29 on the 29th

My birthday was on the 29th.  It was my golden birthday as I turned 29.  I remember that turning 25 had a weird impact on me.  I felt then as if I was really leaving the adolescent world and entering adulthood, regardless of the fact I had been out of college and married 5 years by then.  It was all about the number.  Well, I've just turned the age that I will say I am for the rest of my life, "29" :o).  This time, I feel great about it!

Getting older today means something different for me than it did a few years ago, and surely that emotion will continue to evolve.  I'm excited about my age, I'm looking forward to the next 10 years.  There is going to be some monumental shifts in my life over the next year that will set up my third decade on this earth.  Getting older really just means getting wiser.  All the experiences that have brought me to this point in my life (though some I would never ever want to ever experience again...did I say "ever"?) have made me into the person I am today.  How can any of that be bad?

It's a good day folks!  2010 is mid way through, which means we have half the year to go.  How are you doing on your goals?  Are you excited about what you can achieve between now and New Year's Eve?  Remember, the "how" isn't as important as the "what".  Know clearly what you're aiming for and along the way you'll find the strength and skills you need to make it happen!

Leaders are Readers

Last year I set a goal to read 50 books.  I fell short with 36, but I didn't feel like a failure.  Actually, I was proud of myself for keeping a steady pace of 3 books per month.  From those books I took away a lot of wisdom and implemented several processes which I think have made my life better.  So at the beginning of 2010 I threw out a goal to read 50 books...again.  It will be June in a couple of days and I've gotten through 4 books.

This may seem like my reading effort has drastically fallen off of the face of the planet, but it hasn't.  I read A LOT.  It wouldn't be too far of a stretch for me to say I invest about 3 hours per day (MINIMUM) reading.  What do I read?  Blogs, Websites, Magazines, Essays, Articles.  I read very frequently (thanks to having a smart phone with internet access readily available).  I subscribe to SUCCESS magazine, WOMEN'S HEALTH magazine, and the O magazine, and I read about 80% of the issues each month.  I search and find many helpful Self Improvement Blogs and Websites. 

So, if I were to compare my reading activity from last year to this year so far, I would easily have to say I read MUCH MORE now than I did before...even though it hasn't been in the form of books as much.  My quest in life is to continually pursue learning, one way or another.  My goal is still 50 books, though.  I do have a special place in my heart for pages I can flip compared to a mouse I click, so I have a deep desire to fly through some and devour the knowledge and creativity available for me.  It's just great that we GET to learn and have such easy access to it.

Fear is a Game

Change is more scared of you than you are of it!

Take a moment to reminisce regarding a time in your life when you had to do something frightening. Do you have it pictured clearly in your mind? Remember starting that business and having to make your first sales pitch? How about when you gave birth to your first baby? Maybe you remember way back in high school when you were forced into giving a public speech for a club. Whatever the circumstance feel that feeling for just a minute.

Certainly feeling fear isn't the most pleasant experience anyone can face. There is a tight grip in your stomach. You get all sweaty and even have some shakes. Your voice might be unsteady and all that is running through you from head to toe is a dripping anxiety.

Now, hold on a moment. Did I just describe fear? Or did I just describe excitement? Think about it. Now that you've pictured a fearful moment in your life, I want you to reverse the channel and think about a time when you were incredibly excited about something you were about to do. Maybe on your way to ride a favorite roller coaster. Maybe it was your wedding (okay, so that one could fit in the fear category, also). Maybe it was right after a successful meeting that announced a promotion to you. Are you there? Now compare the two feelings.

If I described the latter, I could use the exact same words that described what it felt like to be afraid. There is a tight grip in your stomach. You get all sweaty and even have some shakes. Your voice might be unsteady and all that is running through you from head to toe is a dripping anxiety. Now that you associated the same exact emotion with a positive event, those feelings don't seem so bad, do they?

We feel paralyzed by fear only when WE put a negative connotation to it. The actual feelings in the pit of our stomach and so forth are just feelings that your body is producing. The meaning behind it is what our mind produces. Take this tip next time you feel the fear beginning to take over. Remind yourself that you feel exactly the same way when you are about to embark on a thrilling ride. Allow your body to let you feel those sensations but control your mind into thinking you are excited rather than fearful. The power is now yours.

Life's Weighty Matters

Yesterday my husband and I were visiting some friends and hubby noticed they owned a new scale.  He lovingly calls me into the bathroom and says, "Tell me if this scale is right..."  I awkwardly tilt my head sideways, much like my dog Meghan does when I heartily mention the word 'FOOD', so I reply by saying, "How can I do that?"

It dawned on me that he wanted me to hop on that device, in front of HIM!  Is he insane?  Luckily we've been married over 8 years and if it was going to be a huge dilema to witness what would pop up on that scale, then I figured in the grand scheme of things, we had very few problems in life.  So, what the heck.  I hopped on.

144.5 lbs*

I was (gladly) shocked and immediately confirmed that the scale must be right.  Over the last few months I've stopped eating meat, but unfortunately I can't report I've been eating only salad.  So, I assumed I would have jumped up drastically in weight from the achievement of weighing 137 lbs a few short months ago.  Originally when I decided enough was enough with my weight I had last checked the scale at just over 161 lbs.  I'm 5'7" and I began to feel thick.  To feel like I was in someone else's body.  To feel not on course with where I wanted to go with life.  So I worked on it.  I exercised...HARD, I ate 1250 calories per day, EVERYTHING I did was in passionate pursuit of being the 130 lbs self I knew lived inside my body.

So, after months of not really focusing on my weight, and eating just a little too many slices of delicious east coast pizza, I figured that jumping on that electronic scale would have caused it to beep an emergency warning signal indicating it was about to self combust.  But it didn't, I had only gained 7.5 lbs and I know I can let that go.  Needless to say, I'm glad I got on that scale, because I had been in denial for the last little while.  I was dreading ever stepping on one, because heaven forbid it actually told me the truth, something I wasn't quite ready to hear. 

Well, now I've heard it.  And I'm ready.

*I can't believe I just posted that on here:o)

Inspiration

What do you do to feel inspired?

I guess it would depend on what you need the inspiration for?  Do you need to stamp out a creative project, or do you just need inspiration that ignites you with a determination to get a move on with life?  In each case, you would merit a different response.

Inspiration feels a lot like gratitude to me.  The actual, physical feeling is very similar.  You know, that swelling in your chest that makes you want to cup your hand over your heart?  It feels just that way to me when I am truly in appreciation of something important to me as well as when I get the glimmer of spirit that fills me and moves me forward.  Here are some things I do to feel inspired (which then trigger my feelings of gratitude):

1.  Read about people who have been victorious amidst struggle.

2.  Look around, and although not perfect, see things in my life that make my existence so much sweeter.

3.  Sit.  I just sit and think and let ideas and messages just flow through me.

4.  Sit.  Now, the sitting is to be quiet.  I guide thoughts out of my mind and focus on the darkness behind my eyelids.  Meditation is second to none in inspiration, it's amazing what you receive when you open yourself up.

5.  I truly look at beautiful things.  People.  Scenery.  Art.  Just looking at an expasive ocean or noticing the brightness of the color green on a row full of trees is just about as inspiring as it gets.

Oooh, I'm all giddy just "thinking" about these things...

Atlantic City

Isn't it amazing that as soon as you put your mind to something it finds a way of crystalizing into your actual "reality"?  Well, not long ago I decided to focus on some of the goals I came up with to achieve within the awesome year of 2010.  One of my goals was to take 4 trips.  I had one down, and three to go.  One of the locations I wanted to go spend time in was Atlantic City, NJ.  Last weekend, I got to cross that one off the list.

Not only did we get to go, we got to go for FREE!  Your mind is an amazing thing!  We got a free room and free dinner and lunch, so off we went.  I dropped my babies, aka dogs, at my uncle's house and we hopped in the car for a two day adventure.  We landed at the Tropicana Hotel and checked in.  The room was gorgeous.  It was big and the bed was H-U-G-E!  Can't beat that.  We freshened up and went to play at the casino.  Oh, we're not gambling fools, but some Texas Hold'em and good ol' Black Jack is always fun.  We retired to our room at about 1:00 AM and rested up for the next day.

In the morning we packed up and loaded our stuff in the trunk of our car.  We actually had a business meeting in Atlantic City that day, and although that may seem like "work" to some people, it was actually the highlight of the trip.  We got to hear from motivated and successful leaders from the company and it totally jacked up our energy level for the rest of our stay.

We headed back to our hotel after the meeting for some late lunch/early dinner at the buffet and stayed to play a little longer.  In the interim we saw the boardwalk and enjoyed the sights of the beach and that neat town.  All I can say is that your intentions are powerful.  As soon as you can start to focus on goals, they will have to come to you because that's how life works.  It's inevitable!  So, instead of focusing on what we don't have, let's focus on what we want and enjoy an awesome life!

Passing Along

Sometimes you find such a great story that you want to share.  I found this blog with an awesomely funny tale within it.  Click on the pink link below:

Parents Wanted

Enjoy!

Burger King

People seem to think that being a vegeterian means no more fast food.  One day I aspire to be so valiant in my effort of healthy cuisine.  However, in today's day and age, I still frequent fast food places.  What do I order?  You know, fries, baked potatos, side salads, oh yes and of course Coca Cola (Pepsi only when there's no Coke options).  I'm terrible, I know.

Yesterday, my husband and I dabbled our way into a Burger King to order a late night meal on our way home from a long day at the office.  To my astounding surprise I noticed an item on the Burger King Menu that out of sheer curiosity I had to order.  They have a FREAKING VEGGIE BURGER on their menu!  No joke!  So I ordered it and hubby got his Whopper thingy and we went over to the register to pay.

A manager-like-dude stepped up to the worker behind the counter who had just made our food and asked his employee, "Did someone just order a Veggie Burger?"  Disgust oozing out of his tone.  The employee simply nods his head while offering an 'understanding' smile to which the manager then responds by shaking his head in absolute disapproval and saying, "Yuck."  I could hear it in his voice, what his young brain was processing was, "What has this world come to?"