Serendipity is a Daily Event

There are things all around us to cause us wonder but we’re either too busy or unconcerned to notice.

And then one day, things seem really bad. Perhaps it’s one bad thing after another. That’s when we seriously start to worry that all of the good has departed from our lives.

Then a sliver of sunshine peaks through the clouds and something good happens. But this time we consciously make the effort to appreciate the event. Sound familiar?

Try a different tack – start appreciating things before bad things happen. There is no lack of things to cause us wonder. Serendipity is a daily event.

Stop waiting for something good to happen. It already has; you just haven’t noticed it yet.

(Combined chapter themes – Your Spirit IS your Source of Wonder and APPRECIATE What You Have.)

*Looking for Sunshine is available on Amazon , Barnes and Noble, and other major booksellers.

**Now available as a Kindle E-book.

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Preventing Problems

The best way to prevent a problem is to deal with the warning signs you get before it has a chance to become one.

Many times, life provides us plenty of warning signs that a problem is on the way…a small leak around the base of your faucet, a little play in the steering wheel of your car, or a tingling sensation in your arm.

But human nature takes over and we wait, hoping things will correct themselves. We fool ourselves into thinking we can wait another day. And that’s fine unless another day becomes another day, which becomes another day, and then you’ve got problems.

The challenge is there are signs of potential problems everywhere, and they’re not all going to be problems. So it’s up to us to discern what’s important and what’s not.

What to do? Handle the things that can be handled – quickly and completely. And keep a close eye on the things you don’t handle.

“…take action; own your situation. You may not have brought the problem upon yourself, but only you can be responsible for removing it. This is not to say you can’t get outside help or support, but you must be the person ultimately responsible for initiating and managing the solution.” 

– from Chapter 2 – Your Situation IS YOURS

Now available as a Kindle E-book…as well as Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

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Planting Seeds

Do one thing each day that will move your career (life or relationship) forward.

Too often, we want things now. Our culture demands it. But in real life, as Stephen Covey puts it, the Law of the Harvest rules. You can’t sow seeds in late summer and expect a great fall harvest no matter how hard you push.

The same is true with what is important in our lives – our careers, our relationships, etc. – they all need to evolve.

Have you ever tried to rush a relationship? It usually never works. A relationship needs to evolve, and that evolution occurs when you do little things on a regular basis to consciously grow and nurture it.

Consider doing one thing each day that will consciously move you closer to your goal and stop trying to force things to happen.

 

 

Now available as a Kindle E-book…as well as Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

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Look for Inspiration

“The great thing about inspiration is that you can go looking for it. You can seek it out and allow yourself to be inspired on a regular basis. You especially need this ability when you are overwhelmed or in crisis. At those times, seeking inspiration needs to be almost an automatic response – a conscious decision and a focused effort.”

- from Chapter 1 – Move Towards What INSPIRES You

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Looking for SUNSHINE on Kindle

 

Looking for SUNSHINE is now available as a Kindle E-book…

as well as hard copy on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

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Don’t Change, Evolve

The differences between evolving and changing are distinct.

Change is abrupt. Evolving is gradual and more subtle.

Change is linear. Evolving is multi-dimensional and all-inclusive.

Change requires action and energy – both emotional and physical. In other words, change usually involves exertion and imbalance.

Evolving requires very little emotional and physical energy. It does require a thoughtful response to an anticipated event, but there’s no drama. There will be times when change is absolutely required. Change happens, as they say.

Evolving is a more advanced response; one that ensures closure, accomplishment, and a lasting transformation. Choose to evolve.

“Evolving is a strategy you can employ in many areas of your life, and it can work especially well when you’re dealing with a big problem. When a big challenge is staring you in the face, rather than fighting it or fleeing from it, take a quick account of things. Rise above it, if you can, and try to look at it with an outsider’s set of eyes.”

- from Chapter 10 – Evolve, Don’t Change

*Looking for Sunshine is available on Amazon , Barnes and Noble, and other major booksellers.

**Now available as a Kindle E-book.

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Get Perspective Not Opinions

Perspective is one of the hardest things to achieve when we are experiencing a problem.

Why? Because we tend to be so conscious and so focused on our problem that the solution could be standing right next us and we won’t see it. Perspective will help you solve a problem because it offers views and perceptions that aren’t yours exclusively.

Sometimes a problem really isn’t a problem, we’ve just labeled it that way. A good example is if you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by a problem that you could almost feel its weight. And then you saw someone else with a problem much worse than yours, and suddenly you didn’t feel so bad. Your viewing someone else and his problem was perspective.

You get perspective by observing and discerning, but not judging. We all have different ways of handling our problems. What’s right for me might not be right for you.

Perspective is like triangulation; you are looking at a problem from two or more vantage points in order to better understand and evaluate your problem. Use perspective to get out of your myopic state of mind and see how others are dealing with things. You will learn something.

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LOOKING for SUNSHINE – A Practical Guide for Dealing With Life’s Challenges

Looking for Sunshine is veteran business and life coach Jeff Pasquale’s latest book.   It is a handbook for people with problems.  (And who doesn’t have problems?)

Inside this little book are some big ideas about accepting, reframing, and resolving your problems.   When big problems occur in our lives, it can sometimes feel like a dark cloud is following you everywhere.  And the thing about problems is it’s not answers that we need as much as the perspective.

Some of the topics addressed include: Fear, Inspiration, Appreciation, Spirituality, Possibilities, and Solutions.

Looking for Sunshine provides an alternative path for people to consider when attempting to make sense out of difficult situations.

Looking for Sunshine is available on Amazon , Barnes and Noble, and other major booksellers.

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Quick Quiz Companion Tool # 3

The 3rd Quick Quiz Companion Tool is now available for download here:

~> LFS QuickQuiz – Self-Value

This one covers the areas of Self-Value, Frustration, & Fear.

All three quizzes, which are modeled after the subject matter in Looking for SUNSHINE, are available in the Free Tools section of this site (upper right).

 

Start With A Blank Page When Looking For Solutions

When looking for solutions, always start with a blank page. Look for that open space between your problem and its solution to identify actions you can start taking.

It’s also called the middle ground, that safe space where thoughts and ideas can germinate so that problem-solving actions can be found.

Do this without judgment and with the intent of raising your awareness about how to eliminate it.

Remember, you own the problem AND the solution.

 (Chapter 2 – Your Situation IS YOURS)

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An almost blank page (called the Problem-Solution Worksheet) can be found in the Free Tools section.