Happiness and Peace

This post was triggered by C who gave a 'bottomline' that she just wants to live a "happy and peaceful life" in a conversation I had with her yesterday. She was annoyed and disturbed by what took place in class the day before.

A few kids, including her, were reprimanded by their Math teacher for being careless and making mistakes in their work. To add fuel to the fire, a classmate who constantly loves to compare, asked her "How come  you are smarter than me, but you make so many mistakes?" C is often riled by this girl who regularly bugs her to compare how they both fared in school. C said to me, "I don't care about grades. I just want a happy and peaceful life."

I agree. While it's important to get good grades to the best of our abilities, we need to have a balanced view about how we go about life.  No point being successful academically, have a great job, lots of money, etc, and not be happy and at peace.

There are many, many quotes out there about happiness -- some I can recall off the top of my head are 'state of mind', and 'a choice'. Does it take effort to be happy? I think it does, especially if you're not happy and want to be happy. After some practice, you get the hang of it, and learn not to sweat the small stuff. You look for silver linings, you become more positive, you count your blessings more, you look outward more than inward, you give more than you take,.....

Here's something I found:

75 Happiness Quotes to Live By

Later in the evening, she came up with another one about 'peace'.

Me: I have a bad headache.
Her: Okay, do this. Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out. Now, count to ten. How is it?
Me: Still have it.
Her: You need to be at peace! Then it'll go away.

The 'guru' of the ACE household has spoken ;-)

p.s. I'm not sure if C is 'smarter' than her classmate as claimed. In that particular context, C made more mistakes simply because she did her homework on her own. She tends to be careless. I don't check her work. I only help her if it's something she really doesn't know how to do. She's not caught up with wanting to ensure her work is perfect. She just wants to get it done (at the last minute usually) so that she can move on with more interesting stuff life has to offer. As for her classmate, her parents sit down with her and guide her through her homework, so I'm sure her work is more 'perfect' with less mistakes.

Mortality

Yesterday, we received a jolt to our run-of-the-mill morning -- a stark, blunt, no beating-about-the-bush, no-fluff-no-frills kind of reminder of our mortality, our state of being human, that we will face death. Whether it's sooner or later, we don't know for sure, until it happens.

A cousin of ours, from E's side of the family, left us unexpectedly the night before, leaving his beloved wife and two sons, the eldest being the same age as C. He was in his early forties, and generally healthy. It was a stroke that took him.

We are saddened, C included, as she knows this uncle. But we have faith that he has gone to a better place and is resting in peace. We, especially E, will cherish the memories of him, the time they spent together with all the other cousins since their childhood days. We trust that his family and loved ones will remain strong and find comfort and support with each other and the extended family.

When something like this happens, especially when it involves people close to our hearts, we feel a deeper realisation of how fragile and precious life is. It makes us think again. Is toiling so hard while making compromises with our health and family time, collecting a string of A's and certificates, trying to be 'supermom'  or 'super careerperson', and making our kids take up a zillion 'enrichment' activities as we call them, all really worth the time, money and energy spent? How 'enriched' are with all these?

In this day and age, many of us, whether we realise it or not, are trying to pile too much on our plate, or plates! For the achievement-oriented types among us, we are over-zealous in wanting to be the best, to have the best, in the name of self-improvement, self-fulfillment, self-actualisation (hehe, I remember my Psychology 101!). And as parents, we do want the ultimate best for our kids. And I'm not saying there's anything wrong with all these. It's only wrong when we go to the extremes.

I had said in an earlier post that I need to stop and smell the roses more. I'm still working on that. We, especially those who live in urban, competitive, fast-paced cities, need to do that. It does not mean we have to drop everything and do a 'Eat, Pray, Love' ala Elizabeth Gilbert, although I do wish sometimes I could do just that. Finding the middle ground may be hard but I believe we can do it. We may not want or be able to do what others did in finding their Ground Middle, but we can surely clear a path of our own to get there. I'm writing this to remind and motivate myself!

Meanwhile, the weekend is nigh. We shall bid farewell to cousin Eric tomorrow. Bon voyage and rest in peace, Eric.

Spoken word poetry

Once in a while, I visit TED.com and watch the inspiring talks. Today, I saw this one by Sarah Kay, a spoken word poet. Before this, it never crossed my mind that poetry could be in the 'spoken word'. As she said in the video, poetry 'remain' on paper. And I definitely found out that it does not have to be written in the 'typical' style we all know of poems, like the ones of William Wordsworth or Robert Frost. Watch and you'll know what I mean.

And here's one by Wordsworth:

Perfect Woman

She was a phantom of delight
When first she gleam'd upon my sight;
A lovely apparition, sent
To be a moment's ornament;
Her eyes as stars of twilight fair;
Like twilight's, too, her dusky hair;
But all things else about her drawn
From May-time and the cheerful dawn;
A dancing shape, an image gay,
To haunt, to startle, and waylay.

I saw her upon nearer view,
A Spirit, yet a Woman too!
Her household motions light and free,
And steps of virgin liberty;
A countenance in which did meet
Sweet records, promises as sweet;
A creature not too bright or good
For human nature's daily food;
For transient sorrows, simple wiles,
Praise, blame, love, kisses, tears, and smiles.

And now I see with eye serene
The very pulse of the machine;
A being breathing thoughtful breath,
A traveller between life and death;
The reason firm, the temperate will,
Endurance, foresight, strength, and skill;
A perfect Woman, nobly plann'd,
To warn, to comfort, and command;
And yet a Spirit still, and bright
With something of angelic light.

A touching video clip

He ran away from an orphanage at the age of five and have been surviving on his own since. Watch the video for more details of his life and listen to him sing. Amazing, inspiring....

A friend indeed

There are friends whom I've known since age six. We shared much together as kids and are still very much in touch now that we're in our forties and have kids of our own. We don't spend much time together these days but nothing much has changed in terms of our friendship.

And there are friends I got to know in adulthood. We shared much together as well but it's not the quantity of time we spent together. It was the quality of whatever little time we managed to squeeze, from our busy lives as working adults and parents, to share.

Friends are treasures. True friends I mean. Those who are there with you through thick and thin no matter how long you've known them. Today, I remember one of them. We spent quality time together although the time was not decades long. In fact, it was less than a decade. Looking back, I wish we had spent more time together. And I'm very sure we would have hit it off if I had known her when I was six.

Many people loved her but God also loved her and took her home five years ago today. She continues to live in many hearts, especially in the hearts of her two Michaels here.

Jennifer - a friend indeed, among others she's known to be - loving mother, adorable wife, caring sister, filial daughter...

A time for everything

I attended the funeral of a friend last Monday. He was one whom I never expected would leave so suddenly. On the morning when I learnt of his death from the newspaper, I had actually woken up thinking of him. It was just a few days after the major quake in Christchurch, NZ. I remember his son lived there and had thought of checking with him if his son was ok. Little did I know that he had gone to a better place the evening before without regaining consciousness from a hemorrhagic stroke. It was a beautiful ceremony for a person whose life touched many.

The song that was played just before he was wheeled out of the church for burial was the one titled Turn, Turn, Turn by The Byrds. It's lyrics were adapted from the Bible, Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 (New International Version, ©2011).

Ecclesiastes 3
A Time for Everything
1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

9 What do workers gain from their toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. 13 That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.

15 Whatever is has already been,
and what will be has been before;
and God will call the past to account.



Yes, there's a time for everything. And as verse 11 says, "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end."

S.M., may you rest in peace. At this time, I'm also thinking of all the people I once knew and loved who have gone to a better place where I believe has no pain or suffering. I'm thinking of how our lives connected, the words, moments and lifetimes we shared. Thank you, that's all I can say.

Featured in CNN Heroes

Believe

A nice compilation of inspirational and motivational quotes I came across while surfing.

The Christmas Story

This is very cute and original.

True story of Kal Raman : CEO who studied under streetlights

When we complain that we don't have enough and that life is hard, we need to be reminded that there are others who have less and their lives are more difficult. I received this via email and thought it's a good story to share.


From studying under the streetlights to CEO of a US firm!

Here is the rags-to-riches story of an extremely talented boy from a small village in Tamil Nadu who has risen to be the chief executive officer of a company in Seattle , USA . It is also the story of how Kalyana Raman Srinivasan, who was so indigent that he had to study under a streetlight, but then managed to score excellent marks, rose in life and became today's Kal Raman.


At every turn in his life, he took the difficult path and it turned out to be the right one and in the right direction. His rise to the top is more dramatic than a thriller. Today, he is a very successful entrepreneur and the founder-CEO of GlobalScholar.


Read his extraordinary story of triumph and determination . . .


Difficult childhood


Kal Raman was born and brought up in a small village called Mannarakoil in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. It was a comfortable normal middle class life for him and his siblings as his father was a Tahasildar there.


But the sudden death of his father at the age of 45 changed everything overnight.


Kal was 15 then. "My mother got a pension of Rs 420 a month and you can imagine how tough it is to educate four children and feed five mouths with Rs 420?"


Hi life changed dramatically after his father's death. The family moved from the rented house to a hut that had no proper water supply or electricity. Kal Raman remembers, "All of us used to study under the streetlight and, thank god, the streetlights used to work those days! MGR (M G Ramachandran) was the chief minister then. We had to sell the plates to buy rice to eat and my mother used to give us rice in our hands. That bad was our situation."


But his mother, who had studied till the 8th standard, was very particular that her children studied. "All our relatives wanted my elder brother to stop studying and take up the small job offered by the government but my mother wanted him to continue studying."


"Then they wanted me to learn typewriting and shorthand so that I could get some job after the 10th standard. But mother said, 'My children are going to get the best education I can offer. Education is our salvation.' She was my hero for her vision and she still is my hero."


What kept the family going? "We were sad but because we accepted our fate, we were at peace with whatever that happened to us. We knew our father would not come back to lift us up from poverty. We also knew our salvation was a long way away."


He didn't know why he used to tell his mother, "One day I will give you so much money that you will not know what to do with it!" Years later, he did exactly that!


First turning point in life


Kal Raman believes that God played a hand in all the major turning points in his life. The first turning point in life was after his 12th standard. He got good marks in both the engineering and medicine entrance exams, and for engineering, he got admission at the Anna University in Chennai while for medicine, it was in the Tirunelveli Medical College .


"While going in the bus with my mother to join the medical college, I told her, "If I join for medicine here, the high probability is that my life may begin and end in Tirunelveli. I really want to see the world.' She agreed with my decision to go to Chennai and join Anna University and study Electrical Engineering and Electronics."


So, he stepped into a new world outside Tirunelveli, and that was Chennai. Though he had got merit scholarship and a lot of good people helped him pay the initial fee, the scholarship amount never used to reach him regularly or on time.


"The mess fee was Rs 250 a month and I used to be a defaulter in the mess at least six months in a year. Till you pay the mess fee, you cannot eat in the mess. So, I used to live on day scholars' lunch boxes and also use to fast. That is when I learnt to fast ! I must say a lot of friends helped me with money and food."


Scarcity of money was so bad that he had no money to buy food just before the final semester exams. When he gave his final semester exams, he had not eaten for a day-and-a-half. "After finishing the exam, I almost fainted."


The day after the exams came all the scholarship money that was due and it was around Rs 5,000. "So, I went home a rich man and that helped us repay some loans."

First job


Like opting for Chennai and joining Anna University instead of a college in Tirunelveli, Kal Raman took another risk with his first job also. His first job was with Tata Consulting Engineers (TCE), and he had a choice of joining either Chennai or Mumbai.


Although he knew nobody in Mumbai, he chose the capital of Maharashtra .


He remembered the first day. "It was interesting. With bag and baggage, I went to the TCE office after taking a shower at the railway station as I had no money to go to any hotel. After the first introduction at the office, the manager noticed that I was wearing slippers to the office. He called me and said, "I don't care which college you are coming from but this is not acceptable. You should come in shoes tomorrow."


I said I couldn't come in shoes the next day and this the manager construed as arrogance. "How could you talk like this?" he asked me. I said, "Sir, it is not that I don't want to, but I can't afford to buy shoes. Only after I get my first pay cheque, can I buy shoes. Sir, I request you not to terminate my job because of this. I and my family need this job."


Shocked to hear the explanation, the manager asked, "Where are you staying?" and the reply was, "Dadar Railway Station."


So distressed was the manager to hear Kal speak that he immediately released a month's salary in advance and also arranged for him to be at his friend's place till he could find a place to stay.


"He bought me a pair of shoes and those were my first shoes. The next day, I sent Rs 1,500 from the advance to my mother."


From electrical engineering to programming


Kal's rise in career was meteoric in a short span of time. Within a month, he got a chance to move to Bengaluru (then Bangalore ) and also to programming.


Soon, he was in Chennai with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). Within a few months, he was sent to Edinburgh , UK .


From Edinburgh , his next stop was the United States . In 1992, he went to the US as an entry level contractor with Wal-Mart. In two years, he was a director running a division.


When he left Wal-Mart after six years, he was a man running the information systems for the International Division of the retail giant.


In 1998, he joined drugstore.com Online Pharmacy as the chief information officer and in 2001 at the age of 30, he was the CEO of the company.


He was at the right place at the right time. "God was there at every step guiding me to take the right decisions. I was also willing to take risks and tread new paths," Kal says.


Starting GlobalScholar


Philanthropist Mike Milken who had donated more than a billion dollars to education, wanted to use technology so that high quality education was accessible to ordinary people.


Milken convinced Kal to join him. That was the time Kal was building schools in his village for poor students.


In October 2007, GlobalScholar was launched targetting both teachers and students by acquiring four companies -- National Scholar (USA), Classof1 ( India ), Excelsior (USA), and Ex-Logica (USA) -- that were into education.


"Three months after the launch, I travelled all over the US , India , Singapore and China talking to teachers and companies and the public. I found that the only way to impact education was by impressing teachers. The biggest scarcity in the world is good teachers. We decided to help teachers with teaching practices and kids, learning practices."

Kal Raman decided to concentrate on the US market as the US is more advanced in using technology. "They are also willing to pay money for technology. At present, schools buy the material which can be used by teachers, students and parents."


Today, they have 200 people working for GlobalScholar in Chennai and 150 in the US . The study material is prepared in the Chennai office.


The company that was started with $50 million will have in excess of $32 million and will generate $5 million of profits. In 2008, the turnover of the company was Rs 40 crore (Rs 400 million) and in 2009, it was Rs 80 crore (Rs 800 million). In the current year it will be 150-160 crore (Rs 1.5-1.6 billion).


"GlobalScholar is growing at 200 per cent every year. We have 1,000 schools and 10 million students, which is one out of 10 kids in the US , using our study material. This is almost 18 per cent of the US population. We are the fastest growing education company in the US ."


GlobalScholar will soon introduce a pilot project in India and China . In the course of all this, Kalyana Raman became Kal Raman. "The country gave me everything and took half my name."


Giving back to society

Kal Raman is in India now for the Kumbhabhishekam of the temple at his village Mannarkoil. "It is taking place after 500 years. It is the culmination of two-and-a-half years of work. I have spent more than one and a half crore rupees (Rs 15 million) to renovate the temple and do the Kumbhabhishekam. More than anything else, I have given jobs to all my friends in the village who are masons and carpenters."


Other than this, he has also adopted all the orphanages around his village and he takes care of around 2,000 kids, some of whom are physically handicapped.


"I feel if I can educate these children, eventually we can make a difference in the society. We also help 100 children in their higher education. Around my village, everyone knows that if a kid who studies well cannot afford to pay fees, he has to only come to my house; his education will be taken care of."


"I do not do this as charity; its my responsibility. I am giving something back to the society that fed me, taught me, and took care of me and gave me hope. "

A True Duck Story from San Antonio, Texas

I got this via email and it's a nice story to share:

Something really cute happened in downtown San Antonio this week. Michael R. is an accounting clerk at Frost Bank and works there in a second story office. Several weeks ago, he watched a mother duck choose the concrete awning outside his window as the unlikely place to build a nest above the sidewalk.

The mallard laid ten eggs in a nest in the corner of the planter that is perched over 10 feet in the air. She dutifully kept the eggs warm for weeks, and Monday afternoon all of her ten ducklings hatched.

Michael worried all night how the momma duck was going to get those babies safely off their perch in a busy, downtown, urban environment to take to water, which typically happens in the first 48 hours of a duck hatching. Tuesday morning, Michael watched the mother duck encourage her babies to the edge of the perch with the intent to show them how to jump off. Office work came to a standstill as everyone gathered to watch.

The mother flew down below and started quacking to her babies above. In disbelief Michael watched as the first fuzzy newborn trustingly toddled to the edge and astonishingly leapt into thin air, crashing onto the cement below. Michael couldn't stand to watch this risky effort nine more times! He dashed out of his office and ran down the stairs to the sidewalk where the first obedient duckling, near its mother, was resting in a stupor after the near-fatal fall. Michael stood out of sight under the awning-planter, ready to help.

As the second one took the plunge, Michael jumped forward and caught it with his bare hands before it hit the concrete. Safe and sound, he set it down it by its momma and the other stunned sibling, still recovering from that painful leap. (The momma must have sensed that Michael was trying to help her babies.)

One by one the babies continued to jump.. Each time Michael hid under the awning just to reach out in the nick of time as the duckling made its free fall. At the scene the busy downtown sidewalk traffic came to a standstill.. Time after time, Michael was able to catch the remaining eight and set them by their approving mother.

At this point Michael realized the duck family had only made part of its dangerous journey. They had two full blocks to walk across traffic, crosswalks, curbs and past pedestrians to get to the closest open water, the San Antonio River , site of the famed "River Walk." The onlooking office secretaries and several San Antonio police officers joined in. An empty copy-paper box was brought to collect the babies. They carefully corralled them, with the mother's approval, and loaded them in the container.. Michael held the box low enough for the mom to see her brood. He then slowly navigated through the downtown streets toward the San Antonio River . The mother waddled behind and kept her babies in sight, all the way.

As they reached the river, the mother took over and passed him, jumping in the river and quacking loudly. At the water's edge, Michael tipped the box and helped shepherd the babies toward the water and to the waiting mother after their adventurous ride.

All ten darling ducklings safely made it into the water and paddled up snugly to momma. Michael said the mom swam in circles, looking back toward the beaming bank bookkeeper, and proudly quacking.

At last, all present and accounted for: "We're all together again. We're here! We're here!"

And here's a family portrait before they head outward to further adventures...

Like all of us in the big times of our life, they never could have made it alone without lots of helping hands. I think it gives the name of San Antonio 's famous "River Walk" a whole new meaning!

Inspiring

E posted this on his Facebook wall and I found it inspiring. I thought it'd be nice to share it here.

The original video is found here or you can watch it on YouTube.

Children can do lots, only if you believe and empower them.

Singer in a band

In her kindergarten days, Caitlin's ambition included being a veterinarian, astronaut and rock drummer. Of late, she's been harping on becoming a zoologist and singer. She's always liked animals so the veterinarian and zoologist bits are not a surprise. She enjoys music too and in her early days of drumming, she had more passion for the instrument. Now that the lessons are getting harder and she has to take exams and realises she has to practise harder, her dreams of being a rock drummer has somewhat been put on hold.

However, she likes singing a lot too. She enjoys singing the songs she learnt at school and music lessons, and those we play in the car (and she sings them with deep, animated expression at times, and even dances along when she can!), Sometimes I'll accompany her on the piano and let her sing.

So now, she says she wants to be a singer, not any singer, but a singer in a band of her own. A Christian band, called The Singers of Christ... haha...I guess she loves singing all those lively and nice songs she learns from chapel lessons at school. She wants to play the guitar and sing in the band, so she says she wants to learn to play the guitar....Of course we told her she's still too young and her fingers are not ready for that instrument. Maybe when she's older we said. Actually I think she is old enough to learn, but we are certainly not going down the path of a third musical instrument looking at how stressful it is for ME to guide her in her drum and piano practises!

Out of curiosity, I started google-ing "how to form a band" and unsurprisingly, there are lots of tips online on how you can do that.

I think it is important to allow the child to dream and encourage them. We always tell her she can be anything she wants to be. She must however work hard at it to be successful. She must always try her best. Kids dream so freely, believing that anything is possible. Meanwhile, we adults who have experienced more setbacks and failures have become less daring in dreaming. That should not be the case in fact. People who chase their dreams can achieve them. What's stopping us most times are the excuses we tend to make, the fear of change, of making sacrifices, of failure, of embarrassment if things don't work out, and all the 'what ifs'. Sometimes our kids can teach and remind us of a thing or two. In this case, it's about having dreams and working to make them come true.

For inspiration and motivation, I turn to google again. We can get tons of quotes and sayings such as:

"If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."
~ Henry David Thoreau

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."
~ Eleanor Roosevelt

And not forgetting Cinderella's song "A Dream is a Wish". Here's a modernised version by the Disney channel stars:

Ain't no mountain high enough

Two great uplifting songs!

As Time Goes By

Revisiting Old Blue Eyes.

This is a romantic one.



Another one:That's Life.

That's life, that's what all the people say.
You're riding high in April,
Shot down in May
But I know I'm gonna change that tune,
When I'm back on top, back on top in June.

I said that's life, and as funny as it may seem
Some people get their kicks,
Stompin' on a dream
But I don't let it, let it get me down,
'Cause this fine ol' world it keeps spinning around

I've been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate,
A poet, a pawn and a king.
I've been up and down and over and out
And I know one thing:
Each time I find myself, flat on my face,
I pick myself up and get back in the race.

That's life
I tell ya, I can't deny it,
I thought of quitting baby,
But my heart just ain't gonna buy it.
And if I didn't think it was worth one single try,
I'd jump right on a big bird and then I'd fly

I've been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate,
A poet, a pawn and a king.
I've been up and down and over and out
And I know one thing:
Each time I find myself laying flat on my face,
I just pick myself up and get back in the race

That's life
That's life and I can't deny it
Many times I thought of cutting out
But my heart won't buy it
But if there's nothing shakin' come this here july
I'm gonna roll myself up in a big ball and die
My, My

Into Yesterday

This is Caitlin's morning going-to-school song which she listens and sings along to in the car with Eugene everyday without fail.

You get more of what you give

Thank you Aunt SY, for a good chuckle for me to start the morning with this! Be careful then, men, and also other women with regards to the last part!

Still

A song Caitlin shared with me today.

Hide me now
Under your wings
Cover me
within your mighty hand

When the oceans rise and thunders roar
I will soar with you above the storm
Father you are king over the flood
I will be still and know you are God

Find rest my soul
In Christ alone
Know his power
In quietness and trust

The Power of Positive Thinking

It seems whenever we are faced with uncertainties, such as a troubling or challenging situation, or anticipating the fate or result of something, we find ourselves mentally convincing ourselves that “everything is going to be alright”... “it will turn out fine”. This is the inherent power of positive or optimistic thinking – the mental attitude that expects good and favourable results. We hear about it and read about it because it is a concept that has a very high view of human nature and ability.

If you believe that our circumstances and conditions are not dictated by the world outside, then you know that you have the innate ability to create or alter reality to your choosing. This is done by creating positive thoughts, which in turn creates and focusses energy into reality.

Being or becoming an optimist is by choice. For one thing, no one is really a natural pessimist. We choose what we want to think about so our attitude is 100% changeable.

Positive thinking is an important life tool and it can be extremely beneficial for anyone who is hoping to achieve their goals. Here are 11 simple steps to help you get into the habit of having a positive state of mind:

Question it – Is it really your problem? Could you be taking responsibility for something that is not yours?

Talk it out – Share it with someone else. Friends, family, colleagues, etc.

Write it down then throw it out – Put your worries down on paper and then throw it away.

Breathe it away – Inhale... exhale. Do some breathing exercises for a few minutes a day.

Hold it – Say “Stop”, pause and steady your thoughts. Sometimes just doing this consciously will help bring back the positive thinking!
Work it off – Do something physical to give your stress and tension an outlet.

Distance it – Imagine your problem a few years from now. How much will it matter to you then?

Balance it – Find a good side, not just a bad. What can you possibly learn from this situation? Perhaps you have strength you never imagined!

Exaggerate it – Picture the worst that can really happen. How likely is it?
Shrug it off – Raise your shoulders, and then drop them. Repeat. Relax your whole body. Guided relaxation tapes are a good habit to get into, to help your body know how to feel relaxed.

Laugh it off – Look for some humour in the situation and have a good laugh!

Inspirational songs

Two Sundays in a row at the two different churches (one Catholic and one Pentecostal) I attended respectively, this song was sung. Don Moen's songs have always been very nice and meaningful.



And last Sunday, this other Don Moen song was also sung. And Caitlin immediately recognised it as she said she learnt it during chapel in school.