Monday Mantra

I think I might start a new blog fad for myself…introducing Monday Mantra! I’m feeling that some positive affirmations are needed to get the week going in the right direction. Think positive, be positive, have a positive attitude.

Are you one who dreads a Monday, or loves it?

Monday signals the start of a new week. Monday signals the start of new beginnings, new opportunities, new chances to live. We need to see each day as a reminder of how amazing life is and how lucky we are to be alive facing a new week. You can embrace the many opportunities that each day brings. Each day is a chance to improve your life or the life of another.

Think back on today and determine the good things you did to make your day special and how may you have affected that of another. Do you wish you could or would have done some things differently? Well don’t worry, there is tomorrow and another chance to make the day what you want; To live in the moment and be present. Express gratitude for the day. Be aware of the beauty of nature that surrounds you, and enjoy the sounds that sing to you. The smallest things can make a great day. Those great days make the worst days feel a million miles away. Be you, be happy.

Hope you had a wonderful Monday!

Sunday Thought

I came across this quote from Elizabeth Gilbert, and wanted to share it. Attitude is everything. The choices you make direct that attitude. It affects how we react to the world, and how the world reacts to us. Wake everyday with a positive attitude and even if the day doesn’t go as planned, look and find what was good and hold onto that. Of course in the moment that may not be as easy as it sounds. That is where mindfulness will come into play. I have been trying as much as possible to stop and breathe before reacting. It changes everything. That impulsive reaction can be harmful sometimes. Be in the moment and you can make the moment yours, you can own the moment.

I have spent the morning cleaning, and getting ready for the coming week. The kids have been in the kitchen practicing their recipes for the upcoming cooking contest, and they made a mess! They made a mess of my freshly cleaned kitchen! I had a few ways to react. The impulsive reaction could have been to be upset, to dread that I would have to clean it again. The result of that reaction would not be good. The kids would feel shame. They would get discouraged and not want to try again. They would see me as uptight and no fun. That reaction wold dampen everyone’s mood for the rest of the day, negatively.

Here is where being mindful kicks in. Stop. Take a deep breath (if you have to). My immediate impulse was to practice my golden rule; treat others as I would want to be treated. The instinctive positive reaction…to give praise for their hard work and their dedication to practice their kitchen skills. I let them know that I anxiously await a sample of the quiche and oatmeal pancakes. That reaction was a catalyst for them to be excited, proud, and encouraged. They were aware of the mess they made, but that mess was necessary to get the end result. Foods not good if can’t make a mess, right? They smiled, saw the result of their hard work, offered me samples, acknowledged their messes and offered to help clean the kitchen again. This needs to be the impulsive reaction they see and feel.

Attitude Is Everything

ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING

Attitude is the way you think. Your attitude is something other people can actually see. They can hear it in your voice, see it in the way you move, feel it when they are with you. Your attitude expresses itself in everything you do, all the time, wherever you are.

Positive attitudes always invite positive results. Negative attitudes always invite negative results.

Attitude makes a difference every hour, every day, in everything that you do for your entire life. What you get out of each thing you do will equal the attitude you have when you do it.

Anything you do with a positive attitude will work for you. Anything that you do with a negative attitude will work against you.

If you have a positive attitude, you are looking for ways to solve the problems that you can solve, and you are letting go of the things over which you have no control.

You can develop a positive attitude by emphasizing the good, by being tough minded, and refusing defeat.

Keep Your Thoughts Positive

KEEP YOUR THOUGHTS POSITIVE

BECAUSE YOUR THOUGHTS BECOME

YOUR WORDS.

KEEP YOUR WORDS POSITIVE

BECAUSE YOUR WORDS BECOME

YOUR BEHAVIOR.

KEEP YOUR BEHAVIOR POSITIVE

BECAUSE YOUR BEHAVIOR BECOMES

YOUR HABITS.

KEEP YOUR HABITS POSITIVE

BECAUSE YOUR HABITS BECOME

YOUR VALUES.

KEEP YOUR VALUES POSITIVE

BECAUSE YOUR VALUES BECOME

YOUR DESTINY.

MAHATMA GANDHI