a nice cold frappaccino :-), or just time to read something just for pleasure, because I know over the next 3 months, those little pockets will be few and far between.

In my workshops on "Returning Balance," we often talk about what we are doing with our time. So many of my participants feel that their time is out of their control, but much of it really isn't. Yes, most of us "have" to work - and that takes time. Many of us travel to our workplaces - more time. We do household chores (ugh!), taking more time.

But sometimes we also "fritter away" our time playing on the computer, watching TV, reading something just because it's there, scheduling something we know we won't enjoy...and the list goes on.

My challenge? Pay attention to your time! How can you make it more pleasant, no matter what's going on in your life right now? Can you take a few minutes and enjoy a nice cup of coffee or 60 seconds to really look at that flower blooming in your yard? If we do that - just once - every single day, our time will bring us more pleasure - I promise!

Blessings,
Linda
www.LindasWorkshops.com