I just spent a few days in Montreal at the International Coach Federation conference where one of them themes was our ability to create negative or positive energy and their effects on others. It’s interesting how life provides real time illustrations to drive home the point.

 On the taxi ride from the airport to the hotel, the driver definitely had a cranky outlook. My couple of attempts at conversation were unsuccessful as the driver impatiently weaved in and out of traffic - at one point coming close to driving on the sidewalk. I’ve been in lots of taxis but this was the first time that a driver rolled down the window and shouted insults at other drivers. Everything seemed to be an irritation for him. Definitely an unpleasant experience and I was glad to finally arrive at the hotel.

Fast forward several days to the return trip to the airport. Different driver, different taxi, different experience. This time the entire trip was filled with light-hearted chatter, laughter, smiles and a couple of jokes. The time just flew by but quite happily I could have spent lots of time stuck in traffic with this guy if that had been the circumstances.  Two different drivers and two different outlooks on life.

On any given day, which taxi are you driving?

Do you take the time to connect with other people or do you put your head down and get through day?

Do you share conversation with others or do you mutter under your breath?

Do you make negative comments or do you smile and laugh?

Positive mental attitude

One of the sessions at the conference explored the idea that our negative thoughts actually physically deplete our energy and that of the people around us. Conversely, positive thoughts expand energy fields. Your positive mental attitude is not just yours -  it is shared with all of us. It seems to me that it doesn’t matter whether you are skeptical of the science or not. Real life experiences show us all the time that being around negative people has an unsettling effect on us. Being around positive people uplifts us. 

Here’s an interesting idea to consider.

You can decide how to respond to that negative energy. You can hold a positive thought for this person - a silent prayer of good wishes. In that simple act, you just might increase their positive energy. At the very least least you can decrease your own.

Sending all of you wherever you are happy thoughts for a wonderful day.

What thoughts are you sending out?

Today our American neighbours go to the polls in what will be an historic election on many fronts. No matter the outcome, a whole bunch of people will end up being disappointed.

Check out a great blog post from That Cool Broad in which she suggests that Monty Python’s philosophy of looking on the bright side of life is the way to handle it.

While we know that Monty Python often has a bit of a warped worldview, this time they get it just right.

From the serious to the mundane, election results to traffic jams, life brings to you lots of stuff you want and lots you’d rather not have. The key to success is always in choosing your perspective or attitude about what’s unfolding.

Looking on the bright side of life is a great mantra for election day and every other one.

What’s your outlook for today?

Have you seen the video about Christian the lion and his reunion with friends John Rendall and Ace Berg?

If you haven’t, it’s worth a couple of minutes of your time.

Seems though that there are some people who question whether or not this video is a fake.

My response?

Whatever.

Here’s a video that tugs on people’s hearts. You have to be a big lump of concrete to not be moved in some way when you watch this video. It stirs our deepest desires for connection, for love, for enduring friendship. 

Personally I choose to believe its the real deal.

Just the possibility is delightful. Isn’t it curious that some people would rather choose cynicism and turn away from a heart warming of our collective core.

Whether it’s a fake or not is hardly the point. People are feeling a rush of emotion and having conversations about love and possibility. Works for me.

Now go call someone you love.

My beverages are taking to me again.

A while ago I had written an article about the wisdom on the side of a Starbucks coffee cup.

Today I tried a new brand of green tea called Yogi Tea. When I opened the pouch with the tea bag, it had a little message:

Bliss cannot be disturbed by gain or loss.

That’s another way of saying one of my favourite mantras:

Happiness does not depend on circumstances.

I come across so many people who think that their degree of happiness on any given day depends on what is going on around them. Not a chance.

Happiness is a state of being - a philosophical way to be in the world.

It comes from a deep connection to what matters most to you.

It comes from an ongoing spirit of gratitude no matter what natural chaos is coming your way.

It comes from blissful living - being passionate, curious, engaged every day.

When you begin to learn the strategies for shifting into a perspective of joy and happiness, life is a wonderful adventure.

You find wisdom all around you - even in your tea cup.

Where do you find your happiness?

Tales from my Italian adventure

It’s amazing the judgments we catch ourselves making. Who would have thought that a butcher in a small Tuscan town was actually a renaissance man?

After a long hike through the Tuscan countryside our group ended up at Antica Macelleria Cecchini in the village of Panzano for a pre-arranged dinner with Dario Cecchini. He’s a fifth generation butcher whose family has owned their shop for more than 250 years.

Dario shared with us his philosophy of treating all things with equal respect. He explained that we tend to assign higher value to certain cuts of meat which means that other ones are then considered less worthy. Dario challenged us to consider the inherent value in everything, to treat all the parts of the animal with the same degree of respect. To entertain the idea that simply because something might take more of our time and energy does not diminish its worth.

So we feasted on a meal made from the cow’s knees and shin - a meal that required several hours of preparation to create the tender dishes we enjoyed. Good conversation, fine wine, and to top it all off, at the end of the evening Dario jumped on the table and recited by heart a canto of Dante’s Inferno. Splendid in its original Italian, the impromptu performance moved everyone with its passion.

Food for thought

How many times do we go through our day voting that “this” is better than “that” or giving less time and attention to things that we have decided are less valuable? 

How quickly do we dismiss this based on some pre-conceived idea?

How often do we limit ourselves because we have created a hierarchy for people and experiences?

How frequently in our super speed world do we choose quick and easy out of habit without weighing the option of slower?

Delicacies in the tuscan countryside 

Dario left me some tasty food for thought. His challenge to treat everything with equal respect has remained with me like a satisfying meal. I find myself stopping to consider what hierarchy I’m unconsciously creating or which way I’m voting at any given time. You never know what delicacies you’ll find in the Tuscan countryside.

What judgments are you unconsciously making?

Minus 35 Celsius with a wind-chill.  Yikes!

 Here in beautiful Alberta, Canada we are experiencing one of the nastiest cold snaps in years.  And what seems to come along with the frigid air is people’s tendency to get down right cranky.  Most people are crabby, complaining and frustrated as if somehow the weather forecast was a personal attack.  The only thing that makes this kind of cold seem worse is people whining about it.

Last night, in spite of the bitterly cold weather, a large group of people gathered at the University of Alberta to hear Dr. Paul Farmer speak about community based global health care.  This talk was part of International Week - a series of events focusing on global citizenship.

Message of hope 

Dr. Farmer is one of the founding members of Partners in Health, an organization that partners with poor communities to combat disease and poverty.  Check out the really cool resource he used to illustrate some of the inequity that exists in the world.  He also shared the dramatic impact that people can have when they tackle global issues from a perspective of collaboration and possibility.  His message was one of hope even in the face of some of the most depressing situations. 

During his talk no one was thinking about wind-chill or car batteries.  No one was muttering about shoveling snow or frostbite.  Everyone was considering what their contribution might be locally or globally to address issues that belong to all of us no matter where we live.  Everyone was experiencing a global warming of the heart.

Out of your control 

When you become focused on things that are out of your control - things like the weather - you can easily become stuck.  Shifting your perspective to something that is more positive, more proactive, more empowering is a great way to come in out of the cold.

What are you focusing on?