Seth Saunders Facts, Inspirational, Value

YOU MATTER

When I say YOU MATTER, I mean it. No matter what your life is like right now, you matter. There is a popular trend going on right now on social media called “Put Your Finger Down.” Simply put you are supposed to put a finger down for each of the statements being said. So let’s go ahead and play this little game.

Put A Finger Down…

if you have felt overwhelmed by life in the past week

if you your room, house, apartment, car is not clean

if you have laundry that needs to be done

if a friend has hurt you in the past month

if you have lost a loved one in the past year

if you have felt alone in the past month

if you feel like your future is not so bright

if others have wrongly judged you

if you have not been kind to someone you love in the past week

if you have felt like giving up in the past year

Okay, I am not sure how many fingers you have down but I can tell you that I have most of mine down. Now, if I were to stop there, imagine how depressing and hopeless I would continue to feel. So let’s try turning this game upside down. Now I want you to put a finger up for each of the true statements below.

Put A Finger Up…

if you have told someone you love them in the past 24 hours

if you have received an act of kindness in the past month

if you have have done an act of kindness in the past week

if you have smiled for any reason in the past 24 hours

if you have shown gratitude towards a friend in the past month

if you have reconnected with someone from your past in the last 6 months

if you have felt like someone cares about you

if you have reached out to a friend or family member in need

if you have have laughed with friends in the past week

if you are still breathing

Now, again, I am not sure how many fingers you have up. I have all 10 up. What I personally noticed is that the feelings I have felt putting my fingers up completely outweigh how I felt after having my fingers down.

What is important to recognize here is that no matter how hard, challenging, tough and depressing life can be, the good will ALWAYS outweigh the bad. The most important way to ensure this is true is by understanding that YOU MATTER. You have the ability to determine how you feel and more importantly how you react to situations. This does not mean you hide or suppress your feelings but it does mean that you take the time to pause and try to see the good. What you feel matters, what you do matters, how you treat others matter. You may not always feel like you matter but let me state it one more time, YOU MATTER, to me.

I APPRECIATE YOU AND WHETHER I PERSONALLY KNOW YOU OR NOT, YOU MATTER. DON’T EVER GIVE UP. THIS WORLD NEEDS YOU.

Seth Saunders Facts, Inspirational, Leadership, Value

Empowerment through embracement

There has been no shortage of thoughts lately on many different topics. One that has hit me pretty hard revolves around America and our democracy. The amount of contention, bullying, negativity, hate, mud throwing, etc. is taking its toll.

I personally have watched amazing people become bitter, hateful, mean and condescending online. As a result I have seen good people be emotionally hurt and become mentally damaged.

We live in country that has been founded on freedom. So I am all about people having their own opinions and feel it’s an important part of what makes our country great. But what we have witnessed this year is something I would never want to experience again. The blatant dismissal of human dignity from both Republicans and Democrats has been gut wrenching.

All that said, let me share some of the thoughts that have flooded my mind and heart. What happens when you mix the colors red and blue? Correct, you get the color purple. In doing some research on the color purple, here is what I found:

Purple combines the calm stability of blue and the fierce energy of red. The color purple is often associated with power, ambition, creativity, wisdom, dignity, devotion, peace and pride.

The color purple has a variety of effects on the mind and body, including uplifting spirits, calming the mind and nerves, enhancing the sacred, increasing nurturing tendencies and sensitivity, and encouraging imagination and creativity.

“Effectively purple maintains a connection with both the physical world and our soul, which makes it an excellent color to represent harmony and transformation.“

If you look at the venn diagram below you will see a visual representation of what I see in my head. Let me ask you to ponder these questions as I am:

* What would America look like, feel like if we embraced those items associated with the color purple?

* What can I do to help get myself and potentially those around me into the color purple?

* What has caused me to distance myself from the color purple?

Now to make this very clear, in no way am I talking about policies or political platforms, nor am I talking about any politicians. What am I referring to the ability to co-exist with people who have different ideas, beliefs, values and even ways of expressing themselves. I am not going to allow myself to change what I believe because of how angry or hateful others get not would I want anyone to change their beliefs or positions. What I will do is strive to do my best to understand what others believe and think by listening. This does not mean I am going to change but it does allow for open communication. And guess what, if after a better understanding I take the time to learn more and if I feel that a change of my position is warranted, then I will make that decision.

I firmly believe the people are inherently good. Sure, there are going to be people who wish to do harm either emotionally and physically but that is not the norm. I do believe that we must be willing to stand-up and if needed defend what we believe. I do not believe this comes from rioting or violence, nor does it come from name calling, hateful speech, threats or bullying. Real, sustainable change comes after respectful, two-way communication.

There is no silver bullet per se but what my hope is that each of us can see how we can get closer to becoming Americans (aka purple color). It’s my belief that this is the only way that we can become a country of respect, compassion, service and understanding.

Sorry for the longer post and this does not come from a perspective of trying to start political fight. It comes from my heart as I see so many people hurting. No one wakes up in the morning hoping they get to feel hurt, people want to feel hope, happiness and stability. This will NEVER come from a politician or leader, it will only come from within, thus it is on each individual to find ways to become a great American.

America is amazing and that is because of the people who make up this country. This includes Democrats, Republicans, Independents, etc. We are a country made up of many different races which is awesome. These different races are what fill our country with people that have different ideas, beliefs, values, skills and talents. What a true blessing this is and one I am so thankful for. I will end with this, there is incredible empowerment through authentic embracement.

Seth Saunders Facts, Inspirational, Learning, Value

It’s Time To Replace

When someone has a really bad hip, they go and have a hip replacement surgery. When a lightbulb goes out, we get a new one and replace it. When a athlete gets hurt, the coach puts in a replacement. So why would I be sharing these examples? The reason is, in every one of these examples, the importance of the replacement is so forward movement is not stopped. Even if there is a disruption, once the replacement is put in,  forward progress continues. Replace-Words-Featured-670x335

With all the is going on right now words are having a greater impact than ever before. Many people are living in panic, fear, crisis and greed. These feelings are creating an increase in anxiety, depression and hopelessness. Believe me, I have felt these over the past couple of weeks. However, as I have thought about this and watched stories of people doing good, I have tried to refocus my thoughts to ones of positivity. What I have done is replaced key words which has helped me change my thoughts and actions. Here is what I have been focused on:

Replace the word panic with patience. As we develop more patience with all that is going on we will have more clarity and peace of mind. We will also be more mentally prepared to help others.

Replace the word fear with faith. It does not matter if one has a religion or set of beliefs but everyone can have faith. That faith should can create feelings of hope which leads to positive actions and thus greater peace.

Replace the word crisis with comfort. The truth is, we have reason to be concerned about the world we live in right now but being able to feel comfort can change our entire outlook. Comfort comes when we listen to the professionals and do our part to be a good global citizen. Comfort also comes from an increase in faith.

Replace greed with gratitude. We can see how people are reacting by literally hoarding key essential items from stores without even a second thought about others. To put it bluntly, that is straight up greed. Can you image living with gratitude and how that can impact greed? There is no shortage of research that shows the power of living with gratitude. The more gratitude we can show to others, the better we feel. Gratitude brings peace and comfort. You cannot underestimate the power of gratitude. Take time write hand written notes to others, send a text to someone you have been thinking about, email those who are serving on the front lines.

Your ability to replace these and potentially other words you might be using to describe the current situation will bring a brighter outlook on your future. This is a time for each of us to develop in ways we may not have ever thought about before. We deserve it to both ourselves and the world to strive each day to be the best we can. Let us be know as a people who rose to the occasion. When we do this our anxiety, depression and loneliness will be more manageable. I love this quote:

Once-you-replace-negative-thoughts-with-positive-ones-youll-start-having-positive-results-1060x1060

Time to be a hero!

Seth

PS. Wash your hands, keep your distance, do your part