In A Split Second By now I think we can all attest to the fact that our lives can change in a split second! It might be a decision we make, a death, an award or lack of one or any of a thousand other things. I wanted to spend some time talking about another split second in our lives though, one that we seldom think to recognize or contemplate.  For a moment, think about that person(s) or that thing(s) in your life you hate. (Feel free to substitute “dislike a lot”, “feel like punching” or any other term that means essentially the same thing.) The reasons or circumstances aren’t important. Now think about how many weeks, months, maybe even years you’ve felt that way. All of those negative feelings that you’ve had percolating inside of you for all of that time, not only affect how you feel but how you act too.  Now, would you believe me if I said that in one instant, you can get rid of all that hate and all the negative feelings? Spend a minute thinking about how that will that affect your life?  Just as in one split second the decision was made to hate, in one split second, the decision not to hate can be made. Now, as it always has been, the decision to let those life toxins go is yours. As you move forward in your life, do your best to realize the split seconds you are lucky enough to have. Plus, realize that both negative and positive exist in every split second in your life. But, you have the power and the obligation to make the right choice.  I believe in you. Now it’s time for you to believe in you too! Peace      ……Gregg [If you haven’t signed up to have all of my One Minute Blogs and my A Common Man’s Wisdom podcasts on substack, I hope you’ll give it some consideration. IT’S FREE! You can subscribe at [email protected] …..Gregg]

(Yes, there’s a catch! There’s always a catch!) No matter how long ago you got out of school or even if you never went to school, grab a sheet of paper and a pen or pencil, your phone or iPad or a computer because it’s Homework Time! It’s not as bad as it sounds, I thought I’d share a homework assignment to give myself every once in a while in this One Minute Blog. Ready? OK, here we go… Take 5 minutes or so and write out a list of people who you believe to be truly outstanding in some way. These people can either be people you actually know or those you’ve seen from a distance or a mix of both. They might be as ordinary as they come or they might be famous. They might be noted for their brains or a great actor or singer, exceptionally caring, etc. Just write down their names and then underneath them, write out what trait it was that you found exceptional about that person. Once you’re finished with that, focus in on just the traits that you’ve written down.  It’s those traits that provide a great look into what you value the most in and around your life! Ask yourself what traits you might have the most of and what traits you’re looking for in those around you whether that’s at home or work and even those people you might vote for or against. Next, and this is the really hard part, ask yourself what traits your lacking the most. Ask yourself how you can develop those coveted traits and ask yourself who you can trust to help you. As I said earlier, this is something I sit down a do every few months or so. I save my old data so I can also look back and see what traits I chose then and now and how they might differ. It’s fairly brief and like all great exercises, it yields some great results. So, enjoy… Peace       ……Gregg

There are many, many ways that would help to find happiness. There are also many, many ways we have of covering a lot of them up. So, I thought it might be a good idea from time to time just talk about a few of those ways that have worked for me at a time. That way, we can work them into our lives, see what works and what doesn’t and move forward to the next installment. So, here are the first 5 Tips Toward Happiness… IMAGINE HAPPINESS AS A COLOR Pick a color…any color and then in your mind associate that color with happiness. Whenever and wherever you see it, anytime of the day or night, remember some of the happiest things that have ever happened in your life. Also, whenever things aren’t going the way you want them to go, look for that color. If you can’t see it then imagine it, think of it and be happy… CELEBRATE, APPRECIATE AND ACT ON WHATEVER YOU’RE GIVEN TODAY Somehow we’ve convinced ourselves that it’s OK to put off things that will make us happy. Don’t! My Dad used to say that “When good is in the air, that’s the time to take a deep breath!” Don’t put things off or they will find someone else to appreciate. When something good happens, take the time to Celebrate it, to Appreciate it and then to Share it! (Which will make you even happier) DO SOMETHING FOR SOMEBODY ELSE Whatever the situation and wherever you might be, find a way to do something for someone else. It might be a compliment, have a pizza or a dinner delivered to someone, send some flowers, pay for the car behind you in the drive through, call someone just to say I love you or just tell them how much they mean to you…  REMEMBER THAT EVERY SINGLE PERSON WE’LL MEET TODAY CAN USE SOME KINDNESS Sometimes people can be a real handful! Sometimes we can be a real handful! Maybe, just maybe your purpose today is to fulfill their need for someone to bring kindness into their lives. Do that, and you’ll be amazed at how much happier you are too! IN ORDER TO BE HAPPY YOU 1ST NEED TO ALLOW HAPPINESS INTO YOUR LIFE There are times when we get mired so deeply into unhappiness or frustration or grudges or anger that we get comfortable with it, without even realizing it. That state of mind becomes our normal. As long as we’re in that state, we can’t make our way to happiness. The only way to begin is to acknowledge we are unhappy and what the real reason(s) we’re not happy are. Then make ourselves believe that what we really want, is to be happy! Remember that each of these 5 things are changes and changes in our lives are both  hard and seldom happen overnight. Remember a couple of other things too…You can do this and You deserve to be happy! Take a deep […]