Where Do You Sleep

In the book Attitudes 101 by John C. Maxwell, it included a quote from Thomas Jefferson regarding those with bad attitudes, "nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude."

I was reminded of this quote after having spoken to some folks recently. One person was battling this type of attitude and I couldn't think of the right words at the time. As I've always suggested, stay positive and encouraging. There are times when being up front is the better approach. But as Mr. Maxwell says, "dealing with a person whose attitude is bad can be a very tricky thing. Before you try to address the issue, you would benefit from a closer look at attitudes and how they affect an individual."

So I read and try to find the right way of handling such a situation. You as an individual need to read both for advice and inspiration. Think of those commercials in which a person just completes a successful surgery and admits he really isn't a doctor, but did sleep in a Holiday Inn last night. Do you really want that person operating on you?

Being a person of great mental attitude, which starts to bring you into the realm of leadership requires knowledge as well as willingness. So enrich your life by reading up. The inspirational stuff is good as it energizes you as well. I've never said that having a great mental attitude would be easier...but it does become more and more a natural part of your life.

Stay inspired my friends.

Miles To Go

“There is a time for many words, and there is also a time for sleep.”
-Homer, The Odyssey

Sleep is a wonderous and re-energizing activity that we tend to give short shrift to. But during these days of vacation, it can be a good thing to learn more about your sleep patterns. Give your alarm clock a vacation now.

Doing so will help you sleep better at night during those weeks of working. Better sleep means better physical and mental preparedness, which also means you will perform better during the daylight hours.

In a Psychology Today article, it is good to evaluate your sleep patterns. They say "...take the time to figure out when your body wants to sleep and when it wants to be awake." Find out what kind of sleep your body needs in preparation for the new year.

We are not all made the same and that means not all of us require the same kind of sleep. Doing this now will help you become more productive in the coming year. Besides, we all have many miles to go before we sleep...we might as well be well rested.

Stay inspired my friends.

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
by Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there's some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Sleep

Man Sleeping by Rabulist

"When I woke up this morning a friend asked me, "Did you sleep good?" I said "No, I made a few mistakes." ~Steven Wright

Amusing as the quote above seems, but sleep is probably one of the more important things you do in life. The Harvard Medical School of Sleep Medicine indicates that there are various theories as to "Why do we sleep", although science has made tremendous strides in discovering what happens during sleep and what mechanisms in the body control the cycles of sleep and wakefulness that help define our lives.

So having flown overnight from Atlanta to London, I asked myself "how well did I sleep?" My answer was, "well enough, but I did make a few mistakes." One was in keeping the headphones on a bit too loud albeit on classical music. You see my sleep patterns on a plane are mostly consciousness interrupted by several moments of unconsciousness.

It is almost as if I'm in a wakening dream state. I can hear what is going on around me, I shuffle in my 12" wide faux leather covered aluminum seat, and I drift in and out. This I call a good night's sleep on a plane. Those moments of unconsciousness added together make up my sleep. The other parts I call dozing and are additive to the whole sleep process for me.

Now why would I write about sleeping at all? Is there really a point to all of this?

For me, sleep is a very under rated activity to the human population. We tend to under estimate its power to keep us healthy and strong during the day. Without sleep, over time we do deteriorate both in how well we function and in how well we feel. Much like eating, it helps to sustain our body over the course of time.

The importance of sleep and why I write about it today is in taking care of yourself. In order to be good at what you do during the waking hours, you need sleep as much as you need exercise, good nutrition, and all of the other balance of the "six spokes" of your life.

Now ask yourself, "did I sleep good last night?"