Be the good

I once heard someone say to another person " why are you always so happy? " There are terrible things going on in the world and many things to scare you to death out there and you are still happy I just don't get it?" I remember her response so well... " I think it is a lot easier to be happy than sad or mad all the time. It makes me feel better to be positive than negative, that takes a lot of energy. Guess I just like looking for the good!"
I remember that for many years, it made me realize that I too think that is true. I would much rather be around half full people who are upbeat and positive, than those who never see the good in anything and are always negative about everything! Those people are very draining to say the least.
So when I read this quote...it made me remember that girl's comment.
Some days I don't do as well as others, but most of the time, I do feel a lot of gratitude for the feeling of contentment. Thanks to many of you who bring such good energy and happiness in my life!
Good night dear friends!

Counting your thoughts!

I shared with some of you the Clicker that I received when I was in California at the Women's Conference I spoke at this weekend. So I thought I would share the lady who introduced this cute idea.  You can watch her (Hilary Weeks )  you tube video
Here:


I think the idea of counting your positive thoughts is wonderful. Watch the video and the song she wrote about this same message called I DANCED IN THE RAIN, it's found Here:
Good night dear friends!

Just stay POSITIVE!!!

Today we are still in Utah and will be flying out tonight. It is always hard to leave family. It will be nice though to get home and get to see Amy, John and kids, plus our neighbors and friends! But no matter what, I am still a bit concerned about coming home to an empty house ( even worse a dirty empty house). I had great intentions on getting it cleaned before I left, but I was more worried about getting all our Christmas presents made for our family and friends here. So at least I will have something I need to do, as soon as I get there, that should help…I hope!

My niece and nephew asked me to speak today to their Sunday School Class ( of 15  year olds  ) about adversity and trying to have a positive attitude. I only had 10 minutes so I had to think of a way to make it to their level, and yet interesting. So these are the 7 things that I try to do, when I see that I am getting too discouraged or sad…

1. I first try to remember what type of people I like to be around. Obviously it is the Half full, happy, positive and kind people, verses Half Empty, sad, negative and discouraged people. So I try to see which type of  person I am being at the time.

2. Then I try to distinguish my thoughts and where they come from. It really is true that Satan is alive and well, and will definitely place bad and sad thoughts in  your mind. It is very important to control thoughts and remember that our thoughts control our actions.

3. Next I try to remember to do the Basics, I know it is the old Sunday School answers… but it is true for me. If I remember to say my prayers, read my scriptures and stay closer to my Heavenly Father, life really is better.

4.I try hard to listen to that still small voice inside. We all have it, but some times it is easy to ignore. That still small voice it is right every time. And the more I listen to it, the more I hear it. I believe that is truly how my Heavenly Father helps me and guides me.

5. Gratitude is next. When I stop… and count my blessings, I realize that I should be happy for all that I have been given. Gratitude really helps you feel more positive.

6. Service of course helps anyone, no matter how down they are. As you stop to look around at others, you realize that there are lots of people whose life is much worse or harder than yours. Service changes your heart for the better. Plus, as your help someone else…you are really helping yourself feel better.

7. Hold on to my faith! I love the quote that “ Faith has a short shelf life” you really have to work on it daily to strengthen your faith in God, and in His purpose for you .

So that is what I try to do to change my cup from Half Empty to Half Full.

Of course, I will have more bad days, and will have to go back and remind myself by reading this post again!

Well, need to head to the airport. Take care dear friends!

“The Constitution only guarantees the American people the right to pursue happiness.  You have to catch it yourself.”     ~Author unknown, commonly attributed to Benjamin Franklin

“Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.”  ~Winston Churchill

“If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it. “   ~Mary Engelbreit

Half Empty vs Half Full

When my daughter sent me these photos I had to laugh, isn’t that just how we feel some days? Half Empty like the ‘Go On Without Me ‘ picture. Not only do we feel half empty, but we make sure that others around us know it. I am glad this one doesn’t happen very often, but some time I feel just like that…’don’t worry about me, go on and have fun without me, I will just stay here all by myself’. I try to notice when I am feeling or acting like that and immediately try to change…but it happens to the best of us I believe!

Then there are those Half Full days, where everything makes you happy. You are grateful for the smallest things…even a stick!

I do think that it is an easier way to live, being happy and noticing all the little blessing in our lives. I love when I have my head on straight and my heart in the right place, j because I truly do get excited about even the smallest things (ok, it’s usually not a stick ),just noticing the little things and the joy that they add in your life is important… and definitely falls under the Half Full category! 

So I hope we will try to look for the brighter side of life, keep our glass half full and just be… Oh My Gosh HAPPY!

 

“Sometimes, the things we can’t change, end up changing us”

  “Fear less, hope more; Eat less, chew more; Whine less, breathe more; Talk less, say more; Love more, and all good things will be yours”  ~ Swedish Proverb

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”   ~ Winston Churchill

Joy in the Journey!

About 15 years ago, I started giving a motivational speech that was called “ Joy in the Journey”. It was all about… how important it is to enjoy the journey and truly appreciate the ride life gives us. I spoke to many different Women’s groups but the reaction was always the same. The women were tired, disappointed sometimes in themselves or how their lives turned out. They had been working so hard to get to ‘Happily Ever After’, that they missed a lot of the journey and the happiness that came along the way. They were still traveling, sometimes against their wills, or so exhausted that they didn’t know which end was up… still they thought it was vital to keep moving and make sure they got to the end.

Now in recent years, I have talked more about adversity and how we keep our attitudes in check and how we keep the faith, but still somewhere in my speeches comes the same underlining message…Enjoy the Journey!

I think the best part of doing motivational speaking is …you are constantly reminding  yourself of all the things you need to be doing or keep doing. Yes, the last little bit…I think I have fallen short of ENJOYING TH E JOURNEY, I was just trying to hang in there!  So take it from me, life is much more enjoyable when we are aware, grateful and enjoying the journey. Thanks for all the love and support all of you have given me throughout the years of my incredible journey. Good night dear friends!

 

 

“Foolish people with all their other thoughts, have this one too: They are always getting ready to live, but never living.

Your success will start when you begin to pursue it. To reach your goal or to attain success, you don’t need to know all of the answers in advance. You just need to have a clear idea of what your goal is.

Don’t procrastinate when faced with difficult problems. Break your problems into parts, and handle one part at a time.

Develop tendencies toward taking action. You can make something happen right now. Divide your big plan into small steps and take that first step right away.

Everyone who ever got where they are had to begin where they were. Your big opportunity is where you are right now.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Take it.”

http://academictips.org/blogs/one-step/

 

“The road of life twists and turns and no two directions are ever the same. Yet our lessons come from the journey, not the destination.” ~ Don Williams Jr.

  “Success is not a place at which one arrives but rather the spirit with which one undertakes and continues the journey.”  ~ Alex Noble

“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end”  ~ Ursula K. LeGuin

 

~

How to look and feel old!

A month or so I bought a new dress. It was one of those that is suppose to have the wrinkled look. I didn't actually like it when I tried it on again at home, so I decided to pack it back in the bag and return it. I  laughed as I read the tag that was on it. It said..HOW TO KEEP YOUR GARMENT LOOKING WRINKLED! Isn't that funny,  you don't hear that every day now do ya?

http://www.123rf.com/photo

I think what was really funny, was the fact that there was a whole set of instructions to wrinkle your garment. Man, I think we should have that same type of tag on us and it would say...HOW TO GET MORE WRINKLES, LOOK OLDER AND KEEP THAT LOOK FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!

It really wouldn't be hard to come up with those instructions, let's see ...HOW TO GET MORE WRINKLES? Never put on sun screen, never wash your face or wear moisturizer.  Then ...How TO LOOK OLDER? Worry about everything, as if it all depends on you. And last... HOW TO KEEP THIS LOOK YOUR WHOLE LIFE? Don't exercise, eat whatever you want, get only a little bit of sleep and be negative and contentious about everything. Remember to be as selfish as you can. Always be doubtful and for absolutely sure...never have HOPE!

Yes, I think if we followed those instructions on our tag... we would really be able to keep that wrinkled, old and worn out look ...all the time! That was easy to think of. Maybe I should have been a designer? :)

Speaking of needing to get some sleep, I had better close now before the wrinkled look starts to set in!

Good night dear friend!

"Accent your positive and delete your negative.'  ~ Donna Karan   

"Bondage is - subjection to external influences and internal negative thoughts and attitudes." ~ W. Clement Stone

"Adopting the right attitude can convert a negative stress into a positive one." ~ Hans Selye

Just missed my goal!

Can you believe it, I just missed my goal of being healthy for one year straight...by only 13 days!!! I can't say that I am surprised, since I have been so stressed out this week, worrying about Lee. I knew I should go to bed early, but couldn't get my head to stop thinking and wondering. I knew that I should have honored THE WALL, but I just felt if I kept going, I could get a few things I was behind on. I guess no one ever plans for all the doctor appointments and all the things that come up, when someone is sick or hurting. So it is my own fault that I didn't take better care of my body better. I have been trying sooooooooooooo hard to make that goal. :(

I guess the I need to look at it, more on the positive side. I have been well ...COMPLETELY WELL for 352 days! That is great news! Especially considering that I had pneumonia four times, year before last!

I knew very early this morning that I was coming down with something, so the first thing I did when I got up...was put on a big pot of homemade Chicken Noodle Soup. For those of us that don't have Mothers here anymore with us...that is what we have to do, make it ourselves!

So even though I am freezing, aching all over, and I am cooking a fever, plus I have a sore throat and an already DEEP cough...life is good and I am thankful for all my blessings!

Good night dear friends!

"If you find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere."  ~ Frank A. Clark

" I can't change the directions of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination."  ~ Jimmy Dean

"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream."  ~ C.S. Lewis

 

EMPOWERMENT

I loved this article. I have talks with myself all the time ( we don't need to let that get around), and some time it's positive, and some times it's not! So this was a great reminder for me. Why does it seem easier to say negative things to ourselves rather than positive? I know that answer, I just need to remember it now!
Good night dear friends!

Personal Empowerment
  by: Marlene Blaszczyk

    Use Empowering Words When You Talk to Yourself
(whether you are speaking out loud or silently) How do you talk to yourself? Do you use the words "can't", "won't", "don't need to", "why try"?  Many people do.
   Do you find that what you say to yourself turns out to be true?  Why is this? You see your brain is like a computer that you feed each day. It doesn't know always know what's real or not unless you tell it.
   Example: If someone you love has hurt you, you may tell yourself that all people who love you will probably hurt you too.
   Your brain just files this information for reference, it's data, little zeroes and ones and no column that asks "true or not true?" Now your brain thinks, based on what you told it, that everyone you'll ever love will hurt you. How do you think you will respond the next time you get hurt?  Right!!
Now, what if we instead told our brain:
   "Okay this person ripped my heart out - but that's only one person. I'm lovable and have many loving people in my life who are not out to hurt me. I know that the right people are coming into my life all the time. If someone hurts me, I will forgive them and bless them on their way."

Words can be empowering.

I can
I love to
I want to
I will
I must
I am

   We can reach a new level of living, if we feed ourselves empowering words and practice saying them until they become a habit. I know first hand that it takes time.  And I also know that it's worth it. Try it for a week. Catch yourself saying, "I can't", when you don't really mean it and instead try, "I can", and see how you think and feel about yourself.
   Remember, the words you use to empower yourself will have a lasting effect, only if you practice them and they become a habit (an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary).
   They say it takes at least 28 days to develop a habit. After a week, you will see that it becomes easier. It's a mind-set and you can control your thoughts. Be proactive and not reactive - give yourself some good words.

   Dream big and empower yourself! Believe you can and you will.

"Don't let the negativity given to you by the world disempower you. Instead give to yourself that which empowers you."
- Les Brown

"You can change your beliefs so they empower your dreams and desires. Create a strong belief in yourself and what you want."
- Marcia Wieder

Looking for the good.

Today I was reminded of this lesson...always looking for the good. In this article that I read, it talked about why looking for the good is so important. He says it better than I do, so I will share part of the article with you. It starts out with a couple looking for a new home, as they went around the neighborhood to talk to people about it, this is what they found.
"One woman they spoke to said of the school her children were attending: " This is the most incredible place! The principal is a wonderful and good man; the teachers are well qualified, kind, and friendly. I am so pleased that our children can attend this wonderful school. You'll love it here!
A different woman said of her children's school: "It's a terrible place. The principal is self-absorbed; the teachers are unqualified, rude, and unfriendly. If I could afford to move out of this area, I'd do it in a heartbeat!"
The interesting thing was that both women were speaking about the same principle, the same teachers, and the same school.
Have you ever noticed that people can usually find whatever they are looking for? Look hard enough, and you can discover both good and bad in almost anyone and anything.
We have a choice. We can seek for the bad in others. Or we can make peace and work to extend to others the understanding, fairness, and forgiveness we so desperately desire for ourselves. It is our choice; for whatever we seek, that we will certainly find."   ~ Dieter F. Uchtdorf   http://lds.org/ensign/2011/03/looking-for-the-good?lang=eng&query=March+2011+Ensign+Dieter+F.+Uchtdorf+talk+Looking+Good

I loved this, so true! Wouldn't we all be a lot happier in life, if we looked for the good instead of the bad? I have done both, and I have to admit ...looking for the bad is not a happy place to be. I do believe it is our choice and after reading this again today, I am recommitting myself to strive harder each day to look for the good! Yes, that is a much brighter way of life. If you haven't done it...try it!

"Optimism is the foundation of courage "  ~Nicholas Murray Butler

"The optimist sees the rose and not its thorns; the pessimist stares at the thorns, oblivious of the rose" ~Kahlil Gibran

"Optimism is the foundation of courage"   ~ Nicholas Murray Butler

Looking for the good

I heard on a radio talk show the other day, a lady who was a scientist and also a cancer survivor. I only heard the last part of the show, but the jest of it was that she opposed all the pink ribbon and all the false hope that goes along with it for cancer survivors. She said as a scientist, they have never proven the theory that being positive really makes a difference. She found something wrong with all the tests that tried to prove otherwise. It made me upset as I listened to her. I agreed on one thing that she said though " We pretend to know a lot about cancer, but we just don't know enough yet". I know that is true but there are 1000's of scientists, doctors and others out there, trying to find out more. I think we need to appreciate that. As for the positive outlook and hope that the pink ribbons, or anything else bring, I strongly disagree with her. I don't have to believe what she or anyone else says about HAPPY THOUGHTS, because I personally have felt the difference in my own life. I am better, stronger, happier, healthier (and a lot more fun to be around) when I chose to look for the good in each day.

How grateful that I don't have to just take her word for it. I don't care what her latest studies have shown. As always the only place to get ABSOLUTE TRUTH is from God. There are 1000's of scriptures on Hope, Faith and Charity, all of which can make a huge difference on how we view our life...as bad or good!

This Is Good

An old story is told of a king in Africa who had a close friend with whom he grew up. The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that ever occurred in his life (positive or negative) and remarking, "This is good!"

One day the king and his friend were out on a hunting expedition. The friend would load and prepare the guns for the king. The friend had apparently done something wrong in preparing one of the guns, for after taking the gun from his friend, the king fired it and his thumb was blown off. Examining the situation the friend remarked as usual, "This is good!" To which the king replied, "No, this is NOT good!" and proceeded to send his friend to jail.

About a year later, the king was hunting in an area that he should have known to stay clear of. Cannibals captured him and took him to their village. They tied his hands, stacked some wood, set up a stake and bound him to the stake. As they came near to set fire to the wood, they noticed that the king was missing a thumb. Being superstitious, they never ate anyone that was less than whole. So untying the king, they sent him on his way.

As he returned home, he was reminded of the event that had taken his thumb and felt remorse for his treatment of his friend. He went immediately to the jail to speak with his friend. "You were right," he said, "it was good that my thumb was blown off." And he proceeded to tell the friend all that had just happened. "And so I am very sorry for sending you to jail for so long. It was bad for me to do this."

"No," his friend replied, "This is good!" "What do you mean,'This is good'? How could it be good that I sent my friend to jail for a year?" "If I had NOT been in jail, I would have been with you." ~ Unknown

 

"There is a divine purpose in the adversities we encounter every day. They prepare, they purge, they purify, and thus they bless."  ~ James E. Faust  May 1979

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"Our task is to become our best selves. One of God's greatest gifts to us is the joy of trying again, for no failure ever need be final."  ~Thomas S. Monson, May 1987