20 Tips to Stay Positive in 2012!!

• Keep your positivity!!  Don’t opt to listen to the critics and doubters that will lead you to believe that success is impossible, instead choose to hold on to the fact that you KNOW that with an optimistic attitude and faith that all things are achievable! 

• Complete the following statement upon waking up in the morning:  Today, my purpose is ______________.

• To better prepare your mind to breed successful thoughts, try taking a walk of gratitude.

• No one succeeds thinking about the past and their failures. Instead of thinking about where you “should” be begin to think about where you are headed!

• Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out credit card.

• Smile and laugh more. They are natural anti-depressants. 

• Remember that adversity is not a dead-end but a detour to a better outcome.

• Focus on learning, loving, and serving.

• Believe that everything happens for a reason and expect good things to come out of challenging experiences.

• Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment. 

• Mentor someone and be mentored by someone.

• Live with the 3 E’s Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.

• Remember there is no substitute for hard work.

• Zoom focus. Each day when you wake up in the morning, ask “What are the three most important things I need to do today that will help me create the success I desire?” Then tune out all the distractions and focus on these actions. 

• Implement the www.NoComplainingRule.com. Complaining is like vomiting. Afterwards you feel better but everyone else around you feels sick. 

• Read more books than you did in 2011. I am currently on #2 for this year!  

• Get more sleep. You can’t replace sleep with a double latte.

• Focus on “get to” vs “have to”. Each day focus on what you get to do, not what you have to do. Life is a gift not an obligation. 

• Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements:
  I am thankful for _________________.
  Today I accomplished ______________________.

• Enjoy the ride. You only have one ride through life so make the most of your journey. 

 

Cool Christmas Tree Decorating Tips

          Have you already set your Christmas tree in place and are ready to go? Or are you one of the many who has been procrastinating and has yet to get you tree out of the box (or lot)?? Well, whether you are an early riser or a late bloomer fear not, these tips may be able to help "spice up" your current decorations or give you ideas for when you finally decide to dust off your Christmas storage and have a go at your tree this year!  :)

Ribbon

Having kids and a tree are not a good match all the time, tinsel gets strewed everywhere, in hair, on clothes, and even on the pets! Ribbon is an alternative to the mess, it allows you to give your tree a smooth and elegant look and yet still keep the youthfulness of it!  Think about getting ribbon that matches the room that it will be in, and decorate accordingly.




Stand Out
Do you have white walls?  Have you ever thought about using a colored tree? Red trees, blue trees, etc. will be a great way to bring color into the room and make your tree stand out against the sea of white walls surrounding it.

Vintage
Gold trees are a great way to get that vintage look and feel. Since the metallic trees are such a wow factor themselves, there is no need to over decorate this one. Instead, choose one or two colors and have at it. (I would suggest some green to offset the gold) And be sure to get a tree skirt that adds a cohesive flow to your color scheme.

Golden Rule
Here is a great spin off a traditional tree. Instead of keeping the tree completely green, try spray painting (just to tint it) gold. not all over, but just accenting a few places and then go back and lightly cover the branches in spray snow. Add some gold accents and ornaments to the tree and you have a classic spin off of the classic tradition!


Black Out
A black Christmas tree is fairly new to me, however it gives way to many great decorating ideas. Because the color of the tree can be kind of daunting alone, you will want to grab ornaments that pop out. A nice bright blue with some white lights and a tree skirt (or rug) to match the ornaments would make your tree the center of attention this year!


White Out
Here we are, total opposite of the black tree is the infamous white tree. I have seen so many variations of the white tree, but my all time favorite would have to be a classic black and white. Although it is not your "traditional" Christmas colors, in a contemporary home this would be a perfect fit. Add a touch of black pine cones to your tree as well as white icicles and think about wrapping your presents in black and silver wrapping this year to add to the effect.

Color Coded

Some of the newest color trends this season is teal and copper. If you are adventurous and want to step out of the box, i would suggest adding copper colored leaves, glittered sprigs, and possibly some bay leaves. What this does is accentuate the tree and creates a lovely contrast that will have everyone in holiday spirits.