A Peace for Ourselves......

After 15 years, I recently met up with the game of basketball, and we have been inseparable ever since.  I joined a co-ed league within my city of London, Ontario and have been playing with other 20-30ish year old players who are in a similar stage of life and are like-minded individuals who also have great sportsmanship.  My intent in joining this league was two fold: one to get a good workout and second, to network.  I didn’t realize there was a third and crucial benefit of joining this league and that was to feel like a 15 year old again.  I am also drawing similarities between the workplace and the game itself like how…

•        it takes a team to succeed
•        having a strategy can help you focus on how you want to play,
•       groupthink can get a team to lower their guard by dismissing the other team’s strengths,
•        being a cheerleader and positive thinker is much more contagious than being a downer. 

Basketball in helping me return to this feeling of being a youth and opening my mind to observe my world, is my way of giving to ‘me’ and letting the small things go.

In this crazy, busy, awesome life, I realize the one thing that we should ultimately be striving for is balance.  Balance between giving it our best in our careers and with our family, to giving ourselves the gift of rest, laughter and joy.  By finding a way to reconnect with your youth and your passions while balancing  your family and career, is one way….we can get a peace for ourselves!

Take a breath and pat yourself on the back.....:-)

Too often, we work ourselves into a frenzy always focussing on the next step and we lose track of all that we have accomplished.  This is a journaling prompt that I used yesterday, which provided me with incredible energy and validation.  

The prompt: "I am proud of what I achieved today!  Among the many things, I am really proud of..."
and this is where you can create a list in point form or by sentence.  The magic of journaling reveals itself when the user is completely honest with themselves and does not edit their thoughts.   After doing this activity, I felt that I had provided some value to my family, my career, and my.....life!

A quote that changes your world....

Every now and then, we come across a quote that truly changes our perception and takes our thought process to a whole new level.  These quotes seem to pop up at the most perfect times when we actually need to see them.
Yesterday, the quote that spoke to me was while I was in my doctor's office waiting for my first appointment to begin.

"Experience is one thing you can't get for nothing." - Oscar Wilde

This quote took me back to my days after university where I had dreams of coming out and getting a six figure salary job and starting my life.  The truth of the matter was, as it is for a lot of students, it wasn't that easy.  I went through many jobs, many I didn't like, to find one that I truly love.  Reading this quote yesterday reminded me that life is a journey and that all my experience has just made me a stronger individual than I was after graduating university.

Journaling activity:
Find a quote that resonates with you and spend some time journaling about why it speaks to you, your life, and your ongoing journey.