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Dear Friends of Balancing Act, 
I wish I had a dollar for every complaint I've heard (or uttered) about the July heat.
The complaints, of course, are more animated when in the company of others. I rarely have a lively complaining conversation by myself. Playing Ain't It Awful, it seems, is a highly contagious game.
Fortunately, so are more positive expressions. Tell someone how grateful you are , and you're likely to draw a quick "me too." The same with laughter. It is very difficult to start laughing in a crowd and not spawn more laughter. Remember that childhood laughing buddy whose slightest smile sent you into gales? If we share more laughter and gratitude, the positive feelings will grow exponentially. We could start an epidemic!
You might want to picture last February's weather to work up some gratefulness for this heat. And if that doesn't work, head for cooler environs - possibly the basement, a place I've visited seldom of late, according to my latest column. Pat
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Gratitude Can Start Solo
 One of the best ways to become mindful of the good things in life is to keep a daily gratitude journal.
Unlike a journal that invites rambling introspective thoughts on any topic, the gratitude journal focuses on a handful of specific people, events or items for which you are grateful. Whether it's a list or a more descriptive account of what makes you feel grateful, the journal makes gratitude a habit.
If you know that you'll be counting your blessings daily, perhaps at bedtime, you'll be on the lookout for something to write about.
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Big Deal/No Big Deal....
 As a certified laughter leader, I'm always on the lookout for something new and different to use for laughter exercise sessions.
I was particularly struck by a game, "Big Deal/ No Big Deal" offered at a "Night of Laughter" session conducted this month by fellow laughter leader Meg Scott.
It's simple but perspective-changing. Players sit in a circle and share a bit of drama from the week - something that didn't go as expected and seemed disastrous at least in the moment.
The leader holds up a sign: "Big Deal or No Big Deal." And after the story, the storyteller gets to decide. In the end, was it a Big Deal Or No Big Deal?
Some events, of course, could be a Big Deal, but the night I played, each bit of drama turned out in retrospect "No Big Deal" - a phrase we all started chanting.
Now, when drama strikes, it's easier to hear that chant: "No Big Deal."
Try it at the dinner table or for a TGIF exercise with co-workers.
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When we talk about life balance, we normally think about maintaining that delicate balance between work and family.
A Washington, DC psychologist has taken a different tact, though. Douglas A. LaBier, PhD, Director of the Center for Progressive Development, calls work-life balance a "myth" and focuses instead on the balance between outer selves (including work and family) and inner selves, which is where we deal with our emotions, and develop self-awareness and clarity about life purpose.
He believes those most successful in balancing their lives have found balance between their inner and outer selves.
In a two-part series for his Psychology Today blog, Dr. LaBier suggest strategies for building the inner self, including meditation, human connection, and serving a higher purpose.
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Leash Law No. 19: Those Darn Remotes!
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Two weeks before your birthday, purchase a lovely loose-leaf notebook and present it to the king, queen, prince or princess of your local remote with the following message inside: "In lieu of _____ (flowers, dinner out, a new tie or a new car), please create illustrated instructions for each of our ___ (4,6,8) remotes, place them in this book and wrap it up for me along with an agreement to conduct a live demonstration and update instructions int he event of equipment changes.
Ths is one of 74 leash laws offered in "The Dog Ate My Planner: Tales and Tips from an Overbooked Life."
Copyright 2010 Pat Snyder |
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PAT ACCEPTED INTO NATIONAL SPEAKERS ASSOCIATION
Pat's many speeches this past year as she
launched The Dog Ate My Planner have qualified her for professional
membership in the National Speakers Association.
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VACATION TALES,
VACATION ADVICE
HIT THE AIRWAYS
Pat with Ann Fisher (right)
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"Take a vacation" is part of the classic advice for anyone trying to get life back in balance.
And the classic comment upon return is: "I need a vacation to get over my vacation."
Listeners shared their vacation misadventures and resulting advice when Pat appeared July 19 on "All Sides With Ann Fisher," a radio call-in show on the local NPR station, WOSU 820 AM, in Columbus, OH.
A few helpful tips from that hour:
Pack light.
Lock your door.
Take an upstairs room.
Don't completely rely on the Internet to pick that B&B.
To hear the hair-raising tales that led to that wisdom, you can visit the station's website, where the show has been archived. Click on the Archive link and you'll find it on the July 2010 calendar on July 19, 10 AM, "Balanced Life."
Thanks to newsletter readers who called in from as far as Minnesota!
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BUY DOGS IN PACKS!
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| Does your business serve an "overbooked" clientele that needs some help laughing away the chaos in their lives?
If your clients are overbooked but don't own a Dog, they are actually under-booked.
The Dog Ate My Planner: Tales and Tips from an Overbooked Life is now available at bulk rates in quantities of 25 or more as a corporate gift or premium product.
Contact Pat for details.
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Pat's taking bookings now for life balance speeches and workshops, writing workshops, and laughter programs, all described on her website.
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