The answer to rejection is “thank you”.

It’s one person’s opinion even if that person is very influential or is in a position to kill an idea on the spot.

It’s not possible to be successful if you’re going to accept rejection.

So, there are several ways to approach it:

1. We live among other people’s failures all the time. Aerosmith’s “Dream On” was not the only record launched and re-launched to become a hit because it didn’t catch on right away.  Sometimes it takes people more time to see what you see.
2. If we seek approval over conviction, we’re watering down our ideas to gain acceptance.

The best approach to a naysayer is “thank you for not seeing the value of my idea or my person” and that’s one way to guarantee that our best instincts are unaffected by those who cannot yet see our dreams.

Never miss a Day Starter, subscribe for free here.

Share them with friends and family by forwarding this email or posting to Facebook,   Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Unsubscribe below.

In her acceptance speech for winning an Oscar for Best Original Song, she said:

“There’s a discipline for passion, and it’s not about how many times you get rejected or you fall down, or you’re beaten up. It’s about how many times you stand up, and are brave, and you keep going.”

Never miss a Day Starter, subscribe for free here.

Share them with friends and family by forwarding this email or posting to Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Unsubscribe below.

The lack of time is the same as a lack of priority.

Busy is not an excuse, it is a window to what is important in your world.

If children matter, they become a priority and the time takes care of itself.

Couples often realize that they have let their relationships slip when they wind up in a counselor’s office to discover the things that have become more important.

When we work too much, it’s not that we don’t have enough time for everything, somehow our priorities have changed.

An unwillingness to put our phones away and relate to people face to face is not about time, it’s about the addiction to something that gives immediate satisfaction and has somehow become more important even though it eats up precious time.

There is always enough time when priorities are in their proper order.

Subscribe to these Day Starters for free here. 

Share them with friends and family by forwarding this email.

Don’t want to get these emails anymore?  Unsubscribe below.

Research shows that putting genetics aside, we have the ability to be 40% happier by conducting intentional activities such as a daily regimen of practicing gratitude.

I’ll bet you thought I made that 40% number up, but it’s true – gratitude is about as potent as genetic factors that make us happy.

So what if we start today?

Compliment the first person you see today who has earned it (and provide evidence to show your words are sincere). 

Write a compliment on your lunch or dinner tab expressing gratitude for good service.

Leave a note for a loved one expressing your thanks for something they did.

At work, be the one who appreciates their associates and cite evidence to prove it.

Don’t get out of bed in the morning until you can name 5 people you are thankful for and why (they can be the same people every day, it’s up to you).

Be thankful for you – your personality, your essence, your mind, your heart – don’t skip over gratitude for the fine person you are.

Happiness is not just a fleeting feeling but the residue of living a life of gratitude.

Never miss a Day Starter, subscribe for free here.

Share them with friends and family by forwarding this email or posting to Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Unsubscribe below.

An Australian hospice nurse kept a list of the regrets among her dying patients.  Here they are in order.

1. I wish I had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
2. I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.
3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.
4. I wish I stayed in touch with my friends.
5. I wish I had let myself be happier.

Notice spending time at the office or work did not make the list.  Nor did anything about making money.

What a gift it would be for us today if we re-read the above list, took it to heart and made it our lifelong commitment to personal happiness.

Never miss a Day Starter, subscribe for free here.

Share them with friends and family by forwarding this email or posting to Facebook, Twitter,and LinkedIn.

Unsubscribe below.

Research studies show we are happier, less depressed, anxious or stressed when we are kind and loving to ourselves.

Name the person who loves you the most then look at yourself the way they do. 

Don’t judge yourself – to do so will cause more fear and anxiety. 

Being compassionate to ourselves makes us more compassionate to others. 

Believe the good things about you and not so readily always accept the bad things you hear. 

We spend a lot of time talking about the importance of being compassionate, but compassion must start with you.

Never miss a Day Starter, subscribe for free here.

Share them with friends and family by forwarding this email or posting to Facebook,   Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Unsubscribe below.

Intentional or not, when other people get into our heads with can’t do thoughts, discouragement follows.

If everything has to be right to maintain a positive attitude, we won’t be having many positive attitudes about life.

Resist discouragement.

Let no one into your subconscious – only you get to record in your mind.

For every negative thought, counter with a positive thought.

The more negative the feeling, the more positive the response. 

When you focus on hard work above immediate and continuing gratification, you become discourage-proof.

To never miss a Day Starter, subscribe for free here.

Share them with friends and family by forwarding this email or posting to Facebook,   Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Unsubscribe below.

There is no such thing as failure. 

There are just setbacks until we make them permanent.

Failure is an early warning of success that is yet to happen. 

Learn to welcome mistakes large and small. 

To give up, be discouraged or feel worthless is like leaving before you get the prize.

As hard as it is, purge all failure thoughts from your mind. 

New to DayStarters? Sign up to receive new ones every day here. 

If you liked today’s DayStarter forward this email to family and friends and feel free to post to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media.

Unsubscribe below.

Celebrate!!

A big victory is coming your way.

In doing research for my book several years ago, I was surprised and encouraged to find people who had to not only overcome the odds to become the successes they were BUT also the doubts that came from those around them.

The difference was rather than being discouraged by the discouragement of others – even people very close to them – they made it a rally cry picturing how sweet it would be to be able to “show them”.

Except when they achieved eventual success, they had little interest in showing anyone their anger.

They learned that when the world seems to be against you, start a line – a line that forms behind you – to not be deterred from staying true to your dreams, ambitions and goals.

Belief in self is 90% of success.

Subscribe to these Day Starters for free here.

Share them with friends and family by forwarding this email or posting to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and other social media.

Read some sample chapters of my book Out of Bad Comes Good, The Advantages of Disadvantages are available at no cost here.

Don’t want to get these emails anymore?  Unsubscribe below.

Some people just can’t bring themselves to admit they are wrong and it’s too bad because being so wrong can also be so right.

Apologize quickly and with enthusiasm.

Mean it.  Do not use the word “but” in your apology  And do not make it about you.  It’s about the person who was wronged.

Since no one is perfect we should apologize many times a day and feel good about it.

Apologizing is what the bigger person does.

Living life harboring a wrongdoing is the burden that prevents us from being who we want to be.

Today, search for apologies big and small you can make.

Everyone wins.

New to DayStarters? Sign up to receive new ones every day here.

If you liked today’s DayStarter forward this email to family and friends and feel free to post to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media.

Don’t want to get these emails anymore?  Unsubscribe below.