Don’t worry …...

 ”Don’t worry about the world coming to an end today. It’s already tomorrow in Australia.” Charles Schultz Good morning! This quote by Snoopy Creator, Charles Schultz brings home two important points: (1) How quickly a day goes by and (2) How unhelpful it is to spend  time worrying. Worrying doesn’t feel good, it makes people anxious and stress-filled. So why do people worry? Worrying, like many negative emotion is a defense mechanism. We worry to protect ourselves from “what might happen.” We worry in order to avoid taking...

Discipline and persistence...

  “It’s not that I’m so smart , it’s just that I stay with problems longer.” Albert Einstein      Good morning! I love that Einstein, one of the greatest minds offered this wisdom-filled quote. When I read it I immediately wondered if perhaps the definition of “smart” is: staying with a problem until the answer is found. Maybe many people who “look smart” don’t necessarily grasp things more quickly, but have persistence and perseverance.  Although I am far from Einstein, I could relate to this quote....

Growing...

One must always maintain one’s connection to the past and yet ceaselessly pull away from it. Gaston Bachelard Good morning! In order to find true contentment and lasting joy we have to live in the present. If we become overly reflective of the past or overly concerned about the future, then we begin living in our minds versus the physical world. We must be present to what is actually happening this minute and our role in the here and now. Thoughts of yesterday or tomorrow pull us away from creating today. Of course, this is easier said than done. The human mind...

Expectations...

Expect nothing; live frugally on surprise. Alice Walker Good morning! This morning I was thinking about the number of people that I talked to recently whose entire day was influenced by their expectations of others. “He (or she) should have….” “If only Person X would have…”  “If Person X would just….”  Depending on the situation, I sometimes nod knowingly, then encourage a few self-realization questions, but I always walk away with the same sadness in my heart.  (more…) ...

Ideas for living stronger...

“Life is a competition not with others, but with ourselves. We should seek each day to live stronger, better, truer lives; each day to master some weakness of yesterday; each day to repair a mistake; each day to surpass ourselves.” —David B. Haight Good morning! During the last Olympics, my daughter and I talked a lot about what “being a Champion” means. When I read this quote, I felt it truly embraced what it means to be Champion in life. If each of us were to embrace this quote, how could we not feel good come nightfall?Few of us will ever compete in an...

Approaching problems...

When problems arise, don’t get furious, get curious. Anonymous Good morning! I have always been an advocate of asking questions. My friends will tell you that whenever I meet someone, I ask them so many questions they would likely think I am an attorney. As you know, I am not – but I am a knowledge-seeker. I love to learn about people, about places, about anything. I love to see how other people think, why things exist and how they got there. Today’s quote stresses the importance of “questions” in our lives. I think one skill we could all...

Sometimes you won’t have a song in...

Some days there won’t be a song in your heart. Sing anyway Emory Austin Good morning! Oh the truth in Emory’s statement…. how I wish it wasn’t so! But it is true – we have natural “highs” and “lows” and some days there isn’t a song in our heart. So what we do on those days? How do we embrace life and be positive on the days when the “spark” just isn’t there? We do just as Emory suggests – we “sing anyway.” And we sing loud enough to wake up that spark. One of the things cognitive...

Are you ready for happiness?...

Most people would rather be certain they’re miserable, than risk being happy. ~Robert Anthony Good morning! This quote is very important, although it is a hard one to read and contemplate. Could it really be that some people would choose to be miserable over the risk of being happy? Look around. You’ll see all the evidence you need to the truth of this quote. (more…) ...

Finding happiness...

The Constitution only guarantees the American people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself. ~Benjamin Franklin   Good morning! Today we are going to start our morning with a simple role-play. Let’s say that tonight for dinner you want to have homemade soup You are having a craving. Your family has a craving. Everyone wants soup. Unfortunately, you don’t have a single ingredient needed to make the soup. What would you do? (I will make a guess that you will go get the ingredients.) Obviously, if you don’t go get them,...

Yes … you can...

“Some men have thousands of reasons why they cannot do what they want to do, when all the need is one reason why they can.” Willie R. Whitney     Good morning! You likely know the people Willie is referring to. No matter what it is they desire – they can create a list of reasons a goal is out of reach that is longer than Santa’s list on a good year. You might even have some of those tendencies yourself. Many people do. Interestingly we are all born with the “I can” ability. As babies learning to walk, we don’t sit down after that...