June 8

Have patience with all things but
first with yourself. Never confuse
your mistakes with your value as a
human being. You’re a perfectly
valuable, creative, worthwhile
person simply because you exist.
And no amount of triumphs or
tribulations can ever change that.
Unconditional self-acceptance is the
core of a peaceful mind.
–Saint Francis de Sales

It’s time, right now, to accept
yourself. It’s easy to pick out our
faults and so hard to think of all our
gifts and assets. “I’m grumpy all the
time.” “I’m not a good leader.” “I’m
not a good writer.” “I’m always
negative.”

Instead, tell yourself: “I’m a great
writer.” “I’m optimistic.” “I get
things done.” “I’m patient.”

Today: Look for the good and the
good will happen.

June 7

I have my faults.
But being wrong
ain’t one of them.
–Jimmy Hoffa

Publishers say they don’t write
comments on the rejection letters
they send because some authors
won’t accept the criticism as helpful.
After all, their manuscript is perfect
and why would anyone not like it?
Publishers have even had trouble
with authors calling the company
and verbally giving them a piece of
their mind. So, they’ve stopped
doing what was once good and
helpful.

Comments sent by editors are meant
to be helpful; something we, as
aspiring writers, can learn from. If
we don’t accept the criticism given
in a frank and friendly manner, we’ll
stay stuck and never realize our full
potential as a writer.

Today: I might be wrong.

June 6

Out of clutter, find simplicity.
–Albert Einstein

It’s a grand thing to be clutter free!
Do you remember when you were?
How did it get so out of hand? Is
your writing so disorganized you
can’t find anything anymore? You’d
like to finish that short story, or
article but you can’t find the
reference materials you worked so
hard getting at the library or online
one Saturday afternoon.

You’ve stressed for days trying to
find it in all the disarray. Take fifteen
minutes each day and work on
getting rid of the clutter, and soon
you’ll find it’s all gone. It will be
amazing how many things you’ll
find that you thought were lost
forever.

Today: I will work for simplicity.

June 5

The body must be nourished,
physically, emotionally, and
spiritually. We’re spiritually starved
in this culture—not underfed but
undernourished.
–Carol Horning

Physically: We need to eat the right
foods; less grease and more fruits,
vegetables and water.
Emotionally: We need a support
system of good friends.
Spiritually: We need a faith-based
program.
Mentally: We need to nurture our
thoughts with optimism.

Today: I am nourished.

June 4

“Stay” is a charming word in a
friend’s vocabulary.
-Louisa May Alcott

How many times was the restaurant
or coffee shop about to close and you
were still engaged in deep
conversation with your friend? Or
over lunch you both had to get back
home, but stayed a little longer to
catch up?

Sometimes emailing isn’t enough.
You need to see the person and hear
their voice. You critique each other’s
writing, talk about what’s happening
in your lives, and again the time flies
by and you have to part.

Today: “Stay,” will be a part of my
vocabulary.

June 3

I don’t believe; I know.
–Carl Jung

I know what I want to do—I believe
I will follow through.
I know what I want to be—I believe
I will become it.
I know what my goals are—I believe
I will achieve them.
I know I don’t like rush hour
traffic—I believe I’ll avoid it.
I know I love my children—I believe
I’ll spend all my time with them.

Today: I know, and I’ll do.

June 2

But Mr. Jeremy liked getting his feet
wet; nobody ever scolded him, and
he never caught a cold.
–Beatrix Potter

Are you living your life in the
present with phrases from the past?
Well-meaning advice such as, “Wait
two hours after eating before going
swimming,” or admonishments like,
“Children are to be seen and not
heard.” The phrases and words are
never-ending and unfortunately, they
keep popping into your head daily.

You need to let them go. Whenever
one of them comes to mind, think of
a phrase to counter it with. “Waiting
two hours before going swimming is
an old wives’ tale.” And “Children
need to be heard so they can get what
they need.”

Today: I will let go of the phrases
holding me back.

June 1

A human beings first responsibility
is to shake hands with himself.
–Henry Winkler

Or give yourself a thumbs up like
Fonzie, (Henry Winkler) did on the
sitcom, “Happy Days.” Every
morning when you wake up give
yourself two thumbs up. A little
silent praise first thing in the
morning won’t hurt, and I bet it will
make you smile.

Before going to bed at night, give
yourself two thumbs up, and say,
“Job well done.”

Today: I will recognize that by just
being, I am something special.

May 31

Learn to get in touch with the silence
within yourself
and know that everything in this life
has a purpose.
–Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

I’m sure that over the years, you’ve
deemed certain things, experiences, or
even people as a waste of time. When
you look back at those instances, did
you learn anything? Have you learned
enough to know that you wasted your
time and effort?

You may lose time doing something that
was worthless, but you gain a new
perspective on how to use your time
more wisely. You’ve lost an unpleasant
friendship, and gained peace of mind.
You’ve lost many years in a job you
hate, but you’ve gained insight on what
kind of job you’re now looking for.

Everything you do has a lesson whether
good or bad. You are always learning.

Today: Everything has a purpose.

May 30

Half my life is an act of revision.
–John Irving

Do you feel you are always revising
your writing? Your fingers don’t
type fast enough for your thoughts,
or too fast and you miss words or
add words you don’t want.
Sometimes your thoughts are going
one way, and you want it to go
another. When you go back and read
what you wrote, you think, what a
mess!

Then it’s back to revising. No matter
how carefully you type your story,
there will always be changes and
revisions when you go back and
reread your work. It’s hard to avoid.
Does that make you a bad writer?
Absolutely not! It makes you a
person who cares about your story
and how you convey it to your
readers. It makes you a writer.

Today: I will take the time for
revisions.