Monday Morning Moment asks today What and Who do you believe in? I think this is a perfect question for Easter Monday. What we believe in, and where are beliefs come from are part of what defines are day and our lives. Our Beliefs, Value and Desires all start with belief. This week where will your values show up? What do you believe in, how do you live out those beliefs in the world? How do you respond to people who believe different than you? I met a woman who told me her life goal was to create a group for those of us in the middle. She would call it the Millions in the middle, those that want to unite not divide, those that can offer love even if we have different beliefs. My hope and pray this week is that you will believe in yourself and treat yourself well. Are you care for yourself you are better able to go out in the world and care for others. #BeTheException #PineapplePeople #Believeinsomethingbiggerthanyourself #believeinyourself #MondayMorningMoments
Are you Fun or Funny? What makes you laugh?
.Today’s focus…Having FUN! When was the last time you laughed? What do you do for fun? Over the last year there has been a ton of serious in our lives and in the world but if you look there is always something to laugh about. I love laughter, it is fun and it is contagious. What will you laugh at this week? Who is the funniest person you know? What is something you do for FUN? #BeTheException #laughteristhebestmedicine #PineapplePeople #Havefunbeingfunny
Does Faith or Fear lead your life?
Will you feed your Fear or your Fun this week? What feeds your fear? What do you need to avoid? What feeds your Fun? What could you use more of this week? Feeding our fear steals our JOY. To many people lead with fear of the unknown, my encouragement to you this week is Please don’t let Fear win! #BeTheException #faithoverfear #PineapplePeople #MondayMorningMoments
Why not you Be Lucky today, Luck of the Irish to you!Why not YOU? The Challenges may come but so might the Luck! Luck of the Irish to you ; )
Do you call yourself Lucky or unlucky? Do you anticipate the good things in life or wait for the rocks to fall?
Why Not YOU? We will all have challenges but today I say why not YOU to be Lucky, to be Blessed, to have the good things come your way on this special day…Wishing you the luck of the Irish ; )
Do you believe you’re special? Has anyone ever told you that you’re special? Though some people in the world might tell you differently, I’m here to tell you there’s nothing wrong with believing we’re special because we’re all special in our own unique ways.
What concerns me are the people who think they’re above walking through something tough. Many times, adults who haven’t walked through tough or painful challenges in their life will ask, “Why me?” when an obstacle arises. Often, they might say things such as, “I’m a good person who does good things. I give to charity and donate material items. How could this happen to me? I don’t deserve this.”
Each time I hear someone questioning, “Why me?” I imagine an old Ziggy cartoon. In the cartoon, Ziggy asks God, “Why me?” and God replies, “Why not!” All of us, no matter what life journey you’re on, walk through struggles in life that might last a day, a week, a month, or an entire season. It would be wonderful if none of us had to struggle, but that’s not the way it works. We don’t struggle because we “deserve it,” we struggle because it’s all a part of this unpredictable thing called life.
It’s hard for me to hear from people who think they’re above feeling pain or facing tough challenges while saying, “Why me? I’m a good person.” Every time I hear someone say that, I think about all the abused or neglected children who are also good people and don’t deserve to feel that kind of pain. It’s also hard for me to hear from those people who have walked through their lives simply with almost no hardship only to think about those who walk through trial after trial with no end in sight.
My wish is for people to think before they speak as words can deeply hurt others around us and leave them feeling like they deserve the hardships they’ve encountered, which they don’t. None of us deserve to face pain in our lives and at the same time, no one is above having to face that pain either. Although you may be special, keep in mind the person next to you who has been struggling through challenge after challenge for years is special, too. I urge you not to put yourself above those around you and recognize that being a “good person” doesn’t exempt you from hurdles.
This week, I challenge you to reach out to someone in your life who’s walking through something tough to lend a kind word or see how you can support them. If you’re the someone who’s walking through something tough, I encourage you to reach out to someone in your life to let them know how they can support you. None of us can live this crazy thing called life alone, and it’s up to us to decide how we show up for one another in times of need. What does living your exceptional life look like to you?
When you walk through a challenging season or experience do you ask, “Why me?” If so, what answer(s) do you hear in return?
Do you look for the lessons within your struggles? What’s the greatest lesson you’ve learned ?
What’s the most challenging thing you’ve faced? What did it teach you?
What Empire are you building to Be the Exception?
What are you building? What Empire, Legacy and Impact will you leave on the world? When you think about what are you leaving behind each day, in your home? In your work? In the world? For me the moving from Excuse of why things might not work out to Beleiving I could be the Exception was life changing and inviting others to do the same is my JOY! This is my Empire that I build people up to move beyond their circumstances, struggles and disappointments to become the Exception. How about you, What will you build? #BeTheException #buildanempire #PineapplePeople #legacybuilding #MotivationalSpeaker #Keynotespeaker #InspirationalSpeaker
Are you effected by other peoples harsh words?
Word Nerd
Okay, okay. I know I can be ridiculous with all my silly and sometimes irritating word rules, but words really do matter. Someone told me recently that I’m not the word police and shouldn’t want to be given that it’s an exhausting job. In my mind, someone has to do it, so why not me?
There are many words that bug me or someone I know, so I’ve been known to redirect, correct, or educate others who then choose to use whatever they’re comfortable with. Growing up, my kids knew not to say any bad “S” words. Their friends always thought that meant not saying A$$ which my kids would respond to with, “No, my mom is weird. ‘S’ words are something totally different in our house.”
In our house, “S” words include “Stupid,” which steals worth/denies wisdom, “Sucks,” which fuels negativity toward someone or something, and “Shut Up,” which is harsh and negative, and can easily be replaced by, “Can you please stop or be quiet?”
A lot of people think, “Who cares? They’re just words.” To me, they aren’t just words. I think how and when you use these types of harsh words devalues your message, especially when talking with people who swear all the time. To me, it’s just as easy to sub a different word, like crazy. For example, this is a crazy virus, crazy busy day, crazy situation, my crazy life, and so on. Instead say the words interesting, fasinating, confusing instead of crazy.
There are so many more positive, encouraging, fitting words that we can use. When around others, I like to encourage people to look deeper at their thoughts, think about the words they choose, and the actions they take. Then, I have them ask themselves, “How would the best version of myself think about, speak about, or act in relation to this situation?” Doing this activity challenges us to get in touch with our better half and may lead to better outcomes.
Hearing parents label or call their kids names when they are challenging them just breaks my heart. I love spirited rather than agressive, or going through a phase rather than they are a pain. We are all dealing with life the best we can as we journey thorough many phases. Be Gentle with one another and with your words
I’ve heard many times that words are like toothpaste; they come out quickly and are much harder to return, even with a sorry. Though many words and phrases may not have a direct effect on you, I ask you to think beyond yourself. Words are powerful and to me, it’s all about how our thoughts, words, and actions impact those around us.
For instance, someone who hears, “gave up for adoption,” may associate that with feelings of being unwanted, while saying, “placed for adoption” offers a positive mind shift to feelings of being wanted more or having double the love! For those who know someone who has passed away, saying, “committed suicide,” may seem harsh, insensitive, and triggering while saying, “died by suicide,” recognizes the inability to continue living with such pain, struggle, and hopelessness.
Even if what I’ve said only bothers one person, that’s one too many for me. This week, I encourage you to reflect on your words before letting them out while using the power of positive mind shift to be the voice of those who are hurt by other’s words but will never speak up.
What does living your exceptional life look like to you?
What words have hurt or offended you in the past?
What are your favorite words to say? Why?
What words or phrases do you find yourself correcting when you hear them spoken?
