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What Would Obama Do? Or Oprah? Or Buddha? Or Jesus?

9 January 2009 9 Comments

Yesterday morning, I was grumpy. The kids were acting up, the dog and cat were at each other, my hubby was in a bad mood, and well, nothing was going my way. I grumbled my way through the morning, snapping at my kids, snapping at the dog, and throwing my hands in the air.

Oh, and the thoughts that were going through my head! One negative thought after another… I was in a downward spiral of how everything was going to H-E-double hockey sticks.

Well, then suddenly, out of nowhere, the thought came to me - Could I imagine Obama doing this? And I couldn’t. What about Buddha? No way. Oprah? Ha! Jesus? Ya right.

I was acting selfish and was so wrapped up in “poor me” syndrome, I was taking everything down with me.

If Obama, or Oprah, acted this way, they would not be where they are today. So, I said to myself, what would Obama do? Or Oprah? Buddha? Or Jesus? They’d see how they can make things better. That’s what they’d do. They’d be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

So I thought, how can I make this better? And each moment, that’s what my goal was, to make it better.

By golly, it worked! Changing what I allowed through my head, and changing the lens through which I was seeing the world, made everything better. The kids weren’t bickering as much, they weren’t grumpy, the dog was wagging his tail in my lap. And in the moments where they were bickering, I thought, “What can I do to make this better for them? What would Obama do if his girls were bickering?” He’d love them. So would Jesus or Buddha.

As a result of this, I decided to make a role model collage. I took pictures from the internet of Tara (the female incarnation of Buddha), Oprah, Obama, and Lance Miller (another of my role models) and put them in a word file. I labeled the qualities in these people that made them successful, and what part of them I wish to aspire to. Then I printed it out, and put it on my wall.

There they are, all looking at me, wondering what I’ll do next. Will I move towards making things better? Or will I feel sorry for myself that things aren’t going the way they are supposed to?

Click here if you want to download my collage.

9 Comments »

elburro said:

I really like the idea of a motivational collage that I could use as an instant visual reminder of my intentions. I do it mentally; bring to mind an image of a particular person, in the way you described, and I find it quite helpful, but the collage just takes it one step farther. Thanks for the idea!

elburro’s last blog post: Like Prayer Beads For an Athiest

# 9 January 2009 at 10:59 am

Sunniemom said:

I’m more of a word person than a picture person- I do quotes, verses, poems…in Print Shop and frame them. They make me smile.

Sunniemom’s last blog post: Applying Virtue to Technology

# 10 January 2009 at 6:48 am

Susan K. Stewart said:

I think each of the people you mention have (or had) bad days as you described. But, you are right — it’s how we handle those days that amkes the difference. It’s how we project it on others. This is one time we need to consider ourselves first. What is it about me that is causing me to behave this way? Now, if I could only get the cats to think that way.

# 11 January 2009 at 5:09 am

toddo said:

that’s really funny. and true.

my wife always says i need a What Would McGuyver Do bumpersticker. i think it’s kinda a compliment. as a deschooling parent, i am at my best when the kids pick up on looking to dear ol’ dad to find solutions where there’s not any obvious one.

we start as simple a mindset as possible. if you wanna be at point B, and you’re now at point A, all you gotta figure out is how to get from A to B. right?

# 11 January 2009 at 7:26 am

Renee said:

Hey Tammy -

I had one of these moments just yesterday. I also snapped out of it when I realized that I was being self-ish or rather, attached to my egoic, samsaric desires and ideas of how things are “supposed” to be. Those attached moments always have the feeling of struggling with obstacles instead of flowing, spontaneous creativity don’t they? They do for me.

Snapping back to the present moment seems to require the willingness to choose love and compassion over attachment to my own agenda. In the present I can be of true service to my family, I can ask, “What can I do to make this better for them?

I came to a deeper understanding yesterday about self-liberation for the benefit of all sentient beings and how service - and service to my family, particularly - plays a role in that process.

# 14 January 2009 at 3:01 pm

Mark said:

This is an excellent exercise! Great way to hone your awareness.

Mark’s last blog post: Welcoming

# 15 January 2009 at 11:35 am

Anna B said:

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# 22 January 2009 at 8:42 am

Yvonne said:

Actually, it always helps me to know that the people I admire also have bad days. When I follow blogs or writers for a while and they never write about the bad stuff, I end up moving on because I need to feel that human connection of sucky days or fussy kids or irritating spouses. They don’t need to mention it often, but once in a while comes as a huge relief–makes me feel less alone and floundering.

# 22 January 2009 at 2:28 pm

Correne said:

I love this post, but I couldn’t help bursting out laughing at the fact that you put Jesus and Oprah in the same category of “people to look up to.” I’ve been hanging out on some kind of religious forums lately, and that type of comparison would SO NOT be appreciated.

I totally know where you’re coming from.

# 1 June 2009 at 10:49 pm