Pass it On & Pay it Forward

What did you do today? Did you create a positive impact on someone else's life? Even the smallest things can make or break somebody's day. 

I remember in one of my recent bad moods, I was visiting a local chain restaurant. After I finished my meal, I went up to the counter to get a free refill of my iced green tea. Several people jumped ahead of me, as if I was invisible, and the sales clerk just ignored me! I could feel my blood pressure rising. 

Minutes dripped by, and by the time I was acknowledged, I snapped indignantly at a new clerk, who suddenly appeared, "I just want some green tea. I know it's difficult!" The clerk apologized repeatedly and proceeded to fill my cup. I snatched my now full cup away from him, grumbled as he apologized once again, and stormed out of the restaurant. 

Immediately, I felt like the most awful and cold-hearted person! I was, for lack of a better word, a frigid bitch. I actually continued to feel bad about it for the rest of the day-- I even considered writing a letter of apology! 

The point is, I realized that I could have (and probably did) ruin that guy's day. There is enough negativity and meanness in the world, and my creating even more over such a trivial matter (a cup of tea, for crying out loud!) was just petty. 

The positive or negative things we do and say to the people around us-- even the ones we don't know-- has the power to change their entire day. Maybe even their life! 

How have you made a difference in someone's day? A complete stranger. Was it for the better? The worse? And if the latter, how did you feel and make up for it later? Or did you?

☆Catherine

(Photo Copyright © RocaMiki)

Getting Started

I want to welcome everyone to my blog, in the first entry of my journey with  positivity! Before I go on to chronicle my progress, I'd like to just take a quick second to introduce myself.

Hello :) I'm Catherine, and this is my fabulous project! I am a Florida native and spend most of my days working and in school. I'm a hospitality major and would love to work in the global industry, in some capacity. I spent the last two years in Orlando, working in a very famous theme park, and miss my home up there daily. I hope with this blog, I can express all my hopes for myself, and for the readers who happen across this slice of internet. I really hope that in my journey toward self-improvement, I can inspire others to begin their own journeys.

But enough about that! Onto the plans! 

Like I mentioned in the previous post, I began plotting out a sort of "summer fun" list several months ago, in the hopes of having fun all the time… Well, when things didn't quite turn out the way I hoped they would, I sort of became jaded and a little embarressed by my list.

There it was, sitting there, with nothing checked off… 

Finally, after one too many days of having nothing to do and being sad about it, I decided to rework my entire list. And the entire concept behind it. Instead of making a list of cool things to do over the summer, and not quite turning it into a bucket list, I came up with the concept of a list of good karma.

Things that will make me happy, make others happy, and give me something positive to do with myself. This can be anything that ranges from physical activity to volunteer work to artistic endeavors. And everything in between. 

Get Artistic

Way back when, I used to be a big film geek. My high school years were spent watching as many movies, learning as many directors and actors as possible. I even flew myself out to Los Angeles for a week long summer camp at UCLA's film school.

But things changed, and I lost touch with my love for filmmaking. So, onto my list went: Video Projects and Photography. 

I've begun my first test project, filming for several hours at a local park, and setting up all the right software and extensions. And I still have more ideas to work on! 

Meditate

With so much pent up stress eating away at me, I've been seriously considering learning the art and philosophy of meditation. I found my local Buddhist center, and discovered they offer very affordable meditation classes bi-weekly! 

My major goal for this week is to attend at least one meditation session and also to create a calm, relaxed environment at home to ease my stress as well. 

So far, it's small potatoes, but it's a start. And my list is growing and changing daily! 

Let me know your thoughts, comments, questions, and any suggestions or advice you may have. I'd also love feedback about the concept of the blog!

Until next time, friends!

☆Catherine

Make A List

What is a "karma list"?

Well, what is karma? Recognized by both Hindu and Buddhist faiths, the concept of karma is basically: what you do now directly effects the quality of your life down the road. So, if you live your life virtuously and treat people well, your positive actions create positive reactions.

And how can you make a list of "good karma?" To explain the concept of a karma list, I'll have to tell you a little bit about myself and how I arrived at this idea…

I, personally, find it pretty damn difficult to maintain a healthy balance of work vs. play. And I know I'm not alone. For a while, all I did was work. I was a devoted employee, giving myself heart and soul to my job. Why? Because at the time, I loved what I did. Work was fun and exciting. But like anything, change is inevitable, and the job that once brought me so much happiness, became stale and monotonous.

I knew another change wasn't far off.

Of course I could have stayed. I could have kept slogging away at the job that no longer brought me any joy. I could have moved up in the company and really made myself into a successful person there… But I had become so jaded and unhappy, I just couldn't see my own success anymore.

And so, the decision was made… I would go home. Go back to school. And reassess my entire life.

Now that's where you meet me, friends! I've been home for almost three months now, back in school, and trying my hardest to get my life on track. But it's been hard, it's been difficult. I've hit alot of challenges that I never saw coming, and saw some roads dead-end-- roads I thought would go on forever.

Before I moved home, I made a list. I titled the first page of a small notebook Awesome Stuff I'm Going To Do. This first page was all the amazing and wonderful things I wanted to accomplish this summer and beyond. And up until now, I haven't checked off a damn thing. And that really makes me antsy and annoyed at myself. I had another page called Ideas For Life, and wrote down all sorts of random things I could do with my life.

But I wasn't happy with just a list of "stuff," I wanted a list of "life." A list full of positive things that would bring, not only myself, but others around me, joy and happiness. A list that would make an impact, even just a small one, on the world around me. Writing things down and making a list of your goals and ideas organizes your thoughts, emotions, feelings, desires, and dreams into a guide map with no borders!

With this blog, you will see frequent updates to my personal "life list." The main idea behind a karma list is that it's all good things. The sort of good things that improve your life and the lives of the people around you. Positivity breeds positivity! And the only way to improve your life, is to start living it :)

☆Catherine

(Photo Copyright © Nyn-the-cat)