To Speak or Not to Speak

Syrian native Publilius Syrus, the 1st century B.C. writer of maxims, was brought as a slave to Italy. Fortunately, his wit and talent won the favor of his master, who freed and educated him.

His famous quote, "Speech is a mirror of the soul: as a man speaks, so is he", resonates dearly in my heart. His talent and unwavering conviction enabled him to express what many were probably thinking, but were afraid to verbalize. Using wit, his thought provoking maxims were embraced and accepted.

Like Syrus, always speak from the heart with conviction, without fear and use wit to engage others with thought provoking statements.

Synergy, Temporary Insanity and Self-Evaluation

Synergy is the simultaneous action of separate people in which, together, have a greater total effect than the sum of their individual powers. When in love, it is quite possible to confuse synergy with infatuation’s temporary insanity, thus repeating relationship patterns that are less than healthy.

Recognizing relationship patterns is one of the most difficult, enlightening and liberating tasks we can do for ourselves. It takes self-honesty and objectivity, which can be quite painful and embarrassing. However, the payoff is liberating and fulfilling. Once we figure out that relationships aren’t random events that happen, but are a result of our own patterns, we can reclaim our power and remind ourselves that we are the authors writing our chapter in the book of life.

There is a saying about patterns that holds true, “When you do what you did, you get what you got.” One must accept responsibility for the connection between what you do and what you get. By taking a long, hard look at the people around you and an even harder look at yourself, you will realize that no one is in our lives that we haven’t chosen to let in.

Before the temporary insanity of infatuation sets in, it is imperative to find out the character of the person you are inviting into your life. Ask questions and pay very close attention to the answers. Then, pay even closer attention to whether or not the answers match the person’s behavior. When there is a difference between what they say and how they behave, ignore the words and believe the behavior!

Someone who claims to believe in the importance of honesty would not lie. Someone who believes in commitment would not cheat. Someone who claims to be respectful would never demean or trivialize you or what is important to you.

Think long, hard and choose wisely…

As We Grow Up

As we grow up,
we learn that even the one person
who wasn't supposed to ever let you down,
probably will.
You will have your heart broken,
probably more than once,
and it's harder every time.
You'll break a few hearts, too,
so remember how it felt when yours was broken.
You'll fight with your best friend.
You'll blame a new love for things an old one did.
You'll cry because time is passing way too fast,
and you'll eventually lose someone you love.

Therefore, take many pictures, laugh as much as you can,
and love like you have never been hurt,
because every sixty seconds you spend upset
is a minute of happiness you'll never get back!

Prioritize Your Life

Time management specialists teach us how to set priorities in the workplace, how to organize those priorities and how to stick to our priorities to get more done. Applying the same principles to our free time is equally important.

There are 168 hours in a week. Of those 168 hours, we spend about 40 of them working (a bit more if you keep the hours I do) and about 4 hours (more depending on traffic) a week in transit to and from our jobs. As a result, we are spending just over one quarter of our lives taking care of workplace business.

We spend another 56 hours a week sleeping, 7 hours grooming, 7 hours eating, leaving 54 hours in our week to do the things we really enjoy!

I am astonished by the efforts spent on managing the work week - just over 25% of our week, while the other 33% of our week, our free time, isn’t managed accordingly. Work seems to prevail and we fail to realize that we have lives beyond work.

Why do we recognize the need to prioritize our work lives and fall short on prioritizing our free time? What priorities have you set for yourself during the 54 hours available each week?

I applaud everyone who makes the commitment to manage time and priorities in the work place. However, do open your eyes to the part of your life that is bigger than work…the 33% of your life that belongs to you. Your happiness IS more important!!!

The Bliss of a Kiss

Oliver Wendell Holmes once said, “The sound of a kiss is not so loud as that of a cannon, but its echo lasts a great deal longer.” Absolutely, Mr. Holmes! In fact, that echo can last for weeks on end.

While the scientific definition takes the sexiness out of it, isn’t it amazing that the anatomical juxtaposition of two orbicularis oris muscles in a state of contraction brings such pleasure? Moreover, reveals emotions without words and on occasion, allows reality to slap us in the face.

The history of the kiss is quite interesting. In fact, the Romans started several kissing traditions that have lasted to the present day. In ancient Rome, couples became betrothed by kissing passionately in front of a group of people. This is probably one reason why couples kiss at the end of wedding ceremonies. Additionally, although most people today think of love letters as "sealed with a kiss," kisses were used to seal legal and business agreements. Ancient Romans also used kissing as part of political campaigns. However, several "kisses for votes" scandals in 18th century England led - in theory - to candidates kissing only the very young and very old.

I never believed in love at first sight, but an encounter in recent months changed this belief. However, it was a kiss that sealed the deal :-)!