Forward Movement

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Please note:  I am in the process of changing the name of this blog to “Yes I Can Pep Talks”.  The change will take place on September 7, 2014.  Everything else will stay the same:  same content, same subject matter, same Pep Rallys and Pep Talks!  😀

 

 

Take steps forward—you can always do something.

Tiny steps.

Teensy bits of steps.

If you can’t actually move forward, then lean in the direction that you want to go. If you can’t lean, then look in the direction you want to go. If you can’t look, then think–or daydream–about the direction you want to go!

These are all increments of forward movement!!

Take them! Do it!! Being too busy and not having time is no excuse because you can always THINK about your dreams and where you want to go!!!!

 

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Your homework is to move forward toward your dreams. Whether you actually take steps or pieces of a step or if you lean toward or look at or think about your dreams, do it. Make that forward movement!!

You can do it!

I’m so proud of you!

Your Friend and Pep Pal,

Lauren

Change and Self Concept

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While it’s scary to make changes, sometimes it’s even scarier when the changes actually start happening and Life begins to improve.

Sometimes we are so invested in a certain “reality”, such as living hand-to-mouth or always struggling or settling for crumbs, that when conditions begin to change and improve, it can be very disconcerting.  It’s unfamiliar territory for us and we may automatically think that we’re headed for some sort of obliteration and death.

All this is, though, is just a red flag telling us that our self-concept needs updating.  Once we work on revising it, we realize we’ve stepped into MORE life, not less!

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Your homework today is to be aware of when you’re feeling uncomfortable. Can you trace it back to an outmoded idea of who you are and what you thought you deserved? Work on revising this to be more compatible with where you are now in your journey.

Some suggestions for updating and revising old self-concepts are:

~Mirror work: choosing your favorite Power Phrases and Pep Words and repeating those enthusiastically as you look at yourself in the mirror—of course with a big smile on your face!

~Celebrate yourself no matter how humble or small or slow the progress;

~Being mindful of the thoughts you are thinking and when you notice the old thought patterns have started up, immediately stop them and fill your mind with your favorite Pep Words and Power Phrases. Also, remind yourself of the achievements and progress you are making.

You can do it, I’m sure of it!

I’m so proud of you—you’re awesome!

Your Friend and Pep Pal,

Lauren

Review the Week

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Yesterday is but a dream,

Tomorrow is only a vision.

But today well lived makes

Every yesterday a dream of happiness,

And every tomorrow a vision of hope.

Look well, therefore, to this day.

~from the Sanskrit

 

Your homework today is to put the above quote into action by planning your upcoming week. Regular planning and doing your best to follow through on those plans will give you the confidence that things are working out for you—especially if your progress is slow.

When making your plans, look back over the week. Note the areas where you can improve such as in time management or breaking steps into small enough pieces so that you can easily and quickly do them. Brainstorm ideas of how you can do things differently so that you can effect a change in your life.

Then, make a promise to yourself that each day you will answer the question what can I do today to make it well lived? Then follow through on that.

You can do it!

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Finally, let’s celebrate the things you’ve crossed off your To Do list and the progress you’re making. It doesn’t matter how humble the things are or how modest the progress. The point is that you’re doing it! You’re moving forward toward your dreams!

Yay you!

I’m so proud of you!

Your Friend and Pep Pal,

Lauren

Affirmations

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The most effective affirmations are those that are believable. For instance, affirming that you live in a huge mansion when, in fact, you’re renting a studio apartment may be too much of a disparity for you to believe in and work toward.

It’s right to challenge yourself and encourage yourself to stretch and grow. However, if you perceive that there’s too much distance between your current reality and the future reality you’re affirming, then the affirmations will be counter-productive. You won’t feel energized and empowered by them; instead you’ll feel discouraged and helpless.

To make your affirmations more effective, break them into steps and pieces, just like you do with your goals and dreams. Make sure the steps-and-piece affirmations are believable and, even though they are a stretch for you, they are still ones that you know for sure you can accomplish.

For instance, going back to the example of an affirmation about the home you want to live in, instead of affirming that you live in a 20 room mansion—if you’re currently in a studio apartment—perhaps it’s more believable and, therefore, more energizing to affirm that your home is a warm and inviting two bedroom apartment.

Move step-by-step in your affirmations as you move step-by-step toward your dreams.

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Your homework for today is to look at the affirmations you are using. Re-do the ones that aren’t working by making them more believable and, therefore, more achievable. Break them into increments that make you excited, rather than overwhelmed, to work toward.

You can do it!

I’m proud of you!

Your Friend and Pep Pal,

Lauren

Small Beginnings, Small Things

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“Do not despise these small beginnings…”

~Zechariah 4:10 NLT (New Living Translation)

 

“Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.”

~Vincent van Gogh

 

When we’re working toward our dreams—or if we’re just starting out—we may think that we should be doing big projects, the high profile fancy stuff. Most of the time, though, we’re working on small things such as filing paperwork and other behind-the-scenes things that are mundane and dull.

Or we think we should be moving faster, making more progress. Instead we’re plodding along slower than a snail and it seems we need an electron microscope to see the progress!

While it’s great if we can do something big and flashy—it’ll certainly get people’s attention and maybe “prove” to “them” that we’re “doing it”—it’s the small things that will add up day after day and get us to where we want to go.

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Your homework today is to do the little things, take the small incremental bits of steps. Keep doing this and you will achieve your dreams.

You can do it!

I’m so proud of you!

Your Friend and Pep Pal,

Lauren

Done.

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“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.”

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

How many times do you keep going over the events of the day, particularly if they are annoyances, frustrations, and mistakes? While it’s good to evaluate the day and note areas of improvement, but it isn’t helpful to keep stewing and revisiting and wallowing in all the slights, irritations, and things that didn’t go right.

Leave what happened today in today, meaning don’t drag it with you into the night and then into the next day. At the time you did the best you could. That’s good enough. Let it go and move on.

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Your homework today is to let go of all the petty grievances of the day. Leave them in this day. Know that tomorrow is fresh and new and you can start it with a clean slate if you leave today’s events in today.

You can do it!

I’m proud of you!

Your Friend and Pep Pal,

Lauren

Pep Rally! You Are a Masterpiece!

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Here are a few Power Phrases to get your day off to a good start:

YOU matter and so do your dreams!

You are a masterpiece!

You are one of a kind!

You were lovingly and perfectly created for victory in your life!

You have what it takes!

You are fully equipped to live a fantastic life!

You have all you need inside you to flourish and thrive in your life!

You have the latent energy inside you to sustain you as you power to the life of your dreams!

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Your homework today is to throw your shoulders back and stand up straight and tall. Put a smile on your face and take the next step toward your dreams!

You can do it, I am absolutely convinced that you can!

I’m so proud of you!

Your Friend and Pep Pal,

Lauren

Perfect Day for Being Happy

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Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.

~Ann Frank, Holocaust victim

 

The wonderful thing that Ann Frank said with this quote is that we don’t have to travel the world to find beauty and happiness; we don’t have to be a certain type of person or have achieved particular things. We don’t have to know “the right people” and be doing the “right things” and be living in the “right place” or be in the “right time”; there is beauty all around us right where we are here and now.

Here are a few things that might help you notice things in your own life to be happy about:

 

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You can be happy because you can think any thoughts you want to, which means you can choose to be happy by choosing to dwell on uplifting, positive, and happy thoughts;

 

 

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You can be happy because there are sparkles of beauty in your every day life;

 

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You can be happy because there are other people in the world and the totally cool thing is that some of them think like you do and value the same things you do. If they aren’t in your life right now then you can be happy because you can seek them out!

 

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You can be happy because there’s a lot of funny, silly, and goofy stuff in the world that will make you laugh—thank you Google and YouTube! 😀

 

 

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You can be happy because there are many heart-warming acts going on in the world every moment of every day. Get involved in your community or church to participate in them!

 

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You can be happy that you have free sources of entertainment, enlightenment, inspiration, and education–your local public library!  😀

 

 

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Your homework today is to turn your thoughts and focus to that which makes you feel good, touches your heart, and makes you smile.

You can do it!

I’m so proud of you!

Your Friend and Pep Pal,

Lauren

 

A Quick Pick-Me-Up

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Are you feeling down in the dumps, perhaps a little discouraged? Are you feeling a little disappointed with your progress and where you think you “should be” at this stage of your life?

Here’s a quick pick-me-up:

STOP CONSTANTLY CHECKING FACEBOOK AND OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA OUTLETS!

Stop comparing yourself to others; stop comparing yourself to some random measure that’s based on “you should” or “you ought to” or “you’d better”!

Most of all, stop comparing yourself to some unrealistic version of yourself that is not based on the true you—the one that is authentic to the Still Small Voice and the urgings of your heart and soul!

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Your homework is to TURN OFF FACEBOOK AND OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS!

People often find themselves in a blue funk after spending time on the different social media outlets. Their friends—and everyone else in the world, for that matter—seem to be living a far more exciting, fun, and successful life than they are.

The truth is that people are posting only the highly edited, cleaned-up versions of what’s actually going on in their lives.

STOP PAYING SO MUCH ATTENTION TO WHAT OTHERS CLAIM THEY ARE DOING!

Focus on yourself and your dreams. Get busy with taking the next step on your path!

You can do it!

I’m so proud of you!

Your Friend and Pep Pal,

Lauren

Time is Passing!

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During the winter my kitchen is filled with rainbows that arrive each morning and last through the early afternoon. I love their colorful streaks on my walls and ceiling.  At the height of winter, the rainbows spill out into my living room and entryway transforming the areas into a wonderland. It’s effervescently magical and one of the bright spots in the cold winter months.

When I see the rainbows coming from the crystals hanging in my kitchen window, I’m grateful to my friend who gave the crystals to me one Christmas several years ago.

The photograph above is one I took this morning and it shows the first rainbows of the season. It reminds me that the sun is shifting toward its winter home—time’s a-passin’!

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Your homework is to note where you are on the path to your dreams. Are you on track with where you thought you’d be? If you’re lagging, what can you do to step up the pace? If you’re right on track, are there a few extra steps you can do to put yourself on the side of the angels?

And, as always,s let’s celebrate the steps we have taken and the projects we have crossed off our list. Let’s remember to pat ourselves on the back for job well done.

You done good! I knew you could do it!

I’m proud of you!

Your Friend and Pep Pal,

Lauren