Seems like the world has us all under pressure and Queen captured that in their song Under Pressure. We need to dig ourselves from under this pressure. Find a way to lighten our mood and our spirits. Let’s turn our attention to music.

Let’s play this backwards and see if it gets any better! (Mimics backwards voice) …Freddy is the devil!……Freddy is the devil! audio clip

There are so many forms of music, but finding the soothing and positive music is just what the doctor ordered. Or at least a strong recommendation. You can read all the web blogs expounding on the benefits of music in pain management or in learn. None of that compares to first hand experience.

One way I use to keep me in good spirits is by the choice of music I listen to. It can have a major impact. It can bring you up or it can also bring you down. I choose to pick music to lighten the mood. Music can also be a good motivator. Take the lyrics from the song What Faith Can Do by Kutless:

It doesn’t matter what you’ve heard
Impossible is not a word
It’s just a reason
For someone not to try

Music is also helpful to so many different types of disabilities. Mel Tillis has a stuttering disability, yet when he sings you would never know it. You’ll find that parents and teachers will use music when dealing with children with ADHD. When concentrating on playing an instrument the flightiness of the ADHD seems to disappear…at least for a little while. Another person that uses the beauty of music to help him with epilepsy is Connor Doran. If you’ve been watching America’s Got Talent, you will have seen him as he combines music and indoor kite flying. It’s simply relaxing.

When the world has you under pressure, pull out the music that lifts you up, brings hope, inspires you to do more. For me another song that speaks volumes is Chris Rice’s Life Means So Much. So no matter if you’re in the car or coming in from the field, fill the silence with music.

Now the older son was in the field: and when he came near the house, the sounds of music and dancing came to his ears. – Luke 15:25

O.K., it sounds a bit harsh, but if you can’t poke fun at one’s self, whom can you poke fun at. Sometimes we take life way too seriously. When we do that, stress comes to the forefront in our lives.

Stop for a second and take a long breath in and then slowly let it out. Go ahead, I’ll wait. Just that one simple act is a way to let the body relax.

Music calms the savage beast. This very old adage is true. Everytime I turned on the radio in our house, my brothers stopped chasing me. Actually listening to soft, slow music will slow down your heart rate.

Comedy is a sure fire way of relieving stress. First it starts by taking your mind off the troubles of the day, then it makes you do something you probably haven’t done in a while: A large belly laugh. Comedy videos or comedy clubs are great. A quick warning is in order: do not sit in the front row at a comedy club. The comedian is apt to use you for some of his humor.

Here are a few other proven stress reducers. Try them today. Procrastination is stressful.

Get up fifteen minutes earlier in the morning. The inevitable morning problems will be less stressful.

Don’t rely on your memory. Write down appointment times, when to pick up the kids, when library books are due, etc. I am constantly making notes to myself. (Note to self: Pick up a gallon of milk after work today.)

Plan ahead. Don’t let the gas tank get below one-quarter full, don’t wait until you’re down to your last postage stamp before you buy more.

Don’t put up with something that doesn’t work right. If your alarm clock, windshield wiper, or whatever are a constant problem, get them fixed or get them replaced.

Be prepared to wait. How often do you go somewhere and end up in a line? Carry a paperback along. I got through one in a week while waiting to pay for Christmas gifts, groceries, picking up stamps and waiting for a bridge to go down. (When the bridge is down, STOP reading.)

Three words: Simplify, simplify, simplify.

Turn “needs” into preferences. Our basic physical needs translate into food, water and keeping warm. Everything else is a preference. Don’t get attached to preferences.

Add an ounce of love to everything you do.

Become more flexible. Some things are worth not doing perfectly and some issues are well to compromise upon.

Eliminate destructive self-talk: “I’m too old to…”, “I’m too fat to…”, etc.

Create order out of chaos. Organize your home and workspace so that you always know exactly where things are. (Where did I put those refund checks?) Put things away where they belong and you won’t have to go through the stress of losing things.

Lastly, take care of the todays as best you can and the yesterdays and the tomorrows will take care of themselves.

Writer’s notes: Do not disturb me, I’m already disturbed. This column was cruelly tested on small, furry animals.

What if, one person doesn’t get that acknowledgment of a talent or ability? What if that person kept believing they were worthless? Futile? A loner? Are you reading this?

Yes, you do matter. Yes, you do make a difference. Today alone, someone offered to get me a beverage. Today alone, someone offered to walk with me to a door and chatted along the way. Today alone, I saw others acknowledge others abilities. Today alone, someone made me smile. These were different people, some I knew, some I met for the first time.

Each day we need to help others see what they do not see, their own abilities.

“To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability.” Matthew 25:15

Of course, if you value the same things I do, you’ll want the last person to serve you. The problem is that some restaurants will only have one or two waiters or waitresses that have that type of attitude and they usually are waiting on the table next to you. The trick is to find a restaurant where all the employees wear a smile and have happy attitudes.

“I want people to feel good when they come here.” Frank Hanold Jr. owner Happy Joe’s Pizza & Ice Cream Parlor said. “It starts with me and my wife. We hire people who enjoy working with people and have good attitudes.”

It must working because business is good. Pearl mentions the ample parking for people with disabilities, the entrance door width, seating arrangement and “happy” atmosphere.

“(They are) friendly and appear to go that extra mile for the handicapped,” Pearl said. “I’ve watched them and seen their actions and how nice it is to view. Our son has Muscular Dystrophy and also was impressed by their mannerisms.”

I found the same thing when I went out to dinner at Happy Joe’s. The wait staff was very pleasant and asked, not in a demeaning tone, if I needed any help. They came by my table a couple of times to see how I was doing. If I were a restaurant reviewer, I’d have to give Happy Joe’s a nine out of ten.

“We’d like to expand the place a little and make our bathrooms fully accessible,” Frank Hanold Jr. told me.

Technical advances of automatic doors or accessible facilities fall short if the employees aren’t there to make the customer happy. With more companies realizing the impact in a positive manner around the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), progress in being able to go almost anywhere is an enjoyable experience.

Here’s a short list of things you can do to make your business or home more accessible for people with disabilities.

1. Put everything at optimal wheelchair-users’ reach — at the level they can reach it even if they don’t have much arm movement. An area between 35 and 42 inches from the floor is recommended.

2. Give wheelchair users a 60-inch by 60-inch space to maneuver in.

3. Put in automatic doors — or lighten your doors so that it takes no more than 5 pounds of force to open them.

4. Make doorways 36 inches wide.

These examples are just the start of ways you can think of to make your place work for everyone. According to the Accessibility Guidelines of the ADA, “the maximum high forward reach allowed is 48 inches and the minimum low forward reach is 15 inches.” Here’s something to do that’s even better. Install everything like paper towel dispensers, light switches, phones at a point where somebody who can’t move any part of their body very easily can still reach it. That turns out to be anywhere from about 35 to 42 inches off the floor — the height that your arm would be at “naturally” if you were sitting in a wheelchair with your arm resting on the armrest of the chair. That’s an optimum reach range. It’s a point that everyone can reach — even children.

Happy Anniversary ADA!

Someone asked me, “You have a lot going on all the time, yet it doesn’t seem to phase you. Why is that?”

Two things account for that. One is knowing when too much is too much. Second is patience. Yes, patience in all I do knowing not to rush something.

The guy tenting out a week in advance for an iPhone had the patience to wait for what he was looking for. With patience and a lot of hard work, we put a man on the moon. And with patience a child can learn to read. What is the common element? Each of these things had a goal in mind. It didn’t matter if it was a week or many years, each goal was attainable.

Here’s a different take on patience. As someone who likes to help others understand things, as a teacher, as a customer service representative, and even as a sales person, one thing I knew was that not everyone understands the same way. Say you need to describe to someone how a product works and you know all about the product. Sounds simple, right? Unfortunately not. While some people may get it, the first time, some may need it explained differently, or may take a little longer for it to sink in correctly.  This is where patience comes in. Your goal was to help someone understand, with patience and your knowledge, you can do it.

A tip: Sometimes a simple example goes a long way. When trying to explain how two things may be part of a package deal and for some reason I’m still getting a blank stare back, I have used the expression of a happy meal. This simple reference turns on a light bulb almost every time. Keep it simple when all else fails.

Psalm 37:7 – Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.

Is there any limit to abilities? Well, depends on how much you want to do something and how much you are willing to practice. Drive and determination are something we all (abled or not) possess, but few take the initiative. I first saw this young man on the show “Secret Millionaire” on Fox last December. He was in a skate park and doing amazing tricks. He was also mentoring younger kids. So moved was the secret millionaire, that he gave Aaron Fotheringham $20,000 to do more for others.

It doesn’t really matter what your own situation is except to you. But what matters more to others is what impact you can have on others. Some will see a young man overcoming his own obstacles. I see a young man honing his skills and sharing with others who sometimes think the world has thrown a huge barrier in their way.

Aaron could keep to himself. He could even just use his skills for entertainment. But he wants to do more. He wants to show other kids that no matter what the obstacle, even a wheelchair, anything is possible. Check out his website and keep an eye out for him. I’m sure we’re going to see more from him. Here’s new inspiration for you, when you feel the world has you down, think of Aaron.

What’s more is you can share positive stories and information as well. When you sit down at the dinner table or are talking with co-workers around a Cup Of Joe, what is the tone of the conversation?

When you feel it turning negative, or if it starts that way, time to step up and turn it around. Your impact on the conversation can be a game changer. Don’t let the media or others geared for gossip to drive your attitude. You can make a difference in a simple conversation and ultimately it can have a bigger impact.

People will follow the tone of a conversation or a random act. Turn on the light and show them the positive side of a situation. A game is never won by sitting around discussing the rules. Act in the positive and others will be drawn toward it.

John 8:12 “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

As far as technology goes, it keeps advancing in so many ways. As I come across some cool technology, I will share it along the way, but wanted to pause to remember Shaun Greening. Thanks for the continued memories.

Listen to the doctors or not when they talk about how humor helps in the stress department. For me, I think they have it spot on. When I laugh hard I can feel my whole body change, relax, and just feel good. Pull out your favorite comedy movie or book. Heck, try a joke book. Stop me if you’ve heard these before. And please, take them tongue in cheek.

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A young boy was shopping with his mom and a little girl asked, “What happened to your arm?”

“Mom, I lost my arm again.”

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A blind man went skydiving and some of his friends were scratching their heads. And one finally asked, “OK, how do you know when to pull the ripcord?”

“Easy, when the rope on the guide dog slacks.”

—-

Even the bible has a take on the impact of laughter.

Proverbs 17:22 – A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

Take the next step to increase your spirit, grab a banana!

This is a new category that we’re going to start. Because of a love of flying, faith, and positive directions, a positive lift will showcase positive thoughts, ideas, and techniques to staying positive.

In flying, a plane flies because of a positive lift upwards. If there was a negative lift, the plane would never get off of the ground. So it is crucial to always have a positive lift to keep soaring above.

In faith, we are lifted by angels wings, even if we can not see them. They support us, even when we feel down. Without the faith we are grounded.

2 Corinthians 5:7 “We live by faith, not by sight.”

In order to get anywhere in life we have to move. Walk, roll, or crawl, but we need to initiate the take off. With ever increasing negativity in the world, now is the time to start as one and then move as a people to break the grip of negative actions. It’s not an easy path through life, but it is possible to get through it and impact others around us. Lift up others. Share encouragement, help solve problems, don’t sit on the sidelines pushing blame.

I hope a positive lift will help you and move you to share it with others. Thank you.