mindfulness

Tag Archive for mindfulness

Appreciate the Small Things And Find Contentment

July 16, 2019 John Uncategorized No comments

You’re intent on finding happiness, but what about contentment? You hear about appreciating the small stuff and feeling happy.

Today GenuLines asks you to turn your aim from happiness to contentment.

Appreciate the Small Things And Find Contentment

Most emotions are transitional, meaning you’re never in one state for long periods. People labeled upbeat actually do have moments of sadness or depression.

And even depressed people may not feel depressed all the time.

Think about a major event such as a war. When two countries are fighting, both sides lose lives.

It’s bloody, and it can last for several years. But, when the war is over, the countries are euphoric.

There will be no more bloodshed because of the war, and people can return to their lives.

But nothing that has changed in the world except that the war has ended. In other words, the sun still sets each day.

People still have to manage their lives.

The euphoria from the war ending doesn’t last long. Months later, the war is still over, but the euphoria has died down.

The same is true in a smaller way when you’re ill. For instance, suppose you have a stomach bug that leaves you uncomfortable and in pain.

When the bug passes you feel wonderful.

Yet, you don’t feel any better than you did when you weren’t experiencing the bug. It’s relative to the bad feelings.

That’s how emotional states work. They go from one to the other on a constant basis.

Appreciating the small things in life may lead to happiness. But, it’s likely you’re content more than you are happy.

Contentment can feel like a neutral state, leaning on the side of happy. There isn’t anything wrong when you’re content.

But, there’s also nothing ratcheting up your happiness.

Consider contentment before happiness

Striving for happiness can be stressful. The antidote? Gratitude. You’ll feel content without having to always push toward happiness.

Time spent in contentment means you’re doing something right.

Think about the people you love. And think about all you have, such as your health and a good job.

Imagine life without them and you’ll really appreciate contentment. That thought may even make you happy, if only for a short time.

JohnK 7-16-2019

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Overheard: “A harvest of peace is produced from a seed of contentment”

~Proverb

Knowledge, Trust and Being a Know-It-All

June 25, 2019 John Uncategorized No comments

Question: When is knowledge not a good thing?

Answer: when it goes to your head!

This GenuLines offering is aimed at keeping you grounded while acquiring and using your knowledge.

(Image by Tumisu from Pixabay)

Knowledge, Trust and Being a Know-It-All

It’s said that knowledge is power. It gives you the power to make decisions and even keeps you from making the wrong ones.

But, trouble comes into play when you get to the place where you believe you know everything. That can hurt your ability to make those decisions.

At that point, you’ll lose trust in your abilities.

You’re one smart cookie. After all, you went to a respected college.

You landed a great job after graduation.

But once you start working, you come to believe that you know everything there is to know. That’s when you’re in danger of losing your edge.

You’ll start to make bad decisions which could end up costing you a job or two.

It’s important to trust yourself with the knowledge you’ve learned. Just remember, times and technologies change, and you need to be ready for those changes.

Too many people get left behind by getting comfortable in their current positions.

Companies have been trying to help by offering training or tuition reimbursement. It’s a step in the right direction.

But without appropriate corporate or college training it’s a waste of money.

There’s another danger with companies that offer internal training. They can blame employees when those employees don’t learn from the offerings.

Even if employees learn their knowledge may not boost the bottom line.

These companies don’t rate the effectiveness of their programs.

What’s worse are broad claims that their training makes them leading-edge firms.

There are some great training programs online. These include websites such as Udemy.com, SkillShare.com, and others.

Keep in mind, though, that anyone can submit training modules. This can make your selection process hit or miss.

There are good offerings with these programs. But, you’ll want to get feedback from others.

Expired knowledge

No matter where you find training there’s a chance it will be out-of-date.

And sometimes courses get high ratings based on the fact that they’re well-presented. That gives you a false sense of security.

Be selective when choosing training for the current work environment. Be critical, but don’t let it stop you from seeking training.

Good training exists. Ask people you know for suggestions.

Stay in learning mode, no matter where you went to school or how much knowledge you think you have. In a world that keeps on changing, you’ll be way ahead of the curve.

And you’ll have the tools you need to trust your decisions.

JohnK 6-25-2019

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Overheard: “Time, as it grows old, teaches all things.”

~Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound

Teaching Kids to Deal with Adversity

June 4, 2019 John Uncategorized No comments

Parents want to shelter their kids from adversity as much as possible. They see the world as dangerous, and going into protection mode is understandable.

But kids need to learn how to deal with adversity. Sheltering them can prevent this from happening.

Below are some GenuLines suggestions for showing kids the way through adversity.

Teaching Kids to Deal with Adversity

Can you teach kids about the difficulties ahead of them? It’s a delicate balance between knowing what to tell them and what to keep from them.

After all, many societies use movie rating systems to limit certain children’s viewing.

But they learn a lot from older siblings. And they learn from classmates in school (who also have older siblings).

They also take cues from parents who let profanities slip out, as hard as they try not to.

ids know more than we give them credit for, and they can handle much more than we want to believe. They watch the news and see stories of violence, terrorism, and other horrific events.

Even if you keep them from watching, they hear about the events in school. There is simply no way around it.

When kids know they can talk to their parents, they can handle most situations. It’s better to learn from the source, i.e., parents, rather than from outside sources such as friends.

Chances are the information from friends is not reliable. That’s one reason kids tell outrageous stories when they get home from school.

To help kids deal with adversity, be sure the set the stage for their behavior. If you lose it during your own challenges you can be certain they’ll do the same.

Stay as calm as possible and look for solutions. The kids will take your lead on this behavior as well.

Kids should also learn to help others at an early age. This way, they won’t be afraid to rely on others when they need help.

When they get older, they may be willing to reach out to friends or family members. Of course, they should try to take care of certain situations on their own before reaching out.

Again, it’s a delicate balance and a learning process.

Every family situation is different. Each may call for different ways of handling them.

The variety makes a step-by-step process tough if even possible. Early exposure to life’s situations is key.

This will pay dividends for them when they’re adults.

JohnK 6-4-2019

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Overheard: “The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials.”

~ Chinese Proverb

Stop Relying Too Much on Others

May 21, 2019 John Uncategorized No comments

If you have difficulty trusting yourself, you may be too dependent on others. The situation can grow and you become dependent on more and more people.

GenuLines knows that can present problems when called upon to handle situations on your own, so read for some helpful ideas.

Stop Relying Too Much on Others

Have you ever let someone else take over a part of your job? You may feel relief when this happens.

But you could be setting yourself up for future failure. The reason this happens is that you didn’t trust that you could do the job yourself.

In the above scenario, you’re taking on something outside of your comfort zone. It may be that your boss wants to test how you will handle a new situation.

He or she gives you an assignment knowing that you have never dealt with it before.

It’s natural to ask others for help when you find yourself in unfamiliar territory. There’s nothing wrong with doing this.

But there’s little growth in letting others solve problems for you. You won’t develop the self-trust for handling new situations.

And your manager will see that you, for the most part, passed the assignment to someone else.

Positivity helps
Face your new challenges with positivity. Be willing to make an attempt even if you make mistakes.

The mistakes are the tools for you to learn. When you do make those mistakes, ask what you did wrong.

Over time, those mistakes will get less and less, and you’ll begin to trust that you can handle the situations.

There’s a subtle result of trying something new. You’ll prove that you can handle new tasks and develop new skills.

That’s enlightening and it’s a big factor in developing trust in yourself.

Every skill you are now good at and find easy you probably struggled with at the start. If you keep this in mind, you will give yourself over to trusting that you can handle anything that comes your way.

You’ll need less reliance on others. But you still should ask questions when you are unsure about something.

That’s another part of learning.

Some people may give you a hard time because it’s inconvenient. But, you’ll find most people want to help you succeed.

It helps them when you get up to speed with new skills.

JohnK 5-21-2019
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Overheard: “Trust but verify”
~Ronald Reagan

Show Others How to Appreciate the Small Things

May 7, 2019 John Uncategorized No comments

Life gives us lots to appreciate. People who forget that can become bitter over time.

But you can set an example for them. Today GenuLines looks at some ways to do it.

Show Others How to Appreciate the Small Things

Your gratitude for life’s gifts can help you show others how to do the same. You don’t have to go overboard.

You can make occasional references to how you enjoy your life and give reasons why. Relate experiences about your weekend to your colleagues.

Then tell why you appreciate them.

Stay as positive as you can, even if the bitter people are negative. That’s not easy since negative people can sour the moods of the people around them.

***

But, your positive outlook can cancel out that negative behavior.

People appreciate listeners

They haven’t been able to get their problems off their chest. These problems often build, which stokes their bitterness.

They feel as though no one is listening and no one cares about them. But playing the role of advisor can be the wrong tactic to use.

Be a listener. It’ll make a world of difference.

Invite them to events after work. Understand that it may take some time before they say yes to your invitations.

Bitter people often become reclusive. Keep inviting them, and over time you may break down their barriers.

Don’t pressure them. That will make them more reclusive.

Talk activities

Get them talking about their hobbies or their favorite sports. Even if they aren’t active in these events, ask about past experiences.

When they start talking it may re-ignite a spark. That can be a great starting point in helping them get through their issues.

Some people will never let down their guard, and that’s unfortunate. They’ve stopped living life, and they don’t appreciate any aspect of it.

But there’s hope for some. Even changing one life is a force for good.

They’ll become more pleasant to be around. And they may get to the point where they’ll help others who’ve lost their way.

JohnK 5-7-2019

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Overheard: When the crowd appreciates you, it encourages you to be a little more daring, I think.
~ Julius Erving

***Photo by MARK ADRIANE on Unsplash

Helping Others Deal with Adversity

April 30, 2019 John Uncategorized No comments

At some point in your life, you’re going to experience adversity. It teaches you that you have the strength to overcome most anything that comes your way.

Sometimes, others you know may need help when dealing with their adverse situations. GenuLines reminds you that your experience of self-help puts you in a good position to offer them help.

Helping Others Deal with Adversity

The people you’re trying to help may need to open up about their situation. If they’re denying that it’s occurring, it’s going to be difficult to help them.

They won’t accept your offers of help because they don’t believe anything is wrong. Or worse, they’ll get angry with you for even suggesting something is wrong.

A helpful approach

There’s a way to help them realize they have a problem. Ask them how they would handle a similar situation if they needed to help someone else.

This gets them to focus on an outside entity, even if fictitious. This lets them start the process of identifying the problem.

It doesn’t guarantee that they’ll come around. But it can get the process started.

Helping people to recognize the problem helps them take action.

You may want to search for help online. Research before they do so that you can help them when they get to that point of doing the research themselves.

It’s not a bad idea to learn more about the situation. You’ll be better able to help them.

Your adversity experience

If you’ve dealt with the specific situation before, that will speed the process. The person you’re helping can ask questions about your experiences and what you did to cope or get through it.

You will likely have a list of resources prepared from your experiences. You can volunteer to go with them to any support groups or meetings.

But once they get started they may be able to do it alone.

Helping others deal with adversity is not an easy task. You should expect to get resistance, especially in the beginning.

But, if you can get them to see the problem, they may be ready to take action towards the recovery process. It can be rewarding to know that you helped people start on their road to recovery.

JohnK 4-30-2019

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Overheard: “The bravest sight in the world is to see a great man struggling against adversity”

~Lucius Annaeus Seneca

Do You Know Your Optimal Routine Zone?

April 23, 2019 John Uncategorized No comments

Do you have a favorite time of day to do your work? Not everyone’s a “rise and shine” thinking dynamo.

Today GenuLines looks at different peak productivity times. Let’s see where you might fit into one of them.

Do You Know Your Optimal Routine Zone?

People have certain times of the day when they do their best work. They get more done and are more focused.

Some do better in the mornings. Others in the afternoons.

Then there are the night owls, who can produce the most during the later hours. These are their optimal routine zones.

What is your optimal routine zone? Are you a morning person or do you cringe at the thought of getting up early?

Do you have vampire blood that lets you do your best work at night?

Match up with the zone

Whatever you find to be your optimal routine zone, set your tasks to work during these times. Do as much of your work as possible during this optimal zone.

Structure your day around it.

Working during your optimal time doesn’t mean you do nothing when you’re outside of those zones. Your boss will likely not take too kindly if you slack off.

Instead, you should use this time for activities that are not as taxing. These include making phone calls and other non-stressful activities.

Sometimes, you’ll have no choice but to do more of the heavy lifting during your “off times.” If this happens, you’ll have to make the best of it.

Zone out

Another problem is that you may be working in a job that does not coincide with your optimal zones. That’s a tough one.

You may want to adjust or to move on to opportunities where you can work during your optimal times.

If your job involves being creative, this concept of optimal zones is going to work in your favor. For instance, if you are a writer, try to do most of your writing during these times.

You can use the other times to answer emails, post on social media, or check out forums related to your writing. If you’re writing for a blog, try writing several posts in your zone.

Schedule them as if you’ve written one per day, etc.

Increasing your productivity is knowing your advantages. Find your optimal work zones and use them effectively.

This way you’ll increase your productivity. Your manager will notice this, and it could help you when asking for a raise or getting a promotion.

It will also give you the satisfaction of a more fulfilling job.

JohnK 4-23-2019

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Overheard: “It’s a hard thing to leave any deeply routine life, even if you hate it.”

~John Steinbeck, East of Eden

New Year Greetings and Gratitude From GenuLines and Chi For Yourself

January 1, 2019 John Uncategorized No comments

The new year of 2019 is here!

A good time to thank you for choosing GenuLines and Chi For Yourself.

Also a good time to send you “good chi” toward living your Genuine Life.

All the best!

JohnK 1-1-2019

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Thyme For Some Sage Advice About Parsley

December 4, 2018 John Uncategorized No comments

You sit down to dinner and you can’t wait to dig in to everything, EXCEPT the parsley. Today GenuLines looks at the humble parsley and why it’s a nutritional star!

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ARTICLE:

You may have seen that parsley on your plate and thought of it as a mere decoration. And while parsley is often used as a pretty garnish, it also has many health benefits.

It turns out that parsley is very high in antioxidants. These chemicals help to prevent disease and improve your health in general.

What exactly is so special about parsley? It:

slows the aging process
contains powerful antioxidants luteolin, vitamin A, and vitamin C
can strengthen your immunity
helps your body repair connective tissue
strengthens bones and teeth
repairs cuts and scratches faster
protects you from hardened arteries and heart disease
discourages plaque buildup in your blood vessels
protects nerve cells to help prevent nervous system disorders

The natural oils in parsley are also known to fight cancer. Specifically, you can reduce your risk of colon cancer and prostate cancer.

You can even get some protection from the carcinogens in cigarette smoke. (though parsley consumption won’t make it a good idea to start or keep smoking)

Parsley can help inflammation-related diseases. These include arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, and autoimmune disease.

How much do you need to eat to get the benefit? It turns out that you only need about two (fresh) tablespoons each day.

This gives you the vitamins and antioxidants it provides in high levels.

Parsley is delicious in its own right. It makes a great compliment to many dishes either raw or cooked.

Raw parsley gives you you the most benefits. And don’t forget to throw a few sprigs into the juicer for a tasty and healthy drink! (you can mix the juice with something sweet like apple)

Oh, there’s also a cosmetic benefit to consuming parsley. The oils and texture of parsley help to clean your teeth and freshen your breath after a meal.

This is great when you don’t have time to brush your teeth between meals.

Next time, instead of leaving the parsley on the plate, go ahead and eat a bit of the garnish to get the health benefits.

You’ll come away with fresher breath and an army of nutrients to help keep your body healthier and younger.

JohnK 12-4-2018

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