HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Cheers to a new year and 

another chance

for us to get it right!

Be safe, my friends.

xo, Connie

When you give to others, you give to yourself . . . .

When you love others, it is YOU who will have an amazing life. Give love to others through kindness, encouragement, support, gratitude, or any good feeling, and it comes back to you and multiplies itself, bringing love to every other area of your life, including your health, money, happiness, and career. Give negativity to others, through criticism, anger, impatience, or any bad feeling, and you will receive that negativity back - guaranteed! And as the negativity comes back, it multiplies itself, attracting more negativity, which effects the rest of your life.

Trying to change another person is not giving love! Thinking you know what is best for another person is not giving love! Thinking you are right and another person is wrong is not giving love! Criticizing, blaming, complaining, nagging, or finding fault with another person is not giving love! And get this!!!.....looking for the things you love in a relationship more than noticing the negative things, will appear as if something incredible has happened to the other person. . . . all because you chose to focus on their good. How great is THAT? You win! You now get to enjoy the positive about that person! Why would you choose anything different?


You can't receive anything in life unless you give it first! Whatever you give, you receive, so it's not about the other person at all:  it's all about you! 

You have to be happy to receive the happy versions of other people!

Partial text from the book

The Power

Photo by Nicole Hill Gerulat

Time to move on! . . . .

Happy Monday!  I don't know about you, but as much as I love Christmas, I always feel such a sense of freedom when it's over. I know it's because my mind is finally free to think about something else. In my house, I do it all when it comes to the tasks at hand during Christmas.  I lose myself in it. I decorate the tree, I do all the shopping, wrapping, candy making, decorating and menu planning. I'm not complaining.....I love it, and I'm blessed to have the time to do it. I make sure all my senses are immersed in the spirit of what needs to be done, and I do it.  So today, my mind is free! Do you feel that way too? Ahhhhh, feels good. Time to move on! First things first....saying good-bye to those few extra pounds that snuck up on me the last few weeks. And guess what? I'm not waiting until New Year's to start because quite frankly, January 1st is no more a chance to start over than it was 5 minutes ago! Are you starting to think about your New Year's goals? I'd love to hear what they are! 

Photo via Google Images

Merry Christmas!

Photo via Google Images

and it's Christmas Eve!

Wishing you the warmth of home,

and the love of family.

Merry Christmas everyone!

xo, 

Connie

Photo by Jodi Miller 

Medicine for the soul . . . .

"To promote the highest development of mind and soul, a sunny disposition is indispensable; the brighter, the happier, and the sweeter the disposition, the more easily and the more rapidly will any talent develop; and it is a literal truth that a sunny disposition is to the talents of the mind what a sunny day is to the flowers of the field."

-Christian D. Larson

Graphic by Pennywishes via etsy

Love yourself first . . . .

We are each responsible for our own life. No other person is or even can be. You might have experienced things that caused you to judge yourself unworthy, but it is important to know why and how you were programmed to feel the way you do so you can do the work of changing the program. That is one of the most important challenges of your life ...... to heal the wounds of your past so you don't continue to bleed. Until you do, you are literally dragging the weight of your past into your present. And that makes it nearly impossible to move forward.

If you're holding anyone else accountable for your happiness, you're wasting time. You must be fearless enough to give yourself the love you didn't receive. Begin noticing how every day brings a new opportunity for your growth. How buried disagreements with your mother show up in arguments with your spouse. How unconscious feelings of unworthiness appear in everything you do and don't do. All these experiences are your life's way of making itself whole ...... sometimes whispering, often screaming. Pay attention. Every choice gives you a chance to pave your own road. Keep moving. Full speed ahead.

From the book

What I Know for Sure

by

Oprah Winfrey

Photo via Google Images

Delivering holiday smiles . . . .

Yesterday, a friend shared a story with me about how she had received an anonymous gift, and what that felt like for her. It was a complete surprise to her, and the more we talked about how it came about, the more we felt inclined to pass it on. We realized how simple it would be to keep it going by passing that feeling on to someone else, and agreed to pay it forward. Later that same day, I met with another friend, shared the story with her, and she too wanted to be a part of the challenge.  And so it begins. We plan on delivering holiday smiles anonymously. Pass it on! Make a promise to yourself that you'll give something away (anonymously or not) without expecting ANYTHING in return.

I promise, the ultimate rewards are the warm feelings that come from the act of giving!

Happy Friday!

Have a great weekend !

Photo via Fossil

Graphic by HoneyBoo via etsy

Go out and give some today!

Walk your talk . . . .

Does what you do match up with what you say you believe? Do you believe in forgiveness, yet judge others harshly? Do you say you hate gossip, but rejoice when you hear of someone else's downfall? Are you intolerant of certain kinds of people, yet proud of your own moral superiority? There is an old quote by Dag Hammarskjold that reads "It is more important to understand the ground of your own behavior than to understand the motive of another." 

It is wise to know your own heart and be willing to face your own truths before you demand it of others. 

Photo by Rodney Smith

Gift idea . . . .

Happy Monday!

Make it a wonderful week!

For your viewing pleasure . . . .

Beauty comes from within,

but sometimes,

well, you just have to enjoy the view.

Happy Friday!

Wishing you a lovely weekend!

Photo by Joel Rhodin via Agent Bauer

Bring it on . . . .

If I had to select one quality, one personal characteristic that I regard as being most highly correlated with success, whatever the field, I would pick the trait of persistence. Determination. The will to endure to the end, to get knocked down seventy times and get up off the floor saying, "Here comes number seventy-one!"

-Richard M. Devos


Photo via Stylist REBECCA VAN REHN

Permission Granted . . . .

You have permission to be who you are. You have permission to love what you love. You have permission to be with the people you wish to be with and to do the things you want to do. You have permission to ask questions, to experience all the pains and pleasures of your life.

You have permission to listen to your body's needs and to meet those needs. You have permission to explore your inner heart. You do not have to separate yourself into airtight compartments labeled body, mind, soul, spirit. You have permission to be a whole person, not a fragmented collection of miscellaneous parts.

You do not have to twist yourself into a pretzel to become someone you are not. You don't have to squeeze yourself into a tight little box to fit someone else's expectations. The universe has given you permission to be yourself.

Breathe a sigh of relief. 

Allow growth and change to happen. 

You have spent too much time beating yourself up for the wrong reasons. 

It will be all right.
Permission is granted.

From the book 

The Art of Encouragement

by

Candy Paull

Photo by Joel Rhodin via Agent Bauer

Photo by Alexandra Grablewski

Happy Monday! . . . .

We have a choice! We get to choose to be happy, or to continue to blame the world for our misfortunes. Give it your best shot today. What do you have to lose?

People generally think that it is the world, the environment, external relationships, 
which stand in one's way, 
in the way of one's good fortune. . . . 
and at the bottom is always man himself 
that stands in his own way.

-Soren Kierkegaard


Graphic by HoneyBoo via etsy

The fire is the main comfort of the camp, whether in summer or winter, and is about as ample at one season as at another.  It is as well for cheerfulness as for warmth and dryness.  

-Henry David Thoreau

Happy Friday!

Cozy up and have a lovely weekend!

Words can destroy . . . .

Once you have spoken,

even the swiftest horse 

cannot retract your words.

-Chinese proverb

When speaking, speak with vision, clarity, and kindness. Be positive. Instead of concentrating on the problem, look for the solution. Focus on the good, the true, the beautiful. Look for possibilities and see the potential in each person, each situation. Focused for good, your positive energy has great power. Tell the truth. Say what you mean instead of making easy promises that mean nothing. Keep your word. Be kind and generous. Let your language be filled with loving words instead of critical judgement.

What we call each other

ultimately becomes what we think

of each other,

and it matters.

-Jeanne J. Kirkpatrick

Once again,....

From the book

the Art of Encouragement

by Candy Paull

Good book!!

Love in action . . . .

When we learn the art of encouragement, we learn to see the good in ourselves as well as in others. Before we can give to others, we must have something to give. Real encouragement that makes a lasting difference is visionary. It is the willingness to imagine a good fortune, the choice to believe in a better world. It is not critical, tearing people down and nitpicking at their faults, but instead valuing their uniqueness and seeing potential that they may not be able to see for themselves. Stop weighing and measuring others, looking for perfection. There is no such thing as perfection in people. Real encouragement sees us as we yearn to be seen. Yes, there are faults, problems, evil - but there is an original vision that our deepest hearts know is the true vision. Real encouragers are willing to be fools in the eyes of cynics because they have great vision, like Martin Luther King, Jr., who dared to say to a country, "I have a dream . . . " They dare to dream first, then find ways to make the dream come true. Yet they do not force their patterns or desires on others. When the world with all its pressures takes the heart out of us, we need to hear that someone cares for and believes in us - and we need to do the same for others.

Find a way to encourage someone today and act on it.

-Share a nurturing meal.

-Write cards and letters for no reason.

-When you are thinking of someone, pick up the phone and call.

-Say a few kind words.

-Say thank you.

-Say it with flowers.

-Take time to listen to a friend.

-Smile.

"We know God wipes away all tears, but it certainly feels good when He uses human hands."

-Mary Paulson-Lauda

From the book

the Art of Encouragement

by Candy Paull