What Are You Expecting Today? You get what you expect.  That’s right, expect the positive and it will be yours; expect the negative, and that’s what you’ll get.  Expectations will either limit you or empower you; they set the tone for each and every day of your life.  Do you wake each day with thoughts of abundance and favor in your life, or are your thoughts taking on the pessimistic tone of “it won’t happen”.   Energy follows these thoughts, thus impacting your actions.  Low expectations will get their grip on you and keep you living a life of mediocrity.  On the other hand, having high expectations will keep you hungry for the good life and your actions will move you forward. Thoughts of victory must be front and center in your mind, as the best-selling author Richard Bach has said, “Sooner or later, those who win are those who think they can.” Remember, you get what you expect.  So, start thinking “I can” and “I can have” and rid yourself of those negative attitudes that bring you down and narrow your vision.  You can do it.  Follow these tips to reshape your attitude and expectations: • Make it a daily habit to expect the best.  You’re worth it. • Start each day with a high expectation mantra such as “Abundance and favor are following me today.”  Say it aloud and repeat often.  Write down several mantras to choose from each day. • Have a purpose and goals you are moving towards so that your expectations will empower you.  Write these goals down and recite them daily. • Surround yourself with positive people who also expect good things in their life. • Believe in yourself and your abilities.  You can win. • Keep company with those who believe in you also. • Read stories of positive people who accomplished their goals and received abundance.  These are great motivators and learning modes. • Find a mentor who has the traits you wish to emulate; grow with him or her. • Reframe your negative thoughts and turn them into positive ones.  Turn off the voice that says “Oh that will never happen for me.  Who am I kidding?”  Believe that good things will come your way and more often than not, they will. Ask yourself what you need to change to make that happen. • Listen to motivational CDs.  Check out Maximum Confidence by Jack Canfield (www.jackcanfield.com) or The Challenge to Succeed by Jim Rohn (www.jimrohn.com) • Add some color into your life.  Do you wear a lot of black?  Liven it up with some bright colors and see how your mood changes. • Create a collage of what you want in your life.  Grab a magazine and start cutting out pictures which depict your abundant life.  Frame it and hang it up. • Paint in your mind that new picture of your rich life. Find it when negative thoughts begin to strangle you. • Stand up straight and look forward.  Negative people are often slouched over and looking at the ground. • Smile, even when you don’t feel like it.  It’s a sure pick me up. • Smell the roses, not the weeds. Use the energy from positive attitudes and high expectations to propel you forward.  You do get exactly what you expect and think about.  What are you expecting today?

“The phrase I can’t is the most powerful force of negation in the human psyche.”  Paul R. Scheele “We move toward what we see in our minds.  Your expectations will set the boundaries for your life.”  Joel Osteen “Whatever we expect with confidence becomes our own self-fulfilling prophecy.”  Brian Tracy “Our circumstances answer to our expectations and the demand of our natures.”  Henry David Thoreau “What we see depends mainly on what we look for.”  John Lubbock

I expected to have a nice Thanksgiving and I did.  My extended family spent the day at my sister’s house and was grateful to be together.  Our daughter Valerie was home from college and it was great to visit with her.  Our son John G. spent Friday with us at home and helped John plant trees in the back yard.  The four of us enjoyed being together and catching up with each other.  Saturday did find us at the mall and later, dinner out again as a family.  I am expecting and looking forward to more good times at Christmas. Perhaps you’re saying to yourself, “Oh, all this is fine and dandy, but my life just isn’t working a lot of the times and nothing seems to go my way.”  I often used to think that way; I allowed negativity to plant seeds and grow rampant in my mind.  It traces back to low self-esteem and believing “I can’t”.  Yes, I have a wonderful family, did have a successful dental practice (at least until the very end) and I’ve accomplished much in my life, yet there was too often that negative streak running through my mind.  That streak is gone now. I tend to smell the roses and use positive visualization to propel me forward.  I can be disappointed, yes, when life isn’t working, but I get back on the balance beam.  You know the saying, “When one door closes, another one opens.”  It’s true.  Expect it to happen.

Mark your calendar today!  Plan on attending the Chicago Mid-Winter Dental Meeting in February and join me at the panel discussion sponsored by the American Association of Women Dentists.  Yes, I will be speaking on Friday afternoon February 24, 2006, along with Cissy Furusho, DDS and Nancy Church, MD.  It will be a fun-filled informative afternoon as you learn how to remain calm while driving through life.  Or, is life driving you?  You will discover tips to balancing life and dentistry so that you can have more peace of mind, more joy, and more time to live your fulfilling life. Join us for “Super Women – Super Dentists – Super Calm”. Men and team members are also welcome.  There is no charge and you will receive 3 CE hours. I expect there will be a big crowd, so reserve your seat today.  You can register online at www.cds.org P.S.  I will also be giving a table clinic on Saturday, February 25 at the meeting.  Please stop by and receive tips to help you “Build a Championship Support Team”.