Ray’s Daily
July 2, 2019
“Calmness is the cradle of power.”
Josiah Gilbert Holland
Not all of us learn how we can live a more tranquil life. There is a lot of truth in the old adage that reminds us not to sweat the small stuff and don’t fear the bigger stuff. My family sometimes questions why I don’t often panic when we encounter a setback. There are two reasons, first it is not worth it and second, I can deal with challenges more easily when my thoughts are not in disarray.
We can all benefit by embracing calmness. Here are some ways we can do that. I have edited the article for space reasons, but left the key points.
10 ways smart people stay calm
TRAVIS BRADBERRY
While I’ve run across numerous effective strategies that smart people employ when faced with stress, what follows are ten of the best. Some of these strategies may seem obvious, but the real challenge lies in recognizing when you need to use them and having the wherewithal to actually do so in spite of your stress.
They appreciate what they have – Taking time to contemplate what you’re grateful for isn’t merely the “right” thing to do. It also improves your mood, because it reduces the stress hormone cortisol by 23%.
They avoid asking “what if?” – “What if?” statements throw fuel on the fire of stress and worry. Things can go in a million different directions, and the more time you spend worrying about the possibilities, the less time you’ll spend focusing on taking action that will calm you down and keep your stress under control.
They stay positive – Positive thoughts help make stress intermittent by focusing your brain’s attention onto something that is completely stress-free.
They disconnect – Given the importance of keeping stress intermittent, it’s easy to see how taking regular time off the grid can help keep your stress under control.
They limit their caffeine intake – Drinking caffeine triggers the release of adrenaline. Adrenaline is the source of the “fight-or-flight” response, a survival mechanism that forces you to stand up and fight or run for the hills when faced with a threat
They sleep – I’ve beaten this one to death over the years and can’t say enough about the importance of sleep to increasing your emotional intelligence and managing your stress levels.
They squash negative self-talk – A big step in managing stress involves stopping negative self-talk in its tracks. The more you ruminate on negative thoughts, the more power you give them.
They reframe their perspective – Stress and worry are fueled by our own skewed perception of events. You can’t control your circumstances, but you can control how you respond to them. So before you spend too much time dwelling on something, take a minute to put the situation in perspective.
They breathe – The easiest way to make stress intermittent lies in something that you have to do everyday anyway: breathing. The practice of being in the moment with your breathing will begin to train your brain to focus solely on the task at hand and get the stress monkey off your back.
They use their support system – It’s tempting, yet entirely ineffective, to attempt tackling everything by yourself. To be calm and productive, you need to recognize your weaknesses and ask for help when you need it.
~~~
“Calmness is a human superpower. The ability to not overreact or take things personally keeps your mind clear and your heart at peace.”
Marc Chernoff
~~~
The first mate on a ship decided to celebrate an occasion with a “little” stowed away rum. Unfortunately he got drunk and was still drunk the next morning. The captain saw him drunk and when the first mate was sober, showed him the following entry in the ship’s log: “The first mate was drunk today.” “Captain please don’t let that stay in the log”, the mate said. “This could add months or years to my becoming a captain myself.” “Is it true?” asked the captain, already knowing the answer. “Yes, its true” the mate said. “Then if it is true it has to go in the log. That’s the rule. If its true it goes into the log, end of discussion” said the captain sternly.
Weeks later, it was the first mate’s turn to make the log entries. The first mate wrote: “The ship seems in good shape. The captain was sober today.”
~~~
TEACHER: If you received $10 from 10 people, what would you get?
SASHA: A new bike!
~~~
A ventriloquist and his little dog were traveling through the country and stopped at a farm house where the man promised the farmer he would have the dog talk some for him if he would give them something to eat. The farmer brought out some supper for the man and some bone scraps for the little dog. As they were eating, the ventriloquist asked the dog, “How do you like your supper, Carlo?” “Plenty bone but not much meat!” the dog replied. The farmer was astounded, said, “What’ll you take for that dog?” The traveller said, “Oh, couldn’t part with my dog.” “I’ll give you $50 for him,” the farmer said. The ventriloquist said, “What do you think, Carlo?” And Carlo spoke back to him, “Why, that other feller offered you $150, and now you’d sell me for just $50?” “Well, I need the money bad, Carlo,” the man said, and told the farmer he would take the fifty if he would give him fifty more when he came back through in a month or two. The farmer said he would, and counted out $50 for him. The man handed the farmer the string that was tied around Carlo’s neck and told Carlo goodbye. “Are you sure you’re coming back?” Carlo asked him as he walked away. The traveler said yes he was. “Well,” the dog said, “I’m sorry you’re selling me, but I’d hate to see you get gypped. I’ll not speak another word til you come back and this old fool gives you the rest of the money.”
~~~
A kindergarten teacher asked, “What is the shape of the earth ?” One lil’ girl spoke up: “According to my Daddy — terrible!”
~~~
The tourist wandered into a gourmet food shop in Beverly Hills. He picked out two apples and a pear.
“That will be $8.00,” the storeowner said.
The tourist gave him a ten-dollar bill and walked away.
“Wait! Don’t you want your change?”
“Forget it. I stepped on a grape on my way in.”
~~~
“Your strength is in your calmness, in the clarity of your mind. Strength comes from putting the negative aside without reacting. Win in calmness, in consciousness, in balance.”
Yogi Amrit Desai
~~~
Ray Mitchell
Indianapolis, Indiana
Management is not responsible for duplicates from previous dailies. The editor is somewhat senile.
Ray’s Daily has been sent for more than fifteen years to people who want to start their day on an upbeat. If you have system overload because of our daily clutter, let me know and I will send you the information via mental telepathy. If you have not been getting our daily you can request to be added by e-mailing me at raykiwsp@gmail.com. Back issues are posted at http://rays-daily,com/ currently there are more than 2000 readers from around the world.
Ray's Daily 
Leave a Reply