Changing Direction

Do you have any close friendships where you don't keep in touch on a daily, weekly, or even monthly basis?  Well, I have a few friendships like this where there may even be a year or more time between our contact.  It's amazing how all of that time can go by, but once we reconnect, it's as if no time ever passed . Of course there is lots to catch up on but what I mean is, there is the feeling that we haven't lost the deeper connection. If you have a friendship like this, feel free to leave a comment and share. It's not an easy thing to explain but it's a beautiful thing to know that the spiritual connections remain regardless of time and space. Ironically, today I reconnected with a very close friend after a long time and it inspired me to post on this topic. For all of my friends whom I share this special bond with, I love you and look forward to the next time we meet again.

 

 

I had an interesting dream the other night. I dreamed that I walked out of my house into stormy weather. The wind was almost hurricane force. I had a lot of trouble making my way back to my open door. Interestingly, a book came flying out the door opening and it was "The Four Agreements" by Don Miguel Ruiz. I awakened remembering that I hadn't completed reading this book so I took it as a sign that I should. The Four Agreements is  based on ancient Toltec wisdom and is a practical approach to stress management and personal growth.  I highly recommend it if you haven't already read it. The Four Agreements are: 1. Be Impeccable With Your Word. 2. Don't Take Anything Personally. 3. Don't Make Assumptions. 4. Always Do Your Best. Sounds fairly simple but as you delve into the book you'll see that changing the way you think about things or how you react to things and people isn't so easy. The book elaborates on each agreement and assists you in ...

** Update 9/17/10 ** There has been a recent report that this woman filed a false report. She was not attacked by acid but inflicted the wounds upon herself. She obviously has serious issues and was just looking for attention. There seems to be quite a bit of that going on these days. Some people will do any and everything to get it.  I truly hope that she gets the mental help that she needs.  And as far as everything I said in my previous post, I'll have to take it all back because she's a fake!  **Original post** I normally post "news" on Newz_Junkie's Blog but this story touched me in more than a current events way.  When 28 year old Bethany Storro was met with an acid attack to her face she endured great pain and emotional damage.  But even through this she is showing a lot of strength.  She speaks of how she normally does not wear sunglasses because she does not like them but just minutes before the attack bought a pair and had them on w...

We are living in some trying times right now.  It's understandable that a lot of people are struggling in some way shape or form.  Some are struggling in multiple areas.  But have you thought about where your focus is?  What I mean is, are you giving all your power to the troubles that you are having?  I have found that this causes the majority of stress.  I have learned that if you want to reduce stress in your life you will need to take the emphasis off of all the bad things that may be going on.  It isn't easy at first but with practice you will find that it is possible to have many many more good days despite what is going on.   Here are some ways that I refocus my energy: Release the "I am the victim" mentality Okay, things can and do happen to us BUT you have to know when to let go and move forward.  Being stuck is one of the worse things you can do to yourself.  Remember that being stuck is a choice.  Choose to release you...

I am going through a transition where right now I am making less money but I am much happier than I was when I made much more.  Sounds odd I know but it's true.  Yes, it has been an adjustment but not nearly as painful as I thought it would be.  Take a look at this video on how you can actually end up making even more money in the long run by doing work that you love. "Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears." - Les Brown

I wonder what's down the road.  I wonder what is around the corner.  I wonder where my efforts will lead me.  There are times that I wish I had a crystal ball to give me at least a hint or glimpse of the future.  I'm excited about the possibilities but am trying to live in the moment...taking each day, each hour, each moment at a time.

This past week I have been busy with the business of follow ups.  I have had business contacts to follow up with, my life coach to follow up with, and job interviews to follow up with.  The important thing about the follow up is to bring clarity to a situation as to next steps or in some instances, closure.  The other important thing about the follow up is the exchange of valuable feedback.  I especially like it when this is possible because I always want to know if there are ways that I can improve myself or offer suggestions to others.    For the most part I can say that I have had some successful communication these past few days.  Some people and/or companies are better than others.  There are three businesses that were supposed to follow up with me that I have yet to hear from with next steps but in those cases I did not let too much time go by without sending out my own communication just to keep myself top of mind with them. Right now I ...

I'm posting this video link for a very special friend of mine who is going through some serious challenges. Joyce Meyers speaks on "The hope of seeing change".  If you are going through something and are feeling like you are losing hope please invest time to watch.  Joyce delivers a great message as always https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEt0pnUQQMc

Self help author and motivational speaker Tony Robbins has a new TV show called "Breakthrough".  I believe that it was great timing to launch a show like this when we as a country are going through so many challenges.  Tony Robbins inspires and helps to show people how to take back control of your life.  He finds ways to help trigger the shift in people so that they can live a fuller life despite what they're going through. If you haven't seen the premier, check it out here... "The secret of success is learning how to use pain and pleasure instead of having pain and pleasure use you. If you do that, you're in control of your life. If you don't, life controls you. " - Tony Robbins

We did quite a bit of exploring. We checked out some of the things right around our hotel (yes the casinos, clubs & bars) and then spent the day at LarcoMar which is a large upscale shopping area full of restaurants and bars. While there we had lunch and then went for drinks at TGIFridays and watched the World Cup! Viva Espana! After spending the day there we got lucky and met a friendly cab driver/tour guide named Francisco who spoke very good English.  Although my Spanish isn't terrible, it was really nice to run across him. He offered to give us a city tour which we took him up on on Tuesday.   But before that, on Monday we went on a trip outside of Lima to an area called Paracas via Cruz del Sur luxury bus line and toured Paracas Reserve...   Then on to a little fishing village for lunch called Lagunilla. The contrasting views of the desert meeting the sea were breathtaking. We even got a chance to see the famous area where "Planet of the Apes" shot the ...

Excitement had been building for months and we were finally set to take off on our Peruvian adventure. It turned out though that we ended up in Atlanta for the first 2 days of our trip due to lack of seats available on the flight. We discovered that there is just one Delta flight that goes down to Lima and when flying standby it's a gamble as to whether you will make it on. The good part about being in ATL for a couple of days is that we got to spend time with family which was fun. We did dinner and drinks on both nights to officially start the pre-Peruvian fun. By the time day 3 rolled around it was "3rd times a charm" and we made it on board... 1st class baby! And boy was it awesome!! There's nothing like an international 1st class flight. Comfort, fine food, pampering by flight attendants, drinks, and more drinks. Thanks Cuz!!!   Our flight touched down at just before midnight and after making it through customs we were off to our hotel in Miraflores. Miraf...

It's the start of another month and we are in the thick of Summertime.  The heat is on!  I've been staying cool though and taking each day in stride.  Choosing my battles and trying to remain balanced in all things.   This morning I saw a segment on Good Morning America with Dr. Ian Smith .  He has a new book out called "Happy".  This is a topic that I have posted about a few times.  I know there are a lot of people going through some tough times but you CAN be happy in the midst of challenges.  Here are some boosters from his book that I actually already practice that will help bring you happiness. Commit 5 Acts of Kindness Each Week Keep a Gratitude Journal Write Someone a Thank You Letter and Visit Spend Money on Someone Else Strengthen and Deepen Personal Relationships Develop a Spiritual Life Forgive YOUR HAPPY PLAN Each week perform three of the above happiness boosters. Each week read an article about a person, place, or thi...

We've made it to another Friday and I am in my cleaning mode working on organizing lots of things.  How many times have you said to yourself, "where did I put that information?", "I wish I had a better memory," or "if my head wasn't attached to my body I might forget IT!"  I have said all of those things dozens of times. In our busy lives it seems to be a never ending journey to stay organized and on task. Well, I have discovered 2 of my favorite new ways to help reduce the clutter and assist me in remembering all things big and small. One is called Evernote and the other is Dropbox . Now they both do similar things in that you can store all sorts of documents on a cloud.  For all of you non-geeks out there a cloud is where you store and even back up data so that it's digitized off of post-it notes, scraps of paper, or off of your computer to organize, free up memory, accessible from any computer, and even sharable with others. Informati...

Last night I had one of the most terrifying bouts of sleep paralysis that I've ever had.  Sleep paralysis occurs in healthy adults when you wake in the middle of REM (rapid eye movement) state, but body paralysis persists. You are fully conscious but unable to move. This paralysis can last from several seconds to several minutes and you can hallucinate or hear sounds as well.  In my particular situation, I felt a presence in the room behind me.  It completely creeped me out!  I heard little noises as it was was moving things around on my bed table.  This went on for quite some time and I knew immediately that I was in sleep paralysis because I've had this before.  What made this experience even more terrifying is that after hearing the noises, I felt this presence get into bed behind me and put an arm over me and I visioned a ghostly hand dangling off my shoulder.  That is when I freaked, shut my eyes (at least I dreamed that I shut my eyes), and for...

So here I am at the 6 month mark since my " shift " ...freeing myself of my prior career and of self limitations.  I am now moving towards living my life with greater purpose.  What are some things that I know now for sure? I am not my job or job title. Meditation promotes peace. Time is truly a gift and every moment counts. My self worth cannot be measured by any salary amount. Giving is fulfilling. There are no mistakes in life, only lessons. Being rich has nothing to do with money. People mean more than things. There is no such thing as coincidence. My intuition is usually right. Emotions are okay, just don't let them rule. Love is bountiful and FREE. Celebrate my authentic self. Put God first in every decision and have blind faith in His guidance. There is always a way even when there seems to be no way. Not that I didn't know or believe any of these things before.  I've just had more time to focus on how true they all really are and plac...

Time flies when you're having fun.  It has been a few days since my last post.  I've been keeping busy.  So let's see, what have I been up to?  I've spent some time with Mom.  She had her second eye surgery which seems to have been a success.  She'll be on her post-op meds for the next couple of weeks until her next followup appointment.  I'm happy that her vision is on it's way back.  Hm, what else?  Oh yes, I have stepped it up a notch in my networking and job prospecting.  Yes, I'm ready to get back into a tighter work routine although the freelancing has been very nice.   I have also really been into watching the NBA Finals.  My favorites are of course the Orlando Magic for the East Coast and Phoenix Suns for the West Coast.  Both teams have been underestimated for quite some time and it's been great seeing these teams rally. As for not-so-good news, my personal website was accidentally deleted.  As I was editin...

Here is "The Last Lecture" given by the late Randy Pausch from his 2007 appearance on the Oprah Show. Very inspirational!! "We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand."  - Randy Pausch Randy Pausch's Page