We celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Day (MLK)! It has been many years since the death of Dr. Martin Luther King (Jr.) but his message of freedom and change still resonates with many around the world today.

“If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way”

Martin Luther King Jr.

It’s a new year, new day and you are moving to a new residence. In a lifetime many people will change residences at least once. People will move locales to start new jobs or to be near family.

This is a paid post sponsored by Infinite Moving Company.

Moving can be stressful if the move is not planned and executed well. To minimize your stress maintain a positive mindset, keep in mind the reason why you are moving and, the new experiences and adventures you will enjoy in the new area. https://infinitemoving.com/ Focus on your new beginning!

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

Emotional intelligence or emotional awareness requires the following 5 key elements:

• Self-awareness
• Self- regulation
• Motivation
• Empathy
• Good values

Effective interpersonal communication requires a high level of emotional intelligence to successfully manage your work and personal relationships. Therefore, it is important to know your emotions to build good relations!

PERSONAL POWER

Your life’s successes lies in your personal power, so use your power wisely. While packing away some used clothing I came across one of my sons old t-shirt with the words “I have the Power. Power what’s next?” and it brought back memories of my son wearing the t-shirt while working tirelessly on the multi-tiered contest challenge Master the Mainframe. The contest was his way of gaining experience and promoting his ability to hiring professionals. Watching my son quietly work thru the challenges of the contest was a great lesson in patience and perseverance. He used his limited power to begin the challenge, harnessed more power after successfully completing each step of the challenge and acquired full power at the end of the contest. As a result, he could soundly state “Power What’s Next?”  The lessons we learn from our children!

CONTROLLED CHAOS

My bus ride to work takes me on a highway interchange with an extremely high over-pass. Looking down from the over-pass, there is the feeling of fear coupled with an appreciation for the scene below. It’s a maze of colorful vehicles of different shapes and sizes.  I am awed by the inter-looping that allows motorists to travel to their different destinations. Yes, from high above it looks chaotic but it is controlled chaos. The roads intricate design allows drivers to navigate the roadway safely; enter and exit without harm. Our hope for safely navigating these highways lies in the genius of mankind; the hope that supports our desire to get from point A to point B safe and sound.

THE WARRIOR POSE

Some years ago, my job location changed and I was advised that when entering or leaving the area I needed to adopt a warrior pose. Yes, I needed to don a fight stance as this would help to deter attackers. I soon came to realize that a warrior pose is much more than physical security; it’s a way of life! Your warrior pose is important in many aspects of your life, so it’s essential that you adopt the right stance inorder to tackle your work-life challenges.

Emotions and Color

The academic research of Sutton and Altarriba on Color associations to emotion and emotion-laden words… , state that “individuals often associate colors with various emotional terms. For example, when participants are asked to associate an emotional response with a color, they often associate bright colors (e.g., white, pink) with positive emotions (e.g., happy, relaxed) and dark-colors (e.g., black, brown) with negative emotions (anxious, sad) (Hemphill, 1996). Meier, Robinson, and Clore (2004) found that we tend to infer the valence of a stimulus (good or bad) on the basis of brightness.” Positive emotions are the key to success so color-code your life with bright colors!

“Return to Normal”

Do you recognize me? I certainly don’t recognize many of the people with whom I work!  I can’t tell who they are by only seeing their eyes or the tops of their heads! Do you know I am smiling? My mask hides my smile but I hope it’s reflected in my eyes! We are strangers behind masks!

Goodbye Pandemic

We are healing; we are on the road to recovery! Many months ago the road to recovery may have appeared long and dark, but in every gloomy place the sun does shine! Going back to work in an office, away from the confines of your home environment, will require a high level of emotional correctness. You should project kindness and empathy towards others. There is success in kindness!

In April the world celebrated Earth Day, how did you celebrate the Day? Maybe you planted some flowers, a tree or tended to the environment in some other meaningful way. The actions of many are encouraging however; we can do so much more to protect our planet.  Our mental and physical wellbeing is increased when we have a healthy environment. Protect our other mother…Earth!