Feeling Stuck? Got Problems? Embrace Your Struggles and Use to Grow

All things seemingly good or bad work in my favor.
Susan J Meyerott, affirmation artist

For every evil under the sun,

There is a remedy or there is none.

If there be one, try to find it;

If there be none, never mind it.

Old Nursery Rhyme

Got Problems? Feeling Stuck? Seek Solutions or Let it Go

• What's got your attention right now? 
• What little niggling problem are you facing? 
• What's worrying you?

Life presents us with problems to solve, not problems to keep us stuck. But sometimes the way we address challenges thrown at us we take it way too personal--as if life was 'out to get us'--or we have been singled out for this special hell.

Truth be told, we're all capable of getting mired in feeling sorry for ourselves and whining about our 'predicament' when we initially confront new life issues. We ask 'why me?' or sit in a sad stupor thinking about the unfairness of it all. 

But if we are to get through life with any sense of enjoyment we must embrace our struggles and use them to grow. Or as the old nursery rhyme says if there is a remedy try to find it; but if there is none never mind it.

My life and struggles are meaningful and rewarding
Susan J Meyerott, affirmation artist

Define 'The Evil', Seek Solutions, Take Action, Move On

So when you're done feeling stuck and ready to move on, step past your problems into seeking solutions. Embrace your challenges and choose to see all things seemingly good or bad work in your favor.

What is your current challenge?

• Define the problem. Collect enough information to define the problem. Where does it hurt? What's bothering me?
• Seek Solutions
• Take Actions What can I do? How do I take action?What exercises can I do? Who can I talk to? What can I look up?
• Move on if there are no solutions. Accept what is and learn 'to play a poor hand well'.

I let go of obsessing about things I can't change
Susan J Meyerott, affirmation artist

'Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but of playing a poor hand well.'  Robert Louis Stevenson

'What I say is patience, and shuffle the cards.' Miguel de Cervantes

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For more than 30 years, Susan Meyerott has been helping people lighten up and step over invisible barriers to change one step at a time. She speaks to your heart, puts you at ease, and makes changing easier than ever before.


If you're interested in learning more about closing the gap between where you are now and where you want to be, join the Lightarted Living mailing list. Sign up for free e-mail updates from this blog in the top right-hand corner of the page.

The Secret to Improving Your Memory

I open myself to the wisdom within
Susan J Meyerott, Affirmation Artist

What's the Secret to Improving Your Memory?

'Your brain remembers meaning, not facts. Want to remember something? Give it more meaning.'

You hold the key to remembering everything you want to remember. 

'In a nutshell, the more meaning you give your life, experiences, or studies, the more you'll remember.'

Create Better Memories Through Creating Better Stories

Years ago I took an epic bicycle trip down the West Coast from Vancouver Island, Canada to Southern California with four fellow bicyclists. 

Cycling through the towns and camping along the coast imprinted details on my brain that I easily recall 35 years later whenever I visit any of the coastal areas traveled. 

Why is that? We're back to the role meaning plays in creating better recall. My total immersion experience created deeper meaning for me and my body. The more we experience life through what we see, hear, feel, taste and touch the more we remember. 

Today the signature smells and sights of the beaches immediately ignite my memories with great detail--as the memories were locked in by my full body experience with all my senses engaged to create meaningful experiences.

I can't hear Johann Pachelbel's Canon in D Major without  thinking of this grand trip. The first night we arrived back home I heard this elegant piece of music for the first time as we all crashed on the floor of a darkened room--providing me an epic ending to an epic trip.

What's the so what of my story for you? The more actively you step in to experience your life, the better your memory.

Create Better Recall by Turning Meaningless Pieces of Data into Stories

But what if you are trying to memorize facts for a test? 

Even if you are just trying to memorize facts for a test--if you want to recall more facts weave them into stories to give them more meaning. 

Studies have shown when you turn meaningless gibber into real words your recall of the words improves; and when you use the real words in a sentence your memory is even better. But your best recall of facts will result from you creating meaningful context for those facts by weaving stories.

Nonsense vs Real Words  We have an easier time memorizing and recalling real words with meaning--boy, girl, love--than we do nonsense words--fra, ciz, gra. 

Words in a Sentence If you take real words and weave them into a sentence, you give them more meaning and remember more. 

Facts in a Story  The stories we weave are what we remember easily. When you turn meaningless pieces of information into whole stories  (real or made up) you'll remember more 'facts'.

Need Proof? Take the One Minute Test

THE SHAPE OF YOUR MEMORY

Test yourself: Study the chart below for one minute, then test your recall by writing down as many of the letters with its associated shapes

A simple test to show your brain remembers meaning, not facts

This is a very easy way to show you how easy it is to remember something if it has meaning.

1. Take one minute to to memorize the shapes associated with letters 'a' through 'i'. 

2. Give yourself one minute to test your recall by recording as many of the letters with it's associated shape you remember without looking. (no cheating!)

3. Check your answers against the chart above.

4. Click on  How to remember 100% to see what happens when you add meaning.

Want More Good Memories?

Get out and live your life to the fullest. Seek more meaningful experiences.

You'll deepen the meaning of your stories when you give up being an 'arm chair expert' observing life and become an active participant in your life instead (i.e. one who carries out active experiments to test out and experience life). 

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For more than 30 years, Susan Meyerott has been helping people lighten up and step over invisible barriers to change one step at a time. She speaks to your heart, puts you at ease, and makes changing easier than ever before.

If you're interested in learning more about closing the gap between where you are now and where you want to be, join the Lightarted Living mailing list. Sign up for free e-mail updates from this blog in the top right-hand corner of the page.

Lao Tzu: A Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins with a Single Step

I have the strength to understand and the eyes to see
Susan J Meyerott, Affirmation Artist

No matter how hard the past, you can always begin again. The Buddha

Starting Over in Life

If you've been struggling to jump-start your life over after dealing with a rough patch, follow these 3 time-tested keys to regain your momentum.

I let go of bitterness and renew my trusting heart
Susan J Meyerott, Affirmation Artist

 Take the First Step 

Not much has changed in the thousands of years humans have been facing and recovering from the hardships of life. As Lao Tzu stated so long ago, 'a journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step'. 

We fuel our inner strength and sense of resiliency by taking action. But sometimes when faced with 'a journey of a thousand miles' we can be overwhelmed with the daunting task of where to begin. What is the first step?

The good news is any first step will do. Your hope, resiliency, and personal strength will grow stronger with every step you take. It doesn't matter what the first step is. As you experience yourself being pro-active and physically taking action, your ability to cope and hope will improve. So start with a single step--any step-- and then another.

I trust like a river flowing
Susan J Meyerott, Affirmation Artist

Take Small Steps

An old Chinese Proverb says, 'The man who moved a mountain is the one who started taking away the small stones'. When you're in total overwhelm mode, start 'taking away the small stones'--one small step, then another. 

I now transform what no longer works
Susan J Meyerott, Affirmation Artist

Build a Nest in the Eye of the Storm

Anthropologist, Margaret Mead, traveled on her life adventure, with change and uncertainty as her constant companions. Her grandmother, a major influence in Margaret's life, sent her on her journey with the sage advice to 'Always build a nest in the eye of the storm'.

This grandmotherly wisdom has had a strong influence in my own life. Whenever major life events cause upheaval in my life, my mind returns to this saying, and I think how important it is to apply to get things moving and balanced again. 

One thing I know--when you're in the middle of a crisis, the hardest thing to do is to take care of yourself. You can forget to nourish your body, push your body to the limits with lack of sleep, and remain in a constant state of emotional overload. But if you focus on 'building a nest in the eye of the storm', you will begin to create a cushion to rest and a space for thinking.

What does it mean to build a nest in the eye of the storm? When life is swirling around you like a hurricane--you find a way to create a home-base of comfort--or nest--from which you can rebuild your daily existence.

Start with the basics to nourish your body and rest your nerves. Your body likes a regular rhythm that includes regular heart beats, breaths, sleep patterns, eating times, moving times, and rest time. 

• Start by getting your natural rhythms back in place.
• Eat regular, well-balanced meals that nourish you.
• Pace yourself--put a time limit on dealing with your difficulties--and take regular rest breaks.
• Go to bed early.
• Choose to have daily contact with uplifting, supportive people who can listen and encourage you in your strength.
• If you're caring for others, take care of yourself first, so you have the strength and endurance to continue to help others.

 

I am resilient in the face of setbacks
Susan J Meyerott, Affirmation Artist

Create Safety and Security

We all do our best thinking and acting when we do it from a place of feeling safe and secure. So create your nest--no matter what storm is brewing. It may not be easy, but it is essential.

Life is a cycle, always in motion; if good times have moved on, so will times of trouble! Indian Proverb

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For more than 30 years, Susan Meyerott has been helping people lighten up and step over invisible barriers to change one step at a time. She speaks to your heart, puts you at ease, and makes changing easier than ever before.


If you're interested in learning more about closing the gap between where you are now and where you want to be, join the Lightarted Living mailing list. Sign up for free e-mail updates from this blog in the top right-hand corner of the page.

How to Remember 100%

The Key to Improving Your Memory....

Give Facts....

How easy is it for you to recall the shapes associated with its letter
when it's presented as seemingly unrelated data?

....More Meaning

How easy is it for you to recall the shapes associated with the letters
when it's presented in a form that has meaning?

What's the Secret to Improving Your Memory?

'Your brain remembers meaning, not facts. Want to remember something? Give it more meaning.'

You hold the key to remembering everything you want to remember. 

'In a nutshell, the more meaning you give your life, experiences, or studies, the more you'll remember.'

Click on http://lightartedliving.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-secret-to-improving-your-memory.html  to view associated post 'The Secret to Improving Your Memory'.

Sign Up for Free E-mail updates

For more than 30 years, Susan Meyerott has been helping people lighten up and step over invisible barriers to change one step at a time. She speaks to your heart, puts you at ease, and makes changing easier than ever before.

If you're interested in learning more about closing the gap between where you are now and where you want to be, join the Lightarted Living mailing list. Sign up for free e-mail updates from this blog in the top right-hand corner of the page.