Today you have a clean slate filled with endless possibilities.

How will you harness your potential to create the very best you?

Your self-image will fulfill any label that you put on yourself.

If the world feels like a dark place, bring your own sunshine.

If your office or classroom is a negative place, spread positivity.

If everyone around you is criticizing and complaining, share encouraging words.

Remember, you’re not responsible for what happens to you, or for the attitudes of everyone else.

You’re responsible for how you respond.

How you react to your expectations.

So bring your own happiness. Light up the dark. Change the world.

Stop looking for someone else to do it. Instead, let it begin with you.

The power is in your hands.

How to Be a Good Human

Ask yourself: What kind of a person do you want to be?

I'd say an underrated skill in life is getting a good night's sleep.

In fact, I've been telling our kids that their only job in life is to "get a good night's sleep."

Some days I wish that was my only job.

But what skill is even more important than getting a restful slumber?

Being a good human.

It’s always easier to be a good human than to be a knucklehead. Don’t be a knucklehead.

As a fitness-and-nutrition coach, it’s critical to be nice to everyone, especially my clients and prospective clients.

There are some days when I feel like being a knucklehead, and I admit that I slip up sometimes.

If someone is unkind to me, I instinctively feel an urge to retaliate.

But after 25+ years of coaching, it's easier to be a good human and take the high road.

The aggressive driver who's tailgating you while checking FaceTube on his phone?

Be a good human and just let him pass you.

If you want to help others and leave a happy legacy, don't get distracted by the knuckleheads.

If you are struggling with jerks in your life, maybe it's time to change your perspective.

We all need moments in our lives that stop us in our tracks, that humble us, that remind us that we’re mortal, and that remind us that life is precious.

Sure, everyone reading this will likely agree with that, we nod our heads, but then the clock keeps ticking, the busy days go by.

Everyone is "so busy" and there's "so much going" on with political unrest and that guy tailgating you on your morning commute (and you're going the speed limit).

I’m reminded daily about how short life is, and it’s the underlying reason why I’m so driven and work so hard to help folks get healthy.

I never feel like I'm just punching the clock, because if I go tomorrow, I want my family to know, my community to know, that I made a difference.

As a parent, there is nothing more you want than for your kids to be healthy, happy, and safe. If those three things exist, you’re happy.

If not, well, things are challenging.

We pray for the families of kids battling cancer.

And the ones who lost their fight with cancer.

I don’t write this to be morbid. I write it as a continual reminder for me, for you, for all of us, that life is short.

The petty things we argue about, the fear that stops us from doing things, the grudges we hold, none of it matters. We’re here for a relatively short time.

So control the controllable, move fast but enjoy the moments, be healthy, be happy, and try to leave the world a better place than you found it.

And if you can join us in supporting local families fighting childhood cancer, and make a small donation of $20 - $30, that would be awesome.

As a thank you for your donation, we'll send you this comfy t-shirt as a gift.

Pediatric Cancer Foundation of the Lehigh Valley, Inc. gets 100% of the profits from your donation.

But you don’t have to do that much to do something nice for another person.

Here are some ideas to get you thinking…

• Make/buy dinner for a family in need
• Donate underwear/socks (the most requested items) to a homeless shelter
• Mentor someone
• Pray for someone

And so on. In other words, be a good human.

I recommend using the teachings of Dr. Maxwell Maltz in his legendary book Psycho-Cybernetics.

Dr. Maltz created the original science of self-improvement and success, so who better to turn to when you're ready to take your life to another level.

His teachings have stood the test of time.

Here are four steps to guarantee you get all that you want out of your life.

1. Use your imagination

If you thought that a vivid imagination was only valued in preschool, think again.

One technique helps you use your imagination to reprogram and manage your self-image.

You may have been exposed to self-improvement strategies that tell you to "act as if" or to "fake it 'till you make it."

Those typically don't work because your self-image is still the same.

According to Dr. Maltz, your self-image is the key to changing your actions and habits.

If you want to lose 50 pounds, you first have to think of yourself as someone 50 pounds lighter.

Spend time in your imagination.

See yourself 50 pounds lighter.

Experience a day in your life at this slimmed-down size.

Imagine everything down to the smallest detail.

According to Dr. Maltz, this imagination time will begin to change your self-image to that of a person 50 pounds lighter, and your actions and habits will fall into place.

2. Reject negative thoughts

Negative thoughts will undoubtedly arise as you use your imagination to see your ideal self...

• "I'm not really going to lose weight."
• "I've tried losing weight before and it never works."
• "I'm always going to be obese."
• "This imagination stuff is bogus. It won't work for me."

Dr. Maltz says that the instant you receive a negative thought, simply dismiss it.

Don't spend any time on it at all.

The faster you dismiss negative thoughts, the less impact they will have on your self-image.

Also you'll find that fewer and fewer negative thoughts arise once you get into the habit of dismissal.

3. Be nostalgic for the future

It's so easy to be nostalgic for the past, especially when you only remember the good stuff.

But what good does it do for you to wish for things that are long gone?

Dr. Maltz recommends developing nostalgia for the future.

In your imagination you've already lost the 50 pounds, so start pining for the future.

Your self-image will lock onto that picture and your nostalgic feelings will fuel the fire.

4. I'm the kind of person that...

What kind of person are you?

• "I'm the kind of person that never eats vegetables."
• "I'm the kind of person that hates exercise."
• "I'm the kind of person that can't lose weight."

OR

• "I'm the kind of person that eats fresh and unprocessed food."
• "I'm the kind of person that keeps fit."
• "I'm the kind of person that maintains an ideal body weight."

You’re responsible for your own life. No one else.

Not those who influenced the circumstances of your past and not those around you today.

You make your own choices. You control your attitude.

Personal responsibility is a privilege.

Embrace it.

To your success,

Coach Joe

Joseph Arangio helps 40+ men and women get leaner, stronger, and happier. He's delivered over 100,000 transformation programs to satisfied clients around the globe. If you want to lose weight from home, with the best online longevity personal trainer, or you want to visit the best age-management personal trainer in the Lehigh Valley, you can take a free 14-day trial.