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UNEXPECTED WONDERS

11/23/2015

I need to be so intensely present that the present consumes my past and my future -- in a great “ah-ha” conflagration.
I need unexpected wonders.
I need to weep at the beauty of wild horse romps and pelicans passing.
I need silence so deep that I can hear the whispering pulse of a bird’s wings a hundred yards above me.
I need giant trees that stand witness to centuries of scurrying humans.
I need vistas so broad and deep that I sense the curvature of the earth.
I need stars that crowd each other like light glinting off the ocean on a brilliant day.

Can’t wait any more. I’m starting to carry the stink of mediocrity, like fresh food forgotten in the back of the refrigerator.

Among my favorite Mark Twain quotes is “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.”

I’m thinking that two years from now, regret would already have calcified me.

All the paths I have taken for the past forty-five years that led to hard lessons -- I regret none of these. Those bumps in my road led here, to a much greater capacity for joy.

It’s not taking any new paths that would disappoint me. It’s not answering the need for unbridled wonder that I would regret.

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FIRST YOU MUST BELIEVE IT CAN BE DONE>

11/16/2015

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“FIRST you must believe it can be done.”
Chapter One, The Magic of Thinking Big.

This is not as easy as it sounds. I regularly lose faith in reaching the goals I set for myself. Usually this happens when I’m tired. So, if discouragement is beating a drum in your head, rest. Take a break. Go for a walk. Play your favorite music. Sometimes this is all it takes to get back on top of my circumstances.

FIRST comes ignition! First, believe you can do what you set out to do. Declare it. Claim it. Post it where you see it all the time.

SECOND comes cultivating and expanding our belief. Now, we’re constructing the launching pad for our journey to a better life.

How?
*Read books that grow YOU, that expand your perspective and expectations..
*Listen to and view daily sources that align with the live you choose to live.
*Associate with people who respect and encourage you.

RESOURCE YOURSELF! Become the person who plants belief in others.

Conversely, limit time with pure-entertainment reading, listening and viewing, and , most especially, with people who make you feel drained and discouraged. Too much news also has a debilitating, de-energizing effect on most of us.

The THIRD stage of this rocket ship is spreading belief -- planting the seeds of belief in other people.

I’ve heard it said that “convinced people are convincing.” I prefer to see myself as a messenger, not an evangelist, but I still need to deliver my message with conviction and a sense of happy anticipation.

When my belief is strong, everyone around me can feel the vibration, the passion about the possibilities, and this is both magnetic and contagious. It’s no surprise that immediately after attending an inspiring 2 day conference, people routinely break through the atmosphere (obstacles and distractions) and pick up speed exponentially. Suddenly, we’re free to spread our message without all the anxiety noise in our heads. It’s been silenced by belief.

It’s not the words we’re saying, it’s the music we’re playing.   Our best music is powered by our belief in our message.

If we’re messengers, then what is our message?

At a recent conference, speaker Brad Wolgamott said, “If we have the courage to make contact, we can have impact. The message we carry? YOU MATTER AND WE CARE.”

This is not “I matter, and you’re just my avenue to success, a pawn in my endgame.” NO one wants to feel like they’re being used or sold. People DO, however, appreciate someone caring how their future plays out.

Another speaker, Francis Poppalardo stunned me when she said, “YOU WIN WITH YOUR HEART.” You open yours, and care -- that’s where trust begins. That’s where making a difference begins.

It’s emotion that knocks us off the fence of indecision. Declaring, cultivating and planting belief -- an emotional conviction -- is the launching pad for the life you want to live.

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STARTING MY OWN LEGACY LIST

11/9/2015

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What is my message?
What ripples am I putting out there and to what purpose?
Is my message one that will live beyond me?

Time is more valuable than any other gift I can receive or give. Time with the people I love -- and time to love the people I’ve yet to meet -- this is Number One on my Ripples Hit Parade.

You matter and I care. I’ve decided to adopt this message from a respected mentor. It’s not “I matter and you’re a pawn in my endgame.” One is transformational and one is merely transactional.

An open mind brings insight, perspective and discernment. An open heart yields harmony, compassion and loyalty -- and, of course, love. It’s best to expand both my mind and my heart.

Complain and become a magnet for discontent and isolation. Appreciate and become a magnet for generosity and empathy.

Ask “What life do I want to live?” Living a life I merely tolerate is a waste of life. "An unexamined life is not worth living." Socrates is attributed with these words after choosing death rather than exile from Athens or a commitment to silence. I commit to examining and expanding my life rather than settling for what someone else dictates.

Ask someone I care about “What life do you want to live?” Help someone peek from behind the blinders. Very few people are ever asked this question.

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WHAT COULD POSSIBLY BE GOOD ABOUT THIS?

11/3/2015

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“With everything that has happened to you, you can either feel sorry for yourself or treat what has happened as a gift. Everything is either an opportunity to grow or obstacle to keep you from growing. You get to choose.”
Way
This is a quote from the late Wayne Dyer. It arrived in my email with a story about a young girl who, despite a diagnosis that she would live out her life in a wheelchair, stood up and walked again after a couple of decades.

Lee and I ask ourselves, "What's happening now... How is this an opportunity to grow?" Paul S. Jenkins, Ph.D in his recent book, Pathological Positivity, challenges his readers to ask when faced with obstacles, "What could possibly be good about this?" (Note the question mark; if you put heat and an exclamation mark at the end -- entirely different meaning.)

Our lives are filled with hurdles. We decide whether we hit hard, fall down and stay there -- or fly over and keep going towards the life we truly want to be living. We choose whether we capture the opportunity to grow, or let it slip away.

I had the experience yesterday of choosing to adhere to my commitments to make calls, despite fatigue, apprehension about ailing family members, and an endless to-do list. Once I started, I had the sensation of flying through the calls. I booked three appointments and a follow-through in under 20 minutes. I had that sensation of flying over the hurdle. And my fatigue, worry and overwhelm made a hasty exit.

It's that power to choose that I often forget. The noise in my head drowns out the essential question: "How can I use what's happening to fuel my progress towards a life of calling my own shots, making lasting memories, and making a difference?"

What do I choose today? Growth or stagnation? More of the same -- or a life of my own design?

I get to choose.

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Susan is a published writer and motivational speaker with 20 years of experience, dedicated to guiding people to a life of financial invincibility and peace of mind.

UNEXPECTED WONDERS

FIRST YOU MUST BELIEVE IT CAN BE DONE>

STARTING MY OWN LEGACY LIST

WHAT COULD POSSIBLY BE GOOD ABOUT THIS?

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