Success Law: Grab a Thread.

Things will happen in your life that upset you. Things will happen that do not feel right, and don’t feel good. Situations will come up that are unexpected, scary, and hard to deal with. One of the hardest things to learn in this life is to let go of your negative feelings about things and situations. Life will get hard and things will always change. You can measure your own success by how quickly you can change the emotion of a situation from negative to positive.
 
I had the pleasure of meeting an incredible man this weekend. A man who had lost his wife suddenly in the last few weeks. Knowing of his loss, but not knowing him, I expected to meet a broken, sad man. I was wrong. The man I met was a pillar of strength, positivity, and calmness. His smile and his energy said it all. He had made peace with the loss. He had let go of the sadness, and was enjoying every moment of the life that he still vibrantly had, and wanted to shared with everyone around him. His strength made me realize that the recent emotional turmoil I was going through based on a recent change in my own life was simply unnecessary.
 
Every problem that arises in your life is actually an opportunity. Focus on seeing the positive outcomes of every situation as quickly as possible, and you will be able to turn your negative feelings into positive ones. Do not get stuck in a black hole of self pity. Things happen. You have the ability to control how you react to the situations.
 
Do not take things personally. EVER. You are amazing. You have the power, the stamina, the strength and the determination to achieve everything you think about. So make sure you think about great things.
 
Let go of the negative emotion. Grab onto the little threads of positivity all around you and start knitting yourself something. Perhaps you will start with a pair of slippers. Soon, you will have knitted a blanket of positivity that you can wrap yourself and your family in. If you keep pulling in the positive strings, and continue creating positivity, you will be changing the world, one thread at a time.
 
It’s OK to feel happy, even when bad things happen. Challenge yourself to see the good in EVERY situation. Namaste.

My, Oh My.

Good Morning and Happy Tuesday! Today’s inspiration is a song that you won’t mind having stuck in your head…

“Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay
My, oh my, what a wonderful day
Plenty of sunshine headin’ my way
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay” -lyrics by Ray Gilbert.

Today is your day. Harness the power, and know that everything you need is on its way to you today. 🙂 Sing it! Namaste.

 

 

You get to decide.

4 years ago, I felt like the rug of my life had been pulled out. To avoid a complete mental breakdown, my wonderful mother suggested that I get a babysitter and go out for lunch with her. I agreed, found a sitter, and away we went. I had the most awesome afternoon, and I felt so much better. The following week, we met for lunch again, and my sister Brenda joined us. During that lunch, we asked ourselves if we could make this sort of thing work every Wednesday. Could we really pull off lunch together every week?
 
I am happy to report that 4 years of Wednesday lunches later, we have made it work almost every Wednesday, and we only reschedule if someone is out of town. We make Wednesdays a priority, and we have all consciously made a choice to find a way to make it work.
 
You can make these kind of choices in your life too. Start by asking yourself a question, like “could I write a book?, or could I take 1 afternoon off a week?, or could I work from home?” As soon as you answer yes to the question, you will be on track to actually do it. Make your dreams a priority. You can have, and do whatever you want if you think you can. So go for it! Namaste.

Appreciate the small stuff.

The other night, in the midst of a crazy Calgary spring snowstorm, our power went out for 2 hours. Thankfully, the shutdown happened just as we sat down to eat our dinner. Having no power helped me realize how lucky I am to have the everyday luxuries of running water, a heated home, indoor cooking facilities, and lights that can be easily be turned on and off.
 
Sometimes, it takes going without something to really appreciate the value of having it. When we are used to having things, we tend to forget how much enjoyment and value we get out of them…until they are gone. Today, I would encourage you to write down 3 things that you are thankful to have in your life, and send out a “thank you” to the Universe for providing it. Happy Saturday!

Be Proud.

On Friday, I was invited for an interview at Calgary’s Independent Radio Station, CJSW (90.9 fm). I feel blessed to have met and chatted with Kevin Brooks and Grant Burns on their show ‘Road Pops’.
 
The station is located inside the University of Calgary. Strolling through the campus, I became aware of how rapidly time had passed for me. Walking past the old smoking lounge, the ‘Black Lung’ immediately brought back vivid images of chain smoking, coffee drinking and late night studying.
 
I suddenly realized how far I had come since my University days. A degree in Psychology, quitting smoking, a wedding, 3 children, 2 liquor stores,  4 years of Wednesdays with my mom and my sister, and the release of a sensational new book. I realized that I should feel proud of myself for my achievements to date. So I gave myself a good old “Thatta Girl Tina”!
 
I would encourage you to be proud of yourself for where you are today…right now. Don’t wait until some future date when you feel that you will have achieved even more. Tell yourself now how proud you are! Do not compare yourself to others; that is not what matters. What matters is what you have done with, and for, yourself to date. You are amazing, and you should tell yourself that more often! Talking positively to yourself will motivate and encourage you to go farther.
 
You are your own worst critic, and unless you stop and say “Great Job!” to yourself, your achievements may never be good enough for you. It is okay to want more and strive for better, but you need to embrace the present and look at what you have accomplished already.  Be proud of you. You deserve it.
 
Namaste.

Get Efficient.

Do what you are good at, and what you enjoy, and ask for help with all the other stuff. Experience true efficiency.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Kelly Domonceaux! She won my door prize draw for a Complimentary Hair Cut and 3 bottles of eufora organic hair care products. Now this is not just any haircut.  It is compliments of  my own personal hairdresser, Marissa Sullivan, at Suburbian Hair. Located in Hanson Ranch in NW Calgary, Marissa offers boutique styling and specializes in personalized service. For those of you who are not as lucky as Kelly, feel free to call Marissa at 403-731-1233 to make an appointment.

I always have FREE stuff to give away at my signings, so make sure you come out and see me.

Happy Hump Day!

Make Monday Fun!

A thought on positive thinking about work.

The Seven Dwarfs always seemed happy (except for Grumpy, of course), so what was their secret? Was it because they were mining diamonds all day? Perhaps. But I think it was because they chose to whistle while they worked!

So today, no matter what you do with your time, “whistle while you work”. And if you can’t whistle, add some music to your day somehow.

Enjoy your Monday!

Faith.

It’s Sunday, a typical day of rest, reflection and worship in a lot of cultures. No matter what your religious background is, today I want to remind you that

“you gotta have faith…oooh you gotta have faith. You just gotta have faith, faith, faith….”

-George Michael

I awoke to this song the other morning on my clock radio. That same day at  school while volunteering with my daughter, I was cleaning up after an activity and there was a sticker affixed to the paper tower rack. It simply said “Faith”. I had to take a picture of it!

What is faith? Defined per the Merriam-Webster dictionary, Faith is a”firm belief in something for which there is no proof.”

So today, have faith in the universe and its ability to provide for you. Have faith in your wildest dreams, and faith in your ability to create everything you want and need in your life. Have faith that no matter what, everything is going to be all right. Have faith, even when there is no proof! If you believe in something, you make it real.  Namaste.

Be Free.

On her 8th Birthday, my daughter Trinity wore a shirt with the following small, inspiring quote on it:

Free to Love, Dream and Be ME!

Give yourself the freedom to love, dream and be YOU everyday.

Just Be Free.  Namaste.