One of my friends advised me to make my emails shorter.
“No one wants to read a long email…. people have a short attention span!” She is undoubtedly right.
Yet as a writer, I LOVE filling a page with words…. It feels so good…like finger painting! You can play with word choices, word sounds, word lengths…even how words make you feel. (And you know that words carry energy!)
In almost every other written piece I’ve done — (except 30 or :60 commercials) –from articles, newsletters and press releases to books, videos, and website content, I’ve never had to be so careful about keeping my writing brief.
I’ll do my best to be succinct. (If you want longer emails, let me know. Ha!)
Back to my point. How do we make a difference in this rush-rush world of short attention spans?
I suggest we focus on sending positive messages to our brain. The brain doesn’t know good vs. bad, right vs. wrong. It accepts whatever we tell it.
We can choose to think positive thoughts — that become positive feelings… that evolve into positive actions.. with positive results.
Besides that, we get to choose our response to other people’s words. We don’t have to react. We can take a deep breath, think about it, and respond in a way that makes us feel good.
For instance, as a young child, I once got a checkmark on my report card. The teacher wrote on the side of the card, “Lynn likes to socialize too much.” Who would have thought I’d remember it now – over 50 years later?
At the time, I didn’t even understand what the word, “socialize” meant!
When my mom read the teacher’s message, it didn’t bother her. “That’s fine,” she said. “You’re not supposed to talk in class, but
being able to socialize is a good thing.”
Lesson: While we can’t control events or other people’s words, we CAN control our thoughts.
As an exercise today, I invite you to give yourself a positive affirmation as your “go to” words when you need a mental boost.
Here’s one, “Who I Am Makes A Difference.” (Thanks to my buddy, Sparky Bridges for that!)
Short enough?
With love,
Lynn
P.S. November 7th-14th is Blue Ribbon Week. Let’s honor people who make a difference in our lives — from the clerk at a store to a waiter, healthcare worker or even a friend or relative. Over 40 million people have been honored with a blue ribbon and the goal is one BILLION by the end of the year. Let’s do it! Go ahead and get ten free blue ribbons at: http://www.blueribbons.org.
Over fifteen years ago, my mom casually said, “You don’t have to be doing all the time. How are you ‘being?’
Her words stopped me in my tracks. My mom’s innate wisdom often got me pondering over what was really important. I tend to measure myself by my actions, as most of us do.
But what’s really important? Yes – how are we being on the inside?
We get to choose that inner state, so I’m asking you right now to consider taking a few minutes to pause. Think of how your thoughts affect you. Thoughts turn into feelings, which then become our words and actions.
At this time of our country’s upheaval, I see a great deal of angry and hurt messages.
Many of us act without thinking. And some of us think a great deal on the inside without acting.
Where’s that gentle balance? How do we turn to the abundant love and peace that’s inside each of us?
I ask you to consider taking a few minutes today, perhaps everyday, to hit the “pause” button and take a few deep breaths. Breathing deeply actually resets the chemistry in our brain.
Here’s the scientific reason behind deep breathing:
When you become stressed or anxious, your brain releases cortisol, the “stress hormone.” By taking deep breaths, your heart rate slows, more oxygen enters our blood stream and ultimately communicates with the brain to relax. Deep breathing also ups your endorphins, the “feel good” chemical.
So, let’s do this together – both for your own well-BEING and for the well-BEING of our planet. Breathe deeply, hold it for a count of three, and then exhale. Feel your shoulders relax as your mind settles into a peaceful state. Let’s do it at least two more times.
Now – how are you being? Our breath is the one thing we have from the moment of birth, and the last thing to leave us.
As we choose the story of our life, let’s make our stories good ones.
If you think about it, everything in our life is like a story.
When we hear stories on the news, we get to choose to believe them or not. (Hopefully, people do believe stories based on science!)
We also get to choose what we think about ourselves too. Do we choose to believe negative thoughts, perhaps influenced by those around us, or do we choose to think big?
What story do you want to believe? What story do you really want to live? The root of our stories begins with our beliefs. (And we can change those beliefs at any time!)
My story is a journey of learning self-worth. Growing up in a traditional Jewish home, I noticed that my brothers received a Bar-Mitzvah, but I was told that girls didn’t “need” one. Those words triggered my brain to think that being a girl wasn’t as important.
Strange, isn’t it? One traditional belief affected my attitude about myself. I didn’t even understand its impact. My parents couldn’t figure out why I never felt good enough. As an adult, I studied to become a Bat Mitzvah, which gave me immense satisfaction. I was declaring my own value to myself. A Bat Mitzvah literally means, “Daughter of the commandment.” As an official “adult,” my commitment is to do “mitzvot” – good deeds, and “Tikkun Olam” – to heal the world.
I share this with you because over time, I’ve become sensitive to words — from myself and others. I know our brain is a finely tuned computer. It picks up the energy of our thoughts, and translates those thoughts into feelings, which becomes our belief. Our beliefs can stay with us forever… unless we consciously decide to change.
It took the shocking passing of my beloved mom at the end of 2004 to propel me into a journey of self-discovery. Why was I still alive? What did I want to do while on this earth? How could I make a difference?
The devastating grief affected me physically, until my back gave out with three slipped discs, until I could barely walk. It took an energy healer to eventually ease the pain and bring the discs back into alignment. I suddenly saw in real life how my negative thoughts were physically creating “dis-ease.” With a different belief, I could ultimately heal.
Over time, I’ve learned from amazing world-class thought leaders. I remember finding a book, “Secrets Of the Millionaire Mind” by T. Harv Eker. I was so moved that I decided to travel on my own to Denver to attend a free 3-Day Millionaire Mind Intensive. I never knew you could create your own Millionaire Mind! Those three days were quite powerful.
The underlying lessons from many world-class leaders continues to reverberate.
No matter what happens to us on the outside, we need to care for ourselves on the inside. We are a mental, emotional, physical and spiritual being. To stay healthy, we must take care of each part of who we are.
From the personal development seminars, books, courses and sessions, here are five insights I’ve gained…
Life Lesson #1: We’re all connected. Every thought, word, action carries a vibration and can be felt by others. We get to choose our thoughts. Choose wisely.
Life Lesson #2: Since we’re on this earth plane for a limited time, let us choose to love ourselves. Kindness grows from the inside out.
Lesson #3: You have greatness within you. You can do more than you believe. (And you get to choose what you believe!) Belief becomes reality!
Life lesson #4: Never give up on your dreams.Write down your dreams. Say positive affirmations to reinforce your belief in your dreams. Surround yourself with people who believe in you.
Life Lesson #5:Commit to what’s important to you.Take action. Make the most of your life More positive stories from Difference Makers are needed!
If you’d like to schedule a 15-minute chat, feel free to connect with me at:http://bit.ly/DMM-Chat
