Oh yes, it is true…the clicking community has expanded to over half of the United States!!

AND,

we get to add new international clickers…RUSSIA and NORWAY!!

Welcome to the states of Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, North Carolina and Ohio!

Which state will be next?

“I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown,

for going out, I found, was really going in.”

~John Muir

What is it about being in nature that causes us to reflect?  I can hardly step foot in the forest without beginning to think of the big picture and purpose of life.  I haven’t once walked along the ocean without feeling tremendous gratitude.  I see the full moon and I feel wonder and awe.   I witness a glorious sunset and I am reminded of life’s blessings.

God’s creations create those emotions.

One insightful clicker recently combined the experience of clicking and camping – and she invited her whole family on the journey.

This is Mechelle.

Mechelle explains, “After we had cleaned up our tents and our campsite, we sat down around the fire and each little family gave a short devotional.  It was a great experience!  When I presented the idea about having a positive attitude, then I focused on Think.Click. Be…, it went very well!  I had secretly been clicking all weekend up to that point, and then I passed out the clickers and asked everyone to take 2-3 minutes and click anything that made them happy, laugh, feel joy, or anything to be grateful for! It was kind of cool to just sit in silence and hear all the “clicking” going on!”

What a great idea!

Clickin’ and Campin’!

I love it!

Mechelle goes on to say, ” When I am struggling or afraid, if I pull out my clicker I can focus on the good things in my life instead of the unknown and the hard!  Life hasn’t exactly gone as planned for me, but I know that if I stay close to the Lord and focus on the positive, I can find joy and feel peace! The clickers have truly helped me focus on the positive, as I have a lot to be thankful for!”

Next time you are headed into the woods don’t forget the necessities:

bug spray

s’more supplies

tent

sleeping bag

flashlight

…and your clicker.

“Learning is not attained by chance.

It must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence.”

~Abigail Adams

“As we start a new school year, Mr. Smith, I just want you to now that I’m an Abstract-Sequential learner and trust that you’ll conduct yourself accordingly.”

Did you know that learning leads to increased happiness?

A study by the European Lifelong Learning Indicators (ELLI) noted numerous connections between a good learning atmosphere and well-being.  According to the researchers´ summary, “learning makes you healthy, satisfied and happy.”

What have you learned today?  How about last week?  Month?  (Do we need to go back as far as a year?)

I recently learned that there are “lids” made for microwave cooking to cover your plate of food, preventing explosions all over microwave walls.  Who knew?  I didn’t.  I’ve been using a paper plate or towel to avoid messy food blasts.

I’ve been reading the biography of Walt Disney and I’ve learned that you never give up.  Never.  When you have a dream – you stick with it.  No matter what anyone else says and no matter what roadblocks appear along the way.  You keep trying, working and believing.  Dreams do come true.

In the article “Learning Happiness; Everyday Activities to Increase Your Happiness”, Sara B. Healy states, “When people are intensely engaged in doing and learning new things, their well-being and happiness can blossom.”

Try a new recipe.

Read a book.

Research a topic online.

Learn. Something. New.

Samuel Johnson wrote, “It is by studying little things, that we attain the great art of having as little misery, and as much happiness as possible.”

Healy even suggests we can learn about being happy!  What a wonderful topic!  (Not that the microwave lid wasn’t fascinating…)  She suggests making a conscious shift from negative to positive.

“Unfortunately, the more we focus on the negative, the more likely that’s all we’ll see. Changing this means we have to consciously bring more attention to the positive things that happen to us.

For example, I used to talk about my day by reciting what went wrong in it. I’m changing this by learning how to shift my negative comments into positive ones. This can be done two ways. You can match the negative comment with an unrelated positive. Therefore, if I say I’m mad at myself because I forgot my dentist appointment today, a positive statement might be that I received a compliment about my latest newsletter. The other option is to make the negative comment into a related positive one. For example, I missed my doctor’s appointment, but I called to apologize and made a new appointment.”

Learning to focus on the positive…a worthy pursuit to be sure!

Vernon Howard said, “Always walk through life as if you have something new to learn and you will.”

Be Happy…Learn something new!

Killer Hill.

It’s about a half mile from our house and it is as bad as it sounds.  Not because there are criminals lurking in the bushes, but because it is a SUPER STEEP CLIMB.  My treadmill has a max incline of 12% and if I had to guess the incline of Killer Hill…it would be at least 82.567%.  I swear it feels like you are running at a 90 degree angle.

The short but arduous, lung-burning climb is fresh in my memory; I faced it last Saturday.  About a mile before approaching the hill, a car passed me.  It looked like one of my girl friend’s cars.  As it passed I thought, “If that was Emily, and she pulled over to see if I wanted a ride so I didn’t have to run up Killer Hill, I would gladly, willingly, gratefully accept.”

That thought was immediately squelched by this one…

“If you can’t do the hard, then you don’t deserve the easy.”

I arrived at the base of the hill.  I stopped, and waited until I could breathe so my lungs would be ready.  I even said a prayer that my body and mind would be strong.  I rarely make it to the top without stopping, hunched over, grabbing my knees, gasping for high-altitude air.

Today, I wanted to conquer the hill.

I wanted to run to the top.  No walking.

I thought about a goal that I’ve been hoping to achieve.  I  told myself that if I made it to the top without stopping or walking, it would symbolically represent me achieving the goal.

I began.  Maybe I shouldn’t have, but I kept my head down.  I didn’t want to see how far I had to go, I just wanted to see each step I took to get there.  I thought of my desired goal and the hope and vision of achieving it carried me to the top.

I felt victorious…and nigh unto death.

Killer Hill Takeaways…

1.  If I am not willing to push to the top of a painful hill, then I don’t deserve the flat ground.  I appreciate the 0% incline much, much more after experiencing the effort of the steep climb.  (That is an analogy for life…)

2. I can do hard things. (And so can you.)

3. Prayer works.

4. When you are approaching something HARD – get your mind right.  Stop.  Pause.  Focus.  Tell yourself you can do it.  And then go.

5.  When you are focused on your dreams, it makes the effort worth it.

Keep climbing and keep clicking!

Two stores.

Two girls.

Two checkout stands.

Two very different experiences.

My mom and my brother were shopping.  My brother was in the girl-crazy stage…probably 16 or 17 years old…so they both noticed girls that were his age.  While going through the check out line at the first store, they noticed the young, beautiful cashier.  She was notably attactive, but unfortunately not very friendly.  No smiling, chit chat or pleasantries coming from her direction.

The second store was different.  This time, the young lady who was ringing up their purchase was bubbly, kind and talkative.  She smiled.  She chatted.  It was a pleasant experience for both my mom and my brother.  She was cute – maybe not quite as striking as the first young lady – but she was definitely cute.  However, she had a large scar on her cheek – you couldn’t miss it – it was as if she has been bitten by a dog.

After returning to the car, my mom asked my brother, “Which of those two girls did you think was prettier.”

Without hesitation, my brother responded, “Definitely the second girl.”

“Even though she had that large scar on her cheek?,” my mom probed.

“What scar?”

My brother hadn’t even noticed the scar.  It was overshadowed by her smile.  It was easily overlooked next to the twinkle in her eye.  Her positive attitude was all they noticed.

Positive and negative thinking are both contagious.

“All of us affect, in one way or another, the people we meet.  It happens instinctively and on a subconscious level, through thoughts and feelings transference, and through body language.  People sense our aura and are affected by our thoughts and vice versa.  Is it any wonder that we want to be around positive people and avoid negative ones?  People are more disposed to help us if we are positive, and they dislike and avoid anyone broadcasting negativity.”    ~Remez Sasson

The choice is ours.  As Abraham Lincoln once said, “Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”

Attitudes are contagious.  Make yours worth catching.

How many tweens does it take to make a difference the world?

Turns out, about 7 – and 1 fearless, bold, visionary leader to guide them.

Meet a group of girls from Destin Florida.

This is a picture of the girls in the middle of a project…  No, they didn’t just get pedicures.  They are not on their way home from the skating rink.  These terrific tweens were out helping collect food for kids in their area who may not have enough to eat at home.

And, while they were at it, they clicked.  This influential group contributed thousands of clicks towards our goal of reaching one billion.

Feeding the hungry and being positive.

Impressive.

Kind of makes you want to move to Destin and hang out with this these gals.  (And the gorgeous beaches in the area are a nice lure too…)

Julie, the adult leader of the group said,  “I was so inspired by the [clicking] challenge I wanted to share it with everyone.   These girls are already so positive and beautiful but I wondered how they would enjoy focusing on their good thoughts.  Several of the girls were on spring break when I gave them the challenge and their moms said they took the clickers with them everywhere.”

“The girls kept track of their clicks for a month and when we got back together I was absolutely amazed at the amount of clicks.  We all truly do have so much to be grateful for and it showed in how many positive thoughts we had over this month.”

Tatum said, “It was fun to keep track of my good thoughts.”

Kennedy said “It made me a lot happier.  It made me only think of the good things in my life and thoughts.  It was also lots of fun.  I didn’t realize how many good thoughts I have through the day it was tons of fun.”

Julie admits, “It wasn’t as easy for me.  I didn’t have the clicker all the time but loved how just the thought of the clicker helped me turn any negative thought around.  I loved this challenge and hope to continue helping the world around us change.  We love our clickers and how such a small thing can make such a big impact!”

7 ambitious tweens + 1 inspiring leader + 8 clickers = Endless amounts of positivity.

What in the world is that?

Chances are you’ve seen it.

There is a real possibility there is some in your yard right now.

You probably do know what disambiguation is, you just know it by another name…

“Morning glory”

The flowers can be blue, pink, purple, white…even a light blue-green.

But don’t be fooled – morning glory is a weed.  A perennial weed.  (That’s why it grows so well in my yard!)  It seems to infiltrate the entire property strangling bushes and trees and smothering ornamental grasses and plants, while whispering…”Don’t pull me out, I have pretty white flowers!”

Recently I came across a patch of morning glory in my backyard…it had been growing like…well,…like a weed.

But I wasn’t worried.

One might assume it would take great effort to remove.

I knew it wouldn’t.

I’ve pulled morning glory weeds before, and I’ve discovered (at least in my yard) they have weak roots.  The vines may weave there way around my yard, but the roots are not deep.  They are not strong.  They give in with the slightest tug.  No argument.

That patch of morning glory was gone in 90 seconds.

It made me think…

How deep are my roots – my roots of courage, determination, conviction?  When I believe in a goal, when I work towards an objective, when I am focusing on my dreams…are my roots deep enough?  Could an unbelieving comment or nagging doubt knock me off course?

We are as strong as we make up our minds to be.

Think.

Click.

Be…

Brave. Boundless.  Unstoppable.

Orison Swett Marden said, “Most of our obstacles would melt away if, instead of cowering before them, we should make up our minds to walk boldly through them.”

Dig your roots deep.

Dream big.

This is your day.

I am a copycat.

I admit it.  When a good idea comes along – I can’t help my copycatting self.  And I heard a really good idea last week…  So, not only am I going to use it, but I’m going to tell you about it too!   (I guess that makes me a peer-pressuring copycatter.  Oh my.)

A Summer Chore Click Chart!

My friend is having her children earn clicks for completing their daily chores!  Then they can ”purchase” trips to the snowcone shack, the movies, their favorite hamburger place, the ice cream shop, etc with their clicks!!

HOW FUN IS THAT??!!

(super fun.)

I told my kids about the idea and they nearly flew out of their flip-flops!  They have been earning clicks each day for tasks like…

making their beds

reading for 20 minutes

folding their laundry

cleaning the bathroom

exercising

playing with the oft neglected dog

…and sometimes I offer bonus clicks for other things that need to be done around the house.  The kids have never been more enthusiastic about unloading the dishwasher!

The other night my mom was over and I announced to the children, “I’ll offer 7 for clearing the counter, 10 for unloading the dishwasher, and 10 for loading the dishes in the washer.”  My mom didn’t realize I was offering clicks…she thought I was offering cold, hard cash!  Her eyes nearly popped out of her head as she exclaimed, “I’ll do it all for $25!”

After explaining that I “pay” in clicks, we all had a good laugh.

So…get creative!  Have some fun!  Make the summer chores “clickable!”  Your family will love it!

Ever felt like giving up?

Ya.  Me too.

I wonder if Wilma Rudolf ever felt that way?

Wilma Rudolph is one of the most celebrated female athletes of all time.  She won a bronze metal in the 1956 Olympic games and became the first American woman to win 3 gold medals in the Olympics.  She won the United Press Athlete of the Year, was inducted in the US Olympic Hall of Fame and the Black Sports Hall of Fame and won Most Outstanding International Sports Personality in 1960.

She even has her own “day.”  Yep.  In the state of Tennessee, June 23rd is Wilma Rudolph Day.

How cool is that??

But I wonder if she ever felt like she couldn’t or wouldn’t achieve greatness.  Did she ever doubt herself or wonder if she would win a race?

When Wilma was four years old, she was told she would never walk again.  She was the 20^th of 22 children and was born premature.  Her survival was doubtful and at the age of four she contracted double pheumonia and scarlet fever which left her with a paralyzed and useless left leg.  She wore an iron leg brace and doctors told her she would never walk again.

But Wilma was fortunate enough to have a mother who believed in her.  Her mother told her that she was very bright and could do anything she wanted with her life.  And that all she needed to do was have faith, persistence, courage and an indomitable spirit.

At nine years of age, Wilma removed the leg brace and took the step that doctors told her she would never take.  Soon she developed a rhythmic stride and got the notion, the incredible notion, that she would like to be the world’s greatest woman runner.

At age 13 she entered a race and came in very last.  She entered every race in high school and soon she wasn’t coming in last anymore.  She attended Tennessee State University where a coach saw her talent and spirit and trained her so well, that she went to the Olympics.

So…

“Do you ever feel like giving up?”

Maybe that is the wrong question.

Yes. I’m quite certain it is.

Perhaps the better question is,

WHY WOULD YOU EVER GIVE UP?

Wilma Rudolph is an example of a woman who didn’t let her limitations limit her.  She overcame them.

You have greatness in you too.

You are here to succeed gloriously.

You can.

You will.

Don’t ever give up.  Don’t.

P.S.  Wilma even had her own U.S. postage stamp.  Now that is cool.