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Priscilla Parham

http://motivatingmessages.ning.com/

10 Thoughtful Practices For Making Generous Acts a Way of Life

Posted Saturday, December 06, 2008 (352 days 1 hour ago.) Viewed 41 times.

Have you ever experienced an unexpected kindness? To have a neighbor rake the leaves off of your driveway as they are doing theirs. Or the highway driver that slows down to let you pass lanes in front of them. These small random acts of kindness are wonderful to give and receive. They also make us feel more connected to each other as a society. It reawakens you to the fact that people are all the same deep down and are quite good at heart.

In this fast paced world it seems like people are misinterpreting the amount of time it actually takes to perform a random act of kindness. Most acts of kindness are spur of the moment. The kind act occurs to you and you do it: it is really that simple.

We can all make generous acts a way of life. Once you realize just how good it feels to perform random acts of kindness, you will want to do them as often as you can. We've taken some of the guesswork out of what is possible by offering 10 Thoughtful Practices to help get you on your way.

By the time you move through our list of thoughtful practices you will have come up with some of your own. So bon appetit!

Practice 1. Get a $5 or $10 gift card, add a little thank you note and leave it in your mailbox for your mail carrier. Boldly write for the mail carrier or for the postal worker on the envelope and don't forget to put the flag up on the side of the mailbox. Or just be sure to be around when your mail is delivered and hand it personally to your carrier.

Practice 2. If you are a coupon clipper take all of your unwanted baby item coupons and deliver them to the nearest childcare facility or unwanted pet coupons and deliver them to the nearest animal shelter or vet office.

Practice 3. Gather up your, I just don't want to watch them again DVD's and donate them to a senior center or a nursing home.

Practice 4. Bake or buy cookies or muffins for your local fire or police department, to thank them for the hard work they do.

Practice 5. When you have just gotten great customer service, make sure you get the individuals name. Upon leaving ask to see the manager and tell him/her what a fantastic job their employee is doing.

Practice 6. Buy funny or sentimental cards; address, stamp, and mail them to each individual living at home with you, especially any children. It feels so good to get personal mail, don't wait for a special occasion.

Practice 7. If you are a pet owner, the next time you are at the grocery store buying pet food, pick up one extra bag and donate it to your local animal shelter.

Practice 8. Take your faithful barber or beautician a sandwich and a drink to your next appointment. They often have a hard time getting away for meals.

Practice 9. Do you know a young newlywed couple? Make a nice care package filled with gently used household items you no longer use or want. This also works great for any young college students you might know.

Practice 10. One afternoon call your local shelter, mission, hospice, senior center or nursing home ask them if it would be okay if you just come by and sit with someone who might need a friend to talk to for a little while.

We create magical moments for both the giver and receiver of these generous acts of kindness. A divine blending of energies takes place as people work together, supporting and encouraging each other in ways that are fulfilling and productive.

Gandhi once said, "Whatever you do may seem insignificant, but it is important that you do it." Remember this as you add your own thoughtful practices to your way of life.

Become part of something that is sweeping the world with inspiration. You will find a wealth of spectacular material including free affirmations, beneficial worksheets and other useful tools for your enjoyment at http://motivatingmessages.ning.com

Priscilla Parham coaches on awareness and goal setting for your health, your business and your relationships, motivating and inspiring others to rebuild from the inside-out.

You can post this article on your web site or blog as long as no changes are made, the author's name is retained and the links to our site URLs remains active.

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Christmas Gift Giving; Give Less and Have it Mean More

Posted Saturday, December 06, 2008 (352 days 2 hours ago.) Viewed 66 times.

What's your favorite or most unique holiday tradition? Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or a different holiday for many people around the world the winter season is a time for giving gifts and practicing traditions.

It would seem the American Christmas tradition has evolved to the present custom of showering family and friends with lots of presents, a mountain of gifts. The frenzy to be first in the department store lines at 5am on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving has become increasingly startling. Nothing more than a "living in the material world fest."

Wouldn't it be nice if we could give less and have it mean more, really start giving gifts with intention? Is there a more ideal way to celebrate the holidays and still give gifts?

Let's take a brief look at a number of diverse Christmas traditions practiced by some countries from around the world.

Austria - December 6 in Austria is when Heiliger Nikolaus or St. Nicholas, rewards good children with sweets, nuts and apples. On December 24, the Christ Child brings presents and the Christmas tree for the children. Gifts that are placed under the tree are opened after dinner on Christmas Eve. The whole family sings Christmas carols and wishes each other: FROLICHE WEIHNACHTEN!

Ethiopia - Christmas known as Ganna is celebrated on January 7th. This celebration takes place in church. Men and boys sit separately from girls and women. People receive candles as they enter the church. After lighting the candles everyone walks around the church three times, then stands throughout the mass, which may last up to three hours. Gift giving is a very small part of Christmas celebration. Children usually receive very simple presents such as clothing.

Greece - Often a fasting period starts almost 40 days before Christmas. As Christmas draws near a big Christmas Day feast is prepared. The traditional circle of the whole twelve days starts on Christmas Eve and is completed on Epiphany day, Jan. 6th. Greek Christmas carols (calanda) are sung on the mornings of Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve and January 5, the Eve of the Epiphany. Gifts are exchanged on January 1st, St Basil's Day.

Greenland - Families do alot of visiting, sharing coffee and cakes. Everyone in the village gets a gift and children go from hut to hut, singing songs. It is tradition on Christmas night that the men look after the women, waiting on them hand and foot.

Syria - On December 6, a special Mass is held in churches in honor of Saint Nicholas Thaumaturgus. Christmas Eve everyone in the family, carries a lit candle, to stand around an unlit bonfire outside their house. When the fire burns, psalms are sung, and when it sinks, everyone leaps over the embers making wishes. Early on Christmas morning everyone goes to Mass. But it is on New Year's Day that children receive presents.

Gift giving is an absolutely wonderful gesture but when you shift your main focus to creating or maintaining traditions or emphasizing spiritual meaning then your intentions speak loud and clear. It's our true intentions that matter most.

Savvy gift givers know, "Blessed are those that can give without remembering and receive without forgetting."

Become part of something that is sweeping the world with inspiration. You will find a wealth of spectacular material including free affirmations, beneficial worksheets and other useful tools for your enjoyment at http://motivatingmessages.ning.com.

Priscilla Parham coaches on awareness and goal setting for your health, your business and your relationships, motivating and inspiring others to rebuild from the inside-out.

You can post this article on your web site or blog as long as no changes are made, the author's name is retained and the links to our site URLs remains active.

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Relationships: Can He Be a Diamond in the Ruff Or Just a Lump of Coal? 10 SureFire Signs

Posted Monday, July 07, 2008 (1 year 139 days ago.) Viewed 270 times.

Hey ladies, you recently met a new man, he's got a little bad boy in him but not enough to make you head for the hills. He is nice enough but something in you makes you hesitant about him. How do you know if he is a diamond in the ruff and has potential or just a lump of coal and you should be on your way? Here are 10 sure fire signs to help keep you from wasting your time and his.

Sign 1. Does he constantly talk on his cellphone when you are together?

No, unless he is expecting an urgent call, his phone is off or on vibrate. --A diamond

Yes, he is constantly taking calls and then apologizing. --Lump of coal

Sign 2. Does he initiate some of your plans to get together or does he just wait for you to call and make plans?

We're both busy but it flows back and forth pretty well. We seem to have an equal interest. --A definite diamond

Unless I call and invite him we never seem to get together. --Lump of Coal

Sign 3. Does he make eye contact when you talk to each other?

Yes, he is pretty attentive, he seems to be interested in what I have to say. --He just may be a diamond.

No, his eyes rarely make contact with mine, he's usually concentrating on other parts of my anatomy. --Ditch this lump of coal.

Sign 4. Does he introduce you to the people he knows when you are hanging out in mixed company?

Yes, he politely introduces me by name to people he knows when we are at our favorite club or restaurant. -- A diamond

No, he quickly moves away or just nods at the people he knows when I am with him. --Lump of coal

Sign 5. Does he disappear on his days off or on the weekends?

No, we don't see each other every weekend but I can easily talk with or see him on his downtime. --A diamond

Yes, he disappears, he doesn't return my calls or text messages until Monday with some excuse. -- A lump of coal who is probably married.

Sign 6. Does he offer to pay for some of your outings?

Yes, sometimes I pay and sometimes he does? A hidden diamond

No, I often pay or we split the bill. --Run for the hills, he's a lump of coal.

Sign 7. Does he constantly talk about all of his ex-girlfriends or partners?

Just briefly, but we try not to focus on the past. --A diamond

Yes, and how boring. If he is not talking about his ex's, he is always checking out other woman. -- A lump of coal.

Sign 8. Does he only call you late at night and on the spur of the moment to try to get you to come over?

No, we meet at different times and usually with prior planning. --A diamond

Yes, he says he has been busy working but that I've been on his mind. --This is better known as a "bootie call", he's a lump of coal.

Sign 9. Does he tell you he is going to do something then fails to follow through? On top of that either completely ignores the situation or blames it on something or someone else?

No, if he can't do or changes his mind about something, he is good at telling me beforehand. --A diamond

Yes, on occasion he has failed to follow through and he just hoped I wouldn't notice. -- A lump of coal

Sign 10. Is he curious about your likes and dislikes, your work, your interests, your future plans?

Yes, now and then he asks me about myself, we've found we have a few things in common. -- A diamond

No, not really, he never asks and when I volunteer information about myself he hardly pays attention. I usually just get a blank stare. --A lump of coal

If you find you have more lumps of coal than diamonds you may want to rethink this budding relationship. As the saying goes "He is just not that into you." Don't waste your time thinking he will make some changes. More important than this is to find out within yourself, why you are attracting this type of person.

Our personal vibes make us seem approachable or unapproachable to other people. We draw relationships into our lives based on our true internal feelings about ourselves, whether they be conscious or unconscious feelings.

A better way of finding a great mate is to put all your efforts into truly feeling good about who you are and good about where you are in life. From this inner work, positive loving relationships will start to show up. You won't have to burnish or buff any coal so hard in order to find your diamond.

Priscilla Parham coaches on awareness and goal setting for your health, your business and your relationships, motivating others to rebuild from the inside-out. Join her at http://motivatingmessages.ning.com/

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