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30 TIPS FOR SMILING
THROUGH DIFFICULT TIMES

“by Susan Jeffers, Ph.D.”

To help you lighten the proverbial load in these difficult times, I scanned a few of the books I have written and chose a few tidbits to bring some thoughts of lightness and love into your life. Read these thoughts over and over again. Remember that repetition of uplifting thoughts is necessary in order to replace the negative thoughts that pull you down. Onward!

1. SAY "YES!" TO LIFE! You can drop an awful lot of excess baggage if you learn to play with life instead of fighting it.

2. Do your eyes reflect a loving heart? If not, learn to heal your inner hurts...and then the light will shine through. Brightening the world around you will definitely put a smile on your face.

3. If the sign on your heart says "WELCOME", the love will come pouring in from everywhere! When we are friendly, we meet the nicest people!

4. Do your best, but let go of the outcome. You have little control. Smile as you realize that this is a good thing since controlling the outcome of all things is an awesome responsibility! Yikes!

5. Remove those imaginary "Please like me" stickers from your forehead and, instead, place them on the only place they will do any good...on your mirror! And then smile at the beautiful person that the mirror reflects.

6. We are all designed to use our inherent power. When we don't, we experience a sense of helplessness, paralysis and depression. Doesn't it make sense to get in touch with your power as soon as possible? Yes!

7. If your friends constantly complain, the solution is simple...find new friends. And remember that you need friends who smile a lot!

8. Stop trying to be perfect. The loveliest thing you can do for yourself is to embrace the beauty of your humanness. Trying to be perfect is very limiting. It also creates an intense feeling of being trapped!

9. Don't dwell on setbacks when they occur (and they will!); rather, focus on every little sign of progress...and smile.

10. Make a list of all those characteristics you would like to find in a friend...and then begin developing them in yourself! The Law of Attraction will then bring you perfect friends. How simple!

11. Like attracts like! Become what you want to attract! If you want to be appreciated, appreciate. If you want to be touched, touch. If you want to be loved, love. What are you waiting for?

12. The realization that "we are doing it to ourselves" is our biggest blessing. If we know we can create our own misery, it stands to reason we can also create our own joy. What power!

13. There is only one time when it is absolutely appropriate for you to have the last word. That is when the last "word" happens to be "I love you!" One of the most precious gifts we can give to those we love is to let them know that they're OK in our book.

14. Impatience is simply a way of beating yourself up. What's the rush? The world doesn't change over night...nor do we. If you ever find the voice of impatience creeping in, just keep repeating to yourself the magical words...ONE STEP AT A TIME IS ENOUGH FOR ME.

15. There is no quick fix. Sorry about that! But there is a cornucopia of tools to be used and mastered throughout a lifetime. And remember...the joy of discovery is delicious!

16. Allow yourself confusion as you walk through life. It is your way of sorting things out. It is through confusion that you finally come to clarity.

17. LIGHTEN UP! If you have ever been around a person who really has it together, you are struck with their humor and ability to laugh...particularly at themselves!

18. The way you get rid of the fear of doing something is to go out and do it! Always remember that pushing through fear is less frightening than living with the bigger underlying fear that comes from a feeling of helplessness! So always remember to "feel the fear and do it anyway"!

19. There is no such thing as a false start if you are seriously committed to following the path of growth. Each step along the way shows you the way to where you really are supposed to be going. It may be a destination you never even considered!

20. When you find the good in any decision you make, it's much easier to accept the responsibility for making the decision in the first place! It helps to remember that each decision is simply another opportunity to learn...despite the outcome.

21. Sometimes doors are closed for us, giving us no choice but to move forward. It's nice to think our most difficult times are blessings in disguise!

22. The nature of growth is that it is always pulling us forward despite how much we try to drag our feet. If we stopped dragging our feet, imagine how much faster we'd grow!

23. Having it all really means accepting our choices and having no regrets about the road we didn't travel. Do you see how easy it is to have it all?

24. Being positive is much more realistic than being negative. Most of what we worry about never happens. But the more important issue is WHY BE MISERABLE WHEN YOU CAN BE HAPPY??? And remember there are always gifts in a "bad" situation. Don't spend your time lamenting...spend your time finding the gifts!

25. The Journey inward to the best of who you are is much like the experience of climbing a mountain. Sometimes the climb is tough. But each time you stop to look around, the view becomes more and more spectacular. And you are propelled higher by the increasing beauty you see. Wow!

26. Trust your intuition. It is the carrier of messages from the all-knowing place of power and love you hold inside. Whether you believe it or not, that place of power and wisdom is always there. You can trust me, Susan Jeffers, on this one...

27. To be the "giver" rather than the "getter" makes us feel more secure. Giving is about letting go of the crouched, withholding person and standing tall with outstretched arms. How freeing!

28. As long as you are showering love into the world, you will never be bored. There's much too much to do!

29. When we all pull together at a time of crisis, we rise above the level of our individual differences and we stop competing. It is then that we understand what "one human family" is all about.

30. Always remember...LIFE IS HUGE! Rejoice about the sun, moon, flowers and sky. Rejoice about the food you have to eat. Rejoice about the body that houses your spirit. Rejoice about the fact that you can be a positive force in the world around you. Rejoice about the love that is around you. Even in difficult times, if you want to be happy, commit to making your life one of rejoicing. You can't drink in tomorrow. But you can drink in today. How delicious!

© 2008 Susan Jeffers, Ph.D.

Copyright © 2008 Susan Jeffers, Ph.D.  All rights reserved.  This article is reprinted with permission of the author.  To learn more about Susan Jeffers and her work go to www.susanjeffers.com.

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