Pause- by Olivier Verne

 

I’m hitting the Pause button on this series, because I think it’s important to do so.  So often we get caught up in the ‘getting’ and ‘doing,’ that we are no longer living in harmony; we are no longer living in balance and it shows.  We are anxious and tired.  Our tempers flare easily and we don’t know why.  We are frustrated and unhappy; we may even be miserable…so we end up making those around us miserable too.  Sometimes we have to pause our attitudes to ‘Stop the Insanity’.

As I understand it, our emotions are merely a barometer of what’s going on in our minds and bodies; nothing more.  Extreme emotions or prolonged feelings may indicate that our bodies are not getting the vitamins and minerals they need,
and we should seek to correct that.  Our physical bodies are wonderfully crafted machines and simply cannot operate without certain fuels, fluids and lubricants…like an automobile.  In cases such as that, I suggest you seek the counsel of a medical practitioner, and those acute situations are not what this article is about.

This article assumes you are taking care of your machine, but it’s ‘acting up’ in the way of negative emotions.  You don’t understand why you’re feeling angry or unhappy ‘all of the time.’  When I notice these types of emotions in myself, I know that it is time for me to Pause.  I have become distracted by all that I ‘must’ do and get, living in our modern world, and I simply need to shift my focus.

Gratitude is to me, the easiest and quickest way to shift my focus away from what I don’t want to what I do want in my life.  And commuting is the best time for that in my opinion, since I need to be ‘present’ while I’m driving anyway to ensure I reach my destination safely.  I start simple (just don’t close your eyes while you’re driving).  I get grateful for eyes that can see, and ears that can hear, and for an automobile to get me where I need to go.  Even if it’s not the one I prefer to be
driving, I am more fortunate than so many in the world who do not have one.  I’m grateful for functioning arms and legs that allow me to drive.  I’m grateful for a wondrous brain which is the command center for it all.

I’m grateful for the money to buy the gasoline needed to drive my car.  I get grateful for every green light I encounter and for every considerate driver on the road.  If I’m on my way to work, I am grateful for a job.  Even if it’s not my ideal position, I am more fortunate than millions of others who don’t have one, and that job has provided the income for me to buy the gasoline and oil changes for my vehicle.  If I’m on my way to the store,  I am grateful for my job because it gives me the income to purchase whatever I’m about to get- whether that’s groceries or clothes.  And if it’s a reward or ‘toys’ I am truly fortunate because so many are just ‘getting by’ and don’t have the extra that I do.  And yes, I actually say this
aloud…when I’m traveling alone.

If you don’t have a vehicle to drive, you can still be grateful for whatever mode of transportation you do have.  You can be grateful for a bicycle, taxi or a bus.  And even if you’re walking wherever you go, you can still be grateful for strong legs and steady feet that get you there.  There is simply no scenario that doesn’t have something to be grateful about.
We can always be grateful…because someone always has it worse than we do.  You can still use your ‘commute’ as a time to be grateful; waiting in lines is also an excellent time for gratitude in my opinion, and will cause the wait time to fly by.

If I come home to a mess, I get grateful for my family members who made it that way.  I get grateful for a roof over my head because so many don’t have that.  I am thankful for that sock on the floor because it means we are wealthy enough to have socks.  As I pick up the stray magazine, toy or dish, I am grateful for having the money to purchase that item; I’m grateful for the money to pay for the electricity to read the magazine, play with the toy, and heat the water to wash the dish.  I’m thankful that I can read the magazine.  I actually say this aloud too, even if others are around, because s/he can hear the gratitude and get grateful as well!
And I can be thankful for toys on the floor because it means my children are alive and at home, rather than on the streets and getting into trouble (this one I say in my head).

Gratitude, like any emotion, is infectious, and how much better would the world be if we walked around in a state of gratitude!?!  And the gratitude can go on and on and on…because we are so blessed.

And the Truth is it is impossible to be both angry and grateful at the same time; both anxious and grateful at the same time; impatient and grateful at the same time. We just can’t.  Heck…I’ve gotten grateful and excited just writing this article!
I have so much, and I have you!

 

As you go through this next week, ask yourself these questions:

1. Have I been paying more attention to the ‘getting’ and ‘doing’ of life than I have the ‘having’ and ‘being’?

2. Am I grateful for all that I have?

3. What can I be grateful for today that I hadn’t previously thought about?

 

You can do this!  Take it one step at a time, one choice at a time, and you will see your finances and your life just getting better and better!
I guarantee it.

Decide today that you are tired of being a slave to your emotions, and do something about that.  Emotions, like thoughts, are a choice.  Choose the good ones

Live Victoriously!

Olivier M. Verne

MyMoneyMaster@ymail.com

(c) 2011, Olivier M. Verne.  May be used with
permission.  All other rights reserved.

 

About the author:
Olivier M. Verne, an author, editor, speaker, consultant and former Debtor Education instructor and monthly newsletter contributor, is single and lives in Miami, FL.  Additionally, being a consumer bankruptcy paralegal for nearly 14 years and a writer for over 20 makes Olivier uniquely qualified to write about this area of expertise and passion: personal financial management.

Olivier humorously shares this knowledge in a positive, fun, plain-English way the makes everyone want to learn and make the changes necessary to succeed financially.  Olivier’s readers learn how to conquer their fears about money, gain tools for responsible money management, and dispel the myths which keep them broke.  And Olivier is always just an email away, regardless of where you live.