Mel’s Mindful Moments S1-E30 transcript:

Is hate a necessary emotion?

Hate is a human emotion that most everyone has felt at one time or another.

Of course it comes in varying intensities and is brought on by various causes.

Hate is defined as an intense or passionate dislike for someone.

Hatred left unchecked can become dangerous for both the target as well as the perpetrator. In fact, actually more harm will come to the one doing the hating.

Hate is infused with such a negative energy and it’s effects will act like a poison to body and is very vexing to the soul.

The longer it is allowed to fester, the greater the harm.

Oh sure we can convince ourselves that our hatred is justified.

… and even become Bold about it!

But even so, this will not nullify the effects that it causes in our emotional state of mind.

It’s poison will still have the same consequences nonetheless.

The only way to rid ourselves from the effects of hatred’s poison, is to forgive.

However forgiveness is not easy to accomplish, when hatred is boiling inside of us. But just like that bad tasting medicine, that we know that if we take it, we’ll get better, ...

… It is the same with forgiveness.

The sooner you can bring yourself to forgive, the sooner you will heal yourself from the effects of hatred.

So for your sake,

… find a way to forgive!

Mel’s Mindful Moments S1-E29 transcript:

I’ve been pondering a question lately: 

Is “Love” real?

Or do we hide behind this word as a way of covering up our own selfishness?

It seems to me that love turns out to be more of a contract than anything else.

It could even be a form of ownership, rather than a way of showing affection.

We often become “bound” by this emotion of “Love”

“Friendship”, on the other hand, is something I can understand a little better.

It is based some common interest that draws you together.

Usually there are no hidden agendas or underlying selfish motives.

You’re not trying to “get” anything from someone, you're just sharing your interests together.

Now if we look at some definitions:

Selfishness is defined as:

... seeking one’s own advantage, pleasure or well-being without regard for others.

Love is defined as:

... a feeling of intense affection or personal attachment for someone.

Now the word “attachment” gives means me the feeling of being bound.

Friendship, on the other hand:

... is a state of enduring affections, and trust between two people.

Maybe it’s just me, maybe love does exists, I just haven’t experienced it.

But the kind of love I have seen, looks more like selfishness than anything else.

For me, friendship is less complicated.

Of course this is my opinion, yours may be different.

We can agree to disagree there.

But whatever type relationship you have, I hope they are free from selfishness.

Mel’s Mindful Moments S1-E28 transcript:

Now if you were going through a tough time and you had been telling me all your troubles and what you’ve been dealing with… (all of which no amount of talking will change the matter).

… But you kept bringing the topic up every chance you got.

And then one day I interrupt you by saying…

“Just get over it!”

Now…

Before you think I’m the cruelest person in the world,

… let me explain.

When you know that all the talk in the world isn’t going to change your situation,

… you need to stop!

You need to stop opening up old wounds and allow yourself to heal,

... and then move on.

By me saying, Get Over It!

Means just that!

I was just giving a wake-up call!

Get over it…

… simply means to …

… stop tormenting yourself over things you can’t change. And the quicker you get over them the better it is for you, for your health and for everyone you interact with.

So …

Get over it, whatever it is!

And the sooner you do it, …

… the better!

Mel’s Mindful Moments S1-E27 transcript:

Our digital world has unfortunately increased our need for instant gratification.

It has helped to create what I refer to as a “Microwave mentality”.

Sure, we can do more things now in a few minutes, that would have taken days or even weeks to accomplish.

At the press of a button our order is purchased, processed and soon delivered to our door.

While this convenience seems great, it destroys our ability to wait on things.

I mean now…

“We lose our patience in an instant!”

I’ve seen people get boiling mad when the have to wait in line for something. And some people even became verbally abusive about it.

If patience is truly a good virtue to have,

then we better start finding ways to develop it outside of our digital world.

Mel’s Mindful Moments S1-E26 transcript:

Have you ever really thought about what your best life would look like?

Like THE ultimate life … that you would want to live.

I mean just take a moment, sit back and imagine it …

Oh and, don’t put any limits on it!

Bring in everything that brings you joy, enthusiasm, excitement, adventure.

You name it!

Now! … Really walk through it ….

What does it look like to you?

What is this vision in your mind's eye?

How would it be?

You know you are getting up in the morning …

Where are you? …

What do you see around you?

Where are you living?

Now go a little further …

… see yourself doing the things you want to do.

How are you spending your time right now?

What are your plans for tomorrow, next week, next year?

Now take that vision … Don’t lose it! 

Take that vision, … and write it down somewhere!

… and start working it.

Start making it happen!

You’ve captured the vision of your best life!

Now start making it a reality!

Mel’s Mindful Moments S1-E25 transcript:

Sometimes having to admit that we messed up can be difficult.

But taking personal responsibility for our actions is important.

But what happens?

We often search for somewhere to pin the blame.

Even when we know it’s our own fault.

As human beings, we won’t get it right all the time.

Mistakes are gonna happen.

Some mistakes will be bigger than others of course.

But WITH the mistakes, something great is included …

You are learning!

At a cost of course, but you are learning none the less.

And the bigger the mistake, the greater the lesson.

Let’s think about a chemist for a moment!

There they are in their laboratory …

... I can see the different colors of smoke, bellowing out of their labs right now.

So if mistakes were such a bad thing, then chemist might as well quit their jobs right now!

But chemist actually thrive on mistakes, …

Because they know, … they are that much closer to a breakthrough!

Sure we feel terrible when we make mistakes.

And some mistakes will take longer to recover from.

But don’t waste the experience, … really learn from it.

You don’t wanna repeat the same mistake do you?

I know I don’t. So learn everything you can from it.

By taking responsibility …

…it will only make us better in the long run.

Mel’s Mindful Moments S1-E24 transcript:

Being trustworthy is a valuable trait to have and develop.

This is true for both an individual and a business or a corporation.

One aspect of being trustworthy is the ability to keep your promises.

I’m sure you’ve heard the old saying, “A man’s word is his bond.”

Keeping promises used to mean something, but in today’s world, it seems to have lost it’s importance.

In recent years more and more businesses and corporations don’t stay true to their word.

What’s worse, we, as consumers, have become complacent and for the most part accept and even expect such treatment from businesses and corporations.

Oh sure we complain about it, but we are still buying their products and using their services.

But, I won’t go down that rabbit hole, so let me stop right there…

What is important is the one person you can do something about and that is you.

Some people promise so much, I think they just do it out of habit.

These are often the same ones who don’t keep their promises.

So first of all, start off by being careful what and to whom you make promises to.

Consider the cost.

What is this going to take?

How much time do you need to make good on your promise?, etc.

Only after long and careful thought, should you make your promise.

And only make promises that you can give a definite due date.

A promise without a time constraint, has a good chance that it will never be fulfilled.

The last thing is this…

When you DO make a promise…

… make sure you keep it!

Mel’s Mindful Moments S1-E23 transcript:

I’ve heard many people talk about needing someone to hold themselves accountable, for one thing or another. When I hear that, the first question that comes to my mind is … “Why?”

I mean outside of the obvious, I get it, many people lack the confidence to keep themselves accountable. They believe that if they had a partner to call them out when they began to waiver, this would help keep them on track.

So, my next question is,

“What happens when your accountability partner doesn’t show up, or becomes unreliable?”

What happens now?

What are you going to do when you must face your challenges alone?

Well, my simple answer is, you will eventually quit.

Now I am sure that somewhere there are some good and reliable partners who will stick it out. And that’s great when it happens. But, I assure you that the first version happens more often than not.

So let me pitch you another option.

Why not instead become your own accountability partner. That’s one way to guarantee that your partner will always be there for you. I mean, seriously, believe it or not, you don’t need anyone to hold you accountable.

You have the ability and discipline you need to accomplish whatever you set your mind to do. You may have to get creative to find ways to keep yourself on point. I call it being your own parent. And yes, discipline sucks sometimes, but guess what? Not hitting your goals will suck even more.

So pull yourself up by your bootstraps, and fix this thought in your mind, by saying …

“I am the only accountability partner that I will ever need from this point on!”

Don’t mumble it, say it like you mean it, otherwise, you won’t convince your subconscious mind, and that fella is pretty smart.

Now all you need to do is start holding yourself accountable for whatever it is you want to accomplish.

I know you can do it!

And deep down inside, you know you can do it!

Mel’s Mindful Moments S1-E22 transcript:

I don’t want to debate on whether leaders are born or whether they are made.

But in either case, they must develop their skills and knowledge to become a good leader.

Having been a leader for over 25 years, I think a can speak on this topic quite well.

The first thing when becoming a leader, no matter what your title, …

is to realize that it is just that, …

“A Title”, …

and nothing more, and of course a higher paycheck.

So my first tip in becoming a good leader,

is to lead laterally and not from above.

Regardless of your title or position,

it does not put you “Above” people, …

so remember that.

The next tip is to never exclude yourself from those you lead.

I’m not necessarily talking about you locking yourself away in an office somewhere.

(Which I would definitely discourage.)

But, more on the lines of you continuing to be a part of the team.

Working along side them as much as possible, and remaining a part of the group.

This will go a long way and speak volumes about you as a leader.

The next thing is to …

Be available!

I can’t stress that enough, a leader must be available.

As a leader, you need to be there for your people.

You need be able to answer questions, give guidance and timely feedback.

It’s never a good situation when one of your employees

needs an answer, and you’re not around.

So when you can’t be available, then let them know where you can be reached.

The last tip is this …

Always follow up on everything your employees bring to your attention.

Whether it is work related or not, you MUST follow up on it.

No employee wants to feel ignored or counted as unimportant.

I know I don’t want to feel that way, and neither do you.

So ALWAYS follow up.

I could on and on, but these four tips, if you use them,

will get you started in the right direction to becoming a good leader.

I hope you find them useful,

Good luck!

Mel’s Mindful Moments S1-E21 transcript:

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrases,

“There is no “I” in Team.”

or “Teamwork makes the dream work.”

or similar phrases like these.

But how do we really build a good working relationship within a team?

Well, believe it or not a team leader has a lot to do with that, ... and here's why.

First of all, the team leader needs to stay on top of things, keeping everything and everyone on point.

They really need to know their team members.

As a leader, they need to know each member's strengths and their weaknesses, ...

what they like and what they dislike. And of course know their skill sets.

Every team member will have different skills, and different preferences.

Now, let’s not confused these with collective skills,

which are the skills that every member should possess.

These would be the skills needed for day to day operations.

Speaking of which, team leaders need to ensure these tasks as share equally among the members.

Training:

The team leader is also responsible to ensure each member receives the proper training.

Depending on the division of work, it's always a good idea cross train as many members as you can.

Chances are one member will need to fill in for the others at some point within the department.

This not only keeps things running smoothly, but will also ensure that you have a highly competent team.

Now one component, as with almost everything you will encounter is communication.

Communication is vital, and will keep the team informed, empowered, and improve the team's interactions.

One last thought I'd like to say to team leaders to remember:

“Encouragement goes a long way!”

So don’t forget to encourage your team on a regular basis and really listen to their feedback.

I hope your team succeeds!