Think Positive 30

Think Like a Child

Appreciate again and again, freshly and naively, the basic goods of life, with awe, pleasure, wonder and even ecstasy, however stale these experiences may have become to others. - Abraham Maslow Yes I know we're adults, and I'm telling you to think like a child, and honestly, I can't think of any better advice to give someone. Before you can think like a child, think about how a child thinks. I'm serious. Think about the wonder and amazement and the zeal and zest for living that a child has. Think about the excitement a child can have over the simplest thing - getting an ice cream, or a balloon, or even splashing in a puddle on a rainy day. That joy for life, that zest for living is something we never, ever want to lose. Think like a child. Find joy and beauty in the simple things, in the mundane everyday facets of life. Don't let those experiences become stale. Don't let them sour you, and take away your childlike awe and wonderment. So yes, I will urge you to think like a child, and I will continue to think like a child. I won't shirk my adult responsibilities, but…

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February 25, 2019

Changing your life

I am all about making changes in my life. I have tons of great ideas about things I want to do to change my life. I may not be so great with the follow through, but that's a blog for another day. Anyhow, back to changing your life. We all have different vehicles we use to bring about change in our lives. This website is one of mine. But I recently read an amazing article about changing your life. It's written by Kathleen McGovern, and it's called. How To Change Your Life With One Word. Ms. McGovern says a lot of great things in her article, but this stands out for me....you need clarity and sustained focus over time. The whole article is great, and I encourage you to read it here, but that one phrase really resonates. You can't exercise once and then be healthy or cut back on the junk food for a day and be skinny (oh how I wish that were true). Nor can you pick up a book and look at it once and think you'll be prepared for a test the next day. Changing your life takes time and focus, but there are some…

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February 24, 2019

Daily Positive Thought

Laugh Through It

Humor can help you cope with the unbearable so that you can stay on the bright side of things until the bright side actually comes along. - Allen Klein Some of the best advice I've ever been given is to laugh through it. Laugh through the bad times, and through the sad times, and of course through the good times. They, whomever they are, say that laughter is the best medicine, and they are right. Laughing can get you through some really troublesome times, and can bolster you up and give you the strength to come out on the other side. When I was in my early twenties, my dad passed away rather unexpectedly. It was of course a really horrible time. At the cemetery, the bugler was playing taps. They did the twenty-one gun salute, and were preparing to fold the flag. We were standing there, my mom, my little sister, and I, crying when suddenly, my mother's tummy gurgled loud enough for the three of us to hear. One by one we started to giggle - softly at first, but the more we tried to control it, the louder we got. Inappropriate? Maybe, but honestly, it got us…

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February 21, 2019

Daily Positive Thought

Let Go of Hate

Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it. - Martin Luther King, Jr. Nothing epitomizes Dr. King in my mind than the phrase let go of hate. And right now, especially today, it's something that I'm really struggling with. Logically I know that holding on to anger is useless, and holding a grudge is even worse. It only hurts the person holding on to the anger or holding the grudge. A lot of people think I'm this all the time happy, positive person. I'm not. I'm just a regular person who gets moody, and cranky and negative, and today, I'm wallowing in those emotions. I'm working to let go of hate, let go of anger and not to hold grudges. Those emotions keep cropping up because life is life, and stuff happens. I'm trying hard to listen to the words of Dr. King, and I urge everybody else to do so as well. When we hold on to these feelings it only serves to wear us down, and make us miserable. Let go of hate, and fill your life with love and peace instead. Remember that those to try and…

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February 20, 2019

Daily Positive Thought

Rules to Live By

Formula to live your dream: 1. Be bold. 2. Begin now. 3. No exceptions.- William James I'm a huge fan of NCIS and Gibbs rules. We need rules in our lives, and these rules by William James are rules to live by. They are not hard, there isn't a lot to memorize and there are just three of them If you follow these three rules to live by and apply them to your goals, they will help you reach those goals, and in fact not just reach them, but crush them! The first one be bold is a bit subjective. What is bold for me may be easy peasy for you, but that's okay, because they are my goals and my dreams but not yours. So dream and dream boldly. Reach for the stars. Don't think small, now isn't the time. Rule number 2 in these rules to live by is the biggie as far as I'm concerned. Begin Now! You have to start in order to live your dreams. Don't procrastinate. Don't say that tomorrow is a better time to start, or next week or next month or next year. There is no better time than now to start…

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February 19, 2019

Daily Positive Thought

Dreams

Focus your conscious mind on things you desire not things you fear. Doing so brings dreams to life. - Anonymous How often do you find yourself focusing on all the negatives in your life instead of focusing on your dreams? Probably a lot. It's so hard not to focus on the negatives. We get bills in the mail, horrible news on the television and in the papers. It's all around us. But our dreams live inside of us, and those dreams are what we need to focus on. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying ignore what's going on in the world, or in your life. You can't really do that, but don't obsess over it, don't dwell on those things and give them all your energy. Instead, focus your energy, your mind on your goals and your dreams. Direct your energy on your dreams. When you focus your energy on the negative, it becomes bigger and more powerful. The opposite is true, when you focus your energy on your dreams, they too become bigger and more powerful. Where does it make more sense to direct your energy? Do you want to make your fears and negative thoughts grow or…

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February 18, 2019

Daily Positive Thought

Don’t Be Defeated

We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated. – Maya Angelou Don't be defeated. It's kind of ironic that is what today's post is about when I am feeling incredibly defeated lately. I've suffered some setbacks lately, also known as defeats. I'm not letting those defeats define me, and I'm not letting them defeat me. Setbacks, defeats, roadblocks, whatever you want to call them, they happen. They happen to all of us. You can face defeat, but don't be defeated. The struggles that we face may want to cause us to give up. Don't be defeated. Don't let the struggles stop you from regrouping and moving forward. That's what I'm doing. As I said, I've faced some defeats lately and I've been feeling incredibly defeated, but I'm telling myself, and I'm telling you, don't be defeated.

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February 15, 2019

Daily Positive Thought

Change Direction, Not Your Destination

When obstacles arise, you change your direction to reach your goal, you do not change your decision to get there. – Zig Ziglar When obstacles or speed bumps get in your way when working toward a goal, you need to change your direction, but not your destination. It sounds so simple when I write it here. When you're in the middle of working toward something, and one of those speed bumps crops up, it isn't always our first thought. Too often our immediate response is to give up. That may be your initial response, but doing that isn't going to get you anywhere. You can't give up at the first sign of trouble. Change your direction, not your destination. Rethink the goal you're working toward. Is there any other way to get there? Is there something you can do differently? Is there someone you can ask for help? All those things could be considered changes in direction. Always keep your goal in sight, and don't worry to much about the detours you may take on your way to getting there. When I started college in 1984, my goal was to be a teacher. It wasn't the right time for me…

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February 14, 2019

Daily Positive Thought

Take Control

In essence, if we want to direct our lives, we must take control of our consistent actions. It’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives, but what we do consistently. – Tony Robbins Way back when I started Think Positive 30, it was because I wanted to take control of the way I was thinking. I had been thinking so negatively. Like all day every day. It was something I did consistently, and it was fast becoming a habit. It was becoming a very bad habit. Science says that it takes 21 days to make or break a habit. When I started Think Positive 30, I decided to tack on the extra 9 days to really ingrain the habit of thinking positively. I'm happy to say that it's pretty much worked. Simply put, I decided to take control of my thinking and make it more positive. That doesn't mean that I don't think negatively. Nope, I can get as negative as the next person. But I don't stay that way. I've learned that as Tony Robbins said, what I do consistently shapes my life, and that includes thinking positively. I get mad, I get angry…

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February 13, 2019

Daily Positive Thought

Past Mistakes

Free yourself from your past mistakes, by forgiving yourself for what you have done or went through. Every day is another chance to start over. – Unknown I tend to let my past mistakes consume me at times. See, I'm not very good at forgiving myself, and I'm very, very good at beating myself up. It's not really a skill I want to have, nor is it a skill I want anybody else to have. The only thing worse than obsessing over past mistakes is negative self talk. I don't know why other people do it to themselves, and I don't know why I do it to myself. I don't know why I get hung up over past mistakes when I know, just like you know, that tomorrow is a new chance to start again. I think we're all really good at forgiving other people for mistakes they may have made. Do you hold on to the fact that your three year old spilled her milk at dinner? No, you clean it up, you let her know that it's okay, it's just an accident, you get a new glass of milk and you move on. Don't you deserve the same…

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February 12, 2019