Determination...

My friend Diane Dengall painted this picture of my children.... With her fingers and bits of rolled up toilet paper. When Diane was young, her family could not afford to buy her paint brushes but her desire to paint was stronger than her circumstances. She taught herself to paint with her fingers and grew into a very celebrated artist who has done paintings for Oprah and Mr Rogers among others. The moral of the story is that nothing should hold you back. Determination is an amazing quality and will get you far in life.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Pizza & Movie Night

In our house Friday is pizza and a movie night! We all look forward to it... it means a night where I don't have to cook dinner and we all get to sit around and relax and spend time together. If you don't have kids, plan a Friday night in with your Sweetie, you can snuggle up on the couch and zone out to some Hollywood entertainment! Have a fun pizza and movie night and enjoy your Inspired Life!

Maybe

There is a Taoist story of an old farmer who had worked his crops for many years. One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to visit. “Such bad luck,” they said sympathetically.

“Maybe,” the farmer replied.

The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses. “How wonderful,” the neighbors exclaimed.

“Maybe,” replied the old man.

The following day, his son tried to ride one of the untamed horses, was thrown, and broke his leg. The neighbors again came to offer their sympathy on his misfortune.

“Maybe,” answered the farmer.

The day after, military officials came to the village to draft young men into the army. Seeing that the son’s leg was broken, they passed him by. The neighbors congratulated the farmer on how well things had turned out.

“Maybe,” said the farmer.

*** This is one of my favorite stories! It demonstrates that situations are not good or bad, they just are. Often something that seems really bad happens but a blessing comes out of it. If you can learn to find the blessing in all things, even those that seem "bad" you will truly be living An Inspired Life! ***

Create your destiny today.......

Wow! Did you know that the REST of your entire life is UNWRITTEN!!! That means you can create it to be whatever you want!!! Who says we have to be locked into something we chose 5 years ago? Or why shouldn't we try something new? A new career, a new baby, a new love, a new home, a new life... whatever you create, make it amazing!

Life is what you create! Start creating a new destiny today and live An Inpsired Life!!!

PS... Remember, love is always the answer!

Meditate......

Wow! Nothing is more refreshing than meditation! I love to meditate and lately I have been meditating solely on LOVE. If you have never meditated before... it is easy! Here is a very simple technique: Sit in a quiet room in a comfortable position, the idea of meditation is to clear your mind but many people have trouble doing that in the beginning. Instead of trying to clear your mind, just use a mantra to recite such as: I am filled with an abundance of love and my life is beautiful! Your mind might wander from time to time but don't worry about it, just get back to the mantra.

Meditate however long you feel comfortable, I usually do 20 minutes, but you can start with 5 and work your way up. You will feel so relaxed and refreshed after meditating and you will surely live An Inspired Life!

Share your LOVE story!

What is your story? How did you meet the love of your life? When was your first kiss? Sharing your story is so important! Kids love to hear how mom and dad met and can really benefit from knowing how to grow a healthy relationship. Tell your kids (and whomever else will listen) about how you met and fell in love, about your special romantic places or the things you love doing together. Everybody should have an example of what love truly looks like so if you are lucky enough to have found it, share it! Kids learn primarily from example so model a good and healthy relationship, share your love story and live An Inspired passion filled loving Life!

PS... when you model love at all times... people tend to catch on and mimic the behavior and then Everybody Loves Everybody!

Karaoke!!!

If you have not done karaoke, you have really been missing out! It is so much fun! So the first time I ever did karaoke I was terrified! It was scarier than when I learned to do a back flip from the flying trapeze!! I am NO singer but I soon realized that singing in front of a bunch of people was a huge adrenaline rush and even if you sing poorly, people still hoot and hollar for you! lol. Getting up in front of people to sing is a huge confidence booster too, it's not really about the singing, its more about just being able to be vulnerable in front of strangers. Try it... you just might like it! Get out there and sing your way to An Inspired Life!

Eat dessert first!

Who says you can't eat dessert first??? Tonight when you are out, ask your server for the dessert menu and check out the options! I bet if you eat dessert first, you wont even ruin your appetite! Last night I shared a piece of dutch apple pie with caramel topping.... we ate it before our dinner and it was incredible and we all managed to eat dinner too! (Incidentally, I had fried green tomato's for dinner and they were awesome!)

Just remember, the only rules that exist are the ones we create in life, so feel free to change them or re-invent them! Eat your dessert first today and live An Inspired Life!

Double date!

Double dates can be so much fun! Today, call another couple and ask them to join you and your honey out tonight for a FUN double date! There is no telling the adventure you can have... ask the other couple what they like to do, try something new or suggest something that they haven't done before. Or just do dinner and a movie and enjoy the company and conversation of another couple!

I am a firm believer in relationships, they are the foundation for all that we do. Nobody lives in a vacuum so get out there and build friendships! A double date just might lead to a night of adventure, a friendly competition, or even a new set of best friends. Have fun tonight and live An Inspired Life!

Get your SWAGGA on!

Swagga= confidence; the way you present yourself to the world. So today.... get your swagga on! lol. Each and every day we make a choice to blend in to the wallpaper or to walk with confidence. Confidence is not something we have to be born with, it can be learned! Speak with authority rather than meekly, walk with your shoulders up rather than hunched over, be willing to take some risks and go the extra mile rather than waiting for someone to tell you what to do. Teach your kids to be confident too, it will serve them well in life! Like anything learned, confidence takes practice! Imagine putting your swagga on each and every day with your clothes and never leave home without it and live An Inspired Swagga filled Life!

Clear the clutter!

Every now and then you have to clear the clutter that gathers in every home; the mail that you need to go through, the kids school papers, the pile of magazines, the clean laundry sitting on the couch that has everyone dressing in the living room, the toys... the stuff!

In a busy life these things sometimes pile up, my home is no different so today while I work from home, I am cleaning and clearing between work! It always feels so much better after a productive day of de-cluttering! It also makes the chi (energy) in your home flow better and promotes creativity!

So dust off the piles, sort, file, donate, throw out and keep whats left and live a clean, clear, de-cluttered Inspired Life!

Write a LOVE letter...

For many people, it is much easier to write about your feelings than to speak them so today, write a love letter to someone special. In this day and age of technology, it doesnt have to actually be on paper, a love email or love facebook message is just as good! If you don't have a significant other, then write it to someone you did love, or your dream lover, or someone you want to love.

Just make sure to let the love flow forth, be vulnerable, profess your undying love and live An Inspired Life!

Visit an old friend....

Last night I went to visit a friend that I had not talked to in a while. She is in the hospital after surgery and she called me up last night and said "come see me tonight" so I said "I'm on my way." I dropped everything and I went to the hospital for a "brief" visit, I arrived just before 9:00pm and ended up staying til nearly 4:00am the next morning! We talked and talked and talked for hours, got completely caught up on all the new events in our lives and it was fun! ( I thought for sure there were structured visitors hours, but the nurses said we were fine and let me stay... they even offered to make up the next bed for me! lol )
Sometimes you lose touch, or choose to lose touch, or we just get so busy... but it is nice to go back once and a while and visit an old friend! You never know what might be new in their lives or how much they really appreciate hearing from you. Relationships are the foundation for An Inspired Life.

Contribute!

Donate your money, your time, your resources... whatever you have. Making donations help other people but it also impacts you. As a philanthropist myself, I love to make contributions. I donate to my own organization, but I also volunteer my time and encourage my kids to get involved as well. Helping others and teaching children to contribute is such a magical gift because it carrys on for a long time. You never know how your help might effect someone, perhaps they can get a job, or feed their kids, or just get a better outlook on things. Whatever type of donations you make, financial, time, resources or just a listening ear... you are sure to live and share An Inspired Life!

An Inspired Life

The quality of your life is in direct proportion to the amount of risk you are willing to take! ~Tony Robbins

Sing in the car!!

Fake microphone! lol. Hey... we have all done it! Don't try to deny it. My kids and I sing into pens, water bottles, whatever we can find in the car. Try it... its FUN; and make sure the music is loud and don't even think about putting your fake microphone down when someone drives by! That is half the fun!

An Inspired Life is easy... just realize that life is about peace and happiness, being ourselves and being free, having fun and sharing adventures and always finding the joy and hope in life! So pick up your "air microphone" and crank up the tunes and live An Inspired Life!

Love Love Love!!!

Love is a cure for all and yes love is enough. Love will get you through all things! Love should be given without expecting anything in return, give love just to give love. When you do, you ultimately feel love as well.

How do you make love last a lifetime? You refuse to settle for any less! How do people quit smoking and NEVER do it again, they raise their standards and settle for nothing less. How do some people decide to become physically fit and healthy? They raise their standards and settle for nothing less. How do people stay in love for a lifetime? They raise their standards and settle for nothing less.

Love is so much more than a feeling, it is something you do even when you dont feel like doing it. When the person you love hurts you, you love them anyway. When they are upset and crying, you love them anyway. When they say they dont want to see you, you love them anyway. Love is unconditional. In fact.... when the person you love is freaking out or having a bad time... that is when you have to be MORE present and assure them that NO MATTER WHAT, you will be there to love them.

We love our children uncconditionally, we need to love our partners the same way.

The same way you could never kick a puppy, is the same way you will never be hurt for loving someone. If you truly love your spouse, through all the good and bad, through security and insecurity, through laughs and crying, through riches and poverty, through adventure and dull times, and always put one another first no matter what... you will have an amazing full relationship that will last a lifetime. You can create An Inspired Life together and that is worth everything!

A new day dawns....

"A new day dawns. every second of life we have the ability to hit the restart button." ~Rocky Bellinger

My foster son said it best... every second of life we can hit a restart button. There is no need to wait til Monday to start your new diet, or wait til Spring to start that new project, or wait til you get around to it to forgive someone. Each and every moment is brand new and offers brand new opportunities for life, love, peace, hope, joy, forgiveness, excitement and passion. Don't wait for some future event to happen so you can live... live right now! Take a risk, live life to the fullest, love without conditions, be vulnerable, experience passion, except joy even through sadness, cry, laugh, scream, giggle, dance, sing, spin around and take it all in... life is what we make of it... and it is good!

Leaf Peeping!

What could be more romantic than walking through a park with your sweetie and looking at the beautiful colors that mother nature blesses us with in the Fall? Today, take a drive or a walk and check out the Fall foliage, the colors are phenomenal! I personally love the sound of the leaves crunching under foot. Sip some cider or cocoa and walk hand in hand with someone special and hear the leaves crunching, imagine the pumpkin pie and enjoy the beautiful Autumn show!

Pumpkin Picking!

Today is the perfect day to head to a local farm and partake in all that a farm in the Fall has too offer... pick pumpkins, drink cider, get lost in a corn maze and take a wagon ride pulled by a big farm tractor! What FUN!!! When I was a little girl, we went pumpkin picking every year and I would ALWAYS pick the ugliest most mis-shaped pumpkin I could find because I was sure no one else would want it and I didn't want it to be left behind. Take the kids, or the person you love the most out for a fun Fall day today and bring a pumpkin home to carve and enjoy your Inspired Life!

Attend a conference!

I'm at a Shaklee conference this weekend and crewing a Tony Robbins conference in 3 weeks.
Conferences are a great way to network, make new friends, build business or do some personal development. An Inspired Life is full of opportunities, relationships, personal growth and lots of passion!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Bonfire!!

It is still great weather for a bonfire! It's Friday... grab some wood, call your friends, get the marshmellows and light up the bonfire! What a fun thing to do on a cool Fall evening under the moon and stars, warming up by the fire, snuggling with someone special, or flirting with someone special to be. Wishing you lots of love and passion tonight as you enjoy An Inspired Life around the fire!

Interrupt someone's day with a HUG!

Give someone who doesn't expect it a hug today. Interrupt your lovers day by showing up at their office, or your child by showing up at school or your friends lunch break and give them a nice big hug! They won't expect it but the rest of their day will feel inspired, so will yours! Hugs are so special because of proximity; when your heart beats that close to another persons heart, you create a bond. The more you hug the closer you will become! :-) Get close to someone today and live An Inspired Life!

LOVE UNCONDITIONALLY

"People need love the most when they deserve it the least." As challenging as it may be sometimes to love someone unconditionally, to love them any less is not really love. Love is a verb, something that you do... today, love someone even if they have hurt you. Tell someone that you are angry or upset with that you love them. Open your heart and allow yourself to be vulnerable, when you give love you ultimately feel love even more. When the love flows freely through you, you are truly living An Inspired Life.

SKIP!!

How much fun it is to skip! My 9 year old daughter and I skipped all the way into the bookstore last night, it was just so much fun. Why do we stop skipping when we get older? It's much faster than walking, great exercise, raises the heart rate and it really is fun! So today... skip your way into work, or the grocery store or wherever you are headed and remember how much fun it STILL is to be a kid!

Plan a weekend getaway!

Half the fun of a vacation is all the research and planning! Checking out all of the fun places to go, nice places to eat and kid/pet friendly lodgings! Plan a weekend getaway today and whisk off to someplace fun this coming weekend! Perhaps a bed and breakfast or a big flashy casino weekend or if money is tight... how about just camping in the backyard with the kids! Whatever you decide to do... do it with joy and passion! PS..... it's the perfect time of year for Fall festivals, foliage and pumpkin picking; New England offers TONS of this type of fun on the weekends!