Calendar Books by Allen James - Daily Reading - "A Counselor's Daily Guide to Success"

Our reading for January 28th is taken from "A Counselor's Daily Guide to Success" but is applicable to every adult who has ever held regular employment..."Recall the excitement of that first year". 

This certainly is pertinent to every stage of our lives; whether it be our first year after graduation from high school or college, our first year with a full-time job, our first year of the career you prepared so much for, or our first year after getting married.

The excitement of stepping into a new role in life can be invigorating; it can as well be overwhelming.  Like everything else in our lives, our reaction/response will depend on our state of mind at the time.  Living consciously (aware every decision we make, no matter how small it may seem, effects our next moment, every moment) helps our state of mind from being cluttered of obstacles.

Shakespeare wrote of the consequences of not living consciously in his play, Hamlet.  In his first soliloquy, Hamlet says of the world, "'tis an unweeded garden, / That grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature / Possess it merely" (1.2.134-136).  Clearly Shakespeare is making a comment to 15th century England, and the world he knew at the time, the degree to which we allow "weeds" to clutter our minds, thus hampering us from making appropriate choices to enhance our lives.

Gardens must be weeded regularly for our crops to not be strangled, thus dying.  Allowing our minds to be an "unweeded garden" results in the same; lives which are stagnant and unfilled.

Worrying less about things over which we have no control (and we only have control over ourselves) opens us up to living fuller, more satisfying lives, thus making those "firsts" in our lives wonderful experiences to recall later in life to edify us and those with whom we share our lives.

Recall the excitement of that first year...and of course...keep looking up. : ) AJ

Calendar Books by Allen James - Daily Reading - "A Graduate's Daily Guide to Success"

"Focus on today - then tomorrow" (James, 2012)

How often do we spend our to-days worrying about what's going to happen tomorrow?  I maintain we spend most of our todays in tomorrow, not appreciating the "hear and now", but concerned about that which we have no control.

What does it mean to live fully in the present moment? It means our awareness is completely centered on the here and now. We cease worrying about the future or pining over the past.  When living in the present, we are living where life is happening. In reality, the past and future are only illusions, they don’t exist.  Recalling the saying, “tomorrow never comes” puts this in perspective. Tomorrow is only a concept, tomorrow is always waiting to come around the corner, but around the corner are shadows, never to have light shed upon, because time is always now.

If you’re not living in the present, you’re living in illusion. But how often are we worrying about things which are yet to be, or will never be?  How often do we set ourselves up for disappointment about things which have not come to pass? Again, I maintain the answer is too much. Not only will living in the present have a dramatic effect on our emotional well-being, but it can also impact our physical health. It’s long been known the amount of mental stress we carry can have a detrimental impact on our health. If we’re living in the present, we’re living in acceptance. We’re accepting life as it is now, not as how we wish it would have been. When we’re living in acceptance, we realize everything is complete as it is. We can forgive ourselves for the mistakes we've made, and we can have peace in our heart knowing everything which should happen will happen.

As humans, we love to create stories. We love to listen to other people stories and compare them with our own. This is beautiful. In a way we could say the entire universe is based on one collection of stories, a cosmic story. The problem is when we feel the need to create a story about everything, we are living entirely in the world of symbols. We confuse the world as it is, with the way we think about it, talk about it and describe it. Reality though, is not a concept. When we realize this we are able to return to a state of peace and stillness.

Focus on today - then tomorrow....and always, keep looking up.  :)  AJ

Calendar Books by Allen James - Daily Reading - "The Journey: A Calendar Book"

Today's reading from "The Journey: A Calendar Book" hits close to home..."Don't drink and drive". 

Ok...Ok...despite what my brother's think...their little brother isn't "perfect".  Last year I learned first hand about the horrors the consequences of not living by today's thought can bring.  Putting aside the obvious harm which could be caused to others for a moment (we're all well aware of the statistics I'm sure), the pain and suffering you cause to "self" emotionally, financially and mentally can be enormous.

More than a year later I'm still dealing with the effects drinking and driving can cause when caught doing so.  It's not healthy.  It's not wise.  It's not smart.  IT'S JUST NOT WORTH IT!!

Be the good decision maker you know you are.  If you're going to go out and choose to have alcohol, ride with someone who's not drinking or call transportation to take you home. 

Personal success cannot be reached when you feel bad about your choices or when you're not around to strive toward it.

Keep looking up.  : )  AJ

Calendar Books by Allen James - Daily Reading - "The Journey: A Calendar Book"

Today's reading may be the most important thought of one's "fulfilling" life, from "The Journey: A Calendar Book" (Pictured above and available at www.lulu.com/spotlight/allenjames1961), we read for January 23rd, "Respect yourself".

Respect is defined as, "esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person, a personal quality or ability, or something considered as a manifestation of a personal quality or ability" (dictionary.com). I began my work as a psychotherapist in private practice in January of 1992. Prior to that I had worked two years completing my clinical supervision. Since 1990 I have been struggling to assist those with whom I counsel the strength we have within ourselves if we can come to an understanding, and acceptance, of just what respecting self means.

Too often society jumps on "buzz" words and their commonality in our daily discourse diminishes their worthiness. Self-esteem in one such word. Come to a true comprehension of self-worth. Certainly with maturity our self-worth is realized more clearly, but how much more quickly personal success can be attained by taking the steps to give ourselves the respect we deserve, the respect we require, to be the person we desire to be. Dispel the cloak of insecurity. Take on the personage of strength.

Keep looking up. : ) AJ

Calendar Books by Allen James - Daily Reading - "The Journey: A Calendar Book"

The thought for January 22nd from "The Journey: A Calendar Book" is, "Have a job in the summer".

Most of us have jobs which run year round, however; when we are young and in high school or college some choose to take summers off.  It just comes naturally from the days of being a teenager.  But from any standpoint, whether it be when you're in high school, college, or if you're an adult with a job which allows for summers off, such as teaching;  find employment during those summer months which will keep you active and alert.

Mamaw used to say, "Idle hands are the devil's playground".  Certainly a derivation of a quote from the Bible.  But oh so true.  When we have an abundance of "down time" we have the tendency to look for something to occupy our time, and too often the "something" turns out to be mischief.

How often have we heard someone else say, or even worse, we've heard it come from our own lips, "I'm bored".  As much as we think we want to not be working, after three days of summer break we're bored and ready to get busy again.  It's our nature.

Keeping ourselves active helps keep our brain active, releasing necessary serotonin which fights off depression.  Skills remain in tact and we're ready to get back to work with our regular careers in the fall.

Keep looking up. : )  AJ.​

Calendar Books by Allen James - Daily Reading - "A Teacher's Daily Guide to Success"

Today, January 21st, we read from "A Teacher's Daily Guide to Success",

"Spend time with the beginning teacher" (James, 2012).

Although this reading is found in "A Teacher's Daily Guide to Success", it, like readings from each of Allen James' "Guide to Success" calendar books, is applicable to each of us, be we teachers, carpenters, sales clerks; you name it, it applies.  It's called mentoring.

A colleague of mine, said the following about spending time with the new teacher:

"After spending 22 years in education, I have earned the distinction of 'experienced teacher.'  The assumption is that I am 'wiser' and it is certainly poor manners to refer to me as 'older.'  Each year in August we bring in our new teachers and they look at me with admiration and hang on every word of wisdom I can impart upon them in three days of orientation.  I'm really proud of the warnings I give of things to avoid and the tips I can freely share to ostensibly make life easier and the classroom more efficient. Gosh, I am so smart.

"The reality of this ritual is that the advice I give to the new teachers is not the most important product of these exercises, but the eternal hope for the future of education I see in their eyes.  I am reminded of the feeling that I can and will change the world one student at a time.  Gone is the frustration with ever-changing learning standards, gone is the exhaustion of working way too many hours and gone is the sadness from the burdens some of my students had to carry that were much too heavy for their young minds and bodies.  My hope for these new teachers is that they will find the same excitement many years down the road in the eyes of new teachers that have yet to be born and the perpetuation of the dream of making our world better one child at a time remains in tact" (Dr. Linda Buerck, Director of Curriculum, Perry County #32 School District).

Spend time with the newbie....no matter your field....and always,  keep looking up.  :)   AJ

Calendar Books by Allen James - Daily Reading - "A Teacher's Daily Guide to Success"

For January 20th we read, "Those who know do. Those who understand teach" (Aristotle).

        Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle was born circa 384 B.C. in Stagira, a small town on the northern coast of Greece that was once a seaport. Aristotle’s father, Nicomachus, was court physician to the Macedonian king Amyntas II. Although Nicomachus died when Aristotle was just a young boy, Aristotle remained closely affiliated with and influenced by the Macedonian court for the rest of his life. Little is known about his mother, Phaestis; she is also believed to have died when Aristotle was young.After Aristotle’s father died, Proxenus of Atarneus, who was married to Aristotle’s older sister, Arimneste, became Aristotle’s guardian until he came of age. When Aristotle turned 17, Proxenus sent him to Athens to pursue a higher education. At the time, Athens was considered the academic center of the universe. In Athens, Aristotle enrolled in Plato’s Academy, Greek’s premier learning institution, and proved an exemplary scholar. Aristotle maintained a relationship with Greek philosopher Plato, himself a student of Socrates, and his academy for two decades. Plato died in 347 B.C. Because Aristotle had disagreed with some of Plato’s philosophical treatises, Aristotle did not inherit the position of director of the academy, as many imagined he would (biography.com).

        Teachers in today's world are well aware of the idiom, "Those who can't, teach".  It's such a shame in a world where more and more is placed in the hands of teachers to be responsible for when it comes to our children there continue to be those who wish to discredit the very individuals we entrust so much to.  I often wonder where Aristotle's words first began being construed and why the individual who did so felt such a disdain for educators.

        Fortunately we can rely on those with common sense to look past those with such small minds and look at each separately and not judge all due to the actions of a few.

"Those who know, do.  Those who understand, teach" (Aristotle).

Keep looking up.  : )  AJ