The scale is finally moving in the right direction....downward. Seems like I spend a lot of time retracing my last steps. I certainly know by now what's not working.

I'm being positive today......Matthew 8:13 states, "it shall be done for you as you have believed..."

Positive minds produce positive lives. I'm trusting God to help get me through this day not "some how" but triumphantly!

Romans 8: 28 "We are assured that (God being a partner in their labor) all things work together and are (fitting into a plan) for good to and for those who love God and are called according to (His) design and purpose.

Iaaiah 30: 18, And therefore the Lord (earnestly) waits (expecting, looking and longing) to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are those who (earnestly) wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him (for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His Joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship.)

Proverbs 15:15 "All the days of the desponding and afflicted are made evil (by anxious though and foreboding), but he wha has a glad heart has a continual feast (requardless of circumstances).

Just finished reading an article that states that "self-esteem" is not nearly as critical as "self-compassion" .

Seems that "Being Kind to yourself in hard times as you would to a good friend establishes a built-in support system," asserts study author Mark Leary, Phd. (Wake Forest University, North Carolina)

It's precisely at the moment when you feel you've messed up or that you doubt that you're smart enough, disciplined enough etc. that self-esteem fails you. If you are convinced that your worthiness is based on certain good qualities, any sign that you don't have those qualities can be devastiating. To avoid that devastation, you may resort to defensiveness or irritablitlity which can drive others away right when you need their caring.

Things to tell yourself till you believe it:

1. I don't have to be perfect to be wonderful.......Self-compassion invites you to appreciate yourself for who are-idiosyncrasies, imperfection and all- because those things are what make you You. "Be what you is, cause if you is what you ain't, then you ain't what you is."
(Try saying that one three times real fast!)

2. Yes, it hurts, but it will pass....rather than blocking out negative emotions, self-compassionate people turn and face those feelings full-on. Embracing the pain, and allowing it to "just be" actually makes the bad feelings pass much more quickly. That's because it isn't the pain that's actually the problem- it's the things we do to escape from feeling it, such as overspending or overeating, that end up wreaking havoc in our lives. Next time something really hurts, instead of distracting yourself, try to really feel the emotions without judging them or explaining them away.

3. I will mistakes along the way.....use when you find yourself back-sliding into negative behavior patterns from your past. Everyone has weaknesses, and self-compassion means accepting your own with an open heart. You would never use the harsh condemning words to a dear friend that you would use to "beat yourself up". Remember what you have said to friends and love ones to offer solace in a similiar situation....this will make you kinder to yourself, better able to overcome any obstacle.

4. I learn a little more with every mistake I make....People who practice self-compassion tend to view setbacks as learning opportunities (rather than fatal failings) and feedback as useful information (instead of a personal attacks). Lessons learned from errors and critiques are applied in the future, reducing the likelihood of repeated mistakes.

Ok, Monday Morning.....time to dust off the scale hop back on and be disappointed.

Yep, just what I thought.....it's up....should I be surprised? Looking over what I've eaten lately guess I shouldn't be. ( I can dream can't I?) /Seems like I'm spending more time "Wishing" to lose weight than actually working on it. That could be a problem.

Been doing some soul searching lately. I already know that I'm an emotional eater. Since I know that you would think I would use it to my advantage. Ok, so I've never particularly been the brightest brick on the wall.

Guess its time to start over again.

With my new diet, the food eat has 20% less fat, 30% less cholesterol, 10% less salt, and 70% less taste. Hmmm....can hardly wait to get started.

Proverbs 23:7......For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.....

Thought: You cannot have a positive life and a negative mind.

In a recent article Big Idea! by Mark Mtousek he quotes Bryon Katie (self help Spiritual Innovator). "Our most intimate relationship is the one we have with our own minds."

"Suffering over things that have happened to us is nothing more than an argument with the past. Your father may have slapped you when you were three, but you've done it now a million times."

Daisy Dilema: Is my attitude defeating me?
Mood: decisive

T.S. Elliott observed, "People are only influenced in the direction in which they want to go, and influence consists largely in making them conscious of their wishes to proceed in that direction."


Daisy Dilema: Which way do I want to go?
Mood: disappointed

Have you ever felt like one of these?

A YOYO is a simple child's toy. It goes up and down on a string. It works by the force that is exterted on it from the hand and in cooperation with the laws of gravity. The yoyo goes down and then comes back up the string. It has no motor or mechanical parts.

The up and down motion is something I know well. Today was an emotional yoyo day that found my emotions all over the place.

It started out well.....I had a simple task that I was overly preparded to do. My Mr. Wonderful is a punctual person. He is always prompting me that, "If you are not 30 minutes early then you are already 15 minutes late." By his calculations I'm always at least and hour behind! I should have been clued into the universe when I missed the turn-off due to construction and had to go way out of my way to turn around. My simple task turned out to be more complicated because of lack of preparation on the part of others. My stress level went up while my confidence level fell to a new low.

I survived.....I was actually good! The ego level went up, the fear factor diminshed. I was actually invited out to lunch by a group of women I admire (that hasn't happened in the three years we have been here!) The endorphins were soaring.

This afternoon I read some of my favorite bloggers and perhaps empathized too strongly with their struggles. My joyful mood quickly went south and I was deeply distressed. After finally giving it over to the Lord (it was way too complicated for me), I was delighted to get personal emails from the very people I had been praying for. This was a delight and a surprise as there was no way I could contact them except for a note of concern on their blogs. Amazingly, their situations had dramatically improved just in the few hours time.

My Mr. Wonderful came home from work in remarkably good humor. We actually laughed, talked , and discussed several situations that had taken me up and down all day. We picked up Chinese take out ( on a Thursday?) and laughed hystercially at the fortunes we read. The simple pharse "in the bedroom" certainly changed our generic fortune cookies into x-rated cookies for sure.

Mine: "A financial investment will yield returns beyond your hopes (in the bedroom!") What? does that mean what I think it means?)
His: "You find beauty in ordinary things. Do not lose this ability (in the bedroom!") Hey, who are you referring to as ordinary?

This evening I had calls from family members that sent me into gales of laughter and giggles of glee. I definitely think my emotional yoyo is on the rise at this time. However my body tells me it's way past time to crash and burn.

Daisy Dilema: Why do I let circumstances that I can not control effect my mood?
Mood: disquieted

I Corinthians 10:13

For no temptation (no trial regarded as enticing to sin, no matter how it comes or where it leads) has overtaken you and laid hold on you that is not comon to man (That is, no temptation or trial has come to you that is beyond human resistance and that is not adjusted and adapted and belonging to human experience, and such as man can bear.) But God is faithful (to His word and to His compassionate nature), and He (can be trusted) not to let you be tempted and tried and assayed beyond your ablilty and strength of resistance and power to endure, but with temptation He will (always) provide the way out (the means of escape to a landing place), that you may be capable and strong and powerful to bear up under it patiently.

Daisy Dilema: How do you stay aware without becoming obcessive?

Mood: Defective