Friday, May 31, 2013

WHEN TO LOOK AND WHEN TO LEAP - CHANGING YOUR LIFE WITH WORDS - DAY 12

When I was a child one of my favorite books was Aesop's Fables because there was a nugget of wisdom to be gained from each brief fable. One of the fables advises Look before you leap!  While that is sage advice it is important that you don't look so long or so often that you become too fearful of  taking on a new project, a new career, a new hobby, a new relationship, or a new life.  Definitely consider all of the pros and cons before you decide to take the leap, but don't scare yourself by dwelling too long on the "what if's" or the "what might happen" or the "what if it does not work out" thoughts which will most assuredly enter your mind.

Be aware that there are very few things that are cast in concrete.  Most things can be changed, and at times you have to actually take the leap before you find out whether you want to continue.  If you decide you do not wish to continue then so be it.  It is better to attempt the thing you want to do and then change your mind rather than to never attempt it and always wonder what might have been if you had tried.

Whether it is a small leap or a giant one, today's message is simply:


Leap





Thursday, May 30, 2013

FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN - CHANGE YOUR LIFE WITH WORDS - DAY 11

Are you one of the people who hesitates to make any changes in your life for fear of the unknown?  From my own experience I know that feeling.  I stayed in a marriage longer than I should have because the known was unpleasant but not as scary to me as the unknown.  Finally when things got much worse I decided that no matter what happened in the future it could not be any worse than what I was experiencing right then.

Now when contemplating changes I ask myself, "What is the worst that can happen?"  If I can deal with that then I can deal with anything between my present situation and that so I move forward and make the change.

In life, in business, or in love.............we must be willing to take risks..............so today's message is

Take a chance!






Wednesday, May 29, 2013

IF NOT NOW, WHEN? - CHANGING YOUR LIFE WITH WORDS - DAY 10

Do you find yourself waiting for the right time to do something significant?  Do you wait until the beginning of a new month to start something new?  Do you postpone starting a diet, a business, or a project until some future time when you think it will be the "right time" to do it?

From personal experience, I know what it is like to be a world-class procrastinator.  I excel at putting things off until the kids are older, until the house is furnished, until I have the time, until I can afford it, until my health is better, and on and on it goes.  What I have learned is that procrastination is in reality fear of failure.  What if I cannot stick to the diet?  What if I don't have enough money?  What if my health prevents me from following through on commitments? What if, what if, what if...............you can drive yourself crazy playing the what if game.

So listen up.............the old saying goes, "There is no time like the present."  It is true so today's message is:

My time is NOW!

When you find yourself putting off changing your life or starting the pursuit of your dream, remind yourself that your time is now so seize the moment.   I know you can do it................I have and so can you.






Tuesday, May 28, 2013

DO YOU NEED A NEW MANTRA? - CHANGING YOUR LIFE WITH WORDS - DAY 9

Although we all think we know people who have not a care in the world,  actually every person has cares and woes.  Some people do not allow them to rule their lives and actively pursue methods to allow them to cope with their individual troubles.

One of the most successful methods emanated from Dr. Norman Vincent Peale's book The Power of Positive Thinking.  When it was first published it was considered ground breaking, was published in many languages, sold millions of copies and continues to be available to this day.  Many other self-help books and videos have been produced since then  There is no shortage of advice from motivational speakers, hypnotists, priests, pastors, authors, medical professionals, and well-meaning friends and family members.
Sometimes quotations, Scripture verses, old sayings or book titles will strike a chord with you and become part of your coping mechanism.

Some Scripture verses are short and simple but very powerful, and Proverbs 23:7 is one of those.  It says:
As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.

When physical, mental, emotional or financial problems are troubling you, having a simple mantra to repeat to yourself anywhere, anytime, and as often as you want can be very soothing and calming.  Today's message can be that mantra, so use it whenever needed:

I will be okay.







Monday, May 27, 2013

CHANGING YOUR LIFE WITH WORDS - DAY 8

Sometimes life' twists and turns can really get you down.  If you are feeling anxious about anything or sad about something, get up and get moving.  Even if you cannot move easily or quickly, get up and briefly get out of your head and over yourself.

Not only can movement distract you from worrisome thoughts, but enjoying fresh air and outdoor scenery can help to change your perspective.  It is good for your health to walk, and it is one of the simplest ways to clear your heads.

Today's words are really simple:

Go for a walk








Sunday, May 26, 2013

CHANGING YOUR LIFE WITH WORDS - DAY 7

Being a control freak most of my life, one of the most difficult things for me to accept was that in reality there is not much I can control other than my attitude.  My dear mother was the consummate worrier, and at times she would actually make herself physically ill from worry.  She always expected the worst in every situation.  My dad was not a worrier but rather a "doer."  At the end of the day, I am much more like him than my mom.

When my children were young I divorced my husband.  Although I knew it was the right decision,  I soon  was scaring myself to death thinking about things that might happen to the children in the future if I could not juggle home, work, finances, and all the responsibilities of parenting.  I had to talk to myself saying that if I did not stop worrying I would end up like my mother making myself physically ill.  That would not be good for the children or me.

Some time later I read a Scripture verse (Matthew 6:34) which says, "Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own."  That verse resonated with me, and I realized I was worrying about things that might never happen (and they never did).

In the past several years my family and I have experienced some challenges:

  •   Three years of unemployment for one member, 
  •   A collapsed lung for another,
  •   A pulmonary embolism and lung cancer for me.
On days when I would slip back into my old ways of trying to figure out how I was going to fix everything, a dear friend reminded me of The Serenity Prayer.  As a recovering alcoholic with 28 years of sobriety, he credits this prayer with helping him to turn his life around so many years ago.  He still prays it daily.

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.

Even if you are not a religious person or you do not believe in prayer, I think the common sense of that prayer is the solution to relieving much stress.  We all have to accept things we cannot change, and yet we must be strong enough to change the things we can.  The common sense part is being wise enough to know the difference.

Today's message is:

Don't Worry!

  







Saturday, May 25, 2013

CHANGING LIFE WITH WORDS - DAY 6

In order for our lives to change we have to stop doing everything the way we have always done it. I believe it was Albert Einstein who said, "The true definition of insanity is doing everything the same way and expecting different results."

Being myself a devout creature of habit, I know change can be difficult to accept until you face the fact that you do not like your life the way it is.  Begin writing down how you want your life to be:

  • What things do you want to do?
  • What things do you want to have?
  • What places do you want to go?
  • What things do you NOT want to do?
  • What things do you NOT want to have?
  • What places do you NOT want to go?
  • What would you do if you knew you could not fail?
When you are writing don't worry about what is possible or not or how you will make things happen or when.  Don't worry about spelling, punctuation, prioritizing, or legibility.  Just write.  Continue to add to this list, and removing items is also an option as your wants change.   I know this process works because I started doing it years ago, and here are just a few of the things I wrote on my lists:
  • I want to have a boy and a girl whose names will be Scott and Susie.
  • I want to be able to put my children through college.
  • I want to be as philanthropic as I am able.
  • I want to be Vice President of a company.
  • I want to have a Cadillac.
  • I want to renovate an historic house.
  • I want to convert the historic house to a bed & breakfast inn.
  • I want to own my own business.
At the time I wrote them I had no way of knowing how or when these things would happen, but in time they all came to pass.  I never stopped making plans and expecting the plans to become reality so today's message is:

Make Plans









Friday, May 24, 2013

"SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE"

In order to change your life with words, there are so many choices.  As I write the daily blog posts I am not trying to share the words in order of importance.  Each reader will find one word more helpful than another because each life has different facets to be changed.  I believe that all the words I plan to share with you can and will be helpful to you in large and small ways.

All of my life I have been impatient.  As a child I could not wait for birthdays, holidays, dances, the first day of school, and the first day of summer vacation.  I drove my dear mother crazy always asking how many more days or how many more hours until the awaited event would happen.  I was the child in the family car asking, "Are we there yet?"

In life and in my career I never thought that patience was a virtue so I ended up working way too many hours  for too many years wanting to get everything completed so I could move on to the next challenge.  In retrospect I realize I did not savor life's special moments because I was always in a hurry.  I adore my children, but I was always eager for them to move into the next phase of childhood...........walking, talking, potty training, starting school, graduating college.  Now they are grown up, and many times I wish I could relive some of those earlier days and years.  Lucky for me my impatience did not damage my relationships with my children, family, friends, or co-workers when it so easily could have.

As I have gotten older I have also become wiser.  I now live by the philosophy that life is going to come only one day at a time so I must enjoy it one day at a time.  Living life that way removes a great deal of stress and anxiety, and it allows me time to enjoy my interests and develop new ones.

Lack of patience can be interpreted by others as rude, indifferent, and hurtful.  Patience can improve your life and your relationships.   More often than not impatience does more harm than good to you as well as to other people.  Remember the moral of the story of The Tortoise and The Hare..............slow and steady wins the race.

Today's message is:

Be Patient









Thursday, May 23, 2013

Whispers, Butterflies, Rose Petals, Satin, and A Mother's Touch

What do these things have in common?  They are all delicate, soft, fragile...........but what do they have to do with today's message?  They are gentle things.  To change your life with words, try being gentle in your treatment of others as well as yourself. Speak gently and softly to children, the elderly, animals, friends, and colleagues.  I realize there are occasions and situations which are not conducive to gentleness.  However, with so much anger and rage in today's society you can change your corner of the world with gentleness.  Gentle words, gentle touches, gentle approaches to people and situations, gentle correction of children and grandchildren, gentle living..............give them all a try.


Be Gentle! 




          




 






Wednesday, May 22, 2013

A PANACEA FOR UNHAPPINESS

No matter how your day is going or what difficulties you are facing, there is no substitute for laughter.  Use your facial muscles not only to smile at others but for your own well being.  Someone once said, "Laughter is the best medicine!"

 If you remember the TV show Laugh In then you will recall how the stars could make us laugh until we cried.  Goldie Hawn, Flip Wilson, Artie Johnson, Ruth Buzzie, Dick Martin, Dan Rowan, Sammy Davis, Jr. and so many others brought fun into our homes each week.  Not only did we laugh during the show, but around the water cooler the next day as the punch lines became our own.  No matter what was happening in real life we all laughed for that hour.

The same thing happened when Seinfeld came into our homes.   Whether your favorite character was Kramer or George or Jerry himself there were ample reasons to laugh while watching the show.  The next day those classic comedy lines would be repeated in homes and offices all over the country.

Now you can choose from The Big Bang Theory, Two and A Half Men, Modern Family, Mike and Molly, The Middle, or re-runs of Mash, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Andy Griffith Show, Mary Tyler Moore Show, and others.  Do yourself a favor and spend a half hour laughing.


Laughter is a panacea for unhappiness so today's message is simply

Laugh loudly, often and long!








Tuesday, May 21, 2013

ARE YOU THINKING OF QUITTING?

Are you in a situation, relationship, environment, health condition, job or career where things are not working out as you wish they would?  As you hoped they would? As you think they should?   Are you getting ready to give up?  Are you thinking of quitting?

Well, the truth is that giving up or quitting are things that you can always do.  There is no statute of limitations on deciding to quit!  Before you take any drastic action try to look again at the problem(s) you face and determine where you actually are in the process of solving, overcoming, or outlasting the problem?  Think of it as if it is a mountain you have started to climb.............how near are you to the top?  What do you expect to happen when you arrive at the top?  Are there any foreseeable changes about to happen which are
advantageous to you?  Are there any changes you can initiate?

Try to keep in mind the adage, "We cannot control what happens to us in life, but we can always control our attitude in dealing with what happens to us."

So today's message is:

Don't Quit Now!










Monday, May 20, 2013

Changing Life With Words

The things we say and think are controlling factors in our lives.  If you are a person who already thinks positively, talks happily, and focuses on the good things in life then this blog post won't mean much to you.

BUT.......if you find at times that your thoughts are more unhappy than uplifting, your choice of words more discouraging than encouraging, and facing the future makes you anxious in any way...........then come along with me and concentrate each day on a positive word or phrase...............let's find ways to include it in our thoughts and actions throughout the day.

Whether you are old or young, let's begin by remembering this key phrase:



                                                  Life is for living!


                                                                                                             
                     c Andevanwyk
Group Of School Kids Stock Photos - Image: 2249563

Saturday, May 18, 2013

The Government Is Stealing Our Joy

In re-reading my last two posts, it is abundantly clear that I am allowing the U. S. Government and state of the nation and the world to steal my joy.  I am confident that there are many others whose joy is also being stolen by our government.

The lies, the cover-ups, the irresponsible behavior, the lack of leadership, the dishonest media, the hidden agendas, the loss of jobs, the poverty, and loss of homes have become a steady diet and an unhealthy one at that.    Not only are these specific things stealing joy from the lives of so many people, but since the government is behind all of these things and the do-nothing Congress continues to do nothing we will continue to be stressed, unhappy, getting poorer, and the laundry list of problems we face grows longer each day.

SO...........I am proposing that all of us whose joy is being stolen take a stand now and stop allowing the government to do this to us.  For those who believe in a higher power, focus on that and the power you receive from your faith.  For those who have dreams and ambitions still unfulfilled, focus on those.  For those who have brought new lives into the world, focus on those wee ones and concentrate on bringing them up to be the best possible human beings.  For those who are struggling financially, who are unemployed, or who are underemployed......focus on your strengths, abilities and skills you bring to the table of any employer.  Focus on how you can utilize those talents in a different setting.  For those of you who are lonely, focus on reaching out to someone each day be it a neighbor, a co-worker, a fellow church goer, or someone waiting in line with you for fast food.  For those of you feeling helpless and hopeless, focus on the good news and the good people instead of the bad news and the evil, wicked people (not all of whom are politicians).  For those of you who are fearful of what the new day will bring, think of what is the worst thing that can happen and decide if you can deal with that you can deal with anything that comes to you that day.  For those who are totally fed up with our government and the leaders, focus on writing your representatives and protesting their actions.......focus on talking to others to get them to do the same............sign petitions to stop things from happening...............start  thinking about the possible good people you can vote to elect in 2014 and remember to never again vote for an incumbent.

Let us wake up each day with a sense of hope, a feeling of courage that we will not allow the government to deprive us of our joy much less our rights and freedoms.  LET'S TAKE OUR JOY BACK AND HOLD TIGHTLY TO IT.  HOPE AND JOY WILL GET US THROUGH THE DAYS AND MONTHS AHEAD.

Thursday, May 16, 2013

When Do We The People Get To Give A Vote Of "No Confidence" In Our Leaders?

My on-line business is a shop selling handmade clothing and accessories for babies and toddlers.  My blog
originally began as a place where I intended to write about topics pertaining to children and parenting.
Although I still plan on writing those types of posts, today I am overwhelmed with feelings of anger, anxiety, and sorrow at the things that are happening in our country and our world.  Therefore, I feel compelled to list them if for no other reason than to vent my feelings.

Liars.............cheaters...................lawbreakers.................murderers.............thieves..............immoral slobs...........child abusers..............scam artists...............kidnappers...............thugs................gang members thinking they are true men..............lack of respect for anything or anyone...............loss of honor and pride..............sexual assaults in the military.................illegal aliens..................lack of border security ...........drug trafficking .....................war mongers..............dictators..............natural disasters.......... poverty.............terrible education system.......... terrible teachers ........... greed............ corruption...........lust for power at all costs.............Obamacare..............lack of clean water ............ starvation ............... genocide..............tax evasion........... excessive taxation............failed foreign policy........... Benghazi cover-up............IRS illegal tactics...........inarticulate, uneducated  society using only F bombs and other 4-letter words...............sociopaths...........narcissists...........sex offenders.............voter fraud...........entitlement fraud.........loss of pride.............teachers having sex with students......... discrimination.............anti-Christian attitudes............failure to acknowledge those that hate us and want to kill us............political correctness that has weakened us and ruined our once great country...............so-called journalists who have no compunction about lying and failing to write just the facts...............talking heads that just blather on and on when we really only want the facts and not their opinions which are many times based on untruths..................overspending... .increasing national debt.......inability for the government to solve ANYTHING.............government growing too big and too incompetent..............no one to believe anymore in government, media, society.............. unemployment staggering........families struggling............. fixed income elderly struggling............homeless population increasing...........hatred............ prejudice..... ........... students taught revised history...............ignorance among voters...........nanny state growing

Just listing all of these things in a blog post does not change any of them................but by listing all of these things and realizing there are many more which I have not listed, I know why I am overwhelmed by my feelings of anger, anxiety, and sorrow.  How can anyone read this list and think that things are going just great in America?

When will we finally give our government a vote of "No Confidence" and replace every one of the 542 people leading us down paths where we should not go and do not want to go?  No one is going to come and save us.  We must stand up and be counted and save ourselves, our children, our grandchildren, and our once great nation.  The only way we can do this is to NEVER again vote for any incumbent in any office whether city, county, state, or national.  We need to clean house or we are all going to regret it as things can and will continue to get worse and there will be a point of no return which is currently in our line of sight if we are truthful.


Monday, May 13, 2013

Is This The World Into Which You Meant To Bring Your Children?

With each passing day I am horrified by the news of the day.  How did we allow all of these  things to happen?  How long have we been asleep at the switch in America?  When did the nation of "We" become the nation of "I", "Me", and "My"?   We are in serious trouble, and we are so polarized as a country that we keep digging our own graves..................and those of our children and grandchildren.

We elect and pay politicians to pursue their personal agendas rather than to represent us and our wishes.  They make rules that apply to us and not to them.  They vote raises and benefits for themselves at our expense.  They overlook spending waste and fraud in entitlement programs.  They do not place their lives on the front lines of war, and yet they neither want to pay a living wage to our military men and women nor provide adequate medical and financial assistance to those wounded while defending the rest of us.

These are just some of the headlines that trouble me.  There are so very many more.  I would NEVER have knowingly brought my children into a world that produces headlines like these on a daily basis.  Would you?

National debt continues to skyrocket!

Unemployment rates still unacceptable!

Benghazi Cover-up!

IRS Scandal!

Boston Marathon Bombing!

3 girls kidnapped and held captive for a decade!

12 year-old boy arrested in stabbing death of little sister!

19 people shot during Mother's Day Parade in Louisiana!

Fire in Pennsylvania claims lives of father, four children, and their aunt!

Early forest fires in California portend an epic fire season!

Obamacare predicted to be a disaster!

Abortionist kills live babies!

Morning After pills available over the counter to 15-year-old girls!

Christians in the Military may face charges of treason for sharing their faith!

New summer TV show titled Mistresses!

Reality television shows that encourage people to treat others badly and to behave badly.


Do you think your children are going to have the lives you want for them if things do not change and soon?









Sunday, May 12, 2013

Happy Mother's Day

After an almost two-month absence from writing blog posts..............I am back.  Ill health has been annoying me for quite some time, but I am determined to be well again and to pursue the plans I had before becoming ill.  Today being such a special day, I decided to make this my return date.

Today is Mother's Day, and as I reflect on what it means to me to be a mother I am also remembering my own mother and being thankful for her life.  My mom passed away at age 90 in l999.  She was a remarkable person who had incredible stamina for hard work.  She had an amazing vocabulary and loved working New York Times crossword puzzles in ink.  She baked the most delicious cookies you ever tasted, was hardly ever sick in her life, sacrificed a lot to give to others, and she loved her children, grandchildren and only great grandchild who was 3 1/2 when she left us.

I am mother of a son and a daughter and grandmother of a 17 year-old boy.  They are the joys of my life, and being a mother and grandmother means the world to me.  I have been blessed beyond measure and am so proud of my family.

I hope all of you have had a lovely Mother's Day!