Fresh Thoughts for Your Monday: See the World with Wonder

See the world through the eyes of wonder. Each day holds the possibility for beauty and joy.

Think back to when you were a child. Everything felt new, exciting and amazing! It was easy to see the world through the eyes of wonder back then.

As we grow up and older, however, our eyes can become clouded due to the haze of commitments, obligations, disappointments and distractions.

What, if just for today, you shed those lenses of adulthood, and viewed the world instead with amazement and wonder? How might your day be shaped if everything and everyone were viewed with such affirmation and attention?

Today, set aside some time to look at your world in new ways. What might you see and how might you feel?

Fresh Thoughts for Your Monday: Be Authentic.

Be authentic. Be the real you. You’ll be content and the world will be blessed with your uniqueness.

It’s easy to get caught up in the expectations and trappings of life and, consequently, lose sight of who we really are and what we really value and want in life. 

Always be true to yourself, even when forces may try to sway you otherwise. When you are your real self, you don’t have to worry about adopting other ways of being. You will always honor the sacredness of you.

Fresh Thoughts for Your Monday: Bloom and Grow

Bloom, grow, and be the best you can be. Every day offers opportunities for learning.

When we’re open to receiving new information and perspectives, our ways of thinking change and we grow in positive ways. In this new year, in what areas would you like to bloom and grow? Are there books you’d like to read? Are there classes you'd like to take? Are there places you’d like to visit? Is there a new skill you’d like to acquire? 

Allow this post to be your invitation to explore opportunities for learning new things in this new year. 

What first step might you take today to begin that exploration?

Fresh Thoughts for Your Monday: Be the Light

Be the brightness in someone’s day.

At this time of year when daylight is just beginning to increase, we still find much of our 24 hours shrouded in darkness. 

That’s the perfect opportunity to provide light to others. Your bright disposition, kind gesture and good word will be a gift to others.

Rise and shine!

What Do You Wish for Your New Year?

The start of a new year is an exciting time, one to reflect on the previous 365 days and also to dream of what will take place in the next 365. What do you wish for your new year? 

I believe that our own positive energy has the power of attracting more positive energy into our lives. One way to stay positive is to engage in self-love and self-respect by speaking well of ourselves and to ourselves. I particularly like the use of affirmations. 

Here are twelve to consider using in this new year:

1.  I know with confidence what I consider to be achievement and success.

2.  My hopes and dreams that have been protected deep inside of me are now manifesting themselves in exciting and new ways.

3.  I assess as I go on this amazing journey, setting priorities and looking ahead.

4.  I embrace who I am with enthusiasm and love.

5.  I ensure that my relationships are healthy, trusting and nurturing.

6.  I radiate love from within and without. The more love I give, the more love I feel in return.

7.  My world is filled with generosity, goodness and kindness. My heart is blessed beyond measure.

8.  I take care of my mind, body and spirit as a high priority in my life. My well-being is important to me.

9.  I dedicate time to silence as a gift of renewal.

10. I take positive action with ease.

11. I'm calm and at peace.

12. I freely tune into my heart, and I like what I hear.

You might adopt one of these affirmations for each month of this new year, saying that affirmation aloud to yourself several times per day. You might also write them down, as one woman told me that she was going to do, place them in a jar, and then pull one out each day to say to yourself.

Use this new year as a time of exciting anticipation as you shower yourself with positive energy and then cast that positive energy out into the world. Happy New Year!

Affirmations excerpted from my book, Find Your Heart, Follow Your Heart: Get to the Heart of What Matters and Create Your Abundant, Authentic, Joyful Life, published in July 2017 by Balboa Press. Available in hardcover, softcover and e-book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Balboa Press and other fine retailers.

Fresh Thoughts for Your Monday: Clean Slate

Happy New Year! The turning of the calendar to a new year offers many new possibilities!

As something new in my new year, I'm starting Fresh Thoughts for Your Monday, a bloglet—a short blog post—that will post every Monday morning as a positive, pick-me-up for your new day and week. I'll share the link to each Fresh Thoughts for Your Monday installment on social media and will look for your feedback to see if the messages are contributing positively to your day and week.

Also, bookmark this blog and check back frequently for other little surprises throughout the year! You'll find Affirming Words, Seasonal Sprinkles and more. The goal of this blog is to provide uplifting, centering words to help you make time to be.

Blessings,
Keri Olson

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Just as the fallen snow tidies up the landscape, making everything pristine and bright, the new year offers us an opportunity to clean our own slates, think anew and look positively at the possibilities in our lives. 

What does this new year, new week and new day mean to you? What tidying up will you do in your life? What new adventures will you explore? What change in perspective will you adopt?

It's a new year! Clean the slate! Set the stage for good things to happen in your 2018!