Which Seat Will You Sit In?

I was going through some of my old emails and came upon this great message from my friend, Sue:

There are enough other people who will put us down to make themselves feel better, don't help them.

Very wise, not to mention true.  (And you thought I was the only one with the tasty lil' nuggets of wisdom).

Since I'm already in quote mode, I'll also borrow the tagline from the Virginia Slims campaign:

I've come a long way, baby.
Almost 96 hours removed from the start of the Boston Marathon and I'm feeling pretty good.  My legs are starting to work again.  I'm walking more like Cyndi and less like Clyde, the orangutan from "Every Which Way But Loose".  But, what's more important, and less visible, is how I feel.

In 2009, I ran a time slower than I wanted to and I brooded over it for weeks, giving myself quite the flogging.  Obviously, I didn't heed Sue's warning. 

Now, fast forward two years. 

Today, I feel good inside because I've made a concerted effort to amplify the positive aspects of my marathon experience ONLY.  I believe that I am the architect of my own reality and I've decided to build the best life that I possibly can.

For the past 18 months or so, I've been enjoying the teachings of Abraham-Hicks (you can google them).  They talk about the Law of Attraction (which you can also google), but they also give you powerful, yet practical information that you can apply to your own life.  I was listening to the CD recording of their San Francisco/February 2011 workshop in my car the other day; just driving, chilling and enjoying, when, I heard this simple sentence:

If you're feeling high, ride it.  If you're feeling low, take a nap.

In other words, if something is going the way you want, talk about it, revel in it, MILK it.  If it's not, for the love of Pete, STOP TALKING ABOUT IT!!!!!  The seed won't grow unless you water it.

Imagine you decided to walk around with a tape/digital recorder for 24 hours, documenting everything that came out of your mouth.  When you played it back, how much of it do you think would contribute to the life that you want?  How much of what you said would detract?

Think about it.

Don't misunderstand me, here.  I'm not talking about "faking positivity" if you're not feeling it.  The worst thing you can do is recite positive affirmations when you're in a low energy state.  It'll just remind you of the gap between where you are and where you want to be.  Have you ever been around a peppy, happy person when you're feeling "less than stellar"?  Don't you just want to punch them in the face everytime they smile at you?

So, don't do that.  And punching someone in the face is probably not a good idea, either.

But, you have a lot more control over your mood than you might think.

When something happens to you that has the potential to upset you, recognize it, be aware of it and then let it go.  The more you talk about it, the more you "vent" about it, the bigger it gets.  What was a molehill turns into a mountain.  Do you really want that?

I didn't think so.

If something has been bothering you for a while, don't try and deal with it until you're feeling good.  It's okay to put it off.  Distract yourself.  Go for a walk.  Listen to your favorite song.  Meditate.  Take a bubble bath.  Hug your best friend.

Take a nap.  Whatever floats your boat.

The seed won't grow if you don't water it.

Would you rather be driving the car that is your life or riding shotgun, with your hands over your eyes, jamming your foot onto the invisible "emergency brake" embedded into the floorboard because you don't like the way the driver is driving?

Which seat will you sit in?