I Think I Can, I Think I Can, I Can

Remove I can't from my thoughts and replace it with I can. It's amazing to me how many times I talk myself out of trying something new because of fearing I will fail. I've had enough of that kind of thinking and am replacing it with believing in myself.

Note how many times today I make the can't to can switch.

Be The Possible

Ghosts, goblins, witches and pumpkins. Princesses, fairies, vampires and skeletons. Use my imagination to dream about the possible. I can be, do, feel whatever I want. On this Halloween as I enjoy the children in their costume, I'll get to work on deciding my reality based on my dreams.

Remember Grace

When confronted with what feels like insanity, I will remember to respond with graciousness.

Comfortable In My Own Skin

Accept myself for who I am rather than blaming myself for who I am not.

Try, Try Again

Since work is getting me down, I will spend my work day finding reasons to be grateful for my job. It will remind me to focus on all the good stuff throughout my day rather than the not so good.

All You Need Is Love

One of my top values is love. That made me think about some questions: Do I love leaving for work in the morning? Do I love how I spend my money? Do I show my family how much I love them and is there someway I can show them even more how much I love them? Do I love how I spend my free time? Do I love how much/little I see my friends? What changes do I need to make to love aspects of my life even more? What changes can I make immediately that will lead me on the road to a greater love for the life I am living now?

First step is to answer the above questions and then come up with 1 or 2 changes I can make to lead me down the road to greater and more joyful love.

Living My Values

I will revisit my values that I originally listed on May 14, 2010 in the exercise titled Values. What Values?. I need to be intentional with living my values and not just assuming I am. I want to think about what is happening in my life and weigh it against my values, dreams and goals. The question I will ask myself is am I living my values.

Say Yes To What Is Important To Me

I now make decisions based on whether or not my choice fits in with my value system. I don't feel like I'm saying no anymore but rather that I'm saying yes to what I really want. This is very empowering. I needed this reminder today as to why I've made the choice to take on so much extra work and now it has changed my attitude for the better.

Be intentional with making decisions based on whether it fits in with your goals and values.

A Note Of Thanks

Write a note to anyone you chose and thank them for something they did whether it is small or big.

Healthy Living

I received a less than great report on my recent bone density scan. Here are the recommendations I was given: weight bearing exercise – 5 days per week, increase calcium and vitamin D intake, exercise with weights, get more of my calcium from food.

I will make a healthy choice and incorporate it into my day. I'm also not going to be hard on myself if I can't do all these things immediately or consistently. I'm going to try, but I work hard and long hours to contribute to child number 2 and 3s college education.

Update: I started by adding free weights and abs exercises to my week 3 times a week. Next week I hope to add walking a mile a day.

It's Not Fair

Yesterday I wrote “We are all different and I can't make others respond as I would.” This was so timely. I had volunteered to put a schedule together at work. As I gathered the information, there was such a fear from the people that would be part of the schedule, that they would be cheated if I did not take into consideration certain facts. Now what was being pointed out was true, but all these deviations would have made the schedule very, very difficult to put together. My feeling was who cares if you have 1 or 2 extra days during the year where you are doing a more difficult task or someone may have 1 or 2 days extra where they are doing an easier task. I was even willing to take the extra difficult days. The problem was that each person differed as to what would be make the schedule fair. By the end of the day, I decided not to put the schedule together as I didn't feel I could satisfy anyone. What I believe is that some of us are very concerned about being cheated and can't see beyond that and this really surprised me.

My husband said, “Aren't you glad you don't have to live your life like that?: Always being angry at real or perceived slights.” Wise man my husband.

You're Not The Same As Me?

Today someone had told me how she asked another person a question without thinking about how hurtful it could be. Her question did end up hurting this other person's feelings and she told her that. The original person felt it was the other person's fault for being overly sensitive.

I'm not sure what to do with this experience, but it seems ungracious to me. I just don't understand how, at times, we don't get that our words can be hurtful. We all have different life experiences that may make us more susceptible to certain comments. I don't understand why she just didn't apologize and let her know that she didn't mean to say something hurtful. We are all different and I can't make others respond as I would. I guess that is my lesson to learn.

Lesson In Appreciation

Take nothing for granted. Someone else cooks dinner, thank you. They share a snack with me, thank you. They buy the paper for me. Thank you. They say good morning to me, “Good morning to you.”

This is an exercise of being fully immersed in appreciating everything, no matter how small it may seem. The small acts can positively change my day, so I am going to learn to be very observant and practice being very appreciative.

Being Gracious

Today I walked home from work. On my way, I was passed by one person that I felt was determined to chase me off the road with his car. As I continued on, I passed a couple walking two dogs coming towards me on the sidewalk. My first thought was they were taking up the whole sidewalk and gave no signs of moving over. My second thought, was that the right thing to do is move over myself so that they wouldn't have to change theirs or their dogs walking pattern. In the end, it felt right to move onto the street for the dog walkers and great to quickly dismiss any negative feelings initially generated by the driver.

Today's walk was a reminder that it is important for me to be not worry about others doing the right thing, but for me to be gracious and do what feels good. Being gracious builds upon itself to make me feel even more positive.

Instead of worrying about what others are doing, I will focus on being gracious and having that feed my positiveness.

Dreams and Gratitude

Yes, dream for tomorrow, but live in gratitude and joy for what I have now! It seems too easy to forget about the good stuff that's happening in my life and instead to focus on what I don't have. I believe it is healthy for me to have dreams and to set about making those dreams happen. But, it is also important for me to appreciate all that I have in my life.

What Do I Want?

Stop focusing on what others are doing to me and what others are saying about me. Instead, focus on me and what I'm doing and what I'm saying. Once again, focus on the question what do I want. I'm realizing that it is too easy to be distracted and have my thoughts and actions directed elsewhere.

Who Will I Be

I came across this quote of Mahatma Gandhi: “A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.”

I will ask myself what I want to happen in my life. What do I want?

Update: If I'm a product of my thoughts, then what I think about needs to be positive and focused on the good in my life.

Got Up On The Wrong Side Of The Bed

Have you ever had one of those days? You woke up on the wrong side of the bed. You stubbed your toe. The shower water never got hot. You just knew the day was going to be a bad one. Do not let these negative thoughts consume you and take hold of your thinking. Expunge them from your head and replace them with positive thoughts. Let humor replace the negativity and be happy with your life.

Remember to refocus your thoughts on what you do have.

Be Happy For This Moment

I love watching The Suze Orman Show and Till Debt Do Us Part on Saturday evenings. I like being in control of my finances and continue to learn something when I watch these 2 shows. Last night on Till Debt one of the clients made a comment about her spending. The finance guru called her out on her language and said that her statement was a problem because she was talking about denying herself rather than being happy with what she has.

That is a good reminder to be happy with what I have rather than feeling like I am denying myself with the stuff I don't have. Being happy with what I have will be my intention for the day.

Feeling Desperate

I've been feeling desperate lately: How do I pay for college? I need a new job. I have no energy. My health is a little off.

You understand where I'm coming from? My life feels out of control. I wasn't able to do the previous exercise of creating an action plan to make a positive change in my life. I don't feel like I have the power to make this change. I'm going to step back and remember what brings me happiness in my life and hope this will give me the power to move forward with confidence.

Create a list in my gratitude journal of the people, places and things that bring happiness and joy into my life.

Update: I had a lot to write about. My life is wonderful and this activity reminded me that I have a lot to be grateful and joyous about. It is important for me to stay focused on all that I have to be thankful for.

Making A Change

I need a change. Since life is full of possibilities, now is the time to believe this and create an action plan to set about making a positive change.

I Am Beautiful

Repeat the mantra, “I am beautiful!”, throughout my day. Tell others they are beautiful too.

We are all beautiful, but how often do we feel just the opposite. It is time I reminded myself and others that we are beautiful!

Safe Space

Create or find a safe space for yourself. My safe space is the right side corner of my deck. I sit on the bench with my feet laying across the bench reading a book, journaling or daydreaming. It helps make me calm and centered. Now that the weather is getting colder, I need to find a winter safe space. This will be a place that I go to as often as possible, hopefully daily, to rejuvenate.

This place needs to be a space that I associate with positive feelings.

Change Comes From Within

Any change that I make has to come from within myself. Trying to change someone else is futile. Trying to make someone neat, organized, more studious, or more sensitive is not going to work. The other person needs to want this change for it to happen.

Look For The Good

Find the good in other people, especially those that aren't our favorites. There is always something positive lurking in even the most negative of people and I'm going to find it.

We Are Unique

Don't assume others feel and think the same as me. It drives me crazy when people feel I have the same politics as them because of where I live or that my faith is the same because they can not see beyond their own or that I share their prejudices because that is what they know. Am I silent when I should speak out? I hope not. As I have gotten older, I have not become confrontational but, I have learned to ask the questions that, hopefully, will make others think and no longer assume that we share the same thoughts and feelings.

Empathy, It's A Good Thing

It really pays to complement people. I was working with someone that was in a very unhappy place, but she was doing an exceptional job at work. She was new to our group. I listened to what was upsetting her. I empathized and then I let her know that she was a rock star as far as the work I was seeing her doing and what a wonderful addition she was to our group. And she was a wonderful addition. She seemed more relaxed the next day. Though her situation did not change, I hope that knowing how much we appreciate her made her feel welcome and accepting of this change. I understand why she is unhappy and hope that what things will work out for her and she knows I feel that way.