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The WakeUp Call Newsletter
The Voice of the WakeUp Revolution!
July 2007 Issue
Sometimes we
let small, relatively insignificant
things upset us in a big way. As we
celebrate the birthday of our country,
let’s try to keep a good healthy dose of
perspective and acknowledge how lucky we
really are.
This issue of The WakeUp Call is
dedicated to just that – “perspective!”
Be safe during the Holidays and enjoy…
Mike
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FEATURED STORY
Life Lessons
The other day I was at a four-way stop
near my house (there are a lot of those
in Connecticut) waiting for the person
on my left to take their turn and make
their move across the intersection. They
had clearly gotten to their corner
before I got to mine and the mutually
agreed-upon rules at these four-ways is
that whoever gets there first can go
first.
But there they stood. So I started
inching forward, but just as I started
to move, they started to move. So we
both stopped and looked at each other
waving our hands as if we were each some
traffic intersection deity who had the
ultimate authority to determine who is
allowed to go first. But they were there
first. So I waited.
But they waited too, flapping their hand
at me. As my impatience grew, so did my
frustration, and I started talking at
them from inside my car, “You go”, “Go
ahead”, “C’mon already!”, “Let’s gooooo!”
People ask me often if I still get upset
at the little things. They wonder if my
9/11 experience has given me so much
perspective that I don’t sweat the small
stuff anymore…ever. I think the story
shared above shows how easy it is, even
for me, to get sucked into the mire.
Yes – I do have a very strong centering
and belief that life is a gift and we
must live in the present towards a
meaningful vision, and that I should
always try my best and not take things
personally…etc.
AND, Yes – waiting for some bonehead in
the intersection to figure out that its
their turn to go, still gets me cranky!
So where does my perspective go and how
do I get it back?
Well, just at that moment in the car, my
4 year old son who was sitting in the
back during this whole episode said to
me, “Patience, daddy. Patience.”
I sat in stunned silence for a
moment…and as I drove through the
intersection (after the other car
finally made it’s way through), I
started to smile. Then I started to
laugh and I told my son, “Thank you!
You’re right! Daddy needs to be a little
more patient sometimes.” His reply was a
smug ” Sure! (pronounced ‘shaw’.) You’re
welcome.”
Life Lessons from a Four Year Old!
Every day we are faced with numerous
potential little annoyances, challenges,
obstacles and frustrations.
Individually, they may not add up to
much but when you tally them all
together, you might find that a lot of
your vitality, joy and ease is being
sneakily sucked away each day.
I tend to use three things to help me
get re-centered. The first is
physical - deep breathing. I take
three deep breaths and fill my body with
oxygen while dispelling my frustration
with my exhale. The second is mental
- music. One of my favorite lines to
recite to myself is “It won’t mean a
thing in 100 years” which is from an old
Blues Travelers song. The third is
external – my family. Whether it’s
my children coaxing my patience or a
gentle squeeze of my hand from my wife,
this helps put the brakes on my building
frenzy.
What physical, mental and external
supports can you create to re-center
yourself each morning, or more
importantly, right in the midst of your
chaos?
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Momference
Speaker Update
Speaking
of dealing with stress and chaos, we’ve been
working all month to sign up
nationally-recognized experts for our October
telesummit, who will discuss challenges, share
successes and offer tips and guidance on topics
that are relevant to today’s moms.
Many of our experts will be speaking on the very
topic of this month’s newsletter – managing
stress and chaos and keeping your perspective.
I’m proud to announce that Thomas Crum,
best-selling author of Journey to Center (Simon
& Schuster)
Journey To Center
and his new book,
Three Deep Breaths
(Berrett-Koehler
Publishers), is one of the extraordinary people
who will be speaking at this year’s Momference
on Oct 1-6 (see “What is Momference” at the
right for more info).
Please join us for a week filled with
inspiration, education and celebration of Moms
everywhere (it will all be held over the phone
and the Internet so you don’t have to actually
go anywhere.) With people like Tom there, you
can see how it will be a life-changing
experience for us all.
The Momference – A Meeting of the Moms™ is a
weeklong virtual tele-summit celebrating,
empowering and educating mothers in all aspects
of their lives. Visit
www.momference.com
for speaker, schedule and event information.
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Invitation to Join Smart Women’s Café
I want to share something very
special with you. Recently, I have
become a member of the Smart Women’s
Café Advisory Board. The reason I joined
the board is that it has connected me
with some extremely inspiring and
empowering people whose mission is to
help women who have the burning desire
to change…or to take their life to that
next level…but don’t know how to do it
or where to go. They know they can do
it...but just don’t know where to start.
“If someone can help me, I can get
there.”
This is a wonderful community and I
invite you to check it out and explore
the possibilities that may be awaiting
you.
Visit the Smart
Women’s Café
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Overheard In the WakeUp Room… Blog
Digest for May 2007
-
A Mom’s Worry
- This is one I just received from
my mom (who else?)
-
More Smiles
and Ponderings – If
corn oil is made from corn, and
vegetable oil is made from
vegetables, what is baby oil made
from? This and other things to think
about.
Share Your Own
Thoughts here
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Tenets of the WakeUp Revolution:
It’s
realizing that life is a gift,
and every single day counts!
It’s looking forward and saying 'what
now,
"not looking back saying ‘I wish I
had’!
It’s designing your life the way you
want it to be,
so life doesn’t just ‘happen’ to you!
It’s believing in the possibility of
your desired life,
not a life of compromises!
It’s remembering what's really
important,
so you can slow down and breathe
again!
It’s having
courage to take small steps now,
instead of watching days slip past!
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