positivethinking

We all have bad days. We all struggle and have negative elements of our lives. In the Disney version of Chicken Little, many horrible things happen to him that could negatively impact his self esteem and his relationship with others, yet he has the mentality and quotes often, “Today is a new day.”

Having children, I often consume and reiterate the mottos of classic films that stick with me. I’m not immune to having compassion for and understanding, probably on a different level from my children, the struggles of these characters. For example, from Disney’s Finding Nemo, when things seem like there isn’t an end, I will start to chant the theme song from Dory, “Keep on swimming, keep on swimming, just keep on swimming.” My kids also think this is funny, so if they’re in a bad mood, this is something that can easily snap them back into perspective and start to look at a situation with more perspective.

The bottom line is this, we all have control over maintaining a positive attitude and looking for good things in life, even when times are difficult.

When I first was going through my divorce, I was so worried, consumed with feelings I’d never had before, and someone gave me the advice to take life in small segments, and as small as they needed to be from hours, to quarters, etc. This helped me understand that I still was learning new things, I was still gaining information about how to deal with my struggles and still believe that a contribution to my life was made through this challenging day. Now, this thought process wasn’t easy. I still had to choose it, but it can be done. And, using some Disney magic to get there didn’t hurt.

How do you maintain a positive attitude? What advice can you offer to friends and family to keep them mentally healthy?

“They cannot take away our self-respect if we do not give it to them. “
— Mahatma Gandhi

I really enjoyed reading this quote. In a social climate where finances are becoming more and more of an issue because there is less and less of it, or because what we do have needs to be spread further many of us have had to make concessions when it comes to belongings, purchases, etc which have a negative outflow on our lives. This discretion that we place has come to us at some cost. So, I love Ghandi’s quote dealing with self-respect.

With tangible items that we might have or want to have that can help make up our external impression to others lessening, we need to place more importance on other avenues of our lives, including our self-respect. Losing out on tangible items does also force us to wonder about what we might be missing out on, especially in such a tangible world. How do you keep your self-respect intact? How do you let the negative influence or spiral of society roll off your shoulders, or allow yourself to recoup some dignity and keep your self respect?

I have been through leaps and hurdles this past year, and I must say that I have been in low spots. I’ve been able to build my self-esteem, including my self-respect, and be in a place where I agree and can nod my head in acceptance of Ghandi’s quote.

Our freedom of choice, the relationships we build with others, and our identities can never be taken away from us - and we can let our self-respect reign. I’ve really climbed mountains through reading, meditation and prayer to get me through dark spots. I’m now ready to bounce and continue to let my own value be more important than other people’s opinion of me. How do you keep your self-respect?

Kind words do not cost much. Yet they accomplish much.
— Blaise Pascal

Think about how simple it is to hurt someone with our words. Even when we don’t intend to, we can often hurt someone with a simple statement that we didn’t even intend to do harm.

On the other side of the coin, we can also make someone else’s day by making a simple compliment, or smiling in their direction. We can show people that we empathize with them, and they feel such relief and contentment that they are not alone.

By giving to others in simple gestures, simple comments, we can make a difference in not only that person’s day, but in our own. How do you feel when you receive a compliment? Think that you can spread that same feeling to others. It’s really simple. We often get so caught up in our own agendas and worlds that we tune out other things that are clearly important and valuable. One of those is the relationships we can have with other people.

Are you maximizing your relationships?

If not, consider using your words differentinly to convey positive messages to those around you. Let me know how your day changed.

I love the simple moments when it almost seems like you’re stealing joy, and are able to just bask in some simple notion that either you witnessed, that someone did for you, or that you’ve done for someone else.

We all struggle with certain tasks, as well as children. I love when I can sneak and watch my children participating in something that they are excited about, maybe working on a skill that they are waiting to show me; or when a friend has prepared something special for you just to show you that they caree about you.

The feeling, the simple little moment, I consider finding hidden joy. It lets itself shine occassionally, usually when you least expect it, and it means the world.

Where do you find some hidden joy?

I find joy in reading for small pockets of the day, or making a child laugh. I steal joy when I open my bank account and see that there is more money than I expected, or that I am able to provide for my church with some additional time or resources. These are all joys that remind me how peaceful, joyful, and worthy life is.

I was watching an episode of the Veggie Tales about perserverance and how others model your behavior, when they believe that you can be a role model to them, specifically younger children. This really opened my eyes to the concept of out outsiders look to us as examples of perserverance.

I grew up in a family where every day life meant to perservere. There were struggles, but we dealt with them as a family. Our family is very strong now because of this, and we all work together to pick the other up in the event that we aren’t strong enough, feeling low, down and out, and just need some help to keep us going and perservere. Together, we are unified. I love the example of this story in the Veggie Tales because children can have an adequate understanding of what it means to perservere and to have determination to keep going.

I think it is a beautiful lesson, and one that we should consider if children can do it, that we as adults can surely also do this.

Be a role model for those around you, including children that perserverance exists and that love can shine through the difficult times.

I attended an incredible service on Sunday about relinquishing worry to our higher power. Because it was communion Sunday, we heard the sermon about worry, and how we can release these worries to God. We were all given index cards to then write down our worries and we had to give them up before we received communion. This was a very touching service for me. I was in tears by the end. The bible verse that went along with the lesson was from Matthew and it just made me see worrying from a completely new perspective.

Now, granted, everyone worries about something. But, we can choose to ask for assistance, to plan better, and in circumstances where we just don’t have any control over the situation, we can relinquish our worries. We can write down these prayers. We can medidate, or just ask God to take the burden of our worries away.

Since this sermon, I have to admit I have a lot less burden that I feel I am carrying on my shoulders. I feel lighter. I feel much more relaxed and ready to face the day, the next day, and beyond.

Relinquish your worries too.

“The future belongs to those who give the next generation reason for hope. “
— Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

I saw this quote and it gave me butterflies in my stomach. My hope is that I’m able to touch the lives of children, to provide them a place of nourshment, of spiritiual connection, and a place that they feel comfortable talking to God, as well as feeding off of the vibes of the church ministry.

I very much ope that I am a part of the group of people that give the next generation some hope. If hope is all I can help to achieve when passing along my special gifts to others, then that is what I can share. I believe that hope is an important gift. It is a gift that I can give to myself, and obviously one that I can share with others.

Hope is such a special word, and name, and feeling. I think it is an incredible journey to spread hope to others and to believe in the hope that you can share, as well as retain for your own self. I surely would love to know that the words I’m able to share in my blog provide some hope for others as well.

Blessings, and hope!

We often squelch our dreams, or make excuses about the cause-and-effect of a circumstance in our lives that forces us to push our dreams to the side.

There is an incredible scene of the live action Peter Pan that describes the father’s dreams being locked in the top dresser drawer of his dresser to make sure that his kids were well taken care of.

Does this have to be the case? I believe we are influenced positively by our dreams. Our dreams become attainable goals and this is where we find absolut peace in what it is that we do, what we become.

Dreams don’t have to be squelched. They perhaps might take longer to achieve, but they should never be pushed to the back, as though they didn’t exist, or treated as though they should be long forgotten.

Are dreams lie within us, yearning to reach oxygen, and they deserve to be brought to fruition. Do you have dreams hidden away? Write them down. This is the first step. Don’t hide these dreams anymore. Acknowledge them. Put a picture of your dream next to your nightstand. Make sure you revisit your dreams, and then picture yourself living your dream. Dreams are valuable and attainable resources in our lives. Go for it!