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Sunday really should be a day of rest.
There should be no hurried schedules. No firm appointments.
No regime.
Do we get so caught up in routine of our work week that we also create the same kind of pattern unwittingly with our valuable personal time...and in particular, our Sunday?
I like to think of Sundays as a time not so much for taking charge of the day, but rather letting it take charge of you. Of course my wife would argue this as I do not always practice what I preach, and for a long time, I considered Sunday to be my catch up day. Felt productive at the end of it...and usually exhausted.
So...let me throw some ideas at you. The common denominator being that you have to take the value in the moments and maximize their worth. You have to relax.
Go watch a ball game. Make it a kid's league game. Feel their energy and absorb the fun.
Call up a friend and go to the park.
Toss around a frisbee, or a football or just some conversation.
Read the paper....slowly. Find those sections you so often skip over.
Flip thru a photoalbum...and let a memory remind you to smile.
Say Thank you...to everyone, for everything today.
Get an ice cream. And lick it like it was your very first one.
Go for a walk and window shop on old main street. Then buy yourself something...because it is just a wonderful day.
Take a deep breath. And then take time to enjoy how it felt. And take another.
Awaken your no hassle Sunday.
Keep it simple...and hold on for all it is worth.
I wish you well.
Good Morning.
Pierre Couturier
Husband, "Nite dad. I uv yoo", Author, Friend.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Friday, July 1, 2011
AYD - July 2, 2011 - You Have More In You
"If I accept you as you are, I will make you worse; however, if I treat you as though you are what you are capable of becoming, I help you become that."
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
They say that to be successful, one of the key elements is to surround yourself with like minded people.
Sometimes, however, it is not those that think like we do, or share our passions for the same dream that will provide that intensity match that promotes our fire ... sometimes, it is people outside of your dream but who still see your potential, and respect you and your dream because you do, because you have shown them just who you can be ... sometimes those are the people that provide that encouragement right when you did not know you needed it.
In those moments, you may feel as though you are being challenged, and you are. It is not offensive in nature. Rather, it is respect in a challenge to reach for what you can be...and not try to hitch hike on excuses.
Friend, family, mentor, co-worker, or boss - if they allow you to just be, then they will never see you reach for the top row, where we all know the good prizes are.
"3 balls for two bucks. Step right up. Everyone's a winner! You sir, yes you! You look like you want to try..."
And, good morning.
Pierre Couturier
Husband, "Nite Dad", Author, Friend, and Believer
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
They say that to be successful, one of the key elements is to surround yourself with like minded people.
Sometimes, however, it is not those that think like we do, or share our passions for the same dream that will provide that intensity match that promotes our fire ... sometimes, it is people outside of your dream but who still see your potential, and respect you and your dream because you do, because you have shown them just who you can be ... sometimes those are the people that provide that encouragement right when you did not know you needed it.
In those moments, you may feel as though you are being challenged, and you are. It is not offensive in nature. Rather, it is respect in a challenge to reach for what you can be...and not try to hitch hike on excuses.
Friend, family, mentor, co-worker, or boss - if they allow you to just be, then they will never see you reach for the top row, where we all know the good prizes are.
"3 balls for two bucks. Step right up. Everyone's a winner! You sir, yes you! You look like you want to try..."
And, good morning.
Pierre Couturier
Husband, "Nite Dad", Author, Friend, and Believer
Thursday, June 30, 2011
AYD July 1, 2011 - Which way do I go? Which way do I go?
Alice came to a fork in the road. "Which road do I take?" she asked.
"Where do you want to go?" responded the Cheshire cat.
"I don't know," Alice answered.
"Then," said the cat, "it doesn't matter."
- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
There are times when we feel a little lost. Hard to find the path, or direction that we yearn for to guide us to our meaning. It is crucial that we do not allow our energy to be spent focussing on only the emptiness that comes at this time. When we do, we sadly discover that the only progress we have made is completing the negativity circle and planting our feet in our very own footprints...the ones we left when we started feeling this way. By the way, when your heart feels heavy, those imprints we leave can get deep.
It is the very common understanding that when our spirits are low, our eyes follow. I am not aware of too many dreams being found kicking pebbles and finding poetry lines that rhyme with "Oh, Woe is Me!"
Recognize this time for what it is. An opportunity to find out something about yourself, thru brainstorming and exploring a new outlook. Don't like the scenery in front of the eyes, blink....and look in another direction. Change your poem to be, "Get to Know Me!" and let that be your mission. Who R U?
It is not always easy to define what we want...so start by identifying clearly with what you Don't Want. Your first step on finding a new trail could simply be the one you take AWAY from where you don't want to be...and then, well, you won't have any of those deep, sad footprints to retrace ... so you will have no choice but to lift your head up ...
When you see Alice, politely tell her to get out of the way...you have somewhere to get to.
Good morning...see you on the trail.
Pierre Couturier
Husband, Best Friend, Dad - DaDeee, Author and Explorer.
"Where do you want to go?" responded the Cheshire cat.
"I don't know," Alice answered.
"Then," said the cat, "it doesn't matter."
- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
There are times when we feel a little lost. Hard to find the path, or direction that we yearn for to guide us to our meaning. It is crucial that we do not allow our energy to be spent focussing on only the emptiness that comes at this time. When we do, we sadly discover that the only progress we have made is completing the negativity circle and planting our feet in our very own footprints...the ones we left when we started feeling this way. By the way, when your heart feels heavy, those imprints we leave can get deep.
It is the very common understanding that when our spirits are low, our eyes follow. I am not aware of too many dreams being found kicking pebbles and finding poetry lines that rhyme with "Oh, Woe is Me!"
Recognize this time for what it is. An opportunity to find out something about yourself, thru brainstorming and exploring a new outlook. Don't like the scenery in front of the eyes, blink....and look in another direction. Change your poem to be, "Get to Know Me!" and let that be your mission. Who R U?
It is not always easy to define what we want...so start by identifying clearly with what you Don't Want. Your first step on finding a new trail could simply be the one you take AWAY from where you don't want to be...and then, well, you won't have any of those deep, sad footprints to retrace ... so you will have no choice but to lift your head up ...
When you see Alice, politely tell her to get out of the way...you have somewhere to get to.
Good morning...see you on the trail.
Pierre Couturier
Husband, Best Friend, Dad - DaDeee, Author and Explorer.
AYD - June 30, 2011 - Tough Jobs are Filled with Life Lessons
"The successful person makes a habit of doing what the failing person doesn't like to do."
- Thomas Edison
Let's be honest, the most obvious of these habits is good old fashioned Hard Work.
I had a job once that I thought was pretty simple. Basic labour work. Sweeping floors in a Fabrication shop. All day, sweep. All day tomorrow...sweep. Some other odds and ends, and then, yup...sweep. I did my job...and one day a Journeyman at the shop took it upon himself to teach me how to sweep properly. The lesson represented one of my most insightful of my life. Understanding that even something as simple as sweeping, had a more beneficial way to be done - opened my eyes to giving more quality effort in any task I had to do.
From that day on, more so than before, I embraced every task I was given. I would finish a job and while I waited around for direction from my foreman, I stayed busy doing whatever around me needed to be done. I was always in motion. There was always something to do, and it did not have to wait until I was told to do it. And yes, some of those tasks were tedious, boring and just not interesting. What I did not know, was that I was also being noticed. I was also making a difference because I was getting things done.
The value of my actions was shown to me indirectly when lay offs came. I was the least experienced out of four of us Labourers. I worked with a couple seasoned guys who made it pretty clear that they considered themselves too experienced and too good to do some of the work we were given. They said so, loud and clear. Last coffee came, and as I patiently waited for my envelope and my departure letter, the other three guys came in angry...and didn't even say goodbye. They all had envelopes.
I was not a bad worker, yet I still learned alot that day. The message was pretty clear, and hard to miss. And I remember to this day, why they kept this inexperienced, quiet, no complaining kid. I was the only labourer in that shop for some time after that, and somehow even the Project Manager knew my name and would stop me in the shop to ask me how I was doing.
You can leave a lasting impression, and create a solid name for yourself, just by applying your best effort...sometimes to the job no one else wants to do.
May you find a moment this morning that Awakens Your Day.
Pierre Couturier
Husband, "Hi Dad", Author and Friend
- Thomas Edison
Let's be honest, the most obvious of these habits is good old fashioned Hard Work.
I had a job once that I thought was pretty simple. Basic labour work. Sweeping floors in a Fabrication shop. All day, sweep. All day tomorrow...sweep. Some other odds and ends, and then, yup...sweep. I did my job...and one day a Journeyman at the shop took it upon himself to teach me how to sweep properly. The lesson represented one of my most insightful of my life. Understanding that even something as simple as sweeping, had a more beneficial way to be done - opened my eyes to giving more quality effort in any task I had to do.
From that day on, more so than before, I embraced every task I was given. I would finish a job and while I waited around for direction from my foreman, I stayed busy doing whatever around me needed to be done. I was always in motion. There was always something to do, and it did not have to wait until I was told to do it. And yes, some of those tasks were tedious, boring and just not interesting. What I did not know, was that I was also being noticed. I was also making a difference because I was getting things done.
The value of my actions was shown to me indirectly when lay offs came. I was the least experienced out of four of us Labourers. I worked with a couple seasoned guys who made it pretty clear that they considered themselves too experienced and too good to do some of the work we were given. They said so, loud and clear. Last coffee came, and as I patiently waited for my envelope and my departure letter, the other three guys came in angry...and didn't even say goodbye. They all had envelopes.
I was not a bad worker, yet I still learned alot that day. The message was pretty clear, and hard to miss. And I remember to this day, why they kept this inexperienced, quiet, no complaining kid. I was the only labourer in that shop for some time after that, and somehow even the Project Manager knew my name and would stop me in the shop to ask me how I was doing.
You can leave a lasting impression, and create a solid name for yourself, just by applying your best effort...sometimes to the job no one else wants to do.
May you find a moment this morning that Awakens Your Day.
Pierre Couturier
Husband, "Hi Dad", Author and Friend
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Awaken Your Day - June 29, 2011 - And a Touch of Humor Should Guide You
"Think twice before you speak, and then you may be able to say something more insulting than if you spoke right out at once."
- Evan Esar, Esar's Comic Dictionary
You have to admit, there must have been a time when you walked away from a verbal smash and grab opportunity, only to think about what you SHOULD have said. Let the memory serve you with a "one day we are going to look back at this and laugh" kind of smile.
And then in reality, allow yourself to explore the truth in the awareness of many situations where if we can avoid emotion filled retorts to a comment, or situation, or coversation - and think for but a moment longer before we retaliate with venom...we embrace the opportunity to reach out and take control of the moment before we make it worse for ourselves.
Alot like the game of hockey where the frustrated player ends up getting the penalty for retaliating, I too have made myself appear to be less competent when I reacted / retaliated without due care to an oppressor rather than taken a moment to assess the situation for what I clearly knew it to be, and then beaten him at his own manipulation. "Mom! This guy at work is picking on me!" You get the picture.
You hold your cards. Spread them out so you can see what you have before you make your play.
Good morning, Twice.
Pierre Couturier
Husband, "Daddy, we play Crash, Okay?", Author and Friend.
- Evan Esar, Esar's Comic Dictionary
You have to admit, there must have been a time when you walked away from a verbal smash and grab opportunity, only to think about what you SHOULD have said. Let the memory serve you with a "one day we are going to look back at this and laugh" kind of smile.
And then in reality, allow yourself to explore the truth in the awareness of many situations where if we can avoid emotion filled retorts to a comment, or situation, or coversation - and think for but a moment longer before we retaliate with venom...we embrace the opportunity to reach out and take control of the moment before we make it worse for ourselves.
Alot like the game of hockey where the frustrated player ends up getting the penalty for retaliating, I too have made myself appear to be less competent when I reacted / retaliated without due care to an oppressor rather than taken a moment to assess the situation for what I clearly knew it to be, and then beaten him at his own manipulation. "Mom! This guy at work is picking on me!" You get the picture.
You hold your cards. Spread them out so you can see what you have before you make your play.
Good morning, Twice.
Pierre Couturier
Husband, "Daddy, we play Crash, Okay?", Author and Friend.
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