Ray’s Daily
June 26, 2019
The way to bring about change is to be proactive and active.
Octavia Spencer
When you retire and age somethings get harder and some things get too easy. Since there is no one to tell you what you must do, it becomes too easy to do too little. Important things like exercise,
socializing, getting out and about and even eating often are delayed until that elusive “next time.”
There is no one but ourselves that prevent us from isolation and stagnation.
I have friends that are over 100 years old who are active and engaged in life, they are some of the happiest folks I know. They never let them selves get into a rut; it is not always easy but they stay active.
Too many of us procrastinate and slip into the doldrums. It does not have to be that way. Here are excerpts from an article by Daniella Balarezo that offers some tips on how to overcome self imposed barriers to activity.
3 mental blocks that keep you from doing what you say you want to do
The bad news: We all face powerful mental blocks that stop us when we’re trying to achieve our goals. The good news: We can outwit them. Here’s how, according to cognitive psychologist Amanda Crowell.
Think about the last time you said you wanted to do something. Maybe you wanted to eat healthier, write every day in a journal, or declutter your home. But despite your sincere desire to achieve the goal, you’ve gotten no further than a few steps along the path. Why not?
Block #1: “I just don’t think I can do this.” – How to outsmart it: Try to think of each failure as just another step on the road to progress by developing what Stanford University’s Carol Dweck and other psychology researchers call a “growth mindset.” When you cultivate this kind of mindset, Crowell says, “these rookie mistakes lose their significance. They are no longer proof that you never should have tried. They’re opportunities to learn, because you know that at the heart of success is not talent; it’s effort over time that produces accomplishments.” The next time you feel like you’ve fallen short, tell yourself: “This is putting me one tiny step closer to my goal.”
Block #2: “People like me aren’t good at this.” – How to outsmart it: The answer is simple. “Find people like you doing things like this, and share your concerns with them,” says Crowell. She says, “I had to find a heart-centered helper type who was great at promoting her business and learn from her.” This peer showed her ways that she could sell her business without feeling like she was selling out. The closer you can bring your goal or activity to your identity, the easier it will be for you to move forward.
Block #3: “I feel like I have to do this thing, but I don’t really want to do it.” – How to outsmart it: Think of your intrinsic reason — the motivation behind why you’re doing what you say you want to do — as your own personal energy source. It’s there for you to tap into whenever you need it. And you will need it. Crowell says, “If the work you want to do is hard, there will be urges in the moment to quit, and it is intrinsic interest that keeps you focused on the steps you need to take.”
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I’ve found that luck is quite predictable. If you want more luck, take more chances. Be more active. Show up more often.
Brian Tracy
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A man is driving with his wife at his side and his mother-in-law in the backseat. The women just won’t leave him alone.
His mother-in-law says, “You’re driving too fast!”
His wife says, “Stay more to the left.”
After ten mixed orders, the man turns to his wife and asks, “Who’s driving this car – you or your mother?”
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Everyday I beat my own previous record for number of consecutive days I’ve stayed alive.
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The Matchmaker goes to see Mr. Avery, a confirmed bachelor for many years. “Mr. Avery, don’t leave it too late. I have exactly the one you need. You only have to say the word and you’ll meet and be married in no time!” says the Matchmaker.
“Don’t bother,” replies Mr. Avery, “I’ve two sisters at home who look after all my needs.”
“That’s all well and good, but all the sisters in the world cannot fill the role of a wife.”
“I said ‘two sisters’. I didn’t say they were mine.”
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Kissing — A means of getting two people so close together that they can’t see anything wrong with each other.
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A Sunday school class was studying the Ten Commandments. They were ready to discuss the last one. The teacher asked if anyone could tell her what it was. Susie raised her hand, stood tall, and quoted, “Thou shall not take the covers off the neighbor’s wife.”
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Good judgment comes from bad experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.
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The new inmate at the mental hospital announced in a loud voice that he was the famous British naval hero, Lord Nelson. This was particularly interesting, because the institution already had a “Lord Nelson.” The head psychiatrist, after due consideration, decided to put the two men in the same room, feeling that the similarity of their delusions might prompt an adjustment in each that would help in curing them. It was a calculated risk, of course, for the two men might react violently to one another, but they were introduced and then left alone and no disturbance was heard from the room that night.
The next morning, the doctor had a talk with his new patient and was more than pleasantly surprised when he was told: “Doctor, I’ve been suffering from a delusion. I know now that I am not Lord Nelson.” “That’s wonderful,” said the doctor.
“Yes,” said the patient, smiling demurely, “I’m Lady Nelson.”
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People who think they’re out of this world make you wish they were.
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Morris and Harry were both fanatics about deep sea fishing. Each would come back from fishing trips, and tell the other big lies about the number, and sizes of the fish they caught.
So Morris comes back from his latest fishing trip, and tells Harry… ….” You wouldn’t believe, but in da Bahamas I caught a 500 pound herring. ”
Harry says….” That’s nothing, last time I fished in da Bahamas, I pulled up an old lantern from a sunken Spanish ship….and da candle was still burning ! ”
They both looked at each other, knowing that the other was lying.
Finally, Harry said to Morris….” Look Morris, if you take 450 pounds from off your herring….I’ll blow out my candle! ”
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You have to push yourself when you’re older because it’s very easy to fall into the trap. You start to fall apart – you just have to do your best to paste yourself together. I think doing things and being active is very important. When your mind is busy, you don’t hurt so much.
Iris Apfel
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Ray Mitchell
Indianapolis, Indiana
Management is not responsible for duplicates from previous dailies. The editor is somewhat senile.
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