You’re excited and with good reason. I look at the monitor in front of us.  It’s true.  You beat me at the computer game we’ve been playing. 

“You did say that if I won I get everything you  own, right?” you ask. 
“Yeah, I did,” I say after a deep sigh. “I was so sure that I would win though.” 
  
A few days later I’m standing in my empty apartment.  The moving truck you hired has come and gone.  All what I’m left with are my thoughts.   “Time for a new beginning,"  I say to myself.   “Where should I start?” 

              THOUGHTS 
You will always own your thoughts.  They are your true possessions.  They are your truth.  And what you believe is true, becomes entirely true for you. 

Your thoughts are at the root of everything you say and do.  Everything in your life RIGHT NOW is being kept alive by your thoughts.  You can choose to change anything by simply changing the way you think about it. 

Thoughts always come before fact.  ALWAYS.  Knowing that, gives you complete control over your life.  No matter what negative or questionable ideas people have offered you, the bottom line will always be determined by what you choose to think.  What you choose to think is what makes up your reality.  Whether that reality is as beautiful and peaceful as a flower garden (heaven) or as messy and disgusting as my kitchen is right now (hell), is  totally up to you.  WHAT YOU BELIEVE IS WHAT YOU ARE. 

            EVERYTHING IS GRAY 
Carrying a bundle of negative thoughts with you is the same as taking a pillow case, filling it  with rocks, and lugging it around with you every- where you go...every single day.   It’s time to open the pillow case and remove each rock...one at a time.  Substituting positive thoughts for negative thoughts takes time, effort, and practice.  It can be done.  One step at a time. 
  
            NOTHING IS BLACK OR WHITE...NOTHING! 
The first thing you need to truly convince yourself of is that everything is made up of shades of gray.  Examine a thought, a goal, a mistake, or a  conversation.  Examine something that has a hold on you and doesn’t want to let go.  Know that what is bothering you is neither good or bad, right or wrong.  Chances are it is right in smack the middle.  Let this be the tightrope your faith rests itself upon.  Know that nothing is ever one way or another.  Nothing is so extreme that it is out of your grasp. 

            TWO VOICES 
There are two voices trying to get your attention. 
  
            YOUR CRITICAL VOICE 
Your critical voice speaks endlessly about: 
  -fears-  -worry-  -envy-  -resentment-   -greed- 
It’s a voice that always sounds logical, but it’s not always right about things.  It really does rob you of your peace of mind.  Don’t let your critical voice rule your life.  You can silent it by becoming aware of it.  Listen to your thoughts.  Listen to the words you speak. 

            YOUR INNER VOICE 
Like they say, your inner voice can simply be described as a quiet INNER KNOWING.  The best way to get acquainted with your inner voice is by tuning into it just like you would tune  into a radio station.  Like your favorite music, your inner voice will be just as soothing and just as unfailing. 

Begin when you wake up.   “So how was your sleep?” you’d ask a house guest over breakfast. “How are you feeling?  Are you ready to get through your busy day?”  Ask yourself the same questions (or similar ones) in the same manner you would speak to your guest. 
  
Finish before you go to sleep.  Imagine you are the CEO of a huge company.  You’re sitting at the head of a long table and your companies’ daily meeting is wrapping up.  Everyone is watching and listening to you as you go over the list of things accomplished at the meeting.  Lay in bed and go through your day.  Savor and relive your successes in your mind.  Take pride in the things you have set in motion.  Always remember that the thoughts you have about one thing in your life will affect EVERYTHING in your life. 

            STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES 
One of the things that helps your positive self-talk become stronger and more constant is knowing your strengths and facing your weaknesses. 

            YOUR STRENGTHS 
Strengths will pop up throughout your life.  What are yours?  What are you drawn to most in your life?  What do you yearn for?  This is a strength.  What gives you so much satisfaction and a sense of fulfillment that you are driven to do it again and again?  This is a strength.  What have you found that you learned quickly and practically effortlessly?  This is a strength.  What seems to flow the easiest in your life?  This is a strength.  Find your strength.  Pursue it.  Practice it over and over until you achieve the success you dream of. 
  
            YOUR WEAKNESS 
 The difference between a strength and a weakness is that a strength can be seen through progress and success.  A weakness is redundant and doesn’t move you forward.  Admitting your weaknesses takes courage.  It causes growth.  It frees you up to focus on your strengths. 

Weaknesses are the things that burn you out, make you question your confidence, and seem to haunt your thoughts all the time.  When it comes to a weakness, the rule is very simple:  Find out what you don’t do well AND STOP DOING IT. 

            A TRUTH 
If you choose to hurt yourself, other people will hurt you. 
If you choose to blame yourself, other people will blame you. 
Stop the cycle. 
Change your thoughts.  Change your life. 
When you choose to trust yourself, other  people will trust you. 
When you choose to love yourself, other people will love you.