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Around the Corner:			“You must have the courage to do the thing you think you cannot do.” ~Ann Morrow-Lindenburgh
ONLINE CLASSES: Overcoming Procrastination – Starts August 1st 4 Weeks – Only $39 Learn more and register Make Today Matter – Group Start August 15th Enroll Anytime – Two Weeks Free Trial and Then Only $19.95/mo Learn more and register Make Today Matter: A complete program for getting organized, managing time, living by your priorities and building the life you want: Learn more and register or, Get Brook’s complete kit and get all you need in one package - LIMITED TIME ONLY – 20% OFF PLUS BONUSES! Learn more and order Current Special: Free, $28 Challenge Workbook on CD ROM with all Orders of $78+ Add the CD-ROM to your order and enter coupon code: CHALLENGE at checkout More to Explore: Make Today Matter on Facebook Brook Noel on Facebook Brook Noel on Twitter Make Today Matter on Twitter Brook Noel’s Blog Reading Room Archives			Good morning! Sometimes the best encouragement and inspiration can come from our peers. This quote was submitted by a very courageous Good Morning Reader. This quote had been on her refrigerator for a very long time. One night, when her abusive husband was occupied in the bathroom, she took her two children and went out the front door. She drove all night to a different state. This admirable woman found the courage to do something she likely didn’t think she could do. This quote defines what true courage is. Courage is the ability to stretch past our perceived limitations, take a chance, dance on the edge, and believe we will not fall. Your Turn: Where in your life can you hear the call of courage? What have you discounted, avoided or left uncompleted out of fear? Commit to live courageously today. Your Affirmation:  My strength and courage are more powerful than my fears.
(c) 2011 Brook Noel and Make Today Matter, LLC. For more information visit www.brooknoel.com

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“Life is great, if you’re tough enough to live it.” ~Aunt Connie Gill

Good morning! I love this quote that a reader sent in. Perhaps that
is what some of us are missing – a “toughness” that enriches our
lives. The Challenge/Make Today Matter program was created to help
us “toughen up” and challenge ourselves in every aspect of our
life. To me,”becoming tough” is parallel to becoming “personally
accountable.” We become tough when we quit diffusing blows to
outward circumstances and events, and instead improve upon
ourselves.

Maybe it isn’t “tough” so much as “brave.” To stand up for
ourselves and what we believe in and what we deserve requires
courage and bravery. It is much easier to walk away from a dream
than it is to pursue it. Pursuing a dream will involve falling
down, bruises, tears and getting back up one hundred times plus.
But I’ll tell you something… I’ve walked both paths and the
scenery is vastly different. I would take the scenery of a dream,
complete with the bumps and bruises over the “easy” path any day of
the week.

Your Turn:
What do you love enough to be brave and courageous for? What do you
believe in so strongly, you are willing to risk a bump and a bruise
and become “tougher” so that you may diligently pursue the dream?

Your Affirmation:
I am brave and courageous in the pursuit of my dreams.

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8 Principles for Living Each Day with More Contentment and
Happiness! by Brook Noel

Part Two of Two
Missed the first part? Click here…

MTM Life Principle 5: Enhance Your Immediate World: Whenever you
leave the house—or come into contact with another person ask
yourself: What can I do to make a positive difference?

My mom raised me with very few rules in our single parent home.
However, one rule she engrained (and boy did she engrain it LOL)
was: Leave everything touch you better than when you came into
contact with it.

Now, she didn’t mean be a perfectionist, what she meant, was within
reason, to leave our special touch. Unfortunately, we live in a
world where many people walk around and wonder.. “What’s in this
for me?” Today’s high-expectation world is much different than the
world of our great grandparents! When we begin looking for
opportunities to give back in the littlest ways, we start a ripple
effect.

Kindness is contagious–like the “smile syndrome.” Have you ever
noticed what happens when someone smiles at you? You smile back!
This starts a chain. If everyone who read this today smiled at
everyone they met (stranger or friends), can you imagine the smiles
that would spread in a single day?

We can make the days a bit better through very simple actions. When
you check out at the grocery store, instead of digging through your
purse or checking your missed calls, why not sincerely engage the
cashier? Whenever you pay for something, why not place the money in
the person’s hand and look them in the eye and smile? When a person
is grumpy… why not treat them even better? Resist the temptation
to spread the negativity–it’s too contagious to let into your life.

MTM Life Principle 6: Do a Nightly “Make Today Matter” check. When
you are done with the day… BEFORE climbing into bed, ask
yourself– What is one more thing I can do to make today matter?

I started doing this after I lost my brother suddenly. I realized
how magical each day was. Instead of putting something off for
tomorrow, I embraced one last thing each day.

Some days, I would get online and find a site to email a solider.
This only took 3-4 minutes. Sometimes I would just get something
ready for the next day. Sometimes I would make a quick call or jot
a quick note. I took one last moment to appreciate and live that
day before climbing into bed!

MTM Life Principle 7: At Night.. Let it All Go!
While you are preparing for bed, think of all the things that
happened that were stressful during the day. They have something to
teach you– even if you don’t know what it is– thank them, then
LET THEM GO! (Thanking them doesn’t mean you like them… and
letting go doesn’t mean you are happy about them.) Take any upsets
and do the same.

Then take all the good things and wonderful things, be thankful for
them, write them in your gratitude journal, and then let them go,
too! It is VERY important to appreciate, remember, but let go. This
allows us to focus fresh each day.

There is a quote, “Never let yesterday use up too much of today.”
We don’t live in the past. When we accept and appreciate each day
for everything it is or isn’t… and then let it go, we clear
ourselves to live fully the next day.

MTM Life Principle 8: End as You Began
Once you are in bed, imagine yourself waking, saying your
affirmation, identifying your intention for the day, moving
smoothly throughout the day–feeling confident, feeling beautiful
and strong. Imagine yourself handling what needs to be handled,
reacting in appropriate ways, handling any stressors with calm
assurance. Imagine yourself achieving your goals, interacting with
others with happiness and grace.

Studies have shown time and time again that those who visualize the
day ahead have a MUCH HIGHER success ration of achieving what they
see.

All-in-All:
Living the life we want, living in contentment and happiness begins
in our mind, and then in our choices. Each day we can choose
auto-pilot or we can choose to enrich our lives. We don’t remember
days, we remember moments. This Make Today Matter formula helps to
turn off autopilot and plant seeds for wonder-filled moments.

Your Weekly Challenge: Try adding 1 of these simple routines to
your day each week. Once you have one down, return to the list and
add another.

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8 Principles for Living Each Day with More Contentment and
Happiness! by Brook Noel

Part One of Two

Have you ever climbed into bed wondering, “Where did the day go?”
Have you ever felt you were on a treadmill–trying to a “somewhere”
that never arrives? In our busy world, we often find ourselves
living on auto-pilot with one day blurring into the next.

Several years ago, I implemented “8 Make Today Matter Life
Principles” into my daily routine. These Principles take very
little time and are so simple to implement–you could start using
them tomorrow if you like. The Principles have allowed me to
realize great contentment, happiness and meaning in every day. The
days of auto-pilot living have been replaced by purpose-filled
living through the application of these “Make Today Matter”
Principles.

MTM Principle 1: Good Morning: The first thing I do after opening
my eyes each morning is say (aloud or to myself): Something great
is going to happen today–I can’t wait to see what it is! When I
started this practice, it was a bit awkward–perhaps, because I was
at a low-point and didn’t fully believe the words. I said it
anyway. Everyday. Soon after, great things started happening. Why?
… because I was looking for them.

If we awake thinking about stressful events, the tough day ahead,
everything we need to get done, we start the day “on defense.” We
prime our life for a stressful day–we expect it–and we usually
find it. Even when little or large blessing bestow us, we often
miss them. After all, we aren’t look for blessings–we are looking
for stress.

Starting my day with this affirmation has proven an effective
method for turning my attention to blessings instead of barriers.

MTM Life Principle 2: The 3-Step Action List: For those who have
read the Change Your Life Challenge or taken part in MTM Online,
the 3-Step Action List will be familiar. Each day, I choose three
tasks to complete during the day that will MAKE TODAY MATTER…
even if everything else goes astray.

We all know how life can interrupt our well-made to-do lists.
Narrowing our focus to three priority action steps helps us focus
and prioritize our day. The items on this list needn’t be mountains
to overcome or extremely time consuming; … they simply need to
MATTER and move us forward.

I began this practice when I realized how busy my life had become.
I was always BUSY! BUSY! BUSY! Boy was I busy. What was even more
amazing than how busy I was…..is how LITTLE I was getting done!
We often confuse BUSYNESS with ACTION! We can be very busy and not
move forward…. (just look at a hamster)!

When we carefully choose 3 things that matter each day…we end up
with over 1,000 things done each year! Things that matter! How many
people can say this confidentially: Last year I completed over
1,000 task that mattered or moved me forward… and I am doing it
again this year.

You can have a mile-long to-do list if you like, but mark three
things! Stay focused! Life will interrupt and when it does, you
will be ready for it!

People often ask–what about when you are sick or not feeling
well? I still have a 3 step list. Every single day. On those days,
examples of 3 things I might choose to make the day matter and move
me forward might be:

1. Take my vitamins
2. Get extra rest!
3. Feel good for taking care of myself.

MTM Life Principle 3: Each Day, LEARN or TRY something new. This
“something” can be little. You don’t have learn a second language
or anything, but each day learn something new, try something new,
or see something you have not yet seen.

Examples include learning…
* a new word…
* a piece of trivia…
* see something you haven’t seen before on the drive home….
* try driving a different route,
* try a different store,
* try a different recipe,
* try a different type of book,
* read a book on a topic that interests you,
* do something fun–finger paint,
* color
* make a snow angel
* stop and look at the sunset versus walking (or driving) past it
* go stand under a tree in your yard and look at it from below
* make up a constellation, try to find it every night

We often get caught up in the same ol, same ol, and forget about
how exciting each day can be (if we let it be)! When we learn, try
or see something new, we awaken our senses to gather many of life’s
riches.

MTM Life Principle 4: Say YES! At least once each day or twice if
you are a parent, say YES instead of NO, or I CAN instead of I
CAN’T.

NO and I CAN’T have become auto-responses for many of us.

Can you come make a snow angel?
No, I can’t.

Can you play a game?
No, I can’t.

Can you meet me for dinner?
Sorry, I can’t, I’m busy.

While it is good to say NO to those who cross our boundaries, when
we are with those in our inner circle, or with our self, we need to
let go of these auto-barriers and say YES and I CAN!

I discovered this principle because I actually became tired of
hearing myself say “no” to my daughter when she was younger. When
she went through her “threes” she would ask if she could do
something. I would say “no,” on autopilot. She would ask: Why? I
didn’t have a good answer. Since “NO” didn’t seemed to be a good
reply, I tried “yes” instead.

By really being present and adding daily spontaneity, my life
changed. What a magical world kids (and pets) live in! I was so
happy to finally climb down from autopilot world and see that
perspective!

PART TWO COMING UP NEXT WEEK!

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Around the Corner:			“When you make a mistake, don’t look back at it long. Take the reason of the thing into your mind and then look forward. Mistakes are lessons of wisdom. The past cannot be changed. The future is yet in your power.” ~Hugh White
ONLINE CLASSES: Make Today Matter Independent Enroll Anytime – Two Weeks Free Trial and Then Only $19.95/mo Learn more and register Make Today Matter: A complete program for getting organized, managing time, living by your priorities and building the life you want: Learn more and register or, Get Brook’s complete kit and get all you need in one package: Learn more and order Current Special: Free, $28 Challenge Workbook on CD ROM with all Orders of $78+ Add the CD-ROM to your order and enter coupon code: CHALLENGE at checkout More to Explore: Make Today Matter on Facebook Brook Noel on Facebook Brook Noel on Twitter Make Today Matter on Twitter Brook Noel’s Blog Reading Room Archives			Good morning! When I was about sixteen I had one of those “light-bulb” moments. As a teen I battled Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (and still do today), but at that point I had not yet been diagnosed and my thoughts and emotions were all over the board. I often felt discouraged, would beat myself up, or feel guilty–many times for things completely outside of my control. I also lived in a very small town, about 300 residents in all. There was a local cafe where many would cluster and discuss the “town gossip.” I was amazed at how much of this gossip focused on the negative and on the past. As I listened, I realized that in my mind, I was doing much the same thing. I was rehashing the past, feeling guilt for it, and losing the present moment as I battled something from yesterday. The “light-bulb” moment came when I asked myself, “How would my life change if I spent 9/10′ths of that time, focusing on changing the PRESENT instead of rehashing the past?” Not only did I ask the question, I began living the answer. My life changed in phenomenal ways. By living in the moment, yet learning from the past, the concept of “regret” became a rare one for me because I was making today count. At sixteen, I didn’t realize that moment would become the first building block for living a content and complete life. I didn’t know that would be the building block for the Make Today Matter program that has helped thousands of women find the same contentment in all areas of their lives. Your Turn: What if you spent 9/10ths of the time where you think about the past, changing the present? I know you would realize wonderful things. Try it for 30 days. This simple concept can revolutionize your life. Your Affirmation: I learn from the past, but I don’t sit in detention…instead I move forward and maximize the moment.
(c) 2011 Brook Noel and Make Today Matter, LLC. For more information visit www.brooknoel.com

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Around the Corner:			“It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and it is not possible to find it elsewhere.” ~Agnes Repplier
ONLINE CLASSES: Starts This Week - Make Today Matter Independent Enroll Anytime – Two Week Free Trial and Then Only $19.95/mo Learn more and register Make Today Matter: A complete program for getting organized, managing time, living by your priorities and building the life you want: Learn more and register or, Get Brook’s complete kit and get all you need in one package: Learn more and order Current Special: Free, $28 Challenge Workbook on CD ROM with all Orders of $78+ Add the CD-ROM to your order and enter coupon code: CHALLENGE at checkout More to Explore: Make Today Matter on Facebook Brook Noel on Facebook Brook Noel on Twitter Make Today Matter on Twitter Brook Noel’s Blog Reading Room Archives			Good morning! Pursuing happiness is a difficult battle. Happiness is fleeting if we are chasing it. When we learn what makes us happy, we can create our own happiness instead of relying on something external (something out of our control). Your turn: Do you know what makes you happy? Start a list in your C.A.N. (Catch-All Notebook) and record the moments that bring you happiness and pleasure. Once you have identified your “happiness stimuli” you can work to create more of such stimuli in your life. Your affirmation: Each day, I create happiness and joy.
(c) 2011 Brook Noel and Make Today Matter, LLC. For more information visit www.brooknoel.com

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