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“The Optimist’s Creed”

By Christian D. Larson,

Your Forces and How to Use Them, © 1912

Promise yourself:

To be so strong, that nothing can disturb your peace of mind

To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet

To make all your friends feel that there is something in them

To look at the sunny side of everything, and make your optimism come true

To think only of the best,

To work only for the best,

And to expect only the best

To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own

To forget the mistakes of the past, and press on to the greater achievements of the future

To wear a cheerful countenance at all times

And give every living creature you meet a smile

To give so much time to the improvement of yourself, that you have no time to criticize others

To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble

To think well of yourself, and to proclaim this fact to the world – not in loud words, but in great deeds

To live in the faith that the whole world is on your side, so long as you are true to the best that is in you.

Wow!  This was written over 100 years ago, and it still is something I place a high value on keeping in my life.  I enjoy it so much I created a video that can be watched over and over.  I have learned that if I want changes to happen, I have to change them in myself first.  I would appreciate if you would share this Optimist’s Creed video with others.  Let’s create awareness that starts first with ourselves.

How do we become more aware?  How do maintain a positive outlook when there is so much negativity going on around us?  For me, I constantly learn.  I keep things like “The Optimist’s Creed” posted where I can see them.  I keep myself surrounded with people who believe and have similar values as I do.  I realize that maintaining a positive attitude is a choice I get to make, and I tend to feel happier when my thoughts and actions are positive.  So, I keep things around me as a reminder.

I choose to run my own business, working with individuals in a positive, upbeat company, where people actually support the success of others, rather than tearing them down and trying to keep them from succeeding.  I choose to create my business around helping others, rather than how quickly I will earn money.  I do all of this from the comfort of my own home, making my own hours.

I love the life I have chosen, and do my best daily to follow the structure of “The Optimist’s Creed”.  I realized I had to make those changes for myself.  I chose my own personal empowerment.  What would stop you from doing the same?  That would be your choice…

I would love to help you to empower yourself – spiritually, mentally, financially, physically, help you look at things from the perspective of the optimist….  TODAY is the day for you to make that change.

“Live in the faith that the whole world is on your side, so long as you are true to the best that is in you…”

I have posted this video today because I feel it is important for others to take a stance, to be an example, to begin making changes. I understand…this is a long video. It can also be a gamechanger for you, for me, for others around us – as individuals, and as a “united world”.

I will tell you my perception of this video. You may have a different perception, opinion, viewpoint, etc. I get it.

I see this as an opportunity that Jason Russell has taken to make people aware of what is going on in different countries. According to the video, this has been going on for multiple decades, yet to many people, because they are not directly involved, it doesn’t seem to matter. I know this is not the only place where individuals are suffering in this world. It just happens to be the location and the source of inhumanity that Mr. Russell has made it his goal to focus on; and he, along with his Invisible Children team, have produced results to help this “Kony 2012” campaign go viral.

I am not encouraging anybody to donate money to this or to any other cause. That has to be something each of us decides to do as individuals. Let’s go beyond just the message of the children in this video. What I am seeing is a huge surge of change where people are ready and willing to stand up for each other, not just within the boundaries of one country, but as a world. The lines of division are being erased. New leaders are emerging that are willing to take risks. They may not win popularity contests, and their actions are not based on powerful control tactics.

Change is always happening daily – with our own bodies, with our spiritual lives, even with our physical earth as we know it. Our choice is how will we allow it to affect us? Will we choose to respond in a positive light to changes going on around us? Will we choose to react in negative outbursts, refusing to even acknowledge the perceptions of others? Will we try to remain neutral and indifferent and just follow along with changes when we absolutely have to? Will we allow others to make those choices for us? Each of those are choices we make as individuals. Maybe we have allowed others to make those choices for us in the past. Maybe those choices didn’t always give us the results we thought we wanted.

Now, just as Jason Russell has, we can choose to make changes to become better examples…not only to ourselves, but others as well. What will you start with TODAY?

By the way, THANK YOU Mr. Russell, for being a leader, for taking a stance, for setting an example to the world. Whether or not everybody agrees with your efforts is beyond the point.

Empower YOURSELF… Empower OUR WORLD!!!

Take Care of Yourself

 

“The name of the game is taking care of yourself, because you’re going to live long enough to wish you had.” ~Grace Mirabella

So many of us work extremely hard to take care of others – day in and day out.  Some days it seems everything we do is for somebody else.  When do you take care of YOU?  I can already hear the excuses starting…  I don’t have enough time to take care of me…  There are so many other things that have to be done… I don’t have the money to do things for myself… I’ll worry about that when _______ (you fill in the blank).  Why do so many of us feel guilty spending time to take care of ourselves?

To take care of ourselves doesn’t mean we have to spend a lot of money on ourselves.  It doesn’t mean we get days upon days at a spa.  It doesn’t mean we disregard every ounce of responsibility we may have in our lives.

To take care of ourselves means we take care of our physical health, our spiritual being, our emotional state of mind, and our mental clarity.  As we take care of those, then our financial and social interests will most likely be much easier to handle as well.  When we allow ourselves to become run-down and thoroughly lacking in any one of these states of being, the others have to work overtime and then start to shut down.  That’s when we, as individuals, start feeling overwhelmed, depleted, overly frustrated, easily angered and often very unappreciated.

When we allow ourselves to be needed by so many different people, we tend to forget who we really are as a person, as an individual.  When our energy is depleted, we find it extremely hard to answer questions that, at one time, may have been easy to answer, such as:

• Who am I?  This should not be confused with WHAT title have I been given (parent, employee, spouse, business owner, person-wearing-so-many-hats-I-have-no-idea-what-color-today’s-is-supposed-to-be, etc)
• What do I enjoy doing just for me?
• What do I enjoy learning?
• If money were no object, where would I be right now, what would I be doing, and who would I be with?

What if, every day, we had time scheduled on our calendars to do something for ourselves – even if only for 15 minutes?  What if we were to create a list of things that could be done in that 15 minutes each day?

How will your 15 minutes be spent to take care of YOU today?

Make sure to write it where you can see it daily…

Bad Days?  Yep, They Happen.

Oh yes, you now have the song stuck in your head too.

I love Dory, from Finding Nemo.  Sometimes our days aren’t as fantastic as we would like them to be.  The phone isn’t working, the car won’t start, the internet goes down, you lock your keys in the car, you don’t feel good…I’m sure you can continue the list.

How do you make it better?  Will the bad days ever stop?  Sometimes we have bad days happen that seem to be beyond our control, and all of a sudden we have more bad days piled on top of more bad days… Is it possible to change it?  Absolutely.   The hardest part about that is actually acknowledging we have the option to make the days better.  It is easy to allow our bad days to continue as they started, and find excuses why they shouldn’t be allowed to get any better.  It is not so easy, but absolutely possible, to find ways to make them better.  Why wouldn’t we want to challenge ourselves, if the end result could create a happier environment?  Would it be possible that if there were no challenge, and we continued on with allowing our “bad day”, we might miss opportunities that present themselves to us because we’re set on having a “bad day”?

For me, “just keep swimming” has sometimes become a mantra.  Do I have days that are less than stellar?  Uh, yes.  With that, however, I have choices.  A favorite quote that I have seen circulating on the internet recently (I am not sure who wrote it) is posted on my wall, and is something I look at daily.  I challenge you to do the same.

You CAN make these choices.  It is time to empower yourself.  Let today be the day!

NO MORE BAD DAYS!!!

“Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m possible’!” ―Audrey Hepburn

How many times have you heard somebody say something is impossible?  How many times have you said, “I can’t” or “it’s impossible” or “you’re just dreaming”?  Have you created dreams, but you are unsure how to get there?

Often, we dream of wonderful things, and then discount those dreams because we’re unsure how to proceed to get them.  Many times we don’t even get on the path of beginning to pursue our dreams, other times we start down the path, then find we have lost our direction after taking only a few steps.  What makes us different from those who actually achieve their dreams?  One of the biggest differences is actually BELIEVING in ourselves.  When we believe that anything we dream about is possible, we find ways to make it happen.  We find ways to empower ourselves.  We create and draw the tools we need to enable our dreams.

What if one of your dreams was to make more money this year so you can spend more time with your family, or take that vacation you have been needing for so long, or find a way to have more fun?  What if making more money was just one of those tools you draw to yourself to make more of your dreams become reality?  Do you believe you can do it?  Do you have dreams about it, see yourself doing just those things?

All of the tools are available.  Each person will attract those tools in different ways, as they are truly ready for them. Start believing, start meditating, start researching, start improving yourself…each of these will bring tools to you.

This is only the beginning…your dreams are just waiting for you.  We’re excited to be part of your new adventure!

Cheers!

Daily affirmations…many of us have heard about them. Do you use them? Do they work for you? Are you using them for your personal life, for your business, for your own self-growth?

I know this video has been circulating for quite a while, but it still is very powerful.  I would imagine that she has learned how to have wonderful days, and by being so emphatic, she is teaching adults to do the same.

As we go through life, we learn from different leaders, authors, mentors…the list is virtually endless.  When we learn to say these affirmations to ourselves, we retrain our brains to start believing what we’re telling ourselves, instead of the negative comments that we so frequently don’t even realize we are repeating, over and over…every day.

Can you imagine actually liking and appreciating everything around you?  Can you imagine loving life, loving your family, loving YOU?  What if we had been able to learn how to EMPOWER ourselves at such a young age by stating affirmations while looking in the mirror?  I would love to cheer you on while you’re EMPOWERING yourself, and teaching others to do the same!

What about taking that to a whole different level and putting that much enthusiasm into a business?  We all have to start somewhere, and the time to start is today.  There is no time better than NOW.

Today is the Day – EMPOWER YOURSELF!!!

It's Time to Remove the Clutter

“Never again clutter your days or nights with so many menial and unimportant things that you have no time to accept a real challenge when it comes along. This applies to play as well as work. A day merely survived is no cause for celebration. You are not here to fritter away your precious hours when you have the ability to accomplish so much by making a slight change in your routine. No more busy work. No more hiding from success. Leave time, leave space, to grow. Now. Now! Not tomorrow!”  ~Oq Mandino

We, as a society, have learned that it is important to acquire “things”, which later turn to clutter.  We clutter our homes, our bodies, our minds, and our relationships with unimportant things that then take months or even years to let go of.  As we acquire more things, we move into larger homes to accommodate all of the stuff we have.  We buy bigger clothes, we get sick more easily, and we end up not knowing who we are anymore because we’re housing so much mental clutter – mindless information that isn’t getting us further ahead in life, that is keeping us from being as successful as we once saw ourselves to be.

STOP!!!  What is it you want?  What are you holding on to?  What have you lost because you couldn’t let go of other things/people/ideas/perceptions?  What are you ready to let go of?  What are you willing to gain because you realize it’s time to simplify things in your home, your body, your mind, and your relationships?  Are you ready to be successful in every sense of the word?

I can go on and on about this…but that would add more clutter to your mind, and to this post.

Stop making excuses, start clearing, start de-cluttering.  Empower yourself.  This is your life!  Take control today!

From "The Four Agreements", by don Miguel Ruiz

I love reading.  Wait, let me rephrase that.  I love reading things that help me to be a better person, while sharing information with others.  A favorite book that I have read over and over is The Four Agreements, by don Miguel Ruiz.  This is directed toward self-reflection, and when the information is actually remembered in everyday life, and taken to heart, it can be very valuable lessons…lessons that you actually take on as agreements to YOURSELF in your own life.  I will briefly summarize my understanding and perception of the agreements.

1.  Be impeccable with your word

• Speak with integrity
• Say only what you mean
• Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others
• Use your power of your word in the direction of truth and love

2. Don’t take anything personally

• Nothing others do is because of you
• What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream
• When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering

3.  Don’t make assumptions

• Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want
• Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama
• With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life

4.  Always do your best

• Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick
• Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret

They sound like such simple solutions.  Yet, how often do we find that we have communication problems?  How much drama is in our lives?  How many times do we cast self-judgment because we don’t find we are good enough?

I challenge you to find this book.  Read it, study it, and follow the agreements it sets forth.  Make an agreement to yourself to find a way to make things better.  Find a way to teach others around you that we can each have a better understanding of what’s going on inside of ourselves, should we agree to make those changes.  How long do you want to continue to struggle?  How long do you want to continue to keep things going the same way it’s been going?

Today is the day:  EMPOWER YOURSELF!!!

P.S.  I don’t get paid to promote this book, or this author.  I just feel that this needs to be shared, and I feel that people are getting ready for that understanding, getting ready to make these agreements with themselves, aware of the need for empowerment.

What is the meaning of “empower”?

According to dictionary.com:  em·pow·er [em-pou-er], verb (used with object)

1. to give power  or authority to; authorize, especially by legal or official means
2. to enable or permit

It sounds like it should be something we do on a daily basis.  Why is it, then, that it takes so much to empower ourselves?  What has gotten us so beaten down that it can be a struggle to get through the day?  I believe that so much of our current existence focuses on doing much more than we can handle, causing great overwhelm.  People get overwhelmed about making enough money, raising families, being somebody other than their true selves…which creates a vicious circle.

As I am learning more about how to empower myself, I teach that to others around me, and now am taking that to a global presence by sharing these insights with you as well.

Now what if we could do the same thing with parenting our children?  Wouldn’t it be great to be able to empower our children, and their children, and their children?

“If we parents accept that problems are an essential part of life’s challenges, rather than reacting to every problem as if something has gone wrong with universe that’s supposed to be perfect, we can demonstrate serenity and confidence in problem solving for our kids….By telling them that we know they have a problem and we know they can solve it, we can pass on a realistic attitude as well as empower our children with self-confidence and a sense of their own worth.” ~ Barbara Coloroso

As we are able to do this for ourselves, we can then share with other people.  It’s time to pay it forward…

Today is the Day: EMPOWER YOURSELF

“We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing & appreciating what we do have.”  – Frederick Keonig

An age old question has often been, “How do I get more?” Well, what exactly is it that you want? What do you currently have? How much do you appreciate how much you actually have?  What does that mean, exactly?

I have found, and learned to understand, that it is much easier to appreciate things in life when we start to see them as positive experiences. Maybe they didn’t start out that way, but if we are able to learn from these experiences and truly appreciate them, they become part of our lifetime of education.

This past year for Christmas, we decided to change things up. We felt that our kids didn’t appreciate what they already have…so none of us made wish lists, or want lists, but instead handmade gifts for each other. The experience was so much more humbling than it has been in the past. We all learned to appreciate the little things we know about each other that gave us the ability to create gifts tailored to each person. Was it difficult for the kids when their friends were talking about how much “stuff” they got? Absolutely. What our kids learned and did appreciate was the time we spent together as a family, the thought that was put in to each gift, and the ability to learn it didn’t matter how much money was spent. It still ended up being a great day, in fact, one of the best, most memorable Christmases to date.

As we learn to appreciate all of the wonderful things in our own lives, more will come to us in the way of thoughts…which we all know become things.

When are you going to be ready to make those changes? Change those thoughts?  Receive those things?

Today is the Day:  EMPOWER YOURSELF!!!