From the bottom of my heart . . . .

There is a saying, "Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone." I truly believe that. Gratitude should be expressed! When you feel gratitude and don't express it, it is like wrapping a gift and not giving it. So today, my gift is wrapped and I want to give it to you. I am so grateful for those of you who visit me here at this little blog of mine. I'm grateful for the emails that I receive from those of you who want to tell me that I've made a difference in your day by giving you a drop of encouragement, an ounce of hope, or have perhaps reminded you of some small thing that has set the tone in how you go about your day. I am completely grateful for that, and it truly is the reason why I post on this site. Nothing makes me happier. I have been rewarded in more ways than I could have ever imagined, and it has been proven to me that you truly do get what you give. 

Just over a year ago, I wrote a post entitled "Who inspires you?", and today I just wanted to reiterate how grateful I am for all the people in my life, but would like to add all of you to that list. So to those of you who visit me here.....you are the reason I post on this site! It is you who inspires me! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!    xo, Connie

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. 
-Melody Beattie 

Happy Thanksgiving!


Photo by Nick Vorderman

It's your call . . . .

Your life is the consequence of your decisions. Regardless of your life situation, you have to see that your decisions matter. It doesn't matter what context we're talking about - it's your decisions that matter. You hit the snooze button one too many times and now you're late for work - that decision matters. You spoke too soon and said something you regret - that decision matters. You let fear hold you back, and now you've missed another great opportunity - that decision matters. And what about doing nothing when you should have done something? William James once said, "When you have to make a choice and don't make it, that is in itself a choice." We all make bad decisions from time to time. But the experience that we learn from making poor decisions is what shapes us; it's what allows us to grow. I've said this before.........if you realize that you made a wrong decision, immediately begin working toward making it work to your advantage, or begin to change it. The best part about tomorrow is that it presents you with a clean slate, and an opportunity to begin again.

You've got a lot of choices.  If getting out of bed in the morning is a chore and you're not smiling on a regular basis, try another choice.  

-Steven D. Woodhull

Unrealized dreams . . . .

An elderly man, in the final days of his life, is laying in bed alone. He awakens to see a large group of people clustered around his bed. Their faces are loving, but sad. Confused, the old man smiles weakly and whispers, "You must be my childhood friends, come to say good-bye. I am so grateful." Moving closer, the tallest figure gently grasps the old man's hand and replies, "Yes, we are your best and oldest friends, but long ago you abandoned us. For we are the unfulfilled promises of your youth. We are the unrealized hopes, dreams and plans that you once felt deeply in your heart, but never pursued. We are the unique talents that you never refined, the special gifts you never discovered. Old friend, we have not come to comfort you, but to die with you."

-Les Brown

The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don't define them, learn about them, or even seriously consider them as believable or achievable.

-Denis Waitley


Believe in yourself
and your dreams WILL come true.
I believe in you.

Happiness is never stopping to think if you are.  

-Palmer Sondreal


Photo by Travis Grace via 2c

35 Little Acts of Kindness . . . .

One small, thoughtful gesture can make someone else's day. Learning that each of us can make a difference by doing one kind act at a time is a great lesson. The experience of offering a hand, doing a good deed, and feeling the reward of someone else's smile, gratitude and happiness will ensure the kind acts continue. Give 5 minutes of your time and watch the ripple effect.

1. Say "Good morning" to a person standing next to you in the elevator.

2. Pay the toll for the driver behind you.
3. Take a minute to direct someone who is lost, even though you're rushing.
4. Write a letter to a child who could use some extra attention. Kids love getting mail.
5. Offer to pick up groceries for an elderly neighbor, especially in extreme weather.
6. Give a homeless person your doggie bag.
7. Say "I love you" to someone you love.
8. Put a coin in an expired meter.
9. Help a mother carry her baby stroller up the subway stairs, or hold a door open for her.
10. Each time you get a new item of clothing, give away something old.
11. Take someone's shift as the car-pool parent.
12. Bring your assistant coffee.
13. Out of the blue, send flowers to a friend.
14. Say "please" and "thank you"—and really mean it.
15. When you're on a crowded train or bus, offer your seat to an elderly, disabled or pregnant person.
16. Don't interrupt when someone is explaining herself.
17. Let a fellow driver merge into your lane.
18. Offer to baby-sit for a single mom.
19. Put your shopping cart back in its place.
20. Call or write to a teacher who changed your life.
21. Bring a box of doughnuts to share at the office.
22. Forgive someone a debt–and never bring it up again.
23. Listen with all your senses.
24. Write a note to the boss of someone who helps you, and explain how great a job that person is doing.
25. Simply say "I'm sorry" when you're wrong.
26. Throw away your trash—and someone else's—after a movie, picnic or visit to a park.
27. Encourage someone who seems despondent.
28. Volunteer to take care of a friend's dog while he is vacationing.
29. Help a friend pack for a move.
30. Ask someone "How are you really doing?"—and then really listen to her response.
31. Offer change when the person in front of you at the register comes up short.
32. Before a friend moves away, give her your favorite recipe or quote and a photo of the two of you together.
33. Leave a generous tip for a pleasant waiter.
34. At work, offer to transfer a caller who needs help from another department.
35. Pass along a great book you've just finished reading.

A kind and compassionate act is often 

its own reward.
-- William John Bennett


Happy Friday!
Have a lovely weekend!

via Oprah.com

. . . . and have you told them today?

"Sometimes people are beautiful.

Not in looks.

Not in what they say.

Just in what they are."

-Markus Zusak

Complete pampering . . . .

This pool is where I spent my afternoon yesterday. Isn't it beautiful? I am enjoying a week of complete pampering at a spa hotel, and even though I don't normally do posts like this, I wanted to share with you just a little bit about this incredible hotel.

My morning began with a 90-minute Essential yoga class that left me feeling strong, stretched, centered & aware.  Later, I was able to spend a few relaxing hours at that beautiful pool where I found myself "dozing" in that state between sleep & awake where your mind goes completely blank. It's so easy to relax here at The Standard Miami, which is a spa focused hotel, and is where I am this week.  Although this hotel is not high glitz, there is nothing standard about it. There are plenty of hotels on South Beach that are hip at night, but this hotel oozes "hip" during the day.  It is about a feeling rather than the size of the pool.  It may not be the biggest, shiniest, tallest or most expensive hotel in Miami, but it is certainly the coolest.  And although the design certainly got it, it’s not the design that creates the vibe.  It’s more the result of an attitude; an attitude that says to be different you have to be different without trying too hard.  It feels natural and effortless.

The original motel rooms, built in the 1950's, were too small for bathtubs, so owner Andre Balazs put them outside on patios surrounded by gauzy drapes. Inside, the rooms were cleverly updated, with lots of white paint, more gauzy drapes, and flat-screen TV's with cotton slipcovers so they don't detract from the chic-shack appearance.  The Garden Fire Lounge invites you in to sit, relax, nap, or cozy up in the shady wicker loungers.  You can enjoy conversation in the Shady Swing Lounge while you suspend yourself in swings under a shadowy trellis. Take your yoga outside in one of the outdoor yoga lawns, or enjoy it waterfront at sunset. Get dirty with your choice of Detoxifying, Purifying or Smoothing Mud in the Mud Lounge. Take a dip in the Arctic Plunge, relax under the waterfall hot tub, or in the sound pool. This place is the epitome of a spa hotel.

Here at The Standard, the atmosphere is informal, so it is not unusual to see guests having lunch in the restaurant, or a cocktail in the bar, in their bathrobes. After all, it is a spa hotel. And as a guest, I can assure you that while you're here, you are pampered and spoiled in a rich atmosphere beyond belief. 

"I believe in you." . . . .

What's the best way to let someone know that you're pulling for them, you're proud of them, you believe in them? The biggest ideas in life are often expressed in the fewest words. Throughout the centuries, "I believe in you" has remained a treasured expression of faith and confidence in the human spirit. Spoken softly and sincerely from the heart, those four little words or their equivalent have probably sparked more dreams, ideas, and discoveries.....awakened more artists, inventors, and leaders, and colleagues.....and inspired more companies, communities and countries than any others. Each of us knows how it feels to dream and to doubt. "Our doubts are prison guards," wrote Stephen Crane. "They keep us from the light and the warmth and the sky."

Take it upon yourself to remind one another of the dreams that each of us aspires to. It's more than a great tradition; it's the way set each other free.

From the book I Believe in You 

Complied by Dan Zadra

"The exciting qualities you see in others also exist in you. 

You may not be able to see your potential, 

but it's there, 

and it's enormous!"

-EDGE Keynote

Wasted energy . . . .

Are there circumstances in your life that you feel you have no control over and in turn are blaming others for your own unhappiness? It takes an enormous amount of mental energy  to blame others. It's a "drag-me-down" mind-set that creates stress and disease. Blaming makes you feel powerless over your own life because your happiness is contingent on the actions and behavior of others, which you can't control. Yes, there are times when other people and/or circumstances contribute to our problems, but it is we who must rise to the occasion and take responsibility for our own happiness. Circumstances don't make a person, they reveal him or her. When you stop blaming others for anything and everything in your life, it doesn't mean that you don't hold people accountable for their actions, but that you hold yourself accountable for your own happiness. Take responsibility for your reactions to other people and the circumstances around you, then hold yourself accountable for that. When you stop blaming others, you will regain your sense of personal power, and you'll begin to see yourself as a choice-maker. At this point life becomes a great deal more fun and much easier. 

"People spend too much time finding other people to blame, too much energy finding excuses for not being what they are  capable of being, and not enough energy putting themselves on the line, growing out of the past, and getting on with their lives."

-J. Michael Straczynski

Compiled from a "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff...

and it's all small stuff" calendar

I can't stop smiling! . . . .

What a night!  I danced in my local Dancing With The Stars fund raiser event, and we accomplished exactly what we set out to do! We landed a spot in the top 3, which means we got to dance in the 2nd round! I am completely satisfied with that! It was definitely one of my top life highlights. I learned that I will never turn down an opportunity like that, even though it would be easy to let the fear of it all hold you back. Needless to say, we raised a record amount of money for a great cause and I couldn't be happier about that.

This morning I opened my email and received this 'note from The Universe'. I laughed out loud.

Every compliment, criticism, promotion, setback, good vibe, cough or really long line you have to wait in, Connie, is a gift that was meticulously designed to make possible your becoming more than who you were, and ultimately, happier than ever before, as we dance into forever.

How do you ever keep from celebrating, all the time, Connie,

or does this explain why you smile so much? 

-The Universe

Happy Friday!

Have a lovely weekend!

Excitement bubbles . . . .

Tomorrow's the big day! I've been in rehearsals for 12 weeks for my local Dancing With The Stars fund raiser event, and it's been amazing. . . . tons of fun, huge smiles, lots of laughter, learning how to dance hip-hop, and especially how to add the attitude that goes with it! I've learned that you cannot be shy and dance hip-hop! When I first blogged about this event, I used a quote by Bernice Johnson Reagon that says, "Life's challenges are not supposed to paralyze you. They're supposed to help you discover who you are."  Oh so true. No paralysis here! I have embraced this new experience with all my being, and reminded myself that this, too, is just one more journey that has helped me continue to live a no-regret life. When it's all said and done, I will have one more check mark on my bucket list, a lot of money will have been raised for a good cause, and I'll have memories that will bring a smile to my face for years to come.  

I wanted to share  post #527 from Neil over at 1000 Awesome Things, and what he has to say about the night before a big day.  I am relating at this moment. 

Progression of a smile . . . .

A smile starts on the lips,

A grin spreads to the eyes,

A chuckle comes from the belly,

But a good laugh bursts forth 
from the soul,

overflows, 
and bubbles all around.

-Carolyn Birminghan

Anne Hathaway photo via Google Images

Bruce Willis photo by Nigel Parry

George Clooney photo via Google Images

Julia Roberts photo via Google Images

Be true to yourself . . . .

It's true.......your parents, employers, co-workers, and friends all have needs for you to be a certain way. And in all likelihood, you have complied with and conformed to those expectations, at the expense of your own gifts, abilities, and dreams. If you send messages to the people around you that you will passively allow them to assign you roles that you wouldn't have chosen in a million years - they will. The people who really care about you will try to find a way to help you get what you want, even if it scares them for you to change.

Change can be painful, even when it is change for the better. You have the ability to light up your life like you can't believe, and the sooner you understand that, the better. Your abilities will flourish when they are not controlled by someone else's idea of who you should be. Your authentic self is there, it has always been there, and it is fully accessible to you. You are not the exception to this fact. There are no exceptions. 

If you don't think every day is a good day,

just try missing one.

-Cavett Robert

Happy Friday!

Life is waiting for you

to give it direction,

to give it meaning,

and to provide a spark.

Invite good things into

your life this weekend!

Photo by Steve Vorderman 

Let them see you change and grow . . . .

Everyone thinks about changing the world, but no one thinks about changing himself. Nothing inspires and motivates people as much as watching someone else change for the better. When you are willing to offer yourself up as a role model for personal change, you'll motivate others faster than anything else you can do.

-Steve Chandler

Be open . . . .

From the book "Be" by Kobi Yamada

Stress: The enemy of passion . . . .

The one thing that robs more people of their passion more than anything else is stress......in all it's forms. Let's face it, life is full of stress! Unfortunately, there are several "enemies" that will steal every good thing you possess if given the opportunity. These "enemies" are everyday life experiences, forces, and people who are looking for every opportunity to steal our joy. 


A Readers Digest article documented that 90% of all doctors visits can be attributed, directly or indirectly, to stress. Stress suppresses the body's immune system, interrupts sleep, and makes you vulnerable to all manner of illnesses. You get sick and experience a whole host of other problems related to missing work and the inability to fulfill other responsibilities - and that just leads to more stress. Please understand that all stress is not bad. Stress in the form of adrenaline can work to our advantage. It's what causes us to flee a burning building, to jump out of the way of oncoming traffic, or to complete a project with a looming deadline. But when it's too frequent, it can destroy us by stealing our passion.

The message of Life 101 is that life is stressful, but it can be managed so it doesn't rob us of our passion. So how do we keep stress from doing just that? Here are 6 ways to defend yourself against the attacks of stress:

1. WAIT TO WORRY

Many people rush to worry about situations before they have the facts. For instance, when our teenagers are not home by curfew, we become convinced there had been a car crash, only to have them walk in a few minutes late. Wait to worry. More often than not, you discover you are worrying about something that doesn't need to be worried about at all. Once you get the facts, you may be glad you waited.

2. STAY IN THE GAME

I'm pretty sure it is safe to say that nobody goes all the way through life without getting knocked down. Some people never get up, and some people get up so slowly it takes years and even a lifetime of anger & bitterness before they recover. People fall down. Winners get up. Getting up and back in the game removes the possibility of stress from long-term failure. Failure is not falling down - failure is not getting back up. When you are moving ahead confidently, you have no cause to be stressed.

3. INSIST ON INTEGRITY

You can make a conscious decision in your life to do everything with integrity. When you do that, you inoculate yourself against any stress arising from guilt or shame. I've heard it said by many people that the great thing about telling the truth (living with integrity) is that you never have to remember what you said. If you're the kind of person who tells one person this and another person that, you're setting yourself up for big-time stress. When you speak the truth, you speak and forget about it. It's amazing how much stress you avoid when you play it straight. Do things with integrity, know what is wrong, practice what is right, and make decisions accordingly. Your conscious will remain crystal clear, you'll live without regrets, and, as a result, your passion will remain alive and well.

4. STAY OUT OF DEBT

Keeping up with the Joneses puts us under mountains of stress. We go into debt in order to keep up with appearances and then worry because we can't pay what we owe. Eighty five percent of the conflicts in marriages today are caused by disagreements over finances. No one can live a passionate life when he is worried about bill collectors and bankruptcy. If you want to stay free of stress, stay out of debt. It may take months, even years, to get there. But the freedom of being debt free will allow you to unleash your passion in a way you'd forgotten could exist. 

5. FEAR NOT
The fears that lurk inside of us are the ones that keep us from launching ourselves into the great adventure called life! We fear failure, of course - perhaps most of all. But we also fear losing the security of our own inhibitions. We fear losing control, and we fear the future.  We fear living with the tension that exists between what we know and what we don't know - the security of the present versus the insecurity of the future. Some people just can't handle the unknown, so they remain confined to the reality of the past instead of the potential of the future. Life is often like having one foot on the dock and the other foot on a boat that is leaving. We want to leave, but our desire for the safety of the homeland keeps us tentative and indecisive - and often lands us in the water! Did you know the opposite of faith is fear? We have two choices for facing the future: we can face it with faith or with fear. The future is all about the unknown, and we can let that empower us or enslave us. We may not know what the future holds, but we definitely know Who holds the future. Your faith in God will allow your passion to be boundless.


6. HAVE THE FIRST LAUGH
Laughter is a great stress reducer. Next to love, laughter has been described as the second most powerful emotion we can express. It has been said that laughter is like internal jogging - it stimulates the respiratory system, oxygenates the body, relaxes tense muscles, and releases pleasure-producing chemicals in the brain. You cannot laugh and be mad, or laugh and be stressed. Laughter is low calorie, caffeine free, and has no salt, preservatives, or additives. It's 100% natural and one-size-fits-all. 
You can get high on laughter but never overdose. Laughter is contagious - once it starts, little can be done to stop it. Laughter never felt bad, committed a crime, started a war, or broke up a relationship. Laughter is shared by the giver and the receiver, and it's free! If we can find ways to laugh first thing in the morning, it may in fact set the tone for the rest of the day.


When you begin to practice these 6 ways to defend yourself against stress, passion is free to increase. And your life is free to become "better than good."

Condensed from the book 

BETTER THAN GOOD 

by Zig Zigler

Motivational . . . . period.

This video gave me chills.  It's call The Deathcrawl. We all have much more in us than we realize.  

People often underestimate the magnitude of what they can accomplish. A leader's job is to help them see their potential.