From the Desk of Janet Barclay

I received these wonderful words of wisdom by email, and when I went online to try and learn the origin, all I found were other blogs where the writer had similarly received them by email. So I’ll do the same, but I like to give credit where credit is do, so if you know where this originally came from, please let me know!

 1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.

 2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.

 3. Buy a DVR and tape your late night shows and get more sleep.

 4. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, ‘My purpose is to __________ today.’

 5. Live with the 3 E’s — Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.

 6. Play more games and read more books than you did in 2007.

 7. Make time to practice meditation and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.

 8. Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6.

 9. Dream more while you are awake.

 10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.

 11. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.

 12. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

 13. Clear clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new and flowing energy into your life.

 14. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip, OR issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

 15. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

 16. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.

 17. Smile and laugh more. It will keep the NEGATIVE BLUES away.

 18. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.

 19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

 20. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

 21. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

 22. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.

 23. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

 24. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

 25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: ‘In five years, will this matter?’

 26. Forgive everyone for everything.

 27. What other people think of you is none of your business.

 28. Remember God heals  everything.

 29. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

 30. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

 31. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.

 32. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

 33. The best is yet to come.

 34. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

 35. Do the right thing!

 36. Call your family often. (Or email them to death!!!)

 37. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished _________.

 38. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

 39. Enjoy the ride. Remember this is not Disney World and you certainly don’t want a fast pass. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy the ride.

 40. Please forward this to everyone you care about.  (or share it on your blog - I just did!)

 May your troubles be less,

May your blessings be more,

May nothing but happiness come through your door!

 How many of things do you do - honestly? Why not put this list somewhere where you can read it often and remind yourself that despite what life throws at you, there is always something you can do to make things better.

Today I’m going to introduce you to one of my newest clients, Ariane Benefit, of Neat & Simple. Ariane started her own business in 1993 after a long and successful corporate career. No one was more surprised than she was when she was diagnosed last year with ADD. Like many of us, she had always assumed that people with ADD are unreliable, can’t sit still or focus on tasks, and never accomplish anything.

Ariane has learned that ADD is not that obvious. She says it’s kind of like having back pain - you can’t see it, but it sure makes it hard for you to walk, and you find a way to do it anyway.  She is amazed at the number of people who thought her achievements came to her so easily, but for her, it was a painful struggle that she worked very hard to conceal.  She has said that for almost every project she finishes, she probably has at least two that are unfinished, as well as countless new ideas, and as her virtual assistant, I can confirm that this is true! Sometimes it can be challenging to work with her, but because she has been open and honest with me about her ADD since day one, I’ve come to understand that a lot of what we’re doing is brainstorming, and that I shouldn’t try to get a clear picture of what my assignment is until the conversation is reaching a close and decisions have actually been made.

To learn more about Ariane’s experience and how she has learned to thrive despite the challenges of ADD, please read her blog post, How I Survived My Life with Undiagnosed Adult ADD and Learned to THRIVE!  If you know, work with or live with someone else who has successfully overcome ADD, I’m sure she would love to hear about it.

If you’re struggling with ADD or another challenge, whether it is physical, emotional, or mental, just remember that you too can overcome it and be successful, just like Ariane and many others have done.

A lot of jokes and inspirational stories are shared via email, and often the same ones will show up time and time again - some weren’t worth reading the first time, but others are really good, and a pleasure to read again.

Today, being the 11th anniversary of the day my mother passed away, I’d like to share one of those stories that recently reappeared in my inbox.

I overheard a mother and daughter in their last moments together at the airport. They had announced the departure. Standing near the security gate, they hugged and the mother said, "I love you and I wish you enough".

The daughter replied, "Mom, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Mom".
 
They kissed and the daughter left. The mother walked over to the window where I was seated. Standing there I could see she wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on her privacy but she welcomed me in by asking, "Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?".

"Yes, I have," I replied. "Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever good-bye?".

"I am old and she lives so far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is - the next trip back will be for my funeral," she said.

"When you were saying good-bye, I heard you say, ‘I wish you enough’. May I ask what that means?"

She began to smile. "That’s a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone". She paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail and she smiled even more. "When we said, ‘I wish you enough’, we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them". Then turning toward me, she shared the following as if she were reciting it from memory.

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how grey the day may appear.
 
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more.

I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting.

I wish you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger.

I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.

I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.

I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.

She then began to cry and walked away.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them but then an entire life to forget them.

TAKE TIME TO LIVE…..

To all my readers, I WISH YOU ENOUGH

A few months ago, I wrote about Bobby Assadourian, Owner of Triple R Inc., who attributes his success to his organizational skills. Bobby recently contacted me to let me know about his involvement in a very special project.

QuickContractors.com and Cambridge Insurance Brokers, with the help of Triple R. Inc. and CNS Renovations, are teaming up to provide a Barrier Free Home Renovation to the McQuinn family of Guelph, who were selected from 180 applicants. Amanda McQuinn was diagnosed with a brain tumor at the age of three. Doctors were able to remove over 95% of the tumor, but Amanda was left paralyzed on the left side of her body due to a stroke during surgery. She is now five years old and able to walk with the aid of her walker, but  unfortunately, the doorways at the McQuinn residence do not accommodate the width of the walker, and Amanda is forced to crawl in order to access the entire house. With the expense and time consumed caring for Amanda, The McQuinn family is unable to afford the costly modifications needed to make their home accessible for Amanda, but thanks to the Accessible Home Renovation Project, they are now receiving the help they need. This project is the culmination of the commitment of community members who feel we should all assist people with physical disabilities to maximize their independence, personal empowerment, and community participation.

I’ve taken off my Organized Assistant hat to let you know about the project, and to ask you that you help out in one of the following ways:

• Make a cash donation via PayPal
• Sponsor the 2nd Annual Accessibility Awareness Golf for Charity Tournament
• Participate in the Golf Tournament on September 10, 2007

Thanks for your support, and for thinking about the people in need in your community.

Last time I wrote about how indecision had been keeping me from moving forward with certain things, as well as keeping me up at night. Just becoming aware of that challenge has helped me to overcome it.

Which brings me to the topic of this month’s message on my motivational calendar:

CHALLENGE

They can conquer who believe they can.

William Dryden

I haven’t heard that particular quote before, but it reminds me of this one:

If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.

 Henry Ford

I can think of quite a few times, in both my personal and my professional life, where I reluctantly attempted something which took me outside my comfort zone, such as public speaking, attending a large networking event, or opening my eyes under water. In most cases, it was much easier than I expected to be. But even on those occasions where it was as difficult, or even more difficult, than I anticipated, I had the satisfaction of knowing that I had given it a shot. Then, when faced with a similar situation in the future, I would be able to decline because it was something I chose NOT to do, rather than something I didn’t think I COULD do.