Tag : Hope

5 Value Tips to Lasso Happiness

Posted by Dr. Judy at 3:00 am

“Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Bet that line rings a bell.
If you’re my age it does, but wait till you hear about our young people.

I recently read an article about America’s young adults and how they
know almost zilch about American history. Sad, not to appreciate the
Constitution, Bill of Rights, or Declaration of Independence. My freedom
value rings out like the Liberty Bell. Next, my gratitude value chimes in. 
Hope, tenacity, and confidence values peal in next. All necessary to be
happy no matter what era you lived nor where you live.

To be happy in 1776. To be free to follow your dreams and forge ahead
into life. Can you imagine being a pioneer? The hardship journey to cross
the ocean and have no idea how you would traverse the unknown once
you reached distant shores? But these folks were courageous, yes, another
value, and they were happy amidst their hardship trials and tribulations.
Why? They had mission and a purpose. Opportunity they created for themselves!

One thing we know about happiness, after your basic needs are met, you’re
not much happier making more money if your goal is only to buy more stuff.
If you are, the happiness is fleeting. Buying happiness is a short term fix.
Pursuing it, “I want happiness now!” will get you nowhere. Yet most folks say,
“To be happy is what I want!” Like it was one entity and once you got it, it was
yours for keeps. Good news is if you share your moola in service of others,
happiness ensues. But you need to keep priming your pump to allow happiness
to flow.

Good news is you can mindfully plan to DO activities and FEEL happier. Being
flexible and curious and challenging yourself to stretch out into your world is
the ticket. Not that you can have a joy ride all the time. How boring!

Were you raised to think happiness was a by-product that you received/achieved
after a job well done? After you saved your money, you could buy or do what you
wanted? Accomplishment. It is one of positive psychology’s Dr. Marty Seligman’s
Five elements of well-being he calls PERMA:

Positive Emotion

Engagement

Relationships

Meaning

Accomplishment

This isn’t to say you need to be a workaholic. It means happiness comes as a result
of you feeling fulfilled after a job well done, savoring a meaningful victory with
friends,  and knowing your life has a purpose and meaning. You don’t TRY to be
happy. You  notice it on your journey, are mindful of it, and better yet, you
gratefully share it with others.

So what IS happiness to you?  I hope you know.(There I go with a value again!)
If not,  I challenge you to sit a spell with yourself. Take out a piece of paper and
write down five times you felt happy. What the patterns do you notice? How
might you repeat them?  When? You owe it to yourself to do, feel, and acknowledge
your life’s joyful gems.

Want a tip?
Use all your five senses to be aware of your world. Let “taste, touch, smell,
hear and see” be your happiness cheat sheet! Remember, if you write it
down, you will remember it better.

That is you I see getting out a piece of paper, right?

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Want to discover how Cubans with almost no resources are happy?

You can see how in my new book ~
Photo Adventures in Cuba ~ Unlock Your Power of Positivity!
Click here to take a peek!

I’d love to hear from you!
Just send me your questions, and I will answer in a future blog.
You can also connect with me on facebook, LinkedIn, or twitter
www.facebook.com/drjudykrings

Turquoise Runs Rings Around Resilience

Posted by Dr. Judy at 3:00 am

Has your life ever been hi-jacked? Let me tell you a true story.
It began 4 years ago. How would you feel if this happened to you?

What if you were 89 years old and in one fell swoop lost your identity
as you had known it? You were whisked off to an assisted living center,
your broken ankle in a cast, your butt in a wheelchair, and deaf because
no one remembered to bring along your cochlear implant? Your daughter
is desperately trying to get a plane flight to come and look after you.
Shockingly quick, within a matter of days per your wishes, your house is
sold for a low ball price. You will never see the home you designed and
built 50 years ago. No saying good-bye to your possessions. Never get to
water your precious plants in your beloved greenhouse. No one last time.
Tough to swallow, but at least you rationalize your house was sold. That’s
how fast life locked the door to my Mom’s reality.

Resilience. Pluck. Awareness and acceptance. They all took time.
But her 90th birthday surprise a month later really perked her up.
Connections. Belonging. Tenacity to heal. Petting her sweet Scottie
dog, Katie, once in awhile, made life worth living again. As you know,
Mom is now 93, out of assisted living, and as she put it, “Living like a
princess, no make that a queen!” at Cathy and Bill’s home in Delaware.
She’s the one with two dogs in her lap with 3 larger pups vying for attention.

But one small detail was lacking, not that Mom would ever complain.
Mom’s hands have been knotted and swollen by arthritis for years.
She missed wearing a ring, but she didn’t want me to buy her new ones nor
to have her rings sized larger. But one day a few months ago, she was
philosophically saying she did miss wearing a ring, but she knew none would fit.

You know me; I had a light bulb moment. On my next flight home, I took all
her rings. I also went to an antique shop and bought 3 I thought might fit.
Full of hope, off to Delaware I flew, rings tucked safely in my purse along
with the whole top tray of her old jewelry box.

To see Mom’s face light up when she saw those rings was worth a million bucks.
With vigor and hope in her heart, she delightedly tried on every one. To her
surprise, several fit. Talk about joy! I was praying her 30 year old watch would
work, too, if I could find a battery. Eureka! I lucked out. That old turquoise
time piece kindly began tick-tocking away.

I am in my 6th decade, and it never ceases to amaze me how every time I
visit Mom, I learn something new about life. To savor. To let go of regrets.
To look for the good. To appreciate EVERYTHING! Mom is the poster girl
for living positive psychology and living her best life now.

Turquoise blue like the azure seas of the Pacific…I look down upon this beauty
ever day from our jungle perch here in Puerto Vallarta.  Everyday I think of
Mom wearing her rings and watch.

What has been your toughest life challenge?
Which strengths became your life preserver?
Which ones plastered a smile upon your face again?
Courage, love of learning, forgiveness? What else?

No matter what, you have 24 strengths to choose from everyday to feather
your nest.  Time to soar to new heights. Just like Mom.Did you remember
I wrote a strengths book dedicated to her?

Want to review your strengths and see how to make them work for you?
You can see fun and picturesque 2-page stories in my new book.
Click here to take a peek!

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I’d love to hear from you!
Just send me your questions, and I will answer in a future blog.
You can also connect with me on facebook, LinkedIn, or twitter
www.facebook.com/drjudykrings

Do you suffer from Excuse Abuse? 7 Tips To Get It Done and No Whine with Your Cheese!

Posted by Dr. Judy at 3:00 am

© 2011 Dr. Judy Krings

Is “Yes, But” or “If Only” your middle name?

Got too much on your procrastination plate, Bubba?

Is the phrase “personal responsibility” an oxymoron? An impossible dream?

Time to optimize optimism and happily ingest intestinal fortitude. Only you
can get to your designated finish line.

Save your sanity! Ignite these 7 tips and learn how to tolerate, calm, and accept
yourself as you accomplish with bliss! Don’t even think about making excuses as
you read these. I will hunt you down, and we WILL have one hot-to-trot coaching
session! Have fun and get it done! Here’s how:

1. Stop, take a deep breath in your nose, then breathe out your mouth with a
big sigh! Cut yourself some slack. Make a specific, realistic, time sensitive, able
to do, prioritized “to do” goal list. Feel your relief as you take a few more deep
breaths. One small step, then another. You will get there.

2. LOL. You heard me right. When you find yourself off track, laugh out loud.
Read a joke, watch a funny video, or go on line and Google laughing clubs.
Taking a break makes you work/play more effectively.

3. Honestly ask yourself, “What am I really avoiding? Greet your angst. Hug it.
Love it. Help it get back on track. Reward yourself when you accomplish even
a small goal win. Sing! Dance! Pat yourself on the back and grin!

4. Give thanks! Become a gratitude junkie. Thank yourself for getting things
done. Look for what you DO accomplish, not at what you don’t. Team with a
partner who can celebrate with you.

5. Ditch Stuck-it is? Think of folks who have it worse off than you. You will not
need to look far. Tell yourself, “I CAN!” and believe it.

6. Don’t bite off more than you can chew and criticize yourself. Make a list at
the end of the day of what you accomplished. Be realistic. Tomorrow is another
day. Remind yourself every day. Put the NIKE Swoosh somewhere you can
see it. Tell yourself,”Just do it!”

7. Personal responsibility is about loving yourself. Being enough. Not there?
Get some help! Call a friend or get a coach. You are everything you need, but
perhaps you lost where you put it? Write your top 5 signature strengths on funky
paper and plaster it everywhere.

Is that you rummaging around your closet looking for your Values in Action 24
Character Strengths? Way to go! Forgot them? Go http://www.coachingpositivity.com.
You will see them waiting for you in all their glory.

NO excuses! You want to be a winner in getting plans made and goals done, right?

The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it,
but that it is too low and we reach it. ~ Michelangelo

“Judy Krings is an honest hold-your-feet-to-the-fire coach who
can help you get to your goals, and she does it with joy and
humor!” Dr. Kevyn Malloy, MentorCoach, Director of Learning

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I love your comments, so I hope to hear from you! Feedback is fun.

Need more coaching positivity strengths? Get more fun well-being and flourishing
tips and my free Ebook at http://www.coachingpositivity.com.

Hope you enjoy a peek at my glossy new strengths book,
“Photo Adventures in Cuba ~ Unlock Your Power of Positivity”, too.
Or download a copy for your kindle or ireader at
http://www.amazon.com/Photo-Adventures-in-Cuba-ebook/dp
/B005CRDHWY/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1316487933&sr=1-1

Full-time Employment and Flying High!

Posted by Dr. Judy at 3:00 am

My old photo is from 2009, but I couldn’t resist! When is the last time
you were flying this high? I was at the Mentor Coach Conference in Sedona,
when my dream to fly in a bi-plane took wing! Scary as hell, but I did it.

The “youngins” photo was taken a few days ago. I asked son
Sean to have someone snap a fun photo of his buddies.
He came through! Here’s the fun back story.

A recent phone call from my son Sean’s girlfriend,
Heidi, brought back the same emotion. Full throttle joy.
She was touching base to see how Ken’s eye surgery went
and how my Mom was faring. Sweet! Next, Sean’s friends,
Thad and Zak grabbed the phone and filled me in with how their
lives were panning out. Tenacious Thad has a technical job he
enjoys with a new challenge every day.

Zak is banking an upcoming job interview will strike a vane of
full time employment gold. “It’s not my dream job, but it’s a job,
and I can watch out for another.” Great critical thinking!

That’s when I had an epiphany. I “saw” Zak speaking in front of many people,
like a Tony Robbins moment. His velvet voice rang true. Clear as a bell.
The job he is interviewing for has nothing to do with speaking. I asked him
what his college major had been. Yep,public speaking and communications.
I “know” he will be doing just that one of these days. Strangely, I then visioned
a panther stalking his prey. I told Zak (these kids already know I’m weird!)
piped up with, “Patience and Pounce…Eureka! That’s me!”

Can you feel the hope and optimism in these “kids” ages 23-31?
Resilience, perseverance, and gratitude blipping on their radar screens.
I remember not long ago when Sean called us thrilled to have scored a
new job with full medical and dental benefits as well as a stellar
retirement program. Music to our ears.

What opportunity is flying past you?
What might happen if you went full throttle and flew with a new idea?
Hey…There’s room in the jump seat. Wanna go flying with me?
Nothing like great friends. Sharing is caring.

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P.S. Judy loves to hear your comments.
Feel free to send her questions you may have!
You can also connect with Judy on facebook, LinkedIn, or follow her on twitter
http://www.facebook.com/drjudykrings

HURRY Huge Pre-Order Discount still available!
“Photo Adventures in Cuba ~ Unlock Your Power of Positivity”
http://www.coachingpositivity.com/photo-adventures-in-cuba/

One Perfect Bloom

Posted by Dr. Judy at 3:00 am

© 2011 Dr. Judy Krings

One perfect bloom.

What would it look like in your life garden?

Which one of your strengths blossoms most beautifully?

But why paint your life with strokes of one color?

Is that you I see formulating an action plan? Need more color?

Racing off to your garden store, are ya now?

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P.S. Judy loves to hear your comments.
Feel free to send her questions you may have!

You can also connect with Judy on facebook, LinkedIn, or follow her on twitter.
http://www.facebook.com/drjudykrings

Pre-Order a copy of her new book NOW!
Visit: coachingpositivity.com
“Photo Adventures in Cuba ~ Unlock Your Power of Positivity”