Posted on 11 Dec 09 in Home
On Tuesday the 8th, the regular gathering of the GO! Network was a time for all who attended to share their own best thought and special practices for making this Holiday Season special even in tough times.
So check out their offerings around Transition, Stress, Money, Holidays, Gifts, Family, Work and Stress.
THANKS! to all who attended and contributed!!!
To those coming to this site, enjoy!
And if you have any to add, please do!
Time to embrace change and improve your skills.
You get to make a choice everyday – every hour – on how you will approach what life brings you.
Transition is a marathon not a sprint
You are exactly where you’re supposed to be.
A transition is a journey and a journey is what you make of it. No More – No Less
Learn to be comfortable with situations/events that make you uncomfortable.
Be comfortable with being uncomfortable.
Accept and be open to new experiences and new possibilities.
Transition is a passing moment in time offering new openings.
Focus even if you’re unsure where you want to go. Concentrate in one area, and others will reveal themselves along the way.
Before getting upset, think will this matter in 5 years.
Oulda’s are too late, Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda, let go and move on
Stress should be something we use to help us realize that there’re is nothing in our life that we cannot get though with God’s help—If we seek His help.
It’s OK to be down, but it’s not OK to stay there.
Worry about only those problems that are in your control.
Never ever, ever, ever Give Up!
Stress is normal—how we deal with it is what is wisdom or foolishness
Take care of yourself first; mind, body, and soul. Then worry about everything else
Stress: Pet the dog or cat
Exercise is a great stress reliever. Set a daily routine. Do the same each week.
Posted on 11 Dec 09 in Money
Make a budget with everyone in the family involved and pay the bills together. Don’t forget to add your kids they can even lick the stamps to the envelope.
The “Pantry and Refrigerator Game” Clean out the pantry and refrigerator, making creative meals, instead of going to the grocery store. So often we go to the store when we have food we can use, but aren’t craving at the time.
How much do you really need vs. want?
Money has only the power we give it.
I don’t need as much money as I thought to be happy.
A great time to learn new spending habits!
It’s amazing what we can really do without.
Share coupons – ASK others if they have any – never pay full price.
Don’t let your pride get in the way of allowing others to help you.
Value the time with families and friends and let them know you appreciate them in your life.
Help someone by just calling them or stopping by to visit. It may be helpful to you too.
ACTIVITIES
There is great joy and satisfaction in helping others, especially during the holidays.
Give to charities; every dollar is appreciated.
Time for sharing.
Watch the Grinch movie with a 5 year old. Watch a Christmas story with a teenager or an older friend, and then talk it over.
Make a gift – bake cookies.
Read a holiday book or story – A Christmas memory by Truman Capote or The Gift of the Magi by O’ Henry.
To get in the Christmas spirit – drive to look at Christmas lights and decorations.
SPIRITUALITY
It is ok to stop, take a break, celebrate and enjoy.
Don’t over commit.
Holidays are the holy days when we celebrate the gifts of the spirit.
Holidays are a time to rejoice and celebrate all the blessings which God has bestowed upon us.
Read “The Shack”.
Take time to enjoy the season and be thankful for all you have. Help others in need.
Enjoy the spirit of the season.
Turn it around, look around and count your blessings.
Jesus is the reason for the season.
Posted on 11 Dec 09 in Gifts
The greatest gifts are not under the tree.
Let your best gift to others be your attitude of gratitude, your positive attitude and your friendship. Those are things people value more than anything money can buy.
Give a gift of yourself; 1) Handmade gift certificate of your time (computer work, gardening, cleaning, baked goods) 2) create gifts (knit, woodworking)
Give coupons for babysitting or dog sitting.
Your life is a gift; your friends and family are your greatest gifts.
Explore your gifts and act upon them.
Share the gift of time.
Plan activities with loved ones rather than buying them stuff.
Write a letter to each family member.
So few people take the time to make anything homemade; use your talents to create a much appreciated homemade gift.
Our children are the arrows we send into the future – aim carefully.
Our families are a gift from God. Our family members should be cherished for the gifts they are.
Accept them for who they are and love them even though you don’t always agree with them.
Don’t let your pride get in the way of allowing others to help you.
Cherish every moment with loved ones and be present in the conversation. Don’t waste those moments worrying.
Tell your parents that you love them; after they’re gone, it’s too late.
Family is not just blood relatives; consider your extended family.
Celebrate your children and spouse; their achievements and failures.
Remember that your job loss has affected your family’s routine as much as it has yours.
Good Lord didn’t put me here for a long time; he put me here for a good time.
Posted on 11 Dec 09 in Work
All work has dignity – be humble
Be open to new opportunities – the way things will be in the future may be different from the past – careers change with the times is adaptable – and think outside the norm. You’ll never know where the next career will originate. It may start at the least likely of places.
Your career should not be the only indicator of who we are as individuals. You are who you are. Not what your job was.
Be patient – stick to your plan – don’t panic and take something that may not be right for you.
Find what you like or Love to do and pursue with all you have!!
Balance of time for family, work, you … all three are needed for a stable life.
Like your job – Love your family
Take advantage of every networking opportunity, no matter how casual!
Find someone who is successful and ask their help to plan your career.
Keep looking and preparing. Don’t let the holidays be an excuse to give up on the job search. Celebrate your achievements – Don’t let transition hold you down.
Posted on 03 Dec 09 in Home
An up-dated Generous Wisdom article with a slightly different focus for these tough times is in the Spirituality & Health Issue for November/December 2009 currently on the newsstand.
Thanks to GO! Network members Lynda Blake, Pattie Layman & Annette McKee who contributed and thanks to Caren Libby, Social Media Manager and Peer Advisory Board Member at GO! Network for their contributions to the article.
Generous Wisdom – The Original Article
Here’s how I described the process and the pieces in the original article:
This article is based on over 3000 submissions recieved from people all over the world. These Life Practices are their “best of” for living into life’s ups and downs.
This work began in a conversation with a friend, who was quoting back to me a story I had told him some years before. He had it down chapter and verse, including a moral. I remembered the story, but not that I had given it a punch line. He felt that the story had given him a life-changing insight.
Over the next few days I thought about the conversation, and stories others had told me came to mind. As certain stories and phrases came back, so did the voices and contexts. The tellers became present. I realized that these stories, sayings, and ideas have meant a great deal to me, and that those who shared them are my teachers. I also realized that I am far from unique in receiving this generous wisdom. Nearly everyone I know has a story to share once the threshold of friendship is crossed.
Characterizing them as stories is a little misleading. They are not remembered for information they contain, but because they point to something beyond information, something about living. They offer practices. Or, as I have come to understand them, life practices.
In their popular form, life practices are printed on plaques, posters, doors, bumper stickers, and greeting cards. But most of the powerful ones require a more personal and textured story. They resemble the maxims of the sage or enlightened one, but are less polished.
The attic where I write contains more books than I will ever read, but it struck me that the power of the practices cited by regular people in my vicinity is equal to that found in the works of these well-known teachers. How could I have missed such an abundance of wisdom? Like many who have had a conversion experience, I began to talk about my awakening with anyone who would listen.
Slow learner that I am, it took me a while to shut up and listen to those who wanted to tell me their own stories. In conversation, everyone is a pilgrim. Life practices were available from all and to each of us. The truth of the advice “listen and learn” animated many of my conversations in these days.
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