The Power of One-Upmanship Story Telling

Hello all,

I have so much to write about, I'm not even sure where to start. There is so much "some kind of wonderful" in this world, we can hardly take it all in. Have you had a chance to soak in the scenery and scents of the fall foliage? What a treat of a feast of awe we've had over the past couple of weeks! The sheer joy of it is all the more splendid knowing we get to be a part of it over and over year after year, with just enough change to make it a must each time. As much as times change, almost every year I catch myself and others saying it's never been quite like this any other year before. I already can't wait for next year.

Whoa!! Everything is going so fast already. No need to rush the years. I've been thinking a lot lately about things that have happened over the years. There is so much to be grateful for. I have been influenced a lot by inspiring authors and learning to concentrate my thoughts on what is good. When we understand that our thoughts dictate our feelings, it seems overwhelmingly simple to resolve to concentrate our thoughts on good things. Really - the concept is that simple. We feel good when we think about good things. When we feel good, it's much easier to help others around us feel good too and to make more good things happen in our lives. As we continue to think about all of these new good things that keep happening, we end up feeling good over and over. It really is a vicious cycle. On the flip side, we know that thoughts about not so good things creep into our minds all the time. It's well worthwhile to make a conscious effort to dismiss them. We're all so good at dismissing thoughts.

Why does it seem to be so easy to forget about a kind gesture from a precious child like a good morning hug or an offer to share a bite of a Smartie, in contrast to how we can never get over an irate gesture of road rage or some other such inconsequential happenstance that occurs in our day? Think about which you would be more likely to recount to a spouse at the end of the day. It's mindboggling why so many of us would choose to propel the misery instead of the bright spot in our day. Maybe we are afraid it comes off as bragging if we talk about something good that happened. Let's try to think of it instead as a way to help someone else feel good and to attract more goodness into our lives. Think about the power of the contageousness of one-upmanship story telling. It has exponential potency whether we share good thoughts and feelings or bad ones. Let's carefully choose which are the right thoughts to dismiss and which are the right ones to relay back and forth with others around us.

Here's the challenge. Let's outdo each other in telling about something great that happened to us today or in the last few days - or ever in our lives for that matter. It's never too late to tell about something that made you smile or made you laugh or warmed your heart. I'll start. I just have to think for a minute while I choose which thing to talk about... hmmm. There really is a lot when you think about it. Please do share yours on the blog and then share again with someone you love or care about or share another story of inspiration to help yourself and others feel good as well. Here goes mine. This one warmed my heart and I hope it will warm yours too.

Yesterday morning, I was working away on the computer, having all the usual technical challenge difficulties I tend to have when I'm in a hurry to get something done. My husband walked into the room with a cup of coffee for me. He just thought I might like one. I hadn't even asked for it. It's amazing how a small thing can make such a difference to your day. I'll have to be sure to tell him that I was so thankful, I 'm still thinking about it more than a day later. Maybe I could even just do some nice little thing for him or someone else without them even asking. That would warm my heart and hopefully someone else's too.

Warm-heartedly,

Kathleen