Tiny Bites of Wagaliciousness

Is there a co-worker that you don’t really trust? Maybe you’ve been told things they’ve said or done, or maybe someone you like and trust has warned you away from them? Whatever the reason, you are resisting getting to know them and interact with them, and you could be missing out on a beneficial relationship, and you’re helping create a toxic work environment. It’s easy to define people based on the opinions of those we trust. What if they’re wrong? What if it’s just their opinion that’s flawed, not that person they’ve warned you about? If you work as part of a team, and especially if you’re in a leadership position on that team, this kind of behavior is poison. Start by not buying into the gossip, and then take the next step – gently challenge the gossiper on the lack of ethics they’re showing. One of the best workplace detoxifiers is to help gossips learn to behave better. And if they won’t, at least don’t aid and abet their toxicity. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Is there a task ahead of you that you’re dreading? Something that feels big and maybe even overwhelming? When we’re in that place of uncertainty or dread, our imaginations do a wonderful job of  dishing up all the things that could go wrong, all the things we don’t know about the task ahead, and all the ways it – and we – can fail miserably. Don’t listen to your imagination! When faced with a daunting task, block out that voice inside your head that’s preaching gloom and doom, and just get started. It’s in the doing that we learn and grow, so pick one think to tackle first and tackle it. Even if you think you don’t know how to do it, try. Google it. YouTube it. Do it. Then move on to the next step, and then the step after that. Even the hardest things can only happen one step at a time. Doing the hard thing is what helps you grow, and before you know it, you’ve done the hard thing. Yay, you! Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Have you ever thought about your thoughts and how free they are? No one can limit your thoughts. No one can dictate your thoughts. No one can think inside your head. Your thoughts have the ultimate freedom – no limits! Oh, wait – your thoughts do have one limitation on them…you. You are the only person in charge of your thoughts – you’re the boss of them! You get to decide whether you like the thoughts you think or if you’d like to think better thoughts. Many people haven’t ever thought about their thoughts that way – they just go through life thinking whatever thoughts their brain is dishing up, believing those thoughts, and then acting accordingly. Yes, your thoughts are based on your life experiences, as well as what others have told you about the world and yourself. If you want to feel better about the world and yourself, no one else can think inside your head. Catch the thoughts you don’t want to think anymore and replace them with ones you like better! Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

How does the world see you? Have you ever thought about that? Many people haven’t really stopped to think about what their posture, head carriage, stride, and personal style (clothes, shoes, hair, etc.) says to others. This isn’t about you changing yourself to be what others might prefer, this is about you being sure you’re giving the world accurate information about who you are and, more importantly, who you are becoming. Think about Olympic gymnasts – whether they turned in a perfect-10 routine or not, they “stick the landing” and hold that finishing pose for the judges. They know something very important – attitude is everything, though not for the reasons you may think. When you focus on projecting the best of yourself through your walk, talk, and actions, people feel more comfortable with you. Even better, when you focus on your best qualities, you’re reinforcing those parts of yourself to your brain. The brain believes what you focus on is what it should focus on – there’s a lot of research to back that up – so if you want more confidence, exude it. When you feel it, you are it. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Do you sometimes – or maybe often – feel unworthy or like an imposter in your own life? There are a lot of reasons feelings like that could crop up inside you – maybe you were raised by someone with expectations so high you never felt their approval, maybe you had a difficult time in school so your grades were lower than your friends’ grades, and maybe you’re shy and don’t want people to notice you, and yet you yearn for recognition and acceptance. No matter what the source of those unworthy feelings, they don’t feel good, and they sabotage your confidence, your success, and your feeling of belonging in this world. No one else can think inside your head – you are the only person who can, so when you find yourself thinking that you’re an imposter or a klutz or whatever negative name you’re giving yourself, it’s up to you to stop the abuse. No one else has your combination of experiences, education, ethics and emotions, so no one else can affect your life and the people in it the way you do. You are a gift to the world. When you find yourself beating yourself up inside your head, remind yourself that you are a gift to the world. Because you are! Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Remember the younger you? The you who was so excited the day you got your driver’s license, the you that blushed and tingled over the thought of your first crush, and the you that beamed with pride when you were handed that diploma? That you is still in there, sometimes lost in the day-to-day busyness of life and conflicting responsibilities, sometimes feeling crushed by a stack of bills, and sometimes feeling like crying because your life now isn’t at all what you thought it would be. You’re in there – the hopeful you, the loving you, the compassionate you. You are not your flaws, you are not your doubts, you are not your mistakes, you are not what has happened to you or whatever diagnosis has been given to you. You are limitless potential waiting to spring forth in the next chapter of your life and personal development. We are all constantly changing. What changes do you want to see as your life continues to unfold? Remember who you were when you were proud of yourself, happy with your relationship, and excited to greet the day. That you is still inside you. Let that you out to play now, as you unfurl your future. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

The Roman philosopher Seneca the Younger is often quoted as saying, “Don’t stumble over something behind you.” Think about the meaning of that – so many of us have things that have happened to us in the past that we use to either define or limit ourselves in the present. Additionally, we beat ourselves up over wasting time, squandering perceived opportunities, and staying in a job or a relationship longer than we should have. Is any of this ringing a bell for you? Then maybe you’re stumbling over something behind you, which doesn’t allow you to move forward productively. Maybe you’ve heard me say “there’s no power in the past” and what that means is you can’t do anything to change what’s already happened. It happened. It’s done. In the present, if you need to mend fences with someone, mend them. If you need to forgive so you can forget, forgive and forget. If you need to spend some time with a therapist to help you process past pain so it doesn’t control you now and in the future, do it. In order to move forward into the life you dream of, you have to stop stumbling over the past. Focus on today, decide the next step to move you forward, and take it. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Most days go fairly well for most people, yet many, if not most, people end their day feeling like things didn’t go as well as they wished. Our brains are hard-wired to focus on what went wrong, and from an evolutionary standpoint, that makes sense. Mistakes are best used as learning experiences, so those who focus on their mistakes can learn more than those who don’t even notice them. However, it’s at least as productive to focus on your successes. Just because your brain doesn’t do it automatically for you doesn’t mean it can’t happen. Research into the effects of mindset on success definitively shows that those who celebrate their successes regularly have more success than those whose focus is on their mistakes. Here’s one way to ensure you focus on your success, no matter how bad you feel your day went: find three good things that went well. At the end of each day, reflect on it with the purpose of writing down at least three good things that happened. When you celebrate what went right, you’ll find you’ll have even more to celebrate! Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Are you self-conscious when you have to speak to groups – large or small, in person or virtual? Between my career in major market radio and then as a professional speaker, I can tell you that practice does help ease that feeling of self-consciousness. I can also tell you that the audience you’re speaking to wants to like you and wants you to succeed, so the self-consciousness isn’t about the audience – it’s about you. It’s you, telling yourself you’re an imposter or you don’t know enough on the subject or you’re a terrible speaker or whatever you’re saying to yourself inside your head that’s causing the self-consciousness. The way our brains are wired, the more often you beat yourself up, the more your brain believes those negative things about you, so the more often it’s likely to dish them up to you. It’s not what you say to others that matters most, it’s what you say to yourself. Pay attention to the nervousness and self-consciousness as soon as it starts, and re-direct your thoughts. It’s not anxiety, it’s butterflies preparing to help your words fly. It’s not self-consciousness, it’s awareness of the value you’re about to share. Re-direct, re-frame, and regale that group with your wit and wisdom! Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Did you get good and angry at someone today? That kind of white-hot mad where you feel perfectly justified in the anger? That is perfectly human, and is also usually short-lived. Some people get addicted to the adrenaline and cortisol rush that goes with the anger, so they look for reasons to get angry. Hopefully that’s not you – what you felt was just good, old-fashioned, strong and sudden irritation with another person’s actions or words. That’s normal, and yet because the hormones released are the same stress hormones that damage your body and health, it’s good to get control of your anger quickly. Here are two good questions to ask yourself when you’re feeling angry with someone: How does the anger feel? How do you want to feel? When you stop and examine how the anger makes you feel, it helps you regain control of yourself more quickly. When you can get a handle on your feelings, it allows you to see the situation more objectively. You might still be justified in your anger, yet you can see a more productive way to deal with the other person. How does the anger feel? How do you want to feel? Those two questions will help you get back on an even keel. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Are you a person who will let yourself down before you’ll let someone else down? Think about it – if someone you care about really wants to do something and you don’t, do you do it anyway? Do you give in to other people’s desires far more often than you do what you want to do? Will you let your own work go undone in order to help someone else meet their deadline? Do you do that a lot? Have you ever wondered why? Usually it’s because you care too much what other people think of you. You allow your sense of self-worth to be defined by the opinions of others – maybe your family, maybe your friends, maybe your boss or colleagues. Because you can’t control what they think of you, or even IF they think of you, you feel controlled by them, and sometimes even victimized by them. If this is a constant pattern in your life, it might be good for you to spend some time with a counselor. If you’re like most people, this is an occasional occurrence, maybe just with one person who feels very important to you. Consider this – the only person you’ll spend 100% of the rest of your life with is you. If you keep letting yourself down, you won’t be very good company for yourself, will you? Stand up for yourself and what you want and value. You’re worth it! Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Do you hate feeling pressured? Most people do – think about this, though. High pressure cooks food faster. High temperature and pressure creates stronger steel and safer glass. And of course, diamonds wouldn’t form without high temperature and pressure. Now let’s think about the ways pressure can be a good thing in your life, too. Time pressure can give you the impetus to get something done on deadline, even when you think it’s not possible. Financial pressure can help you make the career and budgetary choices that create financial stability. High-risk situations bring out the bravery in people – yes, even you. We may hate the feeling of being pressured, and we can still acknowledge that the pressure will help us perform better and be better. Next time you’re cursing that feeling of being pressured, focus on how the pressure is helping you instead of how it’s stressing you. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

How do you greet the new day, indoors or out? If you’re like many people, your day starts with a routine that doesn’t include any time in fresh air. One of the easiest ways to lift your spirits and your mood is to get outside for 10 minutes. Yep, this is an evidence-based mood-raising tool: just 10 minutes of outside time will trigger release of endorphins and dopamine while lowering cortisol levels. Even if you’re not interested in going for a walk or run, could you sit on a patio, deck, or sun porch while you drink your first cup of coffee, tea, or water? Listen to the sounds of birds, or maybe the breeze through the leaves. See how many different shades of green there are, how many different surface textures you see on plants, the ground, and the buildings around you. Enjoy giving yourself permission to just be outside for ten minutes to start each day, and watch how it shifts your spirits for the rest of your day. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Have you ever heard the saying, “what you look for, you’ll see”? How about, “whether you believe you can or believe you can’t, you’re right”? Wait…here’s one more: "Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain." All these cliches speak to the same thing – that our minds are flexible and powerful. The study of neuroplasticity is showing us just how flexible and how powerful the brain is – it can be channeled in any direction you wish to go, can be taught to reject beliefs that thwart your success and replace them with beliefs that support your success, and that once you learn to focus on what you want from life consistently, your success is all but assured. Amit Ray, who is an Indian meditation and mindset author and coach, said, “Mind is a flexible mirror. Adjust it to see a better world.” Believe you can, look for the evidence, and dance even in the tough times and you’ll adjust your mind to see your world get better. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Are you having a kind of “blah” day? Do you have a lot of those? Do you want to shed the blues and find your passion again? One sure-fire way is to find one thing to be in love with and milk that feeling for as long as you can. It could be the pair of shoes you’ll wear today, it could be the little flecks of gold in your eyes, it could be the feeling of the soft morning breeze moving your hair. Find one thing that lifts your spirits for just a moment, and hold on to it. For example, this morning as I sat on the sun porch with my first cup of coffee, the air felt soft and it smelled like honey. I sat there, enjoying the fragrance and the feeling, and wondering what flower was in charge of the delightful smell. I looked, and couldn’t see blooms, and it felt like a secret between Mother Nature and me. Several times already today, I’ve remembered that magical moment and it makes me smile. To beat the blues, be in love with something, and focus on the feeling of love and appreciation. It will feel like the world is in love with you, too. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Are you someone who’s good at standing up for yourself? Many of us aren’t, and it’s a skill worth cultivating. Why? Because when you are treated disrespectfully and you don’t stand up for yourself, your subtle message to yourself is that you deserved what you just got. Ouch! Could that be true? Yep – standing up for ourselves is natural, and when we don’t do it, it’s usually because we were taught not to as a child. People-pleasers don’t generally stand up for themselves, those who fear an angry response don’t stand up for themselves, and those who are uncomfortable making choices don’t stand up for themselves. Behaviors learned as children are often not even questioned and can still be changed if you want to change them. Notice when someone treats you poorly – what do you do? How do you feel? What do you want to do, and how do you want to feel? Awareness is step one – step two is learning how to be your own advocate. Starting gently and slowly, show yourself that you can tactfully stand up for yourself because you have value, great ideas, and you are worthy of consideration and even admiration. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Are you sometimes guilty of beating yourself up? Oh, the painful power of perfectionism…it infects most people from time to time, and some people most of the time. It’s that feeling that you must be an expert at what you’re doing, whether you’ve ever done it before or not! I remember not wanting to play sports in school because I thought I was clumsy, and I was certain I’d be terrible and would be ridiculed. That was a recurring theme in my life with many things, not just sports – maybe you’ve felt that way, too? Beating yourself up is a tough habit to break, and it’s easier if you can catch yourself and change the hurtful words to something true and much more loving. Try this: “I am currently under construction…thank you  for your patience.” Say those words to yourself instead of beating yourself up, and if there’s someone in your life who likes to correct you or even belittle you, maybe say those words out loud to them, too. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Have you been out of school for a while and you’re feeling a little bit left behind from a knowledge standpoint? As children, teens, and young adults, we marinated in a structured learning environment, and once free from that structure, it’s easy to forget just how important learning is. The most successful people never let their desire to learn fall by the wayside. Once out of school and firmly ensconced in a career, it can feel like too much of a time commitment to keep structured education on your to-do list. That’s OK, though – according to Socrates, “Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.” In other words, just the process of learning keeps the desire for more knowledge at the forefront. Read trade journals. Attend seminars or webinars. Take online courses. Don’t give yourself a full college course load along with your 50-hour-workweek, just make a way to keep the flame of learning lit in your life, and reap the benefits of self-confidence, self-esteem, and success. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Do you feel like a square peg in a round hole sometimes? Like you’re doing what you love…what you’re called to do…and yet you feel like you don’t really belong? It’s not uncommon to measure yourself against the attributes and qualities of your peers and find yourself lacking in some way, and yet it’s one of the worst things you can do to yourself if you want mental wellbeing, a sense of belonging, and success. Try this instead – when you do something competently and compassionately, congratulate yourself. Notice the amount of yourself, your heart, and your abilities you put into doing your job, and acknowledge that your unique skillset coupled with your unique compassion creates a unique value that you bring to your workplace and your team. Instead of feeling bad about being a square peg in a round hole, celebrate the pieces of you that make you uniquely qualified for what you do. When you remember to measure yourself only against who you were yesterday, your sense of belonging and of pride in the job you do will soar. Want more? Click heref or a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Let’s talk about the people closest to you in your life – the people you share a roof with, the people you share your workday with, and the people you share your leisure activities with. Think about a time when you were struggling – maybe a breakup, maybe a financial hardship, maybe a personal crisis of confidence – and once you have that time and how you were feeling firmly in mind, think about the people closest to you – who stepped up to help? Who reached out to be sure you were OK? Who was there for you, and who wasn’t? Who watched your struggle from the sidelines, who gave you unsolicited and unhelpful advice, and who ghosted you until your personal coast was clear? We don’t often remember to evaluate the quality of the relationships in our lives, and yet the people you surround yourself with can help you soar or shoot you down. Make a list of who helped and who hurt, and cultivate the helpers. Those who weren’t helpful and instead made you feel worse through it all aren’t your people – focus less of your time on them and let them drift away. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Do you often look to others to decide how to feel about something, whether to do something, or if you’re doing “life” right? This is something most of us do at some point in our lives, at least with some people in our lives. Maybe we wear our hair the way another person prefers it instead of how we would like to wear it. Maybe we dream of life as an artist, and yet follow a career path designed by parents. It can be hard to buck the opinions of others, especially others that love you and that you love and want to have a harmonious relationship with. Before you shape yourself to please others, think about this: don’t you need to have a harmonious relationship with yourself? Don’t you deserve to have a harmonious relationship with yourself? How can you have a harmonious relationship with yourself if you’re not being true to yourself? It’s your life. Decide what you want it to look like and be like, and then live it. Those who truly love you will still love you. More importantly, you’ll love the life you’re living. And when you are in love with life, that’s when you’re truly living! Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

A throwback country song by Vince Gill talks about “which bridge to cross and which bridge to burn.” The song is about having two romantic relationships and how to choose between them, but the sentiment is much larger than just love. There are times in most people's lives where a choice must be made, and it’s a “one or the other” choice. Figuratively crossing one bridge literally removes the other bridge as an option, at least in the short term. For instance, in the early part of my radio career, I was faced with a choice – stay with a family-owned broadcasting company where my job was assured, or move to a big corporation, where job stability was nearly unheard of. Either way, the other option was eliminated – it was one or the other, with no turning back. Maybe you’ve had a similar experience, and here's what it taught me – no one, not one single other person on the planet – can make the choice for you. Only you are in a position to weigh the risks and rewards associated with each choice. Next time you’re wondering which bridge to cross and which bridge to burn, trust yourself, choose, and don’t look back. You’ll get it right. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Do you work in a team, or maybe manage a team? Have you ever thought about what constitutes a great team? A great team is like a sled dog team…individual members all pulling together. The members may look similar and may have similar skill sets, and yet they’re still completely different individuals. The ones closest to the sled need to be the physically strongest ones because they’ll be the ones feeling the bumps and turns of the sled the most. The ones in the lead need to have confident personalities while also being responsive to the directions the musher gives them. The ones right behind the lead dogs also need to be responsive to the musher’s directions while having a bit more muscle to help the team change direction to follow the trail. The rest of the dogs on the team need to be strong, athletic, and delighted about running down the trail instead of chasing random wildlife. Sure, they’re all furry and four-legged athletes, and yet they all have specialized talents and experiences that they bring to the job. And every dog on the team needs to be willing to work with its coworkers, or all of those other important attributes won’t matter. Think about your team as a sled dog team – who is in which role, and how can you help the team pull together better? Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Does your life feel like you’re in a valley instead of on an epic mountaintop? It doesn’t take a whole lot of looking to notice that everything in our world moves in cycles. The moon has phases, the earth has seasons, the oceans have tides, the plants germinate, grow, ripen their seeds, spread their seeds, then go dormant. The sun rises and sets. Every day, it shines its light, shares its warmth and energy, and then the planet moves around so the sun is on the other side of the planet where we can’t see the light or feel the warmth for a time. And the earth always turns, bringing the sun back overhead every day. Human lives are like that too – we have a beginning, a growth phase, a fertility phase, and then a waning phase. Like the sun, we are able to shine our own light on the world and the people around us. When life feels challenging it can feel like our light isn’t shining but like the sun, it always is. Your light is inside you, waiting to shine, and when you’re focused on what’s wrong, your light can’t shine brightly. Like the sun, you have a light that benefits all who are exposed to it - what you do with the light is completely up to you. Want more? Click herefor a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job"  #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Are you a patient person, or are you someone who get so caught up in the anticipation of an event that you lose your temper when it doesn’t happen fast enough? For most of us, the answer is “it depends.” It could depend on the mood you’re in that day, it could depend on how badly you want the thing, and it could depend on how much else is on your plate. When I’m feeling impatient, I remember this last thought that John Steinbeck wrote to his son – the younger Steinbeck was in love and wanted some fatherly advice. The letter ended: “And don’t worry about losing. If it is right, it happens – the main thing is not to hurry. Nothing good gets away.” These three powerful sentences sum up a faith in the unfolding of life, as well as our ability to roll with what happens. When you’re feeling impatient, remind yourself that there’s no hurry, because nothing good gets away from you, either. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Do you dread life’s monkey wrenches? You know, the things you didn’t see coming that cause you major upheaval for weeks, months, and sometimes years? Most people dislike change of any kind, and yet one of life’s certainties is that things always change, and some of the change will be hard to cope with. The hard times show you how strong you are. They bolster your confidence in yourself by reminding you that you DO have what it takes to tackle life’s less-optimal moments. The hard times are a reality, they happen to everyone, and how you grow, what you learn, and how you move through the hard times to the new opportunities ahead of you define who you are. Let life’s monkey wrenches be the tool you need to grow and flourish, not the tool you use to beat yourself up with. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

When was the last time you looked up in the sky and saw the Milky Way and about a billion stars? For me, it doesn’t happen often. I’ve lived in large cities my whole adult life, where there’s so much light pouring into the sky that only a smattering of stars and a planet or two are bright enough to be seen. Only in the darkness can you see the stars, and that’s a good metaphor for life, too, though maybe not the way you think. It’s easy to get caught up in the day to day doing of things – things you do all the time, things that need to be done, things that others expect you to do, things you get paid to do – you know, all the things. When you’re caught up in routine, it’s easy to miss the bright stars of opportunity and delight that are vying for your attention. They are there, just like the stars in the night sky – they don’t disappear just because you can’t see them. Sometimes I plan trips to places where the stars are still easy to see, and maybe sometimes you could plan a day or a few minutes in a day to consider the little everyday delights around you. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Are you feeling unappreciated today? Quick – get a pen or pencil and a piece of paper. Go with me on this – the brain locks onto and believes things that occur with multi-modal input, like the feel of paper in your hand, the flow of ink or graphite onto that paper, the sound of the words appearing on the paper, and the vision of the words you’re about to write. I don’t want to go all Miss Manners on you but hold on – you owe yourself a thank-you note and it needs to be done right this minute, before you forget! (I don’t know how you identify so I left off the stern “young lady” that Miss Manners would have said.) Write a thank-you note to yourself. Include your appreciation for your ability to take care of yourself and others the way you do, how you’ve solved problems for yourself and others, the pretty little flecks of color that make your eyes dance in the sunlight – whatever you can think of to appreciate about yourself, write it down. Don’t forget the salutation and closing – My Dearest Me and With My Undying Love will do nicely. Appreciate yourself. Others will come along for the ride, and it’s your appreciation for yourself that truly matters anyway. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Do you know someone who defines themselves by the things they’ve lived through? Most of us do – the most vivid example in my life was Grandma Faught, who was a big, fat, medical mess. She wasn’t really – she was actually very healthy. She had her appendix out at a young age and the drama of that event seemed to define her life. No matter what ailment you had, she’d tell you she had it worse. And she’d tell you at length and in excruciating detail! If you know someone like that, love them and try not to spend too much time around them, for your own sanity. Things happen to everyone – some of them are good, some not so good, and we’ve all got baggage. Things happen. It’s how we choose to move forward from the event that is our responsibility. The person who stays stuck is choosing not to learn and grow. They can also be a difficult person to be around because of their incessant focus on themselves and their life’s trauma. We are not responsible for the things that happen in our past. We are responsible for how we choose to behave moving forward.   Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Beliefs are interesting things. Most people hold beliefs that they don’t question – it’s 100%, non-negotiable truth. Here’s a common one: the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Yeah…no. That belief is patently, demonstrably untrue and yet most people will tell you it’s true and some will even argue for their long-held belief. Let’s not even get started on politics, guns, and religion – what you believe feels true and right to you, and the same goes for every other person. Beliefs come into being organically inside your brain – when you’ve thought the same thought often enough, that thought becomes hard-wired in your head and it feels like a belief to you. When you hold fast to a belief no matter what others say or even what your own senses tell you, you are making yourself unavailable to learn anything new. By the way, the sun is at the center of our solar system – it doesn’t rise or set, as Copernicus put forth nearly 500 years ago. Beliefs are interesting things – now and then, examine yours and leave yourself open to the possibility of a different point of view.   Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Do you ever feel overwhelmed? Most of us do, and when that happens, it’s usually because we’re focused in the wrong place. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when you’re focused on the uncertainty of the future instead of the reality of today. Wait – what? I’ll say it again. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when you’re focused on the uncertainty of the future instead of the reality of today. The brain likes to create scenarios and sometimes it’s guilty of creating a lot of scenarios all at once. It takes the things that are going on in your life at the time, combines them and then plays them out inside your head. The problem is, you aren’t living those scenarios, you’re living real life and hardly any of your brainpower is focused on what you’re doing. Next time you feel overwhelmed, stop and purposefully focus on the one thing you need to accomplish right then. Make your brain pay attention to the present moment, not make up a million what-if moments that’ll probably never happen anyway. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

(Get ready to roll your eyes if you’d like to, and please listen anyway. Those most likely to dish up eyerolls at this information are the ones who need it most.) The self-care drumbeat is loud – everywhere people tell you that you need a regular self-care practice. What you don’t hear a lot is why it’s important, so here you go. Straight from the National Institute for Mental Health – self-care helps you manage stress, reduce injuries and have more energy. Those results are good, right? Here’s more – when you’ve taken care of your own mental wellbeing, you make better decisions, are a better friend, team-mate and partner, and get more enjoyment out of even the mundane things of life. Those results are good, right? Here’s what self-care can look like – drinking water before you get thirsty, spending 10 minutes outside, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, and maybe even taking a nap. Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is relax, and that’s self-care, too. There are lots of ways to care for yourself – the “self” in self-care means only you can do it. Now you have the self-care “what” and “why” – the “how” is up to you. Have fun adding small acts of self-care to your life! Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Mom used to tell me, “Sandy, you don’t have to tell everything you know.” Of course she was right and of course it took me a long time to truly understand the depth of that sentence. It’s not just about spilling the beans to your Great-Aunt Carla that Mom thinks she’s a bad cook, it’s about so much more than that. Have you ever said something you felt you absolutely, positively had to say, only to discover that the other person took it wrong? Even worse, now you’re the bad guy because you tried to help? There are people who will never understand that you’re offering them help and they’ll accuse you of being condescending, pushy, and pompous. Don’t bang your head up against that impossible brick wall. Some people don’t want to be helped – they like their “victim” self-image and when you try to help them feel better, they feel like you’re attacking them, and they’ll attack you back. You don’t have to tell everything you know – share your wisdom with receptive people and don’t bother with the rest. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Are there things, incidents or people that get on your last nerve? Or maybe they even cause you to feel instant anger? This is juicy stuff – take a few minutes today and write down the people and things that make you mad: slow cars in the left lane, your co-worker talking loudly on her phone, someone asking you for help and then not taking your advice – whatever sets you off, write it down. You’ll end up with a list of habits – that’s all, just habits – you’ve formed for getting mad. Inside your brain, irritation, anger, and spouting off feel like you’re solving a not-optimal situation. In reality, you’ve simply formed the habit of getting mad at certain things. Since getting mad releases stress hormones in your body which wreak havoc with your immune system, circulatory system, and digestive system, it’s in your best interest to break those bad habits. Here’s the good news – you’ve already created the list of times you’d like to be more in control of your feelings. Now, when those irritating things happen, instead of getting angry, feel powerful. Take control of your feelings and steer them in a more benign, beneficial direction. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Are you having a “what was I thinking” kind of day? You know, the one where you second-guess your career choice, desire to have children, or maybe something as simple as your hairstyle? When you start second-guessing your previous decisions, one thing is an absolute truth – you’re doing it from a different knowledge set than you had when you made the decision. Think about it – when you decided what you wanted to do when you got out of school, you hadn’t yet worked a single day with that career choice. You might have interned or shadowed someone, and it’s not the same thing as stepping into a decision and living that career choice, day in and day out. There were a lot of things you didn’t know that you didn’t know, and if you’d known them then you might have made a different choice. Instead of kicking yourself and questioning yourself over a past choice, try this – “what would I rather be doing?” Focus on the future, not the past. You can always make a new decision about anything. As long as you’re breathing, you can make a new path for yourself. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Once upon a time there was a princess who lived in a palace. Then a prince rode up to the palace gates, took the princess by the hand, and – you know this part by heart – they lived happily every after. Right – no real relationship – whether the prince represents the perfect romantic partner or the perfect job or the perfect boss – ever works like that. There are actions and reactions all around, and in some cases, mistreatment. Remember that old adage, actions speak louder than words? In every relationship, romantic, business, friendship, whatever, pay attention to what their actions towards you indicate. If you hold the other person in high esteem, you’re polite, helpful, attentive, and considerate, do you get that behavior back from them? Or when you’re polite are they dismissive? When you’re considerate, do they take your actions for granted? Their actions tell you what they feel about you – pay attention, and decide if you’d be better off in a different situation or relationship. You get to decide for you – no one else is in charge of your life. You are, though, and what you want and deserve matters. Decide accordingly and create the happiest ending to your own fairy tale. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Is it better to be loving or loved? This isn’t a trick question, and the answer is “to be loving.” The brain responds to your feelings of love the same way, whether you’re loving a flower, a new manicure, or your romantic partner. When the pheromones of another person come into play, that’s when love turns to lust, which isn’t what we’re talking about here. Love in its simplest form is a deep appreciation for something or someone. When you’re feeling love, your brain is triggering the release of oxytocin, dopamine, and other neurotransmitters, producing all sorts of benefits to your body. The more you can feel love for a blue sky, the great shoes you’re wearing, and the car you’re driving, the more benefit your body gets from those feel-good chemicals your brain delivers because you’re feeling love. Starting today, find one new thing to truly love and appreciate each day. Focus on the qualities about it that you love, and hold that feeling of love for at least a few minutes. If you’re thinking, “but I want to BE loved” you’re in luck – when you’re appreciating the things around you, people pick up on that vibe and become more loving, too – and some of that love is bound to land on you. Win-win! Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Are you having a bad day? First, I’m sorry – bad days suck, and it can be tough to pull yourself out of the funk that often goes with having a bad day. Some days are just a get-through, so if that’s what your goal is today – just to get through it – then here’s something that might help. No matter what’s gone wrong today, it’s gone right, too. If you made a mistake, that might feel wrong to you. What went right about it is that you learned something. You might not know it right away, and when you look back on what happened you’ll see the clues to what could have made things turn out better – and that’s the “it’s gone right” part. Sometimes it can be very tough to find the “it’s gone right” part of something that feels wrong, and at times like that, it’s useful to remind yourself that you’ve made it through 100% of what life has thrown at you, and you’ll make it through this, too. When the day is over, put yourself into bed, secure in the knowledge that tonight’s sleep will help you feel better tomorrow. No matter what’s gone wrong in the past, you have always made it right and you’ll do it this time, too. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Are you someone who avoids confrontation? Many of us are and it’s not a bad way to be, it just means we’re not practiced at having hard conversations with people who may not take them well. People who like to argue love confrontational conversations, which means that those of us who don’t often feel like we “lost” the conversation. Here’s a different way to think about hard conversations, especially if you’re in a leadership role and need to get through to one of your team members – think of how you’d want the same information delivered to you. For instance, if your neighbor lets their small children run wild in the neighborhood, taunting fenced dogs and trying to poke them with sticks, you could be furious and call the authorities on them. Is that what you’d want, if the roles were reversed? Probably not. You’d probably want your neighbor to talk to you about how to help the children safely interact with dogs so they don’t get bitten by one. When it’s time for a hard conversation, decide how you’d want it delivered to you, and then try to deliver it that way. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Do you know how to turn your own bad mood around? Many people don’t, and they get stuck in a negative mindset for days on end – and sometimes for a whole lifetime, sadly. It’s especially sad because turning a mood around is within your power, and it’s only within your power. No one can make you feel better without your permission and cooperation – you are the one who has to be willing to make the shift. How do you do it? One way is to make a game out of finding something funny in whatever is bothering you. Let’s pretend that I just cut you off in traffic and you’re angry about it, yelling at me and maybe waving a specific finger at me. You could go on that way, being angry and spoiling your mood for the rest of the day, or you could make up an entertaining outcome to the situation. Pretend that me and my car are going to be deluged with bird poop as Mother Nature takes your side and directs the birds to deliver retri-poop-tion on your behalf. You can probably come up with something funnier than that, and hopefully you get the point – find a way to make yourself laugh when something has upset you, and suddenly you aren’t in a bad mood anymore. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

How does consistency show up in your life? Some people are very consistent about their exercise, some write in a diary every day, while some wouldn’t know what consistency was if it bit them on the bee-hind. Why does consistency matter? For you personally, it’s important to create habits that support your mental and physical wellbeing. Many of these kinds of habits were created in childhood – brushing teeth, regular bathing, seeing dentists and doctors regularly, and so on. Those support your mental and physical wellbeing. For your business or workplace, consistency in processes helps the whole team work together better, accomplish more, and know they’re doing the right things to move towards the team goal. Consistency in expectations creates trust. Consistency in communication creates momentum. Consistency in celebration creates deep bonds. Consistency is important – examine how and where it would benefit you to be more consistent, and then create the habits that’ll get you there. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Let people be wrong about you. It’s OK – what they think about you is who they are, not who you are. You don’t owe any kind of explanation to anyone, and when you explain, people who misunderstand you already will continue to misunderstand you. That’s who they are…they’ve already decided you’re kind of pathetic, so when you start trying to explain yourself all they’ll see is evidence of what they believe. Save yourself the trouble and heartache – let your actions speak for you as you move through life. That’s how people really learn who you are. Even if the person who misunderstands you is someone who influences others and you’re worried about what the other people will think, shrug it off. What other people think about you is their business, not yours. You can’t think inside their head, you can’t explain your way into their hearts, and by living your life your way, on your terms, they’ll see who you are. Play the long game – people worth having in your life will be there, and the rest will self-select to stay away. Yay! Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

If someone calls you annoying, how do you feel? If someone looks at you and then whispers to the person next to them, how do you feel? If someone looks at you and makes an odd face like they just smelled something unpleasant, how do you feel? If you would feel uncomfortable or somehow not good enough, then you’re letting another person dictate your emotions. Let that sink in – if someone says or does something and you feel bad about yourself because of it, then you’re letting their opinion dictate how you feel about yourself. Does that seem rational? No, of course not – don’t beat yourself up, though, because it is a very normal, very human thing to do. We were raised by people who wanted to shape our behavior to suit them, so we learned early to conform to the wishes, desires and demands of others. The trick is to learn to rely on what feels right inside our own heart and mind, not to shape ourselves to suit someone else. Next time you feel less-than because of someone else’s opinion, stop and remind yourself that they’re not the boss of you, you are! Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Do you sometimes beat yourself up because of something you did? Maybe you made a mistake that cost your company time or money, or maybe you said something that hurt another person’s feelings, and for the rest of the day, and maybe even the next day and far into the future, you relive that mistake and wish you hadn’t made it? Why do we do that to ourselves? The reasoning part of our brains aren’t fully developed until we’re in our mid-twenties, meaning that things we experienced or heard before that were processed differently than we would process them now with our grown-up brain. Let that sink in. Things said to you as a child may have hit you hard, creating a feeling that you had to be perfect in order to be worthy and loved. That was wrong then and it’s wrong now – it was just your child-brain misunderstanding. Perfection is unattainable – whenever you find your brain beating you up over a mistake, remind yourself that no one is perfect, not even you. If you need to make amends to someone, do it. Do what you need to do to help fix the situation caused by your mistake and move on. Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

What nice thing do you do for yourself on a regular basis? Seriously – think about it – what nice thing do you do for yourself that you don’t have to do? A dear friend who now lives in the stars was a feng shui expert, and several years back came to my new home to help create a welcoming, nurturing home environment. I had purchased flowers the day before and we talked about how pretty they were. My friend told me that fresh flowers refresh the energy in the home, in addition to lifting the spirits of everyone who looks at them. The gift she gave me that day was this sentence: “Give your home fresh flowers every week.” You know that feeling when someone you love gives you flowers? Did you know you can give yourself that feeling, too? When you give your home and yourself fresh flowers every week, you refresh the energy in your home and you remind yourself that you love you. Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

How do you react when your world is rocked? I saw a meme recently that said, “Sometimes holding on does more damage than letting go.” It reminded me of the divorce that happened in my life several years back. When confronted with a partner who didn’t want to be married anymore, I was shocked to hear the words, “Well, this was never about ownership” come out of my mouth. Recently, when talking with a long-time, very dear friend, we talked about her words when something similar happened in her life. She said, “let’s find a way to hold on to the life we’ve built.” Her reaction was the opposite to mine – I didn’t want to be with someone who didn’t want me, and she didn’t want to let go of the person and the life they had built together. Which was is the right way to deal with having your world rocked? Both. What is right for one person isn’t for another, and you get to decide and define how you want your world to be. Sometimes holding on does do more damage than letting go, and sometimes holding on through a rough patch creates a deeper, more substantial relationship. Next time something rocks your world, trust yourself to know what to do. Listen to your heart – it doesn’t lie to you. Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

What is magic? Is it a man on stage, making his beautiful assistant disappear? Is it a genie who lives in a lamp, waiting to grant wishes? Is it a Disney princess, waving her arm and creating magnificent ice palaces? What if I told you that magic is looking out the window at just the right moment to see a hummingbird hovering, looking at you? What if I told you that magic is being outside, wearing a blouse that attracts butterflies to it and to you? What if I told you that magic is feeling glum and then hearing the adorably appealing sound of a baby laughing? Magic is real and it’s all around you. Magic happens when you are in the right place, at the right time, and you’re focused on the right now. Magic is available to you all the time, you magician, you, and you have to be open to it or you’ll miss it. Do you believe in this kind of magic? I hope so, because those who don’t believe in magic may never find it. Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

What is creativity? If you remember your childhood, maybe creativity was making a paperweight for your dad out of a baby food jar and rocks, with gold spray paint for the rocks and the jar lid. Generation Alpha, the children born since 2010, might view creativity as using AI to create fun images from a simple cellphone pic. Creativity is also thinking outside the box to find a solution to a problem. If you’re about to have to do something extremely wet and messy and you don’t want to soil your clothes, look around – maybe you can find a plastic table cloth or a large garbage bag to cover yourself and keep your clothes clean and dry. Yes, that’s creativity. Creativity is more than just having fun making art, it’s an offshoot of play, so if you feel you need to be more creative, build time into your schedule for play. In addition to being a wonderful stress-reliever, play brings out the creative spirit in you. Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Competition can bring out the worst in some people. Competition can also be a powerful way to bring out the best in yourself. Choosing your competition is the first and most important step. Will you compete against someone who you know you can beat? Where’s the sport in that? Will you compete against someone you know is far, far better than you? Where’s the fun in that? When you choose the perfect person, competition will make you stronger and more confident, and the perfect person is always right there, waiting to compete with you. Who is that person? The person you were yesterday. When you can start the day determined to do better and be better than you were the day before, you set yourself up for success. Your most worthy opponent isn’t an opponent at all – it’s you as your stepping stone, your springboard, and your accelerator to your highest, best self. Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Can you think of a time in your childhood when you were deliciously, easily, simply happy? I remember a Girl Scout meeting held in the local park where a man brought a bunch of different African drums and taught us all how to play them – how to coax a rhythm out of wood and skin with simple adjustments of how your hand landed on them. How to squeeze the drum under your elbow or between your knees to change the pitch of the resulting reverberation. What is that delicious, easy, happy memory for you? With the crunch of schedules and responsibilities, it can be tough to appreciate the things that would have delighted your younger self. You don’t have to lose that child-like appreciation for little joys – you just have to notice them, because they’re still here. The only difference is your ability to see and value them. At least once a day, give yourself permission to look at your world through the eyes of your child-self so you can be deliciously, easily, simply happy. Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction