Tag: #authentic

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Am I a nightmare sports parent?

Posted on by Snippetsofmylife

We are a sports family.  Our son is involved in hockey, swimming, and basketball (always 3 sports throughout the school year).  Competitive swimming is our daughter’s sole interest.  Our weekly calendar is a revolving door as the kids go to practices 5-6 days a week plus have games or meets.  Sports are awesome as they teach people to deal with challenges and obstacles.  We love them and have seen our kids grown through participation.

One of the big draw backs as kids get older and sports become competitive can be the parents.  Yikes…did I just say that?

When my kids made the switch from recreational sports to competitive sports there came a switch with the parents.  With rec leagues and games, parents  were all about laughing and snacks.  As the kids got older and the focus of the sports changed to one which is more competitive in nature, the attitude of some parents changed.  Now practices can be filled with this underlying intensity and competitiveness.  Lofty expectations start filtering into practices and games.  You start hearing words such as “kick butt” (or variations of this) and papers with stats start flying around.  As soon as a game or meet is over you can over hear parents conferencing with their child….”You didn’t hustle” or “You would have won if the ref. hadn’t made so many bad calls”.  Am I guilty as criticizing or coaching as soon as the kids leave the field, rink, or pool? Guilty of telling my kid to “kick so&so’s butt”?  YES 😳

Away from the venue (when clarity seeps in), I admit these comments, pressures, and expectations, are undermining and can often cause unnecessary stress and pressure.  Being honest…what should I do instead?

  • Teach my kids to challenge themselves and to improve.
  • Teach them that success/failure is not the same as winning/losing.
  • Support them…but keep in mind I am NOT the coach.
  • Remember my kids are not going “pro” or going to the Olympics.
  • Remember that my kids are NOT the performance…losing a game or meet doesn’t “define” them as a person.
  • Teach them how deal with losing.

Or maybe I can just start by saying “I ❤️ to watch you play/swim/etc.” and save the feedback for a later time.

Hmmmm..now if I can get my hubby on board 😂

Figuring it out…one.step.at.a time💕

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My social media detox

Posted on by Snippetsofmylife

Detoxes are hot right now…especially when it comes to health.  People realize the importance of rebooting or resetting their bodies–probably one or more times throughout the year.  I think “detoxes” can apply to any area of your life where you need to refocus and readjust.

How about a mental and emotional detox…starting with unplugging from social media?  I don’t think it is fully realized how social media can affect your mental and emotional health. Though it allows people to instantly connect. It does not offer anything close to the benefits that real-life/face-to-face connections and interactions do.  It’s easy to get caught up in comparisons and self-judgments as one scrolls through the news feeds.  Usage snaps up hours of our time each and every day and week…time we can actually be engaging in authentic relationships with others or spending on a task or activity.

The numerous benefits of unplugging seem worth some attention.  Participants in these so-called social media detoxes have called the experience “life-changing”.  Really?

  • A quieter mind
  • Being more in the moment
  • Increased social interactions
  • More authentic in relationships
  • Increased creativity and focus
  • Feeling more positive

Hmmmm…..

Between work and personal use, I spend a good bit of time on social media. There are times I certainly seem weighed down by it or feel drained after being on it.  So, is all the buzz about unplugging true?

Here goes… no posting, reading news feeds, or commenting/liking posts….totally disengaging … for one month.

Wish me luck!

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in #life, Uncategorized

Living in a world of fakeness

Posted on by Snippetsofmylife

Fakeness seems to be all around us.  News. People. Friends. Brands. Help. Information.  Every where you turn one must assess…truth from fiction.  Typically, something “fake” or being “fake” has a negative cloud surrounding it.  Now no one seems to care.  “Fake” is still going strong and seems to be gaining popularity.

Though we can’t stop the fake news or information from flying around.  We can certainly take action. I say let’s counter the fakers with authenticity or flash your sincere personality.

Here is a checklist of traits that genuine or authentic people share:

  1. a strong, but balanced self-esteem
  2. an ability to embrace his/her own vulnerability
  3. to share your true thoughts and beliefs
  4. to give and receive compliments openly
  5. to really listen and prefer deep conversations
  6. to be driven by inner voices and not surrounding people or pressures
  7. an ability to be compassionate towards others
  8. to have inner courage

Genuine. Real. True.