A Mother's Day Message to Children Everywhere

A Mother's Message to Children Everywhere

A mother's greatest wish is that you'll find your place in the world where you can enthusiastically contribute to the people and environment around you while maintaining your child-like innocence. 

You'll discover your greatest enjoyment in life will naturally evolve out of making the world a better place.

Don't be deterred by obstacles. Discover your passion and let it drive you past the challenges you face.

Know you have everything you need within you to deal effectively with whatever challenges life brings you.

Seek to do your best today—and every day.

Enrich the world....And of course....LOVE YOUR MOTHER!

Keep Your Child-like Innocence

The Sun

Tracy Gibbons, age 8

'The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.' 

Ralph Waldo Emerson

'Life is not a matter of holding good cards, 

but of playing a poor hand well.'  

Robert Louis Stevenson

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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.

Do you know someone who could benefit from uplifting messages? Please share Lightarted Living with them. If you or someone you love is 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.

Finding Flow and Passion in Transition

Transitioning? 

Ease forward by giving yourself plenty of time to:

• Ask questions--of yourself, then of others, to help you discover your truth.
• Make Lists--of activities you might want to transition into doing more of as you do less of what you're leaving behind.
• Acknowledge to yourself the purpose for the transition and how you feel about it.
• List what things or people you want to take with you vs what you want to leave behind.
• Acknowledge what you're grateful for in the experience you're leaving behind.

To Find FLOW and PASSION through Transitions...

Discover what Motivates your Actions

My sense of flow and passion kick in during times of transition when I consciously identify and trust my inner motivations.  Here's what motivates my actions:

• I want to be consumed with a sense of flow.
• I like to problem solve and figure out how to solve problems related to living a better life---for me, my family, and friends.
• I want my children to know they have the persistence and patience to problem solve through difficulties and challenges. I want to influence them.
• I want to be a role model for my children on how to move through life. 
• I want to pass on the keys to staying motivated and interested in life. And what to do when you lose your self-confidence, direction, or motivation.

WHAT MOTIVATES YOUR ACTIONS TO CREATE FLOW AND PASSION THROUGH TRANSITIONS?

Within your HEART keep one still secret spot where dreams may go.....

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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, sign up for free e-mail subscription

Not Ready to be Nice? Good! Walk Away!

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." Martin Luther King Jr.


I'm Not Ready to be Nice!

When I was younger I was responsible for getting my younger sister to do the dishes on the nights it was her turn. One night as we were arguing about her failure to clean the kitchen my father had enough of listening to us argue.

"Suz! Nanc! Go outside and don't come in until you're ready to be nice!"

We both did as we were told and went out on the back patio to cool off. After a few minutes my sister simply walked back into the house, but not me. I just sat out there and stewed.

Finally after so much time passed my father stuck his head out the door and said, " Suz, come on in."

But indignant I was yelled at for just trying to get my sister to do her job I was still too mad to come in and replied, "No! I'm not ready to be nice!"

Still Sitting on the Back Patio

That was one of those defining life moments for me. Over the past  50 years I've found myself 'sitting on the back patio' when someone hurts my feelings or inappropriately chastises me. There I am--totally unwilling to come in out of the cold to 'make nice'.

It's just how it is--there's a distinct period of time after a perceived injustice when I'm just not ready to deal. If I was to face the conflict before I was ready, it would only produce a poor outcome so I retreat into myself until I'm ready to come out.

Maybe Good Communication Begins with Avoidance

It's a no-brainer: If you're going to resolve conflict with someone you must face the issue and talk directly to the other person.  But sometimes you're just not ready.

As embarrassing as it is to admit, we all have those private moments of feeling like a chastised child when someone gets mad at us or 'does-us-wrong'--especially if we're working hard to do good or 'get it right'. The unfairness of it all throws us into our own private childish funk.

Think about it: What was your private reaction to a recent unfair situation or perceived injustice? What conversation went on in your head? What did you want to say to that person but didn't? How did you blow off your anger?  What's your 'sitting on the back porch unwilling to come in from the cold' experience?

Sure, as we mature we learn the art of waiting before we react when we're upset. But that doesn't stop the immediate feelings of being a reprimanded or discounted child. So maybe our path to good communication begins with avoidance. Avoiding a confrontation allows us to work through the child-like feelings before proceeding to facing the difficult--or crucial—conversation so we are better equipped to handle it well.

Self-Calming Activities Restore Your Mature Self

We all need time to let the heat of the moment subside. Stepping away from your hurt or anger to engage in self-calming activities is key to restoring good relationships and your mature self. Take a walk, talk to a friend, take a nap, play with your dog or participate in any pleasant activity that serves as a distraction from dealing with the issue.

The more time you put between when you first get upset and when you choose to talk with the other person, the more time you have to allow calm thinking and options to appear.

 Go Ahead--Sit on the Back Patio Until You're Ready

There's nothing wrong with taking your time sitting in your feelings. Don't rush to deal with an issue before you're ready. Sit out in the cold for as long as you need to. Then, when you're ready, find a way to deal with the other person so your relationship is restored.

"The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place."George Bernard Shaw

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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, sign up for free e-mail subscription.