Enough! Overcoming the Little Annoyances Wearing You Out

'It isn't the mountains ahead that wear you out--It's the grain of sand in your shoe.' Robert William Service, Scottish Poet 1874-1958

What's Wearing on You?

What is the grain of sand in your shoe wearing you out-that annoyance present in the back of your mind wearing you down? What's grating on you today?

Perhaps:

You're waiting for the other shoe to drop at work;You can't seem to get the landlord to fix that hole in your ceiling the rain is leaking through;You have a good paying job-but the daily work is soul-killing;You've got a job you really enjoy-but its 600 miles from your home and family.

How Little Annoyances Affect Life Satisfaction

No matter how good our lives are, we all face trials in our daily lives that can wear us down. Truth is even if our lives are excellent overall, we still measure our life satisfaction by the least satisfying parts-i.e. those grains of sand.

The Daily Grind

Linda, almost 60 and divorced, has a beautiful home, grown children, a dog, a network of great friends-- and a new great-paying job. So what's the grain of sand in her shoe?

Linda's new job took her 600 miles away from her friends and home. She's uncomfortable living in her new apartment in a city filled with never-ending traffic and cement sidewalks. She misses the wooded trails where she walked with her dog enjoying the great outdoors. While the money is good in her new job, her daily quality of life has taken a nosedive. She dreams of moving back home.

Liz, a 21 year-old, taking a full load of college courses and working full-time loves her apartment with its hardwood floors and spacious rooms, conveniently located adjacent to the bus line to work and school.

Liz's grain of sand is the huge gaping hole in her apartment ceiling. Mold is growing and she is worried about her health. She doesn't want to move-especially since she's in the middle of the school term-- and really doesn't have the time to look for another place.

At Forty, Julian has just finished a higher degree, loves his chosen work, home and partner. What's the grain of sand wearing him down?

Julian's hometown market may be too small to support his work. If he wants to do what he loves he may need to work and live elsewhere-and leave his home and partner behind. The idea of a long-distance relationship leaves him cold.

Don't Ignore Your Grain of Sand, Acknowledge it

Face it-we all have difficult decisions to make these days. The difficulty of choosing between two less-than-optimum options often leaves us making no decision at all-and this unresolved dilemma goes underground and begins to wear on us like the grains of sand in our walking shoes.

The problem with grains of sand in our shoes is rather than choosing to stop to remove them we try to ignore them as we continue traveling on the road of life. Without acknowledging and embracing them we can find no relief.

Find Your Pearl

Rather than letting your grain of sand wear you down, let it build you up.

In a clam, that grain of sand has the potential of creating a pearl. You too have the possibility of creating something exquisite and beautiful in your life through that daily grind forcing you to pay attention to what's working and what's not.

Granted, grains of sand in our walking shoes are irritating and annoying-but they make us pay attention. Stop ignoring the irritation in your life, acknowledge and embrace it. Choose to reach through the current irritation to create a better life.

Four Steps to Turn SAND into Your Pearl

1. Acknowledge and embrace the irritation. Let yourself become aware and fully conscious of what's grating on you. Name it. Sit in it.

2. Keep on walking. Do nothing. Let the irritation grow your awareness to produce your life pearl.

3. Stop. When you're ready--take off your shoes and shake it off. Choose your next action.

4. Start A New Direction--Take a step-any step-away from your irritant towards a better life.

Start

A

New

Direction

What's Your PEARL?

What PEARL can you create out of your grains of sand? Play with the letters in PEARL to create a positive picture of what you can create out of your grain of sand.

Possibilities, Enthusiasm, Acceptance, Relationships, Love

Playful, Enjoyable, Action-oriented, Reliable, Loyal

'Each morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.' The Buddha

International speaker and award-winning author, Susan J Meyerott provides dynamic interactive workshops for people ready to better manage their work, life and health. For more than 30 years, Susan has been helping people lighten up and step over invisible barriers to change one step at a time. As a speaker and writer, Susan blends her unique background in health promotion, accelerated learning, and communication with a very personal, practical, and humorous style. She speaks to your heart, puts you at ease, and makes changing easier than ever before.
http://lightartedliving.blogspot.com/2012/01/staying-upbeat-in-face-of-negativity.html
http://www.linkedin.com/in/susanjmeyerott

Original article

What's The One Little Word That Could Magically Create More Time This Christmas?

It doesn't matter how well-prepared we are for Christmas, if we don't know the one little word that can create more time, then we're likely to end up stressed and exhausted.

This magic little word has the power to set us free from things that aren't really our job, to save us having to run extra errands and to avoid overwhelm and running around like a crazy thing.

But there's a catch.

It's the one word that most of us find hardest to say, especially when everyone is busy.

Yes, this one is a toughie for many of us. There's no point in softening the blow or wrapping it up in gift paper with a pretty bow.

Here's the one little word you need to say, to dramatically increase your time and cut your Christmas stress:

No.

Yes, I said "Say no!"

I'm not talking about getting angry when you say it or waiting till you're ready to snap. I'm talking about saying 'no' early enough that you don't ever make it to 'blow your fuse' territory.

You might want to:

Say no to extra hours at work.Say no to extra gift shopping.Say no to extra parties.Say no to ironing (my personal favourite 'no'!)Say no to extra baking

Say no to anything that doesn't feel like it "belongs to you" - anything that isn't really your job, even if it is something you would usually say 'yes' to. And we each know what our personal 'yes' habits are!

A friend of mine used to say:

"If you want something to get done, give it to a busy person."

And there's an element of truth in that, unless the busy person is about to crack, in which case things can get very messy.

So if you're in the middle of everything and someone comes to you with yet another request, take a moment to stop and think about whether you really want to take it on.

There's no law saying you have to do extra Christmas preparation, especially if it means you're risking your peace of mind

And if you don't want to take on the extra job, play with politely, but firmly, saying no! The other person might be shocked. They might even react grumpily, if they can't see things from your perspective. But:

If you truly want to cut your stress levels this Christmas, then saying 'no' more often is the way to go.

Want to find out more about Christmas stress and what you can do about it?

Then you might want to have a flick through "101 Ways To De-Stress Your Christmas". No matter which type of Christmas stress you've got, there's something in it for everyone.

It's based on practical psychology, stress management techniques, sleigh-fulls of common sense and a good dose of Christmas humour. Find out more at http://www.destressyourchristmas.com/

From Clare Josa: Author, NLP trainer, Meditation Teacher, Expert Mentor ~ Beyond Alchemy

Original article