We all remember the blonde ringlets and sour attitude of Nellie Oleson on “Little House on the Prairie”.  Do you feel like you wake up with her persona some mornings for no apparent reason?  What’s up with that?  It could be hormones, a bad dream, carrying over yesterday’s worries into today or simply….you woke up on the wrong side of the bed.  I felt like that today.   I had a beautiful day yesterday.  No particular drama or stress.  Then, out of the blue– BAM– I woke up to Negative Nellie’s reflection in the mirror.  Ugh.   I quickly go to all my tools to SHUT HER UP FAST!   Have you honed your tools to keep this sour attitude under control when she rears her ugly head?

Here’s my tips:

1. RECOGNIZE.  First, we cannot confront what we do not acknowledge or recognize.  As I wiped the sleep from my eyes and focused on the fact that Miss Negative Nellie made an appearance this morning, I said to myself- Ok, here we go.  Bring it on girlfriend.  You will NOT control my entire day.  (I’m sounding like a crazy lady here, but I know I cannot be the only one who deals with this.  Therefore, I share my struggles in order to help you.)

2. GET QUIET…then shut her up!  Instead of running to the phone or computer to see who’s called or emailed first thing in the morning, be still and quiet with yourself.  Go lock yourself in your room or the bathroom if the kids are running around the house.  You deserve this time to regain peace and get your day started right.

3. PRAY.  Ask for guidance, clarity and help.  Pray for any blocks, worries, frustrations or anger to be removed.  Casting your cares on God means you do not have to carry it all by yourself. How awesome is that?!?  Woohoo!

4. WRITE IT OUT.  I started journaling about 12-13 years ago and it’s a beautiful, cathartic exercise to get your thoughts out of your head.  This morning when Negative Nellie tried to test my self-worth and confidence, I put pen to paper and started writing out the things I appreciated about myself.  From my compassionate heart to my quirky artistic nature, I wrote down all the things that made me unique and then thanked God for creating me this way.  I highly recommend doing this exercise on a regular basis.  It’s a powerful confidence building tool!

5. GO HAVE A GREAT DAY.   We can be our own worst enemies especially when we wake up to Negative Nellie instead of Positive Polly.  It’s all in our power who will win and control our day.  Make the choice to shut her up and declare, “Today is going to be a great day”!

Do you have any great tips for shutting up your Negative Nellie? 

Please share, tweet, like or comment.

Now that my cameraman is back in town, we will be starting on a fabulous Spring Style Series of webisodes.  Since I provide these videos to all of you for free, I can only tape when I’m not busy with my coaching clients or booked hosting other projects and when my rocker hubby is available, of course.  I’m so blessed to have his help and support.  Thank you for your patience. 

Cheers to making it a GREAT DAY!

Love, Tiff