Thoughts of the Day
We are a product of our environment. We each have unique characteristics and learning experiences that make us who we are. But even though that is part of our foundation, it doesn’t mean that we can’t change. There are times we need to change. We need to change when we find ourselves feeling so negative about our job or our circumstances, that we become a person that we don’t even like! We also need to change when we do not use good communication skills, and become difficult to communicate with! There are people that cringe at the word “change.” They feel like it is an uphill battle that they don’t have the energy for. Major change does take time and effort, but that may not be the road you need to travel today. Rather than thinking you cannot change (because you don’t know where to start), pick one thing about…
Published in
Thoughts of the Day
More...
The expression “rock bottom,” is the real bottom. There is nowhere to go from there, except up. I would guess that most of you have heard that expression before. Rock bottom can be a place that you have visited physically, mentally, financially or all of the above. People struggle with loss. Some people can cope better than others, but I don’t know a single soul who looks forward to loss. Losing a parent, a child, a spouse, or a friend is something that we are never really prepared for. Even if a lengthy illness precedes the loss, many times it still comes as a shock when it finally happens. People lose belongings, and their will to go on. It is critical that you work on turning that around. So the message here is to look at “rock bottom” as a place of opportunity. It is here that you can recover.…
Published in
Thoughts of the Day
The road to success is always under construction. That would be just like the majoriy of the roads in Florida. The difference is we have control over the individual roads we choose to take when driving. Finding the road to success…that’s a different story. We travel many paths when we have our sites on ultimately being successful. Going to school, taking additional training, and even working on individual projects that we feel may turn into a good fit for what we can see ourself doing in the future, all are pathways. Learning to accept the reality that an “overnight success” rarely happens is important, even in Hollywood. What defines success for one person may not be the same for another. I know a successful lawyer who stopped practicing law, and opened up a gourmet cooking shop. People that knew her were stunned, because her law practice was so “successful.” When…
Published in
Thoughts of the Day
Do you ever think about life as being a “school?” My mother used to say that she went to the “School of Hard Knocks.” That always brought out a laugh, but the older I get the more truth I see in that statement. Regardless of your formal education or which ivy league school you attended or aspired to attend, those learning experiences taught us skills. The “degree” brought us to a point that we were hopefully going to be more employable with the education we received. But where have we learned most of our successful communication skills and job related skills? Life experiences. We can all remember each job we have had and what we learned. We learned about managing a work place, we saw which managers were more successful than others, and started to develop our skills to be more successful in the workplace as well as managing things…
Published in
Thoughts of the Day
“Your present circumstances don't determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start.” Nido Qubein How many of us look at each day as a new starting point? If we don’t look at it that way, we should try to start. Too many times we start the day in a rush, trying to multi-task and accomplish many things, frequently leaving us with the feeling that we are not accomplishing enough. When that happens we can become dissatisfied, which is related to the speed of activity that we push during the day. If you are not happy with the way things are going with your current method of approaching a task, try a new approach. Decide that you want a quality outcome to the effort you put out today. Even better, decide that you are going to work towards some personal goal that you keep telling yourself is impossible.…
Published in
Thoughts of the Day
Tagged under
- #goals
- #goals
- #change
- #change
- #effort
- #effort
- #Sallycares
- #Sallycares
- #sallycarescom
- #sallycarescom
- #present
- #present
- #circumstance
- #circumstance
- #multitask
- #multitask
- #activity
- #activity
- #approach
- #approach
- #start
- #start
- #result
- #result
- #accomplish
- #accomplish
- #healthcare
- #healthcare
- #medical
- #medical
- #outcome
- #outcome
- #develop
- #develop
- #impossible
- #impossible
- #dissatisfied
- #dissatisfied
- #quality
- #quality
- #rush
- #rush
It is easy to feel overwhelmed and think that our opinion or our action will not make a difference in the big scheme of things. There are many times you are able to make a difference each day. Taking the time to talk to one person when they are having a problem makes a difference. Spending time to help someone carry a heavy load can make a difference. Visiting someone in the hospital can make a person’s day. Do those “small” things change the world? Not right away. I think we have to be realistic about how the world will be able to change. Change only has a chance if we take the chance to step outside of our daily routine and be the one reason a person is able to smile. We all benefit from being treated with respect. When one person is treated nicely it is more likely…
Published in
Thoughts of the Day
Tagged under
- #positiveliving
- #positiveliving
- #kindness
- #change
- #goals
- #caregiver
- #Sallycares
- #sallycarescom
- #overwhelmed
- #difference
- #hospital
- #small
- #benefit
- #kindness
- #respect
- #negative
- #negativeenergy
- #investment
- #create
- #reward
- #opinion
- #talk
- #change
- #goals
- #caregiver
- #Sallycares
- #sallycarescom
- #overwhelmed
- #difference
- #hospital
- #small
- #benefit
- #respect
- #negative
- #negativeenergy
- #investment
- #create
- #reward
- #opinion
- #talk
The other day I heard someone say that we are no longer the USA-United States of America, we are now the USA-United States of Amnesia. Some people in the media seem to have a difficult time remembering what the military has done for this Country. The media has difficulty stating gratefulness to our military for all they do, what their families sacrifice and recognizing that if it wasn’t for our brave service men and women, the freedoms we hold dear in this Country would not exist. For those of us who have had fathers that fought in World War II and in other battles, we know that finding a life after service is not easy. Adjusting to civilian life is difficult for many, and tolerating the number of people who verbally abuse people who have given so much to our Country causes me to pause and wonder what the “entitlement…
Published in
Thoughts of the Day
Tagged under
We can all remember being put in situations that seem to test us. When we have those experiences we want to train ourselves to react in such a way that we come out bigger, better and stronger. Don’t feel like you have to “give in” to a situation that is a challenge. Instead, try a simple little trick. Don’t react immediately when someone says something or does something that throws you a curve. Count to 10 (at least), and longer if you can. Once you have regained your senses you need to think of something kind to say. What? Something kind? Right after someone has said or done something that was inappropriate? Try to say something like; are you having a bad day? or what can we do to make this situation better? That isn’t giving in to the person’s inappropriate or rude behavior, it is forcing them to turn…
Published in
Thoughts of the Day
We all have those times in our lives when we put up with negative energy that is either coming at us or coming from us. If that is happening to you or someone you care about, rest assured that eventually, most people come to the reality that they are tolerating an unnecessary amount of negative treatment in their lives and will choose to change their situation. Whether the problem is work, friends, or with family members, many people come to the point that they simply want more. You have to decide what will help you be the person that you want to be. It may be more peace or simply the opportunity to expand your options in an attempt to go after a dream that has been on hold for longer than you want to admit. The people around you may not know that you are struggling with the need…
Published in
Thoughts of the Day
Tagged under
What we get when we invest time and energy in something is hopefully a good outcome. Granted you have to spend your energy wisely, choosing activities that will broaden your skills or learning new ideas from people that are able to convey a message that takes you to a new level of awareness. Some people get that experience where they work and others gain new insight in how to manage things differently at home. If you are lucky your learning takes place at work and at home. The work we do each day gives us our reality. You can wish things were different, but your circumstances won’t change until you put forth some work towards the changes you desire. The word “work” sounds negative to some people. Work generates positive energy and gives us a purpose. If your current work situation does not generate a sense of purpose for you,…
Published in
Thoughts of the Day
Are you leaving “Butt Prints?” All the more reason to get up; dust off your excuses for not working towards your dreams, and putting your life into action. There is no good reason to put off living a life that motivates you to do what you want to do. Everyone has a talent and a special gift that you were put on this earth to share with others. You may not know what it is at the moment, but that might be because you have not allowed yourself to think outside of your own neat little box. To experience more you have to do more. You have to give more. I have a philosophy that if you help other people become successful; you will become more successful than you ever dreamed possible. It is normal to fear change, but it is empowering to move past that fear and experience more.…
Published in
Thoughts of the Day
When we are frustrated with our daily routine we may think that the goals we do dream about or imagine are just too far away from our reach. We don’t see any change and are not sure how our goals can be reached when we don’t seem to have enough time to work on them. Every day you can do small things towards your goal, because those small things will eventually turn into major change. Small changes are stepping stones towards your larger goal. You have to set your goals with this in mind: The overall goal has to be the finish line. Right now that goal may be something like; I want to be a happier person. To reach that goal there are changes that you need to make that move you in that direction. Define what would make you happy. What are you currently not achieving that you…
Published in
Thoughts of the Day
Tagged under
Believing in yourself can be one of the most challenging things we face every day. It takes energy. It takes commitment. You may not feel like you are doing anything worthwhile, because nothing seems to change. One day rolls into the next, and you give in to your feelings of apathy, frustration and general sense that you are not “getting anywhere.” Lose that philosophy. The only thing missing is figuring out what you would like to achieve. You need to take some time to think about it. If you want to wake up with a purpose and feel positive about what you can contribute to your family, job and yourself… you have to start somewhere. What is missing in your life? What would you like to accomplish? Don’t say that it’s too late or that you are too old to do something new. Who knows how many years you have…
Published in
Thoughts of the Day
Happy Halloween! What are your memories of Halloween? I can say that it has never been my favorite day. As a kid I always thought dressing up for Trick or Treat was kind of weird, but I always went along because the pay off with candy made up for it all! And since I don’t like being scared out of my wits, the whole idea of scary houses and sticking your hands in cooked noodles (aka worms) wasn’t too much fun for me. I do think that setting aside a day for some fun is a good idea. Our kids deserve to have some fun that involves no video games, and actually gets them out of the house around other children…not to mention walking more than they usually do, from house to house, even if it is for candy! J One thing that we need to do as parents or…
Published in
Thoughts of the Day
The world has a lot of problems. One thing we can be sure of is that people in different capacities are in charge. People are in charge of places we work, the restaurants we go to, and the stores where we shop. Everywhere we go we are met with different types of people. Some people are efficient and some are not. Some people are friendly and some act like you are inconveniencing them when you need them to do their job. The reason why this particular statement caught my eye is that whoever said it had a very simple way of explaining the outcome we experience when we deal with a great number of people on a daily basis. Is it accurate? I don’t think it is necessarily always right, but it sure causes you to stop and think. Intelligent people realize that there are many situations out there that…
Published in
Thoughts of the Day
Tagged under
Do you know your neighbors? Once upon a time neighbors knew neighbors, and supporting each other in the community was not only important, it was necessary. Whether you lived in a farming community or a city, those people that lived next door to each other, were able to depend on each other. The closest neighbor might be a mile away, but people still were there for each other. The family that lived closest to them might be more dependable than a relative in their own family. The way we live in 2013, this may be true in some places, but not in the same proportion that it occurred 20-30 years ago. There is something comforting in knowing that if you needed something right away, you could go to your neighbor for a helping hand. If you do not have that type of relationship with your neighbors, why not? Have you…
Published in
Thoughts of the Day
Today is a new day. There is no reason to think or assume that it is going to be difficult, if you can keep a smile on your face. So go ahead and get started with your first smile of the day. There is no denying that things that challenge you today may frustrate you. You may even get angry or upset. But if you feel that you are losing your positive energy, just stop yourself. Take a breath and realize that you can control your reaction to whatever is causing you to be upset. How do you control your reaction? Maybe you have not controlled your response too well, or you aren’t sure that you can control it at all. You have all the power to change your reaction to those things that cross your path, today and every day. Take some time to recognize that your reaction tells…
Published in
Thoughts of the Day
How often do you use the word NEVER? “I will never do that again!” “She will never keep her word.” “He will never do the job right.” How about: “I will never get married again.” Whenever we use never it should mean that we do not intend on having the same experience again. We plan to refrain from whatever behavior or situation we experienced and want to avoid a repeat experience at all costs. Interestingly the word never can work in a positive way as well. We can decide on those things that we let slide, or do not do that we should do, and affirm to ourselves that we will stop putting ourselves second. We will start to make choices each and every day that work for us instead of against us. So instead of using never in a negative way, try using it in a way that will…
Published in
Thoughts of the Day
Tagged under
Have you ever felt that you were in a rut? Stuck? Not able to see your way out of a situation? What do you do? If you are in one of those situations, regardless of what it is, you feel frustrated. There doesn’t seem to be a difference from one day to the next. Each day seems like the situation you are dealing with does not change and in fact you feel like you are sinking deeper and deeper. So what do you do? You look at the problem you are dealing with and you stop making it worse. You stop digging the hole that you are falling into each day. You have to figure out what you are doing that perpetuates the problem and stop those behaviors. That’s easy for me to say? Well here’s the challenge: if you stop investing your energy in continuing to dig your hole,…
Published in
Thoughts of the Day
Tagged under
I hear people complain every day. When going from one patient’s home to another, I frequently tell a patient or caregiver that I wish I could take them with me to the next patient’s home so they could compare their situation with someone else’s. I am sure that if they did, they would choose to keep their problems and have a new appreciation for what is happening in the “real world.” It is so easy to get isolated as a caregiver or patient, and lose sight of what different diseases and conditions are out there, and have no idea of what other people may be dealing with. Let’s face it folks. Medical problems are lousy. Treatment is not always easy, and people too often feel that their best treatment is going to be contained in a pill. That is not always the case. There is some real…
Published in
Thoughts of the Day
Tagged under
When faced with a challenging situation how do you react? Whether at work, home, the grocery store or when talking to a relative, how do you handle confrontation? If someone is saying something negative to you or about you, remember this: how you choose to respond says a lot about you. The old saying “Count to 10 before you say something you may regret,” is a good start towards learning to take a moment to weigh your response to something negative. We have all been in the situation of reacting immediately to a hurtful comment, only to realize that our reaction most likely made the situation worse. The challenge is learning how to handle those negative encounters with an appropriate response, remembering that negative comments breed negative energy, and neither one evolves into something that makes us a better person. Yet we don’t want to ignore bad…
Published in
Thoughts of the Day
Tagged under
Every time I sit down to write my Thought of The Day, I often wonder what you think when you read my comments. I know what I don’t want. I certainly don’t want to offend anyone. I would love for you all to feel like you could contribute to the Thought of The Day section on Sallycares.com. I am amazed by some of the thoughts and tips that patients and caregivers come up with to handle things that they have had to overcome. Even though I have been an Occupational Therapist for 36 years, I still learn something new every day. I have learned so much by working with patients in their homes. The challenge of home health is that you have to modify what you want to do every time you are in a different home environment. Have I tried some things that didn’t work? Sure. Have I…
Published in
Thoughts of the Day
Tagged under
When it comes to modifying your home to make things easier, we have a lot of ideas on the web site. This picture is not necessarily one of the modifications that is suggested, but what an idea! Put modifications of your home into perspective. It doesn't have to be horrible. When you have to bring someone into your home that is in a wheelchair, or that has to use a walker, you have to objectively look around and decide what needs to be moved to maximize safety. Certain things should be taken into consideration: Doorway widths - You can make a narrow doorway wider by removing the door and putting up a folding room divider in its place for privacy. Throw rugs - Those extra rugs are just not safe. The ends curl up and get caught on the wheelchair wheels and often trip people. Roll them up…
Published in
Thoughts of the Day
Tagged under
We know that exercise is important. Improving your health includes increasing the amount you move around each day. Does it require a gym? Not necessarily…if you are motivated enough to move on your own. There are plenty of DVD’s that can guide an exercise program at home, for folks that can’t leave their loved ones. There are exercise programs on TV, you can follow at home. The problem usually is finding the time and energy to carve out some time that is dedicated to you, when you are busy caring for someone else, working, going to school or anything else that life has thrown your way. Here is the most important part of this message: YOU have to believe that YOU are worth the time that it takes to pull yourself away from your daily routine, and take that walk for 15 minutes, or exercise with the DVD…
Published in
Thoughts of the Day
The dreaded scale. For many people that live and die by the number that appears on the scale, it is a scary thing to stand on. It shows the objective number. Have you been successful or not? People take the use of their scales to the extreme. Some people that are working on creating a healthier lifestyle don’t get on the scale more than once per week. People who are actively dieting may get on the scale more than once a day. That is crazy. Body weight fluctuates throughout the day. The most important thing to do is weigh yourself approximately once per week, around the same time each week, with the same amount of clothes on. Don’t feel like you have to take every article of clothing off. If you weigh yourself in the morning, not having had anything to eat or drink, you want to…
Published in
Thoughts of the Day
Since we are starting a series of thoughts on healthy food choices, I thought this picture was great! Don’t we all rationalize the food choices we make? The general science of our metabolism appears to be simply broken down like this: When you skip meals or don’t eat enough and you don’t see an immediate reduction in the number that appears before you on the scale, you feel defeated and think that you just can’t lose weight! That isn’t true. You are actually starving your body and slowing down your metabolism by not eating. Your body reacts to the withdrawal of nutrition and holds on to the fat storage that has accumulated in your body for energy. Our bodies are amazing. Your body already knows that you are trying to do something outside of your normal behavior and it is in shock and doesn’t want to let…
Published in
Thoughts of the Day
What Is a Mistake? Do you make mistakes? What a crazy word that is. I have heard a saying that; “God doesn’t make any mistakes,” meaning that there must be a purpose behind what you are given to deal with during your lifetime. But instead of being so serious, let’s just think about mistakes we have made, which I think we could agree would mean an error in judgment, and what we learn from them. I can think of plenty of mistakes I have made, and if they have had life altering consequences, it is doubtful that I repeated them. (not on purpose anyway) But let’s look at how we choose to manage our health, and particularly the food choices we make. There is a reason that every year more people make a “resolution” to lose weight and go to the gym, around December 31st, and by February of the…
Published in
Thoughts of the Day
Tagged under
For the next few days make a list of three things you think you SHOULD be. How about more caring? Maybe a better listener? Not so negative? More patient? There are a few ideas to get you started. We will never be perfect. Who needs to be perfect? If there is some little voice in your head that is telling you not to be satisfied with anything less than perfection, you need to get rid of that one! The problem with “perfection,” is that the definition varies with every person that you talk to. What is “perfect” for one person would not be the same for someone else. My suggestion is to make your list of those things you want to strive toward, and think about how your life would benefit from those changes. That would help give you the push to start. To continue working toward…
Published in
Thoughts of the Day
Tagged under
We can’t easily ignore the news of the day. We are surrounded by events in real time when they occur. Whether we catch the news on line, on television or via mobile phones, we clearly are consumed by technology. It’s easy to fall into that trap. We’ve all been there. There are videos of people walking into poles, water fountains and into each other, while texting on their mobile devices. They are not looking ahead and take too much for granted…assuming there is nothing in their pathway. Yesterday a young man was killed in San Francisco, leaving a train. All of the people in the train were staring at their mobile devices, and the only way the activity prior to the event was captured, was by the security cameras. The man with the gun was seen on the camera, waving the gun around, and no one looked up and saw…
Published in
Thoughts of the Day
Tagged under
The quote, “my life is my message,” by Mahatma Gandhi is powerful. If you have ever read much of his writings, you find thoughtful, deep comments that inspire, and they often give you a push to think outside of your comfort zone. What does it mean to have a message? Do you have a message? By that I mean do you think that the way you function every day sends a “message” to your family, friends and co-workers? If you are consistent and you approach things in the same manner each day, you ARE developing your message. The question is whether you recognize it. Not only recognize it, are you proud of the message you send out to others? Even if you can’t relate to this idea, look at it this way; how you handle your daily challenges, whether you are patient or abrupt, tolerant or…
Published in
Thoughts of the Day
Tagged under
When you are a child and your parents are responsible for you, hopefully you have memories that your parents loved you and did the best they could with what they had. Many adults struggle with their own childhood memories, and their interpretation of how their childhood was managed by the adults in the home. Many times there is more than one child in a family, and each child can remember the situation differently. A brother or sister may disagree with how one of their siblings describe the way their mother or father disciplined them, what the family rules were, or why each of them turned out the way they did. Families are complicated and communication with each other can be difficult. Who is going to care for Mom and/or Dad when something happens and they cannot care for themselves? There are few things that I have experienced in my…
Published in
Thoughts of the Day
Tagged under
Thought For The Day
-
"If you're going through hell, keep going."Winston Churchill When it feels like you are living your worst nightmare, you probably are. After all, for most people experience is what you get, when you weren’t expecting the result you were looking for. Everyone has a different level of spirituality. I personally think that being spiritual is very helpful when we are doing our…
Questions Answered Here!
-
This article will start a new series of general information to answer different questions sent to us by you! Please submit your questions through the web site at Contact Us. Always remember that the thoughts expressed at Sallycares.com are never intended to take the place of the advice of your…
Sally's Spotlight
-
While out walking our dogs with a neighbor on a warm, autumn Sunday morning, we discussed plans for the day. She mentioned she and her husband were going to the theater that evening to hear a New Orleans jazz trombone player and his ensemble. My husband’s ears perked up, as…
Legal Corner
-
in Legal CornerMany times, clients come into my office stating that they need to have Last Will and Testaments done and at the same time, they tell me they want to avoid probate of their estate after they die. These clients are usually very adamant that they do not want the government to get their assets, they do not want their families…