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Browse published articles attributed to Vickie Griffith, with full-archive search.
Our brains are amazing. When we repeatedly think the same thought over and over again, our brains create neural pathways to replicate the same repetitive action. Think how wonderful this is if you want a glass of water. You want, and your body responds by allowing you to perform all the actions involved in getting a drink of water.
12:15 am. He knows he is supposed to be home by midnight. Where is he? What if he has been in an accident? Images of bloody moaning teenagers flash through my mind. What if he is trapped in his Jeep and can’t get out? Visions of the Jeep hanging upside down over a guard rail- the driver side door smashed into the passenger seat. I bet he has been drinking. I know some of his friends are experimenting with alcohol and drugs. The Today Show was just talking about the teenage drinking epidemic.
She is beautiful, friendly, and popular. She has an exciting career, a cutie pie for a husband and well-mannered kids. For a brief moment you hate her and then wish you could be her. Have you longed to be someone else? To be able to switch bodies, lives relationships? You look at them and think they have it all. Maybe they do. However, your feelings about them will either keep you stuck or liberate your abundance. Feelings of jealousy, bitte ess, spite and insecurity create closing doors. Opportunities can become rare. Moving forward isr
A man rushes into a national coffee chain talking loudly on his cell phone as if there was no one in the store that could hear him. A steady stream of people are coming and going, in and out not noticing who is there or what is happening around them. Have they noticed the noise of the machine steaming the milk? Or the brightly colored art work on the walls? Did they even smell the aroma of the freshly brewed coffee?
Every morning on my daily walk with our two dogs, Sparky walks nicely by my side. Surrey, on the other hand, pulls and pulls, straight ahead, tight on the leash. If I walk faster she pulls harder. She may not know where she is going, but she knows she needs to get there faster.
Many of us have a talent that we are born with. Many of us don’t use our talent and choose instead to move through our lives working at a mundane daily job that sucks the life out of us. We’d feel like a failure if we were to up and switch careers, wouldn’t we? But we can choose to take that inbo talent and call upon it at any time. Take for example the story about Ricochet, a dog born to become a service dog. Ricochet had flunked out of service dog school, but he had a strange ability to balance on a surf board which allowed him to work with a quadriplegic man teaching him how to surf.
So, I’m sitting here looking at a blank page and I’m wondering—what should I write about today? What have I been thinking about recently, what’s interested me or is there something that’s taken me by surprise? I hear the faint voice of a ten year old in the deep recesses of my head saying nuthin’ … just like I did when my parents would ask me “What did you learn in school today?”
A young college athlete stands at the free throw line and throws the basketball at the basket over and over again. She is visualizing her success and at the same time she is conditioning her body to automatically respond to the stimulus of her desire to successfully put the ball through the hoop. Through repetition, her mind will associate the desire to make a basket and her body will translate this desire into the action she has so diligently practiced. Simply stated: The repetition allows her body to automatically respond to her desire.
Verizon Wireless aired a commercial where a gentleman was walking about asking the caller on his cell phone “Can you hear me now?” It became a joke, when communication was disrupted or someone was not listening. Listen……….. What do you hear? The fan of the furnace, the chatter of your coworkers, the music playing in another room? Listen deeper……..What do you hear now? Hear that small whisper of a voice from the depth of your soul or spirit that tells you what you have been yearning for.
Working in a clothing department of a college bookstore, I spied an eight year old girl admiring herself in the full length mirror. She looks into her eyes and smiles at herself. Twirling, curtsying and giggling she is truly in love with the reflection in the mirror. Adorable, charming, touching and disturbing, sadness washed over me. This eight year old girl was fat for her age. Yes, fat. Not pump, cuddly or fluffy. FAT. Yet, with a high level of self esteem there is tende ess in her eye and a love for the preciousness she is; she adored her refection.
Have you ever heard the term “keep your nose to the grindstone?” Although sources cite different origins to the phrase, it has come to describe someone who works hard and steady at something that is tedious and boring. Many historians believe that the origin of the phrase was passed down through the centuries by millers who would put their nose onto or near their millstones (or grindstones) so they could smell if their turning of the stones was burning the grains.
Tucked deep under the covers she rustles with the idea of getting out of bed. It feels dark outside today. Yet, the sun is warming the petals of the brightly colored flowers. Today she feels hopeless? What do you do when everything feels hopeless? When you are too tired, too sick, in too much pain (whether it be physical or emotional) to move forward in your life? We all feel it every now and then. Maybe for a brief moment, maybe for a few days, hopelessness creeps on us like a fox stalking its prey.
“It sucks right now!” Martha said with despair in her voice. “I just lost my job. My husband’s salary barely covers the necessary expenses. Our daughter needs money for a science project. Our son needs a cavity filled. I wrecked my car. The dog is sick. And my credit cards are at their limit.”r
She has stuck to her plan. Just five pounds to release and she is meet her goal. It has not always been easy, but with the support of hypnosis and Emotional Freedom Technique (tapping), she has managed through the rough times feeling more confident and more energetic than ever before. She stops listening the CDs. She stops tapping. Her old eating habits of dealing with hurt and problems with food creep back. Needless to say, her weight loss stops and she starts gaining weight. What would cause someone so close to her goal to stop? Why would she give up on herself?r
Driving home to Virginia from South Carolina with our six-year-old exhilarated granddaughter in tow. For nearly three months she had been marking days off the calendar anticipating her visit with us in Virginia. Getting into the truck she was ready to be in our home,yet we had a seven to eight hour drive ahead of us. Every ten minutes she asked where are we and how long until we get there. Even though she thinks Florida is just a trip across town, somehow she knew that when we left North Carolina we would be in Virginia.
Have you ever heard the term “keep your nose to the grindstone?” Although sources cite different origins to the phrase, it has come to describe someone who works hard and steady at something that is tedious and boring. Many historians believe that the origin of the phrase was passed down through the centuries by millers who would put their nose onto or near their millstones (or grindstones) so they could smell if their turning of the stones was burning the grains.
It seems something drastic has to happen in order for us to stop and savor how precious life is. We get caught up in the mundane work, stress and destructive behaviors of every day that we sometimes forget to recognize the gift we have all be given. This one and only life.r
How would you like to feel great on January 1st because you were able to maintain your weight (or even lose a few pounds) over the holidays? Wouldn't it feel terrific to feel that good about yourself? Perhaps you'll even be the envy of your friends who weren't able to make it through the holidays unscathed in the weight department.
Imagine the set of the game show Family Feud. Two people head to head guessing at the number one answer on the survey to this question: “What wakes you or keeps you up at night?” An informal survey sent this exact question to a section of friends, colleagues and clients; the number one answer surprised me. My guess for the number one answer - worry about family. It was certainly right up in the top three but was not the number one slot.
Ever hunt for treasure when you where a child? Remember the thrill of the hunt, anticipation of the prize and the exhilaration when you found the treasure. The treasure might not have been anything more than a shiny rock or small toy. The size of the prize did not matter--it was the value that we cherished.
The purple haze of the evening hours washes through the valley as an observer stands on a hill top. She watches the hustle and bustle of the village below. The residents come and go as they please. She notices the negative reckless traveler causing chaos in the flow of the pattern in the community. And delights in watching the positive unhurried explorers enjoy the beauty of the parks, people and possibilities of the village.
Looking at the Sunday obituary page recently, I noticed how many people near my age are passing away. A wave of dread flowed through me and I thought: What if I only have a few years left? I’ve always wanted to be a Centenarian. And,I’ve always thought that saying out loud that I want to live a long and healthy life to 100 or beyond would help make it come true. But, what if I don’t make it? What if I only have a short time left on the planet? What would I regret? My answer came quickly and without any hesitation. I would regret living in fear.
Monster in the Closet You knew it all along … even thought your parents denied it, you could never find it, but somehow deep inside all along you knew it was the truth. There is a monster in your bedroom closet.
How would you like to feel great on January 1 because you were able to either maintain your weight or even lose a few pounds over the holidays? Wouldn’t it feel terrific to feel that good about yourself and perhaps even be the envy of your friends who weren’t able to make it through the holidays unscathed in the weight department?
Chasing a young boy, a weary mother is desperate to catch him. The back yard alley turns and twists as if it were a labyrinth seen in the lawns of the old English castles. Barbs and thorns poke into the pathway from the walls- tearing at her clothes. Tripping over the gnarly roots on her course, every attempt to stop him causes more frustration and despair. Just out of reach, so close she can almost touch him, he turns a corner and vanishes. Her deepest fear is coming true. Trapped in this maze of pain she is terrified that she can not save him.
Golden haired like Rapunzel; dressed in a cute pink dress I comment to the adorable 4 year old little girl that she looks very pretty. Her response stunned me… What did she just say? How dare she say that? Then it occurred to me maybe this is how we, as grown women, should respond to all compliments. What is really wrong with her response?
The last few hours have been so much fun! Two girlfriends have been out for the afte oon; it has been filled with shopping and laughter. Now, sitting across a table from her best friend at their favorite restaurant, June makes an unconscious gesture that sabotages her friend’s goal. Her friend is just five pounds away from her lowest weight in years and June orders her best friend’s favorite dessert and two spoons. “Come on, just one bite will not hurt.” “You deserve it.” “You are wasting away.” “I can’t eat all of this and it is your favorite.”
He stepped on stage-- friendly, handsome with a mischievous smile. Flailing his arms, he jumped in front of the woman with the microphone, determined to speak. Snickers from the crowd indicated that he had been seen, yet he continued to do all that a three-year-old mind could comprehend to do to get that microphone. He tried to be still for a second or two but he just could not contain himself, it was critical that he speak. What was so urgent? What was so important? What bit of advice could a three-year old so desperately need to share with the audience?
The morning is the same as any other yet she feels angry, resentful and a bit sad. Nothing has changed from the night before. There is no one to blame. No one called with bad news. No argument has caused these feelings. She just wakes up upset. Could these feelings come from bad dreams? Maybe. Residual events from yesterday? Could be. Old traumatic subconscious events? Possibly. Does it really matter where they came from? What really matters is getting through them so you can feel better and move on.
Oops, there is goes. Did you see it? Did you feel it? Another minute went by. You will never get the minute back. What did you spend that minute doing? Worrying, fretting, stressing? How sad and what a waste. We waste away our lives minute by minute by worrying about our future or judging our past. What about this very minute? It’s gone now. Chances are your worrying didn’t change a thing. No positive results at all.
“All of a sudden it feels like life is kicking me in the face. Things were going well. Business was increasing, our family was happy and healthy, and I was feeling good about myself for the first time in a long time, then out of no where…………” Fill in the blank. (..my brother said,… there was this horrible accident, …all of my client appointments cancelled).
Chasing a young boy, a weary mother is desperate to catch him. The back yard alley turns and twists as if it was a labyrinth seen in the lawns of the old English castles. Barbs and thorns poke into the pathway from the walls tearing at her clothes. Tripping over the gnarly roots on her course every attempt to stop him causes more frustration and despair. Just out of reach, so close she can almost touch him he turns a corner and vanishes. Her deepest fear is coming true. Trapped in this maze of pain she is terrified that she can not save him.
That old James Brown song is playing through my head … you know the one I mean: Whoa-oa-oa! I feel good, I knew that I would, now I feel good, I knew that I would, now So good, so good”. I feel happy today … So, why is that so hard to admit or even say out loud? It used to be that the suffering was somewhere else. Those natural disasters -- weren’t we always grateful that it was happening somewhere else and to someone else? But with all the fluctuations in the economy, unhappy events and unhappy people are coming closer and closer to home and work. And, boy, does misery love company.r
Feelings. All the self-help gurus tell us to feel our feelings. If we’ll just do that then we’ll stop overeating, we’ll stop smoking or gambling or shopping or whatever else we’re addicted to doing. We’ll be able to live in the moment, connect with ourselves, our children and our friends. We’ll be happy, rich, thin and successful.
I know God is laughing at me today. Probably a pretty good chuckle, too. I told him of my plans for my business- how much money I will be making, what type of employees will be working for me, and how much fun I will be having speaking and writing. I commented on how clients will receive the relief and motivation they need to make changes to experience a wonderful life. I expressed to Him how my relationships are growing and blossoming, how I feel confident and courageous in both my personal and business growth. And how much I love my beautifully decorated, freshly cleaned home.r
Every morning on my daily walk with our two dogs, Sparky walks nicely by my side. Surrey, on the other hand, pulls and pulls, straight ahead, tight on the leash. If I walk faster she pulls harder. She may not know where she is going, but she knows she needs to get there faster.
Vivianna Torun Bülow-Hübe designed beautiful fluid forms of modern jewelry for the company Georg Jensen. In 1962 she was asked to create an object for the Louvre in Paris for their Musée des Arts Décoratifs exhibit. The theme given the artist was to create a piece about which they felt most ambivalent. She created an elegant open bangle to redefine the use of the watch.
A child tears a sheet of paper out of her spiral notebook folding the corners precisely making a beautiful aero-dynamic paper airplane. Her vivid imagination explores her dream of someday, flying a huge airplane to distant destinations. She does not know how she will become a pilot but she pretends to be the pilot anyway. Panels of blinking lights, black knobs and dozens of switches fill her mental picture of flying a jumbo jet.
Are you in control? Want to be in control? Have a need to be in control? Bet you are rarely, if ever, in control. It is a myth that we are in control of anything except for one aspect of our lives, and it is the only component of our lives of which we are in control. You will experience between 50,000 and 70,000 of these a day. They create actions, influence our feelings and determine the outcome of an event or desire.
Stepping out from one of the huge chain convenience store/ gas stations and car wash I notice a young women drying off her car. Just freshly cleaned on the bright warm spring day she lovingly dried the car as if it were a luxury sedan. She admired this car with every stroke of the towel. She expressed her graduate for getting her to work and back to her family. She treated it with respect and admiration. Looking more closely at the car I realized the car was not Porsche, Lexus or Cadillac but an everyday run of the mill older sedan. The doors were slightly dented and the paint peeling.