Gone In Sixty Seconds

“For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Did you realize that you have a higher chance of getting injured when you are angry. In fact, a study published in the "Annals of Family Medicine" suggests that your chances are quadrupled when angry. You can see the story in a USA Today article. But what is anger?

Anger is "an emotional state that varies in intensity from mild irritation to intense fury and rage," according to Charles Spielberger, PhD, a psychologist who specializes in the study of anger. But I'm not here to talk about anger itself and again, you can read about it at Controlling Anger -- Before It Controls You.

What I am here to say is that for every minute you are angry, you lose those sixty seconds of happiness that Emerson talks of. Anger may release stress, but happiness will produce results more often. Happiness can create greater self-esteem in oneself.

Low self-esteem plagues many outwardly successful people (Self-Esteem: Paradoxes and Innovations in Clinical Theory and Practice by Richard L. Bednar and Scott R. Peterson). There is disagreement about the overall benefits of a high self-esteem. But many do believe it makes us more confident.

"Definitions of self-esteem vary...but all agree that high self-esteem means that we appreciate ourselves and our personal worth. More specifically, it means:

we have a positive attitude
we value ourselves highly
we're convinced of our own abilities
we see ourselves as competent, in control of our own lives and able to do what we want"

-From the BBC Health website.

Regardless of the clinical theory, feeling happy makes us feel better and we tend to have a better life. Being angry takes away from those happy times. Don't lose one minute of happiness.

Move To Change Your World

"Change your thoughts and you change your world." - Norman Vincent Peale

Lately I've been on this thread of setting a goal and then moving on it. Many times we as human beings will write down (hopefully) those things we want to accomplish or gain. But in this same stroke of wanting, we fail to make any changes to achieve them.

For some reason we sit back thinking that the stars need to be perfectly aligned or the 'timing' is not right or even leave our destiny in the hands of other events occurring first.

Waiting for the time to be right or for other events to occur first will ensure that we remain steadfastly planted in one place. We will never achieve that which we want by waiting for others to bring our goals to us.

It is much like sitting and waiting for the lottery winnings to become yours. Yes, I will admit that someone, somewhere at some place in time wins the lottery. But do you realize your chances of winning the Powerball jackpot is 1 in 146,107,962. That's right, not very good if you are looking to achieve a financial windfall. Sitting and waiting for that winning number means you will most likely wait a long, long time.

So why not get up and start doing something. Make a change and change your world. It all begins with that first bold step.

The above art work is available at Sally Evans Art.

Make A Move, Make It Now

“Confidence imparts a wonderful inspiration to its possessor” - John Milton

As life unfolds in front of you, those bold steps you take in confidence will open your eyes. Open your eyes to knowledge you never thought possible. Confidence is a key to unlock greater possibility for you and those you come in contact with.

When you dream and vision your goals, that first step is an important one to take. You can not wait for confidence to wrap itself around you. You have to step 'into' that confidence and move towards your goals. With this move to change, things become clearer to you. The fog will eventually clear and you'll be closer to achieving that which you seek.

My wish for you is to take that first step. Step towards the confidence, don't wait for it. When you establish what it is you want, you can not sit and wait for the conditions to be right. You have to move towards what it is you want. Make a bold step forward...do not wait...go for it.

The world will open up before you and things that seemed impossible become possible. There will be new options and opportunity reveal themselves to you. You will be inspired to achieve your dreams and to help others achieve theirs. Make a move, make it now.

Have A Joyful Attitude

"The problem is never the problem. The real problem is our attitude towards it." - Phil Pringle

Having the right kind of attitude is essential in handling problems that occur. Sometimes it is a daily occurrence, so much that we tend to wonder if we walk with a 'black cloud' over our head. I've had these types of days and had to keep bobbing and weaving as I walked. Trying to get out from underneath what I perceived as life's problems. No one else in the entire universe could possibly be having the kind of day I was having.

How does one get out from under this impression. The easy answer is to not let yourself believe you are under this cloud. And that takes work on a daily basis. Just understand that problems are going to occur. The reason for it is life happens. One way of avoiding this cloud is to develop a 'joyful' attitude.

Have a sense of humor about things if you can because it is a great part of attitude. You just can't take yourself too seriously with all things. If the atmosphere you move in is intense and heavy, you and the people around you will find it difficult to develop or grow. "A cheerful heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones" (Proverbs 17:22).

Allow yourself to remain cheerful with a continual spirit of enthusiasm. Don't wait around for this joyfulness. Don't wait around for things to happen. Make change happen in your life. Its a daily commitment and once you decide to do 'something', motivation will become a very powerful force. Use books, music or other communicators to keep yourself motivated.

I'll end with another quote from Phil Pringle that is great advice, "postponing joy until something happens to justify happiness guarantees a miserable life." Get out there, make change happen and enjoy yourself by laughing once in a while.