I was dressed and ready to drive to the studio where I hosted a morning TV show. Before leaving the house, I had to take the trash to the curb for collection. As I neared the end of my driveway, I tripped and fell.

I hit the pavement so hard that my hands and knees were bleeding.

I went back into the house and, feeling sorry for myself, I was just about to cry.

I thought, “Denise, you have a choice. You can choose to continue feeling sorry for yourself, or you can choose to make today the best day… Read More

Ever wonder why, in the past, you didn’t stick to your goal to: lose weight, quit smoking, stop drinking, or whatever else it is you’ve been trying to achieve  . . .

Even though you really, really, REALLY wanted to?

It wasn’t because you didn’t know what to do.

I’ll bet you knew exactly what to do. You probably even had the plan to follow – or – at the very least, you knew how to figure out where to get it!

So what was it?

1) What stopped you?

AND, more importantly . . .

2) How can… Read More

Do you know what tomorrow will look like for you? If you’re like most people, tomorrow will look a lot like today does – in the same way today looks a lot like yesterday did. For most, tomorrow will be filled with the same story, the same characters, and the same scenery as you travel the same route to work with the same thoughts running through your mind. You’ll likely even feel the same way tomorrow that you feel today. In fact, it’s quite likely not much will be different at all. It will be familiar, known, and ordinary as… Read More

Can you guess which questions I’m most frequently asked through social media and after speaking engagements? Well, here they are:

How do you get your teeth so white? How did you become a professional speaker? How old are you? How did you get your books published? Are you always this positive?

I’m answering these questions here for two reasons: One, maybe you’ve wanted to ask me one, some, or all of these questions because you’re curious . . . in which case I’m happy to appease your curiosity! Two, maybe you’ve wanted to ask me one, some, or all of… Read More

Are you trying to get a harvest before you planted the seed? Imagine your life, your goal, your dream is a seed. In order for it to grow, you need to plant it. Planting that seed means putting it in the soil to grow.

That’s where most dreams die . . . in the soil. The reason is, it can be lonely and dark in the soil. It can bring up feelings of uncertainty, doubt, or disappointment. That’s when we become afraid and dig the seed back up.

Resist digging up in doubt what you planted in faith. Trust the… Read More

Physical clutter equals mind clutter. Donate, recycle, or discard those things you no longer need, use, or love.

Take a deep breath and exhale very slowly. As you exhale, imagine blowing away all your worries, concerns, and tension. Allow your muscles to relax, and begin to breathe at your regular pace. Now imagine you’re in a calm, relaxing, and peaceful place. That place might be a sandy beach on a warm summer’s day, or the woods on a crisp fall morning. Wherever that relaxing place is, at the end of this paragraph, close your eyes, continue to… Read More

I was sitting in my car at a gas station on the corner of a busy intersection watching the line of cars stopped at a stoplight. Two teen-aged boys sat in the first car stopped at the light. The teenager in the passenger seat threw a pop can out of his window. Immediately after, the driver in the car behind the teens jumped out of his vehicle, picked up the pop can, tossed it back through the teenager’s window and got back into his car. The light turned green and they all drove away.

The whole scene fascinated me and… Read More

It was a Saturday morning and my then nine-year-old daughter, Brianna, was getting dressed to take an entrance exam at a school. Just before we left the house, I noticed she had matched her nice clean outfit with her old outdoor running shoes. I said, “Brianna, do you think you should put on a different pair of shoes?”

She looked down at her feet and then back up at me and said, “Mom, they’re not testing me on my shoes.”

I said, “You’re absolutely right.”

And we headed off to school—Brianna with… Read More

Worrier says: It’s not my fault that I worry.

Warrior says: Worry is a choice. I choose to let go of worry. I intend to live with inner peace.

Years ago, I was convinced my weight was the source of my worry. Despite well-meaning advice from friends and family, I thought if I could only lose enough weight, my worries would disappear. I believed being thin would fix everything. Everyone would like me, I would like myself, and I would finally be calm and carefree.

Perhaps… Read More

“The world is full of good people. If you can’t find one, be one!” — Unknown

This is a story of an act of kindness from a complete stranger which had a profound impact. It happened when I was in Saint Lucia with my family.

My sister, Deanna, who also happens to be my best friend and one of the funniest and kindest people I know, went blind in one eye about 9 years ago. Deanna sometimes feels self-conscious about the way her eye looks now. The pupil is no longer black; it’s bright and shiny—it… Read More