It is already, August of 2021.  Over the summer I have had family and friends join me here in Halifax.  It is always wonderful for me to spend time showing people around and reacquainting myself with this wonderful birthplace of mine. Climbing the rocks at Peggy’s Cove and sailing in Halifax harbour are two of my favourite things to do and it is great to have someone to do those things with, things I am not as likely do on my own.  This blog from 2008 reminds me that thinking positively helped me to create this new reality… living back in Nova Scotia and doing the kind of things I LOVED to do as a child.  Imagining this journey allowed me to work toward it and to notice when opportunities presented themselves.  The pull to show up here again was strong and I am happy that I was in a position to take advantage of the situation and move myself gently and slowly back to a life that helps me feel like a kid again. Thinking positively generates positive experiences and making and keeping the Four Agreements with yourself works to create a life you can be proud of, one that FEELS right and good.  Recognize the contrast between what makes you feel comfortable and what might be uncomfortable for you. Find those experiences that give you a sense of awe and appreciation and do more of those. Make comfort the rule and not the exception. You will be happy that you did.

Exceptions – THE RULE – and The Four Agreements – October 2008

It is interesting how we focus on the rule and not the exception.  Often it is the exception that will teach us the most.  That is what Appreciative Inquiry is about for me.  It is a search for the exceptions to the overwhelming focus on the negative.  When you ask “Where is this solved?” you get new information and new approaches.  I have been asking myself this week…”When is life NOT a chore?”  “When I am happy and worry free?”  Myself and I are talking about focusing our attention on the positive in our life and creating more of that.  …. I think it is working!!!!

One exception for me is when I read old blogs and think … “that is something I would enjoy reading if I were someone else.”  That encourages me to keep going, to write and write until something profound finds its way on to the page.  I like to write and to share my thoughts on the screen or in my journal.  For me it is a comfortable way to process and move from the past to the future with deliberate intent to do my best. 

I am reminded of the Four Agreements (RUIZ), some of which I will reframe here.  Always do your best: I think doing your best is all you can ever expect of yourself.  As long as you have been conscious and deliberate in your attempts to arrive at whatever destination or dream you are chasing then you can look yourself in the mirror and smile.

Be impeccable with your word – To me that means “Say what you mean and mean what you say.”  It is the beautiful combination and balance of the Gentle and Honest pieces int eh GHOST protocol.  If you are only gentle and not honest you are not impeccable.  If you are honest and not gentle you are not impeccable.  Be impeccable with your word.

Check Assumptions – If you have a “leemer” – which is the name for the nagging instinct that tells you that something is not right before you know that somethings not right – if you have a “leemer” then check it out.  Ask!

Get Curious – It is not about you – that is my version of what Ruiz identifies as “Don’t take anything personally”.  In my quest for positive reframes I have some to understand the intention of that Agreement is to be emotionally mature – to detach without disengaging.

The rule is be good to yourself and treat others the way they would like to be treated.  It is often referred to as the platinum rule.  We have accepted it as one of the PULSE Rules.  The four agreements are also congruent with PULSE thinking, doing and feeling.  They provide another foundation for this appreciative work.  Look for what works and do more of that……  that’s the rule.