Lady Optimistic

I don’t know what rock I’ve been living under… well actually I do, and that rock is a life’s worth of posts for another day…

In short, I’ve discovered Daniel Goleman. Like I said, I’ve clearly been living under a rather large rock.

I found an excerpt in my email this morning from Focus, The Hidden Driver of Excellence. In short, Dr. Goleman posits that focus is most difficult to maintain when one is under some sort of emotional stress.

And that, of course, brought me to thinking about my family. How can my kids focus and be excellent when they are under such tremendous stress. When everything that is said and done is nothing short of emotional bait…

Why do any of us choke under pressure… Pressure is emotional bait. We feel pressure, and our emotions become completely chaotic. How can anyone be excellent under those circumstances?

So, as the person who sets the tone in the family – as all mothers do – I must take on the role of She Who Vanquishes Emotional Bait.

Children must learn to do this for themselves, but from whom?  From their parents.  From adults.  How do you teach this?  I’ll figure that out about two minutes before I die…  I hope.

This post needs more thought… That is what a blog is for!