Paper house for my father's funeral.

 I recently returned from Viet Nam, where I laid my father to rest and said my final goodbyes. It was a profound experience, and one that left me sorrowing for his loss, and joyfully celebrating his life. 

When I got back I found so many sympathy cards, notes, tweets, and e-mails! It was so moving to feel how much my friends and readers care and appreciate my father and the relationship I had with him. It affirmed my desire to share what he gave me with others, that his is a gift that extends far beyond me.

 I’m sad and I miss him terribly—I will every day of my life—but he gave me so much joy and happiness. Everything around me reminds me of him, of his love for me, what he taught me, how supportive he was. So that even though he is gone, he is with me always. The thought and memory of him give me strength.

 I thank all of you, dear friends and readers, for your love and support, and for appreciating my father’s legacy. Thank you for joining me in honoring him.

 My dad gave me the foundation for my life and equipped me to go on the journey that brought me to this point. That is why I wrote my book, Empowered by Hope, so that I could share his wisdom.

 My mother died when I was 8 years old, and I was an only child, so my father focused his love and attention on me.

 He said “When you’re a parent, you parent from the day your children are born until the day you die.” He truly exemplified that, even choosing to die at a time that was auspicious for my life.

According to his belief in astrology, that time would have positive energy and a positive effect on me. His intention was that I have an abundance of happiness, good health, and prosperity.

 I knew that he was giving me his blessing and his best wishes. He lived his life for me to the very end, and I am deeply grateful.

 Now that he has passed and is at peace, I can focus on my writing and speaking, and I look forward to sharing more with you.

My best always, Ha

            When was the last time you paid yourself a compliment? Seems a little strange, doesn’t it? Well, what about the last time you insulted yourself? Not hard to remember, right?
            How does it feel when you insult yourself? You deserve it, you get it out of the way before someone else can do it, it’s just true about you.
            Now, let me ask you, would you speak to a friend, your best friend, the way you speak to yourself? How would you feel insulting your friend the way you insult yourself?
            Maybe it’s time to start to treating yourself like you’re your own best friend. Be kind to him or her. Be respectful, honor him, take her seriously.
            How you treat yourself says volumes about your self esteem and also profoundly affects it. When you treat yourself like you are stupid and worthless, you then act it out without realizing it.
            And when you treat yourself like you are worthy of respect and are intelligent, loving, and lovable, then you automatically behave that way, as well.
            Self esteem is a combination of self-respect and self confidence. You owe it to yourself to boost your self-confidence and your self respect. You do so by how to talk to yourself and treat yourself.
            It may take time before you start seeing the difference, and it may feel very uncomfortable at first. But it’s worth the time and effort!
            Start now to treat yourself the way you want to be treated, with love, respect, and honor, and, especially, kindness.

            My friend Jonathan Manske is a Cerebral Sanitation Engineer. He specializes in helping you remove the trash from your head, such as all that belittling self talk that so many of us engage in. Some thoughts of his follow. And if you’d like to learn more, read his book The Law of Attraction Made Simple or contact him at jonathan@JonathanManske.com.

            Self-talk is part of being human.  Unfortunately, the vast majority of our self-talk is negative. This negative self-talk is really nothing more than a habit we learned from those around us.
            The problem with negative self-talk is that there is a part of us, the subconscious or unconscious mind, that believes everything it hears. Whether I say to myself, “I am an idiot” or “I am a genius,” that part of me believes whatever I have said to be true. 
            This creates certain responses and feelings in me. Obviously one will make me feel better than the other.
            Now the thing about habits is that they can be changed.  What if you got into the habit of saying nice things to yourself?  What if you got into the habit of catching the negative self-talk and immediately changing it into positive self-talk?
            Try it for a day! Today make a point of saying nice things to yourself throughout the day. This might feel strange or uncomfortable. Do it anyway. 

Try these on for starters:
I am smart!
I am wonderful!
I am a good person!
I deserve to succeed!
I am happy!

            When we make a mistake, we tend to follow it up with negative self-talk. “I forgot to pay that traffic ticket and now I have a late fee as well. I am such an idiot!”
            What if instead you said, “I forgot to pay that ticket on time, but I’m paying it now, and avoiding any more late fees! Good for me!”
            This produces a very different experience of yourself. One that is much more enjoyable and beneficial. Remember, there is a part of you that believes whatever you say.
            Take me up on this challenge.  Talk nicely to yourself today.  If you like it, do it again tomorrow.  Even if you don’t, do it again anyway! Why not, you are terrific and you deserve it! 

Wishing you great joy and success,
Jonathan Manske
Cerebral Sanitation Engineer
taking out your head trash