's motd Monday Aug 9, 2010

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WIPE IT CLEAN!

Monday, 09 August 2010

In my office, I have a little blackboard on the wall. I love blackboards. Just like you, I was raised with them through all of my school years from elementary through high school. Back in grade school, our blackboards were, well...black. (I know, sometimes they're green, too.)

All of the nuns at St. Louis Cathedral School had simply beautiful handwriting, of course. And I loved watching them write. I'd wait for them to write each word on the board, paying close attention to their writing style. And after they wrote on the blackboard for a while, eventually they'd run out of writing space. Then they'd take one of those black felt erasers and, in a few strokes across the blackboard, everything they'd written would be gone.I write thoughts on the "blackboard" in my office every day. Well, my blackboard is actually white. See, instead of chalk, you use these special felt pens and erasers that can wipe the board clean as a whistle. I use various colors of markers on my board, each representing a different project I may be working on. Sometimes I even doodle on my board. (You know, like we used to do in school.)

I was thinking, our lives are like blackboards. Sometimes we write happy thoughts on our life's blackboard and other times, the things we write may not be so nice. Every memory from your life has been written on your blackboard. Every diet you've tried and not been successful at is written on your blackboard, too. All of your emotions have been written there. All of the remarks that people have made to you or about you have been recorded on your blackboard. And every time you read from your life's blackboard, for some reason, you tend to focus on the negative things written there. Well, on this Monday, I say you need to get out that felt eraser and get to work wiping that blackboard of yours clean of all the negativity written there. I don't want you thinking about someone else's rude past remarks about your weight. I don't want you thinking about all the diets you've been on but didn't stick with. In fact, I don't want you thinking about anything that's going to cause you to end up feeling down. Come on, how're you gonna get this new week off to a good start by dwelling on all of that negativity?

Today, I want you to write only positive things on your blackboard. I want you to write phrases like:"I'm gonna have a healthy week!""I'm gonna exercise everyday this week.""I'm gonna plan my meals this week.""I'm gonna think positive about myself and my dreams all week long.""This week, I'm going to be a success!"I want you to read those kinds of phrases from your blackboard all week long. And if you believe them and work hard at them this week, you'll be able to write a new phrase on your blackboard next week."I did it! I lost weight this week and I'm so proud of myself!"Love,