One of the hardest things to do is to open up a conversation with someone we don’t know, or don’t know very well. It’s hard to find something to say, and comments about the weather are old and trite. Fortunately, there are hundreds of clues we can use to find a conversation starter. For example, your location. You can always ask, “What brings you here?” (Of course, at a grocery store or gas station, the answer is obvious.) If you’re meeting the person at another person’s event, ask “How do you know so-and-so?” You can always compliment them on an article of clothing, and ask where they got it. Do they like that store? Where’s their favorite place to go shopping? This week, start a conversation with a relative stranger, and keep the focus on them.

Warning: Don’t just ask questions, one after another - this is a conversation, not an interrogation! Break them up with comments here and there.

We’re so busy, we need - absolutely need - down time, almost as much as we need air to breathe. Yet frequently, we spend our down time doing things that don’t re-energize us, that drain us, or that turn us into brain-dead zombies.

Now there’s nothing wrong with spending a certain amount of time as a brain-dead zombie. In fact, I think it’s necessary - up to the point where we’re brain-dead so much of the time we forget to treat ourselves to activities that actually feed us. TV, video games, computer stuff, cotton-candy novels (one of my personal faves) all help us to tune out. That’s fine. But they don’t feed our mind and our souls.

So what can you do this week that will feed your mind and your body and your soul, as well as give you a break from your regular routine? Give it a try.

Have you heard of the Law of Attraction? Simply put, the Law of Attraction states that people attract to their lives whatever it is that they give energy, focus and attention to, whether it is wanted or unwanted. In more practical terms, if you are focusing on lots of bills and no money, you will attract lots of bills and no money. If, however, you put your attention on having more money than bills, that’s what will come to you.

This week, I’m going to challenge you to choose one area of your life where you’d like to make a change. It may be in relationships, or money, or health, or career. Notice where your focus and attention lie. Are they on the positive or negative? What are you attracting?

Did you know that words have power? Of course you did.

How we phrase things changes how we react. In fact, some phrases and words can be divided into “Victim” and “Power” vocabularies. Here’s a few examples:

Victim vocabulary: “I can’t.”
Power vocabulary: “I won’t.”

Victim vocabulary: “I have to.”
Power vocabulary: “I choose to.”

Victim vocabulary: “If only…”
Power vocabulary: “Next time…”

Victim vocabulary: “It’s terrible; I’m terrible.”
Power vocabulary: “What can I learn from this?”

The underlying theme, here, is that victim vocabulary “assumes” that you are a helpless victim. Things happen to you and you have no control. Power vocabulary, on the other hand, puts you clearly at choice, and in the driver’s seat.

This week, notice when you are using victim vocabulary and when you use power vocabulary, and notice the difference it makes in how you feel-and in how others respond.

When we get super busy, the first thing that seems to go out the window is the one thing that can keep us from being overwhlemed - and that is simply setting aside a few minutes each day to plan. This week, no matter how hectic your schedule, take ten or fifteen minutes at the end of each day to plan that next one. I’ll even bet you sleep better!

Remember last week, when we made our Confidence List? This week, make a list of all your goals as well. Now, consider how each item on your Confidence List can (and has, already) help you move toward your goals and your dreams.

Confidence isn’t something you’re born with. It’s something you can develop - and you can get better at it with practice. One way to do this is to make a Confidence List of all your successes and accomplishments. Think of what you’ve gained from each one, in terms of self knowledge and self assurance. Carry this list with you, and whenever you find your confidence getting shaky, pull it out and read it. Remember what you’ve done before, and know that you can do this one, too.

Even though we all know better - even though we all intellectually understand that we are responsible for our own lives - when things don’t go our way, we usually find someone or something else to blame. “It’s just bad luck,” we say. “It’s karma.” “It’s really his fault; if he’d done it this way it would have worked out.” “She should have remembered from last time.”

And sometimes, it really is just bad luck. Sometimes it really is somebody else’s fault. And sometimes, it’s ours. This week, notice who or what you blame when things go wrong. Then ask yourself, “What could I have done differently?” The answer may be “Nothing,” or it may lead you to a new way of handling things.

Sometimes, we get stuck in a rut. We watch the same TV shows, eat the same fast food, drive the same route to work or the grocery store. It’s comfortable, and safe. But it really narrows our view of the world, and our experience. So climb out of your rut this week, and do something different. Listen to a different radio station, eat at an ethinic restaurant, get off the freeway and drive a back way to work.

We sure spend a lot of time ragging on ourselves. We find fault with almost everything we do. We’d never be that hard on our friends, and if our friends were that hard on us, well, they wouldn’t be our friends for very long! This week, instead of finding yourself doing something wrong all the time, find yourself doing something right. Ten times a day. Because the truth is, we’re right a lot more often than we’re wrong. We just don’t let ourselves know about it.