I LOVE...

"We all have likes and dislikes, we have things we love, like the Dodgers, or the Angels, and yes some even love the Yankees, but then there are things we should love--like ourselves."
Jeff Johnson March 2008

I love _________, can you fill the blank in with something you love? List the top five things you love in some order--tie(s) are acceptable. Was you name on the list? We all list children, pets, neighbors and friends, organizations that have meaning to us, sports teams, and even food items. O.K., everyone should just assume chocolate as the king of all food items. Let's look at how much time we spend thinking about the things we love in a positive manner.

We are creatures of habit. We comb our hair in the same way each time, we brush our teeth in the same manner, we sleep on the same side of the bed each night, and we eat a lot of the same foods each day. Our habits are formed because we like routines and we like to be happy. When we think of ourselves my guess is we look at the things we need to fix versus the things we like. For example, we may say, 'I am to fat or to skinny," I need to do this about myself or if I only had______, I would be O.K.' For each one of those 'I wishes' we place on the 'less than' side of the coin how many 'atta boys' do we give ourselves in return? We can improve our image if we do just a few things. We can feel better about ourselves if we spend more time thinking good about us instead of bad.

Start everyday with saying something nice about you, Maybe begin with "I am a good person, or I am smart, or I did something good today for someone, or I went to work today when I felt bad, or I worked as hard as I could at something today." Praise yourself more by writing things down and place the notes on the refrigerator or the bathroom mirror. Continue to say I am improving instead of I need to change this, say I am worth it instead of I have so many bad things about me. Looking at a positive way to see us is harder than looking at a negative part of us. Everyone has many good qualities to share and be thankful for. Make a decision to always see a positive when looking at a negative in everything. Try to reduce the time spent thinking bad and focus more on good things. Increase the time you think good about your life instead of how much you need to improve. Look up instead of down, and most of all know you are moving forward because you are a FORWARD STEPPER. Life is good, you have wonderful and good qualities, and there is a plan and purpose for your life. Spend more time thinking good about you and live life smiling.

I believe in you because YOU ARE WORTH IT,
Jeff