Wednesday Wisdom

Seed tomorrow with wise practice work today!

Mornings begin with daily prayer, and when in Asia, I learned the benefits of the “call to prayer” several times a day. In those quiet moments I ask for help and give thanks. And, too often, I hesitate, and sometimes cringe, when I reflect upon how I’m actually doing. Then, I remember Marianne Williamson’s advice:

Practice kindness, and you start to become kind. Practice discipline, and you start to become disciplined. Practice forgiveness, and you start to become forgiving. Practice charity, and you start to become charitable. Practice gentleness, and you start to become gentle.

So, today, I stop beating myself up for not being as kind, disciplined, forgiving, charitable, gentle, and patience I’d like to be. Rather, I’ll practice to intentionally behave as the person I want to become. It doesn’t matter if we’re not in the mood to respond kindly to the obnoxious behavior of another, or immediately judge another’s actions. What matters is how we manage our thoughts, words, and actions.

As George Eliott (Mary Ann Evans, who penned in a male name) wrote:

It is never too late to be what you might have been.

Life is calling . . .  Today’s the day!

Visit http://www.The Success Studio.com . . . Learn Lavishly. Live Significantly. Leave a Legacy.

www.marilynnsemonick.com

To read archived Wednesday Wisdoms visit http://www.thesuccessstudio.wordpress.com

Marilynn Semonick, CEO (Chief Exploration Officer)

Educator, Consultant, Coach, Facilitator, Professional Speaker

Marilynn@marilynnsemonick.com

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Wednesday Wisdom

Seed tomorrow with wise celebration of others today!

This week several of us enjoyed the festivity of the Academy Awards as professionals honored and celebrated the work of their colleagues. There were several moments of appreciation that demonstrated humanity in memorable ways.

Halle Berry presented Michelle Yeoh her Best Actress Oscar, making her the first Asian woman to receive the award. Overcome with emotion, Michelle, at 60, a long-term veteran of the industry, tearfully reached into the souls of those listening and said:  

For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibility. This is proof that dreams dream big and dreams do come true . . . And ladies, don’t let anyone ever tell you you’re past your prime.

Best director recipient, Daniel Kwan reminded everyone:

There is greatness in every single person, it doesn’t matter who you are. You have a genius that is waiting to erupt, you just need to find the right people to unlock that.

Best supporting actor, Daniel Kwan emotionally thanked his wife for consistently believing in him through 20 years of struggle toward his dreams with disappointing results, constantly telling him: Your time will come.

No one achieves alone. Longevity in any field requires hard work and a strong support system. Encouragement and a safe place to fall benefits every human. Thanks for the reminders.

Life is calling . . .  Today’s the day!

Visit http://www.The Success Studio.com . . . Learn Lavishly. Live Significantly. Leave a Legacy.

www.marilynnsemonick.com

To read archived Wednesday Wisdoms visit http://www.thesuccessstudio.wordpress.com

Marilynn Semonick, CEO (Chief Exploration Officer)

Educator, Consultant, Coach, Facilitator, Professional Speaker

Marilynn@marilynnsemonick.com

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Wednesday Wisdom

Seed tomorrow with wise recalibration today!

In last week’s post, I announced that I would commit myself to an entire day of increased attention to my thoughts, words, and behaviors and intentionally live one full day of being my best self. The result: I didn’t make to noon!

Driving my husband to physical therapy we came to a screeching stall, crawling at about 4 MPH for over 2 miles. At the start of the slow-down I immediately said a silent prayer, in case of an accident. Then, we approached the root cause, observing work crews trimming broken limbs from the morning ice storm. Seriously? Thoughtlessly, I blurted out, “These people should be publically executed as an example for gawking!” So much for kindness, a gentle way of walking through life, and patience!  And, my mind echoed Mark Twain’s words:

It’s better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than open it and remove all doubt.

After beating myself up for such short-lived success and quick tempered failure, I sat with myself in the parking lot of the rehab center to regroup. Opened a book and thankfully read:

 It’s better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret.  ~ Olympian Jackie Joyner-Kersee

So, once again, I recalibrate myself and get on with the day. With a deep breath I pray I can do better before I place my head on my pillow tonight.

Life is calling . . .  Today’s the day!

Learn Lavishly. Live Significantly. Leave a Legacy.

www.marilynnsemonick.com

Marilynn Semonick, CEO (Chief Exploration Officer)

Educator, Consultant, Coach, Facilitator, Professional Speaker

Marilynn@marilynnsemonick.com

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Wednesday Wisdom

Seed tomorrow with wise being today!

A few days after celebrating over 7 decades of existence on this magnificent planet, I had an intriguing thought:

What if, just for one day, I could be my best self, for the entire day, no matter what?

It’s not like I haven’t announced this to myself before and of course, we can wake up every morning and make that decision. However, the truth is, I’ve never actually accomplished an entire day. One full day of increased awareness of my thoughts and behaviors, intentional focus on the present, and no matter what happens (more accurately, especially when “what” happens!) to  remain in my best-self mode.

Today, if I purposefully practice kindness for an entire day, I can become more kind. If I put gentleness into practice, I can begin to increase the gentle way I walk through life. Be more patient, become more skilled with patience (this one is beyond challenging!)

So, today is the day . . . I increase my attention and intention to choose the behavior of the self I wish to be. Let’s see what happens.

Life is calling . . .  Today’s the day!

Visit http://www.The Success Studio.com . . . Learn Lavishly. Live Significantly. Leave a Legacy.

www.marilynnsemonick.com

To read archived Wednesday Wisdoms visit http://www.thesuccessstudio.wordpress.com

Marilynn Semonick, CEO (Chief Exploration Officer)

Educator, Consultant, Coach, Facilitator, Professional Speaker

Marilynn@marilynnsemonick.com

Read Full Post »