Quote of the Day

"We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give."
~WINSTON CHURCHILL~


I thought this quote was most appropriate following yesterday's post.

You will notice a new link above my picture on the left column, Center Pointe / Holosync. I just got my free demo CD in the mail the other day and I am pretty excited about it. The book that I am currently reading ("Thresholds of the Mind") explains the effects of meditation on the brain waves and neuro-chemicals released in the brain. It is really quite interesting. If you are curious, follow the link and get your free demo. If you are interested in the book check out amazon, "Thresholds of the Mind" by Bill Harris.

'Tis the Season to Clean Out the Closets

We have all heard the phrases; "You get what you give." and "What goes around comes around." right? These are saying we have heard since childhood. In "The Science of Success" James A. Ray dedicates a whole chapter on "The Power of Giving". He explains how the simple act of "giving" sets forth the feeling and vibration of abundance. The more you "give" the bigger and better you feel and in return you attract to yourself more things that make you feel bigger and better. It is a boomerang effect. We have all experienced this feeling of abundance when we have given something to someone that has made them extremely happy.

The great thing is, we don't have to give thousands of dollars to receive the positive effects of giving. Now is the perfect time to go through our closets and donate the things we have not worn or used in the last year. An end of the year cleaning will be good for the soul. We can start 2009 fresh with a feeling of abundance.

Just a week or so ago my husband came home from work and asked me if I had any clothes that I did not wear anymore. I said "umm yeah, why?" and he preceded to tell me a sad story about a teenage girl that a lady at work knows. She only has 2 pairs of pants and a few shirts and the other kids at school make fun of her, so now she doesn't want to go to school anymore. Rod was looking for some clothes to give to her so she wouldn't get picked on at school. I instantly went to the closet and filled one of those huge Old Navy bags full. I took the bag out to his car and put it in his front passenger's seat (so he wouldn't forget to bring it to work). It felt so good to get rid of those clothes, especially when I knew they were going to somebody who needed them. It has been over a week now and I will tell you that I have not missed one piece.

If you think about it, we all have our favorite jeans and a few favorite shirts that we wear most of the time. What does it hurt to give a little something to somebody else, especially if it doesn't fit anymore. If you don't know an individual to donate to you can always donate to the Goodwill or Salvation Army or call a church or school and see if they know of a family in need. Lets start the New Year with clean closets and an overwhelming feeling of abundance.

Quote

"One person caring about another represents life's greatest value."
~JIM ROHN~

The Vision Statement is Working

If you go back in the archives to Oct 13th, you will find my good friend Danielle's vision statement. Read it over and you will sense a woman with ambitious goals and a definite direction in life. It has been only 10 weeks since she finished her vision statement and already things are changing for her.

She has received an amazing promotion at work with a very substantial pay raise. And most recently she passed a major State test that she had to take for work. It seems as though things are just falling into place for her. I can not guarantee that Danielle carries her vision statement with her at all times and reads it 3 times each day. But I can guarantee to you that she did take more than a few days to seriously think about what she wanted and she then took the time to actually put it on paper. She put her request "out there" and her subconscious mind is guiding her in the right direction to get what she wants.

Just the other day I asked Danielle if she was ready to start trying for a second baby and she had an amazing response. She said "No, No, No, Tmarie (that is what she calls me) I have a list of goals that I have to get done before we try for another baby." I said "Oh, I thought that once you passed your test you were going to try." And she responded with "Oh no, I have a whole list of goals that I need to accomplish first, then we will try."

I love it when things go right for my friends and family. I am so happy for her and even happier to hear that she has a list of goals that she is working on. With the New Year right around the corner it is the perfect opportunity for me to remind you how important a vision statement is. Get your vision statement written. If you want or need help call or email me and I will help you. Lets make 2009 a year to remember for all of us.

Quote of the Day

"Happiness is not an accident. Nor is it something you wish for. Happiness is something you design."
~JIM ROHN~

Where is Tonya?

I am "here".... I must apologize for my absence this week and I will not lie and say I will be here more in the week to come. Truthfully, I think it will be safe to say that my time on the computer will be limited from now until the middle of January. Christmas is mine and my husband's favorite time of the year. With two small children we have so many things we want to do with them. We are paving the way for our "special" family traditions. The children always come first.

I will still be blogging, but like I said, my time on the computer will be limited. I have lots of great stuff in store for you. I hope some of you are getting excited about the portable vision board party that I am having in January (no formal date has been set yet but probably after my marathon, which is Jan 11th). I hope you have been cutting and saving some good pictures to use.

I am going to leave you with this quote from Brian Tracy. It fits in nicely with the previous posts on goals.

"Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off your goals"
~BRIAN TRACY~

Purpose VS Goals

All goals need a destination. This is why I can't say enough about the importance of our vision statements . Taking the time to write a vision statement forces us to have a purpose. Without a purpose we are just wandering aimlessly through life hoping something good will happen.What would happen if we went to the bus station or airport and asked for "a ticket" and that was all the information we could give? Chances are we wouldn't end up where we wanted to go. And if we ever did end up where we wanted to go, it would take a lot longer to get there than if we would have just been specific in the first place.

Lets expand on the "trip" metaphor for a moment.
Goals = the preparation for our trip; buying our tickets, booking a motel, packing our suitcase, etc...
Purpose= where we are going, our destination

Our goals may be the set of our sail, but at some point in time we need to decide where we are sailing to.
To be truly fulfilled we need to have a purpose in at least 3 areas of our lives (home, social, and work). Home, of course, being the most important. What type of parent do I want to be? What type of relationship do I want to have with my spouse? What type of house do I want to live in? What State or Country do I want to live in? What will be the important life lessons that I pass on to my children? These are all important questions to ask when trying to give ourselves a purpose.

Socially we need to ask ourselves questions like; What do I want to do for fun? What type of friends do I want to have? What will I do in my free time? What charities will I support?

The third component is "work". What type of job do I want? How much money do I want to make? How will I contribute to society? What investments will I make? What risks will I take?

Once we decide on our destination/purpose it will be easier to figure out what goals we will need to get there. It is a step by step process, one goal at a time. And remember, once we have that burning desire and throw some emotion into the mix our subconscious mind can take over. When our consuming thoughts are positive and focused on our purpose the creative ideas will come to us more readily. Our subconscious mind is continually working on something, why not let it work on "our purpose".

Quote & Thought

"When you choose to be pleasant and positive in the way you treat others, you have also chosen in most cases, how you are going to be treated by others"
~ZIG ZIGLAR~


The holiday season is upon us. With end of the year deadlines arriving, shopping to do, presents to wrap, decorations to put up, baking to do, increased traffic, and decreased tolerance it is easy to forget how to act. I thought this Zig Ziglar quote would be a perfect way to start the week fresh. Lets remember to stay focused and positive towards others this holiday season. If somebody gets short with you; let it go. It probably has nothing to do with you. More than likely they have a list of 20 things they need to get done and they are just frustrated with themselves and their own time management skills.

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Many thanks to everybody who made it to the Christmas party on Saturday. The donations for the homeless were great! Robin and I went through them this morning and could not believe how much great stuff we got. I am very proud of all my friends. You guys really did a great thing by helping us collect the items we needed for their Christmas backpacks. Thanks guys!!!

~~~REMINDERS~~~

Just a few reminders for the local readers; this Saturday is our Christmas party. It starts b/n 6:30 & 7pm and goes til about 11pm. Santa will be arriving ~ 8pm. Need to know a definite head count on the children. Address is 6129 Sanctuary Garden Blvd in P.O. Guests are to bring their favorite holiday dish and a donation to the homeless, most of you have already gotten a list of the items needed. But if you have lost it, it is things like soap, washcloths, shampoo, snacks, juice boxes,toothbrushes, toothpaste, neosporin, etc.... Basically the things we use everyday. Myself and Mary Kay are providing deodorant and razors, some jackets and some toothpaste and raisins. Trena bought some jackets and Ellen bought 50 pair of socks. I think Mona is bringing tooth brushes, but I am not 100% sure.

Also Sunday is the last Leukemia / Lymphoma fundraiser. It is being held at the Artic Zone Ice Arena, 2400 S. Ridgewood Ave in South Daytona. It starts at 2pm and goes til 5pm. Cost is $7. If you and your families are free on Sunday you should come out and join us. It will be fun!! There will be Christmas music and hot chocolate. The owners are donating 50% back to us for our fundraising.

Quote

"The walls we build around us to keep out the sadness also keep out the joy."
~~JIM ROHN~~



As I was looking for the perfect quote to leave here tonight, this one just jumped out at me. We all probably know at least one person who has built a protective barrier around themselves so they "don't get hurt". It is sad to think that because they are living on the defense they wont/can't experience life's joy. Share this quote with anyone who you think can benefit from these words of wisdom. Jim Rohn is so great at saying a mouthful in so few words, that is one of the reasons why I love his work so much.

The Importance of Goals

By nature, humans are goal oriented creatures. We like the satisfying feeling we get when we accomplish even the smallest of tasks. That is why writing a "to do" list each day and crossing things off as we go is so helpful. The sense of accomplishment we feel as we cross off each task is as good as a pat on the back. But lets look a little farther ahead than the end of the day. Lets look 1 month, 1 year, 5 years, or even 10 years into the future. Where do we want to be and what goals do we need to reach to get there.

Our goals are like the wind in our sail. They give us the umph we need to get busy. Goals give our subconscious mind an invisible road map to follow. Lets think about the major areas of our lives and figure out where we could use some new goals. We've got financial/work, relationships/family, intellectual/mental, physical, and spiritual. Where are we under performing? I know there are a few areas in my life that could benefit from a goal remodification.

Lets all make a list of at least 2 goals in each area that we want to accomplish by the end of the year, that will give us almost a month. They don't have to be anything major, just something you can write down and cross off as you accomplish them. I'll throw out a few ideas to get your mind moving in the right direction.

financial/work: take a 3 day weekend off, open a savings account for the kids or if they already have one; ut $20 into their accounts instead of buying another toy, count the change in the nightstand drawer....

relational/family: call an old friend, call your grandparents, send out Christmas cards, buy a toy for Toys For Tots, take your kids to look at Christmas lights, put on a jacket and go for a walk on the beach (if you live on the coast), go to a movie with your spouse/kids, get some sidewalk chalk and play hop scotch in the driveway, ask your kids what their goals are.....

intellectual/mental: go to the museum, read a good book, register for a cooking or sewing class at the local community college, think of something you want to learn about and research it online, take your kids to the library.....

physical: go to a salon and get your hair cut/colored/highlighted, go to the gym, go for a walk in the neighborhood, get a massage, get a manicure, go to the dentist, go to the doctor for a physical, get an eye exam, go 1 day with out soda.....

spiritual: go to a quiet place (outside...like a park, the ocean, the woods, etc) and just sit still for 30 minutes (with no phone) and just breathe, say a prayer someone, go to church, tell God what you are thankful for.....

That is a pretty good list to start with, now read it over and pick a few or come up with a few of your own ideas. Make your list and actually write it down and as you accomplish your goals go ahead and cross them off. It really does feel wonderful. This little exercise will put us all in a great goal oriented mindset for the new year.

Remember to Give "Thanks" on Thanksgiving

It hardly seems possible that another year has passed by since last Thanksgiving. This year has practically flown by. Madison is 6 1/2 months old and started crawling over 2 weeks ago, she even started pulling herself up already. Xavier is just over 2yrs and I swear he acts like he is 5. He speaks in full sentences and surprises us with his cleverness everyday. He keeps asking for roller skates from Santa. I brought him to the Leukemia Lymphoma Society fundraiser that a friend and I coordinated last weekend. It was at the roller skating rink. I was hesitant to bring him, I thought he was too young, but he had a great time.

When I look at my kids I know everything in life is perfect. Our family has so much to be thankful for, I don't even know where to begin. Every night as I rest my head on my pillow and drift off to sleep I run a "Thank You" list through my head. I thank God for all the great qualities in my children and my husband. I thank him for our friends and family. I thank him for the experience that have brought me to where I am today. The list goes on until I fall asleep. Sometimes it takes 10 minutes and sometimes it takes 20, either way it puts me in a peaceful state as i drift off.

I figure with tomorrow being the national day for giving thanks, it is most appropriate to remind everyone to take a few minutes and be thankful for all that we have. The law of attraction says that having gratitude is a fundamental part of attracting goodness into our lives. We have to learn to appreciate what we already have before we can be blessed with more.

I wish everyone a Very Happy Thanksgiving. And I urge you to take a moment and appreciate all that you have and appreciate the time that you have with your families (even if they make you crazy).

5 Pillars

I was able to attend a great teleconference today on my lunch break (thanks to Debbie for covering for me). It was hosted by my favorite mentor, James A Ray. He talked about the 5 pillars of our life that are the foundation of our spiritual well being and all around happiness. The 5 pillars he spoke of are; financial, relational, intellectual/mental, physical, and spiritual. I want to give you a brief overview of what I learned about each of the pillars today.

#1 FINANCIAL: He began by explaining there is a common misconception about money. Have you ever heard the saying "Money is the root of all evil"? I have, but I never really knew where it came from until today. He explained that in the bible it actually says "The love of money is the root of all evil." Money is good and an important part of every body's well being as long as it does not rule them. He went on to explain that you have to love people and use money to help others, where we run into a problem is when people start loving money and using people. When you think about it, it makes perfect sense, most of the truly wealthy we "know" or see in the media do use money and love people. Think about Oprah Winfrey, Montel Williams, Jenny McCarthy, Robin Williams, Jim Cary. That is a few that I can think of off the top of my head.

#2 RELATIONAL: James Ray explains the most important relationship we have is the one we have with ourselves. We have to truly love, care about, and respect ourselves before we can have a genuinely loving and healthy relationship with anybody else. The expectations we set for ourselves will set a baseline for the people around us. If we hold ours in the highest regard and strive to always better ourselves mentally, physically, and emotionally we can't help but be a better quality friend, which will grant us better relationships.

#3 INTELLECTUAL/MENTAL: Since I have been following James Ray's teachings I have heard him say "If your not growing, your dying." about 1000 times. He quotes this as a common law of quantum physics. We have to keep our mind sharp by learning and experiencing new things. He asks the question, "How do you use your marvelous mind?". If we are locked into a subconscious "hum" of getting up, going to work, coming home, watching tv, and going to bed everyday without challenging ourselves then we are not growing. We are not challenging ourselves to grow. Think about a common house plant, when it stops growing it begins to die, right? He states that we grow in direct proportion to the amount of resistance that we can withstand and disipate.

#4 PHYSICAL: When he speaks of physical he means everything in its physical form; our bodies, our cars, our homes, our vacations, our toys, etc... Of course the most important is our body. Many religions view our body as our temple. In order to take the best care of our body we have to take care of our health first and fitness second. We need to nourish our bodies with healthy foods and lay off the junk. Our body is the vehicle that our spirit uses t get around and we need to keep it tuned up, like our favorite car. When we have good health the fitness follows. The other physical items are important too. We all need to have a nice place to live and a car to drive and vacations to create memories and experiences.

#5 SPIRITUAL: He says this is the hardest one to explain because it is different for everyone. He explains it as our 1 on 1 relationship with our creative source, or our connection to something bigger (God). If you pray in a closet a few times a day or if you go to church on Sunday it does not guarantee you more spirituality than your neighbor who does not go to church but is constantly talking to God. You have to make your own choice and be okay with it for yourself.

Once we have mastered these 5 key areas, we will have "HARMONIC WEALTH" as he calls it. Life will flow like a dance. A lot of people may read this and say this "sounds like a lot of work" and " I don't really have the time to do all this", but if you are serious about finding harmony in your life and having happy & fulfilling relationships with your friends and family you will find the time. Remember, "How do you use your marvelous mind?" Do you want to challenge yourself to be better or do you want to get caught up in the subconscious "hum" of a mindless routine? Quantum physics explains that everything is made up of 99.99999% energy, including our body. 1 cubic meter of energy is enough to boil every ocean on this planet. There is no way you can convince me that you do not have the energy to better yourself or read a book or bring your kids to the library. You have the energy, you are just choosing to waste it on the everyday mindless "hum". Choose to direct your energy for 1 hour each day on one of these 5 pillars and it will not take long for you to start seeing positive changes in your life.

Quote

"We can change the quality of our life by changing the quality of our thoughts."
~James A Ray~

Why Do I Care?

Recently I had someone ask me why I put some much time and energy into this blog. They said "Don't you have enough on your plate?" and "How do you find the time?". My answer was, "Well, you can always find time to do things if you think they are important enough." That was sort of a "get off my back" cliff version of the whole explanation. I am going to attempt to explain myself a little more thoroughly with the expectation of "that person" eventually reading the post.

The reasons are simple, I have read numerous books and listened to even more audios on personal development, the law of attraction, positive living, etc... and there is one thing that every single author has said. They all say in order to be truly successful you must take the time to teach others. They also say that to truly master anything you must be able to teach it to others in a way that they can understand it. It seemed only natural for me to start this blog. I love to write and I can reach more people on a daily basis than I ever could by talking to them in person. At first I thought it would be great to write for my friends and family. I was excited to tell them all that I know. Now my vision has grown. I have realized that I am going to be spending the same amount of time writing no matter how many people are reading. My new goal is to reach 1000 people everyday. I am sure by the time I reach this goal I will have an even bigger goal in mind. But for now that seems big enough.

Think about how great this world would be if everybody made a serious study of bettering themselves. They would not only be bettering themselves, they would be bettering the world! Jim Rohn tells it best when he tells of the agreement he makes with his friends. He says "I will take care of me for you, if you will take care of yourself for me." The point being, when you make a serious study of bettering yourself, you are giving a great gift to your friends and family. Who wouldn't want a friend who was truly happy and fulfilled. Someone who is always able to find the good in everything and brighten any situation. Someone who's judgement you can trust to be fair and honest.

Having 2 young children growing up in today's society makes it even more important for me to reach as many people as possible. Happy people make for a better environment for our children to grow and experience life. Happy parents and teachers raise happy and well balanced children. Happy and well balanced children make for better peers for my children. I want my children to have the privilege of growing, learning, and experiencing a happy harmonic world. I will do all that I can to make that possible.

I hope this explanation is satisfying and I apologize for the shortness of my original response.

30 Days to Create a New Habit

I recently came across some amazingly interesting information. I have heard and read on numerous occasions from various sources that it takes 30 days to create a new habit. In some of James Ray's teaching he says it takes 30 days or so to train or trick your subconscious mind into believing and acting upon our visions. Jack Canfield also teaches that it takes 30 days t create a new habit. But this information I am going to share with you will blow your mind!

The government was doing some tests regarding how the human body reacts to being in outer space with zero gravity. They had these special glasses made that made everything look upside down. They had a group of test subjects wear them for variant amounts of time; 20days, 30 days, and every other day for 30 days. Amazingly enough, what they found out was somewhere between the 25th and 30th day the test subject's brain had inverted the image automatically to make the image upside right! The people who wore the glasses for the 20 day period never did get their image inverted and the people who wore their glasses every other day for 30 days also did not get their image inverted. It was only the people who wore the glasses continually for 25-30 days.

Having worked in the optometry field for almost 12 years, this just about knocked my socks off. The human body is so amazing and the subconscious mind is so powerful and adaptable. It is designed to adapt and give us exactly what we need or "ask" for in order to survive. The trick is to "ask" for what we want, not what we don't want.

I want everybody to think about this information over the weekend and realize how amazing we all really are. Have a great weekend!

Quote of the Day & a Thought

"Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced everyday; while failure is simply a few errors in judgement, repeated every day. It is the accumulative weight of our disciplines and our judgements that leads us to either fortune or failure"
~~JIM ROHN~~

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I'm thinking it may be better to postpone our vision board making party til after the new year. I had originally planned on having it Saturday Nov 29th, which is the Saturday after Thanksgiving, but there are a few people who will be out of town or that have family coming into town for that weekend. I have fundraisers scheduled every weekend from now until the end of December and my marathon is January 11th, so if we postpone it will have to be closer to the end of January. It will give everybody more time to collect their pictures and ideas. And of course everybody likes to start the new year with "resolution", so why not make it a visual new years resolution.

Well, let me know what you guys think and we will work something out.

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New Link

You may have noticed that I added a new "friends" link to the left margin of the blog. I put a link to Jim Rohn's and James A Ray's websites. They are both filled with tons of valuable FREE information and I recommend you visit them in your spare time. You can sign up for a free e-zine from both of them. The price is always right when it 's free.

FEAR

What is fear and how does it effect our lives?
Fear is a response that we CHOOSE when we are dealing with a situation that makes us uncomfortable. Remember my favorite saying; "You are the boss of yourself." it should be followed by "And you are the boss of your emotions." Fear is nothing but a state of mind, we can choose to feed it or address it and move on. Keep in mind that if we do not address our fears we are indeed feeding them and they will only get worse. Think about the last time you were dreading a phone call you had to make or the last time you had to make a speech in front of a crowd. The longer you put it off, the more you thought about it. The more you thought about it the worse you felt about it. Until eventually your stomach was tied in knots and you were full of fear and anxiety. But as soon as you had done that which you were dreading/fearing all your feelings of anxiety were vanished. Why not address the fear quickly and save ourselves and our stomachs all the anxiety?

In "The Magic of Thinking Big" David J Schwartz PhD says that we should " Use action to cure fear and gain confidence....Action feeds and strengthens confidence; inaction in all forms feeds fear. To fight fear, act . To increase fear- wait, put off, postpone..."

You have all heard me say this more than once but here I go again, "Energy flows where attention goes." and "What you resist persists." (James A Ray), which means according to the law of attraction when we focus our energy on what we don't want or what we are fearing it is only going to attract more of what we don't want into our lives. All the more reason to address our fears and get over them quickly.

Quote of the Day

"Don't join an easy crowd; you wont grow. Go where expectations and the demands to perform are high"

"Get around people who have something of value to share with you. Their impact will continue to have a significant effect on your life long after they have departed"

~~JIM ROHN~~

Just Let Go And Float

Lets go back to a time when we were just learning to swim. Remember the fear of sinking to the bottom of the pool or river. Remember trying harder and harder to grasp on to the water. The harder we grasped at the water the harder it was to stay above. And then finally we learned to just let go of our fear, relax, and float. Amazing, all we had to do was just let go and float.

How many of us are still living our lives this way? Kicking and fighting, trying to grasp on to anything and everything. We get so caught up in the way we think things should be that we end up forgetting to live. Think about how much time and energy we would all save if we would just let go and float. Once we realize that nothing happens by accident and that every person and incident is given to us for a reason it is much easier to "float". The trick is to find the good in everything. Find a reason to be thankful for it.

James A Ray states that "All of life is a dance." and Jim Rohn (http://www.jimrohn.com?kbid=9487) calls it "the seasons of life", either way the point is the same. The tides come in and go out no matter how hard we try to stop it, why don't we just sit back and enjoy it. Think of a leaf floating down a river. The leaf symbolizes us and the river is life. As the leaf floats down the river it will probably bump into a few rocks along the way, but eventually the wind changes and the leaf is set a sail again. Nothing is forever, the hard times will come and go and they will go much quicker if we address them, find the good in them, be thankful for them, and just let them go. Just let go and float, try it.

The Perfect Day of Play

Those of you in the 3% club are probably starting to feel like your vision statement is a reality. You can probably rehearse it without even looking at your paper. You may be noticing little changes starting to unfold, you may have met a new friend, things at work may have changed, or maybe your home life has started to evolve. Whatever it is, don't be afraid, remember change is good. If we're not growing we're dying.

It is time for us to move on to the next vision statement topic, THE PERFECT DAY OF PLAY. When you write this vision statement I want you to visualize every detail of how you would spend the perfect day dong something recreational. You could be going to Paris, Vegas, or Disney. Or you could be taking your 10 favorite friends out on your new yacht or maybe flying to Miami to go shopping. Whatever it is, make it big and vivid. Remember your vision has to "turn you on", it has to get your emotions going in order to be effective.

EMOTIONS = MOTION = RESULTS

Below is my perfect day of play vision statement. It was originally written May 2007. I updated it today, the original version had us with 2 boys and me pregnant with a girl. Since then things have changed and we have decided to stop at a 2 for 2 parent/child ratio. I will be honest and tell you I haven't been reading it like I should, but after reading it today it has me excited again so I am going to start reading it everyday like I should.

The Perfect Day of Play

It is the Friday before Christmas, 5am, the vehicle was packed the night before and we are off to the Orlando airport. We are meeting my brother and his family in NYC for a long weekend get together. We have made a tradition out of this and have done this every year for the last 4 years. My husband, myself, and our kids are piled into the car and we are off. We stop at Chick-fil-a and get breakfast (drive-thru). Then it is off to I-4, normally they call this the "parking lot", but today seems to be our lucky day, traffic is moving smoothly. It only takes us 45 minutes to get to the airport. We park at the Parking Spot and they give us a ride to the airport check-in. We are only going to be in NYC for three days, but from there we are headed to upstate New York to spend the holidays with the rest of the family. Therefore, we have a lot of luggage to check, five large suitcases and three carry-ons. Once our luggage is checked we go through security and head to our terminal. We are flying Jetblue direct flight and it will take about 3 hours to get up there. We wait about twenty minutes before loading begins. The baby, who is 19 months old, sits on my lap and Xavier sits between Rod and myself. Once the plane is loaded it does not take long before we are taxing out and then we are off. Xavier is a seasoned flyer, he has been doing this since he was one yr old, but this is the first time the baby has ever flown. Much to my surprise the baby falls asleep and is not bothered by the altitude. Once we are at the appropriate altitude and speed they allow people to get up and move about the cabin. The flight attendants come by with drinks and snacks. We take water and pretzels. Xavier and Rod are listening to XM radio with their disposable headphones. I am just sitting back looking at the clouds. Time goes by quickly and before we know it they are telling people to get back in their seats and put their seat belts back on. We are approaching our destination. The sky is clear and the flight was very smooth. We circle the airport and make our approach. Landing was just as smooth as the flight. It takes no time for the flight crew to get us off the plane. It is now 11:30am and we are already at the baggage claim. We get a luggage cart and patiently wait for our luggage to come around. It takes about twenty minutes or so and then we head to check my brother's flight. The board shows it landed on time. We decide we would just meet in front of the Budget rental place. So we head over that way. Jason, Sandy and the kids are already there waiting for us. They have a lot less luggage since they are going home in three days. We both rent a SUV, so we have plenty of room. Now that we are together and have our rentals loaded up, we are on a mission to get some lunch. We find a cute little pizza shop to stop at and we go in to eat. We are all starved and New York pizza is the best. The kids are happy to see each other. They are full of energy and are telling stories about what Santa is going to bring them for Christmas. And as usual, they are wondering if Santa will be able to find Xavier and Madison all the way in New York. I cut into the conversation and say "Of course he will, he hasn't missed you yet". Xavier just smiles and says "I know, mom". The server comes to the table and we order three large pizzas and our drinks. We chat some more and before we know it the pizza is being placed on the tables. The server always serves the first piece of pizza in New York, so once we all have the perfect piece we get the kids to settle down and say "Thanks", then it is time to dig in. We eat almost all the pizza, we were all craving NY pizza and it really hit the spot. For desert we get cheese cake and canolli and split it between all of us. By this time the kids are getting antsy and it is time to get to the motel. We are staying at the Embassy Suites. We each have a large bedroom with two queen beds, a separate living room, a large bathroom, and a micro kitchen. We get unpacked and comfortable and meet downstairs in the lobby. We have our coats and mittens on and we are going for a walk. We are going to go see the big Christmas tree in Central Park. I don't know who is more excited, me or the kids. The air is crispy, but not too cold, and there is a very light dusting of snow flurries starting to pile up. The street lights are twinkling in the flakes as they fall. It is absolutely beautiful. Halfway there we stop in a coffee shop and get some hot chocolate with mini marshmallows. Once we get to the park we take a ton of pictures and just stare in amazement at how big and beautiful the tree is. It seems like it gets bigger and better every year. There are people caroling. It is so festive, it is at this moment when we feel the spirit of Christmas. The kids are starting to get a little chilly and hungry. We decide to go to the deli down the street and get soup and sandwiches. Once we are all full and recharged we decide to bring the kids to the skating rink. All the kids, except the baby, play on a hockey team, so they are pretty good at skating. Xavier thinks it is neat to skate outside, because in Florida he has to skate inside. The kids skate for about an hour, then we head back to the motel. The snow has started to fall much harder. The weather is calling for 3 inches by tomorrow morning. Once we get back to our rooms, the kids take showers and get into their pajamas. Jason, Sandy, and the kids come to our room, we pull out the couch bed and rent a Disney movie for the kids to watch. While the adults sit at the table and talk, the kids fall asleep on the pull out bed. It is now 11pm and it is time for us to go to bed, we have a big day ahead of us tomorrow. Jason and Sandy leave the kids on the couch bed and they go back to their room. Rod and I go to bed as well. We set the alarm for 6am. Tomorrow we are going shopping and the kids are going to Macy's to see Santa. It is the perfect ending to the perfect day of play.

Accountability Partner

So I have had a few people contact me via email and one via the blog regarding getting set up with an accountability partner. I know it seems like a big scary committment to have to check in with someone everyday, but I think it is a great idea. Remember only 3% of the people walking on the face of this earth make a serious study of success and personal development. I don't want anybody to miss out on this. Those of you who have not signed up can change your minds at anytime.

The Tentative Date

So the wheels have been turning since this morning, I have made a few phone calls, and I am setting a tentative date for our vision board creation party. It's penciled in for Saturday Nov 29th, lets plan on meeting at my house around 6pm. Everybody needs to bring a few magazines and a pair of scissors.
Other things we will need:
index cards
glue
metal shower curtain rings
construction paper
markers
hole puncher
pictures
food & drinks
good ideas & positive energy

Like I said this morning, I will buy a hole puncher and a pack of index cards. I have some construction paper somewhere around the house. A couple people will need to bring glue and markers (my son uses crayons so I don't have any markers) and once I get a head count I will see how many metal rings we need and we can go from there. I also think that everybody who comes should bring a friend.

Portable Vision Board Idea

Just a quick idea as I am on my way to work. I want to set up a get together for the local readers. It will probably have to be on a Sunday afternoon and we will have to work it in around the Leukemia/Lymphoma fundraisers that are already on the schedule. But I think it will be fun. I want us to make little portable vision boards, made with index cards. Who ever comes will need to bring scissors, glue, and 2-3 magazines and some pictures that they want to use. I will buy a hole puncher and some shower rings to loop the index cards together. If anybody already has a hole puncher you can bring it so we have extras.
If anybody wants to step it up a notch we can all bring something to munch on.....
We can talk it over later, gotta get to work.

Andrea's Tip of the Day

#12. Get public acknowledgment for completing your task.
I've developed a contact at my local newspaper. When I do valuable thats in the public interest, I call her. Already she's done three stories on me and my accomplishments. Just thinking about getting in the paper energizes me. And putting the resulting article up on the wall keeps me inspired.

Andrea's Tip of the Day

#11. Embark on a "passion walk."
Go outside into the fresh air- the physical movement is important- and think about whatever goal is important at the moment. Walk briskly as you start vividly imagining what it would be like to accomplish that dream. It is much easier to "act" your way into feeling motivated- to pretend that you are- than to actually get yourself to act. Imagine first, and let the passion that it inspires stimulate you into doing the required task.

Procrastination......

Is procrastination one of the seven deadly sins? If not, it should be. We are all guilty of dragging our feet on occasion, well I know I am. It seems like the human thing to do, right?

I attended a very interesting and informative teleconference today. One of the topics of discussion was procrastination. I want to share the information I learned with you because I feel it is highly valuable and I think we could all benefit from it.

To start the discussion my mentor started by addressing the 4 causes of procrastination:
1.) fear
2.) the "should do"
3.) no strategy
4.) higher priorities

Lets just start with #1. FEAR. The fear of failure, the fear of embarrassment, the fear of ......well you name it. There are so many fears out there that actually cause people to not take action. Think of a middle school kid procrastinating on a presentation assignment, perhaps the procrastination is not due so much to the intelligence of the child but more so the fear of doing the presentation in front of the class.

#2. The "SHOULD DO IT" mentality is a very uninspiring feeling. When you feel like you should do something opposed to wanting to, love to, excited to, etc... things just feel like a drag. Nobody likes to feel like they are having their arm twisted into doing something and sometimes the things we "should do" feel just this way. The uninspiring feeling of "I should do this" leads to procrastination.

#3. Having NO STRATEGY is where I find myself on occasion. Lets say I/you have a mental list of 5 or 6 things I/you need to do by the end of the day. I/You know I need to get them all done and I have plenty of time to do them, but I don't get a strategy together and I don't write it on paper. I spend a third of the day trying to remember the 5 or 6 things on my mental list and another third of the day I spend trying to make sure my least favorite thing is at the end of my list, so I potentially don't have to do it, and the last third of the day is used for actually getting a few things on the mental list done. I have actually came up with a strategy system that works very well when implemented. Instead of a mental list, I get a piece of paper and a pen and write a hard copy list. I then prioritize by level of importance and flow of accomplishment. For instance, if I have to do laundry, mop the floor, do dishes, go to the grocery store, and get gas, I will start the laundry and let it wash while I do the dishes, then mop the floor. Then I put the laundry in the dryer, run to the gas station, and stop at the grocery last (so the ice cream doesn't melt). When I get home and have the groceries put away I will fold the laundry and put it away. Having a well thought out strategy always works better for me. Having a hard copy list is a must for more than one reason, first I can't trust myself to remember everything that needs to be done and second it feels good to cross of each task as it gets accomplished.

#4. Having HIGHER PRIORITIES is the last common cause of procrastination. When something ranks low on your priority list it is easy to push it aside. We have all fallen into the rut of having something better to do. The thing is if we just take a few moments and get that nagging task out of the way it would free up so much more mental energy and make us more productive in the long run.

Along with giving the 4 common causes of procrastination my mentor also went over 3 steps to putting an end to procrastination all together. They are as follows:
1.) get into action
2.) set consequences for yourself
3.) have an accountability partner

The simple act of getting into action is the most fundamental. If there is something you need to do, just do it! There will be times when I don't feel like doing the dishes, but they need to be done. After I start doing them the momentum starts going and by the time I leave the kitchen the counters and table are cleaned too. The act of just starting the process is the hard part, once you start finishing is easy.

Setting consequences for myself is new to me, but I feel it has potential. The example he used was a student of his that kept saying she wanted to start a business cleaning and organizing people's garages. She had been thinking about this business idea for approximately 3 years, but never acted on it. He asked her if she thought it was possible to find one friend, family member, or neighbor within 2 weeks time that would let her organize their garage. She said "yeah". Then he asked her teenage daughter if she would be willing to accept $200 from her mother if within 2 weeks she had not accomplished this one task, of course the daughter said "yes". The next time they spoke his student had accomplished her goal and had more garage organizing jobs lined up. It was the painful consequence that motivated her to move forward with her business idea.

Having an accountability partner sounds like a great idea. He explains an accountability partner as somebody who will hold you accountable for the things you say you are going to do by the time you say you will have them done. This does not need to be someone you know intimently and will usually work better if it's not a spouse. He says in the 7 day live events that he holds people get paired up with accountability partners. The requirements for a good accountability partner are to find someone consistent and interested in personal development. They also have to have the ability to dish out some "tough love", which means they will not except your excuses when you slack off. And of course the 2 of you have to have good chemistry, you have to at least like each other to help each other especially since you will be talking to this person everyday. He says to set a time of day (typically in the morning) where you meet on the phone for a few minutes , discuss the prior days goals and how you reached them, then discuss your goals for the day ahead. Your partner writes your goals down and you write their goals down and the next day you make sure each other accomplished the list. And so on.

I think the accountability partnership is a great idea. I want to get set up with somebody who can/will hold me accountable for my daily goals. I think it would make my days and weeks more productive. If anybody is interested let me know either by posting it in the comments section for this thread or by sending me an email (tonya.therightdirection@gmail.com). If I get a lot of people interested I can probably pair people up with partners in the same time zone so the phone calling doesn't present a problem.

Now that we all know and understand the 4 common causes of procrastination and the 3 steps to putting an end to procrastination we should all become much more productive.

Andrea's Tip of the Day

#10. Ensure that your innermost beliefs support, enhance, and further your goals.
What do you believe about yourself and your chances of reaching your goals? Do you believe that you can reach them? Will it be easy or hard? Can you do it alone, or will you need help? Will reaching your goal help you or not? Beliefs are a key part of your ability to reach your goals. Pause now, and re-affirm your belief in yourself. Take that sense of security and confidence and start again. This will enable you to successfully acomplish any job you set before yourself.

Andrea's Tip of the Day

#9. Attach positive values to each of your tasks.
If you have to clean up the kitchen, realize that the accomplishment of the project will make you feel good about where you live. If you have to write a business proposal, associate it with making more money and gaining financial security. If you have to call a friend to dicuss an uncomfortable situation, think of the call as a means of gaining courage, reducing stress, and building greater trust.

What is Your "Consuming" Thought?

We've all heard the saying "What we think about we bring about". So what is it that you've been thinking about? In your spare time are you thinking about where you want to be in five years or are you consumed with thoughts of what you don't want?

I caught myself wasting mental energy on disempowering thoughts today. I was steam cleaning the living room carpet, the machine was so loud that the only thing I could hear were my thoughts. I caught myself thinking about something that had annoyed me in the past and was totally irrelevant to today and tomorrow. I'm not even sure how long I was thinking before I realized what I was doing. When I finally did realize what I was doing I asked myself "What are you even thinking about that for? It's a waste and it doesn't even effect your life anymore". Then I went into our bedroom and looked at our vision board for a moment, which redirected my mental energy to the positive, and then I finished with the steam cleaning.

My point is anyone and everyone can and will occasionally get tangled up with a disempowering thought, the trick is to not let it consume you. When you can address it quickly and refocus your energy to the positive you will be happier. Using our vision board was the quickest and easiest way to get a new image in my mind. Looking at a picture of something you want or something that brings joy to your life stimulates your mind both visually and emotionally. This dual stimulation makes these thoughts easier to hold on to.

The next time you catch yourself thinking about something or someone that is annoying or dreadful take a moment to redirect your thinking to something happy and joyous. Remember, "What we thing about we bring about".

Andrea's Tip of the Day

#8. Set goals that move and inspire.
There are no unmotivated people, only unchallenging goals. Make your goals believable and exciting-
and make sure that they challenge without discouraging you. Set goals for health and vitality, and for improving relationships and character. Lackluster goals will remain on the shelf like a bad book. But powerful goals will ignite your hottest fires so that you get them done.... NOW!!


*****EMOTION = MOTION = RESULTS*****

Andrea's Tip of the Day

#7. Become an animal.
Choose a particular animal whose stereotypical temperment would help you in succeeding at you task. Consider an eagle, lion, monkey, jaguar, dolphin, shark, panther, bear, dinosaur, kangaroo, or a squirrel. Make some kind of corresponding noise, wear a hat or some kind of clothing that reminds you of your chosen creature, or adopt its posture.Make it fun. Then take on your animal's temperment and start the project that is before you.

Knowing You Are FABULOUS is Key

Lets face it, the mere fact that anyone of us is here right now is amazing! Conception it's self is a miracle. Think about it for a moment. How amazing is it that a sperm can even find an egg to fertilize. Then cells divide and multiply until the embryo turns into a baby! The miracle of life truly is a MIRACLE!

After surviving the first 40 weeks of gestation, things don't get much easier. Our heads are so heavy that we can't hold them up. We are unable to walk and unable to communicate in a language that is easily understood by our parents. Our well being was totally dependant on the people around us. Yet, we have all survived. We learned to walk, feed ourselves, communicate, read, and even drive a car. It is simply amazing!

Now, don't you feel important? Once you realize what an amazing creature you are you will start feeling more valuable. When you start knowing you are fabulous you will permeate positive energy. Positive people will feel this positive energy and be attracted to you. People will know you are important when you know you are important.

The next time you are feeling down on yourself take a moment and remember what a fabulous miracle you are.

Andrea's Tip of the Day

#6. Always create a "Plan B."
Even if you totally expect to succeed, have a back-up plan. What will you do if things dont fall into place? If others dont come through? If you get sick? If the weather becomes horrible? With an alternate plan you can relax in the knowledge that even in the worst case you'll be alright.

Andrea's Tip of The Day

#5. Trouble shoot your task.
Analyze up front any potential blocks, hazards, or uncertainties. What possible negative factors will arise? Lack of support, technical knowledge, time physical space, energy, money or experience can all make a task seem daunting. Handle as many of these obstacles as early as possible. Then you will feel much more positive about your chances for success and you will dive into the task at hand.

Why Are We Still Attracting What We DON'T Want?

If the law of attraction is so "easy", then why are so many people still attracting what they don't want into their lives? It would be foolish to think that this very question has not passed through all of our minds. The answer is quite simple, it all roots back to what I have said previously about emotion = motion = results. Have you ever heard the saying "Energy flows where attention goes."? I believe it was my favorite mentor from the secret, James A Ray, who said it first.

These 5 words have so much power in them, "Energy flows where attention goes." Just say it a few times and think about it. What does it mean? Say it a few more times and really think about it. Energy flows where attention goes. It means that what ever you are thinking about, worrying about, and complaining about is what you are sending energy to. And remember the mind can not process a negative, so if you are thinking about "not" wanting something to happen, then what you are really saying is that you DO want it to happen. When you worry about things and complain about things you get emotionally involved with these thoughts which in turn puts fuel on the fire. Remember what I said about emotions. When you write your vision statement you want it to provoke emotion because emotions are the impulses of thought energy that attract things to you, so you in turn get what you are emotionally asking for.

I know this is all a little confusing for some people to understand. Let me try to explain with an example from my own life. It has been many years ago now, but at one time I was married to a "not so nice" guy. After many years of abuse I got the courage to "run away". I left him and filed for a divorce. He was very angry and threatened my life on more than one occasion, he in turn went to jail quite a few times. The last time that he went to jail he had told a friend of his that he would "get me back" and that I better "watch out". His friend had called to tell me to be careful. The details of the story are unimportant, but I began to worry obsessively about my house, my car, my family, and my friends. I was at a point where I had to decide if I was going to move back to New York or stay in Florida. I decided to take a trip to Cassadaga, a little town in Central Florida known for it's Spiritualists, tarot card readers, psychics, etc. I saw a woman by the name of Aryella. She did a Aurora and tarot card reading on me. She instantly sensed that something was wrong and asked a few questions. I told her I needed a little guidance and I wasn't sure what to do. If I went back "home" he may follow me and hurt my family and if I stayed in Florida I feared he would burn my house down. Aryella told me point blank that if I did not stop worrying about it I would "make" it happen. She instructed me to only think positive thoughts, even when I thought of him. Instead of thinking about how awful he was, I had to wish him well and happiness. Whenever a "worry" crossed my mind she wanted me to say "cancel, cancel, cancel" and instantly put a happy thought in place of it. She told me not to worry one more minute about what he was doing or going to do. As long as I knew I was safe, I would be. She told me that our thoughts had the power to create whatever it is that we think about. If I thought about my house getting burnt down long enough it would happen. If I thought about being happy long enough it would also happen. I will admit when she told this, I thought it was just crazy talk, but I did pay $70 for her to tell me this, so I thought I better at least give it a try. I did exactly what Aryella said, every time I had a worrisome thought I said "cancel" 3 times and then replaced it with a happy thought. This took a lot of work and mental energy because I was so consumed with fear. I was probably saying "cancel" every 15 minutes for the first week or so and then it eventually tapered off. Once I realized it was better to focus on the positive things that I wanted it didn't take long at all for happiness to move into my life.

Aryella taught me these universal principles long before I knew what the law of attraction was and she even called it by a different name. The point is, these principle work regardless of whether you believe in them or have a fancy name for them. It is a law of nature, just like the law of gravity. The law of gravity works from day 1, long before we take our first science class. Ignorance does not pardon us from this basic law, nor does it pardon us from the law of attraction. Do yourself a favor, use Aryella's little exercise. Whenever you find yourself worrying or complaining, just stop yourself and say "cancel" 3 times and replace the thought with something positive.

Quote

Don't wish it was easier; wish you were better. Don't wish for less problems; wish for more skills. Don't wish for less challenges; wish for more wisdom.
~Jim Rohn~

The Parenting Power of An Affirmative Command

Have you ever heard the saying "The mind can not process a negative thought"? What does that really mean? It is simple really. When you say or think something in a negative tense you are actually telling yourself to do that very thing that your are trying to avoid.

When I was pregnant with our first child, I spent numerous hours reading every parenting magazine I could find. After about the first 10 or so I started to notice a trend. Whenever I was reading an article on discipline the majority of the "tips" suggested giving your child an affirmative command to get them to listen better. Instead of telling them what you don't want them to do, you tell them exactly what you do want them to do. Zig Ziglar has a wonderful book that I recommend to every parent and grandparent, it is called "Raising Positive Kids in a Negative World". In it he dedicates a whole chapter to the importance of speaking to your children in the positive tense.

Think about it, how many times can you think of when your child was doing something "wrong" and you wanted them to stop, but the more you told them to stop, the more they did it. I can give you a recent real life example....not to long ago Xavier (our 2 year old son) decided it would be fun to jump on the couch. Of course I wanted him to stop before he got hurt. I told him to "Stop jumping on the couch" and stopped long enough to hear what I had to say then he laughed and started jumping more. Then I remembered what I had read and I said "Xavier I want you to sit down on the couch". With out even thinking about it he plopped down on the couch and sat. I thought to myself "Wow this stuff really works!" When I told him to "stop jumping on the couch" what his mind really processed was "jumping on the couch", which made him actually do it more. We all know that energy flows where attention goes. That command was actually giving attention to what I did not want. A lot of times when kids get in trouble for not listening it is because they were doing what their mind was telling them to do with the command that was given.

Thinking in an affirmative or positive tense can be a little difficult at first. We have been raised to be complainers and we almost automatically think of what we don't want, but with a little effort and a little practice it becomes almost second nature. The next time you want your children to do something, just try telling them exactly what you want them to do. This will save you on so many petty arguments. And this doesn't just work with your children, it works with your friends and family members too.

Quote of the Day

"Ideas can be life-changing. Sometimes all you need to open the door is just one more good idea."
~Jim Rohn~

We've Got A New Link!

I just set up a new link for us. You will notice it between the Amazon search box and the Jame A Ray link. I am excited about it, we can sign up for a free weekly audio download. Make sure you take a moment and sign up, free is always a good price!

The Importance of a Journal

So by now I'm sure many of you have noticed a bundle of new ideas flowing through your mind. Why is that? Do you remember when I told you that your subconscious mind will take the information you give it and work on it as if it is real? In most cases it takes 25-35 days for your subconscious mind to be "tricked". If you have been reading your vision statement like I recommended you should be right on track. Your subconscious mind will soon be set on autopilot and its destination is where ever your vision statement (and vision board) tells it to go. Think of these ideas as the navigational system on the road to your success.

Don't let these ideas pass you by. It is important that you "harvest" these ideas when you have them. Write them down in a journal so you can review them later. Don't trust your brain to remember these ideas on it's own. When you write your ideas down on paper it solidifies them and moves them up on the evolutionary chain. Even this blog started as an idea written in my journal.

When you harvest your ideas and appreciate them you get more ideas. Eventually some of your ideas will take off like a rocket and turn into projects. Like this blog, the more energy and attention you give to an idea the more evolved it becomes. I'm not saying that every idea you have will be the next great invention, but you never know which ideas are "great" or "not so great" until you are able to review them. It is better to write down 300 ideas and only have 5 great ones than to only write down 10 mediocre ones. The Law of Relativity (James A Ray, "The Science of Success") states that good and bad only exist in relation to each other. For example, if you have a few mediocre ideas they may seem great until you actually have that one "great" idea. The ideas are only "great" in relation to the other ideas that you are comparing it to. So write down every idea that you have and purge out the "great" ones and give them a little extra attention.

Remember, nothing happens by accident. Every event, encounter, and idea in our lives happens for a reason. We are constantly attracting people, ideas, and experiences into our lives. The reasons may not be clear at first, but as long as you are focused on a goal and think positively you can trust that the "Universe" ( aka "The Almighty Power" or "God") is working towards your well being and happiness. These ideas are a gift from God and we need to appreciate them and know they are the wind in our sail, steering us in the right direction to achieve the success we want.

Jim Rohn recommends never leaving your house without your journal. Sometimes this is hard. What I do is always have paper and pen with me. I can not carry a journal around with me all day at work, but I can carry a pen and a 3x5 index card in my scrub top pocket. When I have an idea while at work I just write it on my index card and transfer it to my journal when I get home. This method has proven to be extremely helpful. Previously, I was bringing my journal to work and leaving it in my locker. When I would have an idea, I was usually with a patient or in the middle of running a test on somebody, so I couldn't run to my locker to write it down. I found myself saying "I will wait and write it down when I go to lunch". Oftentimes I would totally forget my idea by the time I got to lunch. This was a big bummer. Now I just capture my ideas as they pass by and jot them down on my index card when I have them. This has proven to be a much more productive method for me. Some of you may be able to bring your journals with you where ever you go and that is great. The important thing is that you write your ideas down so you can review them.

The Law of Polarity

The Law of Polarity says "In order for something to be really bad, it must at the same time be really good". This Law of Polarity is one of seven that James A Ray teaches in his Science of Success program. Once you understand this law it will make it much easier for you to find the positive aspects in every situation.

Let me explain with a real life example that me and my very good friend Andrea were just talking about. A few months ago Andrea's grandfather was playing with her children and he hurt his back. I remember how terrible Andrea felt, her grandfather had to make numerous trips to the doctor's office, and the whole situation was just a mess. Now at first glance most people would say nothing good could come out of this situation. But mid last week we found out just how the Law of Polarity works. Because of all the doctor visits and tests that her grandfather has had, they were able to detect the cancer in his body. Her grandfather was diagnosed with myeloma, which is a blood cancer.

Once again when something is really bad, it also has to be really good. The good thing is it was caught very early and they can start treatment right away. If it wasn't for her grandfather getting hurt from playing with her kids too hard, he may not of been diagnosed until it was too late.

Sometimes when we are experiencing something that seems bad at the moment it is hard to find what is good about it until later on, maybe even years later. Think back to some of the hard times that you have had and try to find what good came from the situation. Often times people will tell you that what seemed to be the worst experienced came be the most positive. I actually had a patient about 3 weeks ago tell me that having cancer was the best thing that ever happened to him. It pulled his family together and forced him to take a long hard look at his life. Now he only does the things he wants to do. He spends time with his family and he is truly happy. I have this guy's face engraved in my mind because he was so happy that he seemed to glow. His attitude was inspiring.

I know Andrea's grandfather will pull through this with flying colors and in a few months or maybe a few years we can ask him what was the good that came from it. Until then I hope that all of you reading will put him in your prayers and pray for a speedy recovery. Most of you know that I am training to run a marathon in January. It is a fund raiser for the Leukemia / Lymphoma Society. All the proceeds go toward finding a cure and helping the patients of not only leukemia and lymphoma, but all blood cancers. I will be honest, when I signed up for the race I did it merely to get in shape after being pregnant for almost 3 years straight, but now when I run I will be running for Andrea's grandfather. All the more reason to finish my training and finish the race.
http://pages.teamintraining.org/cfl/wdw09/twilliar4k

"Put Your Own Oxygen Mask on First"

By now some of you may be starting to realize that all this personal development stuff is a lot of work and kind of time consuming. You may be wondering how and/or why I put so much time and energy into it, especially with 2 babies. I will tell you "Yes it is a lot of work, but it is all worth it".

I'm going to paraphrase Jim Rohn for a moment, he says when you are on an airplane and they are doing their emergency preparedness speech they always tell you if the plane starts to go down you need to put your own oxygen mask on first. Then you can help your children and the people next to you. Think about it, "put your own oxygen mask on first". You have to take care of yourself before you can take care of others, even your own children! It's that a novel idea. I'm sure you can think of some real life examples demonstrating how this principle rings true.

When you are relaxed, happy, and healthy your response time is much quicker. When you feel good about yourself you can be a better parent, spouse , and friend. It is easier to give of yourself when you feel complete and energized. If you work hard on yourself everybody around you benefits, your positive energy will radiate off you and make the people around you feel good too. Wanting to be a happy and healthy member of society is not a selfish act at all.

On the other hand, if you are always giving and doing for everyone around you and never take the time to take care of yourself, it will not be long before you are warn out and tired. You will probably get depressed and possibly sick and then you will not be much good to anyone. Your own selflessness will actually turn you into a burden to others.

If everybody on the face of this planet took the time to evolve and find their own inner peace think about how much better the world would be. If everyone took responsibility for their own happiness. There would be less crime, maybe even no crime. People would argue less. Families and long lost friends would reunite. And the world would simply be a better place.

Do your part to take care of yourself not only for yourself but for your friends and family too.

You Are What You Think....

Lets face it, we all know "that person", the one who can light up a room with a simple smile. The one who can always see the positive side of every situation. Their glass is always half full. They are always healthy. They love their life and everything about it.

What type of thoughts do you think go through "that person's" mind on a regular basis? Do you think they are wasting time pondering the state of the economy? Or better yet, do you think they lay in bed half awake at night wondering why the boss favors their coworker? Chances are those thoughts do not step foot in the mind of "that person" at all. "That person" knows those thoughts are a waste of their time and they are not willing to make room for them in the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Now on the other hand, we all know "that person's" polar opposite. The person with the Eeyore personality, as a friend recently put it. They mope around waiting for someone to notice the cloud of gloom over their head. They always seem to be the first one in the office to get sick. There is always some sort of tragedy happening in their life. They are always broke and nothing ever goes right for them.

The law of attraction is so simple. It says "like attracts like". We all learned this in our forth grade science class. Think of 2 magnets attracting to each other. When you think positive thoughts you attract more positive energy towards yourself. Which gives you more positive thoughts. When you think negative thoughts you are sabotaging yourself by attracting more negative energy towards yourself. It is plain and simple. If you complain you will be "rewarded" with more things to complain about and nobody wants that.

Try thinking positive thoughts. Look at your self in the mirror and say "I really look good today". Remember, you are what you think. Think happy, joy, health, prosperity, and all the other things you want. And you will soon have it. I will say it again, you are the boss of yourself. You are in control of your thoughts, which means you are in control of your life. You are driving your own bus, as James Ray would say.

HOMEWORK:
First thing in the morning, after the alarm goes off, I want you to think of 10 things that you are grateful for. This is hard for me since I'm, by nature, not much of a morning person, but it gets easier with practice. The 10 things can be anything and if you are reading this and saying to yourself that you don't have 10 things to be grateful for, then I will tell you to think of 20! The mere fact that you woke up, the fact that you have electricity to plug your alarm clock into, your toothbrush, running water, clean socks, the list could go on forever.

This little exercise will get you in the right mindset for having a positive day. Now I want you to keep your back straight and stand up tall, not for the first hour of the day, but all day. And I want you to smile at at least 5 people before you eat lunch. It doesn't matter if they are strangers, friends, coworkers, etc. Just do it, not for them, but for yourself. It has been proven that the mere act of smiling can change a persons attitude from grumpy to happy with little effort.

Now after lunch try to get 5 more smiles in before you get home. When you get home, resist the temptation to complain about your day. Try to find 1 good thing to talk about and if you just can't bring yourself to find something positive to say about your day, then ask someone else to tell you something positive about their day and leave your day out of the conversation entirely.

Before you go to bed run a new list of 10 thing you are thankful for and of course read your vision statement. This gives your subconscious mind something positive to work on all night while you sleep. The subconscious mind is the most powerful part of your being, give it something positive to work on before bed and you are almost guaranteed a good morning.

I want you to really try this for 30 days and see how you feel. If you don't feel better about yourself and your current situation, I will say you did not really do the exercise. Cheating on this exercise will not get you the results you're looking for.

The Secret

~~~~Michelle....this is for you...xoxo~~~~

The Secret DVD can be purchaced on James Ray website for $30 or you can put it into the amazon search box and pull up used copies for $4 with $3 shipping. So if you don't care if it is used I would just get it from amazon. If you haven't ordered from amazon before you will have to become a member, but it only takes a moment. And be sure you are selecting DVD off to the left, it is available in audio book and hard coverbook also. Hope this helps.

Andrea's Tip of the Day

#4. Take one small step right now.
"Poco a poco, se va a lejos." Little by little, one goes far. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. To get it done, simply start now, take one step at a time.


Jim Rohn uses the analagy of driving across the United States at night. Your headlights give you a few hundred feet of visability, but you trust that the road will not end so you keep driving and soon the next hundred feet of road is visable and you go on this way until you get to your destination. If you take one small step everyday towards your goals you will get there safe and sound, just trust in yourself.

James A Ray says if you were driving from California to Atlanta Ga you wouldn't just look at a map of Atlanta in order to get there. You would look at the road infront of you and make the proper turns until you reached your final destination. Your final destination (vision statement) is reached by taking one mile at a time and making the proper turns. These turns that we take are the small goals that we set for ourselves along the way.

Andrea's Tip of the Day

#3 Give yourself and extra month each year to reach your goals.
To get it, simply eliminate the false tyrannical mindset of "not enough time." Get up an extra half-hour early, or go to bed a half-hour later each night.
(When you exercise better, eat better, and have positive reiforcing thoughts, you may find you can do with a half-hour less sleep!)
Use that time to either work on your goal or on yourself. It may not be much time in and of itself, but it sure adds up. A half-hour extra, six days a week is three hours a week. Thats 166 extra hours or more than 4 forty hour work weeks extra per year.



This is interesting.....a whole month extra just by taking an extra 30 minutes per day!!!! What if we cut out 30 minutes of tv everyday plus added another 30 minutes to either the beginnning or end of each day, we would have 8 weeks of time to spend on bettering ourselves!!

Who is James Arthur Ray?

Somehow I managed to completely lose my voice and was unable to go to work on Monday, which in turn gave me a little extra time to fix up the blog. I added a few affiliate links to the James Arthur Ray website. Some of you may recognize him from The Secret and some of you may have no clue who he is, and that's okay.

Remember when I said there is a "scientific" side to all this positive living/law of attraction stuff? Well James Arthur Ray is my favorite when it come to the science. I was lucky enough to be able to attend a Harmonic Wealth Symposium about 2 months ago and it was awesome! While I was there I picked up "The Science of Success" book and was able to get it signed. I also purchased the "Harmonic Wealth" DVD which is also great!

You may notice that I am a little biased when it comes to James Arthur Ray and Jim Rohn. That is simply because they are my favorite. There are lots of good mentors out there and you may find someone that you like better, but in my book James Arthur Ray and Jim Rohn tie for the #1 slot.

Andrea's Tip of the Day

#2 Learn from your mistakes;
Realize that all things of value, great or small, were created from accumulated wisdom. To get that wisdom, one must have experiences. And some of those experiences have to be failures- which make you stronger and smarter for next time. Mistakes are useful... if you learn from them. Have this attitude and you'll never be ashamed to try.


Have you ever known someone who was so affraid to fail that they never tried anything new? In my 31 years of life on this earth I can think of a few people who fit that mold. They didn't "grow" because they never reached out to grab that new idea. The only way to learn how to do something right, is to first do it wrong and learn from the experience. A perfect example of this is the first time I tried to drive a standard shift transmission. Believe me, it was not pretty! The gears were grinding, we all got a mild case of whiplash, and I think I was crying. But after a few (well maybe more than a few) tries I finally got it and now it is second nature.

We should all take every opportunity to learn something new and when we mess it up that's all the more reason to try again just a little harder.

Another Vision Statement Done!!!

I received another vision statement in my email inbox today!! I am excited and I think it is great. I am hoping that I will eventually receive 1000 of them to post!! Here it is;




Vision Statement
It’s is 6:00 and my alarm is about to go off. I get up and turn off the alarm before it starts ringing, jump back into bed to snuggle with Ryan for a bit, stretch, and then put on my tennis shoes to work out on the elliptical for 30 minutes. I walk into Sydney’s room and just watch her sleeping peacefully and then I check in on her little brother and I realize I have to get ready for work, as a pharmacy manager. Ryan is showering and getting ready for work as a corporate officer for T.G. Lee. I get in the shower (and I take a long, hot shower) and then fix breakfast for Sydney, baby boy, and I. It’s time to wake my angles up for school.
Sydney and her brother are in there rooms getting ready and Ryan and I are in our room getting ready for work as well as . I have the best job because I get to work around my home schedule. The kids are my life. I am also a coach for the High School Volleyball team, for which one day Sydney will play for! I drive the kids off to private school and then head into work.
I get to work in my huge office and start my day. I am in and out of meetings all day and my employees are such a great team. There is not too much supervision that needs to be done because we all come to work to get the scripts filled and out the door. I plan for what is need to be done for the next day and before you know it, it is time to leave to pick the kids up from school and head to the high school for volleyball practice. Sydney goes to practice with me and does all the drills and practices with the team when she doesn’t have other activities planned. Ryan comes to the school to pick up baby boy because he doesn’t enjoy the practices as much as his sister. Both kids attend a swimming class two nights a week. The volleyball team holds the state title for the past 2 years, we are an AWESOME team.
Practice is over and I make sure all my girls have a way home. I pack everything up and head home. Ryan is already home and has a huge dinner ready for us. We all wash our hands and get the dinner table ready. We love eating dinner as a family b/c this is when we hear what is happening at school and in the kids lives. We all clean up dinner and get things ready for the next day. I make the kids pick their clothes out for the next day, to save any arguments that they may give us, if there is extra time we allow the kids to take a dip in our Olympic size swimming pool. And then off to bed with tons of kisses, Ryan and I tuck the kids in together.
Finally some time for Ryan and I. We jump into the hot tub and relax for bit. We enjoy our adult talk and our alone time. We look back at how hard we have worked to come to this point and look at our huge home (2 stories, brick, 5 bedrooms…big enough for my family to come visit…a huge game room…our dream home). And it is extremely hot…so I jump into our pool and do a few laps before I call it a night. I head up to my huge master bathroom and take another long hot shower….of course Ryan joins me!!! And off to bed we go. Never angry, always kissing Ryan and saying I love you and off to bed.

Positive or Negative?

My good friend, Andrea, has came across a neat little book called "The Little Book of Big Motivation" by Eric Jensen. It contains 180 passages and tips to help overcome obstacles and help stay positive and motivated. She has decided to share them with me, so I can post them to the blog and share them with you.

#1. Surround yourself with friends who "think positive." We are all susceptible to the beliefs, values, and attitudes of our peers. If others around you are not motivated or are only stumbling toward an uncertain future, it will adversely affect you and your performance. It's important that you spend more time with those who are especially optimistic and motivated.


This quote ties in with Jim Rohn's famous saying; "You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with". Think about it, how many truly successful people do you know that hang out with a group of unmotivated lazy slackers on a regular basis? Not many. The law of attraction says that like attracts like. People who think and act in a positive manner attract more positive things into their lives, leaving less room for negativity. Respectively, those who choose to think and act negatively attract more negativity into their lives. Either way the law of attraction has a snowball effect, soon you are either completely surrounded by positive energy or you're submerged in a sea of negativity. It is your choice, remember a few days ago when I said "You are the boss of yourself."? You choose your attitude, your feelings, and your actions. Which means, in the end you choose your results.

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT:
Make a list of all the people you spend time with; friends, co-workers, family, neighbors, people you talk to on the phone, people you email, etc... Be sure to think of everybody. Now take that list and divide it into 3 categories; positive, negative, & neutral.

Put a #1 by everybody who has a positive influence on your life. People you laugh and have fun with. People you can talk about your goals and future with. People who make you feel happy and light hearted. People who are happy the majority of the time. You get the idea.

Now put a #2 by the names of the people who have a negative influence on your life. This part may be hard, you may notice that some of the friends and family that you're spending the most time with are the most negative of all. These are the people that do nothing but complain, they are able to find the worst in everything no matter what. These people are so busy complaining about how bad things are that they wouldn't know a good day if it hit them in the face.

Lastly put a #3 by the rest of the names on your list. These are the people that you can't quite decide if they are positive or negative, maybe they are a little bit of both.

Now take a clean sheet of paper and mark the lines A through Z. Put the name of the person you spend the most time with in slot A, this will probably be your spouse. Then work your way down until you get to the person you spend the least amount of time with. Be sure to keep them marked with their 1, 2, and 3 designation.

This little exercise is an easy way to figure out where your energy is going. Are you spending the majority of your time with the positive people in your life or are you spending more time with the whiners and complainers? It is important to focus your energy on quality relationships that have a positive effect on your mind and spirit. I don't mean for you to completely cut all ties with your friends and family because they are in the #2 category, but it is in your best interest to limit the time you spend with them.

Trivia......poison won't kill you if the dose is small enough. A widely used blood thinner medicine is made from the same ingredient that is in rat poison. I would say I see at least 5 patients everyday that take this drug and it keeps them alive. Yet if they took too much it would be lethal. Take this into consideration when you are spending time with your friends and family. Spending a little time with your #2 friends won't totally ruin your positive force field, just don't let them sink their fangs into you.

Free Think & Grow Rich Book

Hi guys, sorry for my lack of blog activity the last few days. I have been diligently working on the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society fundraiser that myself and a friend are having on Saturday evening. It has been a lot of work trying to get everything in order, but luckily for us we have good friends helping us out behind the scenes. I promise that once this event is over with and I have gotten a little bit of sleep I will be back in full force. This intermission just gives you some more time to work on your vision statements & vision boards.

Anyways, the reason I'm posting is I saw on the "Google Ads" an advertisement that said something like "free Think and Grow Rich Book". I do not know what the particulars are because I am not allowed to click on the ads myself, but you all need to check it out and if you really can get a copy of Think and Grow Rich for free by all means please do! Napoleon Hill is one of the "GREATS" and we will eventually get on topic with the greatest book he ever wrote. It discusses the importance of master mind groups and how thoughts create results.

Well, this one sentence summarization does not do it any justice. Just click and see what the deal is and if it is really free then try to get it. And if the ad is no longer there when you go to look for it you can scroll the ads by using the arrows on the bottom of the black "Google Ad" box.