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Give it a try, shall you? I dare you to “affirm” this, for 60 days, every morning. I promise, that if you put your heart into it, you will feel smarter, more confident, more patient, fearless, and more in control than you ever have.

Remember, what you tell yourself “you are…” is precisely who you become.

Affirmations for YOU:

I am smart.

I am confident.

I am not only patient with others, but patient with myself.

I am unafraid.

I am the master of my thoughts, I decide what I dwell on. I decide how I feel.

I am disciplined. I am poised.

Why stop with you? If these things build you up, you can betcha bottom dollar they will build your children up. Insert positive phrases into their head. Tell them what they are, and make them believe.

Affirmations for your CHILDREN:

You are smart.

You are confident.

You are special.

You are important.

You are unafraid.

You are loved.

You are beautiful.

You are extraordinary.

Give it a try. Build yourself up, and then once you understand the power behind it, build up your children.

The truth is, is that somebody…. ( everybody) is going to do the same thing to your children. They are going to tell your child, who they are, what they are capable of, and where they belong in this world. Some will say it bluntly, others will place it in front of them passively. Either way, ensure that you plant seeds inside their head first— the right seeds. Seeds, of great, beautiful things.

So you’re having a stinky day? I understand. I’ve been there… I go there quite often actually, and during the challenges, I have learned a few things that help take the stench away. They are, as follows ( clears throat.)

1.) Pretend as if you’re some super awesome actor/ actress, playing your role… as you: Did you read that right— you’re wondering? Yes, yes you did. I said it, and I meant it. They say, in a lot of inspirational business books, that work, especially, needs to be viewed as a form of “center stage.” You get in there, you put on your “act” and then, when the clock strikes “thank god I’m off” time, you can be you again. Why, I wonder, use this excersise just at work. To me, this helps quite a bit. If you aren’t feeling courageous enough to do a task, or patient enough to endure the temperament of the day, just pretend you do. You’ll be amazed, at how well you not only can fool the world, but yourself.

2.) Force a smile: Got pulled over? Your car run out of gas, or you rip your pants in the office? What do you do? You smile.. that’s what you do. Oh and it’s painful, I will warn you, to enforce yourself to plant a smile on your face despite wanting to cry and run away, but it works… absolutely. They say, that when your face carries a smile, it’s almost impossible to not feel happy. That’s some very strong, serious stuff. Try it out. When life gives you lemons, or a headache… smile about it.

3.) Talk to yourself:  I know this sounds a bit strange, but the power of speaking to yourself is enormous. Sometimes, it’s extremely beneficial to calm yourself down merely by conversating with yourself. In Shad Helmstetter’s “What to Say When You Talk to Yourself” it makes an obvious point, that we already talk to ourselves, but rather than pump ourselves up, we all have a detrimental habit of speaking negatively, doing nothing more than bringing ourselves down. This has a huge effect on our subconscious. So next time you’re feeling down or as though you’re about to over react, step away for a while, and give yourself a little pep talk.

4.) Hide: Just go.. hide out somewhere. Hide in your car, hide in your room, hide under your desk… it doesn’t matter, just escape. You don’t look foolish or weak getting away for a couple minutes. You’re merely taking a “time out” to evaluate why your day smells funny. Take a break, and then go at it again.

5.) Read an inspiring book, quote, or magazine: When you’re having a tough time, you’re lacking positive thoughts. The solution: you plant those suckers right in there! Whether it’s a random quote you Google on the internet, or a James Allen book sitting next to your night stand, open it up, and read it. Negative thoughts are like termites, if you do not kill them by spraying positive thoughts on them, they will take over and ultimately destroy you— leading to your demise. Great analogy huh?

Well folks, those are the first five I’d recommend to anyone having a tough time. A few others are : scream, get in your car and drive for 3 hours, do 100 jump and jacks, watch a Disney film, and cry. We’ll touch base on those at a later date. In the meantime, I sincerely hope you take these thoughts along with you as your “Febreeze” to use any time you find your day stinking.


Until next time,

Nicole Almond

I remember, not too long ago, hearing a quote similar to “be as a child,” or “see like a child.” All I know, is that it did not go as “act like a child.” Regardless, the quote was of sincerity and wisdom. Immediately, I imagined the world throwing temper tantrums, kicking and screaming along the aisles in the grocery store and walking around with headless Barbie dolls- weird. Of course, at the time my three year old was demonstrating her authority, so anything “child-like” inevitably implanted a bitter taste in my mouth. However, after patiently enduring the “diva-tude,” as I like to call it (deep sigh) I showed her mommy’s demonstration of authority.

Discipline is a two-sided concept. You pray that you do not portray hippocracy and it hurts a little bit being the bad guy, but it is necessary, and in the end, if you do it appropriately, they’ll thank you for it. I placed her in timeout and braced myself for the almighty wrath of “The  Aimslee Grace,” and her ever-so-powerful ( and loud) scream. It’s amusing almost, how such a rebellious, confident, little being, switches almost immediately into the damsel in distress, locked away by the cold-hearted, wicked mother, pleading, desperately for freedom. (They are not only smarter than most people may believe, but much more tricky and way more clever.)

I asserted my position as the authoritative figure, banging my chest triumphantly, and roaring in pride. I made it evidently clear that I…am… mother; queen of this house. ( Just for the record, and to create an accuracy in your mental image, I have only done this (literally) just once or twice. For the most part, I merely imagine myself acting in this manner.)

So, to sum up how the system in my house goes, ( clears throat)..

-Aimslee gets rebellious, steps a little out of the boundaries of “acceptable behavior,”

-throws a fit after being told no,

-enters time-out ( aka baby prison)…

-mommy turns into bad guy, and then, here’s where it gets very interesting. After time out, after the reprimanding and the screaming, Aimslee, right after fleeing the “no no chair” comes over to me, almost every single time, and with tears still clinging to her long, baby-doll eye lashes, she says, with a smile “I love you mommy.”

And this part, is where my heart officially, every time, sinks.

I don’t remember, exactly how the quote went regarding us adults somehow being compared to children, but I do know that despite how angry Aimslee was with me, and despite how “mean” I may have appeared, Aimslee, every time, forgives me. Children, so young, forgive, flawlessly. So perhaps it is not ” see as a child” or “be as a child” but rather, “forgive like a child.”

I think there’s a lot to be learned by merely watching a child- but forgiving as a child, so freely, so perfectly- well it’s a trait all of us adults could benefit from.