Thursday, March 19, 2020

Don’t Let the Coronavirus Ruin Your Day



You may not realize it right now, but you have the power to not let anyone or anything get you down, and that includes the Coronavirus.
            There are many things you can do to take back your power and be less stressed about this pandemic, or anything else going on in your life right now. Below are three of them.

1-    REFRAME TO REMAIN SANE
There is a classic story of two salesmen who were sent to a far-off country where no one wore shoes. 
            One sent back an email to his company stating, “Don’t send any more shoes. No one wears any.”
            The second salesman’s message was very different, “Send all the shoes you can. No one here has any.”
            Both men experienced the same situation, but each had a different reaction. So it is not the event that can ruin your day, it is how you react to it. Things are the way they are. You are the ones that give them meaning.
            To begin to turn your fearful thoughts around, ask yourself:
                        -Does being upset serve me?
                        -Does being upset or fearful contribute to my well-being?
                        -Does being fearful bring more or less joy in my life?

2-    MOVE YOUR FEAR TO THE REAR
      Fear is a powerful force. It can help us deal with danger. But often it is our imagined fear that is the real danger. I once heard someone say that the acronym for FEAR is False Evidence Appearing Real. I love that because often our fears are in our mind. And they not only ruin our day but also ruin our life.
      Author, speaker and presidential candidate, Marianne Williamson, notes that, “If your mind is in a loving place…your experience will reflect that. If your mind is in a fearful place…your experience will reflect that.”
      Perhaps it is time right now to examine your fears and see how they are impacting your life. List a few of them and then ask yourself:
                              -Where did these fears come from?
                              -Are they real? Are they necessary?
                              -Are they contributing or diminishing the enjoyment in my life?

3-    FIND THE GOOD NEWS IN THE BAD
The Zen poet, Masahide, once wrote,
                  Now that my house has burned down,
                  I can see the moon better.     
      Not-so-great stuff happens to all of us. One of the ways to get through it is to find the positive in the negative. It is always there if you seek it.
      Looking for the good in the bad is not to deny your pain or your upset; it is about not letting your setback prevent you from recognizing the positive potential in your situation.
     In the world of comedy, there are good-news bad-news jokes. A classic example:
                Doctor: I have good news, and I have bad news. Which do you want first?
                Patient: I want the good news first.
                Doctor: Well, you have 24 hours to live.
                Patient: That's the good new. What's the bad news?
                Doctor: The bad news is that I should have told you yesterday.
This week, see if you can do the reverse of this popular joke setup. Start with some bad news and see if you can find the good news in it. For example:
                The bad news: The Coronavirus is keeping people 6-feet apart.
                The good news: It’s better than being 6-feet under.
                                                                                                             ©Allen Klein, 2020
                                                                   *****
Excerpted in part from You Can’t Ruin My Day (VivaEditions, 2015) by Allen Klein
                                                   https://tinyurl.com/v875lou
Also helpful: Positive Thoughts for Troubling Times (Mango Publishing, 2019)    
                                                    https://tinyurl.com/v93zrgm


                       

Sunday, March 15, 2020

Mid-Month Mirth Memo, March 2020


"Prepare for mirth, for mirth becomes a feast."

-William Shakespeare


The Mid-Month Mirth Memo is a short amusing tidbit to brighten middle of the month monotony. It is brought to you by best-selling author, award-winning speaker, 

"Jollytologist" ® Allen Klein         

www.allenklein.com

MARCH 2020

SPECIAL CORONAVIRUS EDITION  
IMPORTANT: We care about your safety.
Make sure you wash your hands before reading this.


The Coronavirus: Nothing to Laugh About...or is there?

When we can laugh at something, we rise above it. If only momentarily, we get a different perspective of our situation. With that in mind, and to help you get a little relief from what is happening in the world right now, below is some Coronavirus-related comedy.


TOILET PAPER:
"Some people aren't shaking hands because of Coronavirus. I'm not shaking hands because everyone's out of toilet paper."

"I have a 24 pack of toilet paper from Walmart. Looking to swap for a four bedroom house."

Sign in Store Window: "No cash or toilet paper kept on premises at night"


                                                       

HAND WASHING:
The city of Round Rock, Texas, put out a public service message to ensure people wash their hands properly. It read: “Wash your hands like you just got done slicing jalapeƱos for a batch of nachos and you need to take your contacts out.”


CORONA BEER:
PHOTO: A bottle of Corona beer hiding in the corner of a refrigerator shelf with all the other items keeping their distance and protecting themselves with a face mask.

PHOTO: A supermarket shelf with six-packs of Corona beer sounded by cans of Lysol spray on both sides.


FAKE NEWS: 
John Travolta hospitalized for suspected COVID-19, but doctors now confirm that it was only Saturday Night Fever, and they assure everyone that he was Staying Alive.
 

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