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Following the two worst things that have happened to me (the death of my son Robbie Kuripla in 1984, and my partner Rob Carr recently ending our 35-year relationship), positive affirmations helped me recover from my grief, accept the New Normal and move on. You’d smile at my apartment walls; they’re littered with affirming posters and reminders.

If affirmations aren’t part of your life I encourage you to embrace the practice so you can reprogram yourself and steel your resilience, trading the stress of self-sacrifice for self-support. Here are some guidelines:

1. Use positive words. Envision what you’re working toward; write a positive one-sentence statement that reflects how you want to feel and behave. Example: “I choose happiness.”

2. Use present tense. Write your affirmations as if they’ve already been accomplished. Example: “I accept reality as it is.” Future tense keeps you “in the future” while present tense influences your “now.”

3. Create positive images. Hold these pictures firmly in your mind; vividly imagine yourself engaging in the new behavior(s).

4. Write down your affirmations. Record them on your business card or small pieces of paper; carry them with you. Post them on your bathroom mirror, car dashboard, or walls. Make posters as I do (it’s fun) so you’re surrounded with attractive reminders.

5. Memorize and repeat. Read or recite your affirmations constantly. Visualize your images. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Say it, see it, and you will be it.

Affirmations work because your brain absorbs what you think, say, and even imagine, accepting everything you tell it as The Truth. An affirmation may sound like a lie but that’s only because you haven’t accomplished it yet. You will; be consistent, be patient. World class athletes and astronauts use this process to improve their performance; it’s called simulation.

If this idea is new to you, start small. Keep it private at first so no one discourages or teases you. As results unfold you’ll gain confidence. Affirmations and visualizations have not only helped me survive my two biggest traumas, they’ve empowered and enabled me to heal and grow, reclaim my life, recreate myself, and thrive (even flourish) once again.

Simple Action: If you need a mental kick start, a change of direction, or to recover from a hurt or trauma, begin affirming your life and yourself today. Reach for the stars and soar to new heights; you never know until you try.

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There are days we wake up bright eyed and bursting with positive energy but there are other times we’d rather just turn over and do a day of “sheet therapy.” Here are five ways to stay in love with your life and yourself.

1. Be Grateful. It’s easy to notice what’s wrong, broken, or boring, but instead, consciously focus on what’s right and what’s working. Each night, review the good things that happened that day and smile. On a small card, write down the 5 most important things in your life. Carry your Gratitude List with you at all times and if you have a “moment” haul out your card and read it for instant perspective.

2. Be Kind. Be nice to yourself and others. Say “please” and “thank you,” even to your family. Be patient with people who appear rushed or pressured. If you start feeling stressed, breathe in relaxation and send it out to the world with your exhale. Do one good deed every day. Things get better when you keep the “kind” in humankind.

3. If You Make a Change, Start Small. If you made such a lengthy list of New Years resolutions that you’ve already abandoned them, simplify the process. Don’t go for a miracle makeover, simply pick one behavior to work on for the rest of the year and keep at it. For once, time will be on your side. This “annual practice” has changed my life.

4. Fake it Till You Make It. You’ve heard this a gazillion times but it’s true. Want to be happier? Act happy! Use the body language of a happy person: smile more, laugh, be friendly. Your brain treats whatever you think or say as “the truth” and interprets your body language as “how you are.” Act “as if” and that’s what you’ll become.

5. Treat Yourself With Loving Kindness. Flight briefings remind us to put on our own oxygen masks before helping others if cabin pressure is lost during a flight; this is a good rule to generalize. Nurture, care for, and indulge yourself in healthy ways, especially during difficult times. Give yourself the gift of living each day as fully as you can, even if things suck because sometimes they will (I hope that made you smile).

Simple Action: Several times a day remind yourself that living and loving start on the inside and work their way to the outside. It all begins within, and why would you want to be without?

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Last year, my friend Janelle Barlow, author of “A Complaint is a Gift”, ended her e-mail with the words, “May your day sparkle.” I thought it was the coolest way of closing a note I’d ever seen. Months later, I still can’t get her words out of my mind. Aren’t we lucky when a friend sends us a message that sticks?

Even though my days weren’t so sparkly at the time (serious relationship issues had surfaced), I clung to Janelle’s words. They reminded me to look for the good even when things felt so bad, when I felt so bad.

Well, my days are getting brighter again, with moments of gleams and glimmer; the sparkle is coming back into my life. The season helps. Winter in Michigan brings mornings where ice on the trees turns the world into crystal, where falling snowflakes look like diamonds in the sunlight, and a blanket of white glistens in the angled rays of winter’s cold sun.

I found more helpful words last year: “Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand and melting like a snowflake.” ~Marie Beynon Ray. These words, capable of bringing tears to my eyes, are on my computer desktop and I read them every day.

If you’re going through tough times I encourage you to find the words and the people that will encourage you and bolster your spirit. I encourage you to rediscover the wise, knowing part of you; trust that it will tell you the truth, even if it hurts. These external and internal resources will help you revive your true self and renew your faith in who you are so you can rebuild your existence.

Life is dynamic, unpredictable, and filled with hills and valleys. The latter is where the truth and our life lessons lie. Helen Keller said, “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing,” and facing our “adventures” forces us to be in the moment. Living in the “now” keeps us from dreading the future or clinging to the past. It’s not easy but the present is the only place where we find the words, the sparkling insights that bring us courage, strength, and clarity.

Simple Action: If you have issues that have forced you into the shade, address them now so you can once again find the sparkle in your day, and in yourself.

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For many of us the new year rides in on a shiny, glimmering wave of hope and determination. In my last post I welcomed the new year (anew) and I’d like to take this theme out for one more spin before it goes back in the garage or wherever ideas go when we lay them to rest.

The word “anew” appeals to me, suggesting change, evolution, self-improvement. While a whole year, 365 days, may feel a bit daunting, we can bring it down to a manageable portion: think one day at a time, each day anew. Can you get your head around keeping a sparkle on each new day?

You can do this by shaking things up, revising your routine (perhaps radically), and finding new ways of doing old things. It doesn’t have to be huge. For example, try sleeping on the other side of the bed.

Rearrange the furniture. Try new restaurants, new cuisines, new recipes. Try doing everyday tasks with your non-dominant hand and see what happens. Sign up for a class: something you’ve never done before. Though I’m not a dancer I took up Zumba in November (very fun!) and discovered that my left foot takes longer to learn dance steps than my right. Who woulda thunk it?

‎”The best cure for a sluggish mind is to disturb its routine.” ~ William H. Danforth

Years ago, I started switching my turbo mouse from right hand to left to see if I could do it (I can). Last summer I was forced into playing disc golf left-handed, thanks to an injured right shoulder and the results are quite impressive. I now vacuum and occasionally brush my teeth with my left hand. The latter is still a challenge, but switching hands is good for the brain.

Back to disc golf for a moment: I took up the sport in 2005, despite my lack of coordination and infirmities. I totally sucked when I began, but I now play tournaments and hold a world distance record in my age category. So what’s the point? Shake yourself up. Try something new, unfamiliar, and maybe a bit intimidating. And stick to it for awhile, even if you suck.

Simple Action: If you feel wedged in by routine, free yourself. If you yearn for a change, do it and enjoy the results. Break the mold before you harden. Try something new—the sky’s the limit.

Source: WordPress

As 2010 rolls to a close, like an unhospitable guest or milk that’s spoiled, I’m happy to see it go. If I may be candid, 2010 was a rough ride. Like a turbulent, trouble-laden flight where you end up feeling frosted, accosted, and exhausted, that describes my year.

But like you, I am an ever-changing, continually evolving human being. Yes, I have my moments of regression, recalcitrance, and resistance. Yet somehow these times of truancy pass and I shrug off my petulance and plunge forward. These things are on my mind because I’m in the midst of my annual ritual of reviewing the old year and planning for the new.

My company logo is that of a butterfly because nothing else on earth experiences such a radical transformation. In transitioning from caterpillar to butterfly, there’s a period when these creatures are “nothing.” They’re a mash and mess of protoplasm that has no shape or form, yet bearing promise and potential as they shift into the next stage of their life cycle.

You’re no stranger to transitions; you’ve had times where you felt so mashed and messed up it felt as if you’d lost yourself. Things felt so bad you weren’t sure you’d ever recover but you did. You picked yourself up, absorbed the experience, learned your lessons, made new plans and promises, and got back on the path. Good for you!

Let’s face it. We are imperfect creatures trying to make our way in an imperfect world. We try to do our best but we screw up. We make mistakes. We get hurt, we hurt others and even ourselves from time to time. We sometimes find ourselves in the middle of a mess, yet at some point we hose ourselves down, forgive our transgressions (or transgressors) and move on.

I don’t make new year’s resolutions but I do create a theme for each year and there will be more on that in the near future. For now, I’m wiggling my way out of a mess, sorting through my lessons learned, and drying my wings so I can fly again. If you’ve had a tough year, I hope you’ll do the same. Indeed, there are kinder, gentler days ahead.

Simple Action: Renew you, from mess to mastery. Like the butterfly, you can reinvent yourself, transform hardship into happiness, and let your spirit once again soar as you shift into the next stage of your life cycle.

Source: WordPress