Most of us don’t realize how many negative thoughts we have throughout the day. Whether it’s a negative or judgemental thought we send toward another or an attack that we launch on ourselves, negative thinking is something that can easily overpower our thoughts and our lives. To solve this problem, start paying attention to all the times that you are negative throughout the day.

• When you think about your future, are your thoughts optimistic or defeating?
• Are you telling yourself that it’s silly to follow a dream?
• Are you spending too much time worrying about all the things that could go wrong?
• When you look in the mirror, are your thoughts kind or unkind? (see below for a powerful daily Mirror Exercise to help shift this)

Instead of focusing on what’s wrong, focus on what’s right. When an obstacle arises, remind
yourself that you’re a good problem solver, and take some time to amp yourself up with all the
ways you can handle a tough situation to build up your confidence. 

My teacher and mentor, Jack Canfield,  teaches the concept of the inverse paranoid. He says, "I consider myself to be an inverse paranoid. I always operate as if everything is part of a universal plot to enhance my well-being."

When I first became aware of the power of my thinking, I read a book by Mendi Audlin. When I find myself worrying about a situation and how it's going to play out, I always go back to one of the key questions in her book. "What if it all goes right?" to help me get back to focusing on the positive.

Even when life is challenging, I've shifted to a place of looking for the positive in whatever experience I'm having. I ask myself two questions:

1) What if it's all perfect just the way it is?
2) What opportunity is there in this for me to learn and grow?

These questions got me through the death of my Mom, the death of my younger brother, my Dad's health challenges, the loss of two significant relationships in my life all within the course of one year. The experiences were rich and the growth for all involved was profound; and perfect for preparing me for my next steps in life.

It's certainly okay to fully feel our emotions. In fact, stuffing them down will only cause more problems in the long run. And it's also important to notice that we can experience immense joy and immense pain in and around the same time.

Like a magnet, your attitudes, thoughts, expectations, and beliefs attract everything and
everyone that enters into our lives. It is our thinking that is behind it all, thus reviewing a bit of information that psychologists have learned about our brains is time well spent.

Science suggests that 5-15% of brain activity is conscious and that 85-95% is subconscious. The conscious mind is responsible for logic and reasoning. It controls the actions you do intentionally. It is the first interface to the outer world. It takes in information at a very rapid rate and filters out the necessary ones transferring them to the subconscious mind for later use.  

But that is just the tip of the iceberg. It's what's happening beneath the waterline that is most important when we talk about manifesting, the power of our thoughts and creating the life we want.

The subconscious mind handles all of our basic physical functions (heart, lungs, digestion, etc.) to keep us alive. The subconscious also stores and organizes memories and emotions. It stays alert and does it's best to keep us safe. It has been suggested that the subconscious has recorded our experiences, memories and emotions of childhood up through the age of seven, similar to an operating system that runs our computers. This subconscious programming designed to protect us however it doesn't always serve us well in our intentional efforts to create the life we want.

If, in our conscious world, we come across anything that looks like a past experience, our subconscious programming, or operating system, kicks in automatically and guides the actions we take consciously with the primary goal of keeping us safe. Unfortunately, this may not always be ideal because it may be operating based on patterns and beliefs created in childhood. This may explain emotional triggers; experiences in present moment that get interpreted by the subconscious as threatening and thus elicit fear in our conscious experience and drive reactive responses in our adult life.

Have you ever, or have you ever witnessed anyone, react to a situation that was over the top with respect to the reality of the situation? If so, an old subconscious program is likely the cause.

The truth is, we are born with only two fears: 1) the fear of falling and 2) the fear of loud noises. Clearly, as adults, we can admit that we have developed additional fears over the course of our lifetime. Herein lies our power. If we choose to dig a little deeper and reprogram our subconscious brain, we can break old patterns and affect our outcomes at the conscious level. To manifest a life full of positive experiences, we must change your thoughts by allowing subconscious patterns to emerge and addressing them in the conscious. It's hard work, it takes practice, and it takes patience! But nothing worth doing in life is easy.

Meditation is one way to do this. There are many different ways to meditate, and it's up to each of us to find the method that works best for your needs. However, I’ll provide you the basics of how meditation works and affects our minds.

Meditation is about creating some space in your daily routine to get quiet and train your mind to listen to itself without judgment. By observing your feelings, you’ll start understanding your thought patterns better to gain a healthy sense of perspective, which in turn will make you more able to be present and fully engaged in day to day life.

This can be a simple as taking a few minutes to allow yourself to focus on your breath and simply observe your thoughts as they pass through ... similar to being on a boat and watching the water slip by without following it. Or being present in nature. Or it can be as complicated as listening to a guided meditation, creating an intentional meditation space and ritual in your home or going to a meditation retreat.

For me, I have found that sitting up in bed for an extra 15 minutes focused on my breathing and feeling the purring of my cat curled up next to me is a wonderful way to meditate.

The alternative to being mindful is allowing small annoyances to pile up and collect, going unaddressed, in the back of your mind. When negative thoughts pile up, it’s easy to get distracted throughout the day thinking about them, and it’s also easy to lash out at others because you’re distracted by the negative thought loop.

The other thing to consider is something Abraham Hicks teaches and that is the concept of momentum. Momentum is simply movement in a direction. Abraham says that momentum can be created in as little as seventeen seconds. For me, the momentum I choose to create during my morning ritual makes a huge difference in my day. If I wake up to a blaring alarm, my heart beats faster and I feel a sense of anxiety as I quickly reach out to hit the snooze button. For me, that creates momentum in the direction of stress.

If I choose to wake up to peaceful music, that also creates momentum in a much calmer and more peaceful direction.

If I then choose to jump out of bed, look at my massive to do list and get right on with my day, that creates momentum in the direction of stress. But if I choose to enjoy my first cup of coffee in my favorite sitting spot noticing the wonders of nature with my cat purring next to me, that creates even more momentum in the direction of calm and peace, which continues to reinforce the direction of my day. 

So, in your journey toward manifesting a better future, think of meditation as a tool that you can
use as a thought processor. Dr. Deborah Sandella, founder of the RIM Institute, has created some  wonderful and free guided meditations that I encourage you to check out here.

​“All that we are is a result of what we have thought” - Buddha

​If you're looking to shift your thoughts and explore limiting beliefs around money, consider playing the Prosperity Game! Learn more here: https://trishajacobson.synduit.com/CL0011

​Images affect our brain differently than words because visuals are more rudimentary than language, words and grammar. This is why the use of images or vision boards can be so helpful for manifesting positive thoughts and a more abundant future.

If you take time to compile a visual collection of things that you want to achieve and things that inspire you and make you happy, you’re actually creating a positive space that trains your brain to focus on goals and successes. On this vision board, you’ll want to include things that inspire and motivate you. Keep in mind that the purpose of your vision board is to bring everything on it to life.

To get started, think about what your goals are in the following areas: relationships, career and finances, home, travel, personal growth (including spirituality, social life, education), and health. You might want to create one single vision board or several with different themes. Either way, make sure to put them in places where they'll be seen often, like your bedroom or office.

Remember, if you picture the life you want, that life will begin manifesting around you.

​“See the things that you want as already yours. Know that they will come to you at need. Then let them come. Don’t fret and worry about them. Don’t think about your lack of them. Think of them as yours, as belonging to you, as already in your possession.” - Robert Collier

To further enhance the power of your visualization, take a minute to look at the image, close your eyes and allow yourself to feel the feelings as you would feel them just after whatever you are manifesting had already come to fruition.

When manifesting, vision boards are the punctuation of your thoughts. Feelings are the exclamation point of manifesting!

Vision Board Parties and Retreats are a fun way to gather with friends and family for an evening or a couple of days for a powerful activity to begin turning your dreams into your reality. To learn more about booking your group for a party or retreat at Ripple on Silver Lake email us at rippleonsilverlake@gmail.com.

If you're looking to shift your thoughts and explore limiting beliefs around money, consider playing the Prosperity Game! Learn more here: https://trishajacobson.synduit.com/CL0011

Even if you consider yourself a generally positive person, it’s likely that you still have many negative thoughts. We all do. It’s easier for the brain to remember the negative ideas, thoughts, and memories because they tend to affect us more emotionally. With a little bit of training, you can shift the way that your mind processes the world around you and change the trajectory of your future.

Your mind is more pliable than you think. Take a moment to think back to the last bad day you had. What caused it? Did a coworker say something negative? Did a partner not react to something the way you wanted them to? It all comes down to a single thought or action being replayed in your mind, creating a story in your head and leading to your bad day.

Now consider what would have happened if you had the ability to brush off your negative reaction and push aside the interaction to carry on with your day more positively. Once you flood your mind with a specific thought, you’ll begin naturally attracting things that align with that thought. So make it positive!

I invite you to pay pay attention to your thoughts and the words you speak out loud. 

For the first few days, simply track your negative statements with a simple hash mark on a piece of paper, a small notebook, or a sticky note on the refrigerator, or your phone. You might be surprised at the number of negative statements you make. Negative statements include blaming, complaining, judging, criticizing.

You may choose to engage the help of a partner, spouse or coworker in this activity with the goal of simply raising your awareness of how often you have negative thoughts.

Then, for the next few days balance your negative statements with positive statements. For every negative statement, you owe a positive statement. Or simply practice reframing the negative statement into a positive statement. 

If you choose to do it on your own, you can raise your awareness of negative statements by simply putting an elastic band on your wrist and switching hands each time you make a negative statement. This helps to bring unconscious negativity to the conscious. Once it's in the conscious, it's much easier to change and expand positivity, which is really important when manifesting the good things in life. 

Thoughts become things ... so think the good ones!

“You create your own universe as you go along.” -Winston Churchill 

This is an aerial view of the neighborhood surrounding my property I fondly call Ripple on Silver Lake (bottom right of the photo). Ripple is tucked back along the 90 degree span of Forrest Brook which runs from Silver Lake, goes under the Village Road bridge where the property line begins and takes a sharp turn (bottom and middle of the photo) along my back yard.

The property overlooks the Forrester farm, Mount Chocorua and some of the most spectacular sunsets in the Mount Washington Valley. As I look from this perspective, I see the White Mountain National Forest heading all the way north towards Mount Washington. I even see King Pine Ski Area (where I spend the better part of my winters) begging to be noticed on the upper right of the photo.

I find myself looking for a couple of the schools that I teach in, the village of Eaton where I go to pick up my mail and meet friends for breakfast and then up to Conway to buy groceries. But the view is too far away to see the details of those places.

Below are pictures of a close up of the house and Forrest Brook that runs along the back of the property. I love the details of the close up pictures. I can also see the spots on the lawn that need some TLC and the paint chipping in certain parts of the house.

I love how the aerial view helps me put things into a larger perspective.  Stepping out and away from the details and looking out over the big picture gives me a better sense of how my property fits into the larger landscape around me.

This also gives me an analogy for life.

I recently experience the culmination of what I am experiencing as years of pent up emotion coming to the surface to be expressed so it can be released. It was an up close and personal experience that involved conflict, hurtful patterns, unfortunate choices and a need for transformation.

In response to a breakdown in communication, I felt anger rising up inside of me out of nowhere. I can't remember the last time I felt such anger. I've read somewhere that anger might suggest an underlying fear. Based on my experience, I'd have to agree, but I still haven't sorted out the specifics of the fear. I reacted. I spoke in a harsh tone. I gave an ultimatum. And then I retreated. Physically. Emotionally. Inside the house looking over my limited view of my living room. Not even looking outside.

I allowed myself to feel all the feelings. Hurt, betrayed, let down, disappointed.. And more anger. The depth of my feelings surprised me, as did how long they lasted. I allowed myself to feel them fully and for as long as they stayed present in my mind and body. I set some boundaries around my time and space so I could allow myself to fully experience them. It felt important. And I stayed inside with my limited view and allowed myself time to process what had happened and how I was feeling about it.

Similar to the pictures below, I was close up. I noticed every detail. Every nook and cranny. Chipped paint, that imperfect spot on the otherwise beautiful lawn, the way the light and the sky reflected on the water, the many different shades of green, all the windows and doors leading inside and outside. And the dirt and dusty that clouded my vision.

In time, I allowed myself to go beyond the dust and dirt and go inside and go deeper and get a broader perspective. The feelings merged with the experiences that led up to the moment and I began to sift through it all. I stepped back and saw the bigger picture. And as I stepped back even more, I got a broader perspective. Just like the aerial view.

Now, as I look from the aerial view, I get a look at how it is all connected. I can no longer see the places where the imperfections lie. I no longer feel the triggers. Instead I see a beautiful interwoven tapestry. A vast perspective of the bigger picture and the beauty and perfection of it all. My emotions have shifted from anger, hurt and disappointment to calm acceptance, compassion and appreciation for the ability to step back and take in the big picture and put it all into some sort of perspective in the larger Universal order of things and frame it with gratitude and forgiveness.

There is a sense of sadness that comes along with stepping back and taking in this new perspective. A sense of distance and disconnect. There is no going back. Things will never again be what they were now that I see them from this new perspective. But in that space, there is room for expansion and growth and even wider perspectives.

And so, the question that begs to be asked is this, "What if it's all perfect just the way it is?" The paint chips, the dirty windows, that bare spot in the lawn, the emotions, the anger, the personalities, the judgment, the boundaries, the opportunity to reflect on the light and the sky as it dances on water, the choice to step back and reflect on the bigger picture and the more foundational feelings of anger and disappointment and fear as well as unconditional love, compassion, gratitude and forgiveness.

I've discovered that there is value in being immersed in the close up view and feeling the full emotions of that experience ... AND there is value in taking a step back and further back and further back again; making a choice to see things from the bigger picture aerial view to see how it's all connected. To get a glimpse of the beautiful tapestry that is being woven to connect us across time and space and perspective that we simply can't see when we're up close and in the middle of it all.

The anger still surges once in awhile. The hurt still hurts every so often. And fear sometimes pops up in places that surprise me. But when I'm able to step back and see it from a larger perspective, it is, indeed, perfect just the way it is. And if I practice acceptance and gratitude and allow things to unfold in their own time, for the greater good of all, I get to behold the tapestry that is being woven in and around all of us and connecting us to our growth, our learning and some sense of a power that goes way beyond us.

When I first moved into my house, I kayaked along the back of the property along Forrest Brook to explore what went beyond my view. What I found was something along the lines of that wonderful row boat scene in the Notebook when Noah and Ally discover a hidden gem complete with overhanging trees, a multitude of birds and a sense of peace and oneness with nature.

That's what I found beyond my view. along Forrest Brook. The tress. The birds. A sense of peace and oneness. But when I looked a little closer, I discovered all sorts of magical things. I saw fairies peeking out from unexpected places, tiny cairns and rock formations placed with care, for all to enjoy. I saw unexpected glittery surprises and  treasures hidden beneath the water. I saw a gnome nestled into the crook of a branch and another in hidden in the grass along the shore. Some things were easily reached with my hand or my paddle. Others were out of reach and carefully placed for maximum enjoyment.

I live in a small town and everyone seems to know everything about what's going on. I asked around and was told that it's a mystery that's been happening for years. Apparently someone or a team of someones have been leaving treasure on Forrest Brook for years. It's something the locals love to paddle to and see what new treasures have been placed there. Some describe tokens they took years ago and still have in their possession today. Some describe visiting on occasion just to see what's been added. Others love when kids visit them on the lake and they can bring them to discover the Forrest Brook treasures.

This morning over coffee, I think I saw the maker of the magic kayaking by quietly with another kayak in tow. It was empty. Perhaps transport for the treasures that had just placed. I got goosebumps and just watched them go by. I'll never tell.

How fun to be in on this simple secret that brings so much joy, delight and a little bit of magic to so many and for so long! Thank you, whoever you are, who passed by silently as I carried my coffee out to the deck early this morning. Thank you for the reminder that it really is about the simple things that bring us joy.

​May the joy you bring to so many others return to you on this beautiful day. 

Even if you consider yourself a generally positive person, it’s likely that you still have many negative thoughts. We all do. It’s easier for the brain to remember the negative ideas, thoughts, and memories because they tend to affect us more emotionally. With a little bit of training, you can shift the way that your mind processes the world around you and change the trajectory of your future. Your mind is more pliable than you think.

Take a moment to think back to the last bad day you had. What caused it? Did a coworker say something negative? Did a partner not react to something the way you wanted them to? It often all comes down to a single thought or action being replayed in your mind, creating a story and leading to your bad day.

Now consider what would have happened if you had the ability to brush off your negative reaction and not give it any power by creating a story to go along with it. What if you could push aside the interaction and carry on with your day more positively. Once you flood your mind with a specific thought, you’ll begin naturally attracting things that align with that thought. So make it positive! Thoughts become things ... so think the good ones!
​
“You create your own universe as you go along.” -Winston Churchill

To dig deeper consider ioining me for my live class Manifesting Magic with the Law of Attraction. Space is limited so click here.

If you're coming from far away, keep in mind that I have a couple of overnight rooms at Ripple on Silver Lake and classes are FREE with your room!

Check out the rooms here: 
​https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/25404315 or  https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/36265003

I am an early riser. I woke up this morning with no urgent plan and the need to reflect, to integrate, to snuggle with my cat  Leah, and meditate as she purrs, and to just be before I get on with my day. Today I'm simply integrating the Ripple on Silver Lake Open House experience of this past weekend. 

After a wild year of illness, loss and grief along with countless miracles that allowed me the honor of purchasing this property, the Ripple has begun.

It was a wonderful weekend. It was energetically spectacular. The right people showed up at exactly the right time to give me a chance to connect with each person. We talked about upcoming programs, room setups for events they were considering holding at Ripple, lodging rates for my overnight rooms, my background and my coaching and training experience and how I see the Ripple community expanding as my vision continues to flow, evolve and expand.

Visitors shared their ideas for programs and their suggestions about people I should contact to further expand the beautiful energy field that is being created. People gathered in the living room the dining room, the kitchen, the porches and enjoyed refreshment and heart centered conversation. 

It was a beautiful sunny day with a wonderful breeze which enhanced the space with plenty of natural light and caused the sheer curtains to billow in breeze.

Energetically spectacular.

I spent a lot of time simply observing the energy, the flow, the responses as people wandered throughout the indoor and outdoor spaces. I watched the interactions, the new  connections being formed and previously made connections being realized or revitalized. I listened to the conversations which continued to reveal unknown connections.

In the barn across the mirror behind the bar, beautifully scrolled in metal art cursive is the word "Gather". It was one of the first pieces I bought for the space over a year ago after my brother painted and upgraded the lighting. The curtains came next. Simple sheers to bring the outside in. "Create an energetically appealing space for people to gather and the magic will unfold," I told myself. My version of "if you build it, they will come", I suppose.

And that is exactly what happened. They came. They commented on how wonderful the energy of the space was. And the magic unfolded.

It was an extra special treat to have three former owners visit ... each sharing stories about what the house was like when they lived there and some of the memories they had created. The house, built in 1903, has certainly experienced transformation and has been the source of memories for so many. It was amazing to listen to their stories and memories and feel even more connections to my own.

And now it's time to create more. More memories. More experiences. More transformation. More magic.

Today I plan to rest some. Then there are follow up calls and emails. A couple of appointments with people who are interested in the venue for their own events. And then a bit more preparation for our fundraiser yard sale this Saturday that will help support the Ripple on Silver Lake scholarship fund to support members of the local community who may not otherwise be able to attend our workshops. 

I named the center Ripple on Silver Lake after my Mom. But I informally call it The House That Jack Built after my teacher, mentor and coach, Jack Canfield, the Chicken Soup for the Soul guy and the leader of Breakthrough to Success where I first met Jack and connected to his work. He taught me about the Law of Attraction and coached me through the principles of success that have helped clarify my goals and turn my vision into a reality. I am so looking forward to sharing my story while teaching others to do the same at my Manifesting Magic with the Law of Attraction class coming up on July 14th. I hope you are able to join us! And I still have a couple of overnight rooms available!

This morning I had a vision of the house being used by Jack's community of coaches and trainers. It was the set of a TV edutainment reality series, The House That Jack Built, in which they bring their clients and share their transformation using the principles that Jack taught us. Perhaps Jack will really come here someday to see what he helped me create. I might just reach out to my Canfield family to see if there is any interest in putting together a series like this. After all, we all know how powerful this work is through the work we do with our students and clients and each other ... and this is a wonderful place for the Canfield family to gather!

In the meantime, the vision keeps unfolding, the energy is soothing and the possibilities are inspiring. ​

​I am an early riser. I woke up this morning with no urgent plan and the need to reflect, to integrate, to snuggle with my cat  Leah, and meditate as she purrs, and to just be before I get on with my day. Today I'm simply integrating the Ripple on Silver Lake Open House experience of this past weekend. 

After a wild year of illness, loss and grief along with countless miracles that allowed me the honor of purchasing this property, the Ripple has begun.

It was a wonderful weekend. It was energetically spectacular. The right people showed up at exactly the right time to give me a chance to connect with each person. We talked about upcoming programs, room setups for events they were considering holding at Ripple, lodging rates for my overnight rooms, my background and my coaching and training experience and how I see the Ripple community expanding as my vision continues to flow, evolve and expand.

Visitors shared their ideas for programs and their suggestions about people I should contact to further expand the beautiful energy field that is being created. People gathered in the living room the dining room, the kitchen, the porches and enjoyed refreshment and heart centered conversation. 

It was a beautiful sunny day with a wonderful breeze which enhanced the space with plenty of natural light and caused the sheer curtains to billow in breeze.

Energetically spectacular.

I spent a lot of time simply observing the energy, the flow, the responses as people wandered throughout the indoor and outdoor spaces. I watched the interactions, the new  connections being formed and previously made connections being realized or revitalized. I listened to the conversations which continued to reveal unknown connections.

In the barn across the mirror behind the bar, beautifully scrolled in metal art cursive is the word "Gather". It was one of the first pieces I bought for the space over a year ago after my brother painted and upgraded the lighting. The curtains came next. Simple sheers to bring the outside in. "Create an energetically appealing space for people to gather and the magic will unfold," I told myself. My version of "if you build it, they will come", I suppose.

And that is exactly what happened. They came. They commented on how wonderful the energy of the space was. And the magic unfolded.

It was an extra special treat to have three former owners visit ... each sharing stories about what the house was like when they lived there and some of the memories they had created. The house, built in 1903, has certainly experienced transformation and has been the source of memories for so many. It was amazing to listen to their stories and memories and feel even more connections to my own.

And now it's time to create more. More memories. More experiences. More transformation. More magic.

Today I plan to rest some. Then there are follow up calls and emails. A couple of appointments with people who are interested in the venue for their own events. And then a bit more preparation for our fundraiser yard sale this Saturday that will help support the Ripple on Silver Lake scholarship fund to support members of the local community who may not otherwise be able to attend our workshops. 

I named the center Ripple on Silver Lake after my Mom. But I informally call it The House That Jack Built after my teacher, mentor and coach, Jack Canfield, the Chicken Soup for the Soul guy and the leader of Breakthrough to Success where I first met Jack and connected to his work. He taught me about the Law of Attraction and coached me through the principles of success that have helped clarify my goals and turn my vision into a reality. I am so looking forward to sharing my story while teaching others to do the same at my Manifesting Magic with the Law of Attraction class coming up on July 14th. I hope you are able to join us! And I still have a couple of overnight rooms available!

This morning I had a vision of the house being used by Jack's community of coaches and trainers. It was the set of a TV edutainment reality series, The House That Jack Built, in which they bring their clients and share their transformation using the principles that Jack taught us. Perhaps Jack will really come here someday to see what he helped me create. I might just reach out to my Canfield family to see if there is any interest in putting together a series like this. After all, we all know how powerful this work is through the work we do with our students and clients and each other ... and this is a wonderful place for the Canfield family to gather!

In the meantime, the vision keeps unfolding, the energy is soothing and the possibilities are inspiring. 

I just returned from California where I was leading Jack Canfield's Success Principles Train the Trainer assisting team. As he was signing books for participants, we chatted about what was new and good. He asked me about my new retreat center, Ripple on Silver Lake. Apparently his wife Inga saw something I posted on Facebook about manifesting the property and brought it to Jack's attention. I fondly call the property "The House that Jack Built" because I manifested it using the principles he taught me. He asked me to write the story of how I manifested the property for a book he's working on.

Last night a conversation with a friend about shifting perspective reminded me of how inherent the manifesting process has become for me and how much I have learned about creating my best life over the past nine years. Lately I've been feeling inspired to share the process with others and clearly the Universe is supporting this!

This morning, as I reflect on my week in the training room with Jack and settle in to write the story of how I manifested this property, Facebook memories pops up with a notification from a year ago reminding me of the very foundation of manifesting magic. I think it's time to start sharing! For my first blog post, I'd like to talk about a simple three letter word that plays a huge role in the process of manifesting amazing things.

Joy.

Consider completing this assignment to increase joy in your life today: 

1) Brainstorm a list of 25 things that bring you joy.

2) Pick one of those things and do it right now! Yes! Right now.

Keep it simple. Very simple. For me, this morning it is simply reaching out to pet my cat. She purrs in response. While I write this Leah settles in alongside me for a nap, still purring. And my heart beats happy.

I punctuate the joy I'm feeling by looking up and taking a moment to simply look out the window. Spring is springing in New Hampshire and just seeing the color of the buds about to burst amplifies the joy I feel from my cat purring. 

Two minutes of joy. Actually two minutes and two seconds, for as I look out at the buds, a bird flies from the tree and out of sight. And Leah settles in beside me, still purring.

Now is the perfect time to take another minute to close my eyes and visualize what I'd like to manifest ...
​

Jim Rohn says, “You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself.”

Are you happy with your life? Your work? Your relationships? Your financial situation? Your living environment? Most of us have some things about our life that we’re not happy with. Often we fall into the trap of blaming external causes for why we’re not happy and successful.

I am surrounded by adults who aren’t satisfied with their jobs while blaming the economy for forcing them to stay, or their bosses for their work environment when, in fact, they are choosing to stay and aren’t doing anything to either make their work environment more pleasant or shift their perspective.

Many people I know aren’t happy in their relationships, yet they would rather blame their partners for their unhappiness then take action to change what needs to be changed.

I work with teenagers around pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease (STD) prevention, substance use and academic success. When getting the news of an unintended pregnancy or STD, teens have blamed the condom company for making a cheap product or their partner for not using condoms. One teen even blamed her situation on her parents, stating that they wouldn’t let her go on birth control so that’s why she got pregnant.
 
I once had a student tell me it was my fault he couldn’t graduate despite the fact that he chose to reject every opportunity I gave him to make up his assignments and missed classes.

Jack Canfield, author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul Series and The Success Principles, refers to blaming and complaining as “having a reference point of something we prefer that we are not willing to risk creating”. He goes on to suggest we consider the following formula:

E + R = O

E stands for all the “Events” in our lives.
R stands for our “Responses” to those events.
O stands for the “ Outcomes” we experience.

Jack teaches that the outcomes we are experiencing in our lives are the result of our responses to the events that are occurring. He further suggests that we don’t have control over the circumstances and events that show up in our lives, nor can we control the behavior of the people in our lives. For example, we can’t control our bosses, our spouses, and the economy. 

However, we do have control over responses. The thoughts we think, the choices we make and the actions we take in response to the events. In fact, our “R’s” are really the only thing we can control. And so by changing our responses to the events that happen in our lives we can create better outcomes.

So let’s be honest, taking a full 100% responsibility for everything in our lives can be difficult and feel overwhelming, especially to start. So how about taking 5% more responsibility to start?

Activity
Get pen and paper or power up your laptop and complete each of the following statements:

“If I were to take 5% more responsibility for my life and well-being, I would …”
“If I were to take 5% more responsibility for living my passion, I would … “
“If I were to take 5% more responsibility for the attainment of my goals, I would …”
“If I would take 5% more responsibility for the success of my relationships, I would …”
​
If you really want to make lasting changes, improve your self-esteem, and increase success in your life, take it one step further than this activity and consider joining my Take Back Control of Your Life 14 Day Challenge. It's a simple, powerful and FREE way to get started on your way to creating the outcomes you want in your life. The 14 Day Challenge takes place in a private Facebook group. I promise it will be worth the little bit of time and effort you put into it and you'll be pleased with the results that you'll see as you begin to remove some of the blocks that have been standing in your way of success, happiness and fulfillment.

Sign up here to get your name added to our email list and you'll be notified of our next 14 Day Challenge.
​