1999-2019: Celebrating 20 Years of Ripples
Ripples #1061: Creating Today!
Sep 23, 2019
PEBBLE
There will be something, anguish or elation that is peculiar to this day alone. I rise from sleep and say: Hail to the morning! Come down to me, my beautiful unknown.
-Jessica Powers, shared by Bonnie in Tulsa, OK
BOULDER
Love yourself enough to create an environment in your life that is conducive to the nourishment of your personal growth. Allow yourself to let go of the people, thoughts, and situations that poison your well-being. Cultivate a vibrant surrounding and commit yourself to making choices that will help you release the greatest expression of your unique beauty and purpose.
-Steve Maraboli, shared by Sam in Fort Worth, TX
PONDER
I’ve reached the end of this season’s visits to college campuses where I get to fire up new students. That first day on campus is crazy-busy and also nerve-wracking for everyone involved. New students, their parents, and really everyone on campus experiences an overwhelming combination of excitement (about all the fresh possibilities) and also extreme nervousness (about all the unknowns).
During the last few stops on this year’s tour, I slipped in a message that evolved a few years ago when I was preparing a mini-pep talk to a group of orientation leaders. They were just a few hours from greeting a fresh batch of new students, and my hope for them was “to be EXCITED enough to really enjoy the day, NERVOUS enough to value it, and also CENTERED enough to savor it.”
I usually don’t have to convince them that their excitement is a good thing, but I do see an opportunity for them to view their nervousness a good thing as well. It is our system’s way of communicating “this thing we’re going through is a big deal and we need to be aware of all the dangers and opportunities.” Too much nervousness isn’t helpful, and neither is being not nervous enough. So I encourage them to take some deep breaths (here now, here now, here now!) and seek a balance of being excited, nervous, and centered.
Now that I am home with a few days to catch my breath, I’m curious to bring this balance of excitement, nervousness and centeredness to my daily life. Creating the right combination of the three could help me anticipate the fun stuff so I can enjoy each day, and also prepare for inevitable hard stuff which will allow me to grow each day.
Wanna join me?
Peace,
Paul
The Ripples Guy
