Lifestyle

A rising tide lifts all ships ~ a time for giving thanks

Who inspires you?  Or, perhaps it's more accurate to recollect the many voices, faces, words, memories and lyrics that together have been able to lift you up to a fuller, more expanded version of who you are now.

It could be challenging to narrow it down to one singular person that is the sole inspiration for everything in our lives.  In my own experience I feel this is definitely the case.  I believe it takes several key individuals to help us rise to a greater potential.  As they say, No Man is an Island. 

Angel Wisdom for Living Your Purpose

Now more than ever people are asking heart-based questions. I personally find it fascinating because we are living in a day and age that our ancestors may never dreamed of living. We have the time and resources to actually think more deeply about the questions such as, Why am I here? What am I really meant to be doing? How can I help serve others?

Angel wisdom for managing time

Question: What is the Number 1 excuse used by people when it comes to procrastinating?

Hint: Think about yourself and the excuses you tend to use... and what tops your list?

Answer: The top of the list of excuses by far is feeling there isn't enough "time"in the day to do what we really want to do.

Money comes in second place. That topic I will save for a different blog article. But, for today, I am keeping with the vein of time and how it works seamlessly with genius.

There is a fantastic book written by Susan Cheever called American Bloomsbury. In it she looks at some of the greatest literary giants in American history. Focusing primarily on the "genius cluster" in Corncord, Massachusetts in the 1850s.

Connect with the angels of serendipity to courageously follow your own star

We've all seen it. We've all done it (or have been tempted to do it.) Someone inspires us. We might know them, meet them, hear about them, watch a live lecture or TV special about them. Regardless of how we come to know about this person they awaken something within us that wants to live the lifestyle they live.

Perhaps they have similar beliefs or talents to our own. They might even awaken creative juices inside that haven't been alive in years. We think....Wow! Look how successful they are. If I applied myself a bit more here and tweaked a few things over there I could do what they are doing.

Sounds easy, right? Well, not so fast. Let’s follow this all-too-common train of thought a bit further.

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The Art of Bringing Your Dreams to Life

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Did you know we are wired for expansion, growth and transformation? Even the Buddhist teachings share the wisdom of our innate human need for balance in our lives. It’s important to be grounded in gratitude AND keep reaching and expressing ourselves creatively.

The rub comes in when we get frustrated by feeling our “dream” life is too hard or difficult to reach. Our mind starts displaying a running screen of pitfalls, challenges, road blocks and obstacles to our path that we ultimately believe we can’t overcome.

But, is this really true? Stay with me for a few minutes as we look more closely at this all-t00-common dilemma and how you can overcome it.

You can have the balance and peace of mind you want

Without a doubt, the world is running at a faster pace than ever. We live in times where you can download, upload and “buy now” with little to no time delay. With all this instant gratification we are theoretically “freed up” to work on other, more important things that we desire.

But the big question is, are we able to easily unweave and untangle from this adrenaline rush and ease into balance and well-being?

Whether we like it or not, as a society we tend to pride ourselves on how many balls in the air we are able to juggle. In fact, we tend to wear it as a badge of honor. “Look how many tasks I can cram into an already full list?”

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Can you unplug for one whole day?

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How do you feel when you hear the word unplug? Does the thought of a one day media fast send you into a cold sweat? How about two days? A week? Just to be clear, when I refer to media I'm talking about the whole enchilada--phone, internet, social media, TV, movies, newspapers, books and articles. Are you starting to get the shakes like someone going through major withdrawals? Eye twitches. Cold sweats. Dry mouth. Muscles tensing up.

Or, are you on the flip side?

Where just the thought of going one day or several days without an invisible leash feels like you drew the prized Get Out of Jail Free card?

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Rethinking Simple Acts of Kindness

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Mahatma Gandhi is quoted as saying, "the simplest acts of kindness are by far more powerful than a thousand heads bowing in prayer." I don't know about you, but this made me pause and read it a second time. Personally, I like to keep things simple.  Like the motto of the Golden Rule states,  "Do unto others as you'd have done unto you."  

This is Not a Race, This is Your Life

Without a doubt, the world is running at a faster pace than ever. We live in times where you can download, upload and “buy now” with little to no time delay. With all this instant gratification we are theoretically “freed up” to work on other, more important things that we desire.

But the big question is, are we able to easily unweave and untangle from this adrenaline rush and ease into balance and well-being?

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A Story of Accidental Friendships

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Recently, I have been contemplating the fascinating and multi-layered dialogue around friendship. Mostly stimulated by the great memories I've recently experienced after re-uniting with friends I had made 22 years ago.  They are all European.  I was the only American in the group.  We all worked together in Reception at the Hotel Cheyenne at Disneyland Paris in 1995.

Why Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Mahatma Gandhi is quoted as saying, "the simplest acts of kindness are by far more powerful than a thousand heads bowing in prayer."  I don't know about you, but this made me pause and read it a second time.  We all know people who profess to be lovers of faith and devoted followers of a religion or philosophy they most resonate with. Some of these devotees are true models of compassion, kindness and love.  However, there are others whose actions are out of alignment with what they say.  All too excited to let us know scripture.  Yet... there is a cavalier judgement and critcism to their thinking that just doesn't feel right to us.  

How Much Fun Are You Really Having in Your Life?

Fun?  Who has time for fun? Isn't that something that is relegated to the weekends (if planned far enough out ahead of time?)  Or, something only young people can do before they join the real world?  You might be thinking, I'm an adult with a to-do list full of priority's that seriously need my attention and Fun is not on the list!  

Why You Shouldn't Count on the Lottery to Live the Life of Your Dreams

Have you ever noticed how most people you meet want to win the Lottery? They dream of the Big Win.  All troubles will be over, right?  Well...let's take an honest look at this concept of easy money and the accompanying trouble-free, fabulous lifestyle.  My own personal belief is it's not the actual money people want (yet, that is definitely a perk) it's the lifestyle the lottery winnings would bring.  

How I Embraced My Inner Creative and Entrepreneur

For years I struggled with the dilemma of wanting to allow my creative side to emerge more strongly.  Not that I didn't think I had some interesting creative talents waiting to sprout open... The main struggle came because I constantly wrestled with the prominent belief that I would never make any money doing creative work. 

How I Got Started With Tarot Card Readings

As most of you well know by now, I do A LOT of Tarot Card readings.  Now, if you asked me a year ago if I thought I would be doing them at the level I am now I would have told you, No Way!  Not because I haven't always held curiosity around Tarot cards.  The answer would have come from a major lack of self-confidence and the fear around being seen as too "woo-woo."

Do You Play the Zero Sum Game?

What's the Zero Sum game, you ask? Well... it's one you probably know very well, but didn't know the name for it.  This is the thinking behind thoughts of, There's only so much money. If I have something I really want then someone else goes without.  If I feel bad enough it will change a situation. If I'm sick enough, it will help someone else feel better. If I please myself, I disappoint you

Beware Destination Addiction!

Ahhhh... destinations!  So enticing. So addicting.  The more exotic the better, too. What could be more thrilling than an exciting getaway for a couple of weeks? New locale. New foods. New sights. New sounds. Excursion possibilities galore. Not having to worry about who is fixing meals--it's already prepared for you! The mental check-list starts tick, tick, ticking away. Camera. Phone. Charger. Clothes. Accessories. Money. Passport. Airline Tickets. Car rental or maintenance on current vehicle if it's a driving journey. Hats. Toiletries. Backpack. Reading material. Several styles of shoes (because you never know.) Swimsuit. Jacket. Gloves. Scarf... Depending on the destination our minds are feverishly imagining ourselves already there and going about our day.

Pondering The Friendly Universe Question...

Albert Einstein is known the world over for ground breaking theory's and ideas.  He literally revolutionized how scientist's today view space and time. I think it's fairly safe to say that almost everyone has heard of his famous formula E=mc2. I have always been intrigued by progressive thinkers. Most of them are dubbed "ahead of their time." Interestingly enough, I have also heard it said that these great thinkers and change agents are not ahead of their time. They are "of their time"--it's the rest of the population that is behind the times.

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Horses and Yoga and Centering, Oh My!

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Finding yourself tethered to the invisible leash of technology?  Are the shackles that bind you to the cyber-world feeling heavier and heavier by the day?  Who hasn't felt the strong pull of answering e-mails, texts, private messages, tweets, comments and phone messages immediately?  We live in amazing times, to be sure, where connecting to each other has never been easier.  Social media has ushered in an unprecedented era for reaching out.  Many of us are finely tuned gold medalists in keeping up with news feeds, buying all types of goods with a few clicks of the mouse, attending webinars, listening to podcasts, radio programs, watching Netflix and Skyping-- just to name a few.

Identity Crisis...(or, the cost of following someone else's dream)

We've all seen it.  We've all done it (or have been tempted to do it.)  Someone inspires us.  We might know them, meet them, hear about them, watch a live lecture or TV special about them.  Regardless of how we come to know about this person they awaken something within us that wants to live the lifestyle they live.  Perhaps they have similar beliefs or talents to our own.  They might even awaken creative juices inside that haven't been alive in years.  We think....Wow!  Look how successful they are.  If I applied myself a bit more here and tweaked a few things over there I could do what they are doing.  I mean they did it so who is to say I can't do it?

From here on out we become increasingly focused on learning the techniques that helped them achieve the success we want.  We become vigilant.