Tiny Bites of Wagaliciousness

How boring would this life be if everything stayed the same all the time? You’d never desire a new outfit or a new car or a new career because there wouldn’t be any “new” available – everything was just as it always was. How boring would your coworkers or your partner or you be if you stayed the same all the time? Change drives learning, change drives personal growth, and change is what keeps life interesting, challenging and fun. Yes, fun. Change can feel like chaos, and yet once you’ve moved through the period of change, the feelings of stress often change to satisfaction and maybe even pride. Next time you’re tempted to wish for the status quo, remember the benefits you reap from change and celebrate the growth you’re about to experience. Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

You are a living, breathing body made of potential. Potential love, potential learning, potential teaching, potential sharing, potential giving – you are enormous potential. Notice I didn’t say “you HAVE enormous potential” – you ARE enormous potential. What part of that potential are you using? For most of us, “not enough” is the answer. There are lots of reasons we don’t realize our potential – fear, feeling “not good enough,” feeling unprepared – and that’s all bunk. It’s just excuses we're telling ourselves, and the result is that we’re not letting our amazing potential out. Today, think about one thing you’d like to do or experience – just one. Imagine that you’ve already done it or experienced it – how does that feel? Bask in the feeling of the accomplishment for a while, and hold on to the feeling. Then think about the steps you might take towards having the experience in real life. Teaching yourself to dream it so vividly that you feel the feelings of your accomplishment helps you reach your enormous potential. Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Is something ending in your life? Maybe it’s a job, or a relationship, or maybe you’re watching their world get smaller as someone you love nears the end of their life. Endings feel scary because of the unknown and sometimes unknowable “what’s next” question. Our brains like to run patterns, and in patterns there is sameness, not change. Endings mean change, and even though the world is constantly changing around us, most of us resist endings and the change that accompanies them. Don’t be afraid of endings – they are always followed by uncharted territory, and it’s in uncharted territory that you learn and grow. When you’re faced with change and you find yourself feeling anxious, uncertain, or frightened, try this – think about the best possible outcome that the ending could bring about. Instead of focusing on what you’re losing, focus on what wonderful door might open. Imagining good things going forward helps you feel better in the now. Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

How much time do you spend thinking about things that have already happened? Mulling something over in order to learn and grow can be a productive use of that time, but most of the time that’s not what’s going on up in our craniums. Reliving old hurts, replaying difficult conversations, and blushing all over again from the memory of past embarrassing moments is much more common – when our brains have not much else to do, they dredge up old movies and play them for us. Problem is, when your brain is playing negative memories in your head it’s also triggering the release of the stress hormones triggered when the event happened in real life. That is very very very bad for your physical and mental wellbeing. When you notice yourself reliving past hurts, put up a mental stop sign – see it right in front of your eyes, no matter where you’re looking. Stop the negativity and think or do something that you enjoy. Break your brain from this destructive pattern and watch your life get better and better. Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

There is value in even the most stressful, difficult situation. That’s the truth, and yet finding the value while in the middle of the stress is hard to do. Normal emotions like anger, helplessness, and grief are more likely to crop up amidst difficulties – feel them and try not to act from their influence. Having a sentence you can say to yourself to ease the stress is helpful to many people, myself included. I like the sentence, “things are always working out for me” – I can look back on the not-optimal events in my life and see the things I learned, ways I’ve grown, and confidence I’ve gained from weathering storms. Some people like to tap into their faith, giving the problem over to their higher power. Think now about what you can say to soothe yourself when you’re in the middle of a struggle – practice saying it when small things happen, like dropping something or missing a turn. Practice your soothing phrase a lot now, before you really need it, and it will help you more when you do. Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Do you need people to understand you? Most of us do, at least at some point in our life. One of the benefits of the grey hair that sprouts from my head is that it reminds me how far I’ve come and how much I’ve grown, and I want to share this perspective with you. I used to think that if people understood my thought process they would see things my way or do things a different way or understand me better. I explained myself to people who didn’t care. They weren’t bad people – they were people with their own point of view, and their point of view was completely different than mine and just as valid, it turns out. Reality is fluid – what feels real and true to me may feel bogus to you. The younger me struggled to help other people understand, while the grey-headed me now finally understands. Everyone is entitled to their own point of view – it’s been given to them through the life they’ve led. And I don’t have to explain anything to anyone – it just annoys them and won’t change their point of view. There – doesn’t that make life so much less complicated? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Do you feel strong right now? Not physically strong, though that’s good too – emotionally strong. Do you feel like you could tackle a big problem if it was dropped on your desk right now? No? What would it take for you to feel strong enough? Being strong is simply deciding to be strong. Deciding to make more decisions. Deciding to take a few more risks. Deciding it’s ok to make a mistake so you can learn from it. Deciding to apologize to someone you upset, and deciding to forgive someone who upset you and didn’t apologize. Get comfortable with making decisions by making more decisions – that’s where your strength and confidence will come from. Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

How hard is it for you to apologize? For many of us, apologies don’t come easily – as a matter of fact, people usually take the “ignore it and hope it blows over” approach instead of the stronger, more emotionally mature step of apologizing. Recently a friend was irritated by something I was part of, and she took that irritation out on me loudly and publicly. She’s a friend that I know is prone to volatility and is not usually one to apologize, so I was surprised to get a heartfelt apology and hug about an hour later. Can I tell you how good that felt? I’m still glowing from knowing that my friend stepped out of her comfort zone to make things right. Apologies are signs of emotional maturity and strength of character. Next time you think you might have wronged someone, dish up an apology as soon as you can – it will make the other person feel good, and will make you feel good, too! Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Think back on the last hour of your life – were you existing or were you living? Were you just going through the motions of your normal day or did something happen that stretched your abilities, your knowledge or maybe even your patience? Did you dance a little bit as you moved from place to place? Did you sing or hum or hug someone who was hurting? Did you learn something new, question something you thought you knew, or help someone learn something? Now think ahead to the next hour of your life – how can you create more opportunities to live that hour instead of simply marking time as you move through it? Focus on living – it’s so easy to take our daily lives for granted, yet when we find ways to decorate our days with experiences, people and fun, we start living, not just existing. Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

When I was a child I often heard grown-ups say that if we just had a good person as President, the problems in America could be easily solved. Then Jimmy Carter was elected and he was an outsider to Washington DC politics who couldn’t get anything done. While his record as a President is debatable, his record as a good person who led a life of service isn’t. He and his wife Rosalynn gave countless hours to Habitat for Humanity, though not throwing gala events as most dignitaries would…they got dressed in work clothes and helped build houses. An early crusader against segregation, he earned the United Nations Human Rights prize and the Nobel Peace Prize. This “good man” once said, “The bond of our common humanity is stronger than the divisiveness of our fears and prejudices.” Fear and prejudice are normal human feelings – not admirable, just normal. It’s a choice in how we focus that allows us to keep them from driving our words and actions. That elevates us from ordinary human to good person. In honor of Jimmy Carter, will you focus on being a good person today? Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job"  #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Answer this question without thinking – are you beautiful? Chances are you don’t describe yourself that way – most people don’t. If you’re like me, you were raised on a diet of sayings like “beauty is only skin deep,” and “pretty is as pretty does,” as well as “looks are fleeting – character matters.” In those subtle little words was born in most of us the idea that it’s not important or maybe even good to value our looks. We learned to focus on what’s inside – what most of us didn’t focus on was our own unique beauty. “Everything has beauty but not everyone sees it” applies to us about ourselves most of the time – you have beauty and you may not see it. This daily habit can help you realize just how beautiful you are – each day, come up with one nice thing you did for someone the day before. It doesn’t have to be big and if you focus on it from the standpoint of the person you helped, remember their smile? You smiled back, and smiling makes everyone beautiful. You spread your unique beauty into the world…see how beautiful you are? Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Is there someone you deal with regularly who is careless with your time, talent, or treasure? By that I mean that they expect more from you than you’d really like to give them, and yet because you’re a kind, giving person, you haven’t said anything to them about it. Yep, that’s me, too, sometimes, so this Tiny Bite is for us both. When you allow someone to devalue your time, your abilities or your finances, you’re teaching them that they can treat you that way. When you value yourself enough to say what you want in exchange for what they’re asking, you’re teaching them to value what you bring to the table. This can be a tough habit to get into, so practice it inside your head a few times to make it easier to let it out of your mouth when you need it. Value you, and others will, too. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Are you in the middle of a big, fat, interpersonal mess? One where you’re feeling wildly misunderstood and mistreated? Want to find a way to feel better about the situation quickly? Ask yourself “what if.” What if the person who yelled at me was having a bad day? What if the nagging ache in my knee is just a little pulled muscle? What if the important document I’m looking for shows up like magic when I stop trying so hard to find it? We’re so good at “what iffing” in the opposite direction – “what if I really am as bad as they think I am?” “What if I have to have surgery on that knee?” “What if I get in trouble with the IRS because I can’t find that document?” We take things to sometimes silly extremes in the negative direction all the time – what if you could teach yourself to what-if in a more positive, or at least more neutral direction? Try it – next time you find your brain what-iffing or worrying about something, start what-iffing positively. If it helps, get so silly and extreme about it that you start laughing. There…doesn’t that feel better than feeling misunderstood and mistreated? Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Recently I was talking to an acquaintance whose life is in turmoil. She’d suffered the loss of her partner, the business they’d built was in jeopardy without him there, and she was being kicked out of the house they’d lived in together by the owner, who’d never liked her very much. She told me the details of everything, and told me all the different things that could happen as a result of the upheaval. She was imagining all sorts of things that needed to happen or that she had to do and couldn’t do, and as words were tumbling out of her mouth it was clear that she couldn’t see a path out of chaos and into something that might resemble “normal.” Does that sound like someone you know, maybe even you at times? When it feels like you’re at the center of a whirlpool of badness and the many arms of the spiral are wrapping you tighter and tighter into helplessness, remember – you can only do one thing at a time. One. Thing. Pick one, and do it. Reassess the situation, then pick one thing and do it. Lather, rinse, repeat and soon you’ll find the path out of chaos, one task at a time. Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Don’t you love that moment when something you’ve been wishing and hoping and planning and maybe even praying for happens? Those moments in our lives a re high spots for a reason, and did you ever notice that you don’t stay in that extreme happiness very long? That’s OK, and it’s perfectly human that you would return to your normal emotional state soon after having that moment – maybe hours, maybe days, but “normal” is normal for a reason. If you’d like your day-to-day emotional state to be a bit more elevated than normal, try this: think back on your life and make a list of the events that have created that high, happy emotional state. As you list them out, fill in as many details as you can remember around those great feelings. Put the list in your phone, hang it on your bathroom mirror, strap it to the sun visor in your car – in other words, put it in all the places you’re likely to see it often during your day. Relive the peak experiences of your life often – your brain can’t tell the difference between remembering reality and reality itself, so doing this exercise as often as possible elevates your mood while you do it and trains your brain to that elevated state, creating a happier “normal” for you. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Don’t you just hate to make a mistake in front of other people? Recently I made a very stupid, very public mistake that dozens of people saw. My younger, less experienced self would have tried to disappear, tried to explain it away, and apologized to anyone and everyone who would listen. I would then have spent the rest of the day and maybe a bunch of the next day kicking myself and reliving the epic moment of stupidity while feeling cheek-reddening shame. The world’s first celebrity chef, Julia Child, once wrote, “Even if it doesn’t come out perfectly, never apologize – no excuses.” On her live TV show she flubbed a potato pancake flip, patched it back together, soldiered on and still managed to make a beautiful plate of food. This is a very healthy way to handle mistakes. No one is perfect – everyone makes mistakes. That’s just part of the human condition. Mistakes are how we learn, and because I’ve made a lot of them, somewhere along the line I learned to make fun of myself when I made a mistake, entertaining those around me while moving on. What can you do differently the next time you make a mistake? No apologies, no excuses, and no blushing – everyone makes mistakes, so deal with it and move on. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Do you have a goal of being in a deep, committed relationship that will change your life? Are you looking for – or maybe waiting for – someone who will be part of your life, and will help you be the best person you can be? Maybe you’ve dreamed all your life of the person who will sweep you off your feet and transform your life forever? If this sounds like you, even if it’s just in your heart of hearts and isn’t something you’ve shared with anyone else, your wait is over. Your day is today and your time is now. The person you’ve been waiting for has been part of your life for as long as you can remember, has loved you when you felt unlovable, has stood by you even when you’ve misbehaved, and will be with you forever, no matter what happens. The only person who can make a deep, lasting, committed, life-changing difference in your life is you. You’ve seen yourself in the mirror all your life – look now, and look into your own eyes. Look deeply into your own eyes at least once a day for at least 30 seconds, and remind yourself how much you love you, how much you appreciate you, and how you promise to be there for you, no matter what. You are the one you’ve waited for, and you were worth the wait. Say your vows to yourself in the mirror each day – that’s how you remind your brain and your heart of your value. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Don’t you hate it when things are not going well, and it feels like everything is spiraling out of control around you? When your brain is spinning is not the time for some well-meaning woo-woo know-it-all to tell you to just breathe, so I’m going to tell you now and tell you why it’s exactly what you need to do. That way, next time you feel that “spinning out of control” feeling, you can override the panic and take control again. When you recognize that your stress level is rising and your feeling of being in control of the situation is missing, stop. Do nothing…seriously, stop moving. Take a long, deep, slow, inhale through your nose, and then let it out as slowly as you took it in. You can exhale through your mouth or your nose, whichever feels better to you. Stay still and take a few more long, slow, deep breaths, until you feel your shoulders drop a little and your jaw relax a little. Your body can sense the solution, and you can’t listen to your body’s input unless you stop the spinning inside your head and the clenched muscles that go along with it. The best way to become the best you is to pay attention to your life with all of your senses, and controlled breathing is how you regain control of your brain. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Do you have times in your life that you feel like you’re at the bottom of a deep hole with no way to climb out of it? When you’re feeling stressed – when you’re feeling disrespected – when you’re feeling down on the world or yourself – try this: take in the space around you. What colors do you see? What fragrances do you smell? What does the air feel like? What does the chair you’re sitting on or the clothes you’re wearing feel like under your fingertips. Focus in on what’s going on right that very moment, instead of the whirl of negativity your brain is dishing up. Pay attention to the present moment – it’s where you live, and is where all of your power is. It's the ladder out of the deep hole, and you can climb it any time you need to, so long as you choose to focus on the world around and the fact that you have the ladder with you all the time. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Many people have a hard time asking for help. Maybe you were raised to be self-reliant, maybe you have a tiny streak of perfectionism – or a big one – or maybe you’re very introverted and it feels like you’re imposing on the other person when you ask for help. Try thinking about it this way – asking for help isn’t giving up, it’s refusing to give up. It’s saying to yourself and to the world that the thing you’re doing is worth doing right and you haven’t learned how to do that yet. Getting input from someone else is a way for you to learn, and is a way for the other person to feel needed and useful. If you have trouble asking for help, practice doing it when no one is around. Seriously – ask out loud for help when you get stuck, that way when you need help and there’s a person there who can help you, it won’t feel so scary to ask. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Does it feel like you’re toiling away at something and not getting anywhere? Banging your head against the wall? Digging in and digging away at it and still not getting to where you need to go? The frustration you might be feeling is counterproductive – can you find another way to look at it? What if the work you’re doing now is exactly what needs to be done in order to achieve your dreams? What if, in your digging, you’re unearthing new knowledge about the subject? What if you’re learning more so you can ask better questions? What if, in your toiling away at something you’re opening yourself up to meeting someone who has the answers or the knowledge you’re searching for? If you can step out of the frustration of not knowing and into the endless possibilities that you are moving toward, you make it easier to spot the clues along the path to the solution. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Are you at a place in your life where it feels like something major has to change? Maybe the end of a relationship, the end of the usefulness of your job, or the end of living in one place? The more life you’ve lived, the more of these junctions you’ve probably been faced with. While any decision is better than staying stuck and stagnating where you are, before you make a major decision, it’s good to ask yourself why you want to do it. Are you moving away from something or are you moving towards something else? They may feel to you like they’re the same thing – I assure you, from personal experience, they are not. Honestly assess whether you’re just wanting to get away from something or someone, or whether you’re consciously choosing a better path. You can’t get away from yourself by moving from one relationship…one career…one place…to another. Wherever you go, there you are. Make a conscious decision about what you do want, and then go for it. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

How do you typically respond when something you really want seems ridiculously difficult to attain or achieve? For most of us, there might be a petulant moment or two before we rise to the challenge. A shining example of a person who rode the waves of social injustice against her gender and her skin color with great style, wisdom and talent was Aretha Franklin. Her musical career arc ran alongside the civil and women’s rights movements, and she was involved with both. In 1964 she was looking at the tiny amount of money she earned from her first record label and was deciding which record label she would move to so she could benefit from her talents. In an interview with Ebony magazine, she said "It’s the rough side of the mountain that’s the easiest to climb; the smooth side doesn’t have anything for you to hang on to." She didn’t complain about her treatment, she simply proclaimed her vision. The Queen of Soul shared a piece of her soul with us in that sentence, one that I carry with me and use when times are tough. You, too? Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction #arethafranklin #queenofsoul

Have you ever had this experience? You break up with someone and suddenly they’re interested in you, attentive to you, and appreciating you the way you wanted them to when you were together. I’m not just talking about a romantic relationship - this goes for relationships of all kinds – romantic attachments, friendships, and working relationships or partnerships.  There are people who really can’t see your value up close. When they see you with someone else, that’s when they realize what they squandered. Perhaps it’s because they’re more interested in the conquest, perhaps they’re just fickle, or maybe they just have no vision – no matter what they say to try to entice you back to them, assess the situation carefully. Did they truly realize the mistake they made and want to start again and treat you right, or do they simply want you back in their control? Before you let yourself be swayed by their sweet words, decide what YOU want. Take care of you – you’re the one you’ll spend the rest of your life with. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

When you embark on something brand new, how do the people around you behave? What do they say, and what is their attitude? Do they use supportive language like “wow, I’m excited for you” or do they say things like “what makes you think that you can do that?” Instead of hearing just the words, pay attention to the people who are saying them. Are you surrounded with supportive, helpful people? Or are there a few – and maybe more than a few – who say things that make you question your ideas, your abilities, and maybe even your sense of self-worth. Along your road to success, who do you want to be surrounded with, those who are judging you or those who are rooting for your success? Who are you surrounded with now, and who do you want to be surrounded with? Trust me – you want to choose wisely. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Have you ever had a great idea – one that gave you goosebumps and made you want to start on it right away? Those ideas are the best, and yet can also be the toughest to act on. It feels scary to launch into something big, shiny and bright when you’ve never done anything like that before. The reason it’s tough is that your brain loves the status quo – it’s in the status quo that your brain can run patterns it’s been running all of your life, and the brain loves to run patterns. You can outsmart your brain – when you want to follow that dream, look for ways to harness the patterns that already exist in your daily life and adapt them to help you create your great idea. Take the leap of faith – use the positive energy you’re feeling to get started, understand that at some level your brain wants to stay where you are, and that you are in charge. Begin and trust the new beginning. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

You are a compassionate person. You help others when they need help. You volunteer or donate to your favorite causes. You cry at the sad places in a movie, tv show and sometimes even a commercial! You are a compassionate person. You wouldn’t berate a child for their inability to do something, you’d help them learn. You wouldn’t continually remind someone of a mistake they made. You wouldn’t tell someone over and over and over again how fat or stupid or clumsy or inept or any other negative adjective you think they are. You are a compassionate person. So why do you berate yourself for your inability to do something, keep reminding yourself of past mistakes, and why do you tell yourself over and over again those negative things you may have heard about yourself when you were a child and were too young and inexperienced to question? You are a compassionate person – show yourself the same compassion you show others. If you wouldn’t say it about a person you like, stop saying it about yourself. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Are you dealing with a big issue in your life? The loss of a loved one, a new place to live, a job or career change – all things that can upset your sense of balance and your sense of who you are in the world. When it gets particularly hard and you feel like maybe you’ll never fit in or feel whole again, breathe. Stop and breathe. Maybe for just a few minutes, and maybe for the whole day, if that’s what it takes to regain your sense of self-control, just breathe. Don’t try to mentally play out all the steps you’ll need to take to set things right in your life – the only way to get something done is one step at a time, anyway, so think of the first best step you can take. Then take it. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

OK, ridiculous question time – has something ever happened to you that wasn’t good, and it pops into your head now and then. Or maybe more than now and then? It is so easy to get caught up in uncomfortable memories and the emotions they stir up, and it’s not necessary to stay stuck there. When you catch your brain wandering down a painful old path, make it stop. There are a few things you can do to end the wellbeing self-sabotage – put up a mental stop sign and consciously change your train of thought is one way to get off the pathway to a painful past. Find something you’d rather be thinking about, listen to a podcast or audio book that enthralls you, or sing a song. If none of those feel right, remind yourself that there’s nothing you can do about the past – it’s done and you did the best you could do. Tell yourself that the old negative thought is like a telemarketer – unwelcome in your life. Follow the advice of some of the memes you see on social media – send it to voicemail because it has nothing new to tell you. Do whatever it takes to not let your brain keep replaying painful old memories – they don’t help you now and they never can. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Think back to the best teacher you ever had. Why did you value them so much when you were in their class, and why do they spring to mind for you now? Chances are, it’s their approach to teaching. Anyone can stand in front of a room and tell you what to do, over and over again until you memorize it and can do it. The best teacher doesn’t teach a thing or a behavior, they understand where the student is and share the vision of how to get where that student wants to go. That’s an individualized approach to learning that invites questions, experimentation, and celebrates failures along the way to ultimate success. Now, think about the best person you ever worked for – why were they such a good leader? In the same way great teachers illuminate the pathway to success, so do great leaders. Great leaders don’t expect their team members to show up, shut up and do the job – they expect them to grow and flourish in their jobs, eventually growing into new jobs of their own choosing. Even when it means the leader might lose a team member to a better position, great leaders encourage that. If you’re not working for a great leader, go find one to work for. If you are a leader, how great are you, and how great do you want to be? Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Are you looking at something you plan to do or have to do, and you don’t feel up to the job? Maybe you have a big test to take, a book you’d love to write, a promotion you’d really love to get…whatever it is, you might desire it, yearn for it, hope for it and don’t really believe you can succeed at it, so you don’t move toward it in your daily life. The ancient Greek poet Archilochus said, “We don't rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training.” One way to interpret that as you look at the thing you want and don’t believe you can have is that with training, you can get there. Look at the thing you’re not sure you can do and break it down into the small steps it will take to get there. Do you have the knowledge you need to pass the test? If so, yay – take the test. If not, study, then take it. Do you know how to write a book? If so, start writing, maybe with a goal to write a certain number of pages a week. If not, read a book or two about writing a book, and talk to people who’ve written them to learn how they tackled it. Want that promotion? Sit down and write out a case study of why you are the perfect person for that position. Then you can rise to the level of your expectations. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Have you ever tried to help someone and it blew up on you? What I mean by that is that your intentions were good, you offered them a different way of looking at something or a different way to do something, and suddenly you’re the bad guy? Even worse, that person tells others their version of the story and you’re the bad guy in those people’s eyes, too? What an awful position to be in – what can you do to fix it? My strong suggestion is, nothing. Dang, that’s hard to do! When you can just observe the misunderstanding that others have instead of getting into the big fat middle of it, you’ll feel better and the whole thing will blow over sooner. The people who know you well will understand that your intentions were good and honorable. The people who continue to believe you acted in bad faith aren’t worth having in your life anyway, so let them go. Trust me, you won’t miss the drama they bring to your life. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

How much self-love is enough and how much is too much? Every person you ask will have a different answer. Many of us are raised to be humble, not to blow our own horn, not to brag about our accomplishments, not to call attention to ourselves…does any of this sound familiar? If so, then the idea of loving yourself might feel quite foreign – it did to me for most of my life. Loving yourself is simply valuing what you bring to the table and trying to be the best “you” that you can be instead of trying to be the best “whoever someone else wants you to be.” I stumbled across a song the other day and laughed out loud at the very simple, very strong truth of it. Thank you, Megan Moroney, for these lyrics: “If I'm not your cup of tea go find something else to drink. I'm not for everyone, so if I'm not for you, I love me so you don't have to.” Can you think of loving yourself as a gift you give to others? Try it…it feels fun and it feels powerful, too! Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction Intrigued by the song lyrics and want to hear the whole Megan Maroney song? Here you go! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iramQNlfkis 

Did someone tell you today that you were inappropriate or wrong? Did you come away from that interaction feeling like they were right and you weren’t good enough? Please don’t do that to yourself. It’s easy to let the brain’s negativity bias take over and beat yourself up with what other people say about you. Don’t take the easy road…take the road that challenges what that person said, examines it rationally, and puts it into perspective. For example, let’s say someone says you’re lazy. Maybe your brain starts reminding you of all the times you rested instead of doing something that needed doing, and so you might conclude that the person is right and you are lazy. Your brain took the easy, automatic road. You can choose to take a different one – why did that person think you were lazy? Maybe you were doing something that felt more important to you, and they didn’t think it was important at all. That’s not evidence of your laziness, that’s evidence of a difference in priorities, and people almost always have differing priorities. Don’t use someone else’s opinion of you to beat yourself up – put it into perspective and walk away feeling good about you, your priorities and your life. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Do you like to garden, or maybe just admire the gardens of others? Have you ever stopped to think about the many different types of gardens? Give two people identical garden plots, with the same soil, the same sun exposure and the same plants and they’ll come up with wildly different gardens. Maybe one will be very organized, neat and beautifully proportioned, while the other is more free-form and free-flowing. Maybe one will be tended to with infinite care while the other is allowed to be whatever it will, with little interference from the gardener. Lives are just like that, too – give two people the same advantages, knowledge and connections and they’ll make of them two very different lives. Comparing your outcome to the outcomes of others ignores the wonderful variety of choices we all have. Each of us makes the choices that feel right at the time, and later might make the same ones or could make different ones. Instead of comparing your garden or your life to that of others, admire what you’ve grown so far and decide what you’d like to plant next. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

What is impossible in your life? Some days it feels impossible that I could ever get my filing system organized. OK, so that’s really every day! What feels impossible in your life? Is it impossible for you to find a partner? Is it impossible for you to get the recognition at work that you deserve? Is it impossible for you to get along with your mom? What feels impossible, and how could you make yourself believe that it is possible? What words could you say to make the impossible feel even just a little bit possible? If it’s a partner you desire, could you say to yourself, “there are so many people on this planet and my partner can just magically show up at any time.” If it’s recognition at work that you want, could you say to yourself, “people see and value my contribution even if I don’t hear the words they say.” If it’s getting along with your mom that you want, could you say to yourself, “she means well and loves me and can only share what she knows.” When you tell a softer story to yourself, the impossible starts feeling possible. You don't have to know how something will happen in order for it to happen in your life. You simply have to do the mental preparation to allow it to happen, and celebrate it when it does. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Are you good at standing up for yourself? Many of us aren’t comfortable in what feels like a confrontation so we walk away from some interactions wishing we’d stood up for ourselves or our point of view more strongly. Does that sound like you, too? The more life I’ve lived, the more I realize it’s not what we say out loud in those situations, it’s how we feel about ourselves that impacts how we feel about the situation. When you walk away feeling somehow “less than” or “not enough” for the other person, that’s not a “them” problem, that’s a “you” problem. They didn’t make you feel bad, though it often seems like they did it. Maybe they said something you believe is true about yourself and wish others didn’t see it, or maybe they said something completely wrong about you. Defending yourself to the other person isn’t necessary and usually isn’t productive. Saying something like, “that’s an interesting point of view” doesn’t validate or negate what they’ve said, it just says you heard them and allows you to leave the conversation feeling stronger, not weaker. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

When you realize that someone you love or admire is bad for your mental wellbeing, it’s ok to love them and give them a smaller space in your life. It’s ok to walk away from them and never look back. You can still love them as you let them go. You don’t have to live the drama that movies and TV shows dish up – you are not a character in a scripted show, you are the director of your own life. You get to choose how you leave, and you get to choose to leave. You can even do it without saying a word to the other person. Give them a smaller role in the story that is your life for your own mental wellbeing, and chances are they won’t even know. Slowly make their role smaller, until they’re not a player in your life anymore. Your wellbeing is more important than anyone’s feelings, and you are the only person who can direct your life to create more of it. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Do you ever get bogged down in a problem or a mess? Maybe it’s a work problem or a relationship problem or a personal problem – it feels like you’re standing in mud up to your knees so you can’t move, much less see a way to get out of the problem. There are times in everyone’s lives where the urge to run away and hide is strong – I just had one this week! That’s when having a go-to sentence to remind yourself that it won’t last forever can do wonders for your mental wellbeing. One of my favorites is, “Wonderful things can happen at any moment in my life.” Think of something wonderful that happened for you – did it feel magical, like it came to you out of the blue? That happens all the time and we often forget to revel in the feeling of success and perfect timing that can show up for us in any moment of our lives. Write this down and tuck it somewhere safe, so next time you’re feeling bogged down or stuck you can remind yourself – Wonderful things can happen at any moment in your life, too! Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job"  #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Do you love to give gifts? I sure do – seeing someone’s delight, or imagining it, if they live far away, gives me that warm fuzzy feeling of accomplishment, joy and love – you, too? Being in the habit of giving small gifts for no reason will endear you with the gift recipients and will have a much larger, more lasting affect on your mental wellbeing. The gift doesn’t have to be big or fancy or even well-wrapped – it just needs to be something that made you think of the other person and smile. If your time and budget allows, get it and give it. Give yourself the gift of gift-giving – you’ll get more than you’d ever dream of! Want more? Click heref or a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job"  #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Do you have a hard time saying “no” when someone asks you to do something for them? That’s a very common way to behave, especially for those in jobs where helping others is what they do. If you’re like I used to be, often asked to chair a committee or take on a part of someone else’s job, maybe you’re also like I was – often stressed, harried and sick. When you say “yes” to everyone else, you’re saying “no” to your own personal needs, and it doesn’t take long before your body starts saying “no” to you, too. Bodies need rest. Bodies need space. Bodies need the brain to take a break and quit circulating all those harmful stress hormones all the time. “No” is a complete sentence – you don’t need to have a reason to say no, and you don’t owe anyone any kind of explanation. Practice saying “no” and then pressing your lips together, role-play saying “no” with your friend who’s always telling you that you do too much for others. Learn to say “no” to the things you really don’t want to do because then you’re saying “yes” to you and your balanced life. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job"  #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Let’s talk about love. Have you ever been in love? Have you ever fallen out of love? Have you ever loved someone who fell out of love with you? Scholars, poets, dreamers and people like you and me have tried to define love, and yet love is so infinite that it defies definition. Here are three ways to think about different kinds of love: Love that comes from the head – this love is a conscious choice and feels satisfying on many levels. It’s often felt between good friends, co-workers and extended families where physical distance comes        into play. This love can change as often and as capriciously as you can change your mind. Love that comes from the heart, or maybe the pheromones – this love feels all-encompassing and like it will last forever. It’s often felt between best friends and romantic partners, and it’s going to be strong only as long as the heart feels cared for in return. Love that comes from the soul – this love is the real deal. It comes from both the head and the heart, and is the love that endures, forgives and nurtures. When you’re in a difficult relationship, examine where your love for that other person comes from, and where you think their love for you is based. When you understand the nature of your feelings, it’s easier to honor them and make the best choices for you in your own life. Love yourself from the depths of your soul and honor what your head, heart and soul need. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job"  #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Is there someone in your life who doesn’t appreciate you? No matter what you do, it’s never enough. No matter how you wear your hair or your make-up or your clothing, it’s never quite right. No matter what you cook for them, it’s never “like mom used to make” or on their eating plan or it’s suddenly something they hate. That person doesn’t deserve your time, attention, or affection. They take you for granted, talk to you like you’re lucky to have them in your life, and do serious damage to your self-esteem the longer you tolerate their treatment of you. You don’t have to be mean or angry or confrontational – you do have to take care of yourself and your mental wellbeing. Make a way to walk away, and once you do, don’t ever look back. No matter how that person’s tune suddenly changes, you know who they are and how they really feel about you. Don’t go back to their disrespect – respect yourself enough to walk away from them for good. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" # veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Do you have weeks like this, too? Yesterday, I was a rock star – everything I touched turned to double-platinum. Today is just OK – getting things done feels a bit more like work than magic. You, too, sometimes? Like the ocean, we have ebb and flow in our lives. Some of that could be due to the sleep disruption that many people experience around the time of the full moon, and much of it is due to the changing nature of our food and water intake, attitudes of the people we deal with, and our attitude about the work we’re doing. Even when we feel our lives are in a rut, a lot of things in our environments change on a moment-to-moment basis, which can be confusing to our brains because they just want to run patterns, not think too hard. How can we have more rock-star days and fewer just-OK days? When you’re doing something you love, something you believe to be beneficial to those around you, something that’s challenging and not hard, something that you can focus on and lose yourself in – that’s the recipe for creating a rock-star day. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job"  #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Life is. It unfolds as it will. Things happen. Not all of them are good, and many of them feel terrible when they happen to you or someone you care about. That’s life. Does that sound harsh? I don’t mean it to be – I want you to feel empowered by the fact that life happens, and most of the time what happens around you has nothing to do with you. We often take something personally and get all upset, when in reality the event had not one thing to do with us. For instance, I was behind a driver who didn’t know how to work a traffic circle. It’s really very simple – there’s a yield sign which means that if there’s someone in the circle, let them go before you go, and if there’s no one in the circle, go ahead and go. This person stopped. Waited for every car at every entrance to the circle to be gone before going. Was I irritated? For a moment, until I decided to laugh instead. Stop signs are octagonal, yield signs are triangular, and the intersection was a circle…clearly the driver in front of me didn’t understand geometry! When something potentially irritating or infuriating happens, find a way to entertain yourself until it’s over – it’s not about you, so getting upset only hurts you. It’s life. It unfolds as it will. Things happen. Find a way to laugh. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Where are you, most of the time? By that I mean are you thinking about the past, the present or the future? Most people spend most of their time thinking about the past. It could be good memories of the past, so-so memories of the past or not-so-good-at-all memories of the past and yet it’s still the past. That stuff has happened and there’s nothing you can do now or in the future that will change the past because – as far as we know, anyway – we don’t have the power to change the past. Learn from it? Sure. Do things differently going forward? If you’d like. When you allow your brain to wander around in the past most of the time, you’re not focused on the present or your dreams for the future. Start paying attention to where your brain is, and when it’s taking a trip down memory lane, make a conscious shift to the present or your dreams for the future. You have a lot of fire-power in that brain of yours – harness it to focus on what’s happening to you right now and where you want your life to be in the future. Now is where all your power is. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Have you ever wondered about how people become “glass half empty” and “glass half full” in their view of life? Scientists studying the genetics of depression have identified genes associated with wellbeing, and also genes associated with anxiety, depression and self-harm. They expect that further research will reveal even more genetic variants which influence mental attitude, and research studies have also shows that it’s not just nature, it’s also nurture, which influences peoples’ outlooks. Think about yourself – are you glass half empty or glass half full? Most of the time people who are seen as “glass half empty” by the world self-identify as “realists” so if that’s your answer, then the world probably sees you as a “glass half empty.” It’s not a big deal – there’s not a “right” way to be. It’s good to understand what your knee-jerk response to the world is, so that you can adjust your response style, if you’d like, using the mental wellbeing tools featured in this podcast. And if your way of being in the world is working great for you, that’s all the validation you need. Go on with your “half empty” or “half full” bad self! Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

Do you wish your life was different? Do you wish you lived in a different place or had a different profession or a different partner? Do you know it’s OK to do as you wish? You don’t need someone else’s permission to follow your heart, you just need your own permission, and maybe a bit of courage. It takes guts to make a major change in your own life, and sometimes it can feel very daunting. Letting go of something you once wanted and now doesn’t seem like a good fit is a big step, and yet it’s an important step to your personal and maybe even professional growth. Do this litmus test – think about what you have now. How do you feel? Contented or constricted? Happy or restless? Fulfilled or frustrated? Sort out your feelings, and expect some mixed feelings. Now think about what you’re wishing for – how does that feel? Scary or exciting? Full of possibility or full of unknowns? Joyful or unsteady? For a few days or weeks, mentally play out what your life is like, now that you’ve made the change. Pretend. When it feels really good to think about, even when you consider the potential pitfalls, then you know it’s time for you to make that change. You only need your own permission, no one else’s. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

My colleague Phil Gerbyshak recently posted an article about freudenfreud. If you’ve never heard the term, you’re in good company – most people haven’t. Freudenfreud is a term social scientists use to describe the feeling we get when we’re happy for someone else’s good fortune. “Freud” is the German word for “joy” and freudenfreud is so much fun to say that it brings me joy just to say it. Try it – maybe it’ll bring you joy, too. Jealousy, envy and shame are normal human reactions when someone does something or gets something that we ourselves wanted, and they are the flip side of freudenfreud. If you’re someone who often feels the more negative feelings when hearing of another’s good fortune, here’s a way to train yourself to feel joy for them: call them up or see them in person, tell them that you’re feeling a little bit jealous of their success, why you think you’re jealous, and then congratulate them. By the time you get to the “congratulate” part you will have turned a mental corner and might be pleasantly surprised to feel the congratulations as a warm glow around your heart. Freudenfreud is inside that warm glow – let it out and enjoy your friend’s success. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction

What is the single most important thing a mentor can impart to the mentee? That every single person who is doing what the mentee is learning to do had firsts – the first time they ever conducted an interview, the first time they ever were the lead attorney, the first time they ever filled a cavity, the first time they ever performed a spay surgery – you get it. No one is born knowing how to do anything – we all learn by doing, and even once we’ve done something many times, we’re still humans, so we’re never going to do everything perfectly. The single most important thing a mentor can impart is compassion for self through the learning process and beyond. Yes, mentors provide expertise and knowledge. Yes, they can also provide perspective and personal experience with getting things wrong. When you’re mentoring someone, remember to sprinkle in a dose of compassion and perspective. When you’re being mentored, listen for it and ask for it. If it’s not forthcoming, find a new mentor. Want more? Click here for a free audio course, "Happiness is an Inside Job" #veterinarian #petindustry #wellbeing #leader #lawofattraction