Often criticism is a veiled compliment – try looking at it that way.  People who can’t bring themselves to tell you what they admire turn their jealousy into an insult.

Stop seeking approval.  The only person whose approval is a must have is your own.  Giving anyone else that power is in and of itself demeaning to you.

Criticism is never constructive – it is a veiled insult.  Improvements are better.

No one can criticize doing our best.

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An ongoing Harvard study points to one important thing.

“Good relationships keep us happier and healthier.  Period”.

A Cigna study done just last year shows that only 50% of Americans have “meaningful in-person social interactions” on a daily basis.

The numbers are worse for Gen Z – our children and grandchildren.

One solution – volunteer.

Give of your time.  In giving you receive the benefit of in person face-to-face social interaction.

Phones make us feel alone.

Screens divert us to the black hole of social media.

A “smart” phone owner is one who cultivates face-to-face relationships.

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1. Yes, I can.
2. I am good enough.
3. It’s worth it.
4. If I fear life, I risk losing all the good things about life.
5. Trying even without succeeding is a reward all of its own.

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We don’t forgive for the offender.

We do it for ourselves.

We let go of hatred, animosity and hurt so that we might not become the person who did us wrong.

Practicing letting go on little things so that we might have the strength to do it on the big ones.

Trying to see things from the point of view of the person who hurt us not to condone or accept it but to get to the bottom of it.

Letting go is an act of faith – we commit to do it and then do it.

Forgiveness does not mean having to forget or putting yourself in harm’s way for future abuse.

When bad feelings return, remind yourself how good it feels to let go of anger and hurt that otherwise could make for an unhappy life.

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Fear thought is planning to worry.

Forethought is planning ahead.

Why plan to worry when you can think about success?

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Most folks don’t have a prayer of starting the day in a positive way once their narrative is hijacked and taken from them.

Bad news on the morning shows, radio or online.

Emails and text messages that present problems and upset.

Then we bump into people who through some sort of osmosis transfer their anxiety to us.

Resist the bad news of the day.

Reject the problems of others – even to listen to them can cause more anxiety.

Stick to your goals for the day ahead and not be detoured by someone else’s negative narrative. 

Change the narrative from bad news to hope. 

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Find something you love to do and get someone to pay you to do it.

Find people you admire and make friends with them.

Find a problem you can’t solve and let it go.

Find a mirror, stare right into it and love what you’re looking at.

Find a challenge bigger than you and grow with it.

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Don’t become the person who has hurt you.

Never allow them to get you so upset that striking back is more important than pulling away.

Letting someone in so close has risks and rewards.

The hurt will lessen, the friendship may be damaged but you don’t have to keep coming back for more.

Erase the hurtful thoughts, repeating them becomes permanent damage.

Above all, self-love is a counterbalance to people who for one reason or the other fail to treat you with love and consideration.

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Mister Rogers (Fred Rogers) in his own gentle but authentic way offered advice for children to deal with horrific things that happen in our world.

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” 

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Education is the only thing that people want the least of for their money.

How many classes am I allowed to miss? 

Once you get the job, it becomes just a job.

Looking forward to hump day, long weekends, vacations. 

The best grades don’t always get the best jobs and the most money.

Luck only takes you so far, then you have to manufacture your own good luck.

The hardest worker wins.

Luck is a result of a good plan and hard work.

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Read some sample chapters of my book Out of Bad Comes Good, The Advantages of Disadvantages here.