10 Realistic Ways to Stay Positive Part 9

Life is for the most part a series of little steps, when we actually want to leap. As I was writing this someone said—“Like clean a room instead of the whole house”. I was thinking more like cleaning one counter top.  There are moments when one room is too overwhelming. 

 

 The smaller you break down the steps the more manageable it becomes to deal with.

10 Realistic Ways to Stay Positive - Part 8

Don’t be paralyzed by perfection. I grew up in a family that has OCD and was drilled from a very young age that if you couldn’t do it perfectly --don’t do it all.

It was my freshman college roommate who began to point this out to me. She would get up and make her bed before she even went to the bathroom. This was just as comforters began to be popular. She was a very neat person, but made her bed by pulling up the sheets and pulling the comforter over them. She pointed out that one of the reasons I hated to make my bed was it took 15 minutes. I pulled down the top sheets, smoothed out the bottom sheet, pulled the top sheet perfectly to the top edge…and the whole process ended with the bedspread the exact same amount from the floor the whole length of the bed.  It really did take 15 minutes.  It was the beginning of learning not everything had to be perfect. 

 I still am a little nuts about how I make the bed, but have made great strides in changing how I approached things----and it is amazing how much more I get done. A day with my family members reminds me how far I have come!

A Plan is no more or less than you make it......

A plan does not mean things cannot be changed. It means you have a path to start. It means you have a destination in mind. It does not mean you will go the exact way, with the exact people, in the expected time. It means you will know when you get to that destination, and if you accept all the twists, turns, drops, jumps, characters you meet, and time you many feel you have "wasted"--- the destination is even better than you dreamed.

Best is a Moving Target...

From January 1...

Happy New Year! We saw 5--yes 5---bluebirds today while we were out walking! I was just talking about bluebirds the other night. If they are the bluebirds of happiness---it is going to be a great year!
2011 was once again a time of lots of change, but one big thing I am grateful for is Mom did not spend one day or night in the hospital or a rehab facility....

Wishing everyone the best year.....and when it is not the best, may you have the best people around to help, the best knowledge, the best resources and faith in yourself that you are truly doing the best you can on that day---I have learned "best" can be a moving target ---Love, Joanne