The definition of stress: When Your Mind Overrides Your Body's Natural Instinct To Slap The S#!t Out Of Someone.
Since the last time I talked to you guys I put one child in college and the other in private school. I also started to revamp my extreme couponing habit while finishing some work around my house. In the midst of all of this, that man with the fishing pole from that Geico commercial had been dangling money in front of my saying, "You got to try a little harder than that," every time I reached for a dollar. So what do you do when you become stressed the _____ out, and you want to stay on this side of the jail house?
We have all heard of prayer, meditation, quiet time, etc. but what do we do about it? Usually nothing. I have heard plenty of people talk about all of the stuff they HAVE to do. If they don't do it the WHOLE world comes to an end. REALLY? When did you become God? When did you get this control over the things that go on in this world, let alone the spiritual world where everything takes place first?
Look guys, EXPAND YOUR FOUNDATION! Stress is a misconceived perception that we have created and we have literally put ourselves in torment. Talking about hell on earth, just think about what you go through when you leave out of the house without your cell phone. Self inflicted Torment!
What is the point in me telling you to take some KAVA KAVA to help stay calm or some ST. JOHN'S WORT to maintain a sunny disposition if you are not going to stop. When your car shows signs of overheating you slow down and let it cool off. When your car gets low on fuel you stop and fill it up. But when you get overheated do you stop? Do you fill your body up with fuel when it gets low? Please STOP THE MADNESS!
Grown folks will find a way to get what ever done they need to get done if you say no. Your children do not run your world, you run theirs. You can't make grown folks do right, remember the people who spent 40 years in the desert, and that was God who was dealing with them. You are not responsible for making people happy; that is God's job, stay in your lane. Some people will be mad at you no matter what you do, so just do you. You can't change stupid people (or am I supposed to say people who do stupid things, lol). Material things burn up in fires, get stolen, get broken or simple wear down. Refocus on what is truly worth your precious energy.
So here it goes, my challenge to you for the next month, 30 days:
1. Tell someone "no" who you ALWAYS say yes to at least once a week
2. Take 15 minutes a day to sit outside, take your shoes off, make contact with the earth with your feet and do nothing. This is not prayer time or meditation time. This is your transition, recharge yourself, brush off the crap time.
3. Come up with 3 dreams, goals, activities, etc if money was not an issue, just write them down. Remember what it is to use your imagination. Remember how you used to day dream. Allow your mind to travel as far as you can take it
4. Clean up one major thing a week
5. Take a daily dose of a calming herb: kava kava, skullcap, wormwood, yerba santa, wild lettuce, etc
6. Pray, meditate, have an intimate CONVERSATION with your Creator. Have quality time together. You know, act like your Creator is more than just a grocery list provider and sit and enjoy Him
7. Do one thing a week that is fun to you and it has to take you out of your comfort zone. Do it scared, nervous, whatever, just do it
8. Choose 3 days out of each week that you are going to "love on purpose". This means that you are going to show an effort to love someone who does not deserve to be loved on at that time and you are going to do it for the whole day to people who come into your life; the crazy driver, the rude clerk, the annoying coworkers, those things your significant other does, and those spoiled children/teenagers that you created. Even if it is yourself that you need to show some "on purpose" love to
9. Use one day out of each week to look back through your entire life and find one person who you still have not forgiven and forgive them. You don't have you tell them. Just come to a peaceful place that this horrible thing happened, they were 100% wrong for what they did, some of them don't deserve to be breathing right now, but you are still breathing and you are still standing in spite of their wrong doing, so they really didn't win and you are going to accept that as your truth. Oh and add some special forgiveness for yourself for whatever reason you need to forgive yourself
10. Be honest with yourself and with others. This is not a license to go off on people, there is a way to say what you feel that will lessen the hurt your "honesty" may cause. Now this gets tricky because honesty can come back to you. Choose wisely or keep your mouth closed, your honesty is only YOUR honesty and if someone is not ready for it you become a butthole. Being honest with yourself includes, but not limited to: yes, your poop stinks; the roads are not made for only you; if everyone else around you is messing up, maybe you are the one with the problem; your are not perfect; perfection is a lie; everyone else does NOT think like you and cannot read your mind; there is only 1 supposed to in life and that is that you are going die, EVERYTHING else is extra so stop tripping and stop putting your tripping on other people. OK, I got a little carried away
Please keep this easy. My goal is not to create something else for you to stress over. If you decide to do this, understand that you may experience some extra opposition. Keep this exercise to yourself when you start and during the 30 days you are distressing your life. You may find it helpful to journal your experiences on paper, video or voice recording. Let me know how your next 30 days to a less stressful life turns out.
EXPAND YOUR FOUNDATION. PEACE
