I've been studying lately about our thoughts, positive and negative, and how they affect our world. In one exercise I had to concentrate on getting rid of any and all negative thoughts. At first I thought'd it'd be easy, because I don't have many negative thoughts in general. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I do have a certain set of negative thoughts which I replay in my mind every day. They are about what a terrible housekeeper I am (I don't actually clean house much), and about how I look fat (I'm about 20 lbs. overweight, though you wouldn't know it by my tall frame) and eat the wrong foods all the time (too much sugar). I also too often say out loud "we can't afford that", which is self-defeating, as well as humiliating to my husband, who takes pride in providing well for his family (it's a guy thing).
So I began to purge myself of these negative thoughts. I decided and realized that I while I may not keep a spotless house, yet it is a well-kept house: various parts get cleaned on a regular basis, and in general it is picked up and looks beautiful. And instead of spending hours cleaning I am using my time with the wonderful pursuits of cooking & baking, gardening & preserving, needlework, reading and writing, watching good movies, spending time with my children and my friends, running errands and other various household duties, collecting hobbies, etc. It is a good life.