Tiny Bites of Wagaliciousness

Do you know that you’re at your very most powerful right now? Yep…it’s true. You have all the power you’ll ever have right this very moment. And in the next moment, you’ll still have it. No matter how much you’d like to change the past or the future, this moment right here is where all your power is. You can’t go back and get a do-over for yesterday, and while decisions you make right now may impa...

Having a bad day? Maybe you’re surrounded by grumpy people, or maybe you are the crabby one. No matter why things are off-kilter, there’s a simple way to get back on an even keel and help those around you, too. Find something to laugh about. If it’s just you that’s crabby, what usually makes you smile? Think about that or do that. Right now. If you’re surrounded by crabby people, is there somethin...

Most of us have heard the phrase “you are what you eat.” It’s a pithy way to remind us that food is fuel, and if we fuel our bodies with junk they won’t work as well as if we feed it well. What if I told you that you are what you think? People who focus on what they dislike are constantly aware of what they dislike. The neighbor’s barking dog – red lights – people who cut in line or cut them off i...

When you were 8 years old, what was your biggest problem in life? How about when you were a teenager? College student? Chances are, as you got older and lived more life, your problems also became more complex, yet it’s very likely that some of the attitudes, beliefs and behaviors you used to solve problems as a young child still exist and are in use now, whether or not they serve you and your more...

Have you ever noticed how similar words can have very different meanings? Gratitude and appreciation seem the same, but no. Nice and good seem the same, but no. Right and fair seem the same, and yet also no. Those three sets of words – gratitude and appreciation, nice and good, right and fair – are often used as synonyms and can mean wildly different things to different people. If you’re having a...

How do you feel when you expect a response from someone and they’re silent? Do you feel judged? Disrespected? Small? If so, congratulations because you’ve gone to MSU. You’re assuming that their silence is an affront, a condemnation, or a complete dismissal of you. You're making stuff up. Heck, maybe they didn’t even hear you! Silence on their part does not equal “less than” on your part – maybe t...

If it doesn’t open, it’s not your door. Maybe you’ve heard that before, or something similar. Trite phrases are shorthand for deep truths, which is the reason they get repeated so often. Really really really wanting that job you just interviewed for? On pins and needles because the person you’re crushing on seems to see you only as a friend? Stressed because there’s a girlfriend trip coming up, yo...

Let’s crawl inside your noggin…what was the last thought you remember having? How did it feel? And are you having trouble thinking about what you were just thinking? Most of the time we don’t pay a lot of attention to our thoughts – they come and go and are sort of like wallpaper. Sure, they’re there, but not necessarily the center of attention. When you learn to pay attention to those thoughts, y...

Is there someone in your life who constantly makes bad choices? It’s tempting to continually bail them out of the trouble they get themselves into, especially if it’s someone you care deeply about. Don’t. The kindest, most loving, most supportive thing you can do for them is to set a great example. When you show someone that making good decisions is possible, that success is possible, that happine...

Do you know someone who’s never at fault? They never do anything wrong, they always throw someone else under the bus, and they never apologize because they’re never wrong. I have an important question for you – do you have to be around this person? If not, let them go. Seriously – get them out of your circle because they’re toxic to your other relationships. If you do have to be around them – like...

I used to do this, and maybe you did, too – before I’d make a decision, I’d consider the opinions of key people in my life in order to decide how to act. This proved problematic because sometimes I thought that one key person would approve, and another would disapprove – how could I make the right decision if they wouldn’t agree? It’s exhausting!! It’s actually worse than exhausting – it’s how you...

The other day I needed to move a large bag of dog food. Twenty years ago it would have been easy…now, it’s a bit tougher. Do you ever feel like you can’t do something? Whether it’s something you used to be able to do or something you’ve never done before, challenge yourself to do it. Instead of getting frustrated or feeling defeated, think of it like it’s a puzzle that you and only you can solve....

Have you ever thought about the memories you are leaving behind you as you travel through life? I didn’t until one playful night at the airport, waiting to board a plane. I had a box of chocolates that had been given to me, and I decided to share them before takeoff instead of carrying them on. I opened the box and walked around the gate area offering chocolates to anyone and everyone who wanted t...

Quick – name three things you dislike. Because I can’t read your mind, here are three common ones – being stuck in traffic, a difficult co-worker, and doing the laundry. What if I told you that the things you dislike aren’t the problem? It’s not the traffic jam…it’s your thoughts about the traffic jam. It’s not the difficult co-worker…it’s your thoughts about the difficult co-worker. It’s not the...

Do you like planning things? Outings, parties, meals – those fun kinds of things? Maybe parts can be un-fun, like when a problem crops up or it feels like you need more time to get done, but are you a person who enjoys putting things together? Have you ever thought of why you enjoy it? Two words - delicious anticipation. If you’re like most people, you enjoy the planning of things because you like...

You know that wonderful feeling you get when you achieve greatness? That feeling when you have a peak experience? Whether by achievement or serendipity, they’re called “peak experiences” because they don’t happen all the time. Some people are good at enjoying the experience and going on with their life, while others make themselves crazy trying to recreate a peak experience or create the next, eve...

Are you a mood driver or a mood catcher? When you walk into a room, do people become more like you or do you become more like them? It’s common to be a mood chameleon, blending your mood to fit the dominant mood in the room. If people are sad, you become sad, too. If people are celebrating, you celebrate too. Going along to get along is OK in the case of a very minor disagreement or when you are m...

Maybe you’ve heard the saying, “hurt people hurt people.” It’s only the people who are unhappy who are mean to others. People who bully are unhappy. People who are manipulative are unhappy. People who are suspicious are unhappy. When a person lashes out at you, they learned that behavior from someone, probably during their childhood. When someone manipulates situations with Machiavellian skill, so...

Think of you and your teammates or family members like a wolf pack. You’re all in it together and the survival of the family or business wouldn’t be possible without the contributions of every team member. Not everyone contributes equally, and that’s OK. Some are on the steep leg of the learning curve – think of them as the pack’s puppies and yearlings. Some of them are active and action-oriented...

Ah, family members. They’re a special kind of wonderful, mingled with a special kind of crazy, right? Siblings who grew up in the same household, sharing the same life experiences, turn out quite differently, reacting to the world and to each other differently, too. It’s as if the expectation is that since you all led the same lives, you must feel the same way about things. Even worse is the tende...

Resiliency is a skill you can build. Resilience is the ability to adapt to new situations, which you’ve been doing your whole life. Resiliency is gracefully letting go of the things you can’t control. When you make peace with the idea that the only thing you can truly control is how you react to things, you step into a powerful place of resilience. Resiliency is maintaining your calm center as the...

Is there someone in your life who seems to live to argue? I dated a guy once who loved to argue and conversations with him felt a lot like a debate. If you guess that relationship didn’t last very long, you’re right! He was deep in the no-fun zone…do you know someone like that? Take this thought with you – you don’t have to attend every argument you’re invited to. Just because someone corrects you...

Do you ever get a little impatient or short-tempered? If you don’t want those around you – family, co-workers, friends, pets – reacting to your frantic energy, it’s helpful to control your frantic energy. How? Learn to notice when you’re starting down the path to losing your temper, stop what you’re doing and take a couple of long, slow deep breaths. Give yourself a couple of moments to reset your...

Can you shake hands and make peace with grief? Everything that lives will eventually stop living – that’s true whether we’re talking about a blade of grass or your favorite person. Loss is inevitable, so why are we so shocked and grief-stricken when it happens? “If only I’d taken my dog on more walks she would have lived longer.” “If I’d watered it more often, my lawn wouldn’t have died.” “If only...

Maybe there are people in your life who are rooting for you to change the world by gifting it with your offspring. That’s one way, for sure. It’s not the only way, though. You affect the future with your actions, big and small, and how they touch other lives and hearts. When you are happy and you interact with just one other person, you affect their mood positively, as well as the moods of everyon...