Are You a Positive or Negative Thinker? - Stress Management from MindTools.com

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"A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes." ~Mahatma Gandhi

"Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will." ~Zig Ziglar

These are two powerful quotes. Combined, they tell us that if we think positively, we're likely to enjoy positive results. Negative thinking, on the other hand, can lead to outcomes we don't want.

Positive and negative thoughts can become self-fulfilling prophecies: What we expect can often come true.

"Being positive or negative are habits of thoughts that have a very strong influence on life." ~Remez Sasson

So are You a Positive or Negative Thinker?  Take the short quiz at Stress Management from MindTools.com to determine what kind of thinker you are.

Love takes time...

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"Love Takes Time:  Love is our strength to bring us to the place where we are eternally complete.  Love takes time to listen with an attentive ear. Love is always present when others disappear.  Love takes time." ~by James Hayes



Love takes time. It needs a history of giving and receiving, laughing and crying...

Love never promises instant gratification, only ultimate fulfillment.

Love means believing in someone, in something. It supposes a willingness to struggle, to work, to suffer, and to rejoice.

Satisfaction and ultimate fulfillment are by-products of dedicated love. They belong only to those who can reach beyond themselves; to whom giving is more important than receiving.

Love is doing everything you can to help others build whatever dreams they have.

Love involves much careful and active listening. It is doing whatever needs to be done, and saying whatever will promote the other's happiness, security, and well-being. Sometimes, love hurts.

Love is on a constant journey to what others need. It must be attentive, caring, and open, both to what others say and to what others cannot say...

Love says no with empathy and great compassion.

Love is firm, but when needed it must be tender.

When others have tried and failed, love is the hand in yours in your moments of discouragement and disappointment.

Love is reliable.

Love is a choice and commitment to others' true and lasting happiness.  It is dedicated to growth and fulfillment. Love is not selfish.

Love sometimes fails for lack of wisdom or abundance of weakness, but it forgives, knowing the intentions are good.

Love does not attach conditions....Genuine love is always a free gift.

Love realizes and accepts that there will be disagreements and disturbing emotions...There may be times when miles lay between, but love is a commitment. It believes and endures things.

Love encourages freedom of self. Love shares positives and negatives reactions to warm and cold feelings.

Love, intimate love, will never reject others. It is the first to encourage and the last to condemn.

Love is a commitment to growth, happiness, and fulfillment of one another. by Barb Upham

Every Monday Matters - You Matter!

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Today is Your day.

Today you get to pick how you want to make a difference.

You know the drill. Think of something—and go do it.

Pretty simple.

There is only one catch--the people at Every Monday Matters want to hear about it. Let them know what you did and what resulted. They will be selecting one of 'your' ideas to be one of the “Mondays” in their next book. So be creative, have fun, and make sure to let us 'all' know what you did to make today matter.

Go to EveryMondayMatters.com to learn more about the “Your Day” Contest.

Every time you took care of yourself, did something for someone else, protected the environment, gave from your heart, volunteered your time, and donated your possessions, your action had a ripple effect on your friends, neighbors, co-workers, community, city, country, and the world.
We are confident that you had an amazingly gratifying year and that you know in your heart that you really did make a difference. Every smile, every thank you, and every gesture of appreciation confirmed this for you.

Yet the work has just begun.

It’s a big world out there.

Now you understand just how much YOU MATTER.

"Live every day as if what you do matters – because it does. Every choice you make; every action you take – matters. Your choices matter to you and create the life you live. You always make a difference. Let that difference move the world forward. You matter." ~Susan M. Heathfield

Monday used to be the least favorite day of the week, but that is changing. EMM is based on the idea that every Monday people can make a difference in their life and the lives of those around them. No matter how big or small the actions, they matter. And not only do people have the power to make change, they have a social responsibility to do so. Not out of guilt, but out of an appreciation for every living thing in the world. Together, each person can make a difference in the world and raise the collective consciousness, thereby creating a legacy worth participating in…one Monday at a time.

For more information about the EMM movement visit: http://www.everymondaymatters.com/

Half Full & Aloha Friday Question!

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"No one is in control of your happiness but you; therefore, you have the power to change anything about yourself or your life that you want to change." ~- Barbara de Angelis

Half Full Friday is a series of weekly posts that Eye Girl originally started in June 2009.  Now the it is hosted by Sprinkles at Wyldechylde.  We believe that a lot of our happiness is determined by our attitude about the things that happen to us. So by participating, we are deciding to see the glass as half full, instead of half empty. We are choosing to concentrate on the positives, instead of dwelling on the negatives. Our Half Full Friday posts are a way to do just that. They are a list of the things in our life that have brought us happiness over the past week. We are determined to find the something good in every day. Are you?

"Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself: I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it." ~-Groucho Marx

For the next week, we challenge you to keep a list of at least one thing that brought you happiness each day.

I'm Happy and Thankful for many things; especially this week:

• For all the progress on my house this week!  I'm in a 'nesting' type cleaning mood laterly! A friend told me that means I'm making room in my life for something new!  Awesome!

• For winning Shanae Branham's from Triumph and Tears March contest!  Thanks to all of the support and comments on my entry Silencing the Violence of Verbal Abuse!  Thank you, All so much!!!  XOXO

• For the ability to Accept, Appreciate and Love who I am!! ;-)

"You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection." ~Buddha

It's also "ALOHA FRIDAY" Everyone!!  If you want to join in the fun? Post your own question on your blog and leave your link at the Aloha Friday post at An Island Life. Then you can visit the other participants if you wish...It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends or see what people are thinking about this week and join in a conversation or two if you like.

"If you can learn to love yourself and all the flaws, you can love other people so much better. And that makes you so happy." ~Kristin Chenoweth

My question:  Suppose you could go back in time and talk to yourself at the age of ten. What advice would you give yourself?

My answer:  That you have to Love yourself First... before you can truly fall in Love with someone else! ;-)  

"You must love yourself before you love another. By accepting yourself and fully being what you are, your simple presence can make others happy." ~Author Unknown

Have a Wonderful Friday!
Hugs and Much Love,
~ Coreen

April is also Stress Awareness Month!!

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Did you know that April is Stress Awareness Month? Stress is a normal psychological and physical reaction to the various demands of life. Your brain is hard-wired with an alarm system for your protection, so when it perceives a threat, a burst of hormones are released to fuel your fight-or-flight response. When the threat is gone, your body returns to normal.

Unfortunately, the constant stress of every-day life means that your alarm system rarely shuts off. Proper stress management needs to be an essential part of your daily life. The more you understand the causes of stress in your life, the better you will be able to handle it. Making healthy lifestyle choices and allowing time to do things you enjoy will get you one step closer to a less stressful life.

Because stress can affect your health in many ways, stress management is great for your health and longevity. So is laughter. (Read this for more research on laughter.) If you commit yourself to stress management this month, you'll be doing something to lead to a healthier lifestyle.

"Give your stress wings and let it fly away." ~Terri Guillemets

So how can you observe Stress Awareness Month?  There are many ways and tons of resources out there to help, but the following are a great place to start:
Understanding Stress
How To Deal With Stressors
Free E Course: 4 Weeks to Healthy Habits and Less Stress
TOP TEN favorite stress-reduction articles
Stress Cure.com
Top Ten Stress Relievers
Quiz: Is Your Lifestyle Stressing You?
Stress Relief for Students
What Stress has done to your Memory and Brain

April is National Autism Awareness Month



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In order to highlight the growing need for concern and awareness about autism, the Autism Society has been celebrating National Autism Awareness Month since the 1970s. The United States recognizes April as a special opportunity for everyone to educate the public about autism and issues within the autism community.

Join the Autism Society in getting involved with the autism community this April.

Attend a Wretches & Jabberers "movievent." The Autism Society is proud to partner with Academy Award®-winning director Gerardine Wurzburg to release her feature length documentary Wretches & Jabberers during National Autism Awareness Month in April 2011. The film will be released through nationwide “movievents,” which will include a screening of the film and a live panel discussion featuring Tracy Thresher and Larry Bissonnette, the film’s featured self-advocates with autism. Check back here for tour updates and don't forget to watch the trailer at http://www.wretchesandjabberers.org/.

Make a difference. Contact your representatives on the state and federal level and ask them to "Vote 4 Autism." For more information about this legislation and to take action to support it, visit http://www.vote4autism.org./

Connect with your neighborhood. Many Autism Society local chapters hold special events in their communities throughout the month of April. But if you can’t find an event that suits you just right, create your own! 1Power4Autism is an online tool that makes it easy to mobilize friends and family and help make a difference.

•Autism Society Chapter Events Calendar
•1Power4Autism

Watch a movie. Did you know that something that seems as simple as going to the movies is not an option for many families affected by autism? The Autism Society is working with AMC Theatres to bring special-needs families Sensory Friendly Films every month. Click here for more information.

Visit a Carino's Italian Restaurant.
Carino's Italian Restaurant will give a portion of it's proceeds gained throughout the month of April to the Autism Society to help commemorate National Autism Awareness Month and to help families affected by autism. To learn more about Carino's Italian Restaurant, visit http://www.carinos.com/.

Autism Society.org
Asperger’s Syndrome
On the Spectrum
Autism Spectrum Disorders ~By Lisa Jo Rudy
IDEA Fairness Restoration Act

The above article is from the Autism Society Organization. As many of you know my youngest son has Asperger Syndrome and was not given a good prognosis. The doctors were wrong. It took another state and school system, but he did get better! The biggest obstacle in the beginning of his journey, was understanding. Awareness  is the first step to Understanding... which is so important in helping anyone with Autism, Aspergers, Pervasive Developmental Disorders and those individuals on the Spectrum.

Some insightful articles:
Suffering In Silence
Quirky or Autism / Asperger Syndrome
Whiz kid with Asperger's syndrome aims high

Half Full and Aloha Friday!!

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"Don't rely on someone else for your happiness and self worth. Only you can be responsible for that. If you can't love and respect yourself - no one else will be able to make that happen. Accept who you are - completely; the good and the bad - and make changes as YOU see fit - not because you think someone else wants you to be different.” ~ Stacey Charter

Half Full Friday is a series of weekly posts that Eye Girl originally started in June 2009.  Now the it is hosted by Sprinkles at Wyldechylde.  We believe that a lot of our happiness is determined by our attitude about the things that happen to us. So by participating, we are deciding to see the glass as half full, instead of half empty. We are choosing to concentrate on the positives, instead of dwelling on the negatives. Our Half Full Friday posts are a way to do just that. They are a list of the things in our life that have brought us happiness over the past week. We are determined to find the something good in every day. Are you?

"Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared." ~Buddha quote

For the next week, we challenge you to keep a list of at least one thing that brought you happiness each day.

I'm Happy and Thankful for many things; especially this week:

• That my oldest son and his classmates arrived in the Dominican Republic safely! Praying they have wonderful learning experiences while helping people!

• For a very nice visit with some family last weekend!

• For the fourth annual World Autism Awareness Day on Saturday April 2, 2011! 

"A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes."~Hugh Downs

It's also "ALOHA FRIDAY" Everyone!!  If you want to join in the fun? Post your own question on your blog and leave your link at the Aloha Friday post at An Island Life. Then you can visit the other participants if you wish...It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends or see what people are thinking about this week and join in a conversation or two if you like.

"Positive anything is better than negative thinking." ~Elbert Hubbard

My question:  How do you deal with negative people?

My answer:  I smile, point out something positive from the situation or change the subject to something light.  Most people get the hint. :-)  

"(after listening to people gripe and complain just smile and remember) Crows can’t hang with eagles." ~Joel Osteen

Have a Wonderful Weekend, Everyone!
Much Love & Many Hugs!

~ Coreen