Forgiveness . . . .

The reason forgiveness is such an important element is that, without it, you are almost inevitably destined to a life marred by anger, bitterness, and hatred. Life is short, and once you make the decision to forgive, it is then that you will be able to free your heart from the constant eating away of your soul.


"You will know that forgiveness has begun when you recall those who hurt you and feel the power to wish them well."

-Lewis B. Smedes

Happy Friday!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Photo by Hakan Ludwigson

via Agent Bauer

True lies . . . .

In Steve Chandler's book, 100 Ways to Motivate Yourself, he describes a time when his 12 year old daughter participated in a school poetry reading in which she had to write a "lie poem" about how great she was. She was to make up untruths about herself that made her sound unbelievably wonderful. By "lying" to herself, she was creating a vision of who she wanted to be. He states that most of us are unable to see the truth of who we could be. His daughter's school developed an unintended solution to that difficulty: If it's hard for you to imagine the potential in yourself, then you might want to begin by expressing it as a fantasy, as did his daughter. He sums it up this way -- Think up some stories about who you would like to be. Your subconscious mind doesn't know you're fantasizing (it either receives pictures or it doesn't). Soon you will begin to create the necessary blueprint for stretching your accomplishments. Without a picture of your highest self, you can't live into that self. Fake it until you make it. The lie will become the truth.

By now, you already know that this works both ways: if you are continually telling yourself that you're not good enough, that you can't accomplish a task, or that you will never reach your goals, it too becomes your reality. Believe in yourself and what you are capable of doing. You have many talents! Believe in them, and cultivate them! Nurture them ♥, and you will see that your dreams can become your reality. 

About the book: Live the way you've always wanted to live! 100 Ways to Motivate Yourself is packed with techniques for breaking down negative barriers and pessimistic thoughts that prevent you from fulfilling your goals and dreams. Motivational speaker Steve Chandler helps you change your way of thinking and turn it around to what "will be." His ideas will help you create an action plan for living out your vision.

Companies that care . . . .

I read recently that Southwest Airlines is one of world's most profitable airlines, posting a profit for the 37th consecutive year in January of this year. 99% of the time, they leave on time, and they arrive on time. They do not charge for baggage, coffee, soda's or snacks, nor do they have seat assignments. For an additional $10, you get to board first and pick your seat on a first come first serve basis. They do not have a beverage cart. They will take your order, and bring your drinks to you. And they have fun! Imagine that. They go to work and they have fun. Watch the funny video below of this Southwest flight attendant presenting the safety information. There is always another way of presenting the mundane to make it fun!

"We see our customers as invited guests to a party, and we are the hosts. It's our job every day to make every important aspect of the customer experience a little bit better."

-Jeff Bezos

founder Amazon.com
(Sounds like they have fun too!)

Happy Friday!

Have a lovely weekend!

Completely awesome . . . .

The video below was recorded on the Bob & Tom Show when Ingrid Michaelson stopped by to talk about her gigs with The Dave Matthews Band, and to play this special rap remix version of the hit song, which has been featured on Grey's Anatomy & Old Navy ads.  But here is the real reason why I am posting this today!  You often hear about "karma", serendipity, or things happening that you can't explain, etc., and I apologize if this story is too detailed, but here's what happened yesterday...........

I woke up in the morning, still groggy, eyes closed, with one of Ingrid Michaelson's songs playing over and over in my head.  It's called "The Way I Am," and is just a sweet, sweet song.  I have no explanation as to why it was in my head because I hadn't heard it in quite some time. Later in the day, I was on my way to the market to shop for dinner that evening, and for some reason, I decided at the last minute to turn a different direction, and shop at a store that I never go to. Once in the store, I ran into a friend whom, once again, I hadn't seen or heard from in quite some time. And by the way, she also told me that she never shops at this store.  As we were chatting she happened to mention that she was heading out soon to one of our neighborhood bars to hear this singer by the name of Ingrid Michaelson, who  happened to be putting on a free concert in just a few hours. I was completely surprised! I had this song playing in my head all day, and here she was in my neighborhood?  Long story short.........I went to see her. Had I not made the decision to shop at a different store, I wouldn't have run into my friend, nor would I have known that Ingrid Michaelson would be performing that night. So needless to say, I ended my day the way it began, listening to the sweet voice of this singer that I had woken up to that very morning. So call it coincidental, just a fluke, karma or whatever you like, but I'll call it  completely awesome.

Enjoy!

I have a question for you. What are you doing to continually rekindle the passion of your life? What kind of inspiration are you providing for yourself that will keep you pursuing your dream? And if that passion dies, who's to blame? It's sad, but true.....passion will die without constant inspiration. In Zig Ziglar's book, "Better Than Good" he writes...... 

If you think of passion as the flame that burns white hot in the heart of every person, inspiration is the fuel that keeps that flame alive. Often I meet people in whom the fire of passion seems to have gone out. You can see it in their eyes---there's no spark of life! It's like someone came along and flipped off the passion switch while they weren't looking. The big mistake is thinking that regaining passion is a passive event--something we just have to wait for until we're moved once more to become passionate about life. Not so! Passion is a flame that has to be fed in order to keep it burning bright. And inspiration is the fuel that keeps the fire alive. 

Who is responsible for feeding inspiration to the flame of passion? You are! And if you don't, trust me--passion will, over time, become a distant and only occasional visitor to the house of your heart.

Here are 4 practical ways to inspire yourself--to feed the fires of passion burning within:

1. INVEST IN INSPIRATION

The more time, talent, and treasure you invest in your passion, the more you will fight for it, defend it, and protect it from everyone and everything that would attempt to steal it from you. Let's say your passion is to own your own flower shop someday. Right now, you're not involved with flowers except as a hobby. If I were to come to your house and spend an hour talking with you about your passion, I'd be looking for signs that you're investing your time, talent, and treasure. I'd be looking for bookshelves full books on flowers, books on running a small business, magazine subscriptions on the same subjects, your class schedule for the course on entrepreneurship and small-business management, check stubs from your payment of dues to the appropriate floral associations, your applications to several local flower shops where you plan to work as an apprentice in order to get experience. . . . . and on and on.

2. INQUIRE FOR INSPIRATION

Find a mentor--someone who has the same passion--and make some kind of arrangement to meet with that person on a regular basis for inspiration. There is nothing more inspiring than meeting with someone who is already successful at what I have a passion to do. Inspiration is caught better than it is taught.

3. GET INVOLVED TO FIND INSPIRATION

Sometimes we have to get up and get involved in order to find inspiration and keep passion alive. And the bigger the movement is in which we choose to get involved, the more inspired we are. Which inspires you more--being the only person sitting in a football stadium or being one of seventy thousand screaming fans who are just as excited as you are about the same home team? The bigger the crowd, the more inspired you are. Why? Because you feed off the energy of the thousands of people who are looking for the same things in life that you are: success, inspiration, encouragement, and motivation. If you are passionate about writing, attend writers conferences where new books are displayed. Join a writers group, attend book signings or readings, or volunteer at your public library. Whatever your passion, get involved in it at a level that is bigger than you are. When you become part of something bigger than you are, you become accountable. You become inspired to do your best. You become motivated to not let others down. And that fuels your passion in ways that can't be described--it can only be experienced.

4. IMAGINE FOR INSPIRATION

The power of imagination is one of the greatest untapped resources in the human tool kit. It's amazing that mental images have such power--but they do. Some people are born with more of an imagination than others, but it can, by hard work be cultivated--not by mere daydreaming, not by lazy wondering, but by hard study and earnest thought. Whatever your passion is, turn your imagination loose and let it inspire you to keep working to make your dreams become reality. 

"You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club."

-Jack London

Happy Friday!

Wishing you 

an inspirational weekend!

Make an effort today . . . .

What kind of effort are you making to reach your goals, to nurture that relationship, or to get the job done? And how hard are you willing to work to get there? We set goals, then we sabotage them by not making an effort.  How badly do you want it? We say we want things, but we so often find that we aren't willing to put forth the energy it takes to get them.  Will Rogers once said, "Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." We have to try! We can have the best intentions all day long, but unless we make even the smallest effort to move toward our goals, our dreams, they will always be just out of reach. When we put our heart, mind, intellect and soul into even the smallest acts, that is when we reap the benefits of success. Pull up your bootstraps today and make an effort!

"The worst thing one can do is not to try, to be aware of what one wants and not give in to it, to spend years in silent hurt wondering if something could have materialized - and never knowing."

-David Viscott

Be the producer of your own life . . . .

Every decision you make is not a decision about what to do. It's a decision about who you are. When you see this, when you understand it, everything changes. You begin to see life in a new way. All events, occurrences, and situations turn into opportunities to do what you came here to do. Choosing to be a producer who causes things to happen will set you apart from most other people.

-Steve Chandler

It's Friday . . . .

Ihopeyourweekendrocks!!

Graphic via workisnotajob

We are absolutely surrounded by beauty, every single day. Please don't ever take it for granted.

Enjoy!

Above graphic by NayArts via etsy

Focus! . . . .

Happy Monday to you!  Are you feeling motivated today? Are you willing to do what it takes to reach your goals this week? It's easier than you think! Mark Twain once said, "You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." Stay focused today! Imagine yourself completing your project, stepping on the scales and seeing the progress, feeling stronger than you ever have, and mustering up the confidence to face your fear. It takes so much energy to worry or to dwell on the negative! We can easily allow it to blind us as to what is possible, or we can transfer that energy to the positive, concentrating on the good, moving forward and actually visualizing the end result. Imagine yourself congratulating yourself at the end of the week!....celebrating your successes! I can already see it for you! Choose to see it for yourself!  

"Our thoughts create our reality -

where we put our focus is the direction we tend to go."

-Peter McWilliams

Photo via Getty Images

Pure pleasures . . . .

Porches.

Sweet potato fries.

My own pillow.

Dancing.

Accidently hearing someone say 

something nice about you.

Enjoying a yummy meal, 

and realizing just how healthy it really was.

Thinking it's Thursday, when it's Friday!

Happy Friday!

Have a lovely weekend!


All photos (except Porches) via Google Images
Porches photo via Southern Living