Can Social Media Create Balance through RE-connection?

Whew – I’ll tell you, that Saboteur kicked my butt! It has been 18 months (give or take a few days) since I last posted a Weekend Attitude Adjustment.  No, no, I haven’t been hiding under the bed – in fact just the opposite – very much living life’s moments. I have been struggling a bit with my Weekend Attitude Adjustment – because I’ve been struggling a bit with keeping my balance while living in the moments.

I would like to report that the balance is back. The truth is for now, in this moment – I feel balanced.

That said – here is this week’s Weekend Attitude Adjustment for you to consider …

Recently I was found on Linked In by a dear friend who was part of my life over 23 years ago, and I haven’t seen her since. “I still remember standing in the middle of the street and watching you and your brother drive away.” That was in May 1988. I left my life in Iron Mountain, Michigan to return to life in Chicago, Illinois.

When she reached out to reconnect with me I was thrilled. We shared an amazing time of life together with a wonderful group of people. As a result of her Linked In connection I am now reconnected to several from that group, including her daughter whose bedroom we painted lavender when she was nine or 10. One of those friends responded to my Facebook Friend Request with “I’m so glad to hear from you – I thought I lost you.”

There was a lovely picture posted of my friend’s children standing on their front porch in their Easter best from April 1998. That picture is exactly how I remember them and how they continued to live in my mind.

It was a bit of a jolt to realize that they aren’t actually frozen in time – though, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, that is certainly possible. They are now 23 years older with families of their own. They are now older than I was when that picture was taken – fascinating isn’t it. My parents were right. Time really does move so quickly.

So to my point, dear friends – you knew I would eventually get to it…

While at a national conference recently, I was privileged to give a presentation on the topic “RESET Your Buttons®: The Credit Union Leaders Edge”. I was having a great conversation with a client on all sorts of items. We eventually landed on social media, kids today and connections.  I was sharing with him my recent reconnection through social media and described it this way …

In life we each have our paths that we walk along, and for a while – sometimes a long while – others join us along the journey. Eventually, the path splits and our fellow travelers veer off in a different direction. They continue to follow their own path. If we are fortunate, those paths once again converge and we find ourselves walking along together, even if it is for a short while.

This is one of the ways I see benefit in social media. It creates the opportunity for our paths to run together again – even if only in cyberspace. We return and are reconnected. Even if only for a little while.

So. This Weekend Attitude Adjustment is all about reaching out and reconnecting. If you aren’t a social media fan, pick up the phone or send an email. You may need to do a “Google Search”, but the reality is (good or bad) it won’t take you too long to seek and find.  Reconnect with that somebody that has been on your mind. Find a photograph and reminisce. Share a moment together and continue on the path. Take time to enjoy the journey. In the end isn’t that what balance is really all about?

Please post your comment on this topic, or share a reconnection story with us below.  We love to hear from you.

As always until next time … I remain…

Joyfully yours,

Mary Elizabeth

Help, My Saboteur is Running Amok!

Wow – it’s Friday morning 10:29 am and I’m already way behind in my personally set deadline to have my weekly Weekend Attitude Adjustment out by 10:15am every Thursday morning.

Ugh – I feel a sense of failure and overwhelm coming on – again. My saboteur, the “Noid” is rattling around in my head saying awful things including, “You are a failure, you never get anything done, and if by chance you do get something done it’s always on a wing and a prayer. If people really knew what a mess you are, they would never listen to a word you had to say”. (physical reaction – neck & shoulders tightening, jaw clenching, heart rate increasing, shallow breathing)

Whoa – Deep breath , okay maybe another deep breath, one more deep breath – a neck roll, a sip of coffee and a look out the window in front of me at the beautiful green on my red tip bushes , the birds playing in them and the sun shining and warming the earth.

Ahhh – an easier breath and a reminder recognizing that RESET Your Buttons is more than the title of my new book, it’s something that I need to …. Oops there goes another button.

“Mary Elizabeth, now you are using your Weekend Attitude Adjustment Newsletter/Blog/Thingy to shamelessly promote your book. SHAAAAMMMMEEEE ONNNN YOUUUU!!!! And besides you know the website isn’t updated the way you know it should be so why even commit this shameless act? Sure go ahead promote the book and send people to the website and let them see that Once Again You Are A MESS!”

Deep Sigh (complete w/shrugging shoulders) – my Noid or Saboteur is in rare form today. It obviously got way more sleep last night than I did… hmmm maybe that is something else I need to Recognize!

• It is much easier for my Negative Noid to operate when I did not get enough sleep.
• And hey wait a minute, I also did not eat dinner last night .
• Actually, I did not eat breakfast or lunch either.

What did I eat? Oh yes a half a bag of sea salt rice chips and a glass of Pellegrino Mineral water and yep coffee. I did have goat cheese, crackers and a tangerine before I crashed on the couch …

Hmmm – so let’s Take Stock – my Saboteur – who I have named the “Noid” – is running amok in my head this morning because – well could it be – because I ran around amok yesterday and didn’t give myself the proper rest and nutrition????

Deep breath – because really, I am pretty good at successfully running my life. My husband and I have been married 15 years and he will tell you “13 of them happily”. I suppose if were completely honest I would agree. My 18 year old consulting, training and coaching company is doing well. We have long standing clients with whom we have great relationships. I/we have great friends, family is doing well and I am respected by my colleagues. We are keeping up with our bills (some months better than others), there is food in the refrigerator, we are finally clearing clutter and decorating our home (after 15 years), and I’ve started yoga with RESET Your Buttons Club Biz Partner , Wellness With Attitude.

One more deep breath – whoa all that deep breathing and sighing is making me light headed ….

So – there you have it. Take some time this weekend to RESET Your Buttons – if your “Noid” is not bothering you GREAT! If your Celebration and Loving Life Button is activated, good for you.

However, if your saboteur is active and playing around with your other buttons, the ones that cause you self-doubt, run through these steps:

• Recognize – that a button has been pushed and determine which one(s).
  Breathe Deeply and focus on something positive or beautiful that is outside of you to take you away from the tape that is playing in your head.
• Be Aware – that the saboteur can be sneaky and slip right back in and mess with your new outlook.
• Take Stock – what are you thinking, how are you feeling, what are you doing – sometimes, like in my case, take a look at what might have led up to the saboteur gaining power. How did you sleep last night? Are you eating right for your nutritional needs? Is there too much on your “to do” list? How much of that list is self-imposed?
• Collect evidence – remember who you are and all that you have accomplished in your life. Remember that even if you have “failed” at something – that does not make you a failure. Collect evidence and remind yourself of all that you have accomplished and when you were successful. … and begin to build from that RESET Mindset.
• Take a moment – to celebrate all that you are … pull those shoulders back, sit or stand up straight, put a smile on your face, walk tall, maybe even do a little “happy dance”.
• Be yourself – no one else is qualified for the job!

Do you have a “Saboteur Story” to share? Please click on the comment link and tell us about it. We love hearing from you.
Until next time I remain …..

Joyfully yours,
Mary Elizabeth

A Block of Ice Falling From The Sky

Whew! Well it has been a flash of time since the last time I was here – JUNE 4. Our last post was about wanting to have fun. It seems as though just as I hit the publish button on that post, life propelled me into space. Since then, just like a shot in the dark, I’ve been hurtling through the air not sure of the target.

Now it’s a week before Thanksgiving and we are staring down the last of 2009. How does this happen? I am fascinated once again by the speed of life. How is it that we go from children whose only “job” is to play all day to not having any time to “play” at all?

I read today that a block of ice fell from the sky straight through the roof of someone’s home in Colorado. It landed smack dab in their kitchen, where they had been sitting just a few moments prior.

I teach a course on time management. In that course I talk about how we all have only 1440 minutes every single day. It is the universal equalizer. What we choose to do with those 1440 minutes is what makes the difference.

So why am I talking about fun, hurtling through space, shots in the dark, children playing, blocks of ice and 1440 minutes? Well, as my husband and I were sharing our evening television ritual, and discussing the accomplishment vs. yet to do list during the commercials, with my lap top in my lap, and his on his armrest, surrounded by paperwork that I absolutely “have to get to”, I saw the story about the block of ice.

I hit the “pause button” on all our activity. For the next few moments I remembered and reminded my husband about the blocks of ice we have experienced in our life. One moment you are sitting at your kitchen table having tea with your daughter, laughing, planning, enjoying the moment and the very next second a block of ice is crashing through your ceiling – perhaps crushing that exquisite tea pot that was displayed so perfectly on the center of the table.

The point; nothing is promised – not our next year, next month, tomorrow or even the very next millisecond. And I am amazed that no matter how many times I am reminded of this fact, I still find myself getting lost in the blur of life, unsure of the target as I sail blindly through the dark, cold, night sky.

So here we are, Thanksgiving a week away and counting down to the holidays and the end of another particularly challenging year. We will get busier as we “bustle” around with our holiday “to do” lists. We will get tired and impatient and some of us, well, we will become ill or recover from illness or sitting by the bed of someone as, hopefully, they heal from an illness.

The weekend attitude adjustment this week is simply this – remember that at any moment a block of ice can fall from the sky and crash through your kitchen ceiling. Do your best to keep the reason of the season in your heart. Enjoy the pot of tea, put away the papers, make eye contact with everyone you see. And smile. Choose to connect as your target for the next several weeks. Guide your own path and consciously navigate instead of blindly flying through the air. We do only get 1440 minutes every day – how will you choose to use yours?

Until next time I remain…
Joyfully yours,
Mary Elizabeth

Time for Fun!

The song “Girls Just Want to Have Fun!” by Cyndi Lauper keeps running through my head this morning.

How are you having fun these days? Are you planning to go to the lake, the beach or the mountains? Did your Memorial Day picnic offer time to tell stories and share fond memories? For those of us with family who have served or are serving, did you find a way to honor them with a smile?

Life seems to have been so serious lately and rightfully so. There are many serious issues requiring attention. And yet, perhaps because summer has begun, I find myself yearning for fun, laughter and plain ole’ silliness.

From a tax payer perspective I don’t know if I agree with the President and First Lady’s date night in New York. I’m sure there are great theatres and restaurants in Washington DC, Maryland or Virginia – you know, a motorcade vs. a helicopter ride away, but I do agree with and love the essence of their “date night”.

I found myself longing to experience the same worry free spirit they displayed as husband and wife in love and sharing what appeared to be a wonderful evening together. They were creating a new memory for the file of their life.
It served to add to my yearning for a little free spirited fun. For me it was not what they did but the fact that they did it. That was a message I was ready to receive.

When was the last time you and your partner had fun? How are you bringing fun into your workplace? Do you and your business partners wring your hands with worry or instead every once in awhile throw them up in the air and just laugh?

Have you and your spouse had an evening out recently? Just the two of you – even if you are taking a long drive or walk or bicycle ride, can you find time for just the two of you?

Life is more fun when you can share it with someone else. What about your best friend, or favorite cousin? When are you going to stop, pick up the phone or type on your keyboard and send an invitation to someone important to you? Ask them to join you in some simple, easy, good ole fashion activity that will bring you both a bit of relief, laughter and joy.

Please remember to tell us about it! Sharing ideas within our WeekEnd Attitude Adjustment community is fun. It would be awesome to have 17 new ideas to share with each other. How many are you willing to share with us? Simply clicking the comment section below and tell us your story.

And until next time … I remain….

Joyfully yours,
Mary Elizabeth