Favorite Things - OPN Exercise #1

Favorite Things - OPN Exercise #1

©Allen Merritt (2015)

In July, I posted four weeks of On a Positive Note (OPN) Challenges to help find ways to concentrate on positive activities as we relate to others and the outside world. Now, I would like to spend some time offering a few exercises which should help remind us (on a personal note) how to get back to the positive in each day. For this week’s exercise I thought it would be fun to remember things we like.

There is a song in the classic musical The Sound of Music titled My Favorite Things. Many folks will remember it and some might be able to sing it word for word. What is wonderful about the song, of course, is how it demonstrates finding important things we like in life and pinpointing them both in times of hardship and celebration. Remembering the things we like helps to take the edge off and bring on the smiles; and, you might as well pull this trick out of the toolbox when the frowns try to invade your face.  Treat this exercise as a handbag full of creature comforts that you like to cover yourself in and get all cuddly with.

For me, I love the smell of fresh cut grass in the summer time. I can imagine this scenario and always find a moment to smile. It takes me out of any present tension. Call it a break or a time out; it makes me feel much better. I can also be reminded of this simple pleasure when I pass by a house or yard where the grass is currently being mowed. I instantly come back to myself and pause in appreciation forgetting everything else for a short while.

Other things I like include, but are not limited to the following:

• Fresh blackberries off the vine
• Laundry that has been freshly air dried on the clothesline outside
• The smell of tennis balls (odd, I know)
• The coolness of a light rain and the smell of freshness afterwards
• Fireflies at sunset
• Locusts buzzing
• Light breezes drifting through my hair

Thinking on these things is like a bell being rung, which leads me back to myself. Then everything else buzzing around me takes a back seat to the here and now of what is most important to me.

With this in mind, take a few moments to sit down and remind yourself on those things which bring a sense of calm to you. Stop, pause and reflect. Jot ideas down on paper or write them down in a journal entry. Picture those things you like, experience them or go to a place which activates those things you like and you can actually experience them right here and now. Use them as a means to come back around to all that is good (and positive) in your life. That is this weeks's OPN exercise: to remember the things you like and allow them to bring moments of healing, peace and calm back into your everyday.

Here is the song link (My Favorite Things) to help get you in the spirit of this exercise.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=33o32C0ogVM

Have a great week and enjoy making use of this exercise.

Cheers!

Dancing Without Music!

Dancing Without Music!

©Allen Merritt (2015)

Over the past several months of writing On a Positive Note I have focused on personal stories, anecdotes, challenges and exercises on how to basically turn things around and focus away from things we entertain as the ‘negative’. From personal experience, I know how important it is to stay focused, enlightened, energetic and enthused about our lives and the world around us; and, I say that despite all the chaos and calamity often thrown in our faces.

This week I find myself pondering the idea of dancing. Back in the day I worked hard to become a dancer, but learned I was better off as a person who moved well. This was because I was short and stocky in stature. I loved movement and the expressiveness of the dance. I guess it came from being a little wiggle worm as a child. I always had to be active and on the go, off and wondering in my own little world. I realize now most of that came easily as a necessary means of survival. With this in mind I hope you find something positive in the following take-aways.

I danced. I goofed around pretending I was on a stage entertaining the masses. In real life, I was ignored and no one paid much mind or attention to me. As a result, I was on my own to find something to do and anything to be from moment to moment.

In my late teens I took up ballet, tap and jazz dance classes. I was in my element. Through dance I found a way back to myself; better yet, found more of myself; discovered a bit of who I was.

Fast forward (and many years later), I realize how important that dance was. I still love the idea of being silly and goofing around with a little movement. It can be fun and funny and lighten the load when the load is so heavy we feel weighed down and unable to budge, let alone move or dance. Life is a sort of dance of various genres. Sometimes we do not know the steps, but often it doesn’t matter.

Recently, I read a story about a social dance without any music and it made me stop and think about all my dancing days. This particular social was not greatly successful in part because there wasn’t any music and many people don’t understand how to create their own music or beat for which to dance by. Therefore, it becomes awkward and no one dances. Instead, they stumble, give up and stop dancing altogether.

Dancing in one way or another pushed me out of my comfort zones and stretched my imagination and ability to see things from another perspective, which directly correlates to how I can experience and feel the negative energies and somehow still rise above them or completely step away from them. There is something to the feel good idea that comes with moving and dancing around which inspires me.

Here’s the thing: 

• I see young people with headphones on dancing. I don’t hear the music, but I see them dancing anyway.
• I notice young children often dance without music. They don’t need it. They just go to town with or without it.
• Rehearsing for a dance number in a show often requires dancing without music while the performers learn their choreography to counts. The music comes later. I am thinking there is music within which helps us to dance. We only need to tap into it. Do we really need music to celebrate movement?
• In movie scenes depicting dancing in a club with dialogue going on between some of the speaking characters, they film it with and without the music. The dancers have to dance without the music while the dialogue is going on just as if the music really was playing. 

So in some sense, we all go through life dancing without music as often as not.

LeeAnn Womack has a song titled, “I Hope You Dance.” I think the song became so popular because it reminds us to explore, take chances and look for making what seems impossible possible. Therein lies the hope of something positive, especially when you don't know where to turn.

Here are some of the lyrics followed by a video link to take with you throughout the week.

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder,
You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger,
May you never take one single breath for granted,
GOD forbid love ever leave you empty handed,
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean,
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens,
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.

I hope you dance....I hope you dance.¹

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMtuygBrDWA

Go out there and cut loose and cut a rug!

Cheers!

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&rlz=1C1NNVC_enUS485US559&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=i%20hope%20you%20dance%20lyrics¹ (Viewed on 8/16/2015)

Call to Action!

Call to Action!

©Allen Merritt (2015)

I usually find interesting things to consider when I step out into the world. I generally see my observations as good; especially when they lead me to reflect on the potentiality of the day. This week introduced something unusual, which led me to deliberate on a couple of unrelated experiences followed by my curiosity. More specifically, the idea of how powerful change can be; the importance of initiating that change; and, working toward the best possible solutions. Let me start with a couple of stories.

Not long ago I was working on building a promotional video requiring several hours of planning, editing, tweaking and finalizing. After the third draft of the short piece (under 4 minutes in length) I was asked if it wouldn’t be nice to add a “call to action.” Specifically, the request was to include a simple petition for viewers to actively respond, as opposed to remaining a bystander or witness to the cause. After all, the intention of the video was to make an appeal to donors and fundraise for not-for-profit initiatives. This request added a dynamic element and proved powerful in the end. For me, the use of a “call to action” made quite the statement toward pushing for something positive.

Later that week, I observed a vehicle with an interesting looking American flag hoisted on the backend. It wasn’t the traditional red, white and blue stars and stripes scenario, but a black and white version. It was like someone had take a black and white photograph of the American flag; not one trace of color. I had never seen this before.

 I wondered what it meant or if it stood for anything. After doing some internet searching, I discovered a couple of possibilities: 1) The black and white flag stood for the economic recession and an interest toward paving the way for a better future¹, 2) It also serves as a representation of Black Americans struggles and interest in social change² and, 3) It is a flag given to soldiers deployed overseas.¹

Now, whether or not any or all of these statements are true to the unusual flag’s meaning, the most common thought appears to point directly toward a “Call to Action” or ‘Call for Change.” When things are looking bleak and life is wreaking havoc, making an effort toward turning the situation around means there is hope in life.

Sometimes finding a positive solution or paving a pathway for living positively in any environment means making a clear decision to do so, followed by a call to action within ourselves to work toward making it happen. Yes, as often as not we have to make it happen just as we would when we make our own happiness; because we understand that no one can actually make us happy, only contribute to the happiness we already have. In the midst of chaos we are faced with making choices to improve our situation or wallow around within it. With some, misery loves company. With others, chaos begets initiative. If we do not like our condition, we can move past it by making that call for action, a call for change.

In contemplating this week’s events, my thoughts are focused on the importance of keeping our eyes on the prize, looking up, keeping the chin up, working toward improving any given circumstance and staying the course despite it all. Choosing to remain positive, calm, cool and collected in times of strife and uncertainty pushes us toward a more joyful existence with meaning and purpose.

I would like to encourage a call to action, which centers on positive well-being for self and others. By doing so, we can improve individual and collective circumstances for the better part of the whole.

Remember, Be Cool, Be Positive!

Cheers!

https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120628002728AADLp5J¹ (Viewed on 8/2/ 2015)

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Black+and+Silver+Flag² (Viewed on 8/2/ 2015)

Where’s The Fire?

Where’s The Fire?
©Allen Merritt (2015)

Recently, I worked a conference at a large resort and casino. On the last day of the event the fire alarm for the entire resort went off just before 8:00 a.m. causing the first session of the day to be delayed until the source of the disturbance was investigated. This was for everyone’s safety, of course. Albeit a bit inconvenient when everyone is on a time schedule, I found it a situation pointing toward something good and positive. The reason I write about the incident is because sometimes negative things happen (or are disguised as negative) which are actually helping us go in a positive direction. In this case, the fire was a false alarm, so all was good in the end despite the inconvenience.

Now, fast forward three days later and I am driving down a roadway and notice emergency vehicles surrounding a car, which had somehow wound up on a high embankment and turn upside down in a tree. I admit I couldn’t help but wonder how in the world that could happen. Anyway, I kept on driving to find more emergency vehicles zooming by me. When I finally got to the grocery store I noticed a huge black plume of smoke covering the sky down in the same vicinity to where my conference took place. A fire had broken out next door sending everyone running and causing evacuations. Those fire crews contained that fire in about thirty minutes. One person was taken to the hospital. Wow! Negative energy all around and I was skirting the perimeter of it all.

In thinking about it, I find myself curious and somewhat inspired to explore possibilities. I think it is a given that with every negative there is a positive. It’s much like a coin. Every coin has a head and a tail. Every individual no matter their background, experiences or history deserves an opportunity to feel safe in whatever environment they walk into.

I suppose trying to live with a positive mindset is practice for being aware of and seeing more clearly when the negative situations are sneaking into the picture. Moreover, once identified there is a chance to see deeper into what we are calling “negative” and learning from it and moving out of the danger zone and toward safety.

It appears to me how this can cover many areas in life where we think what we are going through is the worst and most negative situation(s). Since hindsight is 20/20 (as they say) my positive point for this week is focused on looking back on why bad things may have happened at a certain place and time but led to better circumstances. How many of those situations can be turned around or were the cause of a turn around?

• Breaking up with the person you thought you were going to spend the rest of your life with
• Losing a job to find a better one more closely associated to your interest and skills
• Moving from one side of the country to another to stave off being in the middle of a disaster

I believe that sometimes we are not acutely aware of why things happen the way they do; and, learning to embrace the moment and make the most of it by looking for the positive eventually reveals the true positive only later down the road.

I am sure many of us can relate to these ideas and situations. And it serves to remind me of a couple of sayings:

Be careful what you pray for, you might get it.

Thank God for unanswered prayers.

It goes without saying that while these sayings might indicate the importance of thinking clearly and critically about each event. It also is a reminder to be thankful for the good situations and any answered prayers. Maybe there isn’t any rhyme or reason for why things happen the way they do, but it is something to think about, especially as we spend our time bouncing around all these energy fields that wreak havoc on us. In any case, when the fire alarm goes off, we should take it seriously. Our intuitions are there to guide us to safety and toward what may be better for us. The good news is with every negative there is a positive. When you can generate more positive out of the negative then we are making the most of everything.

Where’s the fire!

Use it to your benefit.

Cheers!