Listen to the voice in your heart.
My message today is a simple one. Find some peace in your day and seek out the messages that your heart is sending to your mind.
Listen carefully.
You can’t help but find positive purpose for your energy when you allow peace into your intentions.
By: Melanie A. Peters
Lemons and Crap: Gifts of Life
Seven years ago my husband and I had a one year-old daughter with RSV, a turkey farm with no contract or turkeys to raise, I was suffering from complications following a ruptured gall bladder, and my school district was down trodden from all sorts of issues. To cheer me up my good friend and fellow teacher, Terri, gave me a card. The front of the card read: “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” The inside said: “When life hands you a big pile of crap. Don’t make anything. (Trust me!)”
I loved that card and I still really enjoy thinking about its message.
Life can send some real stinkers our way. I love to think we can always make something sweet from our circumstances, but there are always exceptions to the rule.
If you are experiencing one of those times, when you just don’t know what to do with what life hands you, take the advice of my greeting card. Don’t do anything.
I am not saying check out permanently. Rather than running yourself ragged to fix something you can’t fix, step back. Look for alternate solutions or resources to find assistance. Consider taking a different path.
Just because that big ol’ pile of poo is staring you in the face, doesn’t mean you have to pick it up.
We are all going to find ourselves in stinky situations and we all have to work through them, but we also have to realize when it is time to step away.
Beautify your life through your intentions and choose to not wallow in the muck of bad luck or negativity.
By: Melanie A. Peters
April Showers – Refresh Your Outlook
The month of April is known for its dramatic weather patterns. Rain storms and showers are the norm and are needed to give the growing season a boost.
For spring athletes the rain can be problematic because it causes rain delays and game postponements. Farmers who need the precipitation are frustrated by rain (after a while) because they are hampered by the mud and muck that makes fields and pastures too soggy to plant or feed OR they are out-of-sorts because there is too little precipitation to kick-start their crops. Teachers wish the rain away because their students need time outdoors to burn some energy.
Today don’t wish away those springtime showers. If you are lucky enough to have a rainy day, be grateful for the nourishing and sustaining drops that fall around you. Enjoy the pitter patter on your roof or windows. Embrace the power of the lightening and thunder.
All of these things are miracles. We would not have those May flowers, if it were not for these April showers. Refresh your outlook and look forward to the rain and all it brings.
By: Melanie A. Peters
April’s Positivity Challenge is to commit one kind act a day.
Check out the Monthly Positivity Challenge tab on the Intentergy Home Page any time this month or the list of ideas below. Try to spread the wealth of positivity and charity today!
The first 36 ideas can be done anonymously. Giving anonymously is giving greatly. Give it a try.
By: Melanie A. Peters
“It ain’t over ’til it’s over” – Yogi Berra
Yogi Berra was known for his baseball logic. Most of what Yogi had to say was common sense but his words always possessed an underlying lesson for athletes and philosophers alike.
“It ain’t over ’til it’s over” is a statement that applies in most any situation.
You may be down in the bottom of the ninth with two outs, but there is always that chance that a run is waiting to be scored.
In our professional or educational endeavors, we may feel like it’s over, but we always have a chance to get back into the action with another swing or an assist from a teammate.
Sometimes in relationships things are over, but you are still in the game of being loved and loving someone else. Give yourself a chance to find a winning strategy for successful relationships and you will find things far from over. Mr. Berra is also known for saying, “If you don’t know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else.” That willingness to keep trying just might land you in a relationship that exceeds your expectations and brings greater love and value to your life.
An open heart and mind keeps us in the game. Put your energy into actively focusing on the positive and your successes will definitely be outnumber your losses.
By: Melanie A. Peters
When a kid runs to third base instead of first, it is funny to those watching, but to the runner it is a mad dash for what appears to be safety. Those comic missteps translate into solid learning experiences for life.
We frequently find ourselves running blindly for what appears to be the right destination.
Yes, others may laugh at us. Yes, we may be tagged out because of our blunder, but we have learned something. We have discovered the right direction.
Today forgive yourself for a time when you ran in the wrong direction or share a humorous story with someone about a misstep that you made. Laughing at yourself is very healthy and can point your energy in a very positive direction.
By: Melanie A. Peters
As I watched my husband patiently coach our 7 year-old I knew I needed a greater appreciation for the practice swing. Our daughter was getting really frustrated with striking out so he encouraged her to stop and take a few practice swings.
This break in the game provided her with a diversion from her frustration and a chance to regain her form. After a few deliberate and carefully coached swings, she was making contact and swinging for the fences again. 
If you feel like every swing you attempt is a miss, take a step back, check your form, breathe, get in a few practice swings, and you are certain to find your groove again.
If your intent isn’t clear because of frustration, your energy is misguided. Calm yourself. Play out what you need to do to be successful in your mind. Practice swing your way into a winning stance and you will love the results.
RJ – one of our favorite superstars
By: Melanie A. Peters
Special thanks to my buddy RJ for his practice swings. My daughter was too frustrated to be photographed at the time of practice. 🙂
Curve ball grip
I don’t know much about the physics of baseball but I do know curve balls are one of the nastiest tricks in any thrower’s repertoire. The trouble with a curve ball is that a batter has to gauge where a ball is going to move. It’s the ultimate moving target.
Consider a time when you were thrown a curve ball. Was it a heartbreak? An illness? A failed business or class? How did you recover? Are you still trying to regain your composure? Do you feel completely struck out?
Step out of the batter’s box for a second. If you have moved on, good for you! Keep swinging for the fences. If you are still reeling from the curve, give yourself time to regroup physically and emotionally. That’s what timeouts are for. Just remember you can’t take too long; you are still in the game.
If you are hanging your head in the walk of shame back to the dugout, pick that head up. This might not have been your best at-bat, but it certainly isn’t your last attempt.
Change your stance. Train your eye (and your heart) to know where to aim. Challenge yourself to attack that curve next time with confidence and experience. That experience is what gives you the energy and understanding to adjust your swing and maybe drive home your next intent.
By: Melanie A. Peters
The job of the shortstop is to make it easier for the defense to complete accurate throws when stopping a runner or making an out. We all could use a shortstop sometime. Someone to help us focus or redirect our efforts. A teammate to assist us when our target is moving too fast or is too far away.
Think about someone in your life who you can always count on in a pinch. Somebody who has given you a needed assist when completing a job or getting to a desired destination. Maybe there is a person in your life who boosts your morale or motivates you to be your best. Contact that person today and thank them for being your shortstop. Explain why and how they are your shortstop (of course) and share your positive appreciation for their intentions in your life.
By: Melanie A Peters
Images were obtained from Google Images. Ozzie Smith is my all time favorite Cardinal and a Hall of Fame Shortstop. David Eckstein was one of my favorite Cardinals and was World Series MVP for the Cardinals. Jhonny Peralta is my son’s favorite Cardinal and he happens to be a terrific shortstop.
My 5-year-old LOVES baseball (particularly St. Louis Cardinals baseball). He is so devoted that we DVR all Cardinals’ games so he can see each and every play. (Heaven help us if weather intefers with satellite reception.)
For the longest time whenever any runs scored, my son thought it was a homerun. He would hoop and holler and say, “Go crazy, folks, go crazy!” At first we didn’t have the heart to tell him not all runs are out-of-the park, rip-the-cover-off, grand slams, Continue reading “Homeruns”
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