Monday, April 30, 2018

Fresh Thoughts for Your Monday: Joy on the Journey

When you think about the word “Journey,” what do you see? 

When you look at it carefully, you see that “Joy” bookends the word: JOurneY.

It’s easy to look for the outcomes, the results and the end in sight. But, if we only focus our energies there, we miss out on something vital—the journey itself.

Joy is there to be found on the journey. Reframe your perspective. Soak up every moment of every day. 

Today, this week: Find joy on your journey.








Monday, April 23, 2018

Fresh Thoughts for Your Monday: Bright and Beautiful

So much in life is bright and beautiful, just as the season of spring demonstrates to us through nature’s magnificent palette.

Fill your mind and heart with thoughts and feelings of the bright and beautiful. Allow them to feed your spirit and affect your mood and outlook.

When you choose to experience the bright and beautiful in your day, your eyes will begin to focus on those moments more and more until they naturally become what you view.

Today, this week: Carry the beauty of spring with you, no matter the season. 




Monday, April 16, 2018

Fresh Thoughts for Your Monday: Reach for the Rainbows

There are days when it seems as if the old adage of “when it rains, it pours” is so true that there aren’t enough umbrellas and galoshes to protect you from the deluge.

Don’t allow yourself to get swallowed up by the storms in your life. Redirect your focus to rise above the rain. Reach for the rainbows.

When you dedicate energy to seeking the good in each difficult situation, the hold that those sorrows and fears have over you is lessened. It’s easier to flow through the experience until you can see the sunshine again.


Today, this week: Reach for the rainbows and they will be there for you.


Monday, April 9, 2018

Fresh Thoughts for Your Monday: The Ordinary, The Extraordinary

Allow your day to pause for a moment. Think back to some of your fondest memories. Do they center on big accomplishments and grandiose endeavors? Are they about big purchases and major rewards? 

Or are they about small experiences, simple pleasures and little droplets in time that may have seemed insignificant then but left a big impact that still resonate with you now?

Small things. Ordinary things. Simple things. That’s where the extraordinary moments of joy can be found.

Truly, some of our greatest joys come from our most ordinary moments. 

Today, this week: Cultivate joy and find the extraordinary in the ordinary.





Monday, April 2, 2018

Fresh Thoughts for Your Monday: Fuel Your Happiness


It’s natural to occasionally have a bad day or succumb to a sour mood. The good thing is that you don’t have to remain stuck there. Happiness is an inside job that you can manage at any time.

How might you adopt a happier mindset? It doesn’t take much—just a shift in your focus and energy. Fuel your happiness through kind words, a grateful heart and a joyful spirit.

Your happy, joyful, grateful, kind energy will automatically be shared with those around you. Lift your day and that of another.

Today, this week: Choose happiness.



Sunday, April 1, 2018

In Bloom

If there's ever a month that conveys the hope of spring, it is April. For those of us who live in south-central Wisconsin, spring often takes several weeks after its official arrival in March at the vernal equinox to make itself truly known. 
April begins, of course, today with April Fool's Day on the first. Sometimes, April does fool us by hanging onto March's lion-and-lamb tendencies -- first hinting at warmer weather, then clobbering us with one more heavy, wet snowstorm.
As April gets used to itself, however, it gets over its last-attempt winter tendencies and becomes what it was intended to be: the month of blooming joy. 
From the wood violets and Virginia bluebells to the tulips and daffodils, April settles in as its colorful and happy self. It is the month when nature's palette moves from gray and tan and brown and white to red and yellow and deep purple and bright green. It's as if everything awakens, and with that awakening, April decides to put on its best finery and make an appearance.
April is also the month of warm sunshine and refreshing raindrops. Both are needed for this month of renewal.
At this time of year, I can no longer stay inside, content to simply look out the window. I've already done 90% of my spring cleaning during the deep, dark winter months. I surely don't want to waste a single day or minute of glorious April stuck inside cleaning. 
April is meant for long walks, big dreams, deep breaths and blooming energy. Soak up its loveliness.
Welcome, April! 




Affirming Words: Celebrate All That is Good


Consider adopting these Affirming Words for this month. Say them often to yourself -- whenever you see yourself in a mirror, when you get out of bed to start the day, whenever you need a little pick-me-up:

The hope and the promise of this day are evident everywhere. 

I celebrate all that is good. There is much to celebrate.