Inspiration And Motivation With Gwen Nickel

We need to do all we can for ourselves\r\nWe need to learn to ask for and accept help when we need it.\r\nI need to learn to weigh the risks vs the benefits of doing things myself.\r\nI don’t need to apologize for my illness. \r\nI need to see the accomplishments I’ve made instead of focusing on the things I can’t do. \r\nI’ve learned to accept that I will fall (literally and metaphorically), but I also have to work hard to get back up again. Staying down isn’t an option if we want to succeed. \r\n

I don’t have to explain, validate, or justify my illness to those who don’t understand it. Most people do care. Those who don’t aren’t your problem. A smile opens many doors to communication. We are each so much more than a diagnosis. If I am willing to educate people on how I want to be perceived and what is really important to me it will help them become more kind, caring and compassionate. Allowing people to ask questions will open doors to you being able to create an empowering dialogue. These are the main concepts I explore today. More will be here shortly!

Things my illness & disability have taught me, part 1

By simply adding a description of praise when we introduce others we can greatly influence their day, our own attitude, and that of the person making the acquaintance. We have the power to use our words to build people up or tear them down – lets build them up!

A friend recently pointed out to me that often I seem to be so preoccupied with my phone that it feels like I’m not present. That it feels like the conversation around me isn’t enough to be focused on. I apparently made my friend feel like what he/she was telling me was not my priority. I don’t like knowing I made my friends feel that way. So for me that’s one of the few strategies I’ll discuss for being present. Sometimes we get so busy thinking about all we have to do or what is rolling around the back of our minds that we fail to appreciate and celebrate the things we have already gotten done, the joy we experience in the steps towards the goal, or the people in our lives who we are blessed to know. Together we can work towards being more present, more in the moment, and more relaxed!

We all face times where we are sure we aren’t enough. It can take effort to remind ourselves that we are, each of us is, enough. The basis for today’s talk is from a quote I found from Holstee. It reads: Hello, I don’t know everything about you, but I know what you are not. You are not your job title. You are not how many “friends” or “followers” you have. You are not what you wear. You are not just your religion. You are not only the color of your skin. You are not your parents. You are not who you were as a child. You are not your test scores or achievements. You are not the words others use to describe you. You aren’t even what you see in the mirror. There are no words for you. You are. And that is enough. Love, Me -Nikki Banas / Walk The Earth said “You have what it takes. You are strong enough. You are worthy enough. It’s time to stop thinking otherwise and start believing in yourself because no one else has the dreams that you have. No one else sees the world exactly like you do, and no one else holds the same magic inside. It’s time to start believing in the power of your dreams, my beautiful friend. Not next year, not next month, not tomorrow, but NOW! You are ready. You are enough.” Scott Stabile also inspired me with these words: “The fact that you are enough, exactly as you are has nothing to do with how you look, or what you do for work, or who your friends are, or where you live, or how smart and rich you are, or how generous and selfless you are, or how creative and talented you are.  None of this matters, not in the least.  You are enough, exactly as you are, simply because you exist, like all of us, a child of the divine.  You don’t have to do a thing to prove your worth.  You have been worthy since your first breath, and you will be worthy to your last.” As always I would love to hear from you. On facebook and instagram @Searching For The Good. Also, if you could leave a comment on www.searchingforthegood.com I love hearing from you! I would be honored if if you would leave me a 5 star review on itunes (if you feel that it’s a 5 star podcast). Have a great day!

It’s been quite a week! From falling again, to knowing I needed to make a huge change in an interpersonal relationship of mine, to connecting with a friend, getting a new knee, learning again how vital my friends, family, and others are to me and just all in all making my way through a week I never saw coming. I am aware again how blessed I am by the people in my life and how much I need to show my appreciation!

Today is a shout out to all the people who show up, do what they do, do it to the best of their ability and make a difference. No matter what you do, where you are, or who you are there are things you can do that are going to impact someone else’s life for the better. If you want to reach out to me, you can leave a message here in the comments section. Or, go to facebook or Instagram and search for Searching For The Good. I love hearing from you! If you’re looking for a speaker I’d love to do that for you; reach out and we’ll set something up as soon as we can. Thank you again, to every person who is a part of this Search For The Good! Good is everywhere and if we are willing to search for it we will find it! Let’s keep building each other up, building community, and growing into braver, stronger, empowered and supported people by doing all we can to be the good, see the good, and celebrate the good in this life!

Today would be my dad’s 79th birthday. He loved his work. He loved he people, the challenges, the places, and the success it brought into his life. Whether we work at a job we love or not, we have the choice to love what we do, and to do what we love in life. How we love this life will leave a lasting impact on the people around us! If you would like to reach out to me you can find me on facebook and instagram at Searching For The Good. Here, at www.searchingforthegood.com. I’d love to hear from you! Your feedback, suggestions and ideas mean the world to me. If you’re looking for a speaker for your next event (once Covid restrictions are lifted and we can have events!) please get in touch and I’d love to join you!

I fell a few days ago. This experience reminded me of how easy it is to talk about a good attitude and to promote positive thinking but how hard it is to put into practice when life throws us a curve. I was challenged to reassess my attitude and reflect on the many reasons I have to be thankful, even if I wasn’t impressed at the moment. If you would like to reach out to me you can find me on facebook and instagram at Searching For The Good, or at www.searchingforthegood.com. I’d love to hear from you!

Last post for the challenge! Acknowledge something you’ve done that was hard but you achieved it. Something you once, perhaps, couldn’t do and now you can. Acknowledge how good growth feels! Be thankful for your personal growth and celebrate it!

The challenges for days 28 and 29 are very similar. Plan a coffee Date with a friend: It’s easy to get busy but we never want people to feel like we are to busy to their friend. Taking that time for a friend to go out and visit reminds us how much we love each other and how much joy we mutually share. Challenge 29 is to go visit someone who can’t go out. Doing so makes you, them, and others feel good. It reminds us that we are all members of the community of humanity and there’s strength in knowing that we don’t have to go through life alone just because we can’t go out. It will also make you so incredibly grateful for your own mobility!

Children wear their hearts for the whole world to see! Watch a happy kid, learn from the joy of children. When we embark on a journey to celebrate the little things like a child does we automatically become more grateful. Today’s challenge is to think like a child, to feel the awareness of joy like a child, to have celebrate the simple things, and to reflect on our own favorite childhood memories and hold on to a part of the joy in our best memories.

Campfires are among my happy places. They are soothing, and they bring people together. Some of my best memories have been made around a campfire. Today’s challenge is to build a campfire, or do something that speaks to your heart in a similar way, and reflect on, and celebrate the good that is in your life.

So often when things go wrong we catastophize over it and make it into a huge deal. Then, with the passing of time we can look back and realize all the good that came of it, how it helped us grow, it shaped us, and how it enabled us to become stronger people. Sometimes things turn out better than we could have expected simply because they didn’t go as expected. Today’s challenge is to look for the good from those experiences and celebrate the positive we can find in them.

Pause to give thanks before a meal. The challenge is to offer up thanks for the food, the preparation, the kitchen it was prepared in. Give thanks for the farmer who grew the food, the animal who supplied food, or gave his life for us to eat. Give thanks for the environment where we can eat in peace. Be thankful for the nourishment and strength that food provides. There are so many things we will be more aware of as we give thanks for the food we eat.

Do Someone a favor. Do favors for the people you love and who help you. Then challenge yourself to do a favor for someone who isn’t quite on your list of favorite people. You’ll be as blessed as they are.

Invite people over!

Paying it forward or performing a random act of kindness is today’s challenge. Here are a few ideas to get you thinking: Pay for the person behind you in the drive through line. Mow someone’s grass. Pick up a shut in person’s mail or groceries. Deliver some baking to a new neighbor’s house. Walk a dog that needs a walk. Clean up some garbage on your street. There’s so much we can do to be kind!

Stand up for others. Standing up for others can mean defending them when they are wrongfully accused, standing beside them when they make mistakes, protecting their dignity, defending their honor, believing in them…. There’s so much we can do to stand up for others and it starts right here, in our own hearts.