Become indispensable

Just how do you become indispensable? By taking an interest in OTHER people! Make people feel more comfortable and welcomed around you by asking questions about what they do, listening to their stories and taking notice of things that are important to them. For example: Bringing your co-worker a cup of coffee is nice but who is it serving? Bringing your co-worker a cup of coffee, with the extra espresso shot, 2 sugars and a touch of whole milk that he likes is actually serving HIM because you took the time to notice how he likes it. It is obvious to people when you really make an effort to notice them or learn more about them and people appreciate the extra mile. Everyone LOVES a "people person," so today, take a genuine interest in other people and Live Inspired Now!

The writing is on the wall....

Inundate your walls and family with positive messages! My friend Karen makes these awesome wall graphics, they are super cool and easy to apply. They are very professional looking, not like the wall graphics you get at craft stores. Put positive affirming messages directly on your walls and remind your family each day to live with passion. I have "love lives here" in my kitchen and it really sets a tone for our family! So today, check out my friends website, order some positive words for your walls and Live Inspired Now!
www.wulfsexpressions.com

WHY NOT?

This weekend Thad and I bought kayaks and we excitedly brought them home and showed the kids. My son Harry said "Why did you get kayaks?" I quickly said "Why NOT?" Later when we were driving to the pond to try out the new kayaks Harry said to me "Mom, you know what I really love about you? I love that you always say why not! You are not afraid to try things!" Wow! What a cool thing for a Mom to hear! So WHY NOT?? Instead of thinking about reasons why you 'should' do something, think about why NOT! Even a very long life is too short so live it up and embrace a "why not attitude!" So today, say why not to something, enjoy the freedom of that attitude and Live Inspired Now!

Thank a Military Person....Happy Memorial Day!

Have a wonderful Memorial day everyone! Thad and I are heading over to family's house for a cookout and great company! May we all quietly remember the sacrifices of our military and thank them for preserving our freedom! Enjoy your families, enjoy the cookouts, if you know a service member please thank them and Live Inspired Now!

Be a little crazy!

Thad and I were at the grocery store yesterday and we brought 4 of our kids with us. They were all running down the aisle and jumping up trying to touch the hanging signs whilst giggling and egging one another on! (Mind you... not near other shoppers and not being loud) I turned around and looked at them all and I think one of them assumed they were going to get in trouble. Not the case at all. (Geez, how long have they known me?) I wanted to make a video of them all doing it, but I didn't have my phone with me. Then I explained that Dad and I act much more stupid when we are out without the kids. lol. So we went on our merry way... 4 kids in tow and all acting a little crazy. So today, step outside of your comfort zone, WHO CARES what people think, laugh and giggle, enjoy each moment, act a little crazy and Live Inspired Now!

YOU are hypnotized.... YES YOU!

Have you ever been hypnotized? YES, YES you have!!! How you ask? Well have you ever noticed that driving down the road you can sing along to every song on the radio? You know the words but if someone were to pick one of the songs and ask you to sing it later when the music wasn't on you would not be able to. That is hypnosis my friends! With that in mind, what types of things are in your sub conscious that may not be healthy? When you listen to music with hateful lyrics, or watch television that is full of violence, or even just listen to Carol Complainer every day at work, you are putting sub conscious information into your brain that stays there even if you aren't thinking about it. Protect yourself from negative hypnosis by listening to positive music and avoiding as much violence and negativity as possible. (The news hypnotizes us into believing the world is this big horrible unsafe place.) So today, put positive influences into your
sub conscious and Live Inspired Now!

Online charity auction for kids!

Friends of the Ithaca Youth Bureau are holding an online auction to raise funds for the Ithaca Youth Bureau in Ithaca, NY which provides programs like the College Discovery, Big Brothers/Big Sisters and Recreation Support Services. They have been a long standing community resource and recently sustained a 25% budget cut in state funds. So today, let's help raise money for a great cause that serves awesome kids and Live Inspired Now!

Register and bid at: friendsiyb.org

Bad weather, so what!?!

Bad weather.... so what? Don't complain about things you can't control! Last night Thad and I went out for our run/walk in the pouring rain, I was not thrilled but I was also not willing to give up my workout. So I found a way to make it more enjoyable. I put my iPhone in a sandwich baggie and wore my new hot pink rain coat that I bought for my honeymoon in Montana! (Totally cute by the way and it has a way to run your ipod headphones through the jacket!) Anyway... nobody likes to hear someone complaining all of the time and some people actually like the rain. So today, no matter what the weather, find a way to enjoy it and Live Inspired Now!

Encourage Encourage Encourage...

I am so excited! This week we are talking about philanthropy in school. I have always encouraged my students (and everyone else) to give beyond themselves, to find their purpose and to set standards for accomplishing their purpose driven goals. So yesterday, one of my students came in and told me all about his plans to start an organization that would encourage kids to be themselves no matter who they are. To be comfortable and safe and free from bullying no matter how they express themselves as an individual. He was going to sell his video games to raise money and buy rubber bracelets to promote his cause! What an awesome kid!!
My point in all this is that kids have big huge amazing ideas, some have small brilliant ideas, either way, encourage them! When a kid comes to you with an idea, don't say "oh that will never work" or dismiss them as too young to be relevant. Amazing kids all over the world are starting charities, inventing new things, revolutionizing products and even solving paradoxical questions! So today, encourage a kid, just tell them to "make it happen kid," stand back and watch them be amazing and Live Inspired Now!

*Want more info on how to make your kid amazing? Contact Inspired Heather Paris today and find out about upcoming workshops and teleclasses*

My Mom got a WHAT????

My 62 year old ultra conservative Mother is not getting older, she is getting cooler! The picture above shows the tattoo that my Mom went and got last week on her shoulder. Her name is Bea and the bee is her business logo. How cool is my Mom? SOOO cool! So today, think about something you have always wanted to do... tattoo, skydive, go to Africa, walk on fire or whatever... Just do it! No excuses, no more waiting, just do it and Live Inspired Now!

Guided Meditation....

This morning, Thad and I are off to the spa to enjoy a guided meditation with my friend Surinder Sidhu. Every Sunday morning, he guides participants through a wonderfully tranquil meditation designed to renew and refresh you for the upcoming week. Meditation is a beautiful way to get clarity and feel centered. So today, look into trying a guided meditation, or just practice meditating yourself, get clarity, feel great and Live Inspired Now!

Eat fresh food.....

Eat food the way it is born... fresh! Choose foods from the garden or at least the produce section from the grocery store instead of the canned section. Food is healthier in it's natural state, still fresh and unprocessed. Fill your fridge with fresh whole food choices for your family. Avoid making your fridge a morgue by loading it with meat and processed foods. Eat healthier, eat fresh and Live Inspired Now!

Let's talk about sex!

OK folks... now is your chance to look away because it is about to get very real! ;) So let's talk about sex... with the kids! I believe in talking open and honestly with kids about sex and intimacy. They need to know and they need to know whats accurate, not what they hear on the school bus. I am always astounded when I hear older teens telling me what they think they know about sexual relations... including "You can't get pregnant if you go to the bathroom after" or "If I don't have sex then I won't get a boyfriend... all boys have to have sex, that is just how it is." OMG.... REALLY??? Who is talking to these kids? Please talk to your children, start when they are young. Tell them how everything works, tell them what your moral value is on the subject. I also tell my children (because NOBODY says this and it is important) that masturbation is natural and normal! I personally don't think children should be having sex, I don't feel that they are emotionally or physically ready to handle it. Some kids are so desperate to feel love and connection that they have sex and when the relationship ends, they feel hopeless, they know they have lost an experience that they should have waited to share. The guidelines that I tell my kids are, you must be in a long term healthy committed relationship with one partner and be out of high school. Until then, I encourage them to "take care of their own needs" because I realize that they still have raging hormones and lots of sexual desires. When they are able to take care of their own needs they never have to worry about disease or pregnancy or the emotional pain associated with growing up too fast. Also... when speaking with kids about sex, use the proper words. Studies show that kids who are confident and knowledgeable about sex and their own bodies are less likely to be molested or abused because they know what is appropriate and not. Protect kids with knowledge about sex, help them make healthy choices, don't act like its something embarrassing to talk about so they will feel comfortable coming to you and set the moral guidelines for what you feel is acceptable. So today.... talk about sex with your kids (if you don't, the wrong person might) and Live Inspired Now!

Share INSPIRATION!

I read a study today that proved that our energy is contagious. That if we are negative, so do the people around us become. People are 50% more likely to become what they are surrounded by so in theory, we are responsible for what our friends, peers and family become as well. So today, be INSPIRED, positive, energetic or uplifting because you will be spreading that everywhere you go! Go share it and Live Inspired Now!

Be Assertive!

Sometimes you need to be assertive! Sitting back and passively letting others decide things for you won't serve you nor will taking aggressive actions that make others feel abused. Being assertive means self advocating and speaking up for what you need without hurting anyone. I see people all the time settle for what they don't want. For example, you might get the wrong meal in a restaurant and you really don't want it but you eat it anyway. Or you get over charged for something but are too timid to speak up. You don't have to be mean or yell but you can assert yourself and let people know that you would like something to be changed or fixed. Kindly and confidently explaining that this is not the meal that you ordered and asking for the correct meal will allow you to get what you want and make you feel proud too because you took care of needs! Nobody should have to be afraid to speak up! YOU are your best advocate, only YOU know what you want and how to get it. So today, speak up for yourself in a kind yet assertive way and Live Inspired Now!

Something you don't know about me.......

Today, tell people something they don't know about you and find out something you might not know about them! This is a really fun social activity that allows you to get to know people better, you might even learn something about someone you thought you knew everything about! Ask your spouse or kids to tell you something you might not know about them.... this could get interesting! So today, share your "what you don't know about me story" and Live Inspired Now!

Here is something you might not know about me:

I very much dislike hamsters! I had hamsters as a kid and they ate my favorite shirt! It was sitting next to their cage and they pulled it in and chewed holes in it. My dad then made them an amazing plexi-glass home, it was very large and had 2 levels. I did a report on the hamsters for science class and I brought them to school in their new see-through home. During my report, in front of the entire class, the hamsters DID it... yes IT!!! Let me tell you... that is something that could ruin a 7th grader! Then, a short time after that, a few weeks or months... I came home from school and heard an ominous sound. I looked all over the house for this noise that sounded like cereal crunching.... I found the sound. It was the hamsters, they had babies and were eating them. OHHHHH MY GOSHHHHHH!!!!!!! That was IT! I was so upset, I had no idea they would have babies, let alone eat them. It was one of the most disgusting and gruesome things I had ever seen. Well, after that, the hamsters were re-homed. I love animals, but I am NO fan of hamsters!

Share the extra....

Very often I hear people say "What am I going to do with all this extra...." or "I have so much..... and I have no idea what to do with it." So why not share it? In my house, we always have extra fresh eggs because we raise our own chickens, so I share them with friends, neighbors and even a few students. If you have an extra amount of goodies because you baked too much, or you got a bunch of extra "something" because you hit a good sale, just share it! You can always store things for later, but sharing feels so great and sometimes you could be sharing with someone who is in need and you don't even realize it! So today, share the extra, see how great it feels to give beyond self and Live Inspired Now!

Mom-Like people...

Call your Mom today! If she isn't with you anymore, call a Mom-like person! Like me, many of us are Mom's to lots of kids that we didn't give birth to. Whether they are step kids, foster kids, neighbor kids or just kids that needed guidance and you took them in.... they are still our kids in our hearts. So today, call your Mom and/or your Mother figure, wish them a happy day, let them know they made a difference in your life and Live Inspired Now!

Enjoy the moment!

How much magic do we miss each day because we are not present in the moment. We might be thinking about what we have to do later when we get home, or thinking about the grocery list. So many thoughts occupy our mind that we often forget to look around, observe where we are and enjoy the moment. If you stop, breathe and take an inventory of your surroundings, it puts you in the "now." Do this and see if you notice anything new. Notice how you are feeling in the moment, notice what sounds you hear. Isn't it funny how some of us have to practice "being present in the moment" and not getting caught up in the past, or future? So today, enjoy the present moment, try to remain in the now as much as possible and Live Inspired Now!

Draw the line!

Kids (grown ups too) need boundaries. You must know what your boundaries are and stick to them. You know what you will allow and not allow, hold true to that. Kids especially will try to push the limits and the best thing you can do as a parent is to draw the line and hold your ground. Kids will grumble and complain but the fact is, we set guidelines to teach and protect them. It doesn't always feel good but nobody gets into parenting just to feel good. It takes a strong and loving parent to draw the line and hold a kid to it but in the end, a healthy well adjusted adult emerges and thanks you for all that you did (eventually!) So today, don't be wishy washy, set the guidelines and stick to them and Live Inspired Now!

A confession...

Today, make a confession and Live Inspired Now!

Here is my confession:

Yesterday, like all days, I was not perfect. I decided to go without makeup (never happens) because I am sunburned. I was rained on twice yesterday and my hair frizzed out and during my daily hike, I got all gross and sweaty. So with no makeup and frizzy hair, I went through my day feeling slightly disheveled but still pretty good. Until.....
Two friends hurt my feelings by making comments about my body and another person told me I looked ill. So the rainy day, the hurt feelings, the inconsiderate comments and emotions won yesterday. I felt defeated and hurt and then felt bad about myself for not being strong enough to NOT care what other people said about me. It was a double whammy!
But one crappy day can't ruin my amazing life!! So last night, my very awesome husband made me chocolate brownies and brought me a brownie with dulce de leche ice cream on top, drizzled with caramel sauce. I let him take care of me and I confess, it made it all better.

Evil thoughts... so what!!!

Guess what? Everyone has evil thoughts some times! Yes, everyone! It doesn't make you crazy, bad, evil or anything other than human! Bad thoughts happen to the best of us, don't beat yourself up for it. When bad thoughts happen, tell yourself that you are human and you are having these feelings as a reaction to something. Perhaps something upset you, scared you, made you anxious or maybe there was no reason that you are aware of. Acknowledge that you are capable of bad thoughts and also acknowledge that this doesn't make you a bad person. "My thoughts are just thoughts, they possess no physical matter and I don't act upon them if they are not healthy. I am not my thoughts, they are just a by product of being human. I am a human capable of evil thoughts just as I am capable of amazing, beautiful, happy thoughts and actions as well." Once you come to terms with being human, you can re-focus your attention on gratitude, or love, or happiness, or just think of a fond memory. ( YOU are no more evil than the adorable little kitty in the picture above!! )
I hear from teens all the time that beat themselves up for having "evil thoughts." Somehow they think it makes them bad and that they are the only ones on earth who think bad things. Please let your children ( or yourself if it applies ) know that they are amazing and valuable and beautiful and most of all human. So today, think your evil thoughts, accept that its a human trait, re-focus on something positive and Live Inspired Now!

Plans worth making....

Plans worth making are plans worth keeping! If you make plans with someone stick to them. Too often I see people making all sorts of plans but then blow them off. Other people are counting on you and when you cancel your plans it might tell them that they are not important enough for you to show up. Sometimes people commit themselves to something scary or out of the box then back out at the last minute... again, you might be letting more than yourself down! Things happen and sometimes we have to cancel something, but let that be the exception not the rule. Plans worth making are plans worth keeping... so today, keep your plans and Live Inspired Now!

Dirly Girl Mud Run; Scranton, PA May 2012

This is how we looked when we started! My tiara got stuck in the low crawl net a couple of times but I did manage to finish with it still on!

Is is a 3 mile course with 11 obstacles, all of which involve some sort of mud!

This is how we looked at the finish line!

I highly recommend that everyone sign up for the Dirty Girl Mud Run! It is so much fun, empowering and great confidence builder! It is appropriate for any age and size! I am doing another one in September in Buffalo!
Dirty Girl Mud Run 2012

I'm a "Dirty Girl!"

On my way to the "Dirty Girl Mud Run!" Have a super day everyone and wish me luck!!! I can't wait to jump into a giant mud pit with all my friend!!

Watch a storm!

I took Harry out for his birthday yesterday after school. We had an awesome time playing mini golf and eating at his favorite place, the Waffle Frolic. The weather was perfect and sunny until.... a storm rolled in while we were at the grocery store! The sky turned dark nearly instantly, the clouds were ominous, the air was thick and heavy while the wind began to pick up. We put the top up on the convertible and headed home. About 5 minutes later we got caught in a major hail storm with hail the size of golf balls! It started just as we crept up Stone Quarry Rd which runs up one of the steepest hills around. With a hill on one side of us and a cliff on the other, the hail relentlessly pelted the car and the fog was so thick we literally could see nothing. I couldn't pull over because I was afraid to slide off the cliff side so I just very slowly continued my way to the top where I knew a hotel was and they had a valet over hang that I could park under. We made it to the hotel where we sat for about 25 minutes or so until the hail stopped. I have never seen anything like that! It was so scary but it is certainly a birthday event Harry won't soon forget! While we were in the hotel lot, we took some videos of the lightening. None of the videos fully represent the intensity of the storm and the awesomeness of the lightening, but this one shows the cool bolts shooting across the sky. So today, watch a storm, they are super cool (as long as you are not stuck driving in them) and Live Inspired Now!

Handmade Recipe Book...

There is nothing better than making family recipes! I made my Mom a handmade recipe book with a 3 ring binder that I decorated and I made one for myself with all of her recipes in it. I am going to make these for my kids too! Some day when they move out, they will have all of their favorite recipes that I made for them. I have wanted to put this together for some time, especially for my daughter Madalyn, she really enjoys my cooking! It is a really easy project to do. Just get a 3 ring binder and page protectors, hand write or copy your favorite recipes and put them into the page protectors. You can decorate the pages with rubber stamps or stickers or hand drawings. Be sure to hand write notes and things on the pages so they get the personalization! I put notes about the recipes, where it came from, or who's favorite it was. So today, make a handmade recipe book to pass down and Live Inspired Now!

Respect other's knowledge...

A wise man never stops learning and takes his lessons from everyone! All people have knowledge, all people are smart in different ways. Respect another persons knowledge whether they are formally educated or not. I personally never ask for credentials, I ask for results! Some of the very smartest people I know are not formally educated. Never make a determination of someones value based on their college or university. I myself dropped out of college because it was hindering my education! So today, respect knowledge that other people possess, listen and learn something new from everyone you meet and Live Inspired Now!

PS: These people never went to college: Rachael Ray, John D. Rockefeller, Simon Cowell, Abraham Lincoln, Michael J. Fox, Wolfgang Puck, Walt Disney, Dave Thomas

Famous Dropouts: Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg (all billionaires)

Whisper to yourself....

Today, whisper positive words... to yourself! We take the time to compliment and encourage others but often forget the most important person in the world... our selves! We must remember that we are smart, kind, beautiful and loving too and we need to remind ourselves of that daily. So today, take a few moments to whisper to yourself all the lovely words of affirmation that you so freely offer to others and Live Inspired Now!