Battle with self...

There are some people who always seem angry and continuously look for conflict. Walk away; the battle they are fighting isn’t with you, it is with themselves.

- Unknown

Accorinding to my favourite therapist, negativity and anger (jealousy and envy as well?) come from a place of hurt. If we can find the root issue(s), we may find a new lease on life. It takes energy to be pissed off all the time. Just sayin’ ;) Hugs.

Blessings,

Chatgirl

Daily routine...

You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.

- Unknown

I have found this to be true. As they say about weight loss, we have to make a lifestyle change. It might only take a small change too. Got nothing to lose. Just sayin’ :) Hugs.

Blessings,

Chatgirl

The next 24 hours...

Don’t think about what can happen in a month. Don’t think about what can happen in a year. Just focus on the 24 hours in front of you and do what you can to get closer to where you want to be.

- Unknown

That’s what Ekhart Tolle says in The Power of Now. Our minds take management, that’s for sure. There seems to be a survival instinct that has us scanning through all of our worries and concerns, rather than focusing on the exciting miracles that could happen. It’s pretty frustrating actually. I think it takes much discipline and blind faith to focus on our wants and needs. Just sayin’ :) Hugs.

Blessings,

Chatgirl

Know yourself?...

26 Questions to Help you Know Yourself Better

1. What are my strengths
2. What are my short-term goals and long-term goals?
3. Who matters most to me?
4. What am I ashamed of?
5. What do I like to do for fun?
6. What new activities am I interested in or willing to try?
7. What am I worried about?
8. What are my values? What do I believe in?
9. If I could have one wish, it would be_____?
10. Where do I feel safest?
12. If I wasn’t afraid, I would_______.
13. What is my proudest accomplishment?
14. What is my biggest failure?
15. Am I a night owl or an early bird?
16. What do I like about my job? What do I dislike?
17. What does my inner critic tell me?
18. What do I do to show myself compassion and self-care?
19. Am I an extrovert or an introvert?
20. What am I passionate about?
21. What is my happiest memory?
22. What do my dreams tell me?
23. What is my favourite book? Movie? Band? Food? Color? Animal?
24. What am I grateful for?
25. Whe I’m feeling down, I like to_____.
26. I know I’m stressed when I______.

- Compliments of PsychCentral

Gets a person thinking, doesn’t it. Just sayin ;) Hugs.

Blessings,

Chatgirl

Empowering ourselves...

Almost every successful person begins with two beliefs: the future can be better than the present, and I have the power to make it so.

- Unknown

There is much consensus on this with helping professionals and happy/accomplished/noteworthy individuals. Just sayin’ :) Hugs. xo

Blessings,

Chatgirl

Better this time...

Don’t be afraid to start over. It’s a chance to build something better this time.

- Unknown

I’ve had to start over... It’s daunting at first. It feels like failure. Then something new happens and you can end up feeling really smart and more capable in the end. Go figure. Just sayin’ :) Hugs.

Blessings,

Chatgirl

Perfection or paralysis?...

Understanding the difference between healthy striving and perfectionism is critical to laying down the shield and picking up your life. Research shows that perfectionism hampers success. In fact, it’s often the path to depression, anxiety, addiction, and life paralysis.

- Unknown

In a different context, I remember Steve Jobs speaking about technology as an ongoing work-in-progress. He said if you wait until everything is “perfect” and “complete” to launch, you’ll never launch your product. Mental note (because I have a tendency toward anal and OCD in the kitchen and around the house, for a start). Just sayin’ :) Hugs.

Blessings,

Chatgirl

Blind Faith...

Faith is a place of mystery, where we find the courage to believe in what we cannot see and the strength to let go of our fear or uncertainty.

- Unknown

We have to talk ourselves down from the ledge at times, don’t we. Maybe too often? ;) Hopefully it gets easier with practice! Just sayin’ :) Hugs.

Blessings,

Chatgirl

Much needed break...

I need a break from my own thoughts.

- Unknown

I guess this is what yoga, meditation, nature, a good nap, etc. are all about. We’re so plugged in with our devices and constant engagement, it’s no wonder we’re pooped. Just sayin’ :) Hugs.

Blessings,

Chatgirl

How we feel... (all of us)

My role in society, or any artist or poet’s role, is to try and express what we all feel. Not to tell people how to feel. Not as a preacher, not as a leader, but as a reflection of us all.

- John Lennon

Wow, profound. So humble, deep and beautifully loving toward our fellow man... all of us. What a refreshing message, given today’s whacky politics and scary lines being drawn. Just sayin’ :) Hugs.

Blessings,

Chatgirl

Off balance...

If another can easily anger you, it is because you are off balance with yourself.

- Unknown

Hey, in a perfect world, we’d never lose our temper, Lol ;) My favourite therapist says that we can address past traumas and learn to better manage our emotions and reactions, but some things we just have to accept. We cannot change who our parents are, or what sort of upbringing we’ve had. All we can do is our best with what we’ve been given. Just sayin’ :) Hugs.

Blessings,

Chatgirl

Saying no...

Saying yes to happiness means learning to say no to things and people that stress you out.

- Unknown

This one is harder than one might imagine, especially when it comes to family. My favourite therapist says we should NOT do things out of duty and obligation unless we make that choice willingly and happily. Sometimes it feels better to take one for the team, but we can’t abandon ourselves in the service of others. Just sayin’ :) Hugs.

Blessings,

Chatgirl

Bridging goals and results...

Discipline is the bridge between goals and results.

- Unknown

No question, accomplishments take work. How do we stay motivated though? Speed bumps inevitably hit and we’re only human after all ;) Maybe if we expect and allow for moments of weakness and procrastination, we can forgive ourselves. Sometimes the break gives a new lease. Just sayin’ :) Hugs.

Blessings,

Chatgirl

It matters...

It hurst because it matters.

- John Green (Author, producer, actor, editor. Green won the Printz Award for his debut novel, Looking for Alaska, and his sixth novel The Fault in Our Stars debuted at number one on The New York Times Best Seller list).

My favourite therapist says to pay close attention to our responses and what we feel, particularly in our bodies. He says to mine those emotions for information and then decide if something needs to be done/changed/accepted? Just sayin’ :) Hugs.

Blessings,

Chatgirl

Trust in oneself...

A bird sitting on a tree is never afraid of the branch breaking, because her trust is not on the branch but on it’s own wings. Always believe in yourself.

- Unknown

What brings us strength? Just sayin’ :) Hugs.

Blessings,

Chatgirl

Never lose...

I never lose. I either win or learn.

- Nelson Mandela

I love that sentiment. Lets us off the hook in some way doesn’t it? Just sayin’ ;)

Blessings,

Chatgirl

How we react...

Attitude

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a school... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our ATTITUDES.

- Charles Swindoll (Christian Pastor, educator and author of more than 70 books. Swindoll founded the Insight For Living ministry and radio program, which airs on more than 2,000 Christian and non-Christain stations around the world in 15 different languages. Christianity Today produced an article naming Swindoll as one of the top 25 most influential preachers of the past 50 years (1956-2006). Swindoll is the recipient of numerous awards and has a Doctor of Laws and Doctor of Divinity).

Absolulely. There’s one thing though... we all have old wounds and skeletons and if they’re not looked at, we may not have the editing control that we might like. My favourite therapist says that our “old stuff” can really run the show if we don’t go back and deal with it. Just sayin’ :) Hugs.

Blessings,

Chatgirl

To love...

To love is to recognize yourself in another.

- Eckhart Tolle

I think it takes work to stop our internal judgments (of others and ourselves). My favourite therapist says we all have an ego and that ego can be a bit of a shit. Just sayin’ :) Hugs.

Blessings,

Chatgirl

Confidence...

Confidence is silent.
Insecurities are loud.

- Unknown

I guess if we feel good about ourselves, we have a nicer approach to the world? Just sayin’ :) Hugs.

Blessings,

Chatgirl

Do what you can...

Do what you can with what you have where you are.

- Theodore Roosevelt

As Ekhart Tolle says in A New Earth, “do not resist.” He says we cause ourselves a great deal of pain by denying what is or what was. He says we need to accept where we’re at and then make some decisions and possibly take action? This of course takes a great deal of courage and strength. Just sayin’ :) Hugs.

Blessings,

Chatgirl

Shifting our energy...

Gratitude will shift your energy.

- Unknown

I have found this to be very true. Fear and doubt can be hugely crippling. Many wise people say to try and flip over to love and gratitude instead and ease the mind out of worry. There's blind trust involved, but with practice it seems to get easier. Just sayin' :) Hugs.

Blessings,

Chatgirl

We mature...

We mature with the damage, not with the years.

- Unknown

Have I ever found this to be true. A lot of silver lining has come with the toughest times, though, so no complaints. Just sayin' :) Hugs.

Blessings,

Chatgirl

Confidence how-to...

"To gain anything, you must practice

If you want confidence then you will have to work for confidence. Journal everything you do that helps you become a better you and keep yourself accountable.

There are three pillars of confidence:
Mental confidence - inner voice, mental toughness
Physical confidence - health and fitness
Spiritual confidence - hope, belief and meaning"

- generationpioneer.com/how-to-be-confident

We learn a lot from formalized education; elementary school, high school, college/university, trades, technical or art schools etc.. Our parents also arm us with as much guidance as they are capable of. It doesn't seem to be enough though, does it? Who teaches us about the intricacies of a great relationship? Who teaches us how to be resilient, disciplined, motivated, inspired, passionate, engaged? Some of these things fall back on us unfortunately. Just sayin' :) Hugs.

Blessings,

Chatgirl

Things to quit...

5 Things to quit right now:

1. Trying to please everyone.
2. Fearing change.
3. Living in the past.
4. Putting yourself down.
5. Overthinking.

- Unknown

Such a good reminder. Maybe if we cut ourselves extra slack, we'll have more energy, capacity and courage. Who knows where it might lead. Just sayin' ;) Hugs.

Blessings,

Chatgirl

Power over your mind...

You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.

- Marcus Aurelius

This is the concensus among many wise and accomplished people. Just sayin' :) Hugs. xo

Blessings,

Chatgirl