Stewardship & Serenity

So often we find ourselves in despair
because there is too much to worry about.
Picking apart what can and cannot be changed
can be a great way to empower ourselves
and the ones in our care.

Recently, my daughter expressed her frustration about worldwide pollution. It seemed that along with the sharing of facts, the school does little to catch those young minds as they battle the implications of what was shared with them. Tangled up in her questions, her frustration and her eagerness to make the world a better place, she asked me with some exasperation, what she can actually do.

I pointed out that we are conscious of the packaging we buy, and we are purposeful with the way we use our car and the fuel (both fossil and renewable) in and around the house. We also carry a garbage bag whenever we go for walks, and we collect whatever we find.

She was not convinced, and she told me about initiatives of people cleaning beaches, doing wonderfully creative things with the garbage. It seemed that our little interventions that she has been growing up with needed a bit of perspective. So I pointed out that even little initiatives like ours, that don’t have a lobby behind them or considerable funds to draw from can be a step into the right direction. Then we discussed the meaning of the serenity prayer.

I find that little things like that give the power of self-determination back to us. Furthermore, the thought of stewardship might gain wings, with people becoming conscious about where they dispose of their garbage when they are out and about.

  • What are your thoughts about this topic?
  • What do you do when you see garbage around?
Lived Serenity: Junko (25.9.2023)

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Manuela Zeitlhofer | Mental Fitness & Nature Coach

Don’t Throw In The Towel!

“You can throw in the towel, or you can us it to wipe the sweat off your face!” (Gatorade)

This metaphor was used in a Gatorade slogan in 2003. It seems to have a wide range of applications, from physical exercise to mental fitness, to goal orientation and endurance.

What does it mean to you?
Where and when are you tempted to throw in a towel, and what happens when you persevere?

One area of such turmoil for me is going out into the world and approaching strangers, telling them about my services, so they have a chance to get to trust me as an ally on their self-development journey.

(photo by Dim Hou, Unsplash, 2022)

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Manuela Zeitlhofer | Authenticity & Mental Fitness Coach