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“Thoughts are energy. And you can make your world or break your world by your own thinking.” ~ Susan L. Taylor, journalist Good morning! For those of you who have sincerely practiced one or more of the Good Morning … Continue reading
Tag Archives: good morning
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is today.” ~Chinese Proverb Submitted by Reader Rhonda Miga Good morning! Rhonda included this note in her email: I think this applies to … Continue reading
“We are never given a dream without the power to make it come true…..” ~Richard Bach Good morning! The book titled: Level Six Performance which revealed the “secrets of success” for 17 Olympians. While various techniques, skills and training … Continue reading
“Life isn’t about finding yourself–life is about creating yourself.” ~George Bernard Shaw Good morning! How many books and shows have you seen that are all about “finding your true self?” I think the reason there are so many shows … Continue reading
A woman was waiting at an airport one night With several long hours before her flight She hunted for a book in the airport shop Bought a bag of cookies and found a place to drop She was engrossed in … Continue reading
“I have found that if you love life, life will love you back.” ~Arthur Rubenstein. Good morning! Have you figured out the importance of “Good Mornings” and why we do them? I’ll give you a clue… read the above quote … Continue reading
Why not go out on a limb? That’s where all the fruit is”—Will Rogers
Good morning! Take a moment to think about the times in your life when you felt
the most esteemed, proud, excited, and fulfilled. What happened to create those
feelings? Were you going through your day on auto-pilot and just doing the
same-old, same-old? Or was something different?
I am going to take a wild guess that something was different. I am going to
guess that when you felt that way, it was because you had reached further,
discovered something new, challenged yourself, or taken a chance. And you
surprised yourself by learning that chance, change and challenge can be good
things. Feelings of esteem, pride, excitement, and fulfillment are derived from
an “I CAN” attitude. An “I CAN” attitude leads to an “I DO” world.
Your Turn:
Today’s quote reminds us that to reach life’s fruit, we have to go out on a limb
and get it. We can sit and wait for it to come to us, but it could be a very
long wait and there is no guarantee that we would ever get “fed.” What area of
your life is calling for you to meet it halfway? What are you going to do about
it?
Today’s Affirmation:
I embrace chance, change, and challenge.
Reflection Questions:
Over the past year, where have you been “waiting” instead of “reaching”?
When have you felt the most esteemed and proud of yourself?
Which of the areas on your list are you ready to reach for to renew these
fulfilled feelings?
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Facts do not cease to exist just because they are ignored.”—Aldous Huxley
Good morning! When Donna submitted this quote, I knew it would have to be the
subject of one of our Good Mornings. I think this quote speaks to one of the
core issues many self-improvement programs miss. We can’t “ignore the facts” as
we strive to create a better life. While positive thinking is a great tool, if
we ignore the facts, we set ourselves up for disappointment.
To change our lives for the better, we must methodically work through our “life
clutter” while maintaining a positive attitude, realizing that we are taking
control of our futures. A positive attitude shouldn’t be something we brainwash
ourselves to have. A truly positive attitude is born when we take action, take
responsibility, and start regaining control of the many areas of our lives.
We can learn a lot by looking at the flipside of this. If our attitudes aren’t
positive, then we can assume that we are either :
1. Trying to brainwash ourselves without dealing with core issues
2. Not taking action
3. Not regaining control
4. Ignoring the facts
5. Not taking responsibility.
Those five ingredients are the mixture required for a lasting, positive outlook.
Some might argue that our outlook relies on external events. In cases of
tragedy, this is often true. But in our day-to-day stresses and anxieties, I
would disagree. One of my favorite quotes has always been, “Two men look out the
same prison bars, one sees mud, the other sees stars.” In this example, the
external is the same—but the focus of the two men is different. We control our
outlook.
Your Turn:
Where in your life have you been pushing to have a good attitude without taking
into account “the facts?” Which of these five areas could you improve on today?
1. Not brainwashing yourself into a positive attitude by ignoring core issues
2. Taking action
3. Regaining control
4. Facing the facts or
5. Taking responsibility.
What is a step you can take in the next hour in one of those areas?
Today’s Affirmation:
I am actively regaining control of every area of my life.
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
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 that were 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 people 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 nine-tenths 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 Change Your Life Challenge program that has helped over 100,000
women find the same contentment in all areas of their lives.
Your Turn:
What if you spent nine-tenths of the time when you think about the past,
changing the present? I know you would realize wonderful things. Try it this for
thirty days. This simple concept can revolutionize your life.
Today’s Affirmation:
I learn from the past, but I don’t sit in detention …instead I move forward
and maximize the moment.
Your life is what you make it.—Nana Messler
Good morning! I had an interesting conversation with a girlfriend the other day.
She was telling me about this woman who “has it all.” My friend perceives this
woman as having the perfect and caring husband; beautiful, talented and
respectful children; a well-kept and beautiful home; and the woman herself is
beautiful with a great attitude. The description concluded with an exclamation
like: “I just hate her!” (said tongue-in-cheek).
I started laughing. She asked me what was so funny. I posed this question: “If
this woman had an awful husband, ugly children, a shack, and a bad
attitude—would that make YOUR life better?”
She asked me what that had to do with anything. I proceeded to ask her why she
was spending so much time analyzing this woman’s life. What possible purpose did
it serve? She explained that if this woman could “have it all” then certainly
she could as well. “But what if this woman didn’t have it all?” I pressed on.
“Would that mean you couldn’t have it all?”
Whether this woman owned a llama farm, was an attorney, First Lady, or the first
female President of the United States has no bearing on my friend’s life. Each
moment she spent looking at this woman and comparing their lives was taking her
focus off where it needed to be—her own life. Whatever this woman’s life looks
like is completely irrelevant to all of us. It doesn’t change our own life one
iota. The only thing that can change our lives is us. As Nana’s quote states,
“Your life is what you make it,”—not what others make it.
Your Turn:
We rarely compare ourselves to those who have less than we do to increase our
self-esteem, but women often compare themselves to those who have more, and so
undermine their own esteem. Today, embrace the concept of looking at your own
life, instead of the lives of others. Don’t be distracted with the destructive
thinking found in comparing yourself to another person—remember, you can never
truly walk in his or her shoes.
Today’s Affirmation:
Today, I only compare myself to the “me” I was yesterday.
Reflection Questions:
Who do you compare yourself to?
How do these comparisons hinder or help you?
How would it feel to let go of measuring your life against the lives of others?