Holly & Heather’s Helpful Hint: The Best You Can Be

We were recently listening to an inspirational story that really seemed to hit home about some of life’s purposes. The main message we got out of it was:  Be the best you that you can be.  Think about it, that is a really great way to try to live your life.

We all struggle from time to time to find purpose and meaning in our lives and for how we are living it.  If you are always conscientious of trying to be the best you you can be, you can’t go wrong.  That can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people, but put it into the context of how you are living your life.  Let’s say you are having a conversation with someone and you are simultaneously multitasking while listening or just nodding and going thru the motions without really giving 100% of your attention.  But if you are striving to be the best you, really engage in the conversation.  You’ll be empathizing and giving feedback which is much better for the relationship.

Apply the message to your kids while helping them with homework, your job, cleaning, donating, whatever it is that you are doing.  It doesn’t mean that you have to be the best but that you are trying to be the best you that you can be.

Holly & Heather’s Helpful Hint: You Can’t Please Everyone

Did you ever have a day where you felt like you were working so hard to do the right thing? You were conscientious at work, caring at home and tried to be kind and thoughtful of others on your daily travels, but at the end of the day, something just didn’t sit well with you.  That’s happened to many of us; the feeling that despite our best efforts, someone who crossed our path that day was displeased with us or placed more demands on us without even a thank you for our previous efforts.

When you’re feeling underappreciated or like maybe you’re trying so hard to please others and haven’t received any acknowledgement, it can really leave you feeling like, “Why bother?” But here’s the secret: Do good works without the thought of being appreciated or acknowledged or even thanked for them. We’re not talking about being a doormat throughout the day just to be a martyr. We’re talking about the spirit in which you live your life. Having an attitude of giving and selflessness.

It’s a mind-set.  We tell our kids, “When you do something nice, do it without expecting anything in return.”  By adopting that way of thinking and truly believing in the spirit of it, the giving of yourself, your time, your efforts, will feel free, not frustrated or resentful.  We all long for peace and happiness…it’s very hard to please everyone we encounter in life.  Hopefully this can be a little start towards a new way of thinking about your good efforts and conscientiousness!

Holly & Heather’s Helpful Hint: Common Courtesy

A little goes a long way when it comes to extending common courtesy. In keeping with the spirit of our blog in helping to make this world, our communities, our lives, a better place, practicing common courtesy is a must.

When at work, or anywhere for that matter, do you respond to people in harsh tones, completely unaware of how you may sound? Or maybe someone does that to you? What harm does it do to say “thank you” when someone has done something kind? Sometimes a kind act may not be recognized by the recipient who is just thinking inwardly.

Perhaps you have invited, texted or left a message for someone and it has been completely ignored. Of course there are extenuating circumstances, and sometimes people forget, but in general, when someone is thinking of you enough to reach out, it is only common courtesy to respond. Sure everyone gets busy but if we don’t take the time to acknowledge others, our relationships suffer.

Everyone has feelings and we try to remember that a smile can make someone’s day a lot brighter.  Let us all be kind to each other and please try to give a little common courtesy.  Thank you!

Holly & Heather’s Helpful Hint: Resolve to Be More Charitable!

Each year a lot of people make New Year resolutions (us included!) in order to make positive changes in their lives. Mostly they seem to be physical in nature: dieting/weight loss, exercising, quitting smoking, etc. While all of those and other healthy lifestyle changes are fantastic, we are proposing a resolution that’s good for your spirit and good for someone else too – making charitable endeavors a common theme in your life.

Once a week, once a month, seasonally, whatever you can manage, resolve to do good for someone else. Whether it is an elderly relative and you are raking leaves, or a stranger and you are donating clothes, when you give to help out others everyone benefits in so many ways.  Even if you aren’t making a resolution for this new year, pick a worthy cause and do something helpful.  Let’s all start with ourselves in trying to help others, promoting peace and spreading the love!

Holly & Heather’s Helpful Hint: Have a Happy New Year!

 

Happy New Year! We hope you are enjoying a peaceful, joyous holiday season and that this New Year finds you healthy and in the company of loved ones. Next week’s blog will be featuring our number one New Year’s resolution – we hope you will join us in it!