Mindset Over Age - Positive Thoughts Go A Long Way

It always seems my Blog gets more views than the source of this article so I've added it here.

This past month has been full of experiences at work that I felt impelled to write about it. I work for a company and help people with vulnerabilities. This can be age, health or low income related. Most of this is done over the phone where a lot about a person's state of mind can be found out during our conversation.

There will always be people that feel down due to one of the above but what really makes me smile is the amount of people that think positively regardless of their situation. Two that stood out for me recently were an 84 year old lady that had just returned from a 2 mile walk. She mentioned that it shocked her earlier that day to realise she was now 84. She said that others may be expecting her to slow down but she had no intentions of doing that. The other was an 80 year old lady. She honestly sounded like she was 30. When I mentioned this to her she said that she had long blonde hair, a slim body and wore up to date clothes so there was no reason for people to think she was a fuddy duddy 80 year old.

I love having conversations like that with customers. It shows that age is just a number. It's how you feel inside that matters - not how old you are. This happens time and time again in my job. In fact some take umbrage that they are called vulnerable due to their age. When I advise the only way we know if they truly are is by speaking to them then they are okay with it.

I have even found customers that have such massive health problems which may include them being on mains powered medical appliances but they always believe that someone may be worse off so they get on with their day without complaining. On the other side there are people that feel the world has done them a disservice. They feel depressed and stuck in a dark place feeling like victims. To them every day is the same and there feels no way out for them. Sometimes I hear they have been on antidepressants for years and never sent for any kind of counselling. I think this is a disgrace as we should be trying to help these people get back to a normal life.

Life for all of us is made of up and downs. If we look at what we learn in a down period we can apply this to our life to increase the amount of up periods that we have. I do not focus after work on all the customers that are so down although every so often one can really affect me. I listen to see if I can point them in any direction to help them and move on. This type of job is not for everyone I can assure you. Instead at the end of each day I think of anything that stood out in a positive way. This is what I take home with me rather than feeling dragged down by all the doom and gloom.

Getting back to age though I can often speak to someone in their 50's or 60's who truly sound as if they are 90. They have perhaps retired and have nothing to do with their lives. They already have closed mindsets that they cannot learn new technology because they are too old! I told a customer last week that if I had £1 for everyone that mentioned they may not still be on this earth next year that I would be very rich. It's a shame that people feel this way as they are wishing away their lives rather than finding things to enjoy in it.

I had a lady recently who came to one of my reiki workshops. Her plan had been to learn reiki when she retired later this year. I asked why wait till then and she has learned it before retiral. She has already thought of what she wishes to do in retirement and will be working through her level 2 in the future. The main thing I believe is to have extra interests outside of work or home before you retire. That way you can still have things to look forward to when it is time to move on.

Life should not stop until we are no longer of this earth. Every day we are alive we should make sure we are actually taking part in it. Like my 84 year old lady take a walk or a hike in nature. If your health restricts you take up a hobby. Nowadays there are many groups that can collect you and take you to places to meet other like minded people.

To all those that have the positive mindset I take my hat off to you. You know how to get the most out of life and are probably enjoying yourselves more than others in similar circumstances.

Take a look at your life and see where you are going? Are you going to be someone that makes the best of life or if not you can start to change it now.

Joy Fraser
Usui Reiki Master / Teacher
Edinburgh Scotland
http://www.peaceharmonyandjoy.co.uk

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joy_Fraser

Get with the programme this summer.

Do you ever feel it's time to wake up and get with the programme?  I was speaking to someone recently about how they were going to make a social media comeback. It made me think that I needed to increase my blogs as I was letting down those that looked forward to my posts. I think we all have spells of concentrating on different things but letting people find out about your business should be constant.

I have been remiss in blogging this year as I have been spending time on my reiki workshops and of course my lovable dogs. I am loving the amount of people coming forward for reiki workshops this year but more importantly it's as if everyone is waking from a deep sleep and becoming more spiritual either before or after training in a workshop to become attuned to reiki. The changes that I am seeing in each person are wonderful.

I wrote recently on my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/peaceharmonyandjoy that as I run small workshops I get to know people in more depth than if I was running larger groups. This is the right way for me to train and word of mouth has attracted more people to me who appreciate my style of training. This way is not right for everyone so check out in advance what way you want to learn. I feel so privileged to be able to continue my journey of learning as I help others start theirs. I learn so much from all my students and am introduced to many new things. I recently found a student to be hiding paintings she had made thinking they were nothing special. All I can say is watch this space. Hopefully in the future she will allow me to share some with you.

As the weather is changing and we have such interchangeable weather from sun one day to rain the next- or both in the same day, I will be spending as much time outdoors as I can from now on but will make sure I keep you all updated. Being outdoors makes me happy and my dogs will agree to that too.

I currently have vegetables growing in my garden and greenhouse for the first  time so it is a race against the slugs to see who wins. I have already been able to share the many plants I have grown from seeds with others  (who needs 50 tomato plants and 30 courgettes?) I would really like to share any vegetables that survive the slugs as well so will be keeping a close eye on them. For all the gardeners out there, why not pay it forward by giving away your extra plants too?

Like me, is there anything you have been putting off until now. If so, get with the programme, whether it's increasing exercise, going to the gym or just making time for yourselves. We are half way through 2014 already which is a scary thought so time for no more excuses.


If you would like to learn Reiki in Edinburgh or have already started on your journey, I have 2 workshops on in July. Check out my website for more details.

www.peaceharmonyandjoy.co.uk

Changing Your Thoughts To Create Harmony In Your Life.

I am lucky to have a field locally that is securely fenced. This means that anyone walking their dogs and puppies can let them off their leads to play and socialise. Last week on a day that I was off I took my pups there and saw Willow run to the fence with another dog. On the other side of the fence was a crow. The crow walked slowly on the pavement taunting the pups who could not reach it. It then flew just above their heads landing on top of the fence looking down at them before flying to a tree. I was advised by the other owners that this happened daily as the crow came to their 9 am club. It enjoyed outsmarting the puppies each day and often would fly above just to taunt them! I must make sure I take my camera or phone with me the next time I join in with them.
                                              

It reminded me of a few years ago walking my previous dog Misty in a local park when we were suddenly attacked  by crows. I assumed that they had chicks in the tree and were being a bit over protective as my dog and I certainly could not reach the tree! The interesting thing was for the next 3 years as we passed that particular tree we always got dive bombed. It made me aware that crows have long memories. I have since seen footage of this which showed that even when people that they had not seen for one year covered their faces, the crows still remembered them.

This got me thinking about how memories play a large part in peoples lives. How many of us can say that we genuinely don't harp back to things that we saw or were said to us or others in the past? I try to live in the now but don't always succeed. This may be because what I have put behind me may still be impacting on another so it can still be brought into a conversation. I remember considering being trained in Emotional Freedom Technique and went for a couple of sessions with the trainer. After the first one the trainer said " You must have had EFT before." I advised I had not and asked why she thought this. She said I did not have any distressing memories to dissolve. I said that I had worked through these with reiki but I'm not sure she believed me.  EFT works for many people but it was not for me at that time.



                                                 

How often do you hear that people are the way they are due to how they were brought up? This can sometimes be seen that an alcoholic or drug addict brings up a child that goes on to have alcohol or drug  related problems. I truly believe that for each of those children that take after the family there will be loads of others that go in the totally opposite direction. They often grow up stronger and successful, knowing that they have done it all by themselves. Of course they will have memories of how they were brought up but they don't let these hold them back. They use the memory to know what they do not want to be.

One thing to remember is how you react or speak to anyone can live on in their memory so be careful of what you say or do to others.  Once you say something, it cannot be taken back. The best type of memory to have is a positive one. Isn't it much better to be remembered for something good that you have said or done? We are all able to contribute to life in this way and it's never too late to start.

Let us be like the crow and create memories to hold on to but make sure from now on that they are only good ones. One of the things I love doing is Paying it forward. It always make me feel better to help others. This creates lovely memories for me to  keep.  You can check PIF out here and  also  in the UK. I also love just going out in all weathers to see the changes the seasons bring. When your mind takes a snapshot of all the colours and sounds surrounding you, these can be brought out to revisit anytime you want to feel back in those places.



If you live in Edinburgh, check out my workshops if you want to help change your life for the  better.

www.peaceharmonyandjoy.co.uk
UK Reiki Federation Master / Teacher