Feed Your Good Dog

Positive Thoughts | Positive Actions | Positive Results

Mind

Mindfulness – Practice Makes Perfect

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mindfullness at Blue Ridge Mountains in Asheville NC2 Sources to help you practice mindfulness.

“Before you plunge into your day’s work, put yourself in tune with your highest ideals, think of the things which you would like to have come true during the day. Hold persistently in your mind the thoughts, hopes, the expectations, which are in keeping with your aspirations and your ambition. Think only of those things which will help you to be the man or the woman you long to be, to do the things you are ambitious to do.

If you can do this for one day, you can do it for two days. And every day’s triumph will add to your strength to win out the next day. Each succeeding day’s victory will become easier and easier, until you have formed the habit of making life a success as you go.”

Sources:

And, remember, Feed Your Good Dog so your good dog always wins!

Some Things You Can Control, Some Things You Can’t – Know the Difference

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stream in Chattahoochee National ForestSome things are within our control, and some things are not. It is only after you have faced up to this fundamental rule and learned to distinguish between what you can and can’t control that inner tranquility and outer effectiveness become possible.”
~ Tommy Newberry, Success Is Not an Accident: Change Your Choices; Change Your Life

Source: goodreads.com

And, remember … Feed Your Good Dog so your good dog always wins!

Learning the Force – From a Woman’s Perspective

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Rey - Black and White Abstract

ADHD and an unexpected Jedi Knight – a connection

If you are a woman in your 40s, and are now rethinking some of what you learned growing up female, check out this blog post entitled “Learning the Force: ADHD and an Unexpected Jedi Knight” at Moon Stars Lovers. You will surely connect with the author, A.M. Bolling, as she treats us to her perspective on growing up a female Star Wars fan and her newly found suspicion that she has ADHD. She deftly ties the two together to make this essay interesting, memorable and educational. She is convincing in her musings that male and female alike can possess the “force”, that it is not only for men as once portrayed, and that the same is true for ADHD. As she contemplates what it means, and has meant, for her life to have ADHD, she doesn’t forget to think about the positive personality qualities one may have because of this “disorder”. She says: “Of course, there are plenty of positive things about having ADHD. Creative, courageous and adventurous attributes of my personality that I really like, if not love . . .” and then vows to learn how best to use them just like she would the “force”.

May the force be with us all…and, remember…feed your good dog so your good dog always wins!

Monday Motivational Quote

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graphic sun and flowerHenry David Thoreau on Observation:

Many an object is not seen, though it falls within the range of our visual ray, because it does not come within the range of our intellectual ray, i.e. we are not looking for it. So, in the largest sense, we find only the world we look for. — Journal, 2 July 1857

Source: The Waldon Woods Project

And, remember . . . Feed Your Good Dog so your good dog always wins!

College Advice – This Pretty Much Sums It Up

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College Advice - French ProverbMy husband Paul and I are the proud parents of a young woman who recently graduated from the University of Georgia. She designed the top of her graduation cap around the French proverb – “Wherever life plants you, bloom with grace.” It moves me to know that this is her philosophical takeaway from the last four years as a college student; and that it is the basis for how she will handle the transition from a life she grew comfortable in to a life that she will make for herself starting anew.

I wanted to share our daughter’s insight with the hopes that it will be seen by, and have a positive influence on, someone who is getting ready to start college as a freshman, or even returning as an upperclassman. I cannot think of a better philosophy for a college student to adopt and develop, as it may prove to serve him or her well in life after college.

College Advice from Jeff Beals, former dean of student affairs at a private college.

There is also quite a bit of college advice out there. Here is one article with good college advice currently circulating throughout social media that is written by Jeff Beals, entitled “Is Someone You Love Going to College? Their Success Depends on Three Words” The three words Mr. Beals is referring to are: “Responsibility. Authority. Accountability.”

He says: “In order to succeed, each individual must take total responsibility for his or her own life. You must graciously accept credit when it is due, and more importantly, you must be the first to stand up and take the blame when you have made a mistake.”

He then sums it up with what I think to be one of the most important points he makes in the article, “While responsibility, authority and accountability come with a burden, they are also liberating. Success begins and ends with you. People who abide by these three words enjoy more success and lead richer lives.”

Mr. Beals has further college advice for college students all of which is summed up below, and you can read here:

  • Go all in – become immersed in the experience.
  • Be active, go out and make things happen.
  • Get involved outside of the classroom.
  • Use time management habits to find the balance between studying and having fun.

We congratulate anyone making the decision to further his or her education, and wish them all the best! And, also remember . . . Feed Your Good Dog so your good dog always wins!

Think Self-Discipline

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Self-discipline word cloud“With self-discipline, all things are possible. Without it, even the simplest goal can seem like the impossible dream.” ~Theodore Roosevelt

In his article, How to Build Self-Discipline, Peter Clemens says: “Self-discipline involves acting according to what you think instead of how you feel in the moment.” Clemens discusses how inner purpose led to the self-discipline he needed to, among other things, become an early riser. He goes on to list five traits of developing self-discipline:

  1. Self-Knowledge
    Develop a personal mission statement. He suggests using Dr. Stephen Covey’s Mission Statement Builder.
  2. Conscious Awareness
    Become aware of your undisciplined behavior and eventually over time you will have awareness before you act in an undisciplined way; and you are aware you will be able to make the choice for self-discipline.
  3. Commitment to Self-Discipline
    Make a commitment to your goals and values. Make a conscious decision to do what you say you are going to do. Keep yourself honest by tracking your commitments.
  4. Courage
    Developing self-discipline is not easy; in fact, because it involves change can be down-right difficult. It takes courage to push through difficulty and sometimes pain, and face the challenges that surface during change. Self-confidence that you are on the right track will emerge as you experience the positive effects of self-discipline and courage will come more naturally.
  5. Internal Coaching
    Encourage and reassure yourself when your goals are challenged, you need courage, your commitment is waning, and you need to stay on task. Clemens has a quote he relies on when tested. It is “The price of discipline is always less than the pain of regret”. I simply say “Feed Your Good Dog.” and it takes me back to where I need to be.

What quote or phrase do you use to encourage or reassure yourself when situations occur to take you off track?