Canton Trade Days September

Come get a deal!!

Come on down to Canton Trade Days and visit me
Pavilion 3 space 79 down by the creek where it is shady and cooler. I'll have a chair waiting.

Only 116 days until Christmas! Come get your shopping done while catching some great deals!

Complete your pre-session form and pay your deposit to get this pricing. Available this weekend for sessions scheduled in September.

It's Kayla's birthday!

Happy birthday, Kayla!!




Kayla turned 20 years old today!! We celebrated with a chocolate peanut butter cup cake.

Positive Thinking

Positive Thinking

There are many ways a person can change negative thoughts and self-criticism to more realistic and positive thoughts. Focusing on all of them at once may be overwhelming, but focusing on a few at a time and reminding yourself of these positive approaches regularly can change your self-esteem.



Read the positive thought strategies below and choose several that would help you most. Write them down and remind yourself to pause and change your way of thinking each time you are being critical of yourself. As you become more comfortable with each new way of thinking (for example, learning not to apologize or accept blame for other's anger) try adding a new positive thought strategy to your list.

Positive Thought Strategies

• Avoid exaggerations.
  Correct your internal voice when it exaggerates, especially when it exaggerates the negative. Try to avoid thinking in extreme terms ("I always make that mistake" or "I'll never get that promotion.")
• Nip negative thoughts in the bud.
  Sometimes putting a stop on negative thinking is as easy as that. The next time you start giving yourself an internal browbeating, tell yourself to "stop it!" If you saw a person yelling insults at another person, you would probably tell them to stop. Why do you accept that behavior from yourself?

• Accentuate the positive.
  Instead of focusing on what you think are your negative qualities, accentuate your strengths and assets. Maybe you didn't ace the test you were studying for, but maybe your hard work and perseverance led to a better grade than you would have had. Maybe you felt nervous and self-conscious when giving a presentation at work, but maybe your boss and coworkers respected you for getting up and trying.
• Accept flaws and being human.
  Maybe you did get nervous and blow that presentation at work - so what? Talk to your boss about what went wrong, try to address the error in the future, and move on. All people have flaws and make mistakes. Your boss, coworkers, friends, family, postman, congressman, and favorite movie star have all made mistakes. They've forgiven themselves; so can you.
• Accept imperfections.
  Perfection is a high goal to aim for -- you don't need to start there or even end there. Make doing your best your ideal -- what more can you realistically do? Focus on what you've gained from the process and how you can use it in the future. Avoid focusing on what wasn't done or 'should have' been done differently. Allow yourself to make mistakes and then forgive yourself. Try laughing instead of criticizing.

• Don't bully yourself!
  "Should have, could have, would have ... " Try not to constantly second guess yourself, criticize yourself for what you "should" have done better, or expect too much from yourself. Don't put standards on yourself that you wouldn't expect from others. It's great to want to do well, but expecting yourself to be perfect (which is impossible) and then punishing yourself when you fail is a vicious cycle. Using expressions like "I should have" is just a way of punishing yourself after the fact.
• Replace criticism with encouragement.
  Instead of nagging or focusing on the negative (in yourself and others), replace your criticism with encouragement. Give constructive criticism instead of being critical ("maybe if I tried to do ____ next time, it would be even better" instead of "I didn't do that right.") Compliment yourself and those around you on what you have achieved ("well, we may not have done it all, but we did a pretty great job with what we did".)
• Don't feel guilty about things beyond your control.
  You are not to blame every time something goes wrong or someone has a problem. Apologizing for things and accepting blame can be a positive quality, if you are in the wrong and if you learn and move on. But you shouldn't feel responsible for all problems or assume you are to blame whenever someone is upset.
• Don't feel responsible for everything.
  Just as everything is not your fault, not everything is your responsibility. It's okay to be helpful, but don't feel the need to be all things (and do all things) for all people. This is taking too much of a burden on yourself AND limiting those around you. Let others be responsible for themselves and their actions -- you shouldn't feel responsible for their happiness.
• Do feel responsible for your feelings.
  Just as you can't "make" other people happy, don't expect others to "make" you feel happy or good about yourself. In the same way, they shouldn't make you feel guilty or bad about yourself. You create your own feelings and make your own decisions. People and events may have an affect on your emotions, but they can't dictate them.

• Treat yourself kindly.
  People often feel more comfortable treating themselves in ways they wouldn't consider treating others. Do you criticize yourself with terms like "stupid" "ugly" or "loser"? Would you use those terms to describe a friend? Remind yourself that you deserve to be treated as well as you treat others. Do something nice for yourself sometimes -- either in thought (give yourself a compliment) or action (treat yourself to a nice dinner or new book.)
• Give yourself a break.
  You don't need to be all things to all people or please everyone. Give yourself permission to decide you're doing the best you can. Remind yourself when you're doing things well -- don't wait to hear it from someone else.
• Choose the brighter side of things.
  You can choose how to interpret comments and events, so try for the more positive interpretations. If someone says, "You look good today," don't ask yourself "What was wrong with the way I looked yesterday?" Accept compliments graciously (don't ask yourself why you haven't been complemented on something else or why you haven't complemented you before.) Look at temporary setbacks as opportunities for growth.

• Forgive and forget.
  Try not to hang on to painful memories and bad feelings - this is a surefire way to encourage negative thoughts and bad moods. Your past can control you if you don't control it. If you can, forgive past wrongs and move on. (Don't forget that forgiving yourself is an important part of this process, too!) If you have a hard time forgiving or forgetting, consider talking through your emotions with a good friend or counselor, but try not to dwell. It's important to work through things, but you can't let the past determine your future.
• Focus on what you CAN do, not what you can't.
  Avoid "can't" thinking or other negative language. If you say something often enough, you may start to believe it, so keep your statements positive, not negative. Don't be afraid to seek help in accomplishing things, but remind yourself that you don't need approval from others to recognize your accomplishments. Focus on what you're able to do. Remind yourself of all your capabilities and positive qualities.

Using just one or two of the above strategies on a regular basis can greatly increase your positive self-image and self-esteem. Making these internal changes will increase your confidence in yourself and your willingness and ability to make external changes and improve your life.

The Good in You

Remember Your Good Qualities!



Reminding yourself of your positive qualities is one of the fastest ways to improve and maintain a positive self-image.

Use the following list as a guide, or write your own list. What are you good at? What qualities do you have that make you feel good about yourself? What are positive things people have said about you? 



Create your own list and put it someplace where you can see it and remind yourself regularly of all your good qualities.

I AM ...

• Adaptable
• Adventurous
• Affectionate
• Ambitious
• Artistic
• Assertive
• Broad-minded
• Capable
• Caring
• Charming
• Cheerful
• Clear-headed
• Clever
• Compassionate
• Competent
• Confident
• Conscientious
• Considerate
• Courageous
• Creative
• Dependable
• Determined
• Devoted
• Dynamic
• Easy-going
• Efficient
• Energetic
• Enterprising
• Enthusiastic

• Fair
• Faithful
• Flexible
• Friendly
• Funny
• Generous
• Gentle
• Glad
• Goal-oriented
• Good-natured
• Happy
• Helpful
• Honest
• Hopeful
• Idealistic
• Imaginative
• Independent
• Industrious
• Intelligent
• Inventive
• Joyful
• Kind
• Leader
• Likable
• Listener
• Logical
• Lovable
• Mature
• Merry
• Modest
• Natural
• Neat
• Non-judgmental
• Nurturing
• Open-minded
• Optimistic
• Organized
• Original
• Outgoing
• Passionate
• Patient
• Peaceful
• Persevering
• Persistent
• Pleasant
• Polite
• Positive
• Practical
• Precise
• Progressive
• Punctual
• Quick-thinker
• Quiet
• Quirky
• Rational
• Realistic
• Reasonable
• Reflective
• Relaxed
• Reliable
• Resourceful
• Responsible
• Robust
• Sexy
• Sincere
• Sociable
• Spontaneous
• Spunky
• Stable
• Strong
• Tactful
• Talented
• Tenacious
• Thorough
• Tolerant
• Trusting
• Trustworthy
• Truthful
• Understanding
• Unique
• Versatile
• Warm
• Witty
• Youthful
• Zany

Why not take a few minutes now to write your own description and include some of the nice things people have said about you. See if you can come up with one for every letter of the alphabet. I could not think of a word that starts with "X"... can you?

Self Image

Improving Your Self Image

Improving your self-image, like improving any skill, takes time and practice. Developing good self-esteem involves encouraging a positive (but realistic) attitude toward yourself and the world around you and appreciating your worth, while at the same time behaving responsibly towards others. Self-esteem isn't self-absorption; it's self-respect.



By working from the inside out (focusing on changing your own way of thinking before changing the circumstances around you), you can build your self-esteem. The goal of this positive thinking is to give yourself a more positive self-concept, while seeing yourself honestly and accepting yourself, and removing the internal barriers that can keep you from doing your best.

Canton Trade Days August

Come get a deal!!

Come on down to Canton Trade Days and visit me
Pavilion 3 space 79 down by the creek where it is shady and cooler. I'll have a chair waiting.

Complete your pre-session form and pay your deposit to get this pricing. Available this weekend for sessions scheduled in August.

August Facts

August Observances & Fun Facts

August 2013 is Observed as	National Immunization Awareness Month Children's Eye Health & Safety Month
Birthstone	Peridot
Fruit & Vegges for the Month of August	Peaches Cactus Pear Prickly Pear Nopales Cactus Celery Fennel
August Flower	Poppy & Gladiolus
Astrological Signs	Leo (till 22th) & Virgo (beginning 23th)
Other Notable August Dates & Events	Aug 3 National Mustard Day Aug 26 Women's Equality Day