I wish I could wake up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy just once. How awesome would that shit be?  Every morning I get up and have coffee at about five, I’ve always been an early riser, it’s the best time of the day for me in terms of motivation and setting my mind right for the day.

Just about every day I wake up feeling hopeful and positive about the coming days, weeks, etc.  I like my life, I mean, I picked it   I’m a big believer in the raw power of thinking positively, I read some book about the theory years ago that I can’t recall the name of and haven’t looked back. 
I used to think very poorly of myself and didn’t have high expectations or motivation to seek better for myself, I worked at a gas station when I read that book, that I was later robbed at. Maybe you can imagine the state my life was in, unhappy marriage, new baby and what appeared to be a pretty crappy future in store.  I was not very hopeful.  I hated my life and felt like I had failed before I started and I knew I wasn’t setting a good example for my son.  Guilt compounded. 

Then I got my hands on that book. I tried some of the techniques and liked how I felt.  That was addicting, and especially for me with my natural tendency to addiction.  I’m not endorsing any books, I do want to convey the difference it has made in my life, just the idea that I can do better, that its not over until I say its over, that I can always improve and feel good about who I am.  That was not something I was ever told or that I ever expected and the answer to all of the questions I had about life. 

As much as I love my life and enjoy my son, my husband and my time with my sisters and family there is always room for more.  Can I get better? Absolutely.  Can my life improve even more? Absolutely. Can I enjoy this life more than I already do?  Absolutely. 

Can you? If you say no, ask yourself why not and for every reason you come up with I say bullshit.

Now go have a killer day.

My only child has a birthday coming in a few days. Every birthday reminds me of a harder time in my life, but a time when I was resilient. Nothing could or would keep me from doing what I wanted, and nothing did.

I dare say that I’ve grown up as my son has and I’ve learned a lot…knowing that being able to learn and grow is the foundation of a better life, I started my journey early.

We only get one shot on the planet, I’ve been telling my son about the real world since he was much smaller. Keeping your children in the dark about the world is the worst thing you can do to their future. After all, as a parent its our job to prepare them for life and hope they make it successful. Don’t handicap them with ignorance.

I tell my boy I want him to do better than me, better than my dad and better than my grandma. We work our asses off, hours on end, I don’t want him to work so hard.

He laughs but I know it’ll ring in his head later. Liking what you do is great but let’s face it, you don’t get to start out that way unless you know people. I am brutally honest with my son because he has to do better.

Looking back on your generation and the ones before it..does the situation improve? What do you tell your children about success in their future?