This is the platform where my innermost and heartfelt voice is shared publicly. And today my heart aches and  is sunken for the little children and the staff -- some parents themselves and brave teachers -- but especially the children whose innocent lives were shot short in the community of Newtown, Connecticut.

It's another tragic reality that we Americans have witnessed at the hands of a gunman. A gunman who in America found it easy enough to own a combat rifle. Then go out and use it, not for combat. For the murderous massacre of a kindergarten class tucked away in Newtown, CT.

Today, parents sent their children to one of America's institutions considered to be a safe haven for education... and they will never see their precious babies again.

GUNS DO NOT HAVE ANY REMISSIBLE PLACE IN OUR HANDS, OR IN OUR HOMES, OR IN OUR COMMUNITIES, OR IN OUR NATION!

But because there are organizations out there with loads of financial backup making loads of cash on weapons, we are told that these weapons will remain here whether we like it or not.

WHY CAN'T WE SAY ENOUGH AND STOP THEM DEAD IN THEIR TRACKS? Or how many more deadly tracks will follow in the wake of such tragedy? How many more gunmen will be allowed to take the lives of our loved ones -- of our most precious innocent lives?

I cry.  I pray.  I hold on to my faith. And for everyone suffering from this tragedy, I mourn with you.  I will do something about it starting with this here, my voice. And I encourage whoever reads this to join the many voices that will speak up to put an end to this incomprehensible right to sell and bear guns...THAT KILL.

Where do we start? I'm going to start by writing to our President, telling him we are done with guns and asking him to initiate legislation that removes guns from America for good. You could start there, too. Will you?

May perpetual light shine upon all the souls of those precious lives taken today by tragedy.

Until We Meet Again...

I was really moved by the recent passing of Jenni Rivera, the Mexican-American superstar of the genre Banda music.  No, I wasn't a die-hard fan.  As a matter of fact, I was not a fan at all.  It wasn't that I didn't like her, it was simply that the type of music she sang just isn't my taste.  But I knew of her, and I know people close to me that are big fans of her, and whenever I visit my mom and happen to catch a show of El Gordo y La Flaca or a television interview of Jenni Rivera I took an interest in her as a person and in her career. When I learned the news of her sudden death, I was first in disbelief. Speculation surrounding the circumstances of this tragedy swirled around in my thoughts. Then the confirmation made it real. In an instant she was gone.

Sixteen years ago today (on December 13, 1996) I experienced the loss of my father.  His death was also tragic in that no one had any forewarning.  He, like Jenni Rivera, was in another country when death came knocking.  I never got to say goodbye and the last time I had seen him was a few months before.  When the news hit our family, it shocked us all but affected us differently in that our personal relationship with him was individually distinct.  So much was left undone... unspoken... and some things even misunderstood. As for me, it was very hard to accept. I wanted to believe that when we arrived where my father was, I would see him possibly laying in a hospital bed at worst clinging to life, but not gone. Not laying on a cold steel table in next to nothing.  I had things I wanted to know, things I needed to say, things I needed to hear. But, seeing his body there listless already stone cold made it real.  In an instant, he too was gone.

My emotions come flooding back with the recollection of this memory.  I have since made peace with my father's passing. But, what the memory of this and the passing of Jenni Rivera does to me is bring me to the realization of the speckle of time we actually have to live; how suddenly we could be facing our last good-bye. One moment we are breathing, living, working, building relationships and in another moment we are gone. I know not all deaths are unexpected; some deaths are prolonged in instances of the progression of an illness (like my Aunt Rosa whom I loved so dearly and succumbed to cancer), but it doesn't take away the impression that death leaves us with -- sadness, loss, pain and emptiness. And for some the thought of "when it happens to me."

Recently my husband also lost his father -- his friend, his protector, his role model. My husband no longer lives in the country where his family resides, as such distance too played a role in this deep loss, as well as the words which were left unspoken and the inability to see him before his parting. And so it seems that apart from having to deal with the feeling and emotions we are left with individually, there is that ominous reality that we too will have to leave our loved ones to contend with our own mortality.

And if we know this, coupled with what we have experienced with our own departed loved ones it should not be stringent upon us to live each and everyday as it were our last good-bye.  The thought of all this is morbid, I know. Death is the last thing on our mind when we have responsibilities to tend to and problems to solve day in and day out.

All in all, I guess what I am attempting to get across is not that we should be anticipating death, rather we should be embracing life and the people in our lives closest to us should be imparted with the knowledge that we love them deeply, that we care for them dearly... and that if today were our last good-bye, it would be okay.

Something to think about...

In loving memory of my beloved father: Joe P. Aldana (Feb.20, 1930-Dec. 13, 1996)

In loving memory of my beloved aunt:  Rosa (Rosita) Diaz (Sep 1946-Apr 1999)

In memory of my husband's beloved father: Raymond Lowe (Sep. 24, 1926-Aug. 27, 2012)

And in loving memory of your departed loved ones.

These departed souls will forever remain a part of us.  Until we meet again.


Please feel free to leave me a comment below and provide your feedback. I would love to hear from you.

Have You Ever Been Moved... Just By Nothing At All

     Can you recall ever having a moment where something out of nowhere pops into your mind and stirs something up inside of you -- a song, a line from a movie, maybe even something out of the blue that is necessarily nothing at all?  In an instant your soul is moved.  You can't explain it, but the feeling is familiar yet unknown.  This happens to me frequently, and most recently as this morning.

     I can say that almost daily I arise out of bed with a musical tune in my head. Sometimes, I have the lyrics all wrong, but the tune keeps playing over and over in my head.  One day I thought, "what if I looked up the song and found the true lyrics?  There could be a message in the song that is meant for me to hear."  As it turns out, I discovered there was something kind of eerie, but energetically powerful in the message -- by now I should say the 'messages' -- that are downloaded from the music playing in my head. This occurs with every song.  This morning it was none other than a doo-wop tune that all I could remember of the lyrics was something to the effect of "watoosy."  I had no inclination or knowledge whatsoever of what this song sang about, but it kept repeating over and over. Thank God for Google search and YouTube because I was able to do some sleuthing until I came up with "Wah-Watusi" the song that wouldn't give over in my head since I had woke up. There I am in the kitchen fixing my morning coffee, listening to this tune --really listening to it -- and I get the sudden urge to start dancing. More incredible were the cold, fuzzy goosebumps I got when I started to do the twist and I was instantly welling up with tears -- the emotion in my heart was of warm joy and melancholy, a feeling of past and gone; and I wasn't alone in that moment.  I had a feeling of being in the presence of love as I danced along with it.

Lyrics for Wah-Watusi (sung by THE ORLONS)

Wah, Wah-a Watusi

C'mon and take a chance and get-a with this dance

Wah, wah-a Watusi

Oh, baby, it's the dance made-a for romance (shoo-bop, shoo-bop, ahh)

Baby, baby, when you do The Twist

Never, never do you get yourself kissed

'cause you're always dancin' far apart

The Watusi, girl, is-a really smart

Wah-a, wah, wah-a Watusi

C'mon and take a chance and get-a with this dance (shoo-bop, shoo-bop, ahh)

Baby, baby, when you do The Fly

Your arms are wasted wavin' in the sky

Come on and hold me like a lover should

The Watusi makes you feel so good

Wah-a, wah, wah-a Watusi

Oh, baby, it's the dance made-a for romance

Yay!! (shoo-bop, shoo-bop, ahh)

Baby, baby, that's the way it goes

Nothing happens when you Mash Potatoes

I just gotta fall in love with you

Watusi is the dance to do

Wah-a, wah, wah-a Watusi

C'mon and take a chance and get-a with this dance

Wah, wah-a Watusi

Oh, baby, it's the dance made-a for romance

Wah-a, wah, wah-a Watusi

C'mon and take a chance and get-a with this dance

Wah!

     It may sound crazy to the nonbelievers and skeptics of past life percepts reading this, but this is the thought that took over me. I've always had an interest and liking for the doo-wop 50's - early 60's era ever since I was a child.  In my teenage years while my friends were listening to the new age music of the decade, I was recording and playing songs from Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, the Supremes, the Drifters, Richie Valens, the Dell Vikings, the Crests, Ronettes, Coasters and the Platters -- the list goes on. Even back then I wondered if it was at all possible I came from a past life of poodle skirts and pony tails (to this day I'll pull my hair back in a pony tail). To fathom an idea like that back then was considered just too weird and somewhat on the brink of supernatural, so I kept it to myself until adulthood. Not to get sidetracked and go off subject, however this isn't the only era I am intrigued by though; I have a strong interest in the 1600's, the 1800's Victorian era -- I've even had dreams that take me back to that time. I have always been fascinated by the British, also going back to when I was a child (it's no wonder I'm married to a Brit). So, what if this morning's tune was brought to me as a message from the past; not as in a past from a few years ago -- I am referring to a past life! It would make sense to me then why I was overwhelmed with emotion when I played the song and began dancing to it. Who was there with me? Who was sending me this message? "C'mon and take chance, and get-a with this dance!"

     Last week my husband and I treated ourselves to movie night and it should come to no surprise that I chose to watch Cloud Atlas -- right?  Of course, I did. Thinking back to the movie, its theory whispers in connection with my encounter of this morning. Could I have been channeled from beyond, from another space in time where I too once existed in body, mind and soul?  According to the movie, our being evolves through space and time and occupies a human body that transforms over time from one existence to another, but the soul remains the same.  It keeps a DNA different and separate from human DNA.  We can switch from gender to race as our soul evolves and passes through space and time.  In the process we meet those same souls who have partnered in our journey throughout different lifetimes -- they show up to continue where we left off from one lifetime to another.  But what happens when a soul journey reaches its plateau and it no longer returns? Well, I do think that was my visit from this morning. They can still reach us from beyond, watching over us and reassuring us with signs and feelings of deja vu, flashbacks or a familiar, longing reminiscence of a period long ago. 

"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."  -- 2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV

     I know this subject is controversial to some people in that it takes on the metaphysical, and perhaps to others plays a little bit with the occult. However, that is not my focus here. It is the connection we as humans experience intuitively with a practical knowledge of an existence of something we are not able to pinpoint -- in human nature, of nothing at all. Because, as I said before it is unnatural and unknown, yet so very familiar all at once. The next time you are moved to feeling inexplicable emotions of overwhelming joy and love, it may not be out of the blue -- it may very well be a whisper from another time in space. Perhaps a jog of memory from a time beyond this one. So, remember, wah-a watusi, c'mon and take a chance and get-a with this dance!

ON THIS NOTE:  Never be afraid to explore the inexplicable moments of profound sense of feelings or emotions, there just might be a reason for these encounters. Sometimes by giving into these emotions, we discover something about ourselves that could help us navigate through whatever it is we are going through in this VERY moment.


I hope this blog motivates at least one person to find their courage and start moving toward making their dream come true!

Please feel free to leave me a comment below and provide your feedback. I would love to hear from you.

Is There A Bully In Your Head?

We all know what bullying is.  Most everyone is familiar with the story gone viral of Karen Klein, the school bus monitor who was grotesquely bullied and taunted by a group of kids during their bus route in upstate New York.  Because of the focus through mainstream media, it is more common to see children playing the roles in bullyism at either side of the spectrum (the bully vs. the victim). But bullying is not a new epidemic. In fact, bullies have always existed and in all age groups, i.e., growing up in school, in the place of employment, on the roads, and even in the home. Truth is, bullies are not just kids, they are grown-ups as well. And bullies don't just torment others. They torment themselves, too! Which raises the question:  Are you a victim of your own self-bully?

As ridiculous as it may seem, or not, the thing is when we criticize our own self, put ourselves down, punish ourselves and place fear into our very lives, we too are being bullies; but in the moment that we are going at it against ourselves, it may not appear that way.   And if we take a closer look at the way we are treating our own self and how we are reacting, we might actually discover there does exist a bully in our midst -- in our very own mind!



Being judgmental, being critical, being unkind to ourselves is in no way positive behavior. How many times have you made a mistake and called yourself an idiot? Have you ever told yourself you couldn't accomplish something because you weren't good enough? Do you ever look at yourself in the mirror and point out flaws in yourself?  When the voice in your head makes you feel inadequate or inferior, that's the bully talking in your head. So how do you make it stop?

LET IT GO!

There are many reasons why we criticize, not just others, but sadly enough ourselves. And getting to the core of what triggers that harsh criticism is the first step in stopping the bully. Before you take another stab at yourself, try to internalize the harm you are causing to your own well being by understanding the pain behind it. Many times we forget that our negative behavior towards our own selves was patterned in our upbringing and we continue the punishment. Instead, stop the punishing behavior and let go of the fault and the blame. By letting go you forgive, and by forgiving you move on from the situation or circumstance that for so long caused you to be mean to yourself. Imagine you are carrying a suitcase full of baggage -- heavy, laden with all the things you dislike -- then imagine you setting it down and leaving it behind as you continue on your path. You have let it go. You feel lighter.  It's behind you now.  And you no longer have to criticize yourself about it nor put yourself down over it. The harm is over. The bully stayed with the baggage. In the place of a bully, you will make space for self-love.




Karen Klein is a perfect example of how to STOP the bully in its tracks through the power of love and compassion. Her story actually had a good and positive ending. Even though she was the victim of external bullying, her reaction was to let it go. She didn't bully back -- she let it go. Fighting with the bullies would have only made the situation go from bad to worse, but instead her calmness and her tolerant reaction towards them brought about empathy and compassion from other people. The actions of those bullies were no match for the love that overpowered their indignant behavior. What Karen Klein is doing now with all the outpouring of support she received in order to help raise awareness and stop the practice of bullying everywhere, is a magnificent testament to the power of LOVE.



If there is a bully in your head, tell it goodbye. Let go of the baggage triggering the painful behavior or practice, and when you do, the bully will also be left behind.

On this Note:  No longer create space for the bully in your head to continue the harm. Let it go. Let love take its place. Be kind to yourself, and kindness towards others becomes second nature.

I hope this blog motivates at least one person to find their courage and start moving toward making their dream come true!

Please feel free to leave me a comment below and provide your feedback. I would love to hear from you.

FOR BETTER OR FOR WORST - Ten Years Later

     Today is my 10th Wedding Anniversary! I have to be honest and say that while I'm pretty happy to have made it this far, it hasn't been a walk in the park with songbirds, sunny days and flowers in bloom. Uh...no. It certainly didn't start out that way either. There have definitely been some ups and downs, days when we were ready to throw in the towel and call it a day. But, all in all, it's a testament to our committed relationship that our marriage has stood the test of ten long years together. 

     I remember the day like it was yesterday. It was going to be a romantic wedding getaway in beautiful, tropical Oahu, Hawaii. I wasn't nervous or jittery, it all felt right. As a matter of fact that afternoon we went over to the hotel bar and toasted to our upcoming nuptials which were to take place on the beach during the evening sunset. The day before, however, was a whole other scenario. On the day we arrived my then-fiancé's wallet was stolen at the restaurant where we had our dinner. He inadvertently left it on the table as we got up to leave. He turned back 30 seconds later and it was gone -- cash, credit cards and vouchers; not to mention identification (thank God we had already applied for our marriage license). There went half of our cash and the means by which we had planned to close the deal. After discussing the setbacks and consequences of what this meant, including calling off the wedding, we decided that this was not going to get in the way of what we planned to be the happiest day in our lives together. So we went for it. He ironed out all the details and smoothed out the wrinkles. We got married at sunset as planned.

     I should've taken heed of what this ordeal could have possibly meant for our future -- it was definitely some kind of omen. I would be lying if I said the entire ceremony went without a hitch. Even though it was a lovely setting and a touching ceremony, little things did go wrong up until the reception dinner ended. But it was finally over, and we spent the next 3 days enjoying the rest of our trip as best we could. We've been through quite a bit since then, but like any other marriage it has been time tested. We've had homes, lost homes, had businesses, lost business, made money, lost money, made good memories, made bad memories. But when I step back to look at the big picture of what this marriage has painted, I realize that going through the tough times has made us stronger and willing to persevere in the midst of adversity. It seems easier at times to just give up, but for a couple like us who have pushed through all kinds of obstacles, that's just not in our nature.


     I think we knew what we were in for, especially after that night when the wedding had been ill-fated, that this was pretty much how it was going to be from now on. But just like we made the decision 10 years ago to not let anything get in our way no matter how bad it appeared, we use that same determination to not let the bad moments get in the way of standing by one another. It would be too easy a choice to say it's over. We're not the type to give in so easily, and when we face things that appear to divide us, there is something more powerful at work keeping us together -- it's TRUST.  No matter how bad things get, I can always trust that he's going to be right there by my side for better or for worse -- even if worse seems at times to prevail far more times than better. I trust that better is catching up now.

On This Note:  HAPPY 10TH ANNIVERSARY TO MY BELOVED HUSBAND! THANK YOU FOR STANDING BY MY SIDE NO MATTER WHAT ♥

I hope this blog motivates at least one person to find their courage and start moving toward making their dream come true!

Please feel free to leave me a comment below and provide your feedback. I would love to hear from you.

Dream it or Do it? After the Vision Board -- When to Take Action and When To Let Go.

   We've all heard of it. We may even have all done it -- a VISION BOARD. The thing where you cut up and create from pictures, magazine clippings, words and letters and assemble them together to form your dream vision of your future. Somehow, by taking the action to draft our dream out on a board (or wall, as I did), it will assist in the manifestation of becoming a reality.  But, here's the real deal. You can't just put your dream up on a vision board. It's not a magic lamp with a genie hiding behind it that hears your wishes and then Poof! makes them come true.  A vision board is only the first step in making it possible. A vision board helps with materializing what you desire by associating the thought with a picture of what you want thereby conjuring up the feeling of what it would be like to have it as though it were already real.  It goes in line with the Law of Attraction.  But LOA says you don't stop here. You have to keep doing; although, there are rest stops along the way. How do you know when to rest and when to do? When to control and when to let go? That is the burning question.

   I have worked on my vision board, my daughters have worked on their visions boards, even my son has worked on his vision board. It was something that when I discovered I immediately wanted to share with my entire family and friends. Make a long story short, some of the visions have come to fruition, some not quite as intended, and others I'm still waiting on. Going through this process, however, I learned about do-be. The first step was simple.  I put up my dream vision on a wall, a particular wall that I had to look at every day because it was right next to my boudoir mirror. So, every morning I got up, said my affirmations and ingested my vision -- I would take in every image and put myself in it visually, read the words, and felt it as though it were my reality. I'd smile and be grateful. Then, after 5 minutes of that, I went on with the usual business of life. But, everytime I entered the bedroom, there was my giant-sized vision wall to remind me. Stop. Rewind.  "I would take in every image and put myself in it visually, read the words, and felt it as though it were my reality. I'd smile and be grateful. Then, after 5 minutes of that, I went on with the usual business of life..." Yep, that's what I did - went on with the usual business of life. Sure, I did want my vision to become my reality, but wishing upon a vision board wasn't the only thing I had to do to make it come true. Going about my usual business would only keep creating my usual business -- there was no genie to make my wish come true based on a picture on a wall. I had to take action -- an active role in moving the energy around me towards what I wanted in order to begin the process of aligning all the possibilities in the direction of my dream -- kind of like 'putting all your ducks in a row'.

      So here's the part I've been building up to. Once you have the vision in mind, and you are certain that is what you want, it's fine to put it on a vision board.  In fact, I love vision boards, but you also need to put yourself out there and start working towards those visions. It doesn't have to be hard labor. It just has to be fueled by some motivation in order to move you in the direction of what you want. For instance, if you want to win the lottery. Sure, put it up on your vision board, even the amount you want to win. But if you just do that and wait for the lottery authorities to call you and tell you you've won, well, that's not really going to happen. You have to go out and purchase a ticket!

Go out and purchase a ticket for the dream that you have.

   What if what you want is a new home, or a better job -- a job that pays you for doing what you love, or a partner that is compatible with you?  All these dreams are attainable with just a bit more effort on your part.  Let's take the job as an example. We have a picture on our vision board of that perfect job we want to be doing and earning money by. The next step is to begin working actively towards it. Either you apply for the job, or you go back to school, or you put yourself in the role of performing the job; it's the next step of actually placing your energy into the manifestation process. Work at it for awhile until you have reached that point where you don't really know in which direction to take the next step. Stop right there to just Be. There always comes a time when we have become so invested, doing all the things that are required, becoming so busy and consumed with the ideas and the work, that we lose sight of the thing (the vision) that drove us here. That is the moment where you must sit back, take a break and let the energy flow. Just let the energy flow where it needs to go with out any control from you. You have taken the iniative, you have done the work, now let it be. You will be picking up where you left off in no time at all because the Universe will bring it all together for you at just the right time. And when opportunity comes knocking on your door, perhaps that ideal partner or that perfect house, you will be alert and ready to answer it because you won't be all caught up in the nature of things that do not serve you: the stress, the worries, the doubts, the what ifs, etc. You won't be distracted by those thoughts because you are aware that you are doing the work and then letting go...


Imagine the ocean in a
thunderstorm, it goes wild as it takes in the rain from the heavens, then when the storm subsides, the ocean turns calm, reaching the shoreline with its subtle bold waves just rolling in with rythmic beauty exactly where they are supposed to. The rain and the ocean become one.
And so will you with your dream.

   Believe. Feel. Do. Be. Then enjoy the rythm of do - be - do - be - do - be!

On This Note:  Stop getting in the way of making your dreams come true and go with the flow. Allow the energy to move and transform into what you want to create.

I hope this blog motivates at least one person to find their courage and start moving toward making their dream come true!

Please feel free to leave me a comment below and provide your feedback. I would love to hear from you.

Is Collective Consciousness Striking Morale In the Workplace?

(Image: Jack Layton's Final Words)

The conversation recently came up about the morale of employees. It seems that there are a lot of people working who simply don’t have the motivation to perform at their best capacity on the job. They are unhappy, they work slower, they may even have a sour attitude towards their bosses, their coworkers, and if they are in customer service, unfortunately, it is displayed onto the customer. It’s a vicious cycle. The mood being projected is being circulated like a revolving door – enter the lower vibrations until it reaches everyone in range. How can it be stopped? Better yet, how can we boost our own energy to one that vibrates on a more positive level? We need to filter and purify the energy around us that serves as the collective consciousness.

First, it is important to recognize some of the reasons at the root of overall job dissatisfaction. I look at the big picture and see it has been fueled by all kinds of contributing factors that began to take place in the late 1990’s. So much has been thrown into the simmering pot until it finally reaches its boiling point. Must we wait until the pot boils over in order to do something about it? That’s usually the popular course – people do not take action until the breaking point has been reached; until something drastic occurs that sets people in motion to act. Yet, here we are collectively falling prey to the effects of the crisis happening all around us, still. Let’s visit part of the past that I feel brought us here and take a look at the bigger picture together:

9/11 – can’t speak about it enough; we will never forget;

War – fighting terrorism, fighting for reasons that government led us to believe were necessary for the defense of our national security, but rather turns out the raison d'être was greed and politics;

The Housing Bubble – housing prices soared, uncensored loans, market crashed, homes lose value;

Unemployment – businesses laid off people to cut back; we see a trend in outsourcing to foreign countries, although some businesses opted to cut pay/salaries to save from laying people off;

Banks – it's no secret that the financial crisis was brought on by the banks funding bogus loans that eventually would make them even more money; it didn’t help that the government bailed them out when they should have all faced justice like the criminals within the 99% do;

That left…

The People – that would be the 99% who went to work every day to live the American Dream, raising a family, paying their bills and believing that the banks would help them, somehow, reach the dream; those who lost it to 9/11, or war, or the housing bubble, or unemployment, or to the banks, or to all of it… were left.

Nothing in life is to be feared,

It is only to be understood.

-- Marie Curie

This is only the tip of the iceberg touching on these events, in my view, which led to where we are now as a whole. I'm not saying that every single person in the 99% is a direct victim of the above, but collectively we do become affected and it touches us all on a different level. Think about all those people who were going to work, who were motivated to get that promotion, to buy that home, to provide for their family and send their kids to college – they had hope. They thought that their 401k plans would be there for the long-haul so that they could enjoy retirement. They thought that purchasing their home was a wise investment worth working for. They thought that working long hours for a corporation would one day pay off.

The deception slowly started to rise to the surface, the web of lies unraveling, the transparency of the cheating banks getting away with fraud while people lost their homes, their livelihood, their dignity and their dreams. It has come to a point where people who are lucky enough to have a job, or re-enter the job market, are hanging by a thread. These people are trying to recover what they lost, trying to find hope in a new dream. Those once eager to go to work in the morning or at the beginning of a shift with promise for a brighter future were in a sense betrayed; now, they are waking up every morning to face a reality that for some a light at the end of the tunnel just isn't visible.

So, is it difficult to understand why the person behind the cash register is not greeting you with a friendly smile or why the employee is disgruntled at work for having to work longer hours with more duties and less pay – a pay that won’t cover the bills, the fuel, the food on the table? Perhaps they work two or three jobs just to make ends meet. Forget about retirement. Forget about sending their kids to college. Forget about buying that home – they probably had one and then lost it to a bank. All they want is to regain their life, their dignity, to get back a piece of that security they once knew. And what about their children who had to grow up watching their parents go through this? Suddenly their worlds fell apart, too. Now they are teenagers or young adults and lost because family ties were severed and they became disconnected, whether as a result of direct stress from the war, 9/11, loss of home, income or health or indirect pressure resulting from these events -- chaos erupted. No one was there to help because everyone in the 99% were sinking, while the 1% were too busy hanging on to their money. There is really no sense of security among people anymore.

Here we are now, at the culmination of unhappy, disgruntled, unmotivated employees. We shouldn’t complain. We should do something about it. We shouldn’t criticize. We should be compassionate. We shouldn’t castigate. We should motivate, provide encouragement and offer incentives for better job performance. We need to value people more, show them respect, and not expect more than we are willing to give in return. We need to begin training people to do service unto others, not seek self-gratification. It starts at work, at school, at home, at places of public domain -- it starts within each and every one of us.

It is time to think differently and begin lending a hand out instead of holding it back. It is no one single person’s fault. Wherever the string came loose, it has been done and grave consequences have been suffered by many. Let’s focus on bringing back harmony into the workplace by working together towards creating an environment of peace and respect and strive for a new fellowship that serves one another. People in positions of leadership and management should take the initiative to begin a movement in the workplace that will shine some light of hope. It begins with one person to focus on the good in order to change the energy and raise its vibration where instead of everyone falling to the level of lower frequencies, we rise collectively to meet those higher frequencies. And together, we will rise again and put some smiles back on our faces, and a new dream in sight. We cannot say that we are not affected; collectively we are, and collectively we can create change for a brighter tomorrow.

On This Note:  Everyday we have an opportunity to make someone smile back at us.

I hope this blog motivates at least one person to find their courage and start moving toward making their dream come true!

Please feel free to leave me a comment below and provide your feedback. I would love to hear from you.

Recipe For A Good Life



THIS RECIPE IS MEANT FOR SHARING

"Bottomless Good Life"

1 Peaceful Mind
1 Heartful of Love
1 Big Heaping Scoop of Laughter
1 Mouthful of Kind Words
Unlimited Amount of Compassion
Hugs and Kisses to Desired Amount

Recipe tastes best with all natural, organic ingredients. Add your own choice of spices and sweetness as desired.

     I was listening to a radio show today where the guest was discussing ways to map out your life to be happy, reach your goals and become successful.  Somewhere along the conversation she brought up a very interesting metaphor about having a recipe to reach goals.  If she gave a group of ten people a generic recipe for success, she said, everyone would follow the basic recipe, but most would substitute or add or remove a few of the ingredients to make it their own.  This got me thinking. Living life is like cooking a dish.  And we're all invited to the potluck. 

     The more I thought about it, the more I realized that if I were to share my recipe for a good life, some people may make it gourmet, some would make it more simple, while still others might add their own cultural flair to it, but everyone will have created a Good Life dish that for the most part had the same ingredients, just that the flavors of each one would be slightly different.  A Good Life whipped up according to each person's tastebuds.


     Life can taste as good as you want it to.  The more quality ingredients you add to your Good Life dish, the better it's going to taste.  The more love and sweetness you pour into it, the more  happiness you're going to get out of it.  The more compassion, service and kindness you mix in, the more satisfaction and fulfillment you will receive in return.  Make sure to balance the dish out with enough hugs and kisses and your recipe will be award-winning. 

    


     Just thought I'd give you some food for thought.  What kind of life are you cooking up?  Is it a recipe your loved ones will want to hand down from generation to generation?  If so, share it with us and be generous with it -- recipes like this should not be kept secret.  Our world needs more Good Life passed around, and everyone is hungry for some. 

     Bon Appetit! And raise your glass to a delicious serving of Good Life.
    

On This Note:  If you have a gift for cooking delicious meals, share your dishes with your local shelter or church.  There are so many hungry children and adults who depend on these locations for their next meal. 

I hope this blog motivates at least one person to find their courage and start moving toward making their dream come true!

Please feel free to leave me a comment below and provide your feedback. I would love to hear from you.

The Power Behind Your Thoughts

    
     A penny for your thoughts.  Those composed arrangements swirling around in our minds have been the subject of books, plays and song.  We give them credibility by aligning them with a feeling.  We rely on them to act.  Without them we would be a blank slate.  Thoughts are the source of ideas and the energy behind creation. So, if a thought can fuel the engine that keeps us running, maybe we should think twice about what we ARE actually thinking about.

     Most thoughts come and go as quickly as we conjure them up.  Some of them, especially the ones that deal with our current situation, keep coming back around; even keep us awake at night.  Others are thoughts of dreams and things we'd like to achieve, but see them as far from reach. So how important are these thoughts we have?  First, let's break down what a thought actually is. As best as I can define, a thought is made up a preconceived idea or belief.  It is then affirmed by a feeling we have attached to it.  The definition of a thought as found on dictionary.com is:  the product of mental activity; that which one thinks. In quantum physics, one might say a thought is made up of particles and energies conceived from a stream of events sending electric waves of data to the brain which serves as the decoder for a thought to arise. It's how I sum it up anyways -- please correct me if I'm wrong.  I tried to find a more simplified definition from the man himself Deepak Chopra, but honestly I wasn't in the mood to click and rummage through 10,0000+ Google hits. 

     What I  did come to the conclusion was that if our thoughts are arranged from everything we have lived through, learned about, and even brainwashed by, then we can control what we think.  We are who we are and where we are because of our thoughts.  We have external factors, of course, predisposed upon us as part of life, but how we experience those factors, and what we create as a result of them, are simply made up by the thoughts that we have.  For instance, growing up without a father, is one thing, but when a fact such as he abandoned his children or he died from a terrible disease is introduced to the child, the thoughts revolving around the absence of the father creates a very personal experience to that child which more likely than not will bare a significant influence on the decisions, actions and reactions in the life ahead. The thoughts will revolve around not having had a father growing up for whatever reason made it a fact, thus creating a life forged by thoughts and executing feelings and emotions behind them.  There is great power behind your thoughts.

     Earlier I mentioned that we can control what we think -- but only when we realize that thoughts are a product of what we believe, or want to believe.  Let's take the fatherless child who may have suffered through childhood without a father.  Once everything the child knows about why dad was not around is dealt with and released, the thoughts associated with not having a father growing up will begin to dissolve because no longer is the child, perhaps now an adult, attached to being fatherless -- the emotions and the feelings begin to heal. Thoughts change, perhaps comforting ones begin to prevail and a new set of thoughts are introduced, in this case happier ones.   The external factors are still there, but the internal feelings attached to one's thoughts no longer follow the pattern of suffering, all because of a change in thinking.

     Everything you are reading now has come from my thoughts conceived by what I have come to know, lived and experienced, influenced by what and who I read, and what I believe.  These are my thoughts, and I choose to introduce positive thinking because its simply better to rationalize the life around me in that manner, than to have negative thought patterns surround me.  It brings to mind a quote from Dr. Wayne W. Dyer's book There's A Spiritual Solution To Every Problem, "I'd rather have this, than that."  It encompasses the idea that in any given situation where something has gone terribly wrong, I can choose to observe, accept and experience it with a positive mind that will give me the strength and courage to face the test rather than be succumbed by pain, misery and live in a state of destitution all because I attached it to a negative feeling and emotion.   No matter what, the fact remains, but how I rise from it will be a result of how my thoughts carry me through. 

If you think this is the way it has always been and dare not challenge that thought, then it will always be so; unless you think you can change it from what you have always known it to be.

     The power behind your thoughts is immense.  You can rise or fall, win or lose, succeed or fail; you may even experience all of these things simply because of the power of your thoughts.  It has been discussed at length in the Law of Attraction, introduced to millions in The Secret, and written for centuries in the Bible stories, myths and taught by great philosophers. This is not a new age way of thinking and certainly not a new discovery -- it is and always has been known that the mind thinks before we speak, before we act, before we create.  How you think, however, is simply up to you. Where will your thoughts take you today and lead you tomorrow? Yes, that's it!  Only good thoughts from now on.  Remember, as you think, so shall you be (as paraphrased and quoted by many before me).

On This Note:  You are powerful beyond measure, so be generous with loving thoughts and observe all the beauty you will materialize.

I hope this blog motivates at least one person to find their courage and start moving toward making their dream come true!

Please feel free to leave me a comment below and provide your feedback. I would love to hear from you.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

"Mary, Mary, quite contrary,

how does your garden grow?

with silver bells and cockle shells

and pretty maids all in a row."

     This eighteenth century English lyric was once a favorite of mine as a child.  I had a thick hardcover book of poems from a collection of the World Book Encyclopedia set, and this rhyme, to me, had a fun, flowing jingle to it when I read it.  Although, I had no idea what it meant or the supposed reference to Mary Queen of Scots at the time. 

     But even so, though knowing a bit about its history, that's not what it brings to mind now.  It comes to mind because it reminds me to examine my own personal garden. As I stop to contemplate the words of the poem itself, I realize that just like Mary is quite contrary, there is a revealing aspect of my own self spoken in those words.  Noticing where I have gone against my true feelings in order to go along with popular culture rather than vice versa, I neglected the sanctity of my very own personal garden. 

     Earth is a garden of souls, with each soul inhabiting life and growing their own gardens.  Some souls have spoiled their own gardens and look onto others' and try tending to those instead.  Some souls have just let their gardens dry up, while on the opposite side of the spectrum some have flourished and thrived enough to share their supple crops with anyone who so desires.  Where does my garden fall into?  Where does yours?

     Well, I started out planting seeds that were true to me, and along the way I took a peek at my neighbors' and friends' garden and began to envy some of their crops so I may have taken some of their seeds to grow in my garden; only to discover that because they were seeds that were not a part of my nature, they either refused to grow or wilted when they did. As I left that behind me and replanted my garden, this time I went with what I thought was good for me, still trying to fit in.  The garden grew, I achieved some plentiful crops, but I never stored any for a  rainy day.  When I came across a bad season, I had nothing to fall back on. My garden was empty, dry, and the soil was no good for planting more.  This is where the refrain of "You reap what you sow" comes to mind. 

     So how does my garden grow now?  By experiencing all the varied seasonal temperaments over the course of so many years (lets not say how many), I have learned the ups and downs of tending to the garden of my life.  I have learned how to enrich the soil, and know how important it is to keep weeds at bay, water it as needed, never overdoing it, and making sure it has plenty of sunlight with just enough shade and cover from the harsh weather.  Some people are natural born gardeners.  I am definitely not one of them.  Or was I... but maybe somewhere along the way I must have decided to rely on a modified and artificially produced way of living that I forgot how to?  Well, I am back to the basics.  It turns out that when it comes to my garden, I happen to be growing it just as I like it -- planting what is good for me, and harvesting all the wonderful naturally grown rewards from it.  And yes, I now remember to store a portion of those for when the seasons don't necessarily behave as expected.

     I realize I talk a lot about life and its ups and downs, and how I apply different metaphors with the same twist and turns on life.  But let's face it, life is the biggest mystery of all, and we all have that in common -- we are living it, and for the most part we are trying to live it as best we could. That's why I write about it.  And this time around, I choose to describe life as a garden.  After all, it is true that we reap what we sow, and even a rosebush can be admired with all its thorns... okay, maybe this last one doesn't quite apply to what I'm trying to explain here, but nevertheless, my life garden does have a few rosebushes growing in it!  How does your garden grow?

On This Note:  The richness of your life will spring forth from the seeds you plant in the garden which you grow. 

 I hope this blog motivates at least one person to find their courage and start moving toward making their dream come true!

Please feel free to leave me a comment below and provide your feedback. I would love to hear from you.

Is it Fate or is it Destiny?

     One of my favorite all time movie is one where Gwyneth Paltrow's character is divided between two scenarios which ultimately lead to the same outcome -- Sliding Doors.  The movie takes you on a train ride that relies on a one-second window of opportunity, or should I say sliding door, to either disembark or remain on her journey.  Her journey is altered by the happenstance of outer circumstances and her own choices.  When the movie ends you cannot help but to look at your own life through the clear glass panes of sliding doors.

     How do you determine what is fate and what is destiny?  I pondered this throughout my life, wondering if I should believe in one or the other, or whether such a thing even existed. Maybe life was meant to be a mystery and to question it would be sacrilegious.  I admit that I spent half of my adult life not knowing, relying on faith-based religion to answer my prayers all the while navigating through every day life on my own account and beliefs that I had acquired -- like baggage -- along the way.  That was my journey, but was there a purpose to all of this?  The burning question lingered.  Just like the movie, Sliding Doors, revealed: the outcome would be met no matter what circumstances played out. It would be better to dump the baggage and travel light.

There's a Divinity that shapes our ends, Rough-hew them how we will.
(Hamlet, 5.2) Hamlet to Horatio

     Years later, I now understand fate and destiny to be like this:  fate is predetermined and destiny is arbitrary.

     My belief is that we enter into this world to embark on a journey that is paved by the choices we make which ultimately leads us to a place of fulfillment.  We all have a destination, a fate we will ultimately face, but the experiences we enjoy, or not, while on the journey, is the destiny we create by the actions we take, the reactions we have, the choices we make...

Our wills and fates do so contrary run That our devices still are overthrown; Our thoughts are ours, their ends none of our own.
(Hamlet, 3.2.208), Player King 

     So next time you wonder whether life was supposed to happen to you this way, perhaps ponder this. Yes, you have a purpose, and you are on your way there. Was it supposed to happen like this? That, my friend, is entirely up to you.  It is the destiny which has been unraveled based on your beliefs, your decisions, your desires and your thoughts.  The outcome, good or bad, will be perceived by your state of mind at the end of your journey.  Can you credit yourself with having paved the best route possible, or could you have made a better one?  If you're reading this, clearly there is still time to reach your final destination - your fate -  onward a more scenic route - your destiny, because the latter is in your hands, the former was decided in another realm I dare say.  The map you were handed was marked with only an "X" with the rest to be filled in by you.  Many have tried to tempt the hands of fate, only to discover it is inevitable, but you do have a say in your destiny because it is marked by free-will.

     How are you going to draw the directions that get you there?  As for me, now that I am aware I can take as many trains as I want, or perhaps miss a train or two, and still fulfill my purpose in life, I'm going to pay more attention to the journey.  At the end of the journey, I will have reached my own fate but travelled the roads I chose to.  Even though you may not know right now what your fate is, pay attention to the sliding doors and try not to miss the train, or do . . . just know that whatever experience you have is being mapped out as you go along.  The final destination is in the hands of the gods, as they say.

On This Note:  Savor life with all the sweetness you encounter along the way for the bitter moments when it is no where in sight.



I hope this blog motivates at least one person to find their courage and start moving toward making their dream come true!

Please feel free to leave me a comment below and provide your feedback. I would love to hear from you.

Time Is On Your Side

     I just finished a really important virtual assistant project yesterday. That's why this post is a day delayed.  When I received the call on Friday late afternoon from a new client that had "found" me online, I was thrilled.  While I love my clients, tried and true, new ones always pose a unique challenge and fresh opportunity.  This one would prove no different.  I took it on, rolled up my sleeves and was determined to meet the demand -- I could hear and understood how crucial it was to be able to meet the two-day, weekend deadline.  Instantly I knew the challenge wasn't about whether I could perform the task (that was a no-brainer), it was about having time on my side. 

     Time is not a physical thing, like a ticking clock.  Time, rather is all perception.  But still we have managed to create hours and minutes and past, present and future notwithstanding the use of perception and memories -- and deadlines. 

Einstein said, "Time is an illusion," as well as, "The only reason time exists is so that not everything happens at once." 

He also said, "Time is relative." 

     And in this case, it would certainly be relative to my own experience.  So, when the new client asked whether I could get it done on time, I said, "Yes."  The challenge was all relative to my perception and actually creating the time to do it.   I gave myself my own deadline, one that was hours ahead of the client's.

     As I wrapped up the loose ends and prepared the project for delivery, I took care to slowly go through all the details.  There was no rush.  I was finally done.  And I never doubted I could do it.  As the last email went through and I received the word "Sent," I gave myself a well deserved pat on the back. Well done. I was 8 hours ahead of the deadline, but right on target for mine. 

How did I manage to stay on top of it and not stress over this huge responsibility?  It was these three things: 

Focus. Inspiration. Motivation.     

     By steering my mind in line with these three things, I was able to stay ahead and make time virtually non existent.  Yes, I set goals to finish by a certain time and take breaks and have my meals, but I knew that to look at the clock and perceive time as the enemy would never have allowed me to accomplish this task.  Rather, I used my motivation to keep me going, my inspiration to make me feel good about what I was doing, and my focus to ward off distraction.  Every time I finished a set and looked at the clock (only after it was done), I was surprised to see how fast I had actually worked.  I could see that by focusing only on the project itself and diligently applying myself to the work at that moment and not thinking about the outcome, time disappeared.  Because it is just an illusion.  Time not only stretched itself out to accommodate the completion but it sped up to appear as though I had spent hardly any time on it at all.  I can say it certainly didn't feel as though I spent every night until 1 a.m. and starting up again at 7 a.m.  I was on a simple mission -- a mission to get the job done. 


     Looking back now, I see the difference in the outcome when I let stress and frustration lead the project versus calm and tranquility.  The first one invites chaos and errors, possibly even failure while the latter invites space, clarity and ease of motion.  I realize that when it comes to getting things done, it is always best to first become accepting.  In other words, if it looks like a feat, turn it into a challenge.  Once you accept the challenge you can focus on what needs to be done.  Then, find inspiration in what your doing.  Are you helping someone, are you bringing a solution, are you creating positive change?  When you work from a place of service and can genuinely see how your efforts improve upon the things or people around, you enjoy what you are doing.  Lastly, allow the underlying motivating force be the flame that keeps your desire burning to pursue your endeavors.  When you have motivation you are more propelled toward being better and doing more, and it shows up as success.

     So the next time you are up against the clock, remember time is only an illusion. Change your perception of time and it will be your ally -- let time be on your side. And don't forget FIM (Focus. Inspiration. Motivation.).

On This Note:  "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader."

— John Quincy Adams

I hope this blog motivates at least one person to find their courage and start moving toward making their dream come true!

Please feel free to leave me a comment below and provide your feedback. I would love to hear from you.