Motivational

What If Your Heart Is Right?

December 14, 2011 By T Kelly Leave a Comment

Should I Do It?

“Well honey, I think you’ll just have to!”

I will never forget Lois Hole’s words to me. I was about to dive off the bridge called comfy and do what I knew my heart was telling me to do.

In order to move forward in our business, Ron and I would need to secure everything we owned with the bank. With six kids still at home, this was a big decision, to put it lightly. Leaving the familiar was causing me to second-guess everything. I was scared stiff. Was it the right decision? Was my heart right?

I laid out all the years’ worth of work I had done in front of Lois and asked, “Should I do it?” After listening carefully to how we had prepared for our big leap, and meticulously reviewing all the materials, her answer was poignant and simple, “Well honey, I think you’ll just have to!” That was it.

Lois was around 70 at the time. She was the chancellor of the local university, had become Governor-General, and was a multi-millionaire. She donated her time and money to the arts and engaging kids in reading. She was down-to-earth and respected by all. Oh yes… did I mention she began her business selling potatoes on the side of the road at age 40?

Her book I’ll Never Marry a Farmer is a lesson about what to do when your heart just knows something is right. Her stories and anecdotes about gardening and life’s lessons inspire! All Lois Hole knew was that selling potatoes on the side of the road made her happy. She loved growing things and she loved people. By listening to her heart instead of doing what was expected, she grew a seasonal potato-selling business into one of the largest and most successful greenhouse operations in North America.

With my own success as a meal-planner, I discovered that it was OK to be scared stiff. If we all haphazardly followed our heart without being prepared, most businesses would flat-out fail. Some of the best lifelong decisions will come by accepting that healthy fear is part of listening to your heart. They can (and do) co-exist.

You might find that following your heart allows you to think more clearly and work harder than before because your body and mind seem in sync. When you are ready to jump off your comfy bridge, you may be surprised how a busy, successful mentor will give up their time to help, support, and advise you. I know that Lois’s words of wisdom will live in my heart forever!

Source: http://www.positivelypositive.com/2011/12/05/what-if-your-heart-is-right-blog/

Filed Under: Psychology, Spirituality Tagged With: Inspirational, Motivational

It’s All In The Details. Or Is It?

December 13, 2011 By T Kelly Leave a Comment

BY ALISSA FINERMAN

“A little perspective, like a little humor, goes a long way.”—Allen Klein

“If you go on a hike and only focus on the details, such as the rocks on the path, you will miss the beautiful view every single time. Similarly, if you only look out at the view and neglect the rocks, you could twist your ankle. Successful people balance the two and are able to keep the details in perspective while staying mindful of the bigger picture.”—Alissa Finerman

When I wrote my first book, Living in Your Top 1%, I was obsessed with the details in the final stages even though I was not concerned with them when I first started writing the book. Why? One typo or unfinished chapter in the first draft of a two-year book project really doesn’t matter. However, a typo when the book is going to print is major. It’s the same detail, a simple typo, but has very different implications when considered in line with the bigger picture of publishing a book. One is a detail that can be overlooked initially and one is a detail that will detract from the project. The more important issue is how we view details in our life and keep them in perspective relative to the bigger picture.

If you go on a hike and only focus on the details, such as the rocks on the path, you will miss the beautiful view every single time. Similarly, if you only look out at the view and neglect the rocks/details, you could twist your ankle. Successful people balance the two and are able to keep the details in perspective while staying mindful of the bigger picture. We can apply this same principle to all areas of our life. Consider the following three examples:

You pay your rent or mortgage late.

If you’ve never missed a payment before, you most likely will be subject to a late fee and it’s not the end of the world. However, if you’ve missed the last four payments, then the detail of missing another payment may have much more serious implications. This detail is obviously critical within the bigger picture of keeping your home.

A person is disrespectful to you.

If the person serves you coffee at your local coffee spot, you can choose to overlook the incident or get your coffee elsewhere. However, if you are seriously dating this person then it’s an important detail in line with the bigger picture of creating a life together that you will hopefully want to address. The single detail of being rude/disrespectful (although never desirable) has different implications depending on the situation.

You don’t like the seat you are assigned on a flight from LAX to NYC.

Your preference is to have an aisle seat in an exit row with more leg room but instead get stuck with a middle seat. If you’re healthy, this is undesirable but not the biggest deal. However, if you just had knee surgery and need to keep your knee extended or else you will be in extreme pain, the seat selection is an important detail. Again, a simple detail is more or less important depending on the situation.

How we view details is a dynamic process. It’s difficult to draw a conclusion from a single detail without understanding what it means within the context of the bigger picture. Some details really make a difference in your life and others take more energy to address than they’re worth. Are you you treating every “detail” like a missed mortgage payment or keeping it in perspective?

TOP 1% BOTTOM LINE: Yes, details are important but not every one is the most important. The key is to understand the bigger picture and to quickly assess how and if the details matter within that context. Knowing which details to overlook and which to focus on will depend on your values, goals, and how you want to invest your energy. As you move into the new year, take a moment and consider where in your life you could view the details differently to gain a Positively Positive perspective.

Source: http://www.positivelypositive.com/2011/12/12/it%E2%80%99s-all-in-the-details-or-is-it/

Filed Under: Self-Sustainability, Spirituality Tagged With: Inspirational, Motivational

How To Improve Your Self Esteem & Love Yourself

December 12, 2011 By T Kelly 1 Comment

Most of the time, I’m pretty good at loving myself. I know I can be a handful and I can really feel that and know it’s true. But other times, this inner mean girl voice starts spewing venom at me, and I tell myself lies that simply aren’t true.

Here are some of the ones that plague me most:

I am not enough just the way I am. (I have to do more/be more/accomplish more in order to be lovable.)
I should have known better (duh, Lissa).
I am damaged goods (2 divorces will do that for you).
I don’t belong (can they tell I’m really an imposter?).
The way to be successful is to beat myself up so I stay motivated.
When I finally get or achieve [fill in the blank], then I’ll be happy.
Self love is narcissistic.
If I say no, people won’t love me.

We tend to be so freakin’ hard on ourselves! And what good does this do?

Fortunately, we have a remedy. I’m so proud to introduce you to my friend Amy Ahler’s fabulous new book Big Fat Lies Women Tell Themselves: Ditch Your Inner Critic And Wake Up Your Inner Superstar.

Amy’s book identifies the 59 big fat lies women most frequently tell themselves. I read part of this book while getting a pedicure, and I was reading the big fat lies out loud while all the women in the salon were nodding and smacking themselves upside the head. Turns out these lies are all too familiar to way too many people.

Big Fat Lie Examples

I am unlovable.
I don’t measure up.
I am powerless.
It’s too late for me.
I’m a failure.
I’m supposed to be further along than I am.
If I get too happy, something bad will happen.
If I only had enough money, everything would be okay.
I need another to complete me.
If I forgive, I condone.
If I just get small enough, others won’t feel bad or jealous.
They’ll hate me if I [fill in the blank].
It’s more important to be polite than to be authentic.

Sound familiar? Oh yeah. We all have that inner mean girl voice (I call it “the Gremlin.”) I guarantee you that you could choose any person – and no matter how successful, powerful, talented, brilliant, beautiful, loved, spiritual, or wealthy she is, these thoughts flit through her mind and torture her from time to time.

Good News For Superstars Everywhere

So what can we do about these voices? In her book, life coach Amy Ahlers lists the most common big fat lies, so you can read through them all and find the ones that apply to you. Then she offers you practical tips and exercises aimed at helping you banish these big fat lies so you can improve your self esteem, love yourself more, and wake up your inner superstar.

Each big fat lie comes with a truth about the lie, a challenge you can do at home to help you quiet the lie, an affirmation to help you change your thinking, and an inspiring quote related to the lie. It’s like a year’s worth of life coaching or a week-long workshop in one little book.

So go out. Grab this book. Quiet those big fat lies and use the exercises in this book to transform them into affirmations of self love, self esteem, happiness, and bliss.

Yes, you deserve that. And I wouldn’t lie about something so important. When we choose to love ourselves instead of beating ourselves up, we model how others should treat us. It’s a choice. What do you choose?

Do You Love Yourself?

Do you beat yourself up with lies? Or do you have the tools for turning those lies into affirming truths? Tell us your stories.

Loving you, just the way you are.

Source: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/how-to-improve-your-self-esteem-love-yourself.html#ixzz1gKH4nhjO

Filed Under: Health, Psychology, Spirituality Tagged With: Guidance, Motivational, Self-Esteem

How To Follow Your Passion When You’re Just Trying To Pay The Bills

December 12, 2011 By T Kelly Leave a Comment

During tough economic times, many people think they need to sacrifice passion and focus solely on earning money. From a spiritual perspective, this is the exact opposite approach to generating real abundance. Yes, paying your bills takes practical action. But it also requires an internal belief system powered by inspiration and passion. Without an emphasis on passion, it’s likely that no matter how many actions you take, you’ll still wind up feeling stuck.

Neglecting passion blocks creative flow. When you’re passionate, you’re energized. Likewise, when you lack passion, your energy is low and unproductive. Energy is everything when it comes to earning. Quantum physics teaches us that our bodies are made up of subatomic particles that are energy. Your thoughts, attention, and focus affect your energy and therefore everything around you—including your bank account. So when you’re thinking only about the mundane to-do lists and practical action steps, you’re lowering your energy and in effect lowering your earning power.

Your life becomes what you think about most. When you focus on following your passion and letting inspiration flow, your energy is raised and your earning capacity is strong. But when you’re uninspired and bogged down by low-level thoughts, your attracting power is weakened.

Now that you have a better understanding of the earning value of passionate, positive energy, it’s time to take it more seriously. Read on for three simple, effective ways you can bring more passion into your life—even if you’re crazy-busy.

Who said your job had to be your only source of passion?

Our culture places such a huge emphasis on our careers, that we lose track of our passion projects. But who said your job had to be your only source of passion? A dear friend of mine is a powerful example of balancing passion and career. He works in corporate America, but moonlights as a guitar player. Though he spends his weekdays at a desk, he spends his weekends indulging his passion projects such as gigging with his band, writing, drawing, and learning about art. Though he dedicates a lot of his time to his career, there is no lack of passion in his life.

The passion of being of service

When we’re of service to the world, we feel inspired and passionate about the work that we do. Perhaps the work you’re doing is service-related—getting clear about the ways in which it serves the world may make you more passionate about it. If that’s not the case with your job, maybe you volunteer for a local charity once a month, or find a way to participate in your community, or promote bigger causes. Awaken a service mentality. When you serve the world, you serve your soul.

Shift your perception about the way you make money

If you’re hung up about the fact that your primary source of revenue doesn’t come from your true passion, shift your perspective. Be grateful for the work that you have and focus on the good stuff. Find even the smallest part of your work that ignites your passion. Maybe you love interacting with clients, or the neighborhood where you work. Maybe you’re learning something new by being on that job. Focus on what you do have and you’ll create more of what you want.

Take these action steps seriously. We all have work to do to support our economy, and if we’re void of passion we won’t have the energy and inspiration to serve. The more passion we ignite in our lives, the higher our earning capacity will be and the more we’ll impact financial growth in our country. When we all raise our thoughts we’ll raise our bank accounts—and greatly serve the world.

Source: http://www.positivelypositive.com/2011/12/03/how-to-follow-your-passion/

Filed Under: Financial Crisis Tagged With: Guidance, Hobby, Motivational, Paying Bills

The Giving Tree

December 12, 2011 By T Kelly Leave a Comment

Not long ago, my wife and I went to visit a nearby Los Angeles gem called The Giving Tree (the name inspired by Shel Silverstein’s book).

As we started up the trail, we encountered a mother and her young daughter looking at some directions on a piece of paper.

“Giving Tree?” I said.

“Yeah,” replied the mother.

So we joined them on their quest, and after a grueling eight-minute hike, we reached the magical tree.

I had printed out the instructions from the website:
Give it your thoughts and prayers, or anything laying heavy on your heart. Then twirl.

The mother went first, closing her eyes, ceremoniously sending her desires to the tree, then concluding with a quick twirl. Satisfied, she turned to her little girl, who had breached etiquette and gone straight to twirling,

“What are you worried about, sweetie?”

Worrying is more an activity reserved for adults, so she had to think for quite some time. After maybe a minute of contemplation, she turned to her mother and said,

“I’m worried about the dinosaurs coming and attacking us.”

It was so cute we could hardly contain ourselves. So innocent and sincere, as only a child can be.

I found it interesting that she wasn’t really worried about anything in the first place. When she was prodded to think about it, it was EPIC—the apocalyptic return of the dinosaurs. When prompted to worry, the little girl took it to mean “imagine.” And she was right, worry is simply dumbed down, boring, counterproductive imagination.

After recovering from the adorableness and profundity, we sent our wishes treeward, twirled, and headed back down the hill, smiling. It was a good day.

Source: http://www.positivelypositive.com/2011/12/07/the-giving-tree-blog-2/