Wouldn’t it be wonderful if everyone knew the impact of exactly how all the time, energy and creativity invested at their jobs was impacting everyone–rippling throughout their circles of influence and the audiences they serve. We never really can know the full impact of how our words, actions, attitudes and creativity are making, both immediate as well as long-term impressions, and sometimes with life-changing effects.  So getting positive feedback, especially unexpected, reinforces the difference it all does make and highly valued when that happens.

Yesterday I received a message from a gentleman whose passion is mentoring success principles who found me on Facebook (love the power of social media!) Years ago Willie purchased my Building a Successful Life training manual designed to teach the importance of self-esteem, the power of our attitudes, goals, choices and putting them together for positive and productive lives.  That was back in 2004 and although we had never met, his upbeat phone presence  impressed me as a perfect model for mentoring success principles because he obviously walked his talk!

Willie’s feedback about the manual’s value was a reminder of how our circles of influence ripple out touching lives in ways impossible to calculate:  “Thank you so much for developing such a great curriculum, it has helped us develop awesome, cutting edge sessions for the young people. It has truly been a blessing to the youth that we are building up, as well as the adult instructors.” Wow! He’s really making a difference and so glad all the time and energy invested years ago is still having an impact. Getting that feedback is the real reward in knowing the difference it’s making. Willie knows the power of extending appreciation. Read the rest of this entry »

Imagine the incredible journey of shedding 350 pounds–what a life-enhancing experience after being housebound for 10 years! I had the honor of meeting Dana B from Santa Cruz, CA recently at an Isagenix conference with the most perfect theme, “Believe and Achieve!” Dana believed in the power of nutritional cleansing and achieved amazing results.

As a speaker, author and coach of creating life transformations with Guts, Grace & Gusto, I wanted to connect with this inspiring woman whose journey symbolizes commitment, persistence and hope. She experienced years of feeling hopeless as her weight continued to climb, reaching 800 pounds. Nothing worked to assist in her weight loss and hope waned.  For five years, she was confined to bed, unable to walk, with her health was failing.

Belief is a powerful magnet, drawing people and solutions together to achieve what might be categorized as miracles. And that was the good fortune of Dana,connecting with two strangers who had a powerful belief in the ability of nutritional cleansing to create extraordinary transformations. They shared some of the transformations of  many members of the company’s 100-300 Pound Club which ignited hope.  Dana had tried just about anything and everything, but nothing really worked, so she was initially reluctant to try something else.  Yet, Dana said “Yes!” and to her amazement, she immediately started getting results. The pounds and inches began to disappear. Read the rest of this entry »

Are you in the gap, the space of not yet experiencing the life situation of your dreams? I think of dreams as the glitter–the ideas that spark our passions, the bright spots that we envision will light up our future. The “gold” is the achievement of the goal, the dream, our heart’s desire. The gap is all that percolates in between the desire and the achievement of it.

When I’m in that gap, I have to go to work on my thoughts, my feelings, my frustrations and fears. I can’t dwell on the ones that don’t serve my desires; they’ll just keep me stuck in places I don’t want to be. Some things are within my ability to change, but some are not. That’s when I have to remember to “allow”, and replace all those thoughts of how badly I want something, how much I wish things would change, how much better life would be if that dream would hurry up and materialize, to allowing things to be as they are in that slice of life.

Recognizing that some things are not within my power to change, I focus on allowing them the space they’re already taking up in my reality.  It stops the resistance, the gnashing and thrashing as I allow it as part of my life in that slice of time, embracing rather than resisting it.

My daughter, Stephanie, per my last post, with a dream of being part of the entertainment industry, ventured her way to Hollywood earlier this month, where things do glitter and turn to gold for talented souls who hold firm in their resolve. The wait can be torturous, unable to fast forward through the discomfort, frustration and fears. Allowing things to be as they are, and not entertaining thoughts of giving in to them or giving up the dream, fuels determination and persistence–the grit of every desired role or experience of life.

Sometimes the hardest thing about making a change is to get going in the direction of whatever you desire–whether it’s taking steps to make a bold career move, making healthier food choices, or striking up a conversation with someone. In coaching people to facilitate the process of desired experiences,  it’s often in overcoming the reluctance to taking risks that holds people back. While it may be safe in your comfort zone of “what is”, it’s not stirring up the passions that you hold in your heart. Those nudgings from the heart speak your unmistakable truth of all the wishes you may not give voice to but that doesn’t diminish their desire.  Pay attention to them and the clues which accompany them, helping you to choose to get going.

Those clues might be as veiled as overhearing a conversation, a book that a stranger left on a bus, or noting your feelings upon reading or hearing about others achieving your often secret desires. They strike chords within of what you needed to hear or see to finally say “Yes! That’s it! I’m ready! When the “Yes!” choice is made, the guts to take action rise up to support you to get on with life as you’d rather experience it. You probably don’t have the plans in place yet, but you do have the vision of what’s vital for life support of your heart. When you share them, people may think you’re crazy for leaving a great paying job, a relationship that seemed to be “perfect”, or move away because something’s “calling” you (besides others calling you crazy!). The guts to get going rallies all sorts of resources. Read the rest of this entry »

Originally posted July 8, 2009 and moved to new blog on 11-4-09

Headlines this week feature the deaths of several celebrities—the king of pop, a poster queen, a pitchman and a sidekick. Sudden death shocks us, as if it’s not supposed to happen, at least not during the prime time of our lives.  That seems to intensify the tragedy and deepen the loss. It gives cause to reflect on the unexpected and often unexplainable that’s woven into the fabric of every life. Their star quality is a metaphor . . . bright stars shine for a time, blaze across the universe, and then their glow either eventually or suddenly, vanishes.

Life changes and usually bears little resemblance to the pattern you may have anticipated. The unexpected teaches us valuable lessons of the treasure of Now.  We never really know what’s next on the horizon or what tomorrow will bring even with the most careful planning. So take stock. Are you waiting for the “perfect” time to make a change, to go for a dream, to take steps toward a life-enhancing move? Waiting can be costly to your happiness. Are you feeling stuck? Suffering from stagnation? That’s not really living. Life is for breathing passion into your days, or at least, breathing with as much energy as you can muster at the moment. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m always inspired by stories of transformation–of people making choices that dramatically change their destiny.  This morning, NBC’s Today featured a woman who’s learned the power of giving and has experienced amazing shifts in her health and well-being.

Cami Walker was dealing with the complications of multiple sclerois (MS) and during one sleepless night she picked up  her journal and re-read a note from a telephone session with her spiritual advisor two months before, which suggested she give something away for 29 days.

Read the rest of this entry »