Series Continued: 21 Habits of Joyful People –Part 3

Here’s a recap of those habits of joyful people covered in previous entries...

Joyful People:

1 Appreciate Life

2 Choose Friends Wisely

3 Are Considerate

4 Learn Continuously

5 Use Creative Problem Solving

6 Do What They Love

Note:  Many thanks to Dr. Michelle McCollum for her portion of content in this series. Photo credits: Google Images and Personal Collection

Enjoy Life

“A man can only do what he can do. But if he does that each day, he can sleep at night and do it again the next day.” ~Albert Schweitzer

Take the time to see the beauty around you. There’s more to life than work. Take time to smell the roses, watch a sunset or sunrise with a loved one, take a walk along the seashore, hike in the woods etc.

5 LINX Super Saturday Training - Embassy Suites Dallas, TX 

Learn to live in the present moment and cherish it. Don’t live in the past. Learn from it. Don’t live too much in the future. Just prepare for it.

“Well, one thing, at least is good: it is for a man to eat well, drink a good glass of wine, accept his position in life, and enjoy his work whatever his job may be, for however long The LORD may let him live. And of course, it is very good if a man has received wealth from The LORD, and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and to accept your lot in life – that is indeed a gift from GOD. The person who does that will not need to look back with sorrow on his past, for GOD gives him joy.”

~Ecclesiastes 5:18-20

Keep Their Word

Honesty is the best policy. Socrates said it like this: “The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be.”

Every action and decision you make should be based on honesty. Be honest with yourself and with your loved ones. If you find that you are unable to keep your word, say something. Don’t just ignore your promise hoping no one will remember. That seldom works out well.

“It’s not what we eat, but what we digest that makes us strong; not what we gain, but what we save that makes us rich; not what we read but what we remember that makes us learned; and not what we profess but what we practice that gives us integrity.” ~Frances Bacon, Sr. quote

Forgive

Forgiveness is a key ingredient to true peace.  In Luke 17:4, we learn “Even if a person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must forgive.”

Holding a grudge will hurt no one but you. Forgive others for your own peace of mind. When you make a mistake – own up to it – learn from it – and FORGIVE yourself.

In the chapter on forgiving yourself of the wonderful book by Paul Meyer, Forgiveness:  …the Ultimate Miracle” he gives “The top 13 reasons why forgiving yourself is hard” and they are listed below.

“For most people, forgiving themselves is a very difficult thing to do. Is that true for you? If so, why? Perhaps it is because:

§  You can justify the actions of others, but not your own

§  You still feel guilty, regardless of what others say

§  You cannot accept failure

§  You have to live with yourself

§  You cannot escape your past

§  You can give grace, but you cannot receive it

§  You couldn’t possibly pay for what you did

§  Your mind will not stop replaying the incident

§  You don’t feel worthy of forgiveness

§  You don’t believe others and God have really forgiven you

§  You refuse to forgive others

§  You simply don’t know how

WHATEVER the reason – or excuse – you still need to forgive yourself . I repeat, YOU NEED TO FORGIVE YOURSELF!

When you forgive yourself after forgiving others, you finish the circle of forgiveness. You are completely free to enjoy all the benefits of forgiveness without the side effects of unforgiveness.”

Laugh

“Trouble knocked on the door, but hearing laughter, hurried away.” ~Benjamin Franklin

Don’t take yourself – or life to seriously. You can find humor in just about any situation. Laugh at yourself – no one’s perfect. When appropriate, laugh and make light of the circumstances.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s is one of my favorite films. The lead played by the late Audrey Hepburn sharing my same sentiment, remarked: “I love people who make me laugh. I honestly think it’s the thing I like most, to laugh. It cures a multitude of ills. It’s probably the most important thing in a person.”

Naturally there are times that you should be serious as it would be improper to laugh. Often when people are uncomfortable or don’t know what to say they will laugh as a reflex. Ask yourself, “Am I laughing at someone’s pain?” And if the answer is yes, of course it would be best that you not laugh. However, if it’s not at the expense of another, I say by all means have yourself the best belly laugh you can get out of it.

With DPSVP Barry Donalson at 5 LINX Super Saturday in Dallas, TX 

I remember reading once that “Laughter is the human body wagging its tail.”  Laughing just makes you feel good. Do it as much as you can and share generously!

Are Grateful

“Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it but receive it with thanks.” ~1 Timothy 4:4 (NLT)

Develop an attitude of gratitude. Count your blessings; All of them – even the things that seem trivial. Be grateful for your home, your work and most importantly your family and friends. Take the time to tell them that you are happy they are in your life.

“To educate yourself for the feeling of gratitude means to take nothing for granted, but to always seek out and value the kindness that stands behind the action. Nothing that is done for you is a matter of course. Everything originates in a will for it.” ~Albert Schweitzer

“It is impossible for you to be angry and laugh at the same time. Anger and laughter are mutually exclusive and you have the power to choose either.”

~Wayne Dyer

“Silent gratitude isn’t much use to anyone.” Gladys Brown Stern

Thanks so much for Reading and Sharing The Love!!!

Any Given Saturday by Sharon Watkins-Jones

www.SPORTSPAGEMAGAZINE.COM

On any given Saturday in Texas, in the fall, families gather to cheer on little boys in full protective gear, as they battle it out on local football fields. Here, we start them early and make them tough. Most Texas cities, large and small, have youth football leagues with team members as young as 5 or 6 years old. 

Photo Credit: Google Images

Mothers wince as their babies hit or get hit. Fathers beam with pride and live out dreams deferred through the youthful arms and legs of their little men. Every parent in the stands expects that their son has the potential to be as great as their favorite Monday Night Football sensation. 

Despite the fact that my young son is fortunate enough to play for a Houston youth league which emphasizes the importance of good grades in addition to athletic ability and good sportsmanship, I can’t help but notice the degree of intensity on the faces of many parents, including my husband's, on Saturday mornings.  

To read the rest of this story, click here. Thanks for reading and sharing!

Meet Sharon Watkins-Jones, Author

 Sharon is a community college administrator, former special education teacher, wife of 17 years and mother of two school-age children in northwest Houston. Her primary interests are family-inclusive culture and arts, travel, politics, historical literature, Texas Longhorns and all things Disney.

What a Blue will do...Spotlight Intro to Dr. Sharon Gilbert

On Ocoee River in Tennesee

It’s been a minute since I had the opportunity to compose a new story for my Spotlight Section but today is the day! 

In order for you to fully grasp why this article has significance to my life now, I must give you a bit of background and a brief glimpse into ‘the adventures’ that led up to this point. 

First of all, I am –according to the personality color chart- a true blue. I love promoting people, causes and things that I believe in and do so naturally. I love an adventure and most things that I do have to have some fun attached or I will lose interest in them. That’s real! I’m a textbook BLUE. Case in point, for my 40th birthday, I went white water rafting for the first time in the Ocoee River in Tennessee with dear friends from Atlanta. That was a real blast and of course that's me in the front of the craft holding on!

Photo Credits: Google Images

As for other adventures…well, let’s just say that I have had plenty (some I chose and some chose me) that took a toll on this small framed body of mine. For instance, I didn’t choose for that teenager to rear end me. She was speeding down a hill in Austin in her mom’s van - speeding mind you, because she was late to volleyball practice.

Nor did I choose to get hit again in Austin by a woman leaving the parking lot of the HEB grocery store. However I will say that when she didn’t stop after hitting us (I had my then 88 year old Granddaddy in the car) I did choose to follow her to her house and call the police. It is funny now but at the time I was hotter than a firecracker. As I was in pursuit of her I kept thinking, "I know she didn't!" It tickled Granddaddy. He even asked me what I was gonna do. I told him that I'd figure it out when we both stopped. That seemed to tickle him even more.

I remember the shock of the dispatcher who said, “She hit you and you did whaaat?”  When I said that I followed her to her house, I remember her asking me to remain in my car until an officer arrived. I complied without hesitation but I wasn’t moving until someone came and handled the matter, which they promptly did.

As a child who loved going to camp, I remember learning to dive off of the diving board one summer. At one point during my time on the board I became frightened, broke my form & un-tucked my chin to chest to look up. Quite frankly, I was wondering when I was gonna hit the water and ended up doing a backwards belly flop instead. The camp nurse recommended my sleeping on boards for the next few days because of it.

Over several summers at this same camp, I would have two more back jarring events. One included a runaway horse I was riding. I lost the reins when he surprised me by breaking into a full gallop, stripping them from my hands and over his head out of my reach. I held on as long as I could but eventually fell off. 


Then, when I was older, no longer a camper but instead a counselor - there was the angry horse that I fought because he got wild on me, purposely running me into low branches trying to rid me as his rider. When that didn't work, he tried to crush my legs by slamming me into the walls of his stall. I think I was madder than he was because I hung with him. I remembered what my cowboy cousins taught me about breaking horses and we fought until he calmed down. That incident left me sore but feeling somewhat accomplished and did not diminish my love for the sport.

Then there was the zip cord incident. I had gotten on the high elements of the ropes course to show my campers that ‘it was no big deal---nothing to it.’ The truth is though once I got up 45 feet, I had to pray before I could actually jump off of the last element. But I did it and really loved the moments of ‘flying like Tinkerbell’ on the final apparatus. 

All of that was good until some smart aleck counselor thought it would be funny to leave me hanging there, pretend he was walking back to main camp for lunch and not put the ladder where I could get down like he was supposed to do. That little antic left me flopping around and hanging upside down (unlike the picture to the right) and caused a severe strain/slight tear in a back muscle. It also led me straight to the emergency room. Mission accomplished in a sense, as I heard that some of my campers did follow my lead because I calmly excused myself and was careful not to share my truly agonizing pain until I was out of  their presence. My tongue lashing to the jokester and hospital bill ensured that he would never be so stupid again. No worries, however, I still ride horseback and swim as much as I can and still love it.

After college and working at the Texas Capitol, I got a job doing research for a lobby organization for private colleges. That was well before the proliferation of laptops –in fact we were still using ‘the real floppy’ ( 5 ¼” floppy discs) on personal computers. After college and working at the Texas Capitol, I got a job doing research for a lobby organization for private colleges. That was well before the proliferation of laptops –in fact we were still using ‘the real floppy’ ( 5 ¼” floppy discs) on personal computers. 


 Every day I would go to the Texas Ethics Commission and literally hand write information for my research which meant my head was down for 8 hours five days a week for several months. The result was three subluxated (out of line) vertebrae in my neck. It was bad. So bad, in fact, if you stood next to me and looked at my profile, my head looked like it was sitting in front of and not on top of my body.

Photo: Google Images

That was when I first was introduced to a chiropractor. As long as I lived in Austin and had insurance – the company eventually fired me once I finished the research- I saw this great female chiropractor who helped my spine get back in line. That was over sixteen years ago. Periodically, since then I would get headaches that were bad enough to keep me in bed, which is not fun –especially for a blue!

After reaching 40, I sometimes feel terrible cramps in the same muscle in my back that I injured in my early 20’s and get headaches from the research project of my mid 20’s. 

Today, however, I have a new story to tell about the wonders of chiropractic care. It’s the basis of the follow up story to come soon as I feature Dr. Sharon Gilbert in “Hallelujah and Hooray for these Helpful and Healing Hands of Houston.”  

Now that you have the background, be sure to stay tuned for the rest of the story!

21 Habits of Joyful People, Part 2

“I do it for the joy it brings, cause I’m a joyful girl. ‘Cause the world owes us nothing, we owe each other the world.” Ani Difranco

For the next 6 installments under this title, we will explore 21 things joyful people make a habit of doing on a consistent basis.  

Here a recap of the first three mentioned in Part 1:

Happiness is one aspiration all people share. No one wants to be sad and depressed. We've all seen people who are always happy – even amidst agonizing life trials. I’m not saying happy people don’t feel grief, sorrow or sadness; they just don’t let it overtake their life. 

These people will: 

1. Appreciate Life

2. Choose Friends Wisely

3. Be Considerate

~~~~~~~

Part 2

 4. Learn Continuously

"Intelligent people are always open to new ideas. In fact, they look for them."

Proverbs 18:15


Keep up to date with the latest news regarding your career and hobbies. Try new and daring things that have sparked your interest – such as dancing, skiing, surfing or sky-diving.

“I’m running hard for the finish line. I’m giving it everything I’ve got. No sloppy living for me!”

1Corinthians 9:26 ~ The Message Bible

5. Creative Problem Solving

Don’t wallow in self-pity. As soon as you face a challenge get busy finding a solution. Don’t let the setbacks affect your mood; instead see each new obstacle you face as an opportunity to make a positive change. Learn to trust your gut instincts – it’s almost always right.

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His Purpose for them.” 
Romans 8:28 – New Living Translation

6. Do What They Love

Some statistics show that 80% of people dislike their jobs! No wonder there’s so many unhappy people running around. We spend a great deal of our life working. Choose a career that you enjoy – the extra money of a job you detest isn’t worth it. Make time to enjoy your hobbies and pursue special interests.

“Do you want to be truly rich? You already are if you are happy and good. After all, we didn’t bring any money with us when we came into the world, and we can’t carry away a single penny when we die. So we should be well satisfied without money if we have enough food and clothing. But people who long to be rich soon begin to do all kinds of wrong things to get money, things that hurt them and make them evil-minded and finally send them to hell itself. 

For the love of money is the first step toward all kinds of sin. Some people have even turned away from God because of their love for it, and as a result have pierced themselves with many sorrows.

1Timothy 6:6-10 ~ Children’s Living Bible

Many thanks to my Sister Beloved, Dr. Michelle McCollin for the idea and much of the above content. 


Photo Credits: Google Images

21 Habits of Joyful People, Part 1

Many thanks to my Sister Beloved, Dr. Michelle McCollin for the idea and much of the following content. Photo Credits: Google Images

Happiness is one aspiration all people share. No one really wants to be sad and depressed. We’ve all seen people who are always happy – even amidst agonizing life trials. I’m not saying happy people don’t feel grief, sorrow or sadness; they just don’t let it overtake their life.

“No one is in control of your happiness but you; therefore, you have the power to change anything about yourself or your life that you want to change.”       
~ Barbara de Angelis

For the next 7 installments under this title, we will explore 21 things happy people make a habit of doing on a consistent basis.  

Here are the first three:

1. Appreciate Life

Be thankful that you woke up alive each morning. Develop a childlike sense of wonder towards life. Focus on the beauty of every living thing. Make the most of each day. Don’t take anything for granted. Don’t sweat the small stuff.

“Let all that I am praise The LORD; may I never forget the good things He does for me.” Psalm 103:2 (NLT)

2. Choose Friends Wisely

Surround yourself with happy, positive people who share your values and goals. Friends that have the same ethics as you will encourage you to achieve your dreams. They help you to feel good about yourself. They are there to lend a helping hand when needed.

“Don’t hang out with angry people; don’t keep company with hotheads. Bad temper is contagious – don’t get infected.”  Proverbs 22:24 (The Message Bible)

3. Be Considerate

Accept others for who they are as well as where they are in life. Respect them for who they are. Touch them with a kind and generous spirit. Help when you are able, without trying to change them. That’s God’s job. Try to brighten the day of everyone with whom you come into contact.

“Honor all people. Love the brotherhood (family of faith). Fear God. Honor the king.” 1Peter 2:17 (NKJV)

“Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” ~Abraham Lincoln

Emotionally Intelligent Leaders by Barbara Baggerly-Hinojosa

Author Daniel Goleman defines emotional intelligence as, “how leaders handle themselves and their relationships” (p.6).  Great leaders have a knack for working through their emotions in order to develop strong relationships with others that promote production that produces effective organizational results. 

Effective leaders exhibit skills that move others with passion, strategy, vision, and powerful ideas.  Many researchers agree that great leaders are great not just for what they do but how they do it.  Leaders are many times considered a group’s emotional guide.  Effective leaders use emotional intelligence to drive the collective emotions of a group in a positive direction.

Emotionally intelligent leaders know that emotions and moods in an organization are important to the production of that group.  Leaders who are emotionally intelligent tend to set the emotional standard for the entire group.  These leaders understand that good moods translate into good work. 

When people feel good, they work at their best.  These leaders also understand that moods are contagious and because moods are contagious, an effective leader will work hard to make sure that moods are positive, productive, and focused on the organizational goals.

Followers look to a leader for supportive emotions and empathy.  When leaders are able to drive emotions in a positive direction, they bring out the best of everyone. 

We should all work hard to develop our emotional intelligence in order to develop relationships that promote positive moods and production as we all move toward common goals. 

The following tips will help you develop your emotional intelligence as you serve as a leader in your home and our community:

***Use active listening when communicating with others.  Really listen to what others have to say.

***Work hard at developing relationships with others.

***Develop your self awareness skills as you work toward your personal and professional goals.

Photo Credits: Google Images

Barbara Baggerly-Hinojosa is a mother, educator, and wife living in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas.  She is a PhD student with Our Lady of the Lake University in Leadership Studies.  Mrs. Baggerly-Hinojosa is the President of the Leadership Empowerment Group, LLC and is currently researching the relationship between the leadership of the high school principal and the high school drop out rate.  Mrs. Baggerly-Hinojosa is the author of Are You A Ten?  The Ten Characteristics of a Servant Leader.   For ordering information, please contact Mrs. Baggerly-Hinojosa at Barbara@leadershipempowermentgroup.com or visit Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com