Staying Positive

Self-Talk Can Improve Your Life

Self-talk is an integral constant in your life. You start talking to yourself when you wake up in the morning and don’t stop until you fall asleep at night. Who would’ve thought you had so much to say? Right? But you do!

When self-talk is positive and helpful, amazing things can happen. When self-talk is negative, life can be much more challenging than it has to be.

Like much of who you are, your style of self-talk is a habit that has been molded by your experiences and environment. Imagine how your life could change for the better if you were able to alter your self-talk into something more supporting and encouraging.

You can start living that life today! Just follow these simple steps to get started:

1. Make a list of your negative self-talk phrases and attitudes. For 24 hours, record everything you say to yourself that isn’t supportive, regardless of whether or not you think it’s true. Here are a few examples to get you thinking:

* “He would never want to talk to me.”
* “I’m not good enough for that.”
* “I could never do that.”
* “Things will never get better.”

2. Prioritize your list. Which items have the greatest negative impact on your life and your sense of happiness? Put the list in order, from greatest negative impact to least.

* Prioritizing is important because it will naturally force you to spend your time on the most important items.

3. Create a new list. Now that you’ve made your list, you’re going to improve it. Convert at least the first 10 items on your list into positive thoughts. If you’re feeling motivated, you can rewrite as many more as you like.

* Even if you don’t believe the new, positive idea, just change it into a positive version. For example, “I could never do that” changes to, “I can do anything I set my mind to.”

4. Change your thinking. Now, for the challenging part. Each time you catch yourself engaging in self-talk matching an item from your list, substitute the new self-talk expression.

* Be diligent at all times. Considering how many times you may have said the negative item to yourself, this new practice will require a lot of attention. The good news is that over time, the positive things you say to yourself will become a habit, too!

5. Move further down the list. After you’ve conquered the 10 most negative items, look at the list and consider how it would improve your life to change those remaining negative self-talk items. You may have formed such positive habits with your first 10 items that the rest of them might not really be applicable anymore!

Self-talk will always be there, so it will benefit you to exercise some control over it. Anything you hear over and over again, you start to believe. That’s the way our minds work.

The first step to gaining that control is to monitor your thoughts and feelings. Then the necessary steps can be taken to change it for the better. As with all habits, these self-talk patterns can be challenging to change, but doing so will really boost your happiness. Get started today!

Summer Memories

Keeping a Travel Journal of Your Summer Vacation

Summer is a magical time. For many, this season provides that once-a-year opportunity to travel somewhere exciting, exotic or relaxing. You may get to spend time with friends or family, or even luxuriate in a few days all by yourself.

Regardless of the type of summer vacation you plan this year, remember to pack a travel journal to record all those incredible experiences.

Use these tips to help you make the most of your travel journal:

1. Choose a blank journal in a style you like. Whether you want a fanciful print on the front, a tactile, cloth-covered book or simply a solid color cover, find a journal that suits your taste. You can most likely find a wide selection in your local bookstore.

* What will work the best for you? Decide in advance where and how you’d like to carry your journal during your trip. If you like to write, you may want one with full-size pages. On the other hand, you may be happier with one that fits in your purse or even your jacket pocket. You can jot down notes and fill in the details later.

* When purchasing a travel journal, remember that size does matter. Depending on where and how you travel, weight may also be a concern.

2. What do you want to record? Because travel is usually such a change from your routine, you might think you’ll never forget a moment of your trip. But a few years afterward, you won’t remember many of the details. You may want to capture these details in your journal:

* Complete date information including the year

* Where you went: the country and city

* Where you stayed: names and addresses of people’s homes or hotels and suite numbers

* Sights you saw

* Places you’d hoped to visit that you’ll catch the next time

* Descriptions of interesting foods you tried, including where you ate them

* Sights, sounds and smells as you walked down the street

* People you met

* How you got around the city: public or private transportation, and what kinds

* Souvenirs purchased for yourself and loved ones

* Details like, “The bed in the Smith Hotel was so lumpy, but I was exhausted and slept like a log” are interesting asides that you’ll later be glad you wrote.

* Most of all, record your feelings about your summer trip experiences, which will help you better recall your cherished moments of the vacation.

3. Take every opportunity to note your travel experiences. Make notes daily. Notes made soon after an event tend to be more specific, factual, and complete than those made at the end of the week.

* When in a cab or traveling by bus, pull out your pen and journal and write about what you’ve experienced so far that day.

* If you’re an artist, you could make a sketch or two of sights you’ve seen.

* At breakfast, jot down information about the evening before. Or mention what you plan to do that day.

* You may prefer to write your notes after you get back to the hotel for the evening.

4. During your vacation, collect flyers and brochures. They can help you fill in details of your experiences.

* For example, you might’ve already forgotten the name of the restaurant where you ate those delicious sandwiches at lunch. But if you remembered to keep the receipt or a brochure from the restaurant, you can refer to it later for the details.

* When you go shopping and you see brochures listing the stores and showing the floor plan, grab one to use later when you’re journaling about the day’s activities.

* These flyers can also help you put together a scrapbook when you return.

Keeping a journal of your summer vacation will preserve those precious memories forever. You’ll return to it over and over again to re-discover the special experiences you had. And someday, your children will be thrilled to read these personal accounts of your trips.

Try using a travel journal during this year’s summer vacation and make the most of your experiences!

Finding Simple Joys

Do you find yourself often feeling tired, spent, or even exhausted? Maybe you feel challenged to find balance and contentment. Human lives can get very complicated sometimes. However, it’s possible to discover some of the simpler joys in life to soothe your soul. Simple pleasures are all around you. You just have to be alert to notice them.

Try these strategies to cultivate more simple joys in your everyday life:

1. Marvel, once again, about the clouds in the sky. When was the last time you did this? When you were small, you probably laid on a blanket outdoors, staring up at the sky, looking for interesting shapes in the clouds. Why not do it now?

* Invite your partner or your kids to go outside with you. Grab a blanket on your way out the door. Then, lay back in the soft grass. No radios or phones! Look up and lose yourself in the clouds. Be present in only this moment. No past – no future – there’s only now. Share what you see with your loved ones.

* You’ve just found a very simple pleasure – one you can enjoy almost any time.

2. Watch a sunset. Talk about a wondrous event! Sunsets vary each day. Like snowflakes, no two are exactly alike.

* Watching the sunset can be an awesomely peaceful and quiet experience. Or it can be the cause for a celebration, whatever you choose. However you approach it, sunset watching is an effortless joy that won’t cost you a penny.

3. Re-discover nature. No matter where you live, you can walk outdoors and see what’s there. Even in Brooklyn, a tree is probably growing near you.

* Do you love birds? Get a pair of binoculars and sit outdoors on the porch step and watch the free show that only birds can present.

* If you’re into horticulture, take a walk to admire all the lovely trees and plants you see.

* For a real treat, drive to your local national park and take in all the bounty of simple pleasures that nature provides.

4. Revive your love of reading. Whether you’re curling up on the sofa with a novel by your favorite author or sitting in the sun reading one of the classics, reading is a simple joy that you can do anytime you want.

5. Spend a day in your pajamas. You know you want to!

* After you’ve had one of those really hectic weeks where work and personal situations collided to produce a lot of tension, try setting aside a weekend day where you don’t even get dressed.

* Spend the day lying around in your PJs. All day, do whatever you like. Talk with your kids or spend quality time with your partner. Maybe you just want to read. That’s okay, too! It’s your day, after all.

6. Make yourself a great cup of coffee, your favorite iced latte, or glass of tea and relax. Sometimes, all you need to feel better is doing something simple: fix your favorite beverage and take five.

7. Decide to do whatever you want just for one hour today. Life can seem so overwhelming sometimes that you may feel totally disconnected from the activities you love to do.

* Whether you enjoy doing a particular craft or playing a sport for fun, make time to do what excites you.

Creating a life of harmony includes regularly seeking out simple pleasures. Very little money is required, so you can experience joy in your life every day. Make an effort to find your simple joys, and you can create the life you deserve.