Dear Mikey,

Hi! It is Michael! (yes you will go by Michael when you are older) I am writing this letter to let you know some information to help you along the way.

Here are some helpful hints to get you along:

People love you for who you are. I know you are going to waste so much time trying to change things about yourself and wishing you were different but in the end you will learn that it is all those things people most love about you.

Never stop laughing. We love to laugh and there will be times when we will stop laughing. Remember in those moments, that you need to do whatever it takes to bring laughter back. Our sense of humor is how we survive.

You are going to make a lot of friends. Some are going to change your life, some are going to teach you life lessons and others will be true friends who stay with you. No matter what type of friends they are, you are going to have a great time.

I want you to believe in yourself. You can do anything you want as long as you believe. You will amaze yourself with all the things you will achieve. Never give up and just know you can do it.

You are going to get scared at times. I want you to know that you are not alone. Just as I have you with me now, you will have me there with you. There is nothing wrong with being scared and when you are, just remember I am holding your hand.

Make sure to trust your instincts. Your intuition is very strong and you need to listen to it. It will guide you down the right path. It is OK if you don’t, you will just learn from it and continue on.

Always have fun. You will do a lot of crazy and silly things. And trust me, even as you get older you will only do more. You are going to always enjoy living life.

I want you to take care of yourself. You are going to do a lot of things and sometimes take on way too much. Remember to always take time out for yourself. You will need to relax. When you get older we will be spending a lot of time learning how to do that.

There are going to be rough times in your life. Times when things aren’t going as you planned or hoped. You are going be betrayed by friends, hurt by people you love and deal with a tragedy you could never imagine. I am not going to warn you about any of them because you get through them all. You are stronger than you think and these events never take away your spark for life. I promise you the good times will tower over the bad.

Lastly, I want to tell you that I love you. I love you because you make me who I am today. I love you because you are who you are. I love you because there will be times when you don’t love yourself and it will be OK because my love will get through that.

Well, Mikey, get ready to enjoy life because it is going to be more fun than you will ever know. I do not need to wish you luck because you are blessed and you just need to be grateful for it.

Love always,

Michael

PS. You are going to start losing your hair. GET OVER IT. Just part of life. What is more important is that you will NEVER lose your smile.

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That is right. As of today, you have completed half of 2008. Now is when we look at the year and realized how quickly it flew by and think about all the missed opportunities.

I want you to then realize you have 6 months left to change your life. You still have the rest of the year to make up for all the time you feel you have wasted.

Here are so tips on how to get the most out of the rest of 2008:

1. Think about all the New Year’s resolutions you made and gave up on. It is never too late to start them again. Call them Half Year resolutions and give them another chance.

2. Take a good look at your life list. What could you get done by the end of the year? What are some items you need to more into goals in the next few months? Once you decide, write them and commit to making them happen.

3. Think about the wheel of life. What area(s) on the wheel need your attention right now? What could you do to improve them in the next 6 months? Sounds to me like you have some more goals to work on for the half year left.

4. How is your vision board working? Do you even have one? Take a few moments to update or even start your vision board. This will help you to see your goals and motivate you to achieve. It is a fun way to remind yourself of what you want to create in your life.

5. Find someone to hold you accountable. That is why life coaching is all about. Having someone in your life to hold you accountable for what you promised to do. Maybe there is a friend you could partner up with to make sure your next 6 months are well accomplished and celebrated!

Here’s to a great new half year filled with great opportunities and wonderful fun and laughter!

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How many good habits do you have in your life? It is easy to point all the bad ones we have but we do not always think of good habits we do on a regular basis. We put all our energy in stopping the bad habits and stressing out when we do not succeed.

I always work on adding good habits into my life instead. I recently have been getting into the good habit of flossing. Just like most people out there, I hate flossing but there is so many great benefits for an activity which will take me no more than 5 minutes a day before bed.

My yearly physical and my dentist appointment are coming up so they pushed me into action. When they ask if I floss, I want to be able to say “Yes I do!”

I have been doing very well in the last few weeks and only skipped 2 days! It is becoming a new good habit. I am excited to now look at bringing another good habit into my life. I am going to meditate for at least 15 minutes a day to clear my head and relax.

Meditating also has great health benefits and I so need to learn the skill of having a quiet mind. My brain is always racing full of thoughts even when I am laying in bed. I am hoping this habit won’t only help that but just give me a better feeling of well being.

I bought myself an ocean wave CD and a nice pillow and I am ready to start my new habit this weekend.

I am working on flossing and meditating, what new good habit could you add to your life? Let me know when you start and lets cheer each other on!

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Do you remember when you were a kid and you would play dodgeball with friends? It was so much fun but then we grow up and let it go…

Well it is time to bring it back! Next time there is some tense between you and a friend or maybe your group of friends. Do not decide to sit down and have a LONG conversation about your feelings. NO! You go outside, draw a line with chalk and start throwing this red rubber balls at each other.

Once you are laughing until it hurts, covered in sweat and maybe have a little limp, it is time to quit, hug and go nurse your wounds with a nice milkshake together.

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Have you ever sat down and just thought about all the things that make you happy? I am sure you can quickly list all the things that make you mad or irritate you!

What are the things in life that make you smile? What are the things that make you laugh? What are the things that make you thankful you are alive?

Here are some of the things that make me happy:

• White iced sprinkled doughnuts

• Laughing until it hurts

• Seeing a rainbow after it rains

• Enjoying a great day at the beach

• Talking to my mom

• Getting a great hug

• Giving an even better hug

• Receiving funny emails with Becky

• Smelling fresh gardenias

• Watching Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion

• Taking a nap just because

• Playing silly board games

• Dressing up for Halloween

What are some things that make you happy?

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So I did it!! I know I have told many of you I would set this up but I finally did. I appreciate all the emails everyone sends me asking me questions and suggesting topics I write on. So to make it easier for everyone, I have create a link for an “Ask Michael” page.

You can simply fill out the form anonymously and ask me any question you may have about something going on in your life, a topic you would like to hear my view point on or just a question you have about me and would like me to share. I promise to at least once a week pick a few to post in one of the weekly entries.

So click the Ask Michael on the top of the page or click here to submit your questions and check back to see my response!

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A lot of my friends have been talking about weddings lately. One of my friends is planning her wedding right now while two friends of mine just got married in New Orleans. So Let’s dream a little together. Right now gay marriage is not legal but it doesn’t mean I can’t think what it would be like to have a wedding of my own.

Part of me would want the magical fairytale wedding. A great location with tons of guests. Formal dress and a wonderful reception decorated with white calla lilies and gardenias. I would love to be in a nice black and white tux looking sharp while the the sun sets outside the windows of the reception hall.

The other part of me would love to just do it up in Vegas. Invite everyone I know just to have a good time on the Vegas strip. Get married in a cheezy chapel and then head off with your friends and family in a limos to have a fun dinner and night on the town.

I guess the details are not that important as who you marry. It is really about finding love and celebrating the public commitment you have for each other, forever. And yes, I believe it can last forever.

I wonder how many of you would love to be married right now (straight or gay) and how many of you are married and would do it again.  What would it be like?

Remember to always:

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Taking the time to truly listen to someone is such a great gift. I know my day is full of hectic thoughts, plans and distractions. It is very easy for me to pretend to be listening when really I either thinking about something else or planning out what I am going to say when it is my turn.

Listening requires you to just be in the present, stop thinking of anything else except for what the person is saying verbally and nonverbally.

I challenge you this week to commit to take the time and truly listen to someone you may have been ignoring lately. Maybe a good friend who stories seem to run long. Maybe your mom, dad, grandmother or sister. Maybe a co-worker who just wants to share their life with you.

Give it a chance to show you care and to help you develop this important skill of listening. Being a great listener can make a real difference in your personal relationships, your career and your life.

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Friday is here. Everyone always seems in such a better mood when Friday comes. You just feel like celebrating because it means the weekend has arrived.

So here are some ideas on how to celebrate your Friday:

• Go on an extended lunch with your friends so you can be excited the weekend is here and flirt with the barely legal server.
• Bring in doughnuts to the office so you can ruin everyone’s diets PLUS everyone is so much more fun with a sugar buzz.
• Don’t wear underwear. Panty free Friday. It is your own private party all day. I am sure you won’t be the only one…
• Play one game of online scrabble with your coworkers to test everyone’s word knowledge.
• Play truth or dare. Why not?
• Go to the restroom and make a “Happy Friday” banner on a roll of toilet paper and then roll it back up. Leave it as a surprise!
• Bring in a DVD of your favorite episode of Sex and the City and have a viewing party in your office.
• Walk around the office like Tyra Banks and ask people, “Do you want to be on Top?” and have a small America’s Next Top Model photo shoot with your cell phone camera and then stage the elimination so you can crown a winner.
• Take a nap. Okay maybe not because this could get you fired. Maybe not fired, but at least a stern look of disapproval.
• Bring in fresh flowers to just brighten up the office. Better yet, send yourself flowers and act surprised. Even better, send them to a friend with a raunchy note from a secret admirer!
• At 5pm stand up and scream “Yahtezee!” and run out the door.

Or you could simply wish everyone a happy weekend and just enjoy yours but that is just not as fun!

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If you are having a bad day or your boss is just being an extra mean jerk, smile like crazy at everyone you see!

I promise that most people, almost all kids and even some small animals will smile back at you. We tend to not smile a lot in our daily lives so when we do others do react positively. With everyone starting to smile at you, you will start feeling better.

But, you can look at it another way. If you are feeling totally stressed, totally down or depressed and you keep smiling all the time, you can feel like a raving lunatic which can be really fun and it freaks people out. So that will defiantly make you feel better when you see all the reactions you will get from acting a fool!

So next time you are feeling down or blue, put a huge smile on your face and just have fun with it. Sometimes a nice smile back is all you need to make you feel better. Especially if it from the hot guy in marketing you have been eyeing for months.

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