The Pressure of It All ...Changes Thank God!

Pressure is a force exerted on an object.  Unfortunately that object we feel pressure painfully applied to is often  on ourselves. Procrastination leads to increased pressure.  We pressure ourselves to get our research paper completed, be good parents, get educated, get to work on time, and pay our bills.  If things run smoothly, we feel great.  If we are behind or the task seem insurmountable, we don't.  Some people seem to handle pressure fine.  Others, have their moments.  Pressure makes us perform and often be productive.  When does pressure become stress.  When we become compulsive or overwhelmed.  How does our attitude reflect how we handle pressure?  I think attitude makes the world of difference.  This coming from someone who occasionally handles the pressure poorly.  But I try, and am constantly learning new tricks.  Foremost, I think you need to know yourself.  How do I perform best?  Knowing your limitations help.  I find it extremely annoying when others tell you how make things work repeatedly, when you know things don't work the same for everyone.  Find what works best for you and follow a plan.  Don't put pressure on yourself to reach unattainable goals.  Prioritizing helps manage pressure.  And at the end of the day, know that tomorrow is another day.  I have started asking myself situation will make a difference in 6 months from now.  Usually the answer is "No!"  Things have a way of working out for themselves.  Just stay focused, set up priorities, and be good to yourself and those you love.  The pressure you feel tomorrow with be different from next year.  Save your blood pressure, your attitude, and your mind.

The Critic and Criticism

Criticism can be good and bad.  Constructive criticism is supposedly good,  while criticism otherwise hurts.  I think both can hurt.  Constructive criticism is geared toward self improvement while both can actually hurt your self esteem and your feelings.  We often have mock drills to practice objectives in the workplace and the critique what happens so that we improve.  That kind of thing does not hurt my feelings.  But when people critique those things that are difficult to change or we have no control of that is when it can hurt.  Criticism is to sit in judgement.  Some people are critical without having positive things to say and can often just see the negative.  That hurts feelings of those being judged.  I appreciate much more that when you say something negative, tell me how to improve it.  Some of us are better taking criticism than others.  Critical people don't keep friends long if they are just negative.

the Sense of common sense

Common sense is so important that it should actually be as important as hearing, seeing, touching, tasting...it is what our brain needs to contribute to meet our daily needs.  If you don't have good common sense you have trouble functioning and possibly hurt yourself or others.  Prisons are full of people with poor common sense.  Common sense is something that can be learned by experience.  Some people have more than others.  I rather have more common sense than intelligence.  Intelligence and common sense don't always go together.  I have seen some incredibly smart people do some really stupid things.  Common sense reminds me of the saying that "you can't see the forest through the trees".  Someone with common sense sees the forest and the trees.  Today my son just got a truck and is taking his driver test next week.  I can only hope he has enough common sense to realize how important it is to drive responsibly and not let his friends influence his behavior behind the wheel.  It is the sense that keeps us safe and just knows what is best for you.

humility...self importance?

I had to look up the definition of humility.  In society  we are pushed (sometimes by our own goals) to succeed, be as much as we can to others, and overachieve to meet expectations and more.  There tends to be a me generation rising up to take control of our future.  So where is humility?  I don't hear the word ever anymore.  I go to church every other Sunday and don't recall hearing it that much.  What is it?  the quality or state of being humble....that helped.  Humble...not proud or haughty, unassuming...modest.  In a world where we compete to get jobs, compete physically to be the best for glory, compete to get the guy (or girl) by spending billions on beauty or physical entrapments, compete, compete and compete...  It is hard to be humble.  You don't get noticed.  Omg....does that mean you do something for the sake of doing the right thing for yourself and maybe God.  Humility is personal.  It means just doing all those other virtues that are just right for the doing and not the attention.  Wow.  This just reminds me that when my kids were small, I read them the book of Virtues.  Does it still exist?  Humility must be a virtue.  Just looked in my bookcase at the book and it wasn't.  I am shocked.  How about my Bible...with humility comes wisdom, humility comes before honor, but in humility consider the others better, to show true humility toward all men, clothe yourselves with humility.  Heavy word that isn't used much or put out there these days.  Be respectful and not full of yourself.  I need to be humble and think about being a person of more action that talk.  Humble is the fireman that risks his life for saving someone and just replies it's what we do.  

what's in an attitude?

let's try this again.  Attitude is more of a image you project to others.  It can be how you feel, or want others to think you feel.  It is often a descriptive word like positive, angry, happy, etc.  Often it is as changeable as our moods.  Parent's often say things like "don't give me that attitude" to your kids, meaning it can often me verbal and sometimes silent communication.  We communicate a sense of style that shows others our attitude sometimes.  Attitude is a strange word because it can mean many things and can change in a second, depending on the subject and the beholders judgement.  My attitude is frustrated because this is my second blog on this subject and I am running late to class.  My attitude will be different just getting there. :)

Did You Think of the Diaper?

I could not help of thinking of the diaper when coming up for the meaning of dependability.  I guess I have been working with the elderly for way too long.  Or it could be that there are still some depends under the bathroom sink leftover from my dear departed mother, that I haven't had the heart or ambition to throw away yet.  Incidentaly, for all you younger classmates, Depends are a leading brand of  adult pull on pantie for those who maybe in need of disposable protection in case of an accident.   They offer reliability.   


Dependability holds a measure of reliability, accountability, security and all those words that offer commitment to trustworthiness and sometimes self sacrifice.  You need to often have maturity to be dependable, because there is determination to do the right thing involved. when  others can count on you.  Responsibility is needed to measure up.  Weas adults are often being trusted to perform in a dependable manner.  Being to work on time, having your friends back, paying your bills on time,  being able to be counted on for things that are important to others and yourself all measure our dependability.  Being dependable carries a price sometimes.  I often feel stressed because I try to be dependable. It is this value that forces me to strive to get my homework done on time,  while trying to be there for my son, job, family, finances, friends, and everything I that is important to me.  When you care you tend to be more dependable.  When you procrastinate or it doesnt matter, we often are undependable. 

Honesty is Soul Searching

Honesty is such a soul searching topic.  First, I think we need to be honest with ourselves.  Sometimes that is easy but often it is extremely difficult.  We tend to be with honest about cheating, lying to others, stealing, killing, and all those black and white ten commandment type issues  Secondly, the part is being honest with those gray issues that come up in our lives is the most perplexing problem for me.  How do I feel about something that is bothering me?  How do I communicate with others honestly?  I hear someone tell me that they are "brutally honest" but that person has lied to me recently to prove a point and embellished a situation or memory.  Honesty needs credibility or it looses it's effect.  The question is: can I be honest with myself now, and get beyond this breach to accept future integrity?  What would you do?

Plan On Enjoying the Journey

     Planning is our weapon for staying focused, moving towards our goal and seeing a light at the end of the tunnel that we can strive for.  Planning has advantages in that it helps use make choices that maybe informed and therefore more rational.  Planning helps you realize where you want to go.  With that being said, I now am laughing.

I laugh because there seems to be very few things in life we can actually plan.  The more experience I gain the more I realize that I am not in control.  Most of my planning seems to be short term and daily because I know life has many options, and what we think we need and want changes daily.  We can count on change to happen so putting huge amounts of time and effort into planning maybe for nothing.  We plan often to bring us some sense of security.  Although we know for example if we plan for financial security, the stock market could crash, we could loose it to a scoundrel, or we could even die.  Again, planning is basically a focus for achievement in the future.
     What I personally believe is that we have little control so planning just helps you get pointed towards your selected ending.  Its the journey a long that  direction that counts.  Enjoy it because that journey is called life.
 So be flexible so you can recover from interrupted plans and get the most out of each journey.
     I love the bumper sticker that says "God Laughs When You Plan".

Goals Make Me Smell the Coffee

It is amazing how our goals influence our life choices each day.  Our goals often make us who we are and provide the ethics and standards by which we live.  Our goals can be as simple as to get out of bed each day and as complex as getting our doctorate in rocket science.  One of the most worthy goals in life is to be true to ourselves and those we bring into this world.  Experience tells us not all goals are achievable but it is how we recover from our disappointments and failures, that make us who we are.  Sometimes we are hardest on ourselves for not reaching our goals, when it is not necessary.  It is the journey, not the ride that counts.  It is what we experience trying to achieve goals that we set for our self, not the completion of what others judge you by.  Maybe AA has the perfect answer in their thought of "one day at a time".  Don't make your goals so far away or difficult that you never achieve them and feel like a failure.  Seeing the progress with each accomplishment builds self-esteem and a positive outlook.  Having attainable goals makes you approach each day with the ability to smell the coffee with a smile on your face or search for a reason to smile.

I'd rather hardly work...

        Hard work is the physical or mental effort, or activity, directed toward the production of an accomplishment that requires diligence.  If we measure success by accomplishment, it is more important to work smart than work hard.  If we measure hard work by the time and effort we apply, success may or may not be the accomplished.  I have seen hard work go unnoticed or be wasted due to the effort applied was in vain.  Whereas, work that was well thought out first, and required less effort physically, was most rewarded.  I'd rather hardly work "smart" than work hard "stupid."
     Hard work, whether accomplished or unsuccessful, usually evokes feelings of satisfaction.  We often notice those who work hard and describe them as being diligent, self-sacraficing, ethical, , a role model, timely, motivated, and inspirational.  Hard workers tend to have high self-esteem because they are proud of the work they perform.  It is only when hard work brings unrewarded attention, or poor success that they are likely to become frustrated.  The most successful individuals work hard and smart.  How do you work?

Piece of Me

My name is Renee.  I am a fifty-four year old active woman that values my Christian faith, my sons, my career, good health and my two dogs.  I enjoy traveling, camping, and electronic retail shopping.  I elected to return to school after being employed as a state licensed Respiratory Care Practioner for the last thirty-five years, to be eligible to take an exam given by the National Board of Respiratory Care.  I am finished with my prerequisites currently but need two more classes for my AS degree.

I have two sons that are ages twenty-four and seventeen.  I live with my youngest son in Yucaipa.  I was a foster parent to him and officially adopted him when he was eight.  He has taught me invaluable lessons in life.  Our journey has been rough at times but very rewarding in many ways.  He was abused and abandoned as a child and often in helping someone else, we see we are the blessed ones.  We enjoy working out at the gym and living an active life style.  My son is an athelete and has played water polo, mountain bike team racing, swim team, weight lifting, and wrestling.  I am his biggest fan.

I have two dogs that I adore.  Our shih tzu's name is Lacey and toy yorkie's name is Benji.  They are part of our family and provide me with love and affection that makes me always look forward to coming home.  They are always overjoyed to see me and I am so thankful to have them. 

If you have a dog, watch this.