ex-tin-guish: to put an end to, to cause (fire or light) to cease to burn, to annihilate.

We all have things that we need to get rid of in our lives in order to move on, elevate, promote, or be successful.  Today, you only need to pick 1.  Pick 1 thing that you need to stop doing,  It may be a feeling or thought you need to stop feeding, a habit you need to stop doing, something you need to stop buying, or a time wasting unproductive activity.  It can be big or small, but pick 1 to focus on to stop doing.

It has been said that it takes 21 days to break a habit or form a new habit and 40 days for something to become a lifestyle.  Although this is true for some things, others require more or even less... not necessarily more days, but the decision that "stopping is not an option".  When we have made an intentional decision and stick to it... then the amount of days doesn't matter.  That is what gets us through the hard times.

When you remove something from your life, you need to replace it.  Today you need to decide 3 things: What do I need to STOP doing?  What do I need to START doing? What do I need to CONTINUE doing?  This is the STOP, START, & CONTINUE method. Replace the 1 thing you are stopping with the 1 thing you are starting to help you to continue to excel in your life!  Then, identify what you are doing that is going well ... and just keep it up and continue it!

A little progress each day brings big results!

Excelling each day,
​Tiffany Jo Baker

My husband is a natural born hugger. He gives the best hugs. I have learned to be a hugger. Our youngest daughter, Selah, is what we call a "muncher". She is like the Tiny Toon's cartoon character Elmyra that loves so big that she can't help but give the animals a big full body hug. Selah is "munching" our Puggle Zoe in the picture above.

​I never understood the saying, "Hugs Not Drugs"... I thought it was a cute motto that our D.A.R.E officers came up with back in Elementary school. (If you don't know what D.A.R.E is, then I feel really old... basically it was a school Drug Prevention Program.)

​I never realized that HUGS are more powerful than DRUGS! Research has shown that HUGS have many benefits. These effects are from deep hugs...not just the good old "A" frame hug or the classic side hug... but from the kind of hug where hearts are pressing together and heartbeats can almost be felt and heard. Here are just some of the benefits from HUGGING:

​1. Mood Elevator: Boosts oxytocin & serotonin levels to decrease feelings of loneliness, isolation, & anger and increase happiness.
2. Strengthens Immune System (a lot of medical terms to the reasoning for this).
​3. Increase Self-Esteem: Hugs from family members from an early age reinforce that you are loved and special and help us feel good about ourselves.
​4. De-stresses & Relaxes

​ "We need 4 hugs a day for survival. We need 8 hugs a day for maintenance. We need 12 hugs a day for growth." Virginia Satir (Respected Family Therapist)

​Do yourself and someone else a favor ... HUG!

Hugs,
Tiffany Jo Baker

(Taken in part from "10 Reasons Why We Need at Least 8 Hugs a Day" by Marcus Julian Felicetti)
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