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You wake in a panic as you realize that your alarm should have gone off 30 minutes ago. In that moment your negativity takes over and you tell yourself that you’re in for a bad day. In your haste you spill coffee on your shirt. Your spouse is giving you a hard time over a household project that you never completed. You finally get out the door only to find yourself sitting in an endless traffic jam. Your boss calls asking where you are, then proceeds to tell you that you’ve just lost your largest client. You may argue that some of these circumstances may be out of your control, but your reaction to them is certainly in your control.…
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Posted by Joel Brookman in discipline, eliminate negativity, Positive Attitude, Positivity.
In college I had a friend I’ll call Jay. Jay lived in the apartment next door during my senior year. Our apartment complex was situated off a reasonably busy road. One day Jay drove me to class. When we pulled out of the complex to make a left turn (onto a two way road) he looked left, realized he was clear, then put the gas pedal to the floor. He did all this without ever looking right. On the day he drove me, fortunately there were no cars coming from the right. When I asked him about it he said that there were rarely any cars coming from that direction so he was fine.…
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Posted by Joel Brookman in risk.
A study was done that suggested that people from Denmark are the happiest in the world. Their happiness was attributed to their social interaction. It seems that 92% of Danes are members of some form of social group. Humans are social beings. We thrive when we are in the presence of those we enjoy. Another study was done in the late 90’s that suggested that 70 percent of our happiness is derived from our personal relationships. That includes, family, friends, neighbors and co-workers.
We all have special people we have met at some point in our lives. People for which we enjoy spending time.…
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Posted by Joel Brookman in happiness, Make people like you, relationships.
My wife was riding on a bike path as a little girl (probably seven or eight years old) approached from the opposite direction. Just before they crossed paths, a series of mud puddles presented themselves. In an attempt to remain clean and dry, my wife carefully plotted her path to avoid the puddles. As she was doing this, the little girl sped up and rode directly through the middle of each puddle letting out a shriek of delight as mud covered her beautiful outfit. It’s clear who had more fun in this situation. At some point in our lives we become “too mature” to do things like this.…
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Posted by Joel Brookman in Fun, happiness.
During my college summers, I would return to my parents home in New Jersey, manage a swimming pool store, and run a pool service business on the side. I made great money (especially for a college kid). When I would return to school in Florida, the available jobs were mostly low paying. I realized that if I worked hard enough in the summer, I could make enough to get through the school year without working in Florida. That left me a lot of time to study. Somehow the studying managed to take the full amount of time I had available. In the last semester of my senior year, I got a good job in Florida.…
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Posted by Joel Brookman in get more done, Get things done, highest and best use of time, productivity.
My mid 20’s were the most stressful period of my life. The irony is that there have been several periods that should have been far more stressful. The reason: I became self-aware in my early 30’s. That self-awareness provided perspective and brought me to realize that my stress was self-induced.
What is self-awareness
Self-awareness is having an understanding of your own personality such that you are in in tune with your weaknesses, your strengths, and your emotions. You are able to see yourself objectively. You have the knowingness that the essence of who you are goes beyond your job, your relationships, or your life situation.…
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Posted by Joel Brookman in balance, empowerment, happiness, personal growth, Perspective.
