Have you ever checked your horoscope to see what might be in your future or look for answers as you prepare for a big meeting, look to get out of a rut or just want some motivation? Who hasn't looked at their fortune in their fortune cookie and thought, "Yes, that's exactly what I needed to read today!" Or you see a tweet that gets you going when the going is tough.
We've all seen the sweeping statements.
"Today is a good day to make big decisions."
"Why not take that risk you're been waiting to make."
"What others think of you shouldn't sway you from ploughing ahead."
I've read my own horoscopes on occasion, and I tweet helpful hints and motivational statements @thecitywoman. What that causes me to do is pause and be introspective for just a moment. Does this make sense to me and have meaning? Can I see myself in what I'm reading or writing? What am I going to do with information?
Sometimes the sweeping statements, motivational tweets and helpful hints cause me to think:
"Is today a good day to make big decisions?"
"Let me take another look at that risk I was considering."
"Why do I want to plough ahead right now?"
"Have I looked at the options, weighed the consequences, or looked at the timing?"
If for just a moment I pause and reflect, is that a bad thing? If a horoscope, fortune cookie or tweet results in a good feeling toward others, and myself, or gets me reviewing what I was going to do and thinking for just a moment longer, then why not?
I remember the day I read this horoscope for me.
"The speed limit helps keep the roads safe -- go too fast and the consequences may be dire. In life, too, there is an unwritten speed limit -- and you're coming close to exceeding it. Slow down -- for your health, for your emotional wellbeing and for the sake of a new relationship. Take your foot off the gas. You've already missed some amazing scenery and there are things coming up that you will definitely want to savour. Plus, when you go slower, it's easier for people to keep up with you!"
I thought, it's time for me to take some pressure off of myself and to go slower. This is a great time for me. I should be taking advantage of that. Yes, "an unwritten speed limit." I get that!
So, when you find yourself in need that extra push or the extra boost of enthusiasm or confidence, or need to take the pressure off and slow down, it's not necessarily a bad thing to look for it in unexpected or unusual places.
Who knows? It might help!
Judy Mann is a consultant | advisor with Judy Mann Communications. She offers internal and external Communications and PR services as well as specialized group and individual sessions and workshops on increasing interpersonal communications effectiveness, relationship building, public speaking and presentation style and delivery. http://judymanncommunications.com