Don’t let negative thoughts enter your mind today. It is alright to be sad over things that are happening out of your control, but avoid thinking negative thoughts about yourself or others. It never helps. In times of stress we tend to give ourselves a hard time. We should have done more. We beat ourselves up for not having been involved “enough.”

Work with what you have. Give yourself a chance to recover from whatever is consuming you, and do not allow issues to take you over, that you can do nothing about.

The reality is that life happens to us. People come into our lives and people leave us. Some people leave us at uncomfortable times, whether through divorce, separation or death. We can’t always control what we would like to, but we all have a purpose on this earth.

We all have a gift to share. Allow yourself time to be sad when you need to be, but look around you today and be thankful for all you do have.

Take a walk. Sit down and look around you. There is hope. There are better tomorrows. Use today to rekindle your strength for tomorrow. You can do this. You are amazing. Believe it. “Now let’s get going!”  xo Sally

Work on prioritizing things that are important and things that can wait.

Muti-tasking has become the new normal. It may be the way things are, but it doesn’t always make it easy to complete anything.

Pick your battles with care. Determine what deserves your full attention today. Your family, your job, your hobbies…it varies. You can make a weekly priority checklist or a daily checklist. Priorities can rotate and so can your focus. It can get done!

The important thing to remember is that you need to apply enough energy to those things that need to be done, to get the issue completed. Leaving things partially finished or avoiding a task does not get you anywhere. The issue rarely goes away. It usually gets bigger and more overwhelming when left sitting.

So take the next few days to list your problems and prioritize them. Break them down into do-able portions. Get those taken care of and move on to the next thing.

You will accomplish more than you thought possible. You really can do this. You are amazing…believe that…because you are! “Now let’s get going!”  xo Sally

When we try to understand why things happen, especially when they are sad events, it is difficult. There are many people who ask; why me? There are no easy answers.

The one thing you can be sure of is that when bad things happen to good people, we usually come away from the experience much stronger. When we have to help someone who is struggling, we learn things too. We learn empathy and we see that our personal challenges may pale in comparison to what another person is dealing with.

I often tell patients and caregivers that I wish they could spend one day with me, and visit other patients and caregivers. If they did I am sure they would choose to keep their own problems. Until you have the opportunity to see the challenges that other people have, and the obstacles that they face each day, you cannot imagine how other people survive their challenges.

When you do not get out and get involved in helping others, even if you have limited spare time, you can become so consumed in your own issues, that you lose sight of what you DO have.

Be grateful each day. Smile instead of frown. Encourage others to do the same. You will have no idea what a difference you will make in the life of another. “Now, let’s get going!”  xo Sally  

We should always try to focus on the positive, but it isn’t too easy if we are surrounded by negative thinkers and doers.

Realize today that you have options. You can choose to be around negative people, or not. If you believe that you have no choice, because your spouse, family member or co-worker is the negative one, do not allow yourself to join in their thinking.

Keep it simple. Move forward with a positive attitude, and avoid the nonsense discussions that get created when you argue with a negative person. You can always end a conversation with “I think you would be happier if you were more positive.”

People frequently hang on to negative thinking, because they do not get disappointed. If you start out believing that something is not going to happen, and it doesn’t, then you were right. Negative people are not happy people. Many of them would not recognize “happy” if it hit them in the head. They are too busy convincing themselves that it’s all bad news out there.

Guess what? It isn’t bad news out here. You will be amazed at how positive thinking brings more back to you than you ever thought possible. Send those disbelievers to the Hokey Pokey Clinic!  Have a great day! “Now, let’s get going!”  xo Sally  

When you finally wake up and realize that the choices you have made have been the wrong ones, you need to act. You HAVE to act. There is no “right” reason to continue down a path of “wrong.”

Is it hard to figure out options to turn around? Yes. Is it frightening to take a stand and finally decide that enough is enough? Yes. Is it possible to be successful in your effort to do things differently or move on…if moving on is necessary to be successful? Of course it is, but it is not impossible to “turn around.”

We allow ourselves to think that we have no options when we let the negative things that we believe or negative things that we are told, become our truth.

If you are struggling with a problem, whether it is about your job, your responsibilities in the home, a relationship, or your future, you can always “turn around.”

Time is a precious gift that we cannot afford to waste. Do not allow yourself to fall into a mode of “it doesn’t matter.” You matter and you are important. Start turning around today, and live your best life!  “Now, let’s get going!”  xo Sally

Competition exists everywhere, when you are trying to get ahead. Whether you are trying to move up the ladder in the workplace or competing in sports or in a business goal, you may feel frustrated.

There is a perception that there is only room for one leader, one CEO, or one winner. Never believe that. There is an old saying that goes something like; “Getting to the top is easy, staying there is hard.”

What is “THE TOP?” The definition is different for everyone, and you should not be afraid of the next step up. Learning occurs on all levels. The skills we learn as we gain more experience are the tools that allow us to achieve more. It is rarely through conventional school that those types of lessons occur. It is through work experience and life experience that we become better.

When we are in this learning process, some of our lessons are not always pleasant, but certainly help you make better choices down the road.

Over the next few days, take some time to decide what your “TOP” goal is. You may look around you and see a number of people seeming to want the same goal that you are after. Don’t let that stop you and don’t let that scare you from moving forward. Everyone brings something special to the table. You can do whatever you want to do and be successful at it. Remember: “There is TONS of room at the TOP!” “Now, let’s get going!”  xo Sally  

Planning is important, but some of us take it to an extreme. Too much planning can make a person inflexible and rigid. Not enough planning could leave you homeless.

There are certain things we need to provide for ourselves and our family, but when we plan too much and maintain too rigid of a lifestyle, we may be missing a lot.

Planning allows us to feel secure. It allows us to have a certain amount of predictability. But the reality is that we have no idea what tomorrow may hold. If you never allow yourself to color outside of the lines, you will never know what options may be in store for you.

Do you take advantage of opportunities that come your way? Do you try new things or allow yourself to experience new places?

I would bet that you could find new things to do that are within a twenty five mile radius from your home-that you have never done. Experiencing new things doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. It just requires that you invest some time in yourself and realize that the world is not going to fall apart if your routine is broken for an afternoon, a day, or a week.

Give yourself a gift. Open a new door to a different opportunity and see what is out there. “Now, let’s get going!”  xo Sally  

When we are in the dark we can’t see what is happening. We can feel the walls to find a light switch, we can use a flash light, and we can always look for a number of ways to allow light in, to see more clearly.

But those examples are all external sources of light. How can we be the person that brings light in or allows light to shine? Be the best you can be. Don’t allow yourself to listen to all of your own negative messages that you tell yourself. You can move past that. You should not allow yourself to go there.

If there is someone in your life that is telling you that you are not worth it or tries to get you to believe that you will never be successful in your attempt to reach your goals and dreams…forget them. Ignore them. Don’t allow their negativity to stop you.

Surround yourself with positive, like-minded people that are goal oriented. Light candles to enlighten you. Work on bringing light and awareness into your life. Don’t stay in the dark. Transcend it. You can do it!                                    “Now, let’s get going!”  xo Sally  

People waste time waiting. There are some things we all have to wait for, but there are others that we have the freedom to act on every single minute of every single day.

If you find yourself waiting for an appointment or waiting for a response, don’t just sit there. Read something that you will learn from. Plan your next goal or project. Decide how you can make your life better. Use the time you have to think positive thoughts. Don’t wait for someone to confirm your worth or value. You are in charge of that.

Spend your time today thinking about what you CAN DO to make your situation better. You can look at others and how their lives seem to be, and instead of wishing that your life was more like theirs, realize that they are having their own issues. Everyone has issues. They are not choosing to make their issues their focus. Decorate your soul today with positive thinking. If you can’t do it on your own, read some positive quotes or messages until you absorb them into your thinking for today. Force it. Do it. You will be glad you did!

                                                                                                                                                    “Now, let’s get going!”  xo Sally  

I know that it can be frustrating if you think that certain friends only call you when they need something. 

The most important thing you can do for someone who consistently contacts you for help, is to show them ways to manage their situation better.

You were not put on this planet to repeatedly rescue people from disasters of their own making. When people allow their lives to be filled with drama, and it feels like they thrive on craziness; that is your cue to back away.

We all make choices, and no matter how important someone is to you, your goal needs to be to guide them in the direction of positive change. Help them find opportunities to solve their own problems. People can get lost at any age and at any point in their life.

As a friend, stand behind them and point them in the right direction.

Do not allow your life to become so entangled in their drama that you lose yourself in the process.

                                                                                                                                          “Now, let’s get going!”  xo Sally