​A is for…
 
Today is the second letter in my anagram cycle.  C.A.L.M. 
 
C is for  CALCULATE. 
A is for ATTITUDE.
 
 I chose attitude because it is overused as an annoying mantra for positivity in our social groups nowadays.  It brings to mind inane grinning while moving through the day.  The timbre of a voice so excruciatingly false with contrived excitement that you would gladly Van Gogh your ears to be rid of it.  These examples of a positive attitude are vapid and stressful. 
 
Have a serious talk with yourself and decide what kind of attitude you would like to cultivate in yourself and consider helpful, real ways of doing it.  For example, the attitude of mindfulness – I love the idea but seem to forget to do it when I’m in the fray.  So in order not to be discouraged from attaining it, I have a trigger.  I practice it when I’m sitting and observing or listening.  When I could reach for my cell phone and look busy or bite my nails or attempt to do something constructive while I should be focussing on a quiet time task.  Those triggers remind me to try and breathe and relax in the moment.  Probably only 40% of the time but that is still a victory for me.
 
Attitude is also key to consistency and perseverance.  What is the connection I hear you ask?   The fact that if your attitude serves you and not only the expectations of others then you will never give up or stop trying.  Accept that despite setbacks, blips, upheavals and life you will still be here tomorrow and that the best thing you can do for yourself today is to carry on.  This is not the exciting, wow factor promise that you may be used to seeing on the cover of a glossy mag but there are few things in that mag that are real enough when translated into our honest, everyday existence (maybe I stand alone but my living room/kitchen never looks like those photos in House Beautiful even after I’ve emptied the dishwasher and wiped the counter!)
 
So mull it over and see where you can be a friend to yourself. Tell the naysayers in your head to shut up and purposefully choose the attitude you want to be yours.
 
 
 
 

Ok, here goes.  My acronym this morning – C.A.L.M.  Very often I find acronyms contrived, I suppose by their very nature that must be the case but it irks me nonetheless.  I seem to latch onto one letter of the whole and that is what I remember.  So, for the next 4 weeks I will blurb about one letter at a time.  At the end you can decide if you like them all, one or none.  My hope is that they will inspire you to create or adapt your own principle to give you some guidance or help you materialize your mental meanderings during the week. 
 
Sometimes we aren’t very clear on what we like or not or how we feel until we are faced with something and then it becomes clear.  The actual process of thought is the desired outcome.  If anything in this blog helps you on this journey then – success.
 
C is for cookie – just a little Sesame Street moment to check if you’re paying attention.  This morning C will be for CALCULATE.  This word is often used to denote something negative.  Let’s flip the coin and see what positive aspects it has to offer us.
 
Consider, take account of, measure, figure, determine.  Great words.  In the context of the stuff, people or activities in your life these words have another level. 
 
When you go shopping, whether it be in the shops, online, at garage sales, consignments, at your friend’s house etc. CALCULATE.   What you are doing there, what are you drawn to buy and why, what are you actually bringing back home?  Project to the future, after the initial rush of a purchase how will you feel about it?  Guilty, happy, non plussed?  Only you know the answers. 
 
The people that are privileged to be a part of your world.  CALCULATE.  Do they love you or their idea of you?  Do they add to your existence and also, importantly, are you able to add to theirs?  Healthy relationships are two fold.  Do they help you love life and support your efforts to always strive for a better you?  Only you know the answers.
 
Your crazy, busy schedule.  CALCULATE.  Is your day filled with activities that cultivate fulfillment or peace of mind, a sense of purpose or are you like a hamster on a wheel?  What is the worst that will happen if you say ‘No thank you” to an invite or commitment?  Hint, - nothing bad will happen.  You will feel great relief if you can get through the 10 seconds it takes to actually decline.  Only you know the answers.  

​Organising.  Does it bring to mind a serene, all white décor, showroom of a home?  Therein lies the problem.  The fictional mental image this word conjures up is misleading in its attainment.  Actually, think for a second if this is even the nirvana of order you are interested in reaching. 
 
For me, it is not. 
 
While of course I love to browse the glossy pages of my favourite home décor magazine I do not desire to live my day to day life in such surroundings.  Gasp! Gasp! in disbelief.  I envision my home as a safe haven for myself and my dearest people.  We live here, we do things here.  It is a home of living.  Living is messy.  That’s ok. 
 
Your space can still be an oasis of organisation and order.  Because there is a place to put things away it’s not a big deal to take them out and use them.  Anyone coming into the space with a degree of common sense (although this is a skill that is losing its commonality) can easily find where things ought to be.  If there is some quirky, original hidey hole for something then it is labelled.  Anyone can put the laundry away, the dishes away, the art supplies away. 
 
If you think about it, most things do not fit only in one specific space.  There can still be reasonable peace if a blanket is not in the blanket box but on the couch if it’s folded neatly.  If a glass is put on a neighbouring shelf or the remote is not directly in front of the telly but on a side table – this is not the forerunner of a state of emergency. 
 
Reasonable, manageable order is the idea of organisation that I try and maintain.  I want to live my life not have it as my master.

​NOW.  Instant gratification.  It’s a common phrase we hear often, usually with an undertone of derision.  Depending on the situation, the NOW action can be a positive or a negative.  A negative if you have a petulant child that will not settle until their demands have been met.  I don’t mean survival as far as feeding, changing etc.  I mean constant requests for fast food, toys, play time or just plain demands that necessitate patience for whatever reason. 
 
Adults are frustrated with what the ‘younger generation’ gets impatient with.  Are we really that different?  Why must everything be achieved in a micro second?  Why do we reboot the computer if a tab doesn’t open with the first click?  Why do we keep clicking the remote when there is a 2 second delay to change the channel?  Why do we lay on the horn when the light changes to green and we deem the first car has not reacted in time?  We have all become one of those kinds of people to some degree.
 
The power of NOW.  There is of course an upside to the notion of now.  In relation to procrastination, the now action can be very powerful, motivating and positive. 
 
Think of 3 things that you have been putting off doing.  Now think about how long you imagine it will take to do one of those tasks.  Now do one. 
 
In my experience, the actual time it takes to do one of those annoying jobs is a fraction of the imagined time.  Once one thing on your list has been crossed off the sense of completion, well being and empowerment can be quite addicting.  It is much easier and manageable to just go on to the next.  Doing this process and remembering the satisfaction of the outcome is a boost to the synapses and can be very integral to keeping the momentum going.
 
Why don’t you try it?