I went out of town to a conference last week and met some really great people.  One of them introduced me to the artist of this song.  The words are SO powerful.

I think many of us can relate to her message of being stuck in a place in life that we never thought we would be. It may be financial, job  related, being single or navigating an unexpected parenting journey.    When you stop and think about what you are doing in life what comes to mind?  Happy, fulfilled,  peaceful, appreciation for the little things?

More likely you think about all the crazy drama, running around, miserable feelings in our jobs or marriages. You let a series of “little” things determine your day or your attitude.  You have heard it a MILLION times it is the way you respond to things in life that sets you up for success or failure.

Happy is a choice.  Content is a mindset.  Make changes that support your desired outcome in life. Decide to take action to put yourself in a better place.

I want to make some changes to my diet and exercise regimen.  I have to set my mind to it and dedicate myself to making the changes.  The better choices of food aren’t going to purchase themselves…the weights won’t help if I don’t lift them right?  Same goes for other areas of life.  YOU can control much more than you think you can!

Enjoy this motivating song!  Laura Izibor could be my new favorite artist!  (Thanks Dr. Rick for the introduction)

Hope this sets your Monday off on a good foot!

Photo By: Wesley

Honestly I can’t think of a better time of year – SUMMER.

In particular for me it is the beautiful summer evenings that Colorado so often hands our residents.  It is a hot day, the clouds move in and we get a short but cooling rain shower.  Then like magic, the skies clear and it is a calm beautiful summer evening.  I love it.  My favorite things to do during summer evenings are -

• Sit on my patio or deck and read a book
• Go for a run
• Sip a cold beer or margarita with neighbors
• Bring my laptop outside and do some catch-up work
• Listen to my ipod and just take in the summer air

I find the coin phrase “lazy days of summer” to be a funny term.  So often we plan to slow down and relax during the summer break but how many of you actually DO it?  I am making a concerted  effort to relax more, sit more, and enjoy the time my kids have off from school.  Notice I said I am making an effort.  Generally relaxing and taking it easy is something you have to force yourself to do.  It doesn’t come naturally (at least for me).

I encourage you to enjoy your summer days (and nights).  It is such a fun time of year – flip flops, tank tops, pool time, more time and activities outside, grilling, picnics, vacations and family reunions.

I hope you are having a wonderful summer!  Get out and enjoy those summer nights!!!

Summer Nights

This song makes me teary eyed at times, makes me pause for a moment and look at my own life from a different perspective. Here are some other thoughts this song brought to mind for people.

One reason we can thrive is because of other people’s kindness.   We have a responsibilty to act kindly towards others who need our help, even if our ‘hands are small’, they can always do something good.

We are only here on this earth for a certain time and we should make something of it!

Take a moment to say to the world, I’m myself, and I can!! do it, I can make it myself.  Don’t give up hope!

No matter how poor and how low your life is your hands are your own.  You are the only one who can turn things around for yourself.  In this world no one “owes” you anything – you owe it to yourself to make the changes necessary to bring yourself out of the funk.

A day late on the Mental Music Monday but none the less a great, touching song.  Enjoy~

Hands

This has to be our theme song around here right now.  Everything is in “flux” – changes on the horizon.  New jobs, new possibilities, the change of the seasons, changing habits.  When change is all around you the only option is to keep on rolling…

Flexibility has never really been my strength BUT at this point I don’t have a choice.  I have to keep rolling with the punches and embracing all that this life has to offer.   The good, the bad and the unknown.

I personally think the unknown piece is the hardest one to “roll with”.   I  realize that there are no guarantees in life so we had better make the best of the here and now; even when the here and now is not exactly what we thought it was going to be.

Keep on rolling!

Roll With the Changes

Happy Mental Music Monday!

While thinking about my next few songs for MMM I started looking back at the music I had chosen the past 5 months.

I thought it might be fun to put together a playlist for this post of all the Mental Music Monday songs for your reference and listening enjoyment.

Even just adding them to the playlist brought me to a happy place last night.  It really is amazing what a little music can do for your attitude and mental state.

If you ever have any suggestions or favorite songs that you listen to please let me know in the comments or e-mail me!  I would love to hear from you.

Enjoy the Mental Music Monday recap!

After a very eventful weekend with house guests, the World’s Largest Nerf Party (and it truly was), a lot of laundry, cleaning up, distributing of Nerf products to the neighborhood boys I must have missed the memo that today was MONDAY.

Today, my husband travels back to Salt Lake City, my kids go to school and we need to get back in the swing of things.

I had good intentions.  I was going to get up, get a run in on the treadmill and shower all before 6:30 when I need to wake Mason.  Not so much – no alarm went off so I just got lucky and woke up at 6:29.

Out of milk, missing the “to and from” folder for school and not happy about our options for breakfast Mason had a tough morning too.  I felt bad because we I did not prepare very well at all for this Monday morning.

While making the standard PB&J lunch for Mason at 6:55, my husband walks in the door – mind you he was to have been leaving on a jet plane at 6:55…what gives?

He says very calmly “My flight is not until tomorrow”.  Crap.  I am the travel agent in the family.  How could that be?  I pull up the reservation and sure enough Tuesday March 23rd is staring me in the face.  How could I have screwed that one up?   I probably just had too much going on last week and did not pay attention.  Not an excuse, just the truth. I messed that one up big time.

I decided to get in the shower since the run was no longer happening.  While in the shower it hit me…THIS is exactly why people don’t like Monday’s.

Today is definitely a MANIC MONDAY and it is only 7:44 am….

Happy Mental Music Monday!  I hope your day is starting a bit better than mine but if not perhaps you can smile because you are in good company!

Manic Monday

There are a million quotes out there about friendship – here are a few of my favorites.

“A true friend walks in when the rest of the world walks out.” – Walter Winchell

“Friendship isn’t a big thing; it is a million little things” Anonymous

“Friends are those rare people who ask how you are and then wait for the answer” – Unknown

This song is dedicated to all of my friends – all the people who have stood by me over the course of my life.  The people who have made me a better person, who have challenged me, who have loved me and who have made a footprint in my life.  You know who you are and I am thankful for you.

Thank your friends today.  Pass this post on to them.

Happy Mental Music Monday!

That’s What Friends Are For

It’s popular – we listen to it WAY too much around this house but I never get sick of watching my kids dance and sing.  Sometimes you just need it.  A good turn it up, sing along track to make your Monday tolerable.

As we wrap up Mason’s treatment officially tomorrow (Tuesday), look forward to amazing St. Baldrick’s events this weekend, the removal of Mason’s central line next week and cap it all off with the World’s Largest Nerf Party I thought this was a fitting song.

I gotta feeling….that the next several weeks are going to be good ones!

Happy Mental Music Monday to you!

I Gotta Feeling

I am not the “worrying”  type.  This might be a blessing (especially to those reading this who are chronic worriers).  I think I have a space, deep inside that worries a lot but I don’t often let it get far enough into my head to take over.

You only have a certain amount of “space” in your head so when you allow the thoughts that turn to worry to take up that space you spend more time in the “what if” stage of thought than the “what is”.

I have mentioned that I am a realist. This state of trying to see and accept what is “real” verses what might be/could be or wish it was is one of the ways I keep from worrying too much.

It has been said that only about a 10th of what we worry about matters. The rest either never happens or already happened, so it’s too late to do anything about it.

There is some debate and research about worrying being “genetic”. I think certainly some people are more susceptible to worrying based on some of their genes.  If that is the case, those people need to try even harder to force the worry out of their heads.

Try these ideas to help ease worries:

1. Clear your head. Use meditation, visualization or yoga techniques.  I have to admit – I stink at this.  I have a very hard time clearing my mind.  I struggle with slowing down and focusing on “my breathing”.

2. Write about your worries. Getting the thoughts out of your head an on to paper or a computer screen can be very therapeutic.  You may need to go as far as writing then throwing it away – deleting the file as a symbol to your brain that you are done with those thoughts and worries.

3. Think happy thoughts.  Do you even know what makes you happy?  Think about it?  Is it your kids, a travel adventure, a good book, an upcoming date or event?  When  you turn your thoughts to things that make you happy you will be shocked at how little room is left for worry.

Being happy and thinking happy thoughts is most defiantly a choice.  It can be a hard choice but it is a choice and you can make it for yourself.

So the moral of the story is Don’t Worry, Be Happy

You deserve it!

Don’t Worry, Be Happy

Happy Mental Music Monday y’all!

]]> http://www.theshoeboxdaily.com/2010/02/dont-worry-be-happy/feed/ 2 http://www.theshoeboxdaily.com/2010/02/overcoming-daily-struggles/ http://www.theshoeboxdaily.com/2010/02/overcoming-daily-struggles/#comments Tue, 16 Feb 2010 05:54:16 +0000 Catherine http://www.theshoeboxdaily.com/?p=1252

One of the things I have come to realize is that if we embrace the newness of each day that does not mean that each new day won’t have its own struggle or that the struggles from yesterday will be gone.

We wake up around here and Mason still has treatment for cancer, we still have astronomical medical bills and insurance challenges.  My mom is still gone; I won’t get to talk to her.  Our struggles are still there day after day.

Let’s be honest, many times days are hard and they come one after another. It may seem like these hard days are never ending.   That is when we have to dig deep and find inner strength.

May times we have to make it through lots of hard days in order to get to the easier days.  How?  How do we not get sucked into negativity? Is there a way to be happy even during adversity? What if it is not just one struggle but multiple hardships that are plaguing us?

I have a few suggestions (shocking I know) that I have practiced for occasions such as this.  I recently had to revisit these ideas in order to reach my “easier” days and in to manage multiple stresses at the same time.

• Focus on what you can control. For many of us the lack of control we have over our stressful situations makes it very hard to deal with.  Instead of worrying about the things that can’t be controlled pick something (even if it is what is for dinner) and do something about it.  Take on one thing that you CAN control and do it.  It will make you feel better

• Change your scenery.  Get outside and take a walk or a run.  Even in the winter a change of scenery is essential for stress management.  Take a nature walk with your kids.  Be outside enjoying God’s gift of nature.  It slows your mind; turns your focus to simpler things and will help in the trenches of hard days.

• Document your blessings. Write a list of all the things you are thankful for.  All the things that make you smile.  Sounds corny I know but when was the last time you made a big giant listing of things you are happy about?  Things you are looking forward to?  Include your kids in this exercise.  Nothing turns our outlook like the excitement of a child.

• Get lost in the music. I know I have said it a million times but music is such great therapy.  Make a play-list on your ipod that are your all time favorite “crank it up” songs.  The ones that no matter what make you think of happier times.  The songs that you just can’t help but want to get up and dance to.  The songs that only sound good played REALLY loud.  You know the ones – use them when you need a mental break from your hard days.

For today’s Mental Music Monday Tuesday I choose one of my favorite songs for perking me up!

I Will Survive

I hope you enjoy it and I want to know, what is one of your all time favorite mood buster songs?