Staying Positive and Trying to NOT Turn Into An Ostrich!!

Over the last few months, I have signed up to various websites that send daily inspirational quotes and prayers via e-mail.  I consider myself to be organized, at least with things having to do with family schedules and routines and work.  My daily morning ritual consists of waking up early in the morning with coffee in hand, checking and sending e-mails from at least four e-mail accounts, finalizing my daily to do list for the day, and starting (or finishing) some work-related items.  When checking e-mail, I always start with the non-work e-mail.  I usually receive at least one of the daily inspirational quotes for the day.  Throughout the day, I check the other e-mails and the others trickle in later in the day.  Doing this helps to keep me mentally in check.  The e-mails are often very timely for the moment.  One of the e-mails I received today was one of those "timely" inspirational pieces, which I would like to share with you.

The following excerpt comes for today's daily inspiration from Neale David Walsche's site www.nealedavidwalsche.com.

".....positive thinking does not mean turning into an ostrich.  Burying your head in the sand in the name of "staying positive" is not a good strategy.  Wearing blinders rather than looking right at what's going on right now is not the way to create for vision for tomorrow.  Sculptors have to look at the block and begin cutting parts of it away before their vision emerges in the marble. Look directly at the block if you want to create the art."

When I woke up this morning, I truly felt like that ostrich.  I wasn't feeling well as I have been dealing with a cold.  Both my husband and son have been sick as well.  I woke up congested and with a headache, and I started to think of all the stresses going on, particularly the financial stresses.  I truly felt like burying my head in the sand.  I knew deep inside that things will eventually turn out for the better, but I really didn't want to do anything about it at that moment.  I actually did not want to even think about it!


When I read the quote this morning, I remembered thinking that it's one thing to say and act "in the name of staying positive" during very difficult and challenging situations in one's life.  As I thought it through even more, I reminded myself that a key piece in dealing with life's challenges is to take an obstacle and shape it into something positive that will eventually help you in the long run.  For me having faith and trust in God that He is helping to lead me to a better path.  Only He knows what is best for me and my family.  That, to me is the "staying positive" part.  Now I can choose to just sit there and be an ostrich with my head in the sand and do nothing and take no action.  I can choose to stop finding ways to save money.  I can choose to not make the necessary, yet painful, changes in my and my family's life that will help us be financially healthy.  I can choose to let the stress take it toll on my relationship with my husband and son.  I can do nothing by perhaps convincing myself that God will just drop that path or "fix" right before my eyes.  But that's not how I believe God works.  We must trust Him by also actually doing something.  In a sense, I am living my life as if I am wearing a blindfold over my eyes, and God is holding my hand and leading the way.  I can "hear" Him not like one hears someone who is speaking to them as a live person.  God speaks to me through my heart and soul.

Every day I make a conscious decision on whether or not I will be an ostrich.  In reading my blog posts, you will find themes on positive thinking and having faith.  I truly have to work at it.  I believe we all do.  I sometimes allow the stressors in my life to get to me and bring me down.   My commute to work is rather long, and I do use some of that time as my "soul time," often feeling positive and upbeat, but sometimes I do feel depressed.  There have been times when I do cry and pray to God to please help me to just get through the day.  Then I get to work (or home), I brush myself off, pretend everything is okay, the I put my "work hat" on (or my "family time hat").  In those moments, I will be that ostrich.....but only for a short time.  I believe God accepts this because I know that sometime soon, perhaps later in the day, that something will happen to me that will be a sign and message from God that He is with me, holding my hand and reassuring me.  At the same time, He is gently pulling my head out of the sand.

I hope that this post resonates with some of you.  Staying positive and sustaining that faith takes work.  If you have faith in God, family and friends to lean on, life's challenges will be much easier to cope.  I pray that all of you who read this have the three F's in your life ----- faith,  family and friends.  I know that I do, and I truly feel blessed.

Changes......The Seeds For Growth

 It has been one week into the New Year.  Today I've asked myself whether or not I've made progress towards working on my resolutions.  I can honestly say a definitive "Yes!"   The key word here is "progress."   I know that in order to fulfill my resolutions I need take baby steps that move towards those goals.  The key to making these steps is to make changes in not only old habits but also beliefs.  The saying that change is never is so true.  It isn't and this week has not been easy.  But I've made progress.

One of the changes I've stuck to this week to save money everyday.   I brought my lunch to work rather than buying something.  This saved me at least $5 dollars a day or $25 this week.  While commuting to work I kept my speed at the speed limit of 65 and used the heater sparingly.  People say that fast speeds and use of the a/c and heater just drains the gas tank.  I figured I saved at least $5 a day or $25 this week.  I gave second and third thoughts of my mental urges to buy a new purse and CD by seriously asking myself, "Do I really NEED this or do I WANT this."  Of course the answer to that was the latter.  I figured that this saved me a minimum of $15 this week.  Assuming I continue this pattern for one month,  I estimate I saved $65 this week!  On a monthly basis that means I could save $260 this month....or $2,880 a year!!

Once I thought this out I could not help but feel pretty good about this progress, but it wasn't easy.   Not giving in to old habits and urges is hard.  It didn't help that my coworkers were eating in the same lunch room with lunch they bought.  The smell of In N Out burgers and fries.....sushi and teriyaki dishes.....Mexican food.. made me envious of my coworkers as I was eating spaghetti and meatballs for the third time this week!  As I'm rummaging through my old purse, visions of ads in the daily newspaper with big sales on purses came to my mind.  On my daily commute I was one of the few turtles on the freeway as it seemed that all other cars were whizzing by me by at least 15 miles per hour!  As I am in my car I'm shivering.  It's 38 degrees outside and seems about that same temperature inside my car.

You may be wondering what kept me going this week.  It was the thought of the peace and security financial freedom and zero debt would bring.  It was the reminder that giving in to impulse buying and immediate need for gratification through acquiring material objects just leads one into a life of debt.  It was the acceptance that this needs to happen for my benefit and my family's.  It was the acceptance that without feeling "pain" there would likely be no gain.  Without changes there cannot be growth.  Changes ARE the seeds for growth.

So I ate spaghetti three times this week.  I found myself grateful for being to have something to eat.  Ok...so I have an old purse.  It still can hold my personal belongings like my wallet and makeup bag.  Ok....so I'm freezing in my car.  I'll just put a jacket and gloves on.  Ok....I'm being flashed and honked by the cars behind me for going too slow.  I'll just drive in the right lane and be thankful that it won't be me that will likely get a $300 speeding ticket!  That just means I just saved $3,180 in a year!!!  I'll take that anyday!

A Fresh Start For The New Year .....Getting Organized!!!

I woke up this morning and thought it was Saturday.  For me it's been Saturday for the 14th consecutive day!  The normal routine of work and family responsibilities taking my son to school, picking him up staying on top of his school work and upcoming assignments, helping him with his homework, participating in Cub Scout activities, and other sport and play activities stopped during the holidays.  We will be back on our routine schedule on Monday.  "Normal" and "routine" to us means busy.  Luckily our "staycation" over the Christmas holiday has provided me with opportunities for much needed mental and physical rest, but it also has allowed me to stay relatively "on schedule" for household chores like grocery shopping and house cleaning.  In the next few days, I am determined to get myself organized for our normal routine.  I am sure that I am not alone in this goal.  I am providing in this post a link to an article I wrote for e-How months ago entitled "How To Effectively Manage Your Time for Household Chores".  I am by no means an "expert" organizer, but I'm absolutely willing to share the method I use.  Whether or not your are single or have a family, I hope that readers can use ideas from this article for their own use.  I have found that sharing ideas with others does help a great deal!  Happy organizing!!!