1. Be who you are no matter what happens;if mud is slung at you do not sling back. If someone has betrayed your trust, don’t be untrustworthy. Your mother said it and she was right; two wrongs do not make a right.
2.Entrust your story to people who you respect and who really love you; take your time, you don’t need to rush to tell. You do not owe your story to anyone. People will tell you they need the details, the story, the unedited edition. This is not their right. It wont make them better and it won’t make you better.
3. Do what you say and say what you do
4. Taking advice from others will only represent what is right for them. What is right for you is what you are trying to arrive at.
5.Be open to the kindness of strangers
6. Ignore the cruelty of strangers and ‘friends’
7.Get into bed at night and picture putting your problems into files and put them away.
8.Do things that you have to do, one step at a time.
9. Do things you love to do as often as you can. Give them as rewards for #8.
10.Surround yourself with people who bring out the best in you.
11. Find the humour. It is always there.
12.Contact your heroes. Stick to them like glue.
13. Find your anthem. This is the song that will make you fight for your life. Play it as often as you need it. When you no longer need that anthem find a new one- it will take you to the next phase.
14.Run in the opposite direction of negative people. Quickly.
15.See the humour. It is always there.(worth repeating)
16. Don’t get too fat-. You have a tremendous amount of work ahead and you don’t want to spend anytime dieting.
Don’t get too thin-scrawny is not strong-it catches colds, shivers uncontrollably and cannot fend for itself. Life is a bully to the scrawny.
Either way, nothing announces disaster like ‘trauma’ weight
17.Exercise. This is not a newsflash. Just do it.
18.Believe in your gut instinct.
19.Force positive thoughts; smother the negative.
20. Move things forward all the time. Big steps or small- this makes all the difference.
21.Walk the earth knowing we are all struggling with something. You will feel community not loneliness.
22. Know you can handle anything if you believe you can.
23. Apparently, everything happens for a reason.
Anne- thank you for sharing that- very good to remember- all of it. We don’t ever know how things are intended and we don’t always say things the way we mean them. Very good advice!
Great list!
Here’s a tip of my own:
Develop a thick skin.
Don’t imagine that you are the centre of everyone’s live at every moment. If a friend passes you in the mall and does not stop to say hello assume she did not see you.
If someone says something you consider slightly insensitive consider that they may be trying to offer some constructive criticism because they care about you. Don’t let little slights bother you. Instead reach out to others with in friendship with a compassionate forgiving heart.
To often I hear women slam other women for little slights that may be unintended. Maybe the person is just having a really bad day. I’ve had bad days… I bet you have too. Forgive – forget – move on.