Silver Linings

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If you’re new here, this link-up is every Wednesday (until the 30 weeks are up and unless I forgot about it like I did this week, oops) and it’s based off these two articles – here and here. You are welcome to take the points in any direction you choose, what I go off of is only something to get the ol’ brain ticking. Original post is here.

I hope you’ll join me!

Previous posts: Week 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14,15 & 16.

Week 17!

Silver Linings
When things get tough, how do you emotionally handle the situation?
Are you a glass half-full or a glass half-empty?

I’m most certainly an optimist and so, my glass is always half-full.

After my first half-marathon in Las Vegas with my running buddy, Sunny.

I’ve had some really terrible things happen in my life (like most people) and the only way I’ve ever known to deal with those things is to smile through it. Sure, I get down on myself or frustrated with a situation but I don’t let those things permanently affect my life or the people in my life. We only have one short life to lead, why would I want to keep it miserable when I have a choice in making it awesome?

We don’t always have a choice in what happens to us but we do have a choice in how we react to it. My reaction is to usually breathe deeply, push forward and hope that His plan and my actions coincide. Silver linings are in everything – sometimes it just takes a little distance to see them.

Is there something in your life where the silver lining wasn’t so easily seen?

Jealous Much?

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If you’re new here, this link-up is every Wednesday (until the 30 weeks are up) and it’s based off these two articles – here and here. You are welcome to take the points in any direction you choose, what I go off of is only something to get the ol’ brain ticking. Original post is here.

I hope you’ll join me!

Previous posts: Week 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 & 15.

Halfway done, woohoo!
On to Week 16!

Jealous Much?
Have you ever caught yourself being the green-eyed monster?

Oh, yes. The insane amount of connections we have available to us to witness others joys & accomplishments & bragging certainly pull my green-eyed monster out from the depths of my soul. In my early 20s, this jealous would eat at me. I mean, I was deserving! Why didn’t wonderful things happen to me as they seemed to happen so easily for others?!

Oh to be 21 again.

But as I’ve grown and matured, as easy as that jealousy surfaces it’s becoming just as easy to push it back down. Something that has really helped me with this is that over the past year I’ve made a conscious effort that when those feelings arose, I’d say a simple prayer thanking the Lord for all that He has given me instead of focusing on what I thought He should have given me. It’s not only a great way to say thanks but to also remind myself of all that I am blessed with.

I think our society tends to focus a lot on what the next big thing is (technology, vacations, viral videos) and forgets that things don’t need to be advanced to be beautiful. It’s the simplest things we should be grateful for that we forget about.

Breathing.

I am currently breathing. How wonderful and blessed am I to simply acknowledge the fact that I am alive? I am alive! I can walk, I can run, I can provide for my family, I can hug my family, I laugh, I live, I am blessed. 

Jealousy certainly comes around from time to time but I refuse to make it a permanent home in my heart, I have too much awesome stuff there already, I don’t need something as crappy as that to tear that away. Ain’t nobody got time for that.

How do you handle jealousy?

 

Who is your Biggest Competitor?

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If you’re new here, this link-up is every Wednesday (until the 30 weeks are up) and it’s based off these two articles – here and here. You are welcome to take the points in any direction you choose, what I go off of is only something to get the ol’ brain ticking. Original post is here.

I hope you’ll join me!

Previous posts: Week 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 & 14.

Week 15!

Who is your biggest competitor?
Do you compete with yourself or with others?

I’ve struggled with comparing myself to others – especially in this social media focused world – but overall, it’s usually with myself. Of course, the first thing I think of is running. Over the past couple of years, I’ve pushed myself harder and further than I ever dreamed. And I did it all while maintaining a below average running pace despite the fact that I’m young and in decent shape. And you know, had people pushing two kids in strollers passing me while on the phone.

But when doubts started to creep in, I’d just remind myself at how far I have come – one of the perks of blogging about it for sure. I’d just be able to look back at my previous times or race recaps and instantly be transported to my first 10k, or half, and that was enough for me to keep pushing through.

Who do you compete with?

Meeting New People

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If you’re new here, this link-up is every Wednesday (until the 30 weeks are up) and it’s based off these two articles – here and here. You are welcome to take the points in any direction you choose, what I go off of is only something to get the ol’ brain ticking. Original post is here.

I hope you’ll join me!

Previous posts: Week 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 & 13. 

Week 14!

Meeting New People
Do you make friends easily? Does it make you anxious?

Yes, I think I make friends easily or at the very least I think I’m pretty easy to get along with. In the previous post, I mentioned how I’m cautious when it comes to allowing new people into our life but the actually meeting new people part when we’re out and about – comes fairly easy to me. As it does for Alfred, probably why we always get confused for swingers (true story). We’re just friendly people.

Anyway, we moved around a lot growing up and so I’ve had a lot of experience with introducing myself to people. I saw how friendly my mom was in her job (she’s a waitress) and I loved watching her interact with people, she was always so easygoing and laughing. The thing I’ve found is people like to laugh and so they like to be around people who make them laugh, and that’s kind of just how I’ve always rolled. My sister & brother are the same way. We can laugh for hours at nothing and everything.

My husband tells me that’s why we have chipmunk cheeks. The muscles are strong in these ones.

How do you feel about meeting new people?

Do you gravitate towards them or shy away?