NITE MUSIC

"I woke in the middle of the night obsessing," she moaned.

"I just kept going over and over everything I've ever done wrong in my whole life!"

Her friend was listening and nodding his head.

"I do that all the time," he agreed. 

"But usually mine is shorter term," he grinned sadly.

"I only deconstruct the past week, going over all the 'shoulda', 'coulda', 'woulda's'…

What do ya say?

Ever do this?

No?

What species did you say you were?

PAIN AND SUFFERING

Ever notice how some people complain ALL THE TIME!

Obviously, we are not talking about that fun sharing between friends or dealing with legitimate issues…

NO.

These people have a cold and not only 'share' every gross symptom but also make it sound like they are dying of pneumonia!

Now, here's an interesting thought:

Besides being incredibly annoying to others, how do you imagine this behavior affects the kvetches?

What do ya say?  You don't do this, right?

SERIOUSLY SPEAKING - WHAT DID YOU SAY?

So, what is communication?

Is it that which is received?

Or, that which is actually said?

What's the goal?

Is it competitive or cooperative?

DANCE WITH IT!   EXPERIENTIAL APPS  

An opportunity to experiment with some fun ideas…

THINK ABOUT TWO RECENT CONVERSATIONS…

Conversation #1 worked out great…

Conversation #2 turned into an argument…

What made the difference?

Was the goal sharing or was it proving yourself  'right'?

Was there a 'winner'?

ARE YOU LISTENING?

"It felt like I was going nuts!"

The woman was clearly stressed as she told me her story.

"I was talking to a friend", she continued, "and my friend started attacking me about something I said…"

"Except it was actually the opposite of what I said and no matter how I tried to tell her, she just got angrier and attacked me more!"

"It was surreal, I felt like I had been teleported to another dimension!"

What do ya say?

Ever been here?  How did you feel?

SERIOUSLY SPEAKING - EMPOWERMENT!

We can't control other people - often we can't even control events that come our way…

So, what can we do to take care of ourselves?

We can recognize that we do have CHOICES - about how we react to all those people and events.

The more we recognize this, the less helpless and hopeless we feel!

DANCE WITH IT!   EXPERIENTIAL APPS  An opportunity to experiment with some fun ideas…

THINK ABOUT 5 'NEGATIVE' THINGS THAT HAVE RECENTLY HAPPENED IN YOUR LIFE:

1)  Describe the event

2)  Describe your initial reaction.

            What did you think?  How did you feel?

3)  Would you describe these events as 'woe is me', victim moments? 

4)  Did you stop to think that regardless of the event you did     have a choice about your own reaction?

CAN YOU IMAGINE HOW POWERFUL IT WOULD FEEL TO REALLY CHOOSE YOUR RESPONSE?

GUNG HAY FAT CHOY!

One of the blessings of our land of diversity is the joy of celebrating many holidays, each with its own stories, customs, foods and smiles! 

Today starts the celebration of the Chinese Lunar New Year. 

2019 is the year of the Pig…

Can you hear the popping of firecrackers?

A FEW DIFFERENT BELIEFS ABOUT THE YEAR OF THE PIG…

'Pig is the twelfth in the 12-year cycle of Chinese zodiac sign.  Pig is not thought to be a smart animal in China. It likes sleeping and eating and becomes fat.'  

https://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/social_customs/zodiac/pig.htm

OR…

A pig represents luck, overall good fortune, wealth, honesty, general prosperity, symbolizing a hard working, peace-loving person, a truthful, generous, indulgent, patient, reliable, trusting, sincere, giving, sociable person with a large sense of humour and understanding.                            https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/Chinese_Customs/pig.htm

What do ya say?

Love it?  You get diversity, right?  How about the idea of making choices?