Learning To Laugh At Yourself

When you are the first to laugh at yourself, everyone else laughs with you ~ not at you.

We all have bad days, embarrassing moments, and sometimes feel like burying our heads in the sand. Hanging our heads in shame and running away only intensifies those paralyzing feelings. In these situations, laughter is always the best policy!

When you are the first to laugh at yourself, everyone else laughs with you ~ not at you. This is a lesson that can often be difficult to put into practice. I'm still trying to master the task! Laughing at our mistakes and blunders actually helps eliminate and relieve the anxiety that builds up in awkward situations. When that anxiety disappears, we become more clear-headed and can (hopefully) convince ourselves and any on-lookers that we have the situation under control. 

Life is too short to stress out every time things go wrong. Laughing at ourselves can be very entertaining ... and contagious. It's also a great way to tighten those abs and burn some calories. See ~ benefits all around!

The hardest time to find the laughter is when we feel insulted. But, like anything else in life, the hardest tasks usually lead to the biggest rewards. If we are dodging verbal bullets, laughing or smiling often lets the other party realize that their insults aren't as affective as they had hoped. They realize their words aren't as powerful as they had hoped. Remember, you have the power to let things affect you ... or laugh about it and move on.

Laugh At Yourself

Family Matters

We were sent to our families from Heaven above
to learn about faith, forgiveness, and love.

~ by Stacy J. Coles

Feeling loved, secure, and safe amidst the turmoils around us ... that's what most people desire. We were sent to our earthly families so we would have a support system during our journey through life. Our families should be the source of our feeling secure and loved. 

Having a sure knowledge of who we are and a firm foundation of faith on which to stand will help us overcome the temptations, negativity, and chaos that surround us. We need to learn how to be in the world and not of the world. This knowledge should be taught in the home. Each one of us, no matter our age, needs to have a sense of belonging, a sense of importance. If we don't feel this with our families, where are we going to find it?

The world often offers a false sense of security and acceptance. Remember: misery loves company. Isn't it ironic that one is accepted if they are willing to do something that isn't right, try something that isn't good, or go against what they hold dear, only to find it's "every man for himself" when situations go awry? 

Knowing you have a loving and supportive family surrounding you, in good times and in bad, is what makes life sweet. Knowing things have a chance of getting better because you're family should offer comfort. If you didn't have that growing up, create that environment now for your family. The world will not teach us about faith, forgiveness, and love. A righteous home, a loving family, and the support of one another is where and how these values are taught. Without them, we are lost, alone, and miserable.

I was blessed with a loving and supportive family ~ parents and siblings who, through good times and bad, are always there to lift one another when life gets too hard to go at it alone. I was blessed with another wonderful family when I married my husband. I hope that with so many wonderful people around us, my children will know how much they are loved, will always feel supported, and have the desire to always stay close. I remind them often that they are each other's best friends. Other friends may come and go, but our family is forever. Teaching them now about faith, forgiveness, and love also teaches them that family matters ~ and so do they!

Family Matters

Standing Firm in an Unbalanced World

When the winds of life start blowing you down ... 

Stand firm. Stand balanced. Stand your ground.

Life was hard enough when I was growing up. But now, as I watch my children embark on their own social and emotional journeys, it's downright scary!

It can be very confusing, to adults and children alike, when the principles and values you teach in the home are questioned by the "outside" world. When your standards are viewed by the general public as strange or confining, do you bend to conform to the crowd? Or do you find the strength to stand firm against the ridicule and remarks?

People can be cruel. As we teach our children, and remind ourselves, to be accepting and courteous to others, we also need to incorporate the necessity to hold our principles and values close. It's so difficult to be the one who is being questioned, mocked, or taunted; however, if we instill in our children that they have a divine nature and are of great worth, we give them the armor they need to face their day-to-day battles.

It's more important now than ever before to understand that we each have a purpose in this life. We matter. The world might make us feel otherwise, at times. But when we feel those strong winds of opposition blowing us down, we can stand firm, stand balanced, and stand our ground by remembering who we are and where we came from. When knowledge of your divine nature and individual worth is deeply rooted, you are strong enough to stand firm in an unbalanced world.

Stand Firm

The Secret To Success

It's easy to watch someone you admire and wondered, What makes them so successful? It might seem like others have everything and life just seems to work for them. So, what's the secret? Well, it's something that everyone has access to ...

Have a dream. Set a goal. Get to work.

Anyone can have anything they want and achieve whatever they want if they set goals and then work toward those goals. There has to be a dream. There has to be a desire. There has to be a willingness to work and a motivation to keep working. Success does not come to those who just dream. But, the dream has to come first. Gertrude Stein said, "You have to know what you want to get it." If you're not working toward something, you'll end up with nothing.

No one is content with just watching others succeed. That road leads to jealousy and self doubt.

By changing our attitude to, "I can do it; I will do it," we give ourselves the power to accomplish anything. By setting solid goals, we give ourselves the roadmap we need to get where we want to be and accomplish what we set out to do.

No dream is too big. You just have to believe that you deserve those dreams. Then make them happen!

Secret To Success

In Honor of Dr. Seuss Day ...

It felt appropriate to (attempt) to write this post Dr. Seuss style.

Believe in yourself
Dare to do what you do.
Pay no attention
To what others tell you.

Your ideas are great
Give them life, let them soar.
Once you do, chances are,
You'll want to do more.

And you should! Go do more!
More thinking,
creating,
trying,
achieving.
And once you're achieving,
You'll keep on believing!

Believe In Yourself

Heaven In Your Home

If you've ever lost someone you love, you know that, although time heals, the overwhelming feelings of loneliness and pain never completely go away ~ and that's okay.

This month marks 15 years since my mother passed away, leaving behind eight young children and a loving husband. Although it's been many years, the memories and emotions of that day feel as fresh as though it were yesterday. In a weird way, that makes me feel close to her. It reminds me that I have a guardian angel, of sorts.

I think most of us know this loss all too well. To keep from getting down about the memory of such sad events, make sure to keep the good memories alive, always. Talk about the person you love and miss to your friends and family members. Don't be afraid to share stories and laugh. Talk about the traits and talents that may have been passed to other family members. Talk about the quirks that drove you crazy and the moments that you loved.

Although my children never met my mom, they know her by patiently listening to stories as I go down memory lane. They know they have a grandma who is watching over them from Heaven and that, one day, we will all be together again. 

As long as the memories of those we've lost are kept alive in our hearts, there will always be a piece of Heaven in our home.

Heaven In Your Home

Self-Reliance

I constantly tell my children to trust their instincts, form their own opinions, then make good choices. It's so easy to follow the crowd and let the opinions of others influence our choices. But, the consequences can be severe: we don't learn to trust ourselves and our self-esteem suffers.

Trusting and believing in yourself takes practice, but, so does everything that's worth doing. Be the individual that you are. Dare to stand alone in the moments when your standards, beliefs, or opinions are challenged. Know who you are. Be happy with who you are. Believe that you can do great things because you are you.

The world is so mixed up on what's right and what's wrong, why would you want to rely solely on outside criticism or media influences? Doing this will only lead you to more confusion about who you are because fads are constantly changing. This is true whether you're talking about diet methods, exercise techniques, clothing, or standards.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, said, "What we love determines what we seek. What we seek determines what we think and do. What we think and do determines who we are and who we will become."

You are of great worth. Love yourself enough to seek for those things that will make you a better you. Your choices are the ones that will affect your life. Trust your instincts, form your own opinions, then make good choices.

Self-Reliance