.......pass it on.

Children want limits . . . .

"You don't have to be the world's strongest man 

to earn the respect of a child or a teenager, 

but you have to be strong enough 

to stand your ground against an onslaught of resistance."

-S. Truett Cathy

Children all around us are growing up without strong positive guidance from their parents, who are busy, distracted, absent, or choose to be buddies instead of parents to their children. You see them in your neighborhood, your classroom, your troop, your team, or your family.

These children cannot build themselves into responsible adults. They cannot teach themselves respect, trust, generosity, or common sense. They need for you to teach them. They need for you to reach out to them in love - to love them into a sense of belonging. They need for you to be available to talk - to be a friend. They need your firm instruction. They need honest encouragement and to be reminded of their strengths and opportunities. 

How many families have you seen that are ruled by the child? By age five, some children already dictate to their parents what they will do. They know their parents would rather give in to their demands than deal with a tantrum. I've seen dozens of children through the years who never understood respect for authority. Their parents rarely enforced discipline at home until the children were completely out of control. Their inconsistent message only amplified the problem. Be so consistent with your discipline that you're boring! 

"Children want limits,

and they want to be able

to respect the adults

who set those limits."

From the book

It's Better To Build Boys Than Mend Men

-by S. Truett Cathy

What is it about New Year's resolutions that cause people to discard them so quickly? Is it because they feel it's just another promise they make to themselves that they know will be broken by the time March rolls around? It's so self-defeating to think of them that way! I came across a quote recently that said, "A New Year's resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other." Oh my goodness, that is SO true for SO many. I've already noticed that the gym isn't quite as busy as it was on January 2nd! But it doesn't have to be that way! I have a sign that I keep in my sight that says, "Do something today that your future self will thank you for." I love that! That is such a huge motivator for me because I KNOW that "that future" will be here before I know it! You have to at least BEGIN to do something differently if you want change in your life. How can your life be better a year from now if you don't even get started? Doing nothing is the easy route. Do you come home tired every night and end up on the sofa? Don't do that! Starting today, don't do that! As someone who exercises a minimum of 5 days a week, I too am often tired when I begin my workout, but I promise, it doesn't take long before I am feeling so much better, completely energized, and mentally stimulated. Require more of yourself! This much I know.......nobody's going to do it for you. Be accountable for the decisions you make every day. Dr. Phil McGraw says....."Starting now, begin each and every day of your life with the question: 'What can I do today to make my life better?' Ask it, answer it, and then do it, every day."

If you continue to do what you've always done,

you will continue to have what you've always had.

If you do different,

you will have different.

Happy Friday!

Have an awesome weekend! 

I believe in you . . . .

Those 4 words are such a gift! It is the best way to let someone know you're pulling for them, you're proud of them, and you believe in them! It is a treasured expression of faith and confidence in the human spirit. Spoken softly and sincerely from the heart, those four words or their equivalent have probably sparked more dreams, ideas, and discoveries......awakened more artists, inventors, and leaders.....united more friends, families, and colleagues....and inspired more companies, communities, and countries than any others. Each of us knows how it feels to dream and to doubt.  Stephen Crane once wrote, "Our doubts are our prison guards." What a gift to be able to release someone from the confines of doubt, and to give them hope! 


Someone saw something in you once. Whoever it was had the wisdom and foresight to see your potential, to bet on your future, to catch hold of your dream. In the game of life, maybe we should always be strong enough and sure enough to go it alone. Maybe it shouldn't matter whether someone else believes in us or not, but it does. There will always be lots of experts who can give us all the reasons why we shouldn't, we won't or we can't. That's why we cherish those rare individuals who are there to remind us why we should, why we will, why we can.

From the book

I Believe in You

by Dan Zadra

"People must believe in each other,

and feel that it can be done

and must be done; 

in that way we are enormously strong.

We must keep up each other's courage."

-Vincent van Gogh

"Foolish, selfish people are always thinking of themselves and the result is always negative. Wise persons think of others, helping them as much as they can, and the result is happiness. Love and compassion are beneficial both for you and others. Through your kindness to others, your mind and heart will open to peace."

-Dalai Lama

So.....

what are you waiting for?

Pass the good stuff on . . . .

Good morning, and happy Monday! Do you have a busy week planned? How about socially? Are you planning any get-togethers with friends? You do know that the people you spend your time with will change your life in one way or another, right? Are you hanging out with cynics who deflate all your hopeful aspirations? There's no question that they'll try to take you down with them. So why would you allow these people to drain all of your good energy? They'll stifle your optimism in no time! If you are choosing to hang out with people who continue to suck the good stuff right out of you, you can change that! Make a decision to be more careful about who you spend your time with. It's difficult enough already to deal with life's stressors, so choose to surround yourself with supportive people who encourage you. Leave the pessimists and doubters behind. You owe it to yourself to surround yourself with happy, successful people who want the same for you. You simply cannot replace the benefits that you'll receive. Then......please.....pass the good stuff on! Make a decision to do the same for someone else. 

"You need to be aware of what others are doing, applaud their efforts, acknowledge their successes, and encourage them in their pursuits. When we all help one another, everybody wins."

-Jim Stovall

Photo of Norah Jones via Pinterest

Sometimes when you've had a difficult day, met difficult people, been let down, disappointed, or heartbroken, it's easy to completely forget the most important thing of all.....you're alive.

You're alive, and you will be really happy again, (just in case you're wondering).

Who loves ya?

Have a great day, my friends.

Via Notes from The Universe

Hello Monday!! . . . .

Dear Monday,

Thank you for coming around the corner 

when I need you most!

You always show up at the perfect time! My  weekend was great, but I always need you to get me back on track. You inspire me!! You always give me the boost I need to get it together. 

I love and appreciate you, 

Kisses, Connie

I've got a busy start to my week, then will hop a plane to Miami for a meeting and a little R & R. My friends, I hope you find the determination, clarity, willpower, creativity , and strength that you need to make it through another week.

Here's to a beautiful week!

Say good things . . . .

Photo via weheartit

Whatever it is you're facing today that has you apprehensive, I wish you strength & courage. May you have the audacity to approach it with the fearlessness that is deep within you. Remember......Own it! 

xo, Connie

"They can't hurt you unless you let them."

-Unknown

It's a brand new week . . . .

Have a little too much fun this past weekend? 

Eat too much? Drink too much? Play a little too hard? I've said this many times.....it's a new day! Don't beat yourself up.... just make sure you get back on track immediately. Albert Einstein once said, "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." You and I know better. If we want change, we can't expect it if we're repeating old habits. You now have in front of you a brand new week! No excuses.  Slip right back into those healthy habits that leave you feeling strong & satisfied. I promise, you'll be so glad you did.  

"Motivation is what gets you started.

Habit is what keeps you going."

-Jim Rohn

Photo by Nicole Hill Gerulat

Love in action . . . .

Encouragement is a card sent for no reason, a cup of tea and a listening ear, being loved for who we are. 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. Encouragement is taking the time to appreciate everyone we meet. Dare to dream for yourself, for one another, for your community, and for our world. Today, you can make a difference in your own corner of the world.

"Flatter me, and I may not believe you.

Criticize me, and I may not like you.

Ignore me, and I may not forgive you.

Encourage me, and I will not forget you."

-William Arthur Ward

Go on, now. 


Photo by Grace Ann Leadbeater 

Once upon a time . . . .

Happy Monday!

Make it a great day!

Honor your individuality . . . .

The root of encouragement is the French word coeur, for heart. To encourage is to put the heart back into someone, to help each other live well and live together. We were created for love and community. Yet we live in a competitive world that discourages us, telling us all the ways we don't measure up and why we need this product or that service to overcome our inadequacies. There is a great emphasis on what we lack; the messages in the media are rooted in fear and manipulation. What we need is the courage to claim our own lives, to have the confidence to live with resolution, vitality, and purpose.

I used to be so worried about what others thought. Others are thinking--but not about me. I had a million scenarios playing in my mind, created by a judgmental inner censor telling me everything that I was doing wrong. We judge ourselves harshly for being different, call our uniqueness failure, and see our struggles as a collection of symptoms needing diagnosis, prescription, and cure.

What if we decide to see our "shortcomings" in a different light? What if we give ourselves permission to be unique, instead of playing an assigned role that doesn't fit? What if we allow ourselves to honor our true natures, to listen to the goodness and wisdom that reside deep in our hearts?

I believe that we are all creative, that we all deserve to be encouraged in our endeavors, and that every person can learn to cultivate his or her own uniqueness. Everyone must eventually choose between sterile conformity and listening to their inner wisdom. Everyone comes to a crossroads where they must decide either to honor their individuality or to stay in the constricting box of cultural expectations. Every person has the potential to find a community of like-minded people and to create a matrix of safety and encouragement for personal and collective growth and creativity.

From the book

The Art of Encouragement

by Candy Paull

"It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are."  

-e.e. cummings

Happy Friday!

Have a lovely weekend!

DFTBA . . . .

Go out and give some today!

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

"I believe in you." . . . .

What's the best way to let someone know that you're pulling for them, you're proud of them, you believe in them? The biggest ideas in life are often expressed in the fewest words. Throughout the centuries, "I believe in you" has remained a treasured expression of faith and confidence in the human spirit. Spoken softly and sincerely from the heart, those four little words or their equivalent have probably sparked more dreams, ideas, and discoveries.....awakened more artists, inventors, and leaders, and colleagues.....and inspired more companies, communities and countries than any others. Each of us knows how it feels to dream and to doubt. "Our doubts are prison guards," wrote Stephen Crane. "They keep us from the light and the warmth and the sky."

Take it upon yourself to remind one another of the dreams that each of us aspires to. It's more than a great tradition; it's the way set each other free.

From the book I Believe in You 

Complied by Dan Zadra

"The exciting qualities you see in others also exist in you. 

You may not be able to see your potential, 

but it's there, 

and it's enormous!"

-EDGE Keynote