Colorado Sunset

I love the sunsets here in Colorado. This is a picture from the upstairs window in a house where I used to live. I miss that view. In the morning, the sun would bath the distant mountains with light while leaving the foothills in the shadow. The contrast was dramatic. In the evening, the sun would seem to hang over the top of the distant mountains for a long time and then slowly sink below the mountain, but not before leaving a blast of light in the sky. It was the sun promising to return tomorrow. All around, in nature we find promises of hope and life, we just have to look for them. If we look for hope and life, we will find it. If we look for reasons to be fearful and anxious; we will find fear and anxiety. What are you looking for? What are you focusing on? Look at your life, it will tell you. I am looking and I realize, I need to change my focus in some areas.

Stuck inside

"Look at all the fun everyone is having out there! I want to be out there too!!!

This evening I am working at my desk. It is a bright, beautiful evening outside. The rest of the family is outside either relaxing or working in the yard. I wish I could be out there with them, but I have a class this evening and I allowed myself to "sleep in" a little this morning, so now I am trying to finish the day's tasks.

I know that "building my dream through sweat-equity" takes work and commitment on my part, but sometimes I find myself looking longingly out the window........ Wait a minute......... I am not locked in here and if I am "looking longingly out the window," I'm not being very productive.......... Hmmmmm

Maybe my inner child is trying to tell me something....maybe I should just take a break and go outside and relax for 15 minutes; then I can come back to work renewed and refreshed...... How about you do you need to "take a break?"

Talk to you later ......... I'm going outside for a while.

Taking a chance on Myself

Do you ever feel like you are being pulled in so many directions, you don't know what to deal with first. I think we all have days like that. I know that I do. I work out of my home and with summer here, there are more people running in and out. It has taken courage and commitment on my part to set the boundaries that when I am working, I am not be be interrupted.

I even have to set boundaries for myself. It is so easy to say, "Oh well, I can do a load of laundry, or go solve a crisis for one of the kids. It will just take a minute. I won't lose that much time from work.........Then an hour later......I look at the clock and realize........I have not accomplished even half of what I had planned for the morning.

I also have more than one project that I am working on. And, each of them requires my full attention when I am doing it. Do you ever find yourself "multi-tasking" only too realize that even though you "completed" both tasks........neither one was your best work. I have found myself doing this lately. So, I have decided that the best way for me to handle the situation is to do block scheduling. I "block out" a certain portion of each day for each of my projects. And, most importantly, I have realized that if I also block out "play or relaxation" time, it does two things: It acts as a reward and it acts as an incentive because then the child in me realizes I am going to give her time to play so she doesn't have to throw a temper tantrum and sabotage my work day.

What can you do to keep your "marbles" in place???

Get Support

Sometimes, I feel alone and overwhelmed. Sometimes I feel like I should just give up on my dreams and go back to where I was. But, I have grown and changed, there is no going back. I don't fit in that "box" anymore. My thinking has changed. The old thoughts don't feel "comfortable" anymore. I am on a new adventure.

But, I am not alone on this adventure. Even if my friends do not live close, I can always reach out and touch them. Sometimes the "old" friends don't "fit" anymore either, because as I have grown and changed, they have stayed the same. This makes me sad, because even though we can still do things together, it isn't the same. We don't have the same closeness. We have grown apart. I need to expand my social network to include people who think more like my new way of thinking.

I have been very fortunate to meet several new friends lately. Ones who are on the same journey I am on. This is important because I know that I can't make this journey all alone. I need the support of like minded people. It is good to know that I can surround myself with a team, I can pull from the talents of others. I don't have to "do it all."

I don't have to do it all! Wow, what a powerful statement. That takes a load off and makes the journey seem easier and much more fun. Isn't it much more fun to do something with friends than it is to do it all alone? If you are like me, sometimes it is hard to let others help you. There are a couple of reasons why this is hard for me. 1) I then have to give up control. They may not do it the way I want. and 2) I may become"obligated" to them - They would then have "power over me." Boy! Writing that helped me realize how skewed that thinking is. As if I have "control over others in the first place" and people who care about me are not out to make me "feel obligated." I think I can go back and restate: I DON'T HAVE TO DO IT ALL!!!!

I am grateful for all the supportive people I have in my life. Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in the belief that "no one cares." I challenge you to make a list of all the people who are supportive to you. Let them know how much you appreciate them. Thanks for joining me on this journey. Feel free to leave comments and let me know how your journey is going.

The Power of Emotions

I was feeling a little stressed and "out of sorts" this morning. Sometimes my emotions can seem a little overwhelming. I hate that "out of control feeling." I decided to take a few minutes and try to get in touch with where the emotions were coming from. In their book "the Astonishing Power of Emotions," Esther and Jerry Hicks call our emotions our "guidance system." They help us know if we are on track or off-track. Apparently, I was a little off-track this morning.

After spending some time asking "why am I feeling this way?" I realized a couple of things. One, I had taken an off-hand comment my husband had made and personalized it. Then.... to make matters even worse.....I started generalizing it. Now I was really starting to feel bad. Isn't amazing how much power we give another person over our emotions? Most of the time the other person is not even aware of the impact the statement made. My husband was not trying to criticize me or make me feel bad.

One area that I am working on is boundaries. I try to take responsibility for everything and I try to fix everything. WOW! Who do I think I am? When I start identifying the thoughts and looking at them, I realize how unrealistic they are. I choose to let go of the dis-empowering thought that everything is my responsibility.

You may be thinking - What a strange woman!! Anyone knows that one person can't be responsible for everything. How silly! But what about you? Are you taking responsibility for things you have no control of?? Have you ever said things like: "I made them mad." "I failed my kid. If I had been a better parent he/she would not have ______." My point is - we do not control the actions of others, but often we take responsibility for their actions.

Remember: Our Thoughts lead to our Feelings which lead to our Actions which give us our Results (T. Harv Eker, "Secrets of a Millionaire Mind)

What dis-empowering thoughts will you choose to give up today. What empowering thoughts will you choose to think today?

I choose: "I am enough! My inner world creates my outer world! I choose to love and appreciate myself and my talents."

Act in Spite of.......

I was challenged today to find something that is holding me back and to choose an action that challenges me and moves me forward to my goal. Just thinking of the challenge can get overwhelming. There are so many things I could choose. There are so many ways that I want to grow.......

I guess the question I need to ask myself is - of all the possible things I could do to move myself forward.... What is the next logical step?? What is the next thing I need to do? I am involved in a couple of different strategies to move myself forward. Each of them has a "next step."

With my on-line store I need to rearrange my pages and products so that they flow more smoothly and are more user friendly. With my trading account, I need to choose trades for Tuesday and commit to placing the trades if the criteria is met. I commit to doing both of these things.

I don't know about you, but I know that sometimes I let fear hold me back. I am making the commitment to act in spite of fear and doubt.

What will you commit to doing? What do you need to "act in spite of?" Our future is waiting. We are the only ones keeping it from coming to pass and we do that by inaction. Take action with me. Let's grow together.

Out of my Comfort Zone

I am choosing to step out of my comfort zone. "Your comfort zone is in direct proportion to your money zone." T. Harv Eker.

I do not like my current "money zone." How about you? Do you like your current "money zone?" I am following new paths to reach a new "money zone." Blogging in one of the things I am doing to "stretch" my comfort zone. I am a private person, so to share my thoughts and feeling with total strangers is new to me. But, I also know that sharing will hold me accountable to others and encourage me to continue to stretch and grow.

You know what it is like to be on a diet. We crave the old foods and the old habits. Sometimes we revert back to them just because they are "easy and comfortable." The same thing is true of our habits of thought. We have to "practice" the new thoughts until they become ingrained to the point they are now the "easy comfortable" thoughts.

I am branching into new income producing endeavors. I have an on-line store that sells children's bedding and room decor items. It was scary when I first bought the store. I had no retail experience and did not see myself as a "salesperson." This was a mind shift for me. Instead of seeing a salesperson as "someone who is pushy and obnoxious;" I had to re-frame the idea. Now I see a salesperson as "someone who is offering a service." I have the right to decide if the service is one I choose or not. But, the biggest mind flip for me was when I realized that when I am looking for something or have questions about a product; I not only want to speak to a salesperson - I am very happy when they take the time to answer my questions and help me find the product I am looking for.

We are all salespeople. Whether we want to admit it or not, we "sell ourselves" to others all the time; Even when we are not talking. think about it - are there people you feel drawn to even before they speak to you? Are there others that you try to avoid.

Are you willing to "stretch and grow with me?"

From Dream to Reality

I have been reading a lot of books lately on the "Law of Attraction" and how to "manifest" my desires. I felt there was something missing in my life. I have been working hard to learn new skills and take my life to the next level. What I have come to realize is that the "Law of Attraction" that isn't broken. I am.

Have you ever wondered why one person can do something and they make a lot of money or get a promotion because of what they did and you do the same thing and .........nothing.....happens. You wait and wait and hope and hope........ And nothing happens... It is frustrating. This is where I was. I am no longer there. I am creating my destiny. I am building the life of my dreams.

I am inviting you to join me on this journey. The journey to financial freedom and independance. But, just as important, if not more so........The journey to inner peace. I want to share with you so that you can join me on this journey. Wishing you much love and happiness.