DON'T GIVE UP!!!
        How many loud, piercing sirens are going
off in your head right now?
        How many of them sound like this:
-"I'm uncertain about the future."
-"I'm frustrated with my job."
-"I'm overburdened by work."
-"I'm unhappy with my relationships."
-"I'm afraid of change."
-"I'm overwhelmed by the demands of my life."
-"I feel unfulfilled."
        How many times have you said, "I just can't
take this anymore!" because you felt as though
things were out of control or you felt you were
powerless to change anything.
        You have the right to be frustrated.  You
have the right to be angry.  You have the right to
feel like you're about to explode.  You also, have
the right, in a moment of outrage to smear blueberry
pie filling all over your body.  But...
        DO YOU REALLY WANT TO GIVE UP?
        Don't let your emotions take the form of fictitious
bullies who track you down, circle around you, and taunt
you until you give into them.
        Be strong.
        You do have control over your life.

ESCAPES
        Giving up is like hiding.  Hiding can't be one of your
options if your goal is to live.
        There are three ways to perfectly escape:
-indulge yourself
-daydream
-run away
        Stretch out your arms.
        Your left hand is touching YOUR MEMORIES FROM
THE PAST.  Your right hand is touching YOUR HOPE FOR
THE FUTURE.  You are in the middle. You are the power
holding your life together.  Placing yourself in the center is known
as LIVING IN THE PRESENT.
        When you choose escape from the center you are left with...
        NOTHING.
        Have an appreciation for your past.
        Start dreaming.  Start creating a future as though it were a clay
sculpture only your fingertips could reveal.

A FRESH START
        When things start to feel completely out of hand, it's time to
take a step back and regain your poise.
        First, put the brakes on your problem before things get
impossible.  Remove yourself from the situation (body, mind,
or both).  Your choice of timing may not be exact, but as they
say, timing is everything.
        Next, slow down...calm down...settle down.  Ease back
from a pounding heart and racing thoughts and judgements.
        Find the steadiness.  There's a place inside of you where
Honesty sits patiently on a footstool waiting for you to listen.
Listen.  See things for how they really are. Decide in what
ways you are realistically capable of making changes.
        Then you must focus. In your mind's eye begin to make
preparation for the things you want to do to make things different.

MAKING PLANS
        Whether it's one situation or whole chunks of your life,
when you decide you are going to change rather than give up,
it helps to have a plan.  A plan eases the stress of making
changes.  It also helps to make big decisions seem a little
less terrifying.
        Call them decisions, solutions, or goals, for whatever
they may be, you need two things to get the outcomes you want:
        -daily TO-DO lists
        -and priorities
        You have your notepad.  You have your pen.
        Ask yourself, "What is going to be the best use of my time
today?"
        List the things, you feel, have to get done.  Look at your
completed list and choose the things you feel are the most important
and the most immediate in need of your energy. These are to be
tackled first.
        Priorities aren't written in stone.  They can be changed.
However, they are necessary because you have to always be
aware of what is significant to you and why it is significant to you.
        Cross off the things you get done.

MOTIVATION
 If you feel your passion isn't as fueled up as you need
it to be, try these:
-Refine.  Add more details to your plans.
-Research.  Get more information about what your plans may involve.
-Inspire.  Leave yourself notes or whatever else reminds you of each
task you want to complete.
-Commit.  Make a commitment to someone who will be directly
effected by your choices.
-Gauge.  What mood are you in?  Take advantage of it by deciding
what you are willing to do while you're in that particular mood.

A DEEP SIGH
        If there is something you dislike doing, and there always will be,
you can handle it by:
-Put simply, deal with it directly.
-Face that there will be unpleasantness that will sprout from
delaying the task.
-Remember when you were a child and adults would make deals
with you? "If you clean your bedroom then you can go out and play."
Use the same strategy with yourself.  Counterbalance the drudgery
with some enthusiasm.

        Changes can happen suddenly, but long lasting changes you
end up feeling substantially good about happen gradually.   Try not
to push yourself to your breaking point. Advance yourself bit-by-bit.

AND DON'T FORGET...
        ...the rewards
        Reward yourself for reaching a meaningful turning point.
Reward yourself for completing your goal. And most important,
reward yourself for not giving up.

FINAL THOUGHTS
        If there is one thing I want you to always remember, it is this:
        STAY OPEN
        Be open to surprises, the unexpected, and new experiences.
Be open to other points of view.  Be open to your own strong
inner voice.
        STAY OPEN.
 

Until next time...be well

Forever always,
Wendy