If you look at your social media feed when you first wake, please make sure you start your day with the possibility of joy. I follow this beautiful soul on Twitter — and seriously, every morning, with my coffee, I find myself starting the day with a smile. 
If you don’t know who Lin-Manuel Miranda is… trust me, you should!
(I only follow the beautiful ones….)
Please start your day with the possibility of joy. It changes everything when you do.
Carmen
WHO ARE YOU WHEN THINGS ARE BAD?
It’s easy to be fun, brilliant, cool, loving, etc., when things are good. But who are you when things are hard? Who are you when things don’t go your way? That’s when I can see your true shine…
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. ~MLK, Jr.
Lately I’ve had a short temper.
I’ve lashed out, been easily provoked, and have found myself angry more times than I can remember.
I’m not sure if it’s partially this political climate in the United States (and around the world for that matter) that’s influencing my inner tranquility, or if social media has made me less tolerant or patient, or maybe it’s something else or a combination of things… Either way, I know I’m better than this.
And it’s not just me, everyone seems to be on edge. People I admire who I know can handle most anything are crumbling at any controversy, whining at every moment, angry at everything… no one seems to have time for the simple things anymore…like joy.
I realized it the other day talking to a friend – his negativity was palpable. Every word out of his mouth seemed to grate on me. I pride myself on being an optimist. It’s my strength. And his negativity was like sandpaper to my soul. It made me so sad for him, for me.
I believe the true test of one’s character is shown when life is not easy, when things are hard. When things are not going perfectly, that’s when our real SHINE comes through. We expose parts of who we really are in times of tragedy and pain and if we’re strong enough, if we can SEE clearly, even in the worst of times, we can reveal our true selves; hopefully our best selves.
Martin Luther King, Jr. said it best:
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
Yeah, he was so right. I am so much better than this.
We. Are. Better. Than. This.
I got this much needed reminder on my headset this morning as I ran on the beach:
What A Wonderful World, by Louis Armstrong …. Yes, yes it is!
Someone once told me that I should have a goal of 100 rejections per year.
This had to do with my auditions and I know it sounds weird, but trust me, it’s an amazing concept! And it can be applied to absolutely anything. The benefits of this kind of “reverse psychology” are brilliant (in my humble opinion).
If you try for 100 rejections a year, then that means, at the very least, you’ve attempted 100 times to do whatever it is you’re trying to accomplish!
It also takes the onus off of “success” and just makes it sort of game. Can I do this and fail anyways? The pressure falls off and it becomes enjoyable to just try – somewhat light-hearted and…wait for it… Fun!
I love this principle. And here’s what I’ve learned in implementing it in my life: Eventually the law of averages takes over and you do succeed in some way shape or form. At the very least, you learn something. It’s kinda cool that way. I succeeded in my goals last year AND learned something about myself that was extremely important to my career and my life in general. It worked!
We all have goals – and my thinking is you should have a baseline: find a way to have joy most days in 2018. Happiness (JOY) is a thing! And setting myself up to have more joy in life is one of my goals for 2018. If something is not adding to my life, then I need to find a way to make it work or I need to let it go. This works for me. I hope it works for you too! And even if it doesn’t, maybe some variation of it does! Please, at the very least, think on it. You deserve joy! We all do. We are here on the planet to love and be loved – of that, I’m extremely certain – do everything you can to stay in a good place. A positive space…
Happy New Year! I’m so glad you’re ON IT! No luck needed, but wishing you much joy in the process. And hey, I’ve already been rejected three times this year and it’s only January 7th! I’m so on my way to success. Looking forward to meeting you there! 🙂
Peace, love and all that good stuff.
Carm~
I want life to be easier.
For people to be nicer.
To always keep their word. 
Joy. Peace. And yes, Love.
I want to smile to a stranger
and for him to smile back.
I want silence to be in abundance
for quiet to be the norm.
I want love to be easy and hate to be hard.
To matter.
Always.
