Thursday, April 29, 2010

2 Years and 105 Days & What we Offer Others

This last weekend, I attended a Conscious Discipline training class.Conscious Discipline was developed by Dr. Becky Bailey. I've been to Conscious Discipline trainings before (even got to see Dr. Bailey live in Tulsa many years ago) but I always learn something new or remember something that I've forgotten. We got to watch some DVD footage of Dr. Bailey and I was reminded of one of my favorite quotes by her: "What you offer to others, you give to yourself". Have you ever noticed how when you are feeling mean or judgmental of others, you don't feel very good about yourself? Or when you're feeling impatient with someone else, it's often because you're feeling impatient with yourself. Dr. Bailey encourages you to attribute positive intent to other people's actions. Someone cuts you off in traffic? Perhaps they have a sick child or other emergency. Someone is rude or hateful to you? Perhaps they have some kind of personal crisis going on. Believe it or not, this kind of attitude can be really freeing. It helps set one free from taking on other people's emotions. You can feel empathetic for them without taking on their stress. Of course, it's easier said than done and it feels kind of weird at first, but it really does help. What does this have to do with my journey towards being debt free? Well, it's all about the attitude. When I'm feeling good about myself, then I have hope and feel like I can make it, even in the tough times. When I'm feeling down, well, then I feel hopeless and like there's no point. So, next time you're pointing a finger at someone else, remember the old saying "he who points his finger at another has 3 more pointing back at himself". Have a great day everyone!

No comments: