Women’s Woods Blog

The ability to know what we are feeling and not be afraid of our feelings, learning how to process them, knowing where they come from, and analyzing them if necessary – these are parts of emotional courage.  Your feelings are very valid; don’t underestimate them.  Our feelings come from our thoughts and sometimes these thoughts need to be examined.  The courage to do this is part of what the term ‘emotional courage’ means.

When someone is emotionally intelligent, they are able to use their emotions in positive ways; they are learning and evolving.   It is not something that just happens to us, it takes a willingness to know ourselves more, and to get introspective.   It may mean that we need to unlearn some things and relearn other things.

People at every age can experience chaos in their emotional life at one time or another.  This is why treating the four quandrants of our life is important.  These four are Body, Mind, Spirit, and Emotions.   Many have heard of the body-mind-spirit connection before, but it seems that the fourth segment gets overlooked.  The Emotion Section is important.  All of these areas are important to attend to, each day.  We don’t have to knock ourselves out about it, but just being aware of it will help.

If this is new to you; if you have ignored your feelings; or if you are in flux about something and cannot pinpoint it, talk with someone who knows you well or talk with a professional.  Another thing to do is begin writing in a journal; write anything down in any kind of a notebook or journal.  This process of writing each day will help you begin to see something.  You may start to get clearer about this ‘thing’.  It doesn’t matter what your issue may be- a person or an event or just a nagging thought – write it down.  Just get it on paper.  Go back to it later.

You are getting emotional courage!  Congratulations!  Keep at it!

If you are in a job search, or believe that you will lose your job, OR are looking for work for any reason, then think on this:   The impossible is possible.  We know this is true because of Easter.  Let this ‘knowing’ last you all year; not just on Easter.  With all the bleak news about the economy and the volume of job loss, there is NO better time than now, to find your Hidden Purpose.  Use this time wisely – get to know yourself.

We may find that we can live on less.  We may find that we can even make more money than we did before, or not.   Paying attention to things that are not our monetary needs or wants will help you.  I want to bet that you can learn to enjoy life more.  Find out what you are here to do.  Do NOT worry about money right now.   Begin with a journal – go ahead and buy something to write in, and then write- every single day.   Begin to brain-dump each day in that journal.

Even if you don’t think you have a thing to say, start writing anyway.    IF you did not have to have an income, what would you do with your days?  IF money just appeared in your bank account to cover your expenses, THEN what would you do?   Would you work for someone for free, or volunteer?  If you could do anything you want, what would that be?   What would that look like, feel like?  This may be the first time in your whole life, where you are asked to really really dream.  If there were no obstacles, what do you like to do with your time?  I realize that you may be stuck; that you may have no idea what you want to do, or for that matter who you are…

No worries.  So many people feel this way.  We are adults and we have been programmed for so many years to do certain things.  We have had responsibilities; bills to pay; other people to think about.  So, we put ‘ourselves’ on hold.   But we were not put on this Earth to NOT pay attention to ourselves.  There is a reason you are here.  We were not taught to concentrate on what we want, or to change our mindsets, or to realize our potentials.  We got caught on that bus where the wheels go ‘round and ‘round.  But luckily, you are now here.

This is not just one day; it’s a whole day – an entire day on the way to tomorrow.  It is going to get better; this ‘present’ of yours will help you have a better future.

Life situation or life? There’s a big difference. Let me explain.

All of us can get caught up in whatever ‘life situation’ we may be involved in at the moment. Or, it may be a situation that lasts for weeks, months, even years. But that does not mean that this is ‘our life’. It doesn’t mean we should start thinking as if this is the way it always is. Stuff just keeps happening, maybe, but that is not ‘who’ you are.

All of us will experience some bad times, but that does not define who we are. One of my favorite sayings is this: “The worst thing that happens to you can be the best thing for you, if you don’t let it get the best of you.” OR

“Let your setback be your setup for your comeback!”

It is very easy to let these hard things get the best of us. We have to work harder to ward off the negative effect that they ‘could’ have, if we let them. It’s easy to start believing that this is ‘what’ we get in life. There is an exponential component to this spiraling way of thinking. Is this what we get because we can’t switch our thinking? Sometimes.

How many ½ full people do you know? How many ½ empty people do you know?

Most of us don’t go around figuring this out on a daily basis. But it IS worth considering. If the people that you associate with are ½ empty people, then the effect can be insidious, and you haven’t even realized it. Get a coach; get a good coach. Call Susan.