Caring about OTHERS is what makes you a caring person

    It's hard to know when someone is taking advantage of human kindness.

   If you are a caring person you naturally want to help another human being whenever and however you can.

   You REACT to what you think is a real problem that affects any other human being.

  Why? Because you are a caring compassionate human being. 

  You don't expect someone to lie to get you to want to help others whenever you can, if you can.

  Why? Because you are a caring compassionate human being.

  But the truth is if they can get help from OTHERS than they do just to keep from helping themselves.

  Recently someone needed help from their parents with their electric bill after they spent their electric money shopping.

  I asked them why they bought a video game they didn't need instead of paying their electric bill?

  There answer SHOCKED me.

  They said because their parents wouldn't give them the money to buy the NEW GAME that they wanted but they would help them pay for their electric bill so it didn't get turned off.

  Their parents had no idea that they had the money to pay it themselves but they didn't have to because their parents would.

  There is a difference between giving someone a HANDOUT and giving someone a HELPING HAND.

   If you want them to be able to STAND on their own you have to stop letting them SIT DOWN while you do everything for them. 

 Before you HELP OTHERS make sure they really need HELP.

  It's ok to give them a HELPING HAND to HELP them stand on their own but don't be a part of keeping them DOWN by giving them a HANDOUT.

ADJUST as you go

    When it is unexpectedly Hot outside you will have to ADJUST and wear shorts instead of the pants you had planned to wear.

   When a cold front blows in you have to ADJUST your wardrobe to stay warm.

   If there is road construction that leads you on a detour you will have to ADJUST your GPS to stay on track.

   You may have planned on how you were going to do it but things can change and you will have to ADJUST and come up with a New plan.

   Like they say you can't get too comfortable in life because life is always changing.

   You may not like change but whether you like it or not things are always changing and you have to be ready to ADJUST as you go.

   What used to work may not work anymore, that is just Life.

   And remember change is just part of Life so you have to ADJUST as you go through your Life's Journey.

   Life is a rollercoaster and it is full of ups and downs as well as twists and turns. 

   Like the plaque on my wall says...so this isn't HOME SWEET HOME ADJUST.

   

Make ROOM for PEACE OF MIND to get in

   Our minds have an endless stream of thoughts trying to grab our attention.

   The minute you let a thought grab your attention you get an avalanche of related thoughts pour into your mind.

   Look at it like if you let in one roach before you know it your house is infested with roaches.

  You can't stop the endless stream of thoughts but you can stop an avalanche by not giving it a chance to grab your attention.

  When a thought that evokes an avalanche of negativity pops up front and Center JUST FLUSH IT out of your mind at a quick glance.

  You can't prevent it from popping up from time to time but you can prevent an infestation of negative thoughts by not giving it a chance to get in.

  Remember if you want PEACE OF MIND you have to have ROOM for it to get in.

  JUST FLUSH IT as it comes🚽

Be PROUD of what you do

    You should be PROUD of yourself for finishing the race even though you didn't get first place.

   You should be PROUD of everything that you accomplish even though you didn't accomplish everything.

   You should be PROUD of trying even though you may not have been totally successful.

  You can either be your biggest cheerleader or your worst enemy.

  If you give it all you have then you should be PROUD of yourself for trying your best.

  Don't dwell on what you wish would have happened.

  Be PROUD of how hard you worked no matter what happens.

 Life is full of ups and downs as well as successes and failures.

  If you did the best that you could do be PROUD of yourself for doing the best that you could.

  You learn as you go so be PROUD of yourself for learning as you go.

  

You will get there if you keep going

    You will make it if you don't give up when the going gets tough.

   Remember that you worked hard to get where you are so don't quit now you are almost there.

  Just because it is harder than you thought doesn't mean that it is too hard to accomplish.

  Sometimes when you get one thing done you realize that there are other things that you need to do, that is just Life.

  Things that are worth having take hard work, that is just Life.

   If you want it you will have to do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to get it.

  The middle of every bridge is halfway there.

  If you are tired and you turn around you will still have to walk the same distance.

  One Mile is One mile the only difference is where you are after that One mile.

  To get to the other side where you want to be you have to keep moving FORWARD for One mile.

It's an adult easter egg hunt

    Everything is more expensive these days, I mean everything.

   Unfortunately even things that are necessities are two to three times more expensive these days.

  Some things are more expensive because different components of it are more expensive so they understandably are more expensive to the consumer.

   But there are also many things that are only more expensive because they see a chance to raise the prices so they do.

  Unfortunately even after supply chains get caught up with the demand, I don't see the prices going down.

  Why? Because they like the extra money they make.

   Although everything is more expensive you can still shop around for the best price in town for things.

   For instance, Gatorade eight packs range from $7.49 to $9.99.

   I am not talking about sales either.

   I mean each grocery store decides what is the highest price they can get for the products.

  In the case of Gatorade, I definitely will only buy it at the store I know always charges $7.49 for it and save $2.50 per item.

  Your money stretches a lot further if you shop for the lowest prices you can find.

  Consider it an ADULT EASTER EGG HUNT to find the lowest prices.

Do you really know them?

   You may have known someone a long time but do you really know them?

  You may think you know them but you only know what they choose to show you.

  Sometimes you put a lot of trust in someone that you know but you can't trust that you really truly know them.

  Be honest with yourself and realize that you only know what they want you to think you know about them.

  But do you really know them?

  You can ENJOY someone for what you know about them. 

  But don't build yourself into a corner because you trusted that you knew them.

   Because then you will be caught off guard and realize too late that in fact you didn't really know them at all.

  You can ENJOY their company based on what you think you know about them as long as you know that you don't risk anything if it turns out you don't really know them at all.

 

   

  

You do you and let them do them

    Just because you don't like something doesn't mean that no one will like it.

   Just because it doesn't work for you doesn't mean it won't work for anyone else.

   Just because other people are doing it doesn't mean it is the right thing for you to do.

  Different strokes for different folks.

  You are entitled to your way of thinking just like they are entitled to their way of thinking.

  You may not agree with them and they may not agree with you.

  But we all have our own opinions and we should all  just agree to disagree.

  If you want the freedom to be who you want to be then you have to let OTHERS have the freedom to be who they want to be.

  If you want OTHERS to respect your decisions then you should respect OTHER people's decisions.

  Ten people could see the same thing yet see something totally different.

  That doesn't mean that anyone was wrong about what they saw, it just means we see things differently

 Don't judge what anyone else does based on your judgement. 

  You just do you and let them be themselves.

   

Where do you want to be?

   Are you where you WANTED to be?

   In order to answer this question you first need to be HONEST with yourself about where you are now.

  If you are HAPPY where you are now then that is where you SHOULD WANT to be.

  When you were younger you may have been UNREALISTIC about where you had hoped to be when you were older.

  When you get older you have to be REALISTIC about where you really CAN be and where you really WANT to be.

  It doesn't have to be everything that you THOUGHT it would be.

  If you are HAPPY where you are now, then you KNOW that where you are is EXACTLY where you SHOULD be.

  HAPPINESS is a STATE OF MIND no matter what STATE you live in.

You can't SUPPORT them doing something that they shouldn't be doing!

   I had always grew up hearing that you have to Love someone enough to let them hate you. 

  I used this philosophy to remind myself as a parent it is my job to not let my children do anything that could hurt them no matter how mad at me it made them.

  Why? Because I loved them.

  I also can't support anything that I know isn't right in many other people or even things.

  Why? Because if I do then I am saying it is ACCEPTABLE to me.

  You can't IGNORE bad behavior when it happening to anyone.

  Why? Because you will make it ACCEPTABLE and if you ACCEPT it then you can EXPECT it to happen to you or someone you love.

 The only way to PREVENT it from happening to you or someone you love is to NOT let it happen to ANYONE.

  You can't stop anyone from doing what they want to do.

  But you CAN and you SHOULD make sure they know that you don't agree with what they are doing.

  Just like if I don't like a particular show on TV I don't watch it.

   Why? Because I want them to take it off the air and put on a different show I might like.

  Don't SUPPORT ANYONE OR ANYTHING that you don't SUPPORT.

  

  

Happiness is a STATE OF MIND

  Happiness is a STATE of mind no matter what STATE you live in.

  When you find yourself overwhelmed with NEGATIVE THOUGHTS you have to FLUSH them out of your mind.

  Because if you want PEACE OF MIND you have to make ROOM for it to get in!

 Your thoughts are the reality that you live whether it is the true reality or not.

  You don't have to have the answer to a problem to have HOPE.

  You just have know that you can ADJUST to work through your problems.

  To distract yourself when you are overwhelmed with NEGATIVITY you can replace your negative thoughts with thoughts of what you are GRATEFUL for. 

  You must acknowledge the NEGATIVE experiences you are going through then JUST FLUSH IT OUT OF YOUR MIND.

  Thinking POSITIVE THOUGHTS so you will have a POSITIVE OUTLOOK is the KEY to having a POSITIVE OUTCOME.

   Remember Peter Pan could ONLY FLY if he had POSITIVE THOUGHTS.

  

Encouraging words can help them for their lifetime

   You can give them a helping hand to get up but it doesn't mean they won't fall down again.

  You can help them pay their ELECTRIC bill but that will only ensure they have ELECTRICITY for thirty days.

  You can help them get a new tire but that doesn't mean that their other tires won't go flat.

  You can buy them a MEAL when they are HUNGRY but they will be HUNGRY a few hours later.

  But if you ENCOURAGE them it can help them stay strong for possibly their lifetime. 

  Your ENCOURAGING WORDS can build their self esteem to keep them strong for possibly their lifetime.

  Building their self esteem will give them the confidence they need to stand loud and proud to get through the struggles they have during their lifetime.

  Doing it for them will help them but only for that moment.

  Teaching them how to do it on their own will help them do it for their lifetime.

  ENCOURAGING WORDS gives them the COURAGE they need to endure whatever they encounter on their Life's Journey.