It Was Fun!
By: David Freund, Chief Leadership Officer
Last Sunday evening, I dropped my parents off at the airport for their annual migration to warmer weather. At 86 and 87 years young, I am thankful that they can spend summers in beautiful Central New York and winters in sunny Florida near my brother. We made sure to find them direct flights so literally I drop them off and my brother picks them up. At 5:40 pm, I dropped them off for their three-hour flight south. This morning my brother sent me this text at 6:00 am: Mom and Dad arrived at 5:00 am. The flight was delayed, and they had to bring in another flight. They both seem in good spirits. Mom said it was “fun.” How could spending seven-plus hours to make a three-hour flight be fun? Especially when you are 87 years old.
For the last three years, my mom has focused on being positive. She has worked hard on changing the way she looks at things. Often, you can hear her change her comments mid-sentence when she realizes where her mindset is going. I was so thrilled to read that text. No complaining about a bad night in an airport. No complaining about another night in cold and rainy Syracuse. In fact, as we drove to the airport I heard her say to my Dad, “Bob, Look at the color of those trees. They’re just beautiful.” She realized that she wouldn’t get to see fall colors in Florida. She was intentionally reminding herself and my Dad about the beauty she found on a dark and rainy day in Syracuse.
Last Friday, Debra Searle reminded all of us at Live2Lead that the battle we need to fight is for our thought life. According to Debra, if we conquer our negative emotions, we can do anything. For Debra, it was spending 111 days rowing solo across the Atlantic. She created a movie that she played in her mind to change her focus. She also spoke of a playlist of songs that picked her up when she is down. What challenges are you facing that need a mental shift? It’s time to develop your plan of attack to take back your thought life.
As I was writing this, I remembered The Next Page Podcast titled “But It Was Just a Thought.” Episode 51 fits this topic so well; I have decided to repost it this week. Marisa and I shared some great ideas for getting our thought life back on track. Episode 72 is now live!
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