Post 02/23/2023
Dear Members and Advocates:
I am yet to meet a person that has not experienced anxiety at some point in their life. But for many of us, the anxiety seems constant….weekly, daily, even hourly for some. We need to be reminded that anxiety solves nothing, and only brings on negativity that drains us mentally, emotionally and physically.
The heavy burden of anxiety will distract your positive thoughts, cloud your positive focus, and zap away your positive energy. Remaining positive is the key to success; mental, emotional and physical success. There have been hundreds of books written about the power of positive thinking. Why is that? Because it works. If you want to reduce anxiety and improve your daily life, then practice Positivity, and its free.
The more you practice Positivity, the better you will feel about yourself and your future. Learning to incorporate Positivity into your daily life starts with giving yourself a break from anxiety. It reminds me of a story I heard decades ago. Here is the story that has kept me moving forward with a positive attitude while avoiding burnout.
A young lady confidently walked around the room while leading and explaining stress management to an audience with a raised glass of water. Everyone knew she was going to ask the ultimate question, ‘half empty or half full?’… She fooled them all …. “How heavy is this glass of water?” she inquired with a smile. Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.
She replied , “The absolute weight doesn’t matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that’s not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my right arm.
If I hold it for a day, you’ll have to call an Ambulance. In each case it’s the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.” She continued, “and that’s the way it is with stress. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won’t be able to carry on.”
“As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we’re refreshed, we can carry on with the burden – holding stress longer and better each time practiced.”
So, as early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down. Don’t carry them through the evening and into the night… Pick them up tomorrow, but add humor into your day and smile more.
1. Accept the fact that some days you’re the pigeon, and some days you’re the statue!
2. Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.
3. Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.
4. Drive carefully… It’s not only cars that can be recalled by their Maker.
5. If you can’t be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.
6. If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.
7. It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.
8. Never buy a car you can’t push.
9. Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won’t have a leg to stand on.
10. Nobody cares if you can’t dance well. Just get up and dance.
11. Since it’s the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.
12. The 2nd mouse gets the cheese.
13. When everything’s coming your way, you’re in the wrong lane.
14. Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.
15. We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.
16. A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.
17. Have an awesome day and know that someone has thought about you today
18. Get involved; if you have a seat at the table you will not be on the menu
19. AND MOST IMPORTANTLY Save the earth….. It’s the only planet with chocolate! I THINK!
20. Can you add one to this list?
Recognize one new thing each day that adds Positivity into your life.
Sincerely,
The Florida Action Committee
ANNOUNCEMENTS – MARK YOUR CALENDARS
Next Monthly Membership Meeting – Thursday March 2 at 8pm ET. Call 319-527-3487. Topic: “Getting Stories in the Media” with guest journalist Steven Yoder. If you have trouble connecting, or being charged, text CALL ME to 319-527-3487 to receive a call back and be connected to the meeting at no charge.
Next New Membership Orientation Meeting- Thursday March 9 at 8pm ET. Call 319-527-3487. No agenda. Call in to ask about resources, the organization, volunteer opportunities, or anything on your mind. Trouble connecting? Text CALL ME to 319-527-3487 to receive a call back and be connected to the meeting.
See Calendar of Events – Keep up with Meet-and-Greets in your area, Support groups, Membership Calls, and other events. For questions and more information contact the Membership Team; [email protected] or call 833-273-7325,Option 1.
Click Here for Calendar and double click on the event to view details and RSVP instructions. Just some of the upcoming events below.
Sat Feb 25 –Meet and Greet in Jacksonville 2:00-4:00pm For location and details RSVP to [email protected] or text/call 904-300-0109.
Thu Mar 9 – In-person Family Support session with Dr Jill Levenson and Shelley Kavanagh, 7:00-9:00pm Orlando. Space is limited; must be FAC member. If interested, please RSVP to [email protected] or leave message at 833-273-7325 option 1.
Become a County Coordinator. The only requirement is your desire to HELP us organize your county. You will never be left alone because you will part of a team that supports each other. If you are interested in joining the County Coordinator Team, leave message at 833-273-7325, Option 1, or email [email protected]
Letter-Writing Campaigns – If you would like to participate in sending educational information to specific decision makers in Florida, please contact [email protected]. Volunteers must be willing to proudly identify themselves by using their own name and return address on the letters.
Call for Topics and Staff Writers – We are always interested in receiving articles to post, and opinion pieces for Weekly Updates and other communications. If you are a writer, or you would like to make a submission, please email [email protected]. Sometimes its starts with just an idea, so we welcome your thoughts and ideas that a staff writer would develop into an article or Weekly Update. We want to hear from you.
SOME HEADLINES FROM THE WEEK
Mr. Meade, please help Florida’s two excluded groups regain their voting rights, too.
While we are called the United States of America, when it comes to the voting rights of people who have been incarcerated, we are anything but united. Florida Governor DeSantis, along with funding from the legislature, created Florida’s new Office of Election Crimes…read more
Why Do We Treat Sex Crimes Differently Than Other Violent Crimes?
According to thecrimereport.org, Aya Gruber, a law professor at the University of Colorado, asks readers to take a second look at how we treat sex crimes. Gruber feels that “treating sex crimes differently than other crimes is not natural or neutral but rather has a…read more
U.S. Needs To Focus More on Prevention To Stop Child Sexual Abuse
In “A Report on the High Cost of Sex Offender Incarceration” by Elizabeth J. Letourneau and Travis W. M Roberts, a research paper published with their colleagues at the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the “focus was on the cost of incarcerating adults…read more
Amazon sued over refusal to hire California sex offenders
According to Reuters, a class action lawsuit has been filed against Amazon.com Inc and a background check provider, Accurate Background Inc, claiming they illegally used a California sex offender website to conduct background checks on job applicants. “Megan’s Law…read more
Guy Hamilton-Smith: How Can You Tell When the Government Is Lying?
SMART (Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking) commissioned a research brief based on fallacies, doing its best to dismiss the research that casts doubt on various aspects of the sex offense registries. This research…read more
With Unity Comes Change -Get Involved and Volunteer Today!
Florida Action Committee
www.floridaactioncommittee.org
833-2-REPEAL 833-273-7325
It takes all your energy just living with the hate, animosity and resentment. They say your past doesn’t define you, but public perception is everything. Not only does the registry define your past, it defines your future. It actually takes ownership over your entire existence.
Sorry, but that Bobby McFerrin song is not gonna fix this mess.
Read Victor Frankel’s “Man’s Search for Meaning.”
Excellent book recommendation @Bwj for the masses. Read it myself a few years back to much delight and enlightenment.
Friends, this is a great reminder. The world may hate us, but they are paying for it, and it is becoming more obvious by the day. We need to rise above and not be infected by the same hate that consumes those against us.