When your past calls, don’t answer; it has nothing new to say. How many times have you fallen back into an old habit or pattern because you answered the call of your past? You know you should not have picked up the proverbial phone, but you did, and you said hello, and now you’re dealing with the aftermath. I’m encouraging you today to say goodbye and leave your past behind you as you move forward. I think it is interesting that so many people I talk with have this same pull–it’s like a spider web that seems to draw many […]
Friendship
I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends
I always liked the Beatles song I Get by With a Little Help From My Friends. Most of their songs, I’m ambivalent about, but something about the tune and truth of having strength in numbers makes me feel safe in the world today. Like many of you, I have groups of friends for different aspects of my life. I have church friends, work friends, former work friends, political friends (former political friends), my mom’s friends, my brother’s friends, and my sweet neighbors. I even have a small group of more mature friends whose company I love. In the midst of […]
Let your light shine
Have you ever met anyone who just seemed to light up a room? Just by their presence, they bring a new dimension to the group. Sometimes these folks are loud in personality and style, and sometimes they are on the quiet side, but what they bring is a feeling of joy in the truest sense of the word, and they radiate an aura of calm and peace and tranquility…and, frankly, they are just great people to be around. Now, you may be saying, “Well, Deb, bring them on because we all could use a friend like that!” I agree, and […]
Two Things to Remember in Life
As I was preparing for this week’s show, I came across a quote that I had written down a while back, and it goes like this, “Two things to remember in life. Take care of your thoughts when you are alone, and take care of your words when you are with people.” And this is my theme for today. As a coach, I find that many good people struggle with the thoughts they have about themselves, their abilities, their intelligence, their body image, and their self-worth. And, although I usually don’t dive too deep with them on these issues, I […]
Don’t Stop Dreaming Just Because You Had a Nightmare
Don’t Stop Dreaming Just Because You Had a Nightmare! There is nothing so sad in life as someone who has given up on their dreams because of a nightmare someone put them through at some point in their life, and the damage seems to have doused their future for the rest of their life. Due to the lingering pain or agony of memories or the visual reminder of the scars that people carry, many good people choose to just drift along for the rest of their lives. They just plod along, remembering, retelling, and reliving their past instead of putting […]
Optimism Is a Happiness Magnet
I saw the quote from Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton that said, “Optimism is a happiness magnet. If you stay positive, good things and good people will be drawn to you.” Now, I will say the opposite is also true if you are a negative, the-world-is-against-me type of person. Guess what? If that’s how you are, the world will be against you. Why? Because you are making it hard to be around you. Yes, you are causing the few people who can abide you to find other options for dinner, the movies, or a day at the lake. We all […]
I don’t know a single successful person
I don’t know a single successful person who leaves their shopping cart in the middle of the parking lot. I freely admit that I am probably in the 2% of people who love to go grocery shopping. I always have a list, but I also like to wander the aisles to see what else is new in the market. It’s not that I have to buy anything; I’m just fascinated by packaging, current must-have mineral waters, acai berry teas, and live lobsters in the tank with the little rubber bands on their finger-crushing claws. I tend to shop everywhere because […]
The Kindness of Strangers
I am sure at some time or another when you least expected it, a “stranger” helped you. The kindness of strangers–completely unexpected, gratefully accepted, and long remembered. It sometimes happens when a thought flashes in your mind; I could use some help here. And suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, someone comes to your aid, answering your silent prayer or your out-loud request to any visiting angels to hurry and help. I can remember many times when I uttered a prayer or word or even a thought that flickered through my mind requesting help when, lo and behold, someone in human […]
The Emotion of Frustration
I am continuing with my series on emotions. I started the series with the emotion of anger because anger is a cancer to your soul. So, to have any chance for a successful and happy life, friend, you have to let it go. Then, I talked about the pain of personal shame. Shame is a failure to meet your own standard of behavior, and this emotion will wreck your life if you’re not careful. And I added in the thought that you should stop thinking that others have to accept your forgiveness for you to be forgiven. They don’t. Once […]
