February 21, 2003 Chautauqua

From the Editor's Computer 

   How have you challenged yourself today?  Have you challenged yourself today?

   Each and everyone of us should be doing at least one thing every day that challenges our brain and helps us grow and develop. 

   This challenge could be as simple as learning a new vocabulary word.  For instance, do you know what the word ineluctable means?  If you don’t, you are going to have to look it up yourself because I’m not giving you the answer!

   You could challenge yourself to read and research a topic of which you have no prior knowledge.  Everyday we read or hear about a topic that we’ve never even heard of before...take the time to find out more information.

   You could challenge yourself to take a class and learn a new skill.  The new skill you develop could become a treasured hobby or even become a stepping stone in your career development.

   You could challenge yourself to discover a better, or more efficient, method for completing your routine tasks, the tasks that you don’t like doing so you might as well find a way to make them fun.

   You could challenge yourself to replace one habit that is not beneficial to your life with one that is more beneficial.

   You could challenge yourself to be kind to that annoying person who grates on your nerves whom you have to work with every day.

   You could challenge yourself to find something good within everyone you deal with every day.

   You could challenge yourself to look at the world around you from a different perspective.

   Each day provides us with endless opportunities to challenge ourselves, to learn something new, and to grow as individuals.

   How have you challenged yourself today?

Beth

Read the complete issue of The Chautauqua here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iP8KyitVog9BvM_MUBso8X4TVBEcNLt0/view?usp=sharing

To contact The Chautauqua, email: thechautauqua@gmail.com.

February 7, 2003 Chautauqua

From the Editor's Computer 

  A pebble tossed into a body of water affects the whole body of water, with ripples reaching the furthest edges.  So too, a little grain of sand dropping into a body of water affects the whole body of water, with hidden ripples spreading ever wider until reaching the edge.

   Our thoughts, actions and words are grains of sand that we are dropping into the body of water of our world around us.  Our moods influence and impact everyone we meet and interact with throughout the day.

   What ripples are you sending out into your world?  Are you sending out a good mood or a bad mood?  Are you adding to the negative ripples undulating around our world, or are you sending out positive ripples?

   By the same token, what negative moods are you (un)consciously picking up and internalizing (harmful for you) or passing on (harmful for others)?  Do you collect negative moods from everyone you see around you?

   Just as throwing a pebble into the water will not erase the ripples caused by the piece of sand, its ripples will overpower the sand’s at some point.  We need to consciously make a choice to only collect and disperse positive ripples into our world.  By doing so, we can affect the whole emotional climate of our world.

   What ripples are you sending out?

 

Beth

Read the complete issue of The Chautauqua here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tUoaDZ1M_alBjj4L9IZsY-NhWjIoxKem/view?usp=sharing

To contact The Chautauqua, email: thechautauqua@gmail.com.