Vulnerability and Truth

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200 words, anger, believe, courage, Diana Schwenk, Diana's Enormous Book of Quotes, emotions, Fear, growing up, happy, health, integrity, kindness, life, love, peace, strong, Truth, weak, worry

“Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren’t always comfortable, but they’re never weakness.”

― Brené Brown

It’s scary to be vulnerable, isn’t it? It makes you feel weak, and even worse it makes you appear weak to others.

Suppose you don’t know what to do about a situation at work, if you ask for help, would it seem like you cannot do the job you were hired to do?

Suppose you are grieving the loss of someone close to you, or are worried about the circumstances a loved one has found themselves in, if you talk about it or cry, would it seem as though you are too emotional?

What if you’re afraid to go to the dentist, or a job interview, or know you need to admit you were wrong about something, if you hesitate or show any anxiety, would you look like a coward?

I grew up believing it did. Crying was weak. Smiling or laughing made you look foolish. The only acceptable emotion was anger, which somehow proved that you were strong.

It can take years to finally know that vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage.

~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~

Where Do You Rate on the Worry Scale?

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200 words, Act, Diana Schwenk, Diana's Enormous Book of Quotes, Fear, fear of failure, health, living in the moment, mindful, power, trust, worry

“Why worry? If you’ve done the very best you can, worrying won’t make it any better.” – Walt Disney

The image above seems to say, “This is how your spirit feels when you let go.”

Many of you provide tips to living well in your blogs.

You use words like mindfulness, living in the moment.

You talk about letting go of the outcomes.

Do what is in your power to do and then let go.

And trust the process.

I’d be lying if I told you that I have this down pat, but I am learning!

If I were to rate myself on a Worry Scale of 1 to 10; 1 being  I never worry, 5 being I worry, but examine why I’m worrying, take action where I can, then let it go and 10 being I’m a chronic worrier, I would select 5 as the norm, and 7 in this moment.

~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~

Where would you rate yourself as the norm? At this moment? Do you think worrying is related to gender or the same across the board? What one issue do you worry about the most? If you’re a worrier, how do you manage it?

related post: STOP and Find Balance

What If Something Good Happens And I Miss It?

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200 words, Alberta, Calgary, Canada, changing seasons, Diana Schwenk, Diana's Enormous Book of Quotes, Fear, happy, joy, living in the moment, winter, worry

“You cannot protect yourself from sadness without protecting yourself from happiness.” ~ Jonathan Safran Foer

A shorts-wearing Canadian, Calgary, Alberta – Jan. 24, 2015

Today it’s supposed to be 16c, that’s 61f!

I haven’t been outside yet, but just the thought of going outside on a warm January 25th lifts my spirits several rungs up the ladder!

I get so excited about warmer temperatures.

I’m not the only one, yesterday it was 10c/50f and some of my countrymen even wore shorts.

It occurs to me that in not one, but two previous posts, I have been bracing myself for  I-can’t-feel-my-feet-and-hands-my-lips-are-frozen-to-my-teeth-and-it-hurts-my-lungs-to-inhale-the-air kind of days; worrying about something that hasn’t even happened.

I wonder how often I do that in everyday life.

They say that 90% of the things we worry about never come to pass.

How often do I worry about imagined future sadness and failure and strive to protect myself from it? And when I do so, how often does it rob me of joy in the now?

Do you find yourself doing the same thing?

~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~

If you need me, you know where to find me; outside and happy in the NOW

Just Look it in the Eye and Slap it!

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200 words, Diana Schwenk, Diana's Enormous Book of Quotes, fretting, health, humour, sleepless, stress, struggles, worry

Become a worry-slapper. Treat frets like mosquitoes. ~ Max Lucado

What did she mean by “Your hair looks nice TODAY?”

What if he betrays me?

What if they don’t like my idea?

What if they don’t like me?

What if I screw up that presentation?

What if everything falls apart?

What if I don’t have enough money when I retire?

What if? What if!

You ever have one of those nights where your brain just won’t stop?

I have and let me tell you, it’s not fun to be around me when I haven’t had enough sleep!

I worry and worry and toss and turn and sing LA LA LA LA in an effort to drown out my brain and it keeps coming at me, YELLING at me, warning me, taunting me with endless doom theories and outrageous possibilities!

I’m not talking about the things I can do something about – no!

I lay awake barraged by things that are completely out of my control!

Boy that Max Lucado sure is one smart cookie!

The next time I’m laying awake with worry I’m going to pretend my worry is a mosquito

and SLAP it!!

~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~

Every little Thing Gonna Be Alright

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200 words, believe, Corrie ten Boom, Diana Schwenk, Diana's Enormous Book of Quotes, faith, Fear, trust, worry

Worrying is carrying tomorrow’s load with today’s strength–carrying two days at once. It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength. ~ Corrie ten Boom

Worry

photo credit: PositivityBlog

We all do it.

Most of the time our fears don’t play out as scary as we had imagined, if they are realized at all.

And if they do – we figure it out – we find a way.

Sometimes we even look back and are thankful our plans did not work out at a certain time.

Maybe its time had not yet come. Maybe we weren’t ready.

I know that I am way less stressed when I:

Trust the process

Trust my instincts

Trust the right doors to open at the right time

Trust and continue to follow my heart.

Maybe things don’t work out the way I planned.

But worrying about it before it happens only serves to fill me with fear in the NOW.

Who knows…it may even work out better than I had originally hoped.

Today’s quote suggested to me by Tracy Lee Karner

~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~