*NOW is the Time to Wipe the Slate Clean and Begin Anew
December 31, 2007
Happy New Year everyone! What a wonderful time for us all to wipe the slate clean and begin anew. Somewhere in time we all decided we could do that on New Years day.
I would like to propose a further option – wipe the slate clean when needed. Anytime is a good time to let go of old habits and thought patterns which do not contribute to the very best you.
When you hit a destructive patch, find yourself complaining, aggravated, irritated, angry, coughing your lungs out, suffering a hangover, eating just because, etc…. STOP for a moment, yell STOP to yourself, and consciously breathe in a few good cleansing breaths and remind yourself that you CAN wipe the slate clean NOW no matter how destructive your behaviour has been up to now. If you are coughing your lungs out due to smoking you can put it all in the past by quitting. You can quit on the spot or make a plan and follow it. It is just a decision. If you are in the midst of road rage remind yourself that how you feel is YOUR responsibility and you can choose not to feel personally assaulted by inconsiderate drivers. Those particular examples are just two of my biggies that are now in the past. Phew.
The key to changing destructive behaviour is to STOP for a moment and (1) breathe right into your belly so you have a chance at clear thinking and (2) CHOOSE another, healthier response to employ in the future. Repeat 1 & 2 as needed. Backsliding happens. No need to beat yourself up over it (another unhealthy habit).
New Year provides us a great stopping/starting place but it doesn’t happen nearly often enough! Remember, you can put the past in the past at any time at all and start fresh. You may like to start each day with a reminder – Today I start fresh – right here, right now I can wipe the slate clean and start anew.
I’m not saying there won’t still be residual affects from the past behaviour, just that you can start each day with improved behaviour which will translate into improved tomorrows. Even just the intention of doing so will help you to the next step. But remember, the quality of your life is up to you. Period.
So I hope you will join me in my new year resolution to (1) STOP and breathe when I find my thoughts and actions running counter to my own best interests and (2) CHOOSE to employ a healthier response from that time forward.
Breathing 
January 28, 2008 at 7:21 pm
I’m not sure how this works. Do you give advice? Or is this just for blog postings? This is my dilemna, I’m starting over and I have not worked in 9 years for various reasons. Mostly, personal reasons that I would rather not discuss in an interview. The bulk of it was that I was not in a good relationship, my credit is now messed up. I have recovered emotionally from this and am stronger than ever. I don’t like to lie, but I don’t want my personal business out their.
What do I say when an interviewer asks why I haven’t worked in 9 years??? What do I say when they do a credit check and they see it’s horrible??? Do I say something first, if I know they are going to check it??? Then what do I say about why it’s horrible???
Prior to my 9 years off, I worked in various jobs in the Automotive industry for 8 years, as most know, buying a car isn’t very pleasant. The truth is that the majority of dealerships are unethical and have shoddy business practices. When I was younger, I didn’t know any better, I could go back, I know people, but that world is not where I want to be. A lot of my employment history was short lived. I even tried to go back in 2004 and 2006, each lasting a month, but I just couldn’t agree with their practices.
Do I put those on my Resume???
I’m a quick learn and mastered my jobs in a short time, I went above and beyond my job requirements. Which is portrayed on my resume. One of my managers asked me to stop working so hard and socialize with other employees more. My exit interview consisted of this, “You have a lot of experience, a little too much. Another job told me, “your intelligence scares people around here.” It’s a man’s business and I was a threat and I don’t know how not to be, I just do my job and do it well.
How do I explain this???
I learned a lot and gained some valuable experience. I just don’t know what to say about my previous employers, from my experience that industry is filled with slime balls, but you’re not supposed to say negative things about your previous employers.
What if every one of them shared the same shoddy practices? What do you say then?
I have two years of my Bachelors degree in business marketing and this is the field I want to enter.
How do I transition from one to the other???
Confused…
January 28, 2008 at 9:47 pm
Well as someone who works from passion, rather than expediency, I have quite a lot of personal experience with this sort of dilemma. In a nutshell, if you are clear about your direction (that doesn’t need to remain consistent over the years by the way) you will find your way. It is really a matter of faith – faith that your life is valid as it is and that the “shoulds” and “oughts” have very little to do with your validity in the world and your ongoingness.
Outside of a nutshell I do some life coaching and would be happy to talk with you if you need someone to help you have faith in that which you already know to be right for your life. Sometimes it helps to have a chat to get clear. I charge $60.00 for a phone conversation of up to an hour. One conversation is generally enough. You can e-mail me for an appointment trish@scottfree2b dot com if you feel that might be helpful.
In the meantime, read the blog post, “*Relaxed Conscious Creation” https://scottfree2b.wordpress.com/?s=relaxed+conscious+creation
That is really how to overcome the obstacles that our all pervasive belief systems put in the way of joy. It may strike a chord that resonates in you now. Then again it may not.
Thanks for your comment and all the best in your journey.
P.S. Don’t put one month jobs on your resume. They didn’t really happen :). My resume would be about 20 pages long if I listed every job I ever had. Pick the ones you were at for awhile and note the experience gained there. Taylor it to the experience your ideal job will be looking for. Be honest (without getting into a lot of personal garbage) about “off” time and think about what you learned from that experience and sell it. If you want to get into marketing, start with marketing yourself. Stand back and look at yourself as a product/business you want to sell the world and go for it. Don’t take your resume personally, it is simply ad copy based on the facts of your working experience.
June 23, 2008 at 1:45 am
This reminds me of a quote I love that I originally heard from Anthony Robbins, “The past does not equal the present.”
June 23, 2008 at 8:41 am
Yup.
September 17, 2008 at 3:01 pm
Thank you for the motivation!
September 17, 2008 at 3:59 pm
My pleasure 🙂 Thanks!