A New Beginning. As this had a very different meaning back in 2011 when I started this post it is interesting reflecting on where my inspiration was coming from back then vs. where it is coming from now. In 2011 I was between jobs and decided to try something that was very new to me and something that I found I was horrible at. I joined a group that had an interesting concept and a good part of it was an extensive study in positive thinking. This group was designed to educate and transform people to be the best they could be thru training materials and trips all over the world to enhance your life experiences. Besides support on a daily basis from the staff and teams the goal was to convince other people to join the group and pay the same money that you paid to get this great inspiration and enjoyment out of life and you would be enriched by the experience of offering it to others for a healthy chunk of money. It was so well organized - it pulled you in before you knew you were pulled in and a sales person I was not. I got more frustrated month after month - trying really hard to believe that I could sell and make lots of money and live happily after. I spent money in hopes to make money - but the making money part never happened - not a penny. I think that this lasted 6 or so months and thank God I was able to go back to a real job and was able to come back to the planet earth. The neat thing about it all was that it was not a bad experience at all. I spent a lot of time working on improving my outlook on life and being a part of my destiny and the positivity was contagious. Many people believe that I was doped - but I don't believe that I was. I spent every day on the phone with the individuals on my team and they were all genuine people looking for the answers in life and the ones that were good at selling were indeed making some pretty good money. I don't regret the experience - but I was missing the whole meaning of life and I was searching for all the answers and they were right in front of me and had been for a very long time - I just shut down the REAL spiritual part of my life - for many reasons - but not at all a good place to be. The only thing that was missing was my faith in God.....The Bible was not part of the reading material, or my life, at that time. I was not centered on God - I had rebelled for a very long time against "religion" - so it just was not a priority in my life any longer. It was centered on making money and getting out of a life situation that was making me very unhappy and all that positivity and learning helped me to keep it at bay and pretend that my life had purpose and that everything was going to come together just fine if I believed in myself and kept up with reading all the right material.. I started to go back to church. After going to a yard sale at a church in my neighborhood - I just felt that the gals that ran the yard sale were so sweet I thought "why not".....I followed thru and went to church the next day. Everyone was just as sweet as could be -and I really enjoyed the sermon. The pastor had a great sense of humor and spoke the truth from God's word and it wasn't so bad. The Church was magnificent with some of the most beautiful stained glass windows I have ever seen - simply magnificent. It just felt that that was the part of myself that was missing in my life and so I went back over and over again, getting more comfortable with worshipping and then I was offered an opportunity that ended up changing my life in a way that I had not expected. I was asked to take over the pianist position at the church because the person that was there took another position and they knew that I played the piano and they were as excited as I was. It had been a very long time since my last church position - so I was nervous but more than ready for the challenge. What an amazing journey this opportunity took me on.......To be continued.........

Every day comes with new possibilities to grow and to connect with someone. I ran into the most unlikely person today that has touched my life. I was sharing the experiences of my daughter in general conversation regarding her eating disorder. Out of nowhere this person steps away and told me to wait - she wanted to give me something. She shared the name and number of a therapist that specializes in eating disorders and shared with me that this person was her therapist and has helped her with her own eating disorder struggles of the past 15 years. She asked that it stay between her and I - because as I said earlier, total shocker as to who this person was. So I am being vague on purpose. On my drive home from this appointment, I felt a need to reach out to her in some special way. I will see her again in a month and I hope that I will be able to, if nothing else, sit down and write my thoughts down as to what I have learned in the life of a mother who has had to deal with this horrible disease for 20 years and hopefully in some way I can help her by sharing my experiences as she shared hers with me. It also opened another door for me to maybe share something new with my daughter that may help her. I just adore people that are open about their struggles. So many people hide behind them and by hiding - there is no way to receive help nor to give help to someone else that is struggling with the same problem. So share away - time is short and it's OK to be going thru challenges. When I see this person I see a professional that cares immensely for people, she has the most beautiful blue eyes I have ever seen and she has an awesome sense of humor and I enjoy talking and joking with her. Never did her weight enter my thoughts. She is very tall and not thin nor heavy. But the big thing here is that she spends most of her time worrying about how she looks to other people regarding her weight (because that is what people with eating disorders do) and it just is not important - so very not important. I struggle with my weight and have my entire life - but truthfully - who really cares???????? Most people are worrying about how they look and really don't care about how you look - if that makes any sense. And the people that comment on someone's weight are almost always struggling with something about themselves that they are afraid to admit.....So why the heck do eating disorders exist? That is the million dollar question.

Today is January 1, 2015 and I am thrilled to be back to my blog. It has been a really long time and a lot has happened since my last set of posts. I am looking forward to posting again on a regular basis. It is so helpful to see where you have been and where you are going by posting experiences and thoughts.

Self Confidence Can Replace Self Doubt

Those who are quick to see their limitations generally are slow in seeing their opportunities.

Movie producer Michael Todd once said, “Being broke is temporary; being poor is a state of mind.” So it is with opportunity. Whether you see opportunities or limitations is entirely within your control. How you view the world is a reflection of your mental attitude. If you focus on your inadequacies, you will be plagued by fear, doubt, and failure, but when you focus on your strengths, you will find courage, confidence, and success. Self-confidence can replace self-doubt only by deliberate, planned effort. When you start to doubt your capabilities, pause to review your previous accomplishments. Identify every experience that might be helpful to you in your present situation. When you apply the knowledge and wisdom you have accumulated, there are few limitations that you cannot overcome. (Napoleon Hill Foundation)

FOCUS ON THE SOLUTION - NOT THE PROBLEM

Life says, “make good or make room, but don’t make excuses.”

In today’s management parlance, “Lead , follow, or get out of the way.” When you are actively working toward a goal, there are no failures; there are only degrees of success. Choose to be a leader. Take the initiative. When you are faced with a problem or a difficult decision, don’t waste endless hours agonizing over the solution. If you analyze the situation objectively, you will always find an answer. Don’t focus on the problem; focus on the solution. Then get into action. As W. Clement Stone often said, “The emotions are not always subject to reason, but they are always subject to action!” (Napoleon Hill Foundation)

You Have the Tools to Feel Good

Who you are and what you know when you are born is everything that you need to know to thrive. You are born with a sense of self and a sense of wanting self to feel good and the mechanisms to bring it about. --- Abraham-Hicks Publications

Busy People Are Not Procrastinators

If you want a job done promptly and well, get a busy person to do it. The idle one knows too many substitutes and shortcuts.

Most of us will never know our true capacity for achievement because we never challenge ourselves to perform at our best every day. This truism becomes apparent when you are presented with an opportunity that really interests you. No matter how busy you may be, somehow you will find the time to pursue it. Conversely, duties that have little appeal for you are easily postponed and eventually forgotten. Busy people are not procrastinators. They know that life, as John David Wright once observed about business, “is like riding a bicycle. Either you keep moving, or you fall down.” The most effective people have a sense of urgency. They set deadlines and force themselves to establish priorities. Even if your activities don’t usually require strict deadlines, set them for yourself. You will be amazed at how much you can accomplish in a short time -- if that’s all the time you have. (Napoleon Hill Foundation)