Monday Moods: Check up From the Neck Up

Mondays are my weekly check up from the neck up. A few minutes to pause, think and write about what is happening in my mind and my moods. 

Remember to take care of yourself, or you won't be here to take care of others.  My focus is on making this blog a place of kindness, encouragement, and hope. 

As the sun rises each morning, and in the words of Willie Nelson, I "woke up not dead again today", I have the gift of another day, to find happiness, to do a little part to make the world a better place, to seek peace on earth. 

I can choose how I respond to the world. I can suppress the urge to react in instinctive ways. I can pause and reflect, sometimes for a few days before responding.  A week or so, I was asked about joining another board, kind of an honor to be asked. I read through the details, and I didn't respond for several days. It would be meaningful, but also an additional obligation. Ultimately I answered, thank you for the interest, but I really don't want to add anything right now. 

Something a customer service trainer 40 years ago, pounded into my head, it is better to say, "I'd rather turn you down today, than let you down later." If I am not ready to commit, I should say so upfront. The flaw in being "voluntold", being volunteered without being asked, is a lack of commitment leading to poor performance.  I don't need a line on my CV for having my name on a board list, if I don't have time to do the grunt work, I need to remember to say, thanks but no thanks. 

Treat each day as a gift, an opportunity. 

Make wise choices. 

Say, thanks, but no thanks, if that is the best answer for you. 

Think twice, speak once. 

Have a gentle week, take care of yourself. 

I had a longer post written. That talked about the challenges in the world. And there are challenges. I don't want to spread ugliness. Bad news is easy enough to find. I love my daily blog reads, but I have to avoid some posts when I have reached the limit of how much I can let in. If I don't have something kind to say, or the post is outside my sphere, I don't comment. It does not mean that I don't care, or that I haven't read, it simply means I don't have anything positive to say.