RAK - Random Act of Kindness
Last night I was in Deep Ellum with a friend going to a concert. We stopped at a 7-11 on the corner of Main Street. As we walked into the store, there was a man sitting outside of the store. He was so dirty I could barely see the features of his face. His clothes were old and torn, he smelt like a dumpster and you could see the bones in his arms. It bothered me...a lot. He didn't ask for anything as we walked by. He didn't have a sign asking for money, but he looked empty. There was just an empty gaze on his face.
So instead of getting my Red Bull, I got him a delicious piece of 7-11 pizza and the largest bottle of water they had. I don't have a lot of money or I would have totally done more. My child has literally drained my bank account. I have considered selling him on eBay several times, but he is way too cute and he likes my cooking. Anyway, I came out of the store, walked up to the man and said the first thing that came into my head "Hey dude...here you go" (yea I know, I have a way with words). He took both from me but didn't make eye contact. I think he said thank you, but I couldn't tell. As I walked off, we looked back and saw him inhaling the pizza. That made my day. It really made my day. Knowing that he had food in his stomach and cold water to drink as he sits outside in the 101 degree weather all night made me feel good.
I read on a friend's FaceBook post a week ago that she told a lady she was beautiful and the lady started crying. Wow. Imagine impacting someone that much by a simple statement. That's awesome!
When was the last time you did a random act of kindness? When was the last time you did something for someone else that seemed minor to you, but made an impact on them and showed them that you care? Try doing a random act of kindness this week. *I have some laundry that needs to be folded if any of you reading this want to be kind to me :)
~Trigz
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Sunday, July 17, 2011
The Power of a Positive Attitude
...(wow- I haven't written in several months. My bad).
Ever had one of those days where you wake up, literally look in the mirror at yourself and say, "Today is gonna be good"? Well, I did that today. And it worked. I know it sounds stupid, but hear me out on this.
Last week was a bit rough for me. I had a few situations come up in both my work and personal life and for some reason, I couldn't shake it. I kept thinking about it. Thinking about all the negative possibilities. And it seemed like things kept getting worse. My negative attitude had taken over and suddenly, everything was heading south.
So Saturday, I decided to drop all the negative thoughts and feelings I had, and just completely pretend like everything was perfect. Surprisingly, my day went really well. Then today (Sunday), I woke up early, kissed my son as he was sleeping, made some coffee and decided today was going to be a good day. Better than yesterday. I even told myself in the mirror as I was blow drying my hair. Yes, I sometimes talk to myself. Don't judge me.
Today was an awesome day. From saying good morning to everyone I saw at the grocery store, to breakfast with a good friend and her crazy kids, to dinner at a close friend's house as we sat in the front yard sweating to death in the lovely Texas summer heat laughing about memories and stories...today was good. And I'm pretty sure it was because I chose it to be.
For those of you that have read the book The Secret, I'm a true believer in the Law of Attraction. I don't necessarily follow it all the time, but I should. For those of you who haven't read the book (1) - You should read it and (2) - The Law of Attraction states: "like attracts like", that positive and negative thinking bring about positive and negative physical results, respectively. Makes a lot of sense right? Positive thoughts attract positive outcome. Negative thoughts attract negative outcome.
Finally, the old cliche is right - You are the company that you keep. Most people tend to act like the people they surround themselves with. I have weeded a lot of people out of my life over the years. Some very abruptly and unexpectedly. Some had been friends of mine for over 15-20 years. But it all boiled down to one thing - are they a positive influence in my life? Does this person contribute to a progressive move or a regressive movement in my life? As my friend Stacy once told me, "If you can't think of one thing that a person contributes to your life, why are they your "friend?" Think about that. It took me a while at first, but it makes sense. I was truly blessed within the last year. An awesome person with the most positive attitude I have ever met was brought into my life. And even though I don't get to see his smile everyday, I can hear it over the phone. His smile is contagious and it makes me smile and it turns my day around instantly. So surround yourself with positive people. Their energy and positivity will influence your attitude daily. And every day you spend in a negative or bad mood, is a day wasted that you don't get back.
Tomorrow may be Monday, and according to 85% of the FaceBook statuses I read, it is legendary on sucking big time. But YOU can make tomorrow a good day. And all the days after...
Ever had one of those days where you wake up, literally look in the mirror at yourself and say, "Today is gonna be good"? Well, I did that today. And it worked. I know it sounds stupid, but hear me out on this.
Last week was a bit rough for me. I had a few situations come up in both my work and personal life and for some reason, I couldn't shake it. I kept thinking about it. Thinking about all the negative possibilities. And it seemed like things kept getting worse. My negative attitude had taken over and suddenly, everything was heading south.
So Saturday, I decided to drop all the negative thoughts and feelings I had, and just completely pretend like everything was perfect. Surprisingly, my day went really well. Then today (Sunday), I woke up early, kissed my son as he was sleeping, made some coffee and decided today was going to be a good day. Better than yesterday. I even told myself in the mirror as I was blow drying my hair. Yes, I sometimes talk to myself. Don't judge me.
Today was an awesome day. From saying good morning to everyone I saw at the grocery store, to breakfast with a good friend and her crazy kids, to dinner at a close friend's house as we sat in the front yard sweating to death in the lovely Texas summer heat laughing about memories and stories...today was good. And I'm pretty sure it was because I chose it to be.
For those of you that have read the book The Secret, I'm a true believer in the Law of Attraction. I don't necessarily follow it all the time, but I should. For those of you who haven't read the book (1) - You should read it and (2) - The Law of Attraction states: "like attracts like", that positive and negative thinking bring about positive and negative physical results, respectively. Makes a lot of sense right? Positive thoughts attract positive outcome. Negative thoughts attract negative outcome.
Finally, the old cliche is right - You are the company that you keep. Most people tend to act like the people they surround themselves with. I have weeded a lot of people out of my life over the years. Some very abruptly and unexpectedly. Some had been friends of mine for over 15-20 years. But it all boiled down to one thing - are they a positive influence in my life? Does this person contribute to a progressive move or a regressive movement in my life? As my friend Stacy once told me, "If you can't think of one thing that a person contributes to your life, why are they your "friend?" Think about that. It took me a while at first, but it makes sense. I was truly blessed within the last year. An awesome person with the most positive attitude I have ever met was brought into my life. And even though I don't get to see his smile everyday, I can hear it over the phone. His smile is contagious and it makes me smile and it turns my day around instantly. So surround yourself with positive people. Their energy and positivity will influence your attitude daily. And every day you spend in a negative or bad mood, is a day wasted that you don't get back.
Tomorrow may be Monday, and according to 85% of the FaceBook statuses I read, it is legendary on sucking big time. But YOU can make tomorrow a good day. And all the days after...
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