Seven Day Mental Diet Challenge Day Two

For your inspiration!

Some of you may have noticed that I didn't update last night. That would be because my Internet Service Provider was down due to thunder storms in the area. Did I let that throw me into a tailspin of negative thinking? Almost, but I caught myself in time, grabbed a good book and headed out in my garden to read.

You've probably noticed I spend a lot of time in my garden. There is a good reason for that. Being close to nature brings out positive thoughts. Just breathing in the scents and taking in the sights lifts me up and brings me peace. When negative moods strike, you'll find me seeking solace in my garden.

Day two was a bit more difficult than day one. Not because I was less prepared, but mostly because mother nature decided to turn up the heat in my neck of the woods. You see, normally I don't do well in the heat, and I was going to tell you point blank that "I don't do well in the heat." But I caught myself, again and changed it to normally. Why? Because it is just another example of negative self-talk that prevents me from reaching my goals.

Yesterday, I found myself resisting the urge to make negative comments, that I might have classified as being honest before I started the 7 day mental challenge. Nothing big or earth shattering, but still they were there and normally I would have verbalized them.

By the end of Day Two, I was feeling pretty good about myself. I hope you've found success and are feeling good about yourself, too.




  

Seven Day Mental Diet Challenge Day One Update

It may be a bit premature to celebrate a successful day one of the Seven Day Mental Diet Challenge, but I'm feeling really good about what I have accomplished today. It's not like it was one of those picture perfect days where I had nothing to do except watch old movies and drink cold drinks in front of the fan. It was an ordinary day, filled with ordinary chores and your typical ordinary mishaps. The exciting part is that I handled them all with a positive frame of mind and didn't let them ruin my day.

When thoughts of my daughter going off to college in the fall whispered quietly in my ear of how much I'd miss her, I turned them around. I thought of how much fun she will have and how I will have more time for writing when the nest is empty. I thought of sleeping in, of staying up late and reading or writing till the wee hours of dawn. I thought of how strong we would both grow in the coming years. I thought of all the good things about to happen in both our lives. I focused on the positive.

When the nozzle came off the hose and I tried to put it back on -- with the hose turned on -- I laughed at getting wet instead of calling myself stupid.

At the end of the day, when some chores were left undone, I simply made a note to do them tomorrow and resisted the urge to lecture myself for what I hadn't done.

And now, I sit in my garden, listening to the wind in the trees and the random call of a bird not yet asleep and I breathe in clean fresh air. My daisies dance in the breeze, the horizon fades slowly to yellow then white as it bids the sun goodnight and the wind chimes sing a lullaby to the world. Soft patches of blue peek through the clouds and I know that my day has been well spent.

Today, I am grateful for the wondrous world about me teeming with life. I am grateful for dragon flies that swoop gracefully through the air. I am grateful for the wind that cools the day, for a clothesline to dry my clothes and for stars. 

I am grateful for family that makes me strong, for  friends who share a laugh, and for strangers that cross my path. 

And, I am grateful for you, dear reader, as you stop to share my day. May you find success in the Seven Day Mental Diet as you go forward in the direction of your dreams.

Seven Day Mental Diet Challenge Day One

Day one

For those who are joining us late, I've moved the Challenge information to its own page Seven Day Mental Diet Challenge. You can find details of the challenge and tips for success there.

So, the journey to seven consecutive days of positive thinking has begun. Nature, it seems, has joined in the challenge. The brilliant sun arose to a deep blue sky and I swear the grass is glistening a new shade of green. I am so excited to begin this journey, partially because I know that it will bring about positive changes in my thinking and in my life, but that's not the only reason. I'm excited because YOU have decided to join me. Together, we can make dramatic changes and lead more fulfilling lives.

For this morning, it seems fitting that I  leave you with the words of  Romans 12:2 "...be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind..."  for surely, that is what we are about to do.

"It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see." -- HENRY DAVID THOREAU

Beautiful Woman or Old Hag? 

Just as the eye can be fooled into seeing what it expects or wants to see, our mind attempts to interpret stimuli in a way that makes sense to our world. Sometimes, this means misinterpreting events and situations to make them fit with our expectations. If we see the world through a negative lens, this mean interpreting life events to support our already negative mindset. But, when we develop a positive frame of mind and approach life from the positive, everything changes. Suddenly, the world is a very different place that lives up to our positive expectations.

Develop the art of viewing the world through a positive lens, today. When things go wrong, and they sometimes will, resist the urge to assume the worst and quiet the inner voice that tells you all is lost. Look for the positive and keep stumbling blocks in perspective.

Today, I am grateful for summer, for growing vegetables, clear blue skies and puffy white clouds. I am grateful for the silverly sunrise and the golden rays of sunset. I am grateful for flowers in bloom, hummingbirds in flight and the promise of the moon.

I am grateful for abundant work that allows me to brighten the days of others, for a clear sound mind and light fingers that dance across the keyboard. I am grateful for opportunities that come my way, for my daughter's smooth transition to college and for the opportunities that come her way.

I am grateful for family and friends that enrich my world. For a husband who supports my work and a son who works hard to reach his goals. 

 And, I am grateful for you, dear reader, as you stop to share my day. May you cultivate the habit of viewing the world through a positive lens, today, as you go forward in the direction of your dreams.

Your imagination is your preview of life's coming attractions. Albert Einstein

Sometimes, we get so busy with the little details of our lives that we forget to dream. We become trapped in the here and now and overlook the fact that there is more than the moment to consider. When we forget to dream, when we forget that there is a world beyond our limited view, we still the power within ourselves to go beyond.

Take the time to dream, today. Refine your goals and begin the journey of working steadfastly to achieve them. Renew the mind by casting away your defeating thoughts today and filling it with positive and uplifting thoughts.

Still the voice that tells you you are not good enough, or smart enough or good looking enough to achieve your goals. You are. You always have been.

Today, I am grateful for sunny skies and singing birds. I am grateful for flowers, butterflies and trees. I am grateful for the gentle sound of the wind in as it flutters the leaves, for hummingbird that flashes in the sun and for fluffy white clouds against a rich blue sky.


I am grateful for family and friends who share the moments of my life, for neighbors and for community. I am grateful for wind chimes that bring music to the soul.


And, I am grateful for you, dear reader, as you stop and share my day. May you cultivate a spirit of imagination as you go forward in the direction of your dreams.

"As a man thinketh in his heart so is he..." (Proverbs 23:7).

Many of us are accustomed to going through life without concern for our thinking. We mistakenly assume that life happens to us and that we have little control over our circumstances. Yet, the Bible tells us that " as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he ..."   How much more then are we capable of simply by focusing our thoughts in the direction we want to go?

Cultivate the habit of believing in yourself and your ability to achieve the seemingly impossible, today. Cast away doubt and fear that you may reach your potential and bring your dreams and goals to pass.

Today I am grateful for the robin that sings outside my window exhorting me to wake up and live another day. I am grateful for the sun as it peaks from behind the clouds, for lilacs about to bloom and for butterflies that float from flower to flower.


I am grateful for the gently flowing of woodland streams, for ferns that adorn the forest floor and moss that is soft and cool beneath my feet. I am grateful for the white trillium, big purple violets ad dogwood that bring beauty to the world. I am grateful for flowers, for grass and for leaves.


I am grateful for family that brings me great joy, for neighbors who are eager to lend a helping hand and for strangers that share a willing smile.


And, I am grateful for you, dear reader, as you stop to share my day. May you cast away fear and doubt and cultivate the habit of believing in yourself today, as you go forward in the direction of your dreams.

We tend to get what we expect. Norman Vincent Peale

The simple truth that our expectations set the stage for what we receive may seem too simple, too easy or too fundamental for us to believe. Many of us have been raised to think that we are but mere puppets in the game of life and that life happens to us. That simply isn't true. Our attitude towards life, the expectation with which we greet the day and our belief in something outside of ourselves makes things happen.

Greet the day with joy and expectation today that your life may be filled with abundance and peace of mind. Cultivate your dreams today that you may reach above a mundane existence and overcome obstacles in your way.

So often we greet the day with an attitude of defeat and fear, never giving thought to the power within us all to overcome and to live joyous lives. I challenge you today to lift up your thoughts, refine your dreams and expect the best to come your way.

Today, I am grateful for the generosity of others, for warm smiles and light hearts. I am grateful for helping hands that reach out to the lives of others. I am grateful for Norma Vincent Peale who has touched my heart with his wise words first in The Power of Positive Thinking and now The Amazing Results of Positive Thinking. 


I am grateful for the mighty Universe filled with beauty from the tiny flower to the vastness of space. I am grateful for sunny days, for starry skies and for summer. I am grateful for water that flows in tiny streams and mighty rivers and brings life to the earth.


I am grateful to meet the day with hope and expectation of all good things that shall come to pass, for family that shares my life and neighbors who amaze me with their generosity. I am grateful for babies that bring new life into the homes of proud parents, for pets that comfort the sad or lonely and for music that soothes the soul.


And, I am grateful for you, dear reader, as you stop to share my day. May you meet the day with expectation of the good things to come as you go forward in the direction of your dreams.