The Answer Key

Surround yourself with people that will uplift and embrace you. Always maintain relationships where you are giving and receiving love, support, and consideration more often than not. It is perfectly okay to be content with who you are in your life right now regardless of who has decided to leave it. Know that their leaving made more room for the like-minded people, the happy people, drama-free people, ambitious people, or whatever people that are more like you to make their grand entrance into your life. The people that would appreciate you, support you, and see you as an asset to them and a blessing in their lives, those are the ones you keep. When you know that you bring more joy and laughter than hurt or criticism, more love than harm, more gratitude than judgement, more solutions than problems, and  give more often than you take, you have no need to beg, plead, or desire anyone to be in your life that does not want to be there. Have relationships with people who see your worth and

This peaceful sleeping method requires only a few small yet effective techniques to add to your nightly routine that will help you avoid the sleepless nights and the morning fog. The first thing you need to do is to change or add to your pre-sleep down-time . A nightly down-time routine preps your body for bed time. Start your down-time routine at least an hour before sleep time. For example, turn off the big bright lights and use the accent lights in your house instead. Also, avoid eating any heavy meals close to bedtime. Your body digests food better in an upright position. Lastly, you could do things that would make your morning routine smoother such as laying out your outfit or packing your lunch. After down-time, you need to unwind and unburden yourself. Your bedtime routine should consist of the steps you take to best prepare yourself for sleep. Stretch, meditate, read- detox your mind from the day's clutter. Free yourself from the issues that plague you and may keep you u

Live every day with more intensity, purpose, and passion. For instance, love the one you are with is not just a song; consciously show them your love. Enjoy your time together immensely. Love them with such great intensity that when you take your last breath, you will  have no regrets when it comes to your love because you purposely loved them intensely. Make the conscious effort to treat them as if every day was your last day together. Now, that does not mean show up at their job and just watch them work- that is called stalking, but if you do little things to appreciate them and enjoy even the smallest moments with them you up the intensity. Simply, enjoying an embrace a little longer, squeezing a little tighter, taking the time to inhale their scent, listen to their heart beat, and connect with their energy- that is living intensely in the moment in your relationship and connects you on a deeper level. That said, while in our relationships, occupations, and with ourselves in general

What if everyone was just a little more grateful? What if, as adults, we all were working toward being more appreciative of the things and people we have in our lives? What would happen to the relationship that was broken if both parties forced themselves to recall the ways their partner has been a blessing to their life? What if you took a moment to recollect on the many kind words, gifts just because, and thoughtful acts your partner has given you? What would you feel? I referred to a simple affirmation "put some gratitude in your attitude" -I have been known to repeat that phrase to my boys for some time now. As children who are still growing, learning, and establishing their moral, value, faith, and character building blocks through every firsthand experience, I want them to have this phrase built into their being. A sign, for me, that I have done my job as their mother very much depends in part on their gratitude and the outward expression of it. Their appreciation and a

Most relationships fail because there is a lack of communication, dedication, or appreciation. Communicating is the reciprocation of listening to your partner, speaking to your partner, and using the sum of that conversation to understand, resolve, or define what is or is not happening in the relationship. Most communication issues stem from dishonesty, failure to be willing to view another perspective, or outside conversations are louder than the ones between you and your partner. The hardest part of communicating is doing it with the constant overtone of love. The lack of dedication is the second most common reason why relationships fail. This may stem from a number of things such as one feels unappreciated, one feels inferior, one feels superior, or one has simply given up. Any one of these things can lend itself as the culprit or conspirator for cheaters. Lastly, the lack of appreciation can also be the catalyst from which relationships fail as well. The lack of appreciation is th

In this life you will come across some people who are so buried under their own misery, they will see you and want to knock you down a peg just because life is not going their way. For whatever reason, the pendulum has not swung in their direction, and they may feel as if you have some kind of unfair advantage. If you are the smartest person in the room, the funniest, the most confident, the prettiest whatever you have greater than, more of, or better than they do; they will hate you for it. A complete stranger could be hating on you from afar putting negative, bitter, hateful arrows aimed in your direction, and you do not even know it. I could see you wondering how this could be the case among people that do not even know you, but the truth is they do not have to know you personally to be bitter. People make assumptions based on their interpretation of the impression they believe you have demonstrated. Try as they might, because they will even try to label it something else to make th

It is okay to witness the success of others and be happy for them. In fact, you should practice that energy whenever possible. That positive energy is the best energy to reciprocate. Share in the joy of others as often as you can. No matter how hectic your life may be in this moment, appreciate the hills and valleys and know that everyone has their time for both. Those valleys you endure are meant for your growth. That experience does not mean you can not relish in and appreciate the hills in someone else's life. Both are blessings and you are ultimately elevated when you share joy no matter who it is for. Sharing joy is good for everybody involved; do so if for no other reason than the simple fact that you would hope that those around you would do the same so become the example. Someone else's success should prove to you that dreams can come true. You do not have to climb over anyone else to get what you want. What is for you, is for you. Put action behind your dream and you c

If you have a dream to do something, go somewhere, become someone the most important thing is to set a clear goal. Know what you want and be clear about it. You do not have to tell everybody, but every time you take a step towards that goal you should remind yourself of your bigger picture and acknowledge your progress. When setting a goal you need to be positively optimistic as well as realistic. Do your research. Know what it takes and be clear that you are ready to do what is necessary to get it. Secondly, set yourself to a stop watch.While you could shut yourself in a room for a month and get to work, get to studying, or practice, you need to take care of all of your priorities in addition to reaching for your dream. With that being said, you need to create a you-do list, set mini-deadlines, and adhere to them. The key is to stay persistent and handle your business. Life throws you many curve balls, responsibilities, distractions, and opportunities; it is important to stay focused

Everyone loves the days when it seems as if everything goes according to plan. You know, the days when you wake up refreshed just before your alarm clock, the sun is shining and the temperature is just right, your drive to work is traffic free, and every light turns green just as you approach it, but then there are the other days. Those days that get started all wrong from the alarm clock being reset because the storm the night before knocked the power out, your hair just refuses to cooperate, and you get a flat on the way to work. Then, there are the days in between those extremes. Those are the days that are often overlooked because they are without one extreme or the other. The challenge is to first recognize the joy in every day no matter what. Every day you face obstacles, challenges, and disappointments to some degree, decide that no matter what happens you will find joy and acknowledge it, appreciate it, and share it. It is a rare occasion that you go through a week with no let

Be honest, there are some people in our lives that are a little harder to love. (You know who they are.) Try as you might, you can not overlook the extensive amount of energy they drain from you. Be it the Debbie-downers who can never find something to get happy about no matter how good life gets, or the drama queens that always catch every earth shattering problem of the world on their everso fragile shoulders; everyone has at least one of these. By no means can you ignore Too-Chatty-Kathy, you simply can not tell her anything you deem a secret or not already public knowledge e.g. the sky is blue or President Obama won the election; the selfish attention seeker to whom nothing is nearly ever as important as anything they have to do or say for themselves, or the cynic for which everything is falling apart instead of into place. They are truly convinced that they know all that is wrong with the world-everything. Well, all of that said, they all need love too. Their issue, whichever it m

It is so easy to begin something and even easier to quit, but know that resilience, determination, and dedication are the horses that pull your wagon of dreams. Every chance you take and effort you make will move you closer to your goal. Stay persistent no matter what life may throw at you. Sometimes life's obstacles can appear out of no where. They may even knock you off course, but make sure that derailment is temporary. As soon as you are able, regain your composure, get focused, and get back to work. The greatest gift you can give is your belief in yourself. Concentrate more of your energy on your goals. It is completely up to you how much your potential will manifest in your life. It is up to you to decide that your dreams and goals are realistic and worth your every effort, late nights, and even rejection. It is a possibility that other people will not have your same appreciation for your dream, but that only makes your determination and dedication so incredibly important. It

A childhood friend of mine is being buried today. If I were still in state I would be present for this one; a truly kind, gentle, and genuine person I am glad to have known. Today, my heart is heavy, a life lived so brief in the grand scheme of things; it can really shake you. I am reminded of the many who have left this world before me in my so few years here. A few questions came to mind, one, how will you knowing what you know, (that it can be so brief) how will you live life more fully? Two, how long will you be sad and what are you going to do about that? After a moment to ponder I concluded to myself that I will practice my passion with more urgency. It is easy to think that you have plenty of time, but you must remember that you are not the one holding the watch. I intend to remind myself of my purpose and get to work every day putting it into action. Great or small, my efforts count and will eventually add up to something. (Yes, that is my new affirmation.) I look forward to se

I fully understand how everything is a pressing matter, of high priority, and totally necessary, but I am certain we all could carve out more time for joy. Come on, we are working with twenty-four hours. That said, we spend the better half of it stressed, hurt, over-worked, and exhausted. That is a lot of time to be busy doing the many things you must do that do nothing for your life and simply add little to no joy to it. Let us budget our time better and put ourselves and our happiness back on our to-do list. With no consideration of anyone else, what will make you happy? How can you feel better, lighter, brighter and more relaxed? What would you do to remove the weight on your shoulders?  While we must accept that life is meant to be lived, the good, bad, the ugly and everything in between and it is yours to do what you will; add to your current purpose your own joy. Whenever possible choose the path that leads you to joy. Live well, strive to live better every day, regret nothing, a