FlyLady.net

Dear Friends,

Are you still trying to sleep in the midst of a junk yard? You know
exactly what I am talking about! Your bedroom! Over time it has become
the graveyard for things that have no home. It is time for you to
purge these things from your bedroom. I want your bedroom to be a
haven for you each evening when you put your head on your pillow.

Clutter in your room is not conducive to peaceful rest. If you are
still having a hard time tossing out this stuff, then go to our
website and check out all the messages from your sisters. They have
shared with us their UFOs from your bedroom: Ugly, funny and old items
that were stealing their peace. There is probably a pretty good chance
that you will identify with at least one of those UFOs! If you do,
then go toss it now. Just one item! You can do it!

Some of you have been obsessing about our zones. Quit. If you try to
do to much too fast you will get tired and burn-out! Our goal is to
set up routines and stick to them. NOT A SPOTLESS HOUSE. This will be
the result of our goal.

Zone 4 is our master bedrooms, bath and closet. If you don’t have a
bath, consider yourself lucky.

I want you to ask yourself a few questions about this room in your home.

1. Do you sleep here?

2. Do you want the room to be restful and inviting?

3. Do you want do get up in the night and not bump into things.

4. Do you have trouble closing your Drawers?

5. Can you find the clothes you are looking for?

6. Do things fall off the closet shelf and hit you?

7. Are you afraid to look under the bed?

8. Are clothes piled to the ceiling on the chair in the corner?

9. Is your cedar chest filled with stuff you will never wear again?

10. Can you walk between the bed and the wall or are there several
piles of newspapers, books, trash and clothes?

11. Do you have to crawl into bed from the foot of the bed because
there is no room to walk?

12. Is stuff piled so high on the dressers and nightstands you have
forgotten what they look like?

13. Are the Cobwebs becoming moth collectors?

14. Are the dust bunnies reproducing in the corners and under the bed?

15. Can you see out your bedroom windows?

16. Can you close your closet door?

17. Have the spiders decided to winter over behind your bed?

18. If you open the drapes does the room fog up from the dust in them?

19. Do you know what color your carpet really is?

Now that you have asked yourself these questions, I can hear you
saying, Where do I start?

First I want you to realize that this is an on-going process. You may
or you may not get the whole room cleaned. That is not our objective.
We are focusing on our bedroom this week and any thing you do in this
room will be an improvement over the way it was last week. Each month
we put this room first in our minds. All I am asking is that you do a
little tiny bit each day. 15 minutes, 30 minutes I don’t care. You can
even do the 27 FLING Boogie. Just do something every day over and
above your morning and before bed routines.

Progress Not Perfection

FlyLady

Hi FlyLady,

We moved from a 2 bedroom condo in Chicago to a 4 bedroom 3 bath home in Michigan. I have been on the wagon with your ideas and then off again. My question is about home blessing hour. My house is big enough that ten minutes really doesn’t do it? Can I set the timer for a long period of time? I tried dusting today and I didn’t hear the timer go off because I was too far away from it. I am not sure how long it took me to dust the house.

Thanks, Cindy

******************************
FlyLady here: Cindy Cindy Cindy! You have allowed your perfectionism to make a simple task of dusting into something to be dreaded. This is why we came up with our FlyLady Feather duster. Keep in mind that Weekly Home Blessing hour is not DETAILED CLEANING HOUR. Detailed cleaning is what our daily missions are all about.

You are not allowed to set your timer for more than 10 minutes. I do not want you to crash and burn. Weekly Home Blessing is just about getting the middles done. Don’t pull out couches or pick up the things on your end tables. Use your feather duster fast.

One time someone came to my house to see just how in the world I could dust whole our whole home in two minutes. I put on some fun music and did it for her. If I can do my whole house in 2 minutes with my feather duster then you can do your 4 bedroom home in 10 minutes.

Here is a little fact that you may not have know. Dust does not get under items on the tables. That is why the feather duster is so great at working its magic feather all around your pretty things.

Here is another option for you so you can hear your timer. If you have two floors then do a Weekly Home Blessing on Monday’s for your first floor. Then on Friday do another Weekly Home Blessing for your second floor. We don’t have to dust like our mothers did. I remember as a child being given that white glove test. We are the boss of our homes. There is no one who is going to do this to you.

Please let go of your perfectionism and remember that housework done incorrectly still blesses your family!

Here is our Extreme Duster for your Weekly Home Blessing Hour.
http://shop.flylady.net/pages/FlyShop_XDuster.asp

For your detailed cleaning zone missions we have a Detailed Duster.
http://shop.flylady.net/pages/FlyShop_d_duster.asp

Here is an essay I wrote about how to use a feather duster.

We all know about being forced to dust the way our mother’s wanted us
to do it! We do not have to be be our mothers to dust! We can do it
our way! Feather dusters are an amazing tool that helps us to have fun
and at the same time get the job done!

They don’t just move the dust around they pick it up with all of their
thousands of tiny feathers. Each plume is made up of these little
feathers. They do all the work, so you don’t have to!

I like to hold my duster as if it were a pencil! Then with little
quick flicks of the duster; the feathers surround the items on your
tables and pick up the dust so you don’t have to pick up the item. Did
you know that dust does not get under the items on your tables; just
around them.

If you use your duster every day then you will never have to see dust
again. Isn’t that what our routines do for us! When we develop habits
our homes clean themselves. Just a few short minutes in the morning
and then in the evening along with picking up after yourself and your
house can be on automatic pilot too!

Dear Friends,

With your routines, you do the same little jobs over and over every single day. This is not as monotonous as it sounds. I promise. I know FlyBabies are very creative people. We hate structure, because we feel that it bogs us down. Well our routines do just the opposite for our minds. They free up our creative minds to think about other things, because our bodies are going the daily rituals of our home: Routines!

As you begin to train your muscles to do certain tasks one after another, you no longer have to strain to focus on what has to be done next. It becomes automatic.

My morning routine has become my time for praise and worship to start my day. I put on my favorite uplifting spiritual music and fill my soul with thoughts on my Holy Father and bless my family by doing my daily routine/ritual all at the same time. When you look at your routines as a blessing on you and your family, you are doing God’s will. I do not believe that we can separate the two. Putting my heart and soul into focusing on God while doing my routines is a good thing. This is when I get many of my God Breezes.

My mind is open to His loving guidance and I am continually amazed by the essays that He gives me that are from a direct prayer request to Him from you. You tell me about them all the time, in your testimonials and comments. By spending this time with my mind only thinking on God and listening to wonderful spirit-filled music, I am able to let go and let God mold me into all He wants me to be.

When your routines become so automatic, then you don’t have to think on them and you can put your mind on things of the spiritual ream. There is no better way to get a blessed day started.

If you are having a problem with your routines not being automatic, they are too big. Do you hear me. I had to start with one item to focus on: shining my Kitchen Sink. Then I added getting dressed to shoes, and then while I was getting dressed, I started swishing and swiping my bathroom. All of this only takes a few short minutes, if you incorporate them while you are getting dressed. Right away is the easy way. Do it while you are there and then you don’t have to think about it the rest of the day. Believe me, I have more productive things to do than go back and clean a bathroom. This is not rocket science either, just wipe down the sink and counters, put away the toiletries, take a toilet bowl brush and swish it around the toilet once for good measure(without cleaner) and wipe up little boy messes on the floor.LOL Most of this can be done with a dirty towel that is left laying on the floor any way. You don’t even have to use any kind of cleaner or paper towels, just a little bit of water will do fine and then dry the sink and the counter off and toss the towel in the dirty clothes. If you have little ones, you may want to keep a disinfectant spray to use on the surfaces they touch. At least do that once a week. Now don’t get picky on me, because you have not been doing any of this and your bathroom has never been company ready. I hate this term, because we should treat our family better than we treat company, but that is another essay that may need to be recycled soon.

Once I am dressed, I grab a basket of laundry if one looks close to being a load and toss them in the washer. When I walk out of my bedroom, my bed is made, I do this as soon as my feet hit the floor!
The bathrooms are clean. I purposely get dressed in both bathrooms so I can touch them up daily. As I leave our bedroom, I always turn around and check out how beautiful and peaceful it feels and then I smile and pat myself on the back.

Then I go to the kitchen. Unload the dishwasher, if it needs it and start thinking about my day. My music has already built me up in spirit and now I am ready to take care of me. I eat my breakfast, take notes on my God Breezes and check my calendar for appointments.

All of this takes 20-30 minutes tops. If I need to take a bath in the morning, it will take 30 minutes. This whole time is so automatic, that I just glide through my morning routine/ritual and enjoy every
minute. You see it is not drudgery to me, it is worship.

If you have never looked upon this time as a way to commune with God, you are missing out on a great time to renew your spirit and fill your soul with His love, all the while blessing your family and doing His will.

FLYing is so easy when you start your day on the right foot,

FlyLady

Dear FlyLady,

Last year my doctor prescribed an hour of exercise per day to treat anxiety and depression.  It really works!!  But without even knowing me you already know me well enough that my perfectionism got in the way a lot here.  My perfectionism told me that if I only had 45 minutes, or 30 minutes or heaven forbid, 10 minutes it wasn’t worth heading out to walk.  I’ve struggled with my all or nothing thinking and lately I’ve opted for nothing rather than something because I’ve been so busy and tired that a solid hour chunk of movement was too much.

Yesterday was a long, stressful day and by the time I got the kids down and my evening routine done it was almost 9.  I didn’t want to be walking at 10 so I was temped to just not go out at all.  But I had an idea I wanted to try.  Instead of trying for a perfect anything, I walked a few blocks down to the playground.  There I swung on the swings, climbed all the ladders, slid down the slides, spun on the spinny thing and tried the monkey bars (oof, I need to keep trying that one!).  It was not a serious workout but I moved my body for 20 minutes.  More than anything I had FUN and left feeling refreshed and rejuvenated!  And it turns out that playing can get your heart rate really going!

Here’s to just moving!

Flybaby N

Dear Friends,

Today I would like to talk a bit about massage therapy. Massage has
many great benefits, but of course, I love the pampered feeling I walk
away with the most!

I started having professional massages in an effort to relieve muscle
tension and pain that came about as the result of a neck injury. I am
so sorry that I waited until I was in pain before I sought the
services of a licensed massage therapist. It is my hope that many of
you will give massage therapy a try before pain enters your life,
simply for the stress relief, increased circulation, and general sense
of well being that massage provides.

Some people procrastinate about giving massage a try because of their
fear of something new. One thought that will help you face your fear
is that the massage therapist’s sole purpose and desire is to make you
feel better and more relaxed. They can care less about your extra
pounds, cellulite, hairy legs, scars, or other physical concerns you
may have. They are totally concerned about your comfort and
satisfaction and will work with you to give you a massage that you can
enjoy at your comfort level.

Some people are very uncomfortable at first about removing their
clothing for a massage. If this is the case, you may want to try a
chair massage as your first massage which allows you to keep all your
clothing on. Once you are ready for a 30 or 60 minute massage, talk
with your massage therapist about alternatives to being totally nude.
They will tell you which types of undergarments are easiest for them
to work around to reach the areas that you need to have worked on.
During the massage, only the areas currently being worked on will be
uncovered, so it truly isn’t embarrassing if you decide to remove all
your clothing.

For the best massage, be willing to speak up and let your massage
therapist know if you need a softer touch or a deeper touch or if the
room is too hot or too cold. You will not insult the massage
therapist and they will actually be very grateful for your feedback.

Massages can be difficult to fit into strained budgets. Some ideas to
be able to afford massage is to ask for massage gift certificates for
your birthday and other special occasions, schedule your massages at a
massage school, or to barter your talents for the services of a
massage therapist. Perhaps you can do their bookkeeping, cleaning,
bake for special occasions, computer repair or some other tasks that
will save them time or money. Sometimes insurance will cover massage
therapy. Some employers are even starting to offer chair massages on
the job to increase job performance levels and employee satisfaction.

I rarely discuss pampering missions that cost a considerable amount of
money, but in the case of massage, I believe it’s worth budgeting for.
The benefits of caring human touch to those who are hurting,
stressed, or simply leading an isolated life are immeasurable.

Love,

FlyLady Dana

Dear Friends,

This morning I started to think about how this is our perfectionism creeping in once again. We don’t seem to be able to do anything, until we get all of our ducks in a row. As my son’s paternal Grandmother used to say. “You milk your ducks and I’ll milk mine”. That was her way of telling us to mind our own business. She was so right. I don’t know what this has to do with anything, but I loved her and she taught me a lot.

Our ducks tend to run into other people’s yards. Until we are able to take care of our ducks, we should not even try to tend to others. Have you ever watched a mother duck with her babies in a row behind her? They follow directly behind her. She is setting the example and she keeps them close to her. She cannot force her family to follow her; if she tried to line them all up it would be a big mass of confusion. As it is, she sets the pace and they toddle right behind her.

I know how you think. With our ability to hyper-focus and our perfection thrown in to boot, we have a tendency to want every thing perfect before we even start. How about that control journal of yours? You want it absolutely perfect before you begin to even think about establishing your routines. This is another excuse for not getting started. Do you hear me on this one? If the control journal is not perfect in your eyes, then you have already failed.

Well I am here to tell you, you are wrong. The control journal is just a notebook to hold your routines. Now listen closely to me. Routines can be established by using post-it notes or simple lists put in a notebook. We are not a publishing a book. It is a tool to guide you through your day; it holds your routines, important phone numbers, grocery list and menus. This is such a simple tool, but it doesn’t have to be completely finished before you start to use it.

Your baby steps will help you establish your routines one item at a time. You can do this, but don’t obsess about it. So if you have said to yourself, “I’ll establish my routines, but first I have to get my control journal made:; then you are deceiving yourself once again. It is not the control journal that establishes your routines; it is you. You do the work; you focus on the problem and tackle it with your eyes wide open.

Here is the order that your ducks should be in. You can not force them, you just start the process and it will all fall into place behind you.

Shine your sink
Get dressed to shoes, fix your hair and face.
Lay out your clothes for tomorrow
De-clutter 15 minutes a day

After you have established this small morning and before bed routine, you can begin to add more things. It is not that you even have to think about adding them, it is a natural progression. As you get good at something, you don’t have to think about it any longer. You will also be having more time to accomplished things and you will be looking for ways to fill this precious time. I know you don’t believe me, but it will happen if you will let and and not think about it too much. Let the system guide you. Babysteps!!!! Plan you menus on your Cozi Calendar. We have added our zones and daily missions to our Cozi/FlyLady calendar. You can use your Cozi calendar to help you get your “Ducks in a Row!”

Get your FREE Cozi Calendar http://www.flylady.net/d/cozi/

Menu planning
Laundry routines
Basic weekly plan
Zones

These will all fall right into place, when you get the basics out of the way.

Are your ducks almost ready to FLY?

FlyLady

Dear Friends,

Did life happen and your dreams get put on the back burner?

This has occurred to most of us. We have all heard that procrastination is the thief of time. I don’t think that is entirely the case. Time is constant; we all have the same hours in every single day, it is how we choose to use those hours that steals the time. We all seem to think that things will take longer than they really will, so we talk ourselves out of doing them. Just what have you been procrastinating
about lately: Laundry, getting the car washed or is it something much deeper than household chores?

Have you gotten in a rut? Not a bad rut; but let’s say a comfortable rut. You know the same ole same ole! You go through your day without any thought about your passion. Passion: What is that anyway?

When procrastination gets in the way of your passion; it becomes an excuse to not follow your dreams. We have all said it in some form or fashion, “I don’t have time to go back to school and finish my degree”. This “I don’t have time” attitude gives us the excuse to not be or do what we were put on Earth to do with our lives. You are robbing yourself of you! Not to mention what you are robbing the world
of: YOU!

When your heart is not in what you are doing then nothing will ever make you happy! It doesn’t matter if you make all the money in the world, if it doesn’t make you happy it means nothing. Happiness comes from within. This is what FLYing is all about. Finally Loving Yourself enough to know that for some reason you are not happy. You thought
getting the house clean was all it would take to make you happy.

As you learn the FlyLady way of breaking things down into baby steps; you will find the right path that is going to lead you to true happiness. This happiness starts by letting go of procrastination and perfectionism.

I never knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. For years I was a bookkeeper, then I taught Fly Fishing. I was not fulfilling my destiny because I still had an empty hole to fill. Nothing would fill up this hole; spending money, relationships, food or anything else I used to keep me in my rut.

You see; ruts keep you in a path that is not your choosing. Because it is so hard to get out of the rut, it is just easier to continue on this sidetracked journey. I can hear you now, “but I did choose my path!” Did you really or did circumstances just put you in this position.

Some people never get out of their ruts of procrastination. It
involves too much change. When we allow our routines to take over the maintenance of our home and we are on automatic pilot then we are freed up to follow our dreams one babystep at a time.

It was only after I got rid of my clutter and found my routines that my purpose for living was revealed to me. Open up your hearts by taking care of the things you have been putting off till later. Later is a lie that never happens unless you set your mind to clearing out your mind clutter! That is all procrastination really is!

You can do this! Release your clutter and find your passion!

Are you ready to FLY?

FlyLady

Dear Friends,

Here it is that time of year again when we are faced with the threat of Evacuation from our homes. We never know when we this could happen because of fire, train wreck, floods, riots, earthquakes or hurricanes. It is up to us to be prepared!

1. PEOPLE: Have a plan for getting out of the house and make sure everyone knows it. Have an emergency bag of food and water for your family. Include wholesome snacks and treats for the children: dried fruit, nuts, peanut butter, crackers and granola bars.

2. PETS: Keep pet carriers and leashes readily available to lead pets to safety. Also take pet food with you.

3. PICTURES: Keep negatives or CDs of pictures in a lock box or at a family member’s home. Have picture albums in one place ready to grab and go at a moments notice.

4. PAPERS: Have all your important papers in a lock box at a bank and only keep copies at the house. This keeps you from panicking. If you have them at home then put them in a folder that you can easily grab if you have to move fast. Color code it so you can find it!

5. PRESCRIPTIONS: Take your medications with you. Don’t forget the ones that have to be refrigerated like insulin. Have small ice chest and cold packs readily accessible to pack and go. If you have babies; remember their formula or medications.

6. PURSES and PETRO: This is where you keep your identification, credit cards and cash. Keep a stash of cash for emergencies and grab it. You may not be able to use an ATM in the event of a power outage.
Make sure your car always has a half a tank of gas.

7. PROPER CLOTHES and COMFORT ITEMS: According to the weather conditions; gather up a change of clothes along with outer clothing: coats, rain gear, boots, gloves and hats. If you have babies remember
diapers. Remember to grab your children’s favorite blanket, stuffed animal or toy. A game or a deck of cards could keep them occupied and calm too.

8. PLANNER/CALENDAR/CONTROL JOURNAL: These documents have all the information you will need from phone numbers, insurance numbers and important dates. They are small and filled with things you don’t have to try to remember.

9. PERSONAL PROTECTION: Many of us still have that time of the month. Be sure and grab a box of your preferred protection. It may be hard to find if you have been evacuated. Stress can cause our bodies to do strange things too. So be prepared. Take medication for cramps too.

10. PHONES, RADIOS, FUEL FOR THE CAR: Many of us have cell phones now. Always keep them charged up and have a charger in the car or an extra battery. They may not work in the event of power outages, but then they might. Know which local radio station has emergency bulletins. Keep your battery powered radio tuned to that local station and have plenty of batteries for it. Also keep a old type regular phone that does not operate with electricity. GAS PUMPS don’t work without power either. You can’t leave if your car is on empty. So keep your car fuel tank topped off when it hits a half of tank. This way you will have gas to drive at least a couple of hours. Evacuation routes are usually bumper to bumper traffic. Having a tank filled will keep you less stressed.

11. PATIENCE: This is one of the most important things to pack. Keep it inside of you so that you have a clear calm head. Having your P’s to Preparedness list guiding you will keep you patient. In the event of an evacuation there will be lots of displaced people. Being patient will make things less stressful. Your children need to see you calm and collected. This will help keep them calm too.

We can FLY in the face of Danger and Emergency if we are prepared. Don’t wait till you are being asked to evacuate. Everyone thinks that it could not happen to them. Well it could and it is up to you to make sure you are prepared.

Don’t wait! DO IT NOW!! I know you have been procrastinating because you don’t think it can happen in your area.

FlyLady

Start putting your emergency kit together. Use a duffel bag or plastic bin to gather your items. Your important papers in your RED Office in a Bag.

http://shop.flylady.net/pages/FlyShop_OIB3COJ.asp

Hit your Pre-Pregnancy Weight Boot Camp

Hit your Pre-Pregnancy Weight Boot Camp

Think back to how great you felt (weight-
wise and energy-wise) prior to having your first child.
Whether it was 3 months ago or 30 years ago, I am
confident you can get back to that place and you
deserve to get back to that place!
The 8-week Hit your Pre-Pregnancy Weight Boot
Camp (this is a fee-based offering) starts Monday:
http://bit.ly/Jh0V9Z
Use Coupon Code FLY10 for $10 off.
Regardless of whether you participate in Boot Camp
or join the free No Excuses Team http://bit.ly/vG1syc
please follow my lead to set yourself up for a great
summer!

Jonathan here: Many parents (especially Moms) feel
bad taking time away from their kids to exercise.

But the truth is, you deserve some “Me Time” and you
will bring more energy (not to mention being an example
of health) to your kids.

“What I found out is that I am actually giving my family
more by taking this time to take care of myself.”
– Tiffany, FlyBaby & mother of 2 young girls

You deserve to have tons of energy, to feel good about
yourself and to be healthy!

And you taking exercise time for yourself (even 5 or 10
minutes) is going to provide your kids with an example
of health and helps ensure that you will be around for a
long time.

So take some “Me Time” to exercise each day and you
will be pleasantly surprised how much this positively
affects your energy level, your kids and your family.

Don’t worry about what workout to do or how to best
use your time. I will guide you through all of that.

All it takes is to link up with No Excuses Workouts
on Facebook:

http://on.fb.me/gkLBhV

Or sign up for my free Daily Fitness Mission (along
with 60,000 other FlyBabies):

http://bit.ly/vG1syc

You deserve to have tons of energy and to feel great.

So follow my lead and set yourself up for a great
summer!

Your Biggest Fan!
Jonathan

Jonathan Roche
NoExcusesWorkouts.com
FlyLady Virtual Personal Trainer

PS – When you sign up, you’ll immediately receive my
Special Report on the “15 Secrets to Better Health” as
my way of saying ‘Congratulations.’
Whether it was 3 months ago or 30 years ago, I am
confident you can get back to that place and you
deserve to get back to that place!
The 8-week Hit your Pre-Pregnancy Weight Boot
Camp (this is a fee-based offering) starts Monday:
http://bit.ly/Jh0V9Z
Use Coupon Code FLY10 for $10 off.
Regardless of whether you participate in Boot Camp
or join the free No Excuses Team http://bit.ly/vG1syc
please follow my lead to set yourself up for a great
summer!

Jonathan here: Many parents (especially Moms) feel
bad taking time away from their kids to exercise.

But the truth is, you deserve some “Me Time” and you
will bring more energy (not to mention being an example
of health) to your kids.

“What I found out is that I am actually giving my family
more by taking this time to take care of myself.”
– Tiffany, FlyBaby & mother of 2 young girls

You deserve to have tons of energy, to feel good about
yourself and to be healthy!

And you taking exercise time for yourself (even 5 or 10
minutes) is going to provide your kids with an example
of health and helps ensure that you will be around for a
long time.

So take some “Me Time” to exercise each day and you
will be pleasantly surprised how much this positively
affects your energy level, your kids and your family.

Don’t worry about what workout to do or how to best
use your time. I will guide you through all of that.

All it takes is to link up with No Excuses Workouts
on Facebook:

http://on.fb.me/gkLBhV

Or sign up for my free Daily Fitness Mission (along
with 60,000 other FlyBabies):

http://bit.ly/vG1syc

You deserve to have tons of energy and to feel great.

So follow my lead and set yourself up for a great
summer!

Your Biggest Fan!
Jonathan

Jonathan Roche
NoExcusesWorkouts.com
FlyLady Virtual Personal Trainer

PS – When you sign up, you’ll immediately receive my
Special Report on the “15 Secrets to Better Health” as
my way of saying ‘Congratulations.’

Dear Friends,

I have noticed an overwhelming veil of negativity everywhere I look these days. For me it is a mystery that must be uncovered and then decluttered to bring some joy back into the lives of my FlyBabies!

I know the world is full of half empty kind of people. The TV news, Radio, Facebook, and Twitter all contribute to the negative things overshadowing the positive stories. This got me to thinking about how we can change the way we look at things. As always when I am pondering a topic a song comes to mind. This morning the God Breeze was “Look for the Silver Lining”.

I did a Google search for the lyrics and found one verse (which isn’t sung often) that has to do with the drudgery of doing dishes.

As I wash my dishes, I’ll be following your plan,
Till I see the brightness in ev’ry pot and pan.
I am sure your point of view will ease the daily grind,
So I keep repeating in my mind.

Look for the silver lining
When e’er a cloud appears in the blue.
Remember some where the sun is shining,
And so the right thing to do,
Is make it shine for you.

My Grandmother taught me, “Can’t never could do anything!” She instilled in me a “Can Do!” spirit! If you think you can! You will!

When we dwell on the negative we create a sadness in our lives. We all deserve to be happy! That happiness comes from within. Stop allowing the external influences to determine your attitude of the day. We can change it by looking for that silver lining.

Create your own Happiness File in your life. I learned this from Pam Young in her book called the Happiness File. http://fldy.net/~Happiness . We have to surround ourselves with things that make us smile.

This is why we shine our sinks and declutter items that remind us of sad times. My happiness file has become a virtual one on Pinterest. I have set up many boards that bring smiles to my day. I also have my playlist in my iTunes that make me happy when I listen to them. Youtube is another way to brings some grins and giggles into your life! And my favorite way to start laughing out loud is to watch the animals on America’s Funniest Home Videos.

Another thing we all can do is to stop posting negative comments on Facebook. This breaks my heart when I see people commenting on how bad they have it. For me this is whining! At FlyLady, we live in a NO WHINING ZONE! When you catch yourself about to fall into the negative trap of whining; look for the silver lining! Be the one who finds something positive to say! Lift others up and become a shining beacon of love for the world!

Your silver lining is contagious! Smile and the world smiles with you!

FlyLady

Judy Garland singing Look for the Silver Lining
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9fMXBGzNes

Buy it on iTunes
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/look-for-the-silver-lining/id393958755?i=393958821

Join us on Pinterest and start building your own Happiness Boards.

http://pinterest.com/theflylady/