Popp- Chapter 18 – Say what you mean and mean what you say

In my journey I have found that you are your word.

People will stop believing you if you do not deliver what you say you will.  This is similar to the old fable “The little boy who cried wolf”.  In that story, the little boy kept crying out that there was a wolf… and there was not.  When he cried out that there was a wolf… and there was, no one believed him and things did not turn out well.

When you say something, make sure your actions and deeds match up.

Things may change along the way causing you to veer from what you originally said.  If you communicate the change of course you will still maintain your integrity and credibility.

Once you lose your credibility, it is almost impossible to fully regain it.

Watch what you say and make sure it lines up with what you do.

 

A Positive start for a positive day

I find that there are some simple habits you can create as part of your morning ritual to create a positive day for yourself.

1- When you get up, take a moment to give thanks for something.  It does not have to be huge, just a little crack to allow positive energy to start seeping in.

2- Brush your teeth, take your shower,  good hygiene start up habits contribute to your body’s wake up cycle. (plus your smile is better and are more pleasant to be around).

3- Have a nice warm lemon and water before you eat or drink anything else.  This is known to help cleanse the liver and remove toxins.

4- Pat a dog  (or two) or other animal of choice.  Do not recommend patting wild animals.  It has been shown that contact with  dogs/ cats is soothing, lower’s blood pressure and reduces stress.

5- Take a look around and see what mother nature has to offer this fine day.  A flower in bloom, a tree waving in the breeze, a twittering bird….   all inspiring, nature at it’s best.

6- Have a good, balanced breakfast.  Your body, you choose :-).

7- Feed your creativity …  write, read, game,  meditate, exercise,  whatever  delights you.  Taking a few minutes in the morning goes a long way.

 

PoPP – Chapter 16 – Let’s talk about it

 

In my travels, I have observed disintegration in our phone etiquette.

Top observations of poor phone etiquette:

1- Multi-tasking is a myth and definitely poor etiquette for a phone conversation. People can tell if you are doing something else while talking to them. While on the phone you have choices:

  1. Best: Give whomever you are chatting with your full attention.
  2. Good: Let someone know that this is not a good time to chat and call them back.
  3. OK: If you need to divert your attention for a moment, let whomever you are talking on the phone with know that and give them the option of waiting for you or conversing at another time.

muti tasking

2- When you are on the phone talking to one person, do not have a side conversation with another person.  This dilutes both conversations and can also be very confusing. If someone comes into the room where you are holding your phone conversation you can:

  1. Best: Tell the person who has come into your space that you will talk to them later
  2. Good: Tell the person you are on the phone with that you will call them back later
  3. OK: Give the person you are on the phone with the option of waiting a moment

interuption

3- Hands free etiquette is important.  When having a phone conversation people will be unaware of others in near you who may overhear your conversation. Hand free technology can make for a bad connection and a lot of background noise as well.

  1. Best: Let people know you are hands free and if there is someone else in the room or nearby.
  2. Good: Give the person on the other end of a hands free phone conversation the choice to wait for another time when the conversation can be held one to one and in private.
  3. OK: If someone else is nearby who can overhear your conversation, identify that person.
  4. Even better: Don’t use hands free and consider getting a head set.

hi-eavesdrop-852-istock-000-8col

4- When attending a social event with others, it is poor etiquette to have your cell phone out and text or answer calls.  If there is an emergency and you must respond to the call or text you can:

  1. Good: Excuse yourself and step out or away for a minute
  2. OK: If you must stay at the table, apologize and let you companion(s) know this is an urgent call you have to take
  3. Best- leave your Blackberry or cell off

movies on phone

5- For safety’s sake DO NOT talk/ or text while driving

Emergency personnel work the scene of a deadly train wreck, Tuesday, May 12, 2015, in Philadelphia. An Amtrak train headed to New York City derailed and crashed in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/ Joseph Kaczmarek)

 

PoPP – Chapter 15 – Continuous Improvement

You hear many movies, articles, speakers and media make life references to “circles”. Circles have no beginning or end.

I like to think life as more like a series of continuous joined spirals. You finish one level of a spiral’s ring and you move up to the next, often learning things you have tackled before but at a higher level.

Sometimes the next level is harder, sometimes it is easier.

Our lives are really a series of continuous improvements.

For instance, on Level 1 of the spiral, if I tell a lie, it comes back and causes me grief. I learn next round that it is hard to remember a lie, next round I learn that if I am honest I do not have to have a good memory and life is a lot less stressed.

We have many of these lessons spiralling around at any one time.  Sometimes it can make your head spin.  If that happens, remember to take a deep breath and stay calm. Reach out to a coach or friend if you need some help getting clarity.  Most important, remember that all lessons will eventually spiral away.

PoPP – Chapter 14 – Monkey see, monkey do

In my travels I find myself emulating people I admire and respect, who are well spoken and seem confident.

To learn and grow, I might read a blog or article or book,  I might listen to a course, participate in on line learning. These could lead to new behaviours.  Ultimately I pick up new behaviours faster by seeing the behaviours in action.

I hear myself change as I assimilate the mannerisms of those I surround myself with.

Lessons Learned:

1- Set an example to those around you through your actions, words and deeds.

2- Surround yourself by positive, supportive, good people who can help you with positive growth.

3- Release people around you who are negative and could drag you down.  People who have “potty”mouth (i.e. use a lot of profanity), people who are mean, stingy

4- Take some time to be a positive mentor along the way – be it for a short time over over an extended relationship.  What you give out comes back to you at least 10 fold.

5- Watch what you think.  Try and replace the negative with the positive.  Be mindful of this.

6- Think about what you watch.  TV, radio, Social media can all have influence.

7- Take time to go within, meditate, contemplate.

8- Be kind to yourself and others.  We all evolve as we travel along.  Give yourself space to do so and leave room for others to do the same. Compassion paves the way to help yourself and others.

9- Check in with your mentor when you need honest feedback. Monitor your own thoughts and behaviours. Adjust your behaviours as required and repeat!  Also look at people around you who might annoy, irritate or “rub you the wrong way” they too have something to teach you.

10-   Be open and receptive. Watch for clues around you to see how you are coming across to others and  make the positive changes you need to project who you would like to be seen as. Continually strive to improve yourself and others. Changing yourself changes the world around you.

Enjoy your journey!

follow the leader

PoPP – Chapter 13 – Alone but not Lonely

I have found during my journey that the times I am alone, I do not feel lonely.  In fact, I like my own company.

If I feel the need for contact, I can always reach out.

I have learned that I need quiet time.  It is time for me to meditate more, contemplate more, create more, play more and overall re-charge my batteries.  I allow the universal energies to flow though me and around me, unencumbered.  I am at my most creative yet focused and productive.

Rounding everyone up into one place and trying to get  them to function in the same way is not the most effective.  This is similar in concept to trying to get everyone  to  learn in the same way.  Some are visual, some are auditory, some are tactile, some are very scent influenced, some are social an some are not, some are hands on… most of us are a combination with a dominant style.

If we learned to respect and accept each others differences we would be in a better position to allow each to be at their best. We would thereby get the most out of each individual while also meeting their social, physical and creative needs.

True work-Life Balance does not need to mean a separation of the two but a gentle blending by using the best environment for each individual in each circumstance.

We all have our own styles, our own “colour”.

PoPP – Chapter 12 – Friends

I realized that some friends are with you for a long time, some friends are with you for a short time, but you always have the perfect person in your life at the perfect time. The universe works this way.  You do not need to ever be alone, unless you choose to be.

you are not alone

In this wonderful space I was in where I had many of my own kind, it was interesting who hung around with whom and when.

On a really breezy day, I found myself hanging with others of strength and resilience.  Learning from them how to hang on when required.  They would offer tips, tools and lead by example.

Depending on the circumstances, surroundings and who was participating in this lesson with me,  I would be taught a new lesson, reminded of a lesson or value, totally shifted the way I looked at something, discovered something totally new.  It was a whole world of lessons. Every lesson, whether I judge them as good or bad, is valuable.

I have been blessed with some wonderful companions along the way.

PoPP – Chapter 11 – Revolution

I was confused and disoriented after tumbling around in a revolving drum full of water and then air.  I saw many of my species revolving around as well.  At least I now know there are many of my kind.  There were many colours, styles and patterns.  I wonder why I am purple?

One good thing is we were not socks.  The poor sock species,  sometimes a pair of two went in but only one sock came out. What happens to the other sock?  I guess that is a mystery for another time.

Another side note that I have been wondering about a pair of panties versus a panty.  What does a panty look like?

Now, clean, dry and tidy, my new family and I were tucked into a cozy dark space.  Every day it seemed that one of us was pulled from the pack by our human charge.  It seems that part of our role was to be under cover and to protect our human from exposures.

I wondered about what reasoning was behind the human’s choice of colour and style?

It turns out that our human hosts were sensitive to  the energies the colours represented.  Humans are a giant network of connecting vibrations and energies.

On the simplest level, there are 7 main chakras (body energy discs that spin clock wise or counter clockwise).  Each of these disks is best augmented by a certain color (also scents, shapes, tastes etc., but for today we will talk about color).

Here is a quick guide:

ColouredChakraswithDescriptions

Root Chakra – Connection and Grounding – Red

Sacral Chakra – Center of Creativity – Orange

Solar Plexus Chakra – Power Center – Yellow

Heart Chakra – Love, Self and Others – Green  (Some include pink for the soul)

Throat Chakra – Communication, Speaking your own Truth. – Blue

Third Eye – Intuition – Indigo or Lavender

Crown Chakra – Connection to Higher Self – Purple

By choosing a certain colour of panty the human was knowingly or instinctively choosing a colour that could potentially augment and support  a certain power centre that day.

Panties are a great way to add colour to the clothes as by our nature of being undercover, we do not have to match up with the rest of the wardrobe.  Another in-site to my purpose –  to bring supportive energy around self actualization when asked!!

PoPP – Chapter 10 – My mom told me to “Be Good”

momandchild

My Mother holds a near and dear place in my heart.  This Chapter is to honour all Mothers.  Without our mothers we would not be here nor would we be who we are or where we are on our journey,

My mom has passed.  We had our moments but loved each other dearly. When I moved out of the family home and moved onwards in my journey we continued to talk almost every day and visited often.

My mom helped create certain foundational principles that I carry with me to this day.  Everyday, on the way out the door to go here or there, she would hug me and kiss me and let me know she loved me and would tell me to “Be Good”.

I have always tried to be good.  My truth about good and bad may shift over time but I have always tried to live my life, to the best of my ability as good.  This is a value founding stone for me.

Thank-you Mom.  I am still missing you.  Happy Mothers’s day!

PoPP – Chapter 9 – Here and Now

here and now

In my purple peril, somewhere along the way, I decided not to worry about the past or future but to stay in the present.

The past is finished. Hind sight is 20-20. Terms like could have, should have, would have are just ways to hang on to things that are not there.  They emphasize judgements around failure and success. In reality my past has taught me many lessons and helped make me who I am today.  The past is peppered with some good and some bad, but seasoned perfectly for me!

The future is not here yet.  Why worry or anticipate things that are not real?  I am preparing myself for the future but I am open to the possibility of what may manifest.

In the here and now I can live my life fully.  When I stay present, there are no fears or worries.  I live in full appreciation of all the wonders offered – sounds of the birds, rustle of the breeze through the trees bringing refreshing coolness and carrying spring aromas, scents of hyacinths by the door, feel of the beautiful crystals I am working with, taste of a smooth sip of water, rubbing the silky ears of a dogs, the companionship and conversation with a good friend, and all of the other moment by moment blessings.  In this moment is when I can hear my muses.  I am open to receive any inspirations that come to me and in the moment share these inspirations with others.  I appreciate every breath and with my mind, body, spirit centred and calm I can enjoy this state of living meditation.