Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week - February 25th

Don't complain if your're facing hard moments in life. Challenge yourself to face it, challenge yourself to beat it. - Jayson Engay

If you fail in life’s journey, just don’t complain. Make it a part of your journey. -  Debasish Mridha

Over the weekend, the author was reminded that today marks the one-year anniversary of her apartment fire.  She remembers that day and now looks back to see how far she has come and what changed in her life.  

She didn’t lose in anything in the fire, but what she gained is priceless: 

• Friendships 
• Laughter
• Military knowledge 
• Learning opportunities

Through her apartment fire, the author learned…DON’T COMPLAIN about the circumstances.  It may sound strange, but what an individual goes through prepares them for the future.  Through the stresses of the author’s job and personal life, the author is working on implementing this tactic of not complaining.  She knows she has big dreams and that she has to learn from her current experiences to help prepare her for the next lessons.  It is a mindset to stay determined, not complain about challenges, learn from them and be victorious over obstacles.    

Today, you may be facing difficult times, but remember what Steven Furtick said:

What’s next in your life is always connected to what’s now.

CHALLENGE: Do not complain about what you are going through right now.  Analyze the situation to determine what you are supposed to learn to help you accomplish your dreams.  

Resource
The Secret to Solving Problems: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0MmNVLukyU&t=1518s

Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week - February 18th

Beware the Rattlesnake of the Mind. - Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Nobody can bring you peace but yourself. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

May the world be kind to you, and may your own thoughts be gentle upon yourself. - Jonathan Lockwood Huie

On a Friday night in November, the author asked a friend to do her a favor.  Going to bed tired, the author awoke around 4:30am and saw a text from her friend saying they needed to talk that weekend.  From that moment, the author’s mind spiraled out of control.  Every bad or negative thought that could arise in her mind did even to the point she was crying because she was so upset.  Later that Saturday afternoon, she talked with her friend and the outcome was nothing the author imagined.  

Another friend and the author were talking recently and they termed this brain phenomenon “spiraling”, which is where the mind creates an unending number of unique stories based on the circumstances the individual is encountering.  A great metaphor of spiraling is a rattlesnake.  The mind creates these stories and they coil around the mind and fully engulf an individual.  As they continue to repeat over and over in the mind, it is like the rattlesnake squeezes the life out of the individual.  The mind can only be tamed with determination, fortitude and patience.  

Over the last couple of months, the author has seen this spiraling occurring in her life more frequently.  One night, the author’s mind was spiraling out of control due to stress at work and in her personal life and the additional irritant of exhaustion.  When the author became frustrated with a friend who did nothing wrong, she knew she had to take control of the situation.  At that moment, the author made the decision to take time for herself, refresh, recover and reassess the situation.   

If you are proactive about controlling the direction of your life, then you must control the way you think. - Lanny Bassham, With Winning in Mind

CHALLENGE:  Control the rattlesnake.  The mind is the greatest asset or hindrance in accomplishing our dreams and goals.

Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week - Febraury 11th

Gossip serves no purpose other than to hear yourself talk. - Catherine Pulsifer

People who judge harshly, criticize and condemn others through gossip, rumor or bad word of mouth are setting themselves up for the same unfair trials. - Scott Allan, Rejection Reset

Bing defines gossip as “casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true”.

As we interact with individuals, we often have the opportunity to talk about other people.  When this happens, we have the opportunity not to judge the person and stop whatever false statement is being made about someone else.  In these situations, we do not know if what someone is saying is true and accurate.  As the author said last week, it is very unlikely that the whole story is known in a situation.  

When the opportunity arises to gossip:

1.       Unless the situation affects the reader, forget whatever someone else states about another individual. 

Forget the slander that you hear before you can repeat it. Forget each slight, each spite, each sheer wherever you may meet it. - Priscilla Leonard

2.       The time spent spreading rumors or listening to someone else gossip is time being wasted accomplishing your dreams.      

Nothing productive is ever achieved as a result of spreading, or listening to gossip. Don't waste your time! You can make more productive use of it. - Catherine Pulsifer, The Principles of Gossip

Achievement

3.       If the reader is someone that has the desire to state the latest thing they heard about someone, write it down and destroy it.  By expressing it, the reader releases the information and no one knows the potential inaccurate information.   

If you must slander someone don't speak it - but write it - write it in the sand, near the water's edge! - Napoleon Hill, The Law of success

CHALLENGE: When someone comes to you and starts gossiping, what will you do? 

Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week - Febraury 4th

Who are you to judge the life I live? I know I'm not perfect -and I don't live to be- but before you start pointing fingers... make sure you hands are clean! - Bob Marley

The way that other people judge me is none of my business. - Martha Beck

The author has often wondered why people do things they do.  Why do some people say they want to change and then do not take the time to learn and incorporate changes to make life simpler and easier?  This blog post is not about why people do what they do.  It is about how the author is learning not to judge people.  

The author is single and currently focusing on her career and improving herself.  There is no one she has to take care of and sets her own schedule.  As the author has been working so much, she has not been able to do all of the things she used to do.  After 10-hour days, the author sometimes spends her evenings and weekends recuperating and preparing for the coming days and weeks.  Recently when the author was talking with friends about this, people looked at the author shocked that she was making some of the choices she was. 

Pondering those conversations and being told she needs to change, the author came up with two reasons not to judge:

·       The time spent speculating and judging someone else can be spent dreaming and working on accomplishing goals.

·       People do not know what the author is dealing with and she does not want to be judged.  And in the same way, the author does not know what others are dealing with and should not judge them without knowing their story. 

If you don't know me, don't judge me. - Tupac Shakur

CHALLENGE: Judging someone can be very easy.  The next time you start to judge or criticize someone for the choices they are making, how will you stop yourself.  Being prepared with how to handle a situation is half the battle of changing.