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How Gratitude has changed me... again!

It has been four years since I watched "The Secret" for the first time.   Over the years I have read many books related to gratitude and the power of positive thought and energy.  I know to some it sounds ridiculous, a little to "New Age".  There is nothing new about it!

Native Americans, Buddhists, Ancient Europeans and many more have been practicing gratitude and giving back for thousands of years.  They have/had a connection with the Earth and life that seems to have been almost lost in these modern times.

My life has changed so much since I started doing daily gratitude, positive thoughts, goals, meditating (which I'm not fabulous at yet, but I'm trying!!).  I am not going to tell you I am magically calm because of these things, I'm not!  I am happier and more centered.  I'm even more of an optimist.  My anxiety has almost completely disappeared.   I need to interject I had anxiety so bad after my second child I would lose sleep imaging all the horrible things that could happen to my children.  It was awful!!!

I fell out of the gratitude every day habit.  I have restarted and it's been 17 days.  I am feeling better, I'm happier, I'm more motivated and more inspired.  It sounds so simple, how could that change me so much?  It's easy, your mind and thoughts are very powerful.  Once you train your brain to really be grateful and appreciate all the gifts, goodness and love in your life,  your outlook changes, which attract more gifts, goodness and love!!

I am not saying anxiety doesn't sneak in once in a while it does, but I know how to distract myself and focus on the good!

I know that you won't fully understand this until you try it for yourself.  So I am asking you do the following:

21 days of gratitude written down (or typed) 

2-5 minutes of positive thoughts in the morning.  I do this in the shower.  I repeat "Today will be a great day" eighteen times.  Then I pick one thing that I really need or want to get done that day and repeat " I will finish...." or "I will do...." or " Today... will happen!"

These are free, relatively easy and will start to make you feel better almost instantly!!  

Good luck and let me know how it goes!!  You have nothing to lose and everything to gain!!

Have a beautiful, creative and inspired day!
Amy

Staying on Task

I am adding this because I need it!! LOL.  I am sure you could use a new idea or two!! :)

I forget to do things all the time.  I have good intentions but well, I forget!

So I am going back to my note card system.  It's very simple!! (we are still using the mind map but this is more in your face)

Take 3x5 note cards and write your goals and "to dos" on them.  I tape them to my kitchen cabinet where I do all my cooking etc...

I find I forget less and it reminds me of what I still want to achieve.   HOWEVER!!! You must mix them up once a week or they just become part of the background and you forget they are there!!


So that's an easy one right?!  YOU CAN USE POST ITS TOO!!! THEY WORK GREAT!!

It's all about me baby!!

Good morning!!  Happy Wednesday.  

We have done nice things for our hubbies the last few days and I hope they appreciated it LOL!! :)  Today however it is all about US!!  

Here are your two assignments.  

#1. You need to take at least 15 min today to do something YOU love, read, write, scrapbook, rest, watch TV.... ANYTHING YOU LOVE for AT LEAST 15 minutes

#2.  I want you to take a few hours either this week or this weekend to get away from your kids.  I am going to get a pedicure this weekend! It is flip flop season and I haven't had one in YEARS!!!!  Before kids, it used to be one of my favorite treats every three weeks!! 

So that's it, as long as you have done your gratitude!  

You deserve this! You need this! You must do this!

P.S. If you are feeling up to it, please pick one more of your Goals and try to work on that today.  If not we will get back to that tomorrow!! :)

Making life a little less angry!!

Today started out a little rocky for me.  I'm super busy today and the house was a mess.  Someone is coming over tonight that I don't know that well.  That means I have to clean my butt off!! If I know you, it's different, you know I clean on a regular basis and it doesn't have to be spotless.  If I don't know you, well first impressions last!!

Needless to say when I have a lot of cleaning to do, I'm not the sweetest person.  Hubby and I got into an argument and it ended with both of us being mad.  Stupid fight over cleaning!  I need help and I didn't go about it the right way.

I know this is a common fight and that I'm not alone.  I just don't want to fight anymore, I want help and I don't want to have to scream like a Ban Sidhe to get it!

This has led me to wonder what can we work on today?  What are we doing in our own lives that is destructive to our own marriages or families and how can we turn them into a positive?

Please think of three of your biggest fights with your spouse or kids,

Write them down,

Next lets write things we think we can do to improve the situation (no forcing the other person to do as we want them to is not a solution).  How can we change or tweek what we say or do, so that it causes us, and the ones we love less stress?


I am going to do a mind map on this one too.  I find it is easier to brainstorm in a circular pattern rather than vertical! :)

That and gratitude is all I ask of you today!  Little steps to a happier you!!!

Pictures to follow later if I can get to it!! :) 

Great Deal for Mother's Day!!

This is a fabulous deal!! I use winkflash for my holiday cards.  They are nice and very quick!!   Click www.winkflash.com to go to their website!

Lets get this day rolling!

Assignment #1

GOALS FOR TODAY!

Lets start there.  Pick one that you really think you CAN complete!!  It can be on of the smaller off a major ray.  (see mindmap post if you are confused)

For example, I have added another one to my mind map!

Be financially sound:
Today I am switching to a cheaper package on my Direct TV and paying the extra money I save from that on my car payment to have it paid off by fall!!


Simple but will make a big impact later!!  We will save $342.00 a month once it's paid off.  That can go to the credit card bills to get them paid off even faster.

Assignment #2

Treating our spouses better!  

I know you are thinking "I'm nice to my spouse".  Well than this is going to be easy for you!! :)  

I want you to write a quick text, email or note to your spouse telling him/her three things that you love about them.  This needs to be about them, not really what they do for you!!

-So I did this,  I texted my DH what I loved about him... I didn't tell him why or warn him I just did it!   I just got three things he loves about me back.  They were really great things!  That make me feel good!  I hope that my three made him feel good too!!  It was a nice surprise to read three great things my DH loves about me!!  

I hope you did this one!  It's just a baby step to happiness.  Being kinder to our spouses and being grateful for who they are and why we married them is more important than what they didn't do right or what little annoying habits they have.   Being a child of divorce, (while I don't think divorced parents are doing a bad job at all) I think that if we can work on our marriages, make them stronger and even better,  we give our children a truly priceless gift! 

You can do this!! Now GOOOOOO!! 

Have a beautiful, creative and inspired day!