If You Think You Are Beaten

If you think you are beaten, you are.
If you think you dare not, you don't.
If you'd like to win but think you can't,
It's almost certain you won't.
Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man,
But sooner or later, the man who wins
Is the man who thinks he can.

- Walter D. Wintle

I used to think that positive thinking was a joke. A load of hogwash that some freaky Hare-Krishna came up with from the '60's when peace in love were in fashion.

But then, I got to thinking....at what point in my life, did any of the negative thinking about myself ever get me anywhere? Did any of these judgments do anything but keep me in my misery, bad mood, sadness? No, they kept me in a cycle of negativity that I always had to fight against. I guess what that translates to, is that I was always fighting MYSELF.

Most days, we don't have a cheer leading team following us around ready to cheer for us for every little accomplishment. It's just not possible. So that means WE have to be our own cheerleaders. For every accomplishment big and small, we have to get into the practice of celebrating ourselves. For those who can't bear to get out of bed, give yourself some chocolate when it only takes you 15 minutes instead of a half an hour to get up. For those of you who can't usually stand to be in crowded places, buy yourself a shake for stopping to buy a newspaper at a bodega and striking up a conversation with the guy behind the counter.

Whatever the accomplishment is, don't take away from it by downplaying it. When you do that you downplay yourself.

It hasn't worked for you so far has it? Maybe those Hare-Krishna's have something after all.....