I had the pleasure to witness first hand the October Blizzard that hit New England over the past weekend (It’s times like these that we are all reminded that there are some things we have absolutely no control over, yet we do have control over our thoughts). Power outages and downed trees over power lines were as common as snow plows trying to clear the roads. My workshop at Kriplau was affected (minimally) by the loss of power, but not as bad as the Hartford area where I was to fly out of on Monday. Downed power lines gave great discomfort to tens of thousands of people in the region, including those travelers at the hotel where I was staying (I nicked named it the Bates Hotel, and refused to take a shower in the dark…smile). Lots of worry. Lots of Anger. Moments like these can bring out the worst in people. I know because I saw it. Road rage at intersections that had no working traffic lights, indignant people demanding gasoline at stations that had gas but no power (it takes power to pump the gas), and episodes of rudeness that don’t bare repeating. It times like these we can only go with the flow. You can fight it, but it becomes a futile effort. You also look stupid.
Stress Management Tip for the Day:
You will not be able to control everything in your life, but you can control your thoughts. So take time this week to practice this behavior. Think before you speak. In fact, consider refraining from speaking at all when things don’t go your way. Be thankful for what you do have, rather than what you don’t. Think before you act. Always think before you act! Consider thinking of others before you act. Count to ten when you get angry. If that doesn’t work, count to 100. Remember the world doesn’t revolve around you, particularly in times of natural disasters and inconveniences. And while you can be assertive, remember there is a fine line between being assertive and being aggressive. Also remember that the first three letters of the word assertive is what people will think of you (correctly) if you demonstrate behavior like what I saw last weekend.
Links, Books and Movies Worth Noting:
Two books come to mind for today’s blog, the first is The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz (Rule # 2, don’t take things personally!) and one of my favorite books of all time, Stand Like Mountain, Flow Like Water (I cannot remember the author, but it’s a great self-help book).
Quote for the Day:
“In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.” — Thomas Jefferson
Photo of the Day:
While waiting at Chicago’s O’Hare for the second leg of my flight home from Hartford to Denver, a customer representative walked and took her position at the ticket counter, dressed up as Dorothy for Halloween (by the way I saw United employees in Connecticut this morning also in costumes, they must have dressed in the dark before going to work). This is what I call going with the flow. I never got Dorothy’s real name, but she made everyone at the gate smile. Thanks Dorothy! Happy Halloween!
Brian Luke Seaward, Ph.D. is an internationally renowned expert in the fields of stress management, mind-body-spirit healing and stress and human spirituality. He is the author of over 10 books including the bestsellers, Stand Like Mountain, Flow Like Water, Stressed Is Desserts Spelled Backward, The Art of Calm, Quiet Mind, Fearless Heart and Managing Stress (7E) and his forthcoming book, A Beautiful World; The Earth Songs Journals. He can be reached through his website:www.brianlukeseaward.net
© Brian Luke Seaward, Ph.D.
