Personal Connections and a Sense of Community

I was lucky enough to stay at a top-rated, wonderful hotel in Chicago with an incredibly generous friend.  We fell in love with The Langham!!  I had seen bigger hotel bathrooms before, I had better water views in the past; the luxury, food, libations and service were amazing and top-notch, don't get me wrong.  The rooms and amenities are fabulous!!

But the reason we fell in love with The Langham was the service.  We stayed the first time in April of this year (and again in September, thanks to my friend).  The head of the Club Level, where we stayed, made us feel like family!!  He took the time to stop and greet us during our stay; he went out of his way to make us feel special.  He listened to our stories and remembered them.

OK, a "shout out" to Carlos, at The Langham, who acknowledged a life-long friendship that I have with my high school girlfriends. Carlos wrote a beautiful handwritten note to us during our stay that validated us as friends.  I kept the note:)

I know some people like feeling anonymous, as New Yorkers usually don't know most of their neighbors; but in the midwest, we thrive with a strong sense of community.  We take meals to others who could use a "helping hand", my friend just asked me if I needed something from the grocery store, and she doesn't even live in my neighborhood!

I feel so lucky to be part of a community where we share the good and the bad.  I'm not sure if it's a "midwestern" thing, but knowing I am supported makes a big difference in my happiness levels.  I know, that when "the chips are down", that I could ask someone for a favor and she would do it if she could.

Feeling supported and acknowledged are key factors for happiness.  Do you feel supported and acknowledged?  If not, you might consider cultivating those in your life.

There are good times and bad times in all of our lives.  Getting through the bad times is easier with support, and sharing good times is more fun than solitary celebrations.  I am so thankful that I am supported by friends and family!!  I hope you can say the same.

Have a great day!

xo

Conni

Today's Mantra:  I am thankful to have a wonderful support system.

Mantra for Every Day: I choose to send love to all; receiving love back multiplied in infinite proportions, creating and nurturing pathways of love.

When Negative Beliefs Are Compounded, "Lean on Me"

Lack of worth, lack of self-esteem, physical and emotional abandonment issues can sometimes be tied together in strands that take time, effort, and determination to unravel.  People who have been hurt the most tend to "check out" from life.  Most cannot cope with overwhelming pain for long periods of time, it's a difficult path to travel.

However, there is always hope.  If you are alive, there is always hope.  Working on self-esteem and self-worth makes the path easier.  Once you begin to work on those issues, knowing that we are innately lovable because we were born, the pathway to healing opens.  Do you have someone to help carry your load when it gets too heavy?  

There are so many different reasons people may not feel hope.  The loss of an authority figure who loved us unconditionally can lead us to question our value.  If you were born into a situation where your parents were overwhelmed and did not know how to show unconditional love, you may feel like there is no way to change that.

The past matters to the extent that we all have to be acknowledged as human beings who are worthy and deserving of unconditional love and having our basic human needs met.  It is valuable to acknowledge the past in order to move forward.  

Empathy is important.  How can we judge someone's past if we haven't walked in his or her shoes?  Acknowledgment doesn't have to mean that we hang out in the past; but at times "we all need somebody to lean on."  You may have an underlying belief that the world would be better off without you.  Those thoughts can lead to statements like, "it doesn't matter what I do anyway, it won't work out for me".  

As always, the first step is awareness.  We all have the opportunity to create better lives for ourselves.  Step by step, your future can be better than the past with hope, effort, and determination.  You are worthy!

xo

Conni

Today's Mantra:  I intend to have empathy for others, "we all need somebody to lean on."

Mantra for Every Day: I choose to send love to all; receiving love back multiplied in infinite proportions, creating and nurturing pathways of love.