I went to a union meeting a few weeks ago and had a few thoughts about the negative conversations during the course of the meeting.

At one point the union president said he knew the teacher contract negotiations were going to be a knock down, drag out kind of a fight.

I wanted so desperately to tell everyone assembled that this didn’t have to happen.

I wanted to explain that it doesn’t have to be like that but I didn’t want to be labeled a crazy, happy seeking freak so I kept my little mouth shut and decided to share my thoughts in a different way.

I believe words have power and we get to choose thoughts that make us happy and bring us whatever our heart desires.

What if the final negotiating meeting went like this:

Union President: I’m so happy to let you know most of our demands were approved by the administration and the school board. They are giving us a generous raise for the next four years, cut the number of weekly professional meetings by half, will contribute to our retirement fund which equals a additional pre-tax savings, reduced our health insurance payments and created a happy teacher liaison to help us deal with all the stress we so willingly want to get rid of.

Teacher 1: Mr. President you’re kidding right?

Union President: You know I asked the Assistant Superintendent the exact same thing when he called me into his office this morning. He said they crunched the numbers last night and wanted to give us a contract we’d be happy to ratify. He also said the administration wanted to reward us for a job well done during the past four years and this was their way of thanking us and encouraging us to keep up the good work.

Teacher 2: What?

Union President: Exactly! We got everything we wanted and a few things that weren’t even on the table.

Teacher 3: How in the hell did this happen?

Union President: I have no idea.

Teacher 4: I know. Remember how we decided to approach the whole process differently before our first meeting? Remember how we listed what we really wanted and then one by one began to explain how we would feel when we received exactly what we wanted?

Remember how we all screamed with delight just imagining how exhilarated we would feel when it happened?

Union President: Yea, I remember. That was the most fun I’ve ever had before a union negotiation meeting. Every time things got a little tense I remembered how much fun we had and I felt very calm and in control.

Teacher 3: I just remember writing we got everything we want and a whole lot more over and over on my legal pad during the meeting. Just writing this made me look at things a lot differently.

Union President: Is that what you were writing? I thought you were taking the minutes of the meeting. I guess that explains why you seemed to have a permanent grin on your face.

Teacher 3: I didn’t know I was smiling. It just made me feel good.

I know you may think I’ve lost just a wee bit of my mind, but I haven’t.

Life can be just like that.

All you need to do is figure out what you want and then imagine how glorious it will feel having it or being it or seeing it like the teachers did before their big meeting.

Flowing some feel good energy to any situation makes a world of difference.

It ends war.

It heals the body and changes the molecular makeup of cells.

It reduces tension and calms the mind and body.

Research shows that when police officers enter a dangerous situation with a calm and relaxed demeanor criminals willingly surrender.

So how about you think about one thing in your life that you’d like to change and write how you would feel if everything worked out just the way you wanted it to.

Then you get to remember these feelings every time you start to fret or worry or feel troubled about that thing you just thought about.

Try it for a week and let me know how it works.

As for me I’m seriously thinking about sending this blog to the union president and the negotiating committee because it can really be just that easy.

Until next week,

Sheryl

During the past few months I’ve invited more positive energy and people into my life and during the process I stumbled on a thought that has changed my outlook on life and made me a happier person.

I realized the key to living in a constant state of happiness is managing my feelings.

It’s just that simple.

The first step is to catch the thoughts that cause anger, fear, loneliness and unworthiness – you know all the things you don’t want in your life.

One of the quickest ways to do this is to spend some time in complete peace and quiet in order to catch these thoughts.

Once you catch them you get to decide what to do with them. You can question them, believe them or continue allowing them to cause you pain.

I highly recommend the first option because it helps you see your thoughts for what they really are – ruminations in your head that you believe because they’re there. Most likely they’ve been there for a long time.

This all started with a decision to stop allowing my ex-husband’s words and actions to negetively affect my happiness. I decided to get out of his business and allow him to live his own life without my mental help.

In essence, I made a conscious commitment to focus on my business nad leave his alone.

This wasn’t easy, but the payoff has been tremendous.

When one of my kids share his insensitive comments or actions I share a loving gester and tell them that it’s okay and I’m here for them.

I remind them that he’s possibly going through a difficult time and I silently wish him love and peace and happiness.

The first time I shared my new philosophy with my son, he asked if I was feeling okay. I reassured him I was fine and explained that constantly focusing on what his father isn’t doing or how he refuses to be a source of constant love and support isn’t their business.

I told him how I decided to be a kind, supportive and loving mother and my life-long goal is to live in a constant state of love.

Living like this means I get to forgive people who have hurt me in the past. I get to wish them love and peace and joy. Then I get to move on.

I get to feel differently every time I think about them.

That’s the total opposite of what I used to feel – anger, resentment and fear.

Taking control of your life energetically means you don’t worry about what others are doing or saying.

It’s simply paying close attention to your life and what kind of experiences you’re welcoming into your world.

When I was angry with my ex I couldn’t feel how grateful I was for the wonderful adults I gave birth to so long ago. I couldn’t congratulate them on all the hard work they’re doing to accomplish their dreams. All I could see was that I had to do everything all alone and how unfair it was.

Shifting meant I get to be there for them in a way I never could be when I focused on what he didn’t say or do.

Now I get to be fully present for them and that’s freeing. I’m grateful for our time together creating new memories. I’m also grateful I get to model what real love looks and feels like.

Operating in this new state means I’m able to send loving energy to everyone in my life and that makes me happy.

Focusing on your life and your thoughts and your happiness can be difficult. And it’s so worth the effort.

Try it this week and let me know what happens.

Until next week,

Sheryl

Have you ever read or heard someone else’s good news and felt a little (or a whole lot) jealous?

Have you ever questioned why they got to get the great spouse or fabulous house or high-paying job? If you’re anything like me, you have.

Here’s my story.

A few months ago I saw an ad in a magazine that featured a fellow life coach. She’s a wonderful person and an incredibly talented coach. Yet, I felt a bit jealous that she was right where I wanted to be. She was featured in a national campaign in a major publication.

She was somehow living the life I desired.

I’m sure I’m not alone in thinking these thoughts and feeling these feelings.

When the thought became visible (we have over 60,000 thoughts a day so it can be hard to catch the dirty little buggers) I decided to examine it under a microscope to discover if I really wanted what my friend had.

The process started with a few questions.

What do I really want my career and coaching business to look and feel like?

How do I want to help my people?

Do I want to reach my people the same way she’s reaching hers?

What I discovered is that I don’t want her life or her business.

I want something different.

I want to work with a few clients a month, write life-changing books, speak to a few groups a year and enjoy working from the comfort of my own home.

In that moment, the little green monster faded into oblivion and I felt relaxed and happy.

In this honest and transparent space I could be happy for my friend.

I could visit her Facebook page and leave an honest congratulatory message. After doing that something interesting happened.

I was overcome with an incredible sense of gratitude for the life I’m living right now. At that moment I knew I was where I belonged and doing what I needed to be doing.

It reminded me of an email I received from my dear friend Trish a few weeks ago. She wrote, “Imagine this…that someday you’ll look at where you are right now with a little envy that you weren’t as busy now as you will be, and think with regret at how you maybe didn’t appreciate your free time when you had it!  Keep goin’ girl.”

Her message brought tears to my eyes because I knew what she meant – enjoy your journey right now because soon it will be different. Cherish this moment and be happy.

How can I be envious of some else’s success when I’m surrounded by this kind of love and support?

I can’t.

I encourage you to keep an eye out for the little green monster this week.

Inquire.

Question.

Then allow the gratitude for all that you already have pour forth from unknown places like it did when I read the email from my dear friend Trish.

I truly believe you won’t get what you truly want until you can be grateful for what you already have.

Remember jealousy is just a sign that you’re focusing on what you don’t have instead of all that you do.

Take a few minutes today to look at your life in a completely different way.

What special gifts and talents do you bring to the table and how can you do more of that?

Then do it. Share it. Love it.

Before you know it your life will be filled with people you love, work that feels like play and experiences you’ll treasure for a lifetime.

That’s my goal.

What about you?

Until next week,

Sheryl

Today you received a precious gift when you woke up. The good news is that you didn’t have to do anything to earn it. You received it if you lived in a certain part of the country.

What’s the gift?

It’s the precious gift of an extra 60-minutes.

I love this day and the idea of getting an extra hour to do something special.

Today I’d love for you to make good use of your precious gift.

I encourage you to spend your extra hour doing something that makes you deliriously happy. It could be reconnecting with a long lost friend, window shopping at your favorite mall, writing a thank you note to someone who makes you happy or compiling a list of all the things that make you happy. Then, the next time you decide to spend some happy time you’ll already have a list of things you love to do. Isn’t that genius?

C’mon, make good use of this special gift by getting extremely happy and keeping your yourself right there for at least 60 minutes.

The only requirement is that it causes you to smile so hard that your face hurts at the end of the hour.

I’d love for you to share your happy experiences as well.

Go ahead; get a little crazy and a whole lot happier all at the same time.

I can’t wait to read how you used your special gift to bring a little or a whole lot of happiness into your life.

Until next week,

Sheryl