A Week's Worth of Miscellaneous Stuff - by Robin Gorman Newman

I have to say I don't know what to specifically blog about this week....so maybe I'll just share my week wiht you.

I've been multi-tasking big time, a lot with unexpected personal matters.

My son turned 6 this week...and that was exciting. At the same time, some challenges have arisen with him that have occupied much of my thoughts, concern and time. (I prefer not to elaborate at this time...but I know that things will ultimately work themselves out.)

His party is Sunday, and I'm totally psyched for that. He'll love it. We already had one earlier this week for him in the classroom, and it was sweet.

It's that time of the month for me... if you gals out there know what I mean...so I'm not feeling the greatest.

My senior dad went to his cardiologist this week, and was put on two new medications, one of which he isn't overly keen on taking, despite saying on a daily basis that he doesn't feel great.

I'm beginning a new eating/exercise regime. I refuse to say diet, but rather a lifestyle change. It's been two days. I've done "ok" with it thus far. It's been a struggle. I'm truly working on altering my outlook on food. I'd love to view it as sustenance and nourishment versus a "need." I feel I'll get there, and that would be an amazing accomplishment.

Professionally, I'm moving forward with the t-shirts, etc. for MotherhoodLater.com. The designs are still not fully finalized, but I'm hoping in the next 1-2 weeks, I'll be able to post a Shop page on the site.

Yesterday, a friend came over, and our goal was to work together in preparing for teleclasses we'd both like to offer potentially through freeconference.com. While we spent time on that, we wound up ultimately rearranging some furniture in my house. How that happened exactly, I don't know. She is a very aesthetic person, and likes doing this for people, so she brought it up. I just went with the flow of her ideas, and it truly felt like some new positive energy opened up in my home. We switched the direction of the kitchen table, for one, and I'm really liking it. Who knew?! The whole kitchen looks different, and for the better. It's SO great to be open to change. I didn't even know I was looking for change in that way, but it found me.

Today I had a meeting with a Reverend at a local church, and there is a lovely room that would be available for a workshop series I'm planning for the NY chapter of MotherhoodLater.com. So, I'm psyched about that. I've been seeking out a venue for some time now. Today it clicked.

This afternoon I got yelled at by a male parking meter attendant for supposedly extending my car over the walkway in a parking lot. Boy....he's got a lot of anger in him. You'd think I commited a crime. Some people in this world are just not happy and they need to vent at strangers. At first I was angry at him, but then I felt empathy.

Did I tell you I got a call from the supermarket where we ordered Seth's cake? Four days before the party, they tell me they can't get a Power Ranger cake...the one Seth specially picked out. So...what to do...switch to Spiderman? Call another store? (We switched to Spiderman.)

Oh....and our contractor for our upcoming basement project advised us this week that there is a problem with the architectural plans, and things have to be redone. And, our project is now delayed until May...was supposed to start in February.

Today I attended an event called WHO DO YOU KNOW LUNCHEON. It's something I launched a year ago with a friend, and we're still going strong. We meet once/month to share our professional pursuits and inspire, empower and advise each other. It's been helpful and very supportive, kinda like what I feel from the BTS gals. It's so great to be in the company of those who you feel "have your back."

Tomorrow I'm having lunch with a friend from a playwrights group that I also launched in my town. I aspire to write a play one day...it's on my TO DO list....though I haven't attended the group in some time now. I've just had other priorites, but my love of theatre remains.

I'm glad the weekend is coming up. I need to chill a bit, if possible. This was quite the all-consuming week on many levels.

But, you know what? I give it up to the universe. I am happy about those projects that are moving forward, and I'm grateful as some doors open. As for the "bumps" along the way with some items, they'll take care of themselves in time. I trust in that.

The Path To Freedom! By Kelly K. Brown

Me at the Seattle Space Needle on My Own Path to Freedom!


This week started with me living what could have been seen, felt and experienced by me as a ‘painful’ experience. And yet, because I CHOSE to stay ‘present in the very moment’ of the circumstance, I handled the experience in the most effective way possible---by only seeing everyone involved through the eyes of love---a way of living I’ve been practicing as a part of my ‘in the moment’ existence for over a year!

You can imagine how interesting it then was to me, when this exact same topic came up again and again throughout my week.

People, loved ones, friends… many were experiencing feelings, thoughts and the emotion of ‘pain’ about current life events… and in chatting sometimes they experienced it about past events. Past or present, all pain can be avoided by remembering and implementing the practice of one simple action.

Choosing to stay ‘present in the moment’. (Staying ‘present in the moment’ always brings FREEDOM when we choose it!)

Having sufferered the pain of what I call ‘going around the mountain’ again and again over a particular situation or what another person, does, says, did or didn’t do, should have done or I expected them to do---Always, always equals PAIN FOR ME (AND YOU!)

This topic can ‘appear’ complex, so let me explain more carefully.

When we are NOT choosing to live ‘in the moment’, and when things then don’t go OUR way, “You know, the way we think things should go”, or when people don’t behave the way WE think is right or they SHOULD… we experience PAIN!

It is in THAT moment when our thoughts begin to tell us made up stories with the attached history of old experiences, old programming and old emotions… we LOSE our freedom and begin creating personal PAIN. Yes, WE create our own pain---the other person has nothing to do with it whatsoever. (You may want to re-read that last line, as for some this concept could be difficult to understand at first.)

We tell ourselves (and truly want to believe) that all our angst and upset is about another, their actions, or a certain circumstance, but the TRUTH is that it is OUR CHOICE of thoughts in this moment, OUR disappointment about an unmet expectation and our anger that things SHOULDN’T be this way that brings us into immediate pain.

It is an interesting experience to feel how in ONE moment we can change our thoughts AND then instantly and literally FEEL better. We can experience unbelievable freedom when we wisely monitor and choose our thoughts and begin focusing on what we now WANT, instead of what we didn’t like about what just happened or occurred!

When living ‘present in the moment’ I'm able to tell myself NO STORY whatsoever about what is happening.

To put it in plain terms, I DEPERSONALIZE every happening to an understanding of the situation or circumstance as being just a thing ‘that is!’.

No one is wrong
No one is right
No one is at fault… No Story! A happening just occurred---That’s it!

This is TRUTH: Regardless of what the other is thinking, not thinking or how they feel, what their inner perspective is or was, what story they are telling in their mind… it is theirs! It is NOT about us; in fact, we can never really know what another person is thinking anyway (even though we often believe and state that we do).

By living in a state of allowing through conscious awareness, we can surrender to the situation at hand. (Read: I can choose to accept the situation just as it is.)

The gift of awareness is that in the moment we are aware, we can CHOOSE not to tell ourselves a story of inner thoughts from OLD, OUTDATED life experiences. In this moment, what is happening is what is happening NOW and has nothing to do with anything anyone ever said or ever did in the past. (That would be adding in a STORY).

And this is where a common struggle comes in… when we are not living in conscious awareness, when someone doesn’t behave as we think they SHOULD, our thoughts start telling us OLD stories as if they were the ‘present moment TRUTH. Thoughts like:

I can’t believe they did THAT to me! Why didn’t I see this coming?
I should have known better than to trust them, they always…
This is what I get for being such a nice gal/guy.
They did that on purpose just to hurt me---just like everyone else does...
I knew this would happen, this is what ALWAYS happens to me
They make me so angry, they should have... (or shouldn't have...)

Blah, Blah, Blah…

Law of Attraction is extraordinarily fair! It attracts more of what you focus on, so in this example by focusing and thinking ALL those negative thoughts… you get MORE negative thoughts… and you wake up 5 hours later to realize you’ve been obsessing about this for FIVE STRAIGHT HOURS! Wasting your very life with FIVE hours of unproductive, pain-inducing, negative thinking… and worse, these type of thoughts never serve you or the greater good (nothing productive can come from these type of thoughts), they just bring pain in the form of hurt feelings, anger, frustration, irritation and more. (And when not careful… these thoughts can become rather addictive… think like a jilted lover for a sec---one can truly become obsessed in the mire of negative thinking.)

This is where a true understanding of life can create some fun however. If you can stay present in the moment, and CHOOSE NOT to tell any stories in your thoughts, you will find you have chosen to become the OBSERVER of your thoughts.

In that moment, you have just realized the very truth of life that most people never, ever get! YOU are the ‘thinker of your thoughts’, you are NOT your thoughts! That means YOU get to control what you think---you do have a choice! So, you might choose to entertain better feeling thoughts like:

What is IS what is.
This is not exactly what I was expecting.
I have no idea why they behaved this way or why this happened.
I will tell myself no ‘old, habitual, programmed thoughts’ on this topic.
I choose to believe this is about where they are in their life, and not about me.
Maybe they were scared, or worried, or under stress: who knows?
This isn’t about me—people act the way they do for their very OWN reasons.
It could be anything really. I can’t know what they were thinking.
I’ll probably never know so I won’t waste my present moment time:

1) worrying about what the reason was or wasn’t
2) being upset or anguishing through all the negative possibilities, or
3) finding ways to make me right and them wrong so I can feel better in this situation
4) figuring out ways and endless points of view to place blame on them.

Instead, I can choose to:

Live this experience exactly as it is with NO expectation of a different, better or worse outcome, or a ‘how it should have been’ because that time is NOW gone and in the past and it cannot be re-lived, so why would I try to re-live it over and over and over again in the thoughts of my mind? Now is all we’ve got, and we can CHOOSE our thoughts and focus in this NOW moment… and the next, and the next, etc.

We can then start thinking thoughts like:

1) I will choose to love myself and this other person exactly as we are with no judgment toward either of us in this situation. I can choose be the ‘observer’ of my thoughts, and just see what can be learned from this current situation.

2) I will accept that ‘what is IS what is', and then immediately make the choice to now focus ONLY on what I want to have, be, create or experience in my life.

3) I will focus and envision all my future interactions with this other person going exactly the way I’d like with love and joy for all involved.

What you focus on expands and you WILL begin to attract and then experience brand new and much better outcomes as soon as you fill your mind with brand new thoughts, dreams, ideas and feelings of what you now want.

That’s how you do it… Every single time, in every single circumstance, in every life experience!

1) Get and/or stay present in the moment.
2) See what is, and accept that what is IS what is.
3) Note the contrast WITHOUT adding any STORY---no story, no emotion, no personalizing, no old programming thoughts.
4) Begin immediately to ask for and focus on what you NOW want to see in this situation or situations like it.
5) Continue! Focus on those good ideas until you think of something else you want, and then focus on that!

Sounds difficult… and I assure you practice will make it easier and easier and easier--- the more you stay present in the moment and are aware of your thoughts, the easier it gets! And best of all, the REWARD for all your practice is the Path of Freedom: PEACE, JOY, HAPPINESS and EXTRAORDINARY LOVE FOR YOURSELF AND OTHERS.

Choose YOUR Path of Freedom today. Start simply by just becoming aware of your thoughts. Listen to what your thoughts are! As time goes on, become the Observer! Start to notice your positive and negative thoughts and begin to choose only the positive thoughts you now want to think and focus on. From there, it’s nothing more than practice… and we are always practicing something aren’t we?

To YOUR Path of Freedom!

Kelly

Shaking Loose and Finding Your Way by Mary

This is me.. happily promoting.. on the phone.. in my office!


There comes a time in everyone’s life, when they break with tradition and go their own way. Sometimes it surprises people or hurts them because they feel that you’re leaving THEM and the choices they’ve made for their lives.

Blazing your own trail isn’t always easy. Trying to find your way can be a challenge especially when you have a lot of close family and friends always happy to advise you on your path.

I’m a firm believer though that all of us have a truth that is completely unique to us, just as unique as our fingerprints, and it might not always be right for everyone, or in fact for ANYONE else, but for us, it’s the way it’s supposed to be.

So, I’ve been doing a bit of this in my life, and some of it is a bit rough around the edges, but slowly, people are understanding that I’m not ruffling feathers to get attention or to just create a scene, but that I’m genuinely on a path and can’t be persuaded by them to alter my course. I’m dead set on being true to my own path, whether they understand or agree with it or not.

And what’s happening is the most unbelievable. When you get very clear about where you’re headed, and get rid of the Shoulda, woulda, couldas, then the challenges disappear and the path appears.

I’m finding that the path is still a bit winding, but there is no mistake, it’s putting one foot in front of another, like rocks that appear in a creek to get across.. I take a step into the unknown, and the next step mysteriously appears.

Once I got clear on being a PROMOTER, and a damn good one at that(!) then all sorts of creative ideas started flooding my head, and I got ultra productive and people and opportunities found me. I didn’t have to look very far. I basically showed up and the opportunities found me! I’m getting help from all directions and I feel like God’s taking me on a path and I’m just along for the ride. It’s so funny, because I’m back to doing the same sorts of things I did years ago, but now, I’m so much more balanced and have experience in so many other areas as well.

I have no idea how this ride will end up, but it’s left the business of “speakers”and has found it’s way into performers.. and into the TV world,.. and into entertainment! This is where I wanted to be all along, but didn’t know how to get there. There is also the dream of getting back to hosting a show, but now I see how I’m a woman of many talents and abilities and have tremendous energy and am able to accomplish a heck of a lot when I am focused and clear about my direction. I’ve become very selective of who I spend time with, protective about my time, and am using every waking hour to be productive. I’ve accomplished more in the past two weeks than I have in the past few years when I was trying to go straight for my dream of hosting a show with celebrity causes. Now that I am back to being “a promoter” which is what I am naturally, and instinctively, I’m unstoppable!!! . I’ve even lost 10 lbs that has just naturally fallen off because I’m taking such great care of myself- mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. As a result of that, I’m dressing up more, and getting more attention, and you know what? I’m eating it up! I’m just enjoying people who are enjoying me..and mirroring back to them the gratitude they’re showing me. I used to shrink away from attention for being attractive but now I embrace it and have fun with it! This new sense of myself has even made me more bold, creative, centered and structured with my coaching, and as a result, my clients are more empowered and moving forward more quickly!

When I look back over the course of my curvy path I took to get here, I wouldn’t change a thing. I wouldn’t change the struggles and the difficulties I endured trying to “find” myself. I tried and failed so many times, but I never gave up, and ultimately, I got pretty good at some of the stuff I failed at numerous times. Now, I can step up to a microphone and wing it, step in front of a camera and speak extemporaneously, write a speech within minutes, write a column or article or conduct a celebrity interview with ease, clean a house without stopping, cook a meal that impresses without burning it, sit down and do homework without fretting or screaming, do laundry without dreading it, have a meeting with a bunch of teachers over sensitive topics without stressing, sit down with the accountant without falling asleep, and I can have some ice cream or some sweet and not have to eat the whole thing.

I guess I finally got “Beyond my Stuff”; the stuff that held me back for so long. The stuff I knew about myself, or the stuff I didn’t know, and even the relationships that got in the way of me being effective. I finally found my personal power, and the acceptance for myself and have finally gotten to the point where I actually respect myself for the hard work I’ve put in and for the things I’ve learned and accomplished. I’ve learned how to say no. I’ve learned to disagree. I’ve learned I don’t need anyone’s else approval, I’ve stopped the constant socializing, and I’ve learned to limit my exposure to people and ideas that don’t influence me in the way I want to be influenced. And I’ve learned I’m powerful. I’m not just a “big personality with big dreams”.. I’m a solid person, with solid work experience, with great contacts, with excellent ideas, and with an amazing work ethic!

Now, I know I’m worth my success and now I gotta go get it. No one is going to hand it to me, I have to step up, set goals and go get it! And now, I will get to where I want to go, because I finally “GOT”, that it’s not the destination that matters, and I had to take that long and winding road to learn all of the things that I needed to know to get me to where I’ll ultimately go. This is what matters. It’s the time that an individual needs to grow and mature and blossom. It’s hard work, but when you arrive, you look and feel great!

Thanks to my “gals” at BTS, who have been an incredibly important piece of my puzzle.. of helping me see myself for who I am, for accepting me even when I wasn’t so in sync with myself or with others, and for telling me that I was on the right path and kept cheering me to push through to find my way.

So now that I’m here, I won’t stop, because this new place feels so good. It feels right and now I can sit in my office with complete acceptance, finish my projects and generate more, because I’m not “shrinking” any more. Here is my favorite quote that I have always loved, and am finally living!

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.We ask ourselves, "Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?"Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.Your playing small doesn't serve the world.There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so thatother people won't feel insecure around you.We are all meant to shine, as children do.We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously giveother people permission to do the same.As we're liberated from our own fear,our presence automatically liberates others.~by Marianne WilliamsonA Return to Love: Reflections On The Principles of A Course In Miracles,p. 165, HarperCollins, 1992

When Bad Stuff Happens...Make it GOOD - by Liimu

I want to share with you guys something really wonderful that happened this week. So, I mentioned a few days ago how devastated I was by the fact that this writing workshop I had been looking forward to for months was cancelled. The poor author who was planning to facilitate had some serious health stuff she has to tend to this weekend. Not only can I not fault her for having to postpone/cancel the workshop, I'm seriously worried for her and saying all the prayers I can say.

That being said, I was absolutely devastated. Did I mention I was devastated? In my mind, I had built this workshop up to be the ultimate turning point, the breakout moment for me as an author. The facilitator would help me with my writing, I would get her all excited about working out and fitness and she and I would be come BFFs and skip off into the sunset together into Bestselling Authorland.

So, when the workshop was cancelled, on some level, at least for a moment, I felt like that dream of mine had been cancelled. For just a moment, I felt like I was being relegated back to the way, way back seat of my father's station wagon, when I had been promised that I'd get to sit in the front! Wahhh...(have any of you heard any of these Fred videos on YouTube? Sorry, I digress.)

Anyhoo, after a little bit of boo hoo-ing, and some warm loving hugs from my very sympathetic husband and children, I ... how shall I put it? GOT OVER IT. And the next morning, I woke up with a fire in my belly about writing, and a keen awareness that the only thing standing in the way of my happy skip off into the sunsets of Bestselling Authorland was my own two hands. If I'd put them to good use, a skipping I would go. I sat down on my couch and got to work on the outline for the novel. And I finished it! And then, later that day, I wrote 2500 words toward the first draft, and made an accountability agreement with a dear friend to write 2000 words every day (except on the weekends, when I will write 500 words a day).

Something has changed. I have read about other authors saying how the characters come to life and the novel pulls at you, begging, even insisting that you write it. It nearly writes itself. This is how it feels! I never thought I would feel that way, but I also never felt like I would be able to relate to runners who say that after a certain point, they feel like they could run forever. HAH! I've felt that, too!

Can I say it? I AM A WRITER! Now on to finishing this draft and getting it into the hands of a publisher, so I can finally realize my destiny of becoming a BESTSELLING AUTHOR!

Mommy Meltdown -- by Robin Gorman Newman

I had a total mom meltdown yesterday.

I feel like I'm 48 going on 8.

My son, Seth, had a playdate here. It was supposed to be at a friend's house, but plans got changed last minute, and they wound up at our house. It was the second playdate with this particular friend, and I wanted to be a good host. This was a drop-off, and the mom was going to hang with me a bit when she came to pick her up after two hours.

I have to confess. Playdates here are often not fun for me. On one level, I love seeing kids playing happily and creatively. On another level, when it becomes a "playdate gone wild," I ultimately crack. Not during the playdate, but afterwards, when I have to do battle with my son to do clean-up. That's when "mommy maid" emerges and I get completely fed up. And, yesterday, I really lost it.

We are planning to gut our basement in the few months and redo the whole thing, complete with a play room area, etc. But, until then, our living room (we don't have a den), has taken on a life of its own with Seth's many toys piled up in nooks 'n crannies. I wouldn't mind so much, except that many have teeny tiny pieces which are in a huge disaray, so they basically look like a pile of junk, and Seth treats them that way.

On top of it, in the last week, he's lost three things. A toy spy kit. Belt. And stuffed musical dog we gave him for Valentine's Day. Amazingly we did find them all....but I'm tired of playing scavenger hunt for his things.

I've broached the subject of "patience" with members of motherhoodlater.com at get togethers we've had. I truly feel I have less patience as a 40 something mom. I told my husband when he came home from work yesterday that I "need to get out of here!!" And, I meant it...but it's easier said than done. I could have jumped on a plane that moment....quickly packed a bag.....and flown off to...I don't know where...but someplace where I could just be Robin and put aside my mommy role temporarily.

Maybe I'm having a mid life crisis? Is this what they're like? I know I'm perimenopausal. With hormones in fluctuation, that's bound to affect one's moods. I get that. So, is that what this is? Or maybe it was just a particularly challenging playdate and I'll get over it? I am entitled to have these moments.I was speaking with a close friend on the phone today who said that she's been in a funk of late...and it's not like her to say that. She's one of the most upbeat people I know.Could it be Mercury Retrograde perhaps? Some kind of misalignment with the stars? Hmmmm....something in the air?

Today I felt somewhat better. In my fit of fury last night, Seth and I dumped some of this toys...three garbage bags full...and that was therapeutic for me....and good for him as well. Toy clutter leads to a total lack of appreciation, and he can't focus or even decide what to play with.

This afternoon, we went to a playspace with two other mom friends and their sons. I didn't love it....the music was blaring.....it was pricey for what it was.....and the seating wasn't comfortable or so readily available. But, Seth had fun. In the end, that's what counts.

It does get to be hard sometimes as a mom compromising your own comfort, etc. for the sake of your child. I fully realize that this is what moms do...but it doesn't mean it's easy. We just rise to the occasion.

Monday, Seth will be back in school (he was off this whole week), and I'll be in his classroom. I was invited to make an appearance as an author and to share my experiences writing books. I'm looking forwad to that. It reminds me of how at a very young age, I aspired to be a writer, and would actually create my own kids books, complete with illustrations. I plan to bring in some as a show 'n tell. And, then I'm hosting a little party in his classroom since his 6th birthday is Tuesday.

Time flies. Six already. Wow! And, as my friend reminded me today after I shared my exasperating playdate experience, he won't be little forever. And, the day will come before I blink my eyes, where he's just going out with his friends, with no mommy-in-tow.....and I might then miss these mommy 'n me outings.

Time will tell.

A NEW and Timely Perspective About Money! by Kelly K. Brown

Yes, I do believe Money CAN and DOES Grow On Trees!

I spent quite a bit of time pondering about money the other day. A dear friend from a mastermind group gave me a cd about money and in listening to it, many thoughts about money started going though my mind.

One of the FIRST things I thought about was a memory of how much I absolutely, and without reservation LOVED money as a child. I remember holding it (coins back then) and liking how it sounded when I’d take them out of my jar and ‘clink, clink, clink’ drop them back in! I loved to count it, I loved to have it, and I loved to see it… I clearly remember having a wonderful relationship with money---it felt good to me---I felt good having it!

And then I remembered something else… I remembered how my family started making fun of me for loving money! They would make side (snide?) comments about me liking my money so much, and then came all those ill-informed ideas that money is the root of all evil conversations (yes they misquoted that phrase)… money isn’t everything, money doesn’t grow on trees---and I clearly remember FEELING bad because I loved my money! I remember thinking I had to PRETEND I didn’t love money, that to be accepted in my family, I had to HIDE that I loved my money! In essence they made fun of me for loving money!

Hmmmmmm… Can you relate to this on any level? How did you as a child instinctively FEEL about money? How do you REALLY FEEL now about money today? What did your family say about money? Do you ever take the time to LOOK at your money or do you just spend it without even thinking about it at all?

Extremely well versed in the Law of Attraction, I clearly know how very important our FEELINGS are, as well as our words and thoughts about what we are creating and thereby attracting into our world---into our reality.

So, in light of these memories I forgot LONG AGO, I took the time and made the effort to go back to other 'money is bad' memories and start ‘cleaning up’ that ‘old programming’ from my past that no longer serves me and decided to create some NEW memories and thoughts about money that WILL serve me in attracting the vast abundance I intend to have!

I want to share with you that in doing this Money Exercise, I had the absolute BEST TIME EVER! What started as a clearing of old feelings, thoughts and patterns of belief about money became an opportunity for me to again think about and express my unending LOVE to the universe where I’m so very fortunate to live.

As I started looking at the money (starting with a few suggestions from the cd), I started thinking A LOT about money---but NOT in the way you might imagine!

I started thinking about how money blesses every hand that touches it!

It’s true! As I looked at my $1 bill, I started to imagine all the people’s lives this money had touched… what they may have spent it on, what they received in exchange for sending it back out into circulation, and the joy they may have felt in the spending of it---which ended with how joyous I was to now be in possession of this ONE WONDROUS DOLLAR that may have touched and blessed millions of people and possibly gone all over the world and back to rest with me!

I started to remember that money ALWAYS gives a gift to me (and YOU) when we spend it because we always get something wonderful when we exchange it for something else. And it doesn’t matter what we spend it on… we always get something wonderful in return!

In my life of rental properties, handymen, rents received, mortgages paid, groceries purchased and trash taken to the street, purchasing everything from gas to gum and paying taxes, I completely FORGOT about the incredible wonder of money when viewed in that context!

I can already hear some of the naysayers who are thinking about when they pay for a car repair, property taxes, a fine or a fee that they are not receiving a wonderful blessing in exchange for their money, but I beg to differ.

Do you realize (remember) even when you pay taxes, fees or fines what it is you ARE ‘getting’? You are getting firemen, policemen, a military, a government that provides many benefits and safety for not only us, but many benefits for our entire world?

Do you remember that every time you spend money you are blessing this business owner and that business owner who in turn feeds their family and spends their money on the goods and services of another business or person that is now blessed by the never ending FLOW OF MONEY? And it NEVER ends! The blessings never, ever end until we forget that this is the ultimate purpose of money…to bless ourselves AND others!

In China I saw many examples of people blessing their money through various forms of worship!

Can you see how it is also just as wonderful to SAVE your money; to put some away for a special occasion, a new car, a vacation, or for a rainy day? It’s YOUR money and there is no right or wrong in it! You can love your money any way you want and it is perfectly okay----unless you subscribe to other people’s outdated and completely misinformed ideas, rules and regulations about money!

This is the point where my journey took an incredible turn again toward LOVE!

As I was having all these wonderful old memories about my money, and was ‘in the moment’ creating wonderful, joyous new feelings about all the blessings I receive when I put my money into the flow of the universe, I had a brand new incredible thought!

Out-of-the blue, and directly from my inner guidance, I had a new thought about how I could now (in my newly acquired state of love for money) CHOOSE to bless every single dollar as it leaves me to be a ‘double blessing’ for the next person who receives it.

My heart was thumping and my pulse was racing as I visualized what an incredible gift it will be to mail out all my bills, my mortgages, my service bills and literally send a blessing that the very person who next receives those monies is blessed (by my money now in THEIR hands) going TWICE as far as it did for me!

Maybe they will by chance find a special ½ price sale the day they go to spend this blessed money, or maybe they will receive a discount or a coupon that makes their money go twice as far as it would normally go. Maybe the money will just be multiplied in their care!

You see, everything in life is LITERALLY about perspective and it is the same with money!

WHAT IS YOUR PERSPECTIVE about having money, giving money, receiving money, spending money, etc.? Your perspective about everything is controlled completely BY YOU and you can change your perspective at any time you CHOOSE to create and believe new thoughts. What anyone (or everyone) else says, said, believes or thinks makes absolutely no difference---YOU get to decide what YOU think about money for YOU!

And what you think about money makes ALL THE DIFFERENCE when you are wanting to attract more of it into YOUR life experience!

Today I challenge you to take a little time and really THINK about money… look at it, touch it, hold it! What are your thoughts about it? What would you LIKE to think about it? Do you love it? Would you like to love it? Do you think it is good or evil? Do you think you will never have enough of it or that you are abundantly blessed? Examine your thoughts, beliefs and perspectives and then purposely CHOOSE new and BETTER ideas that resonate with YOU for your best well-being.

Then, when you really ‘feel’ the wondrous joy that YOUR money truly is (regardless of how much you do or don’t have), join me in blessing all the money you have and all the money you spend to be a double blessing to those who will receive it from you—no matter who they are or where they live. Take a moment or two and actually IMAGINE the love and joy you’ve spread as each person (even in this economic time) enjoys a new abundance from your newly beloved, and now blessed money!

With extraordinary love for YOU and your MONEY!

Kelly

Going Back to Stuff… by Mary

I finally admitted it a few weeks ago. I knew it all along. I tried to stuff it down deep and bury it and learn all sorts of other things. I took classes, certifications, studied, taught, coached, owned businesses and ran as far as possible from it… but it’s back… because I finally realized.. after 15 solid years of trying NOT to do it.. but doing it all along.. the simple truth is.. is that I’m … I’m … I’m a promoter.

Yep! I’m a sales person!

OK! Before you run the other way … I’ll explain!!! It’s actually a good thing to be a natural promoter. And I’m learning how GREAT it is to have a skill like this! Because as it turns out now.. I’m able to help a TON of people!

My first job out of college was an administrative job which I was not suited for and horrible at. I was a secretary on Capital Hill. All I wanted to do was to hang out and meet the celebrities who would eye me across the room during big Judiciary meetings but would ultimately be chased down by the politicians who were more important than some cute 20 something young girl who just loved the excitement of it all. I was the one who would type up letters and my eyes would miss 2 or 3 sentences and the letters wouldn’t end up making any sense. The Attorney on Staff, Beverly, was very gracious and never made me feel bad, but I just never felt like I quite cut it and I ultimately quit a few weeks before the Senator I worked for retired.

Then, I landed the job that would ultimately change the direction of my life..booking celebrity speakers through Keppler Speakers in DC. I loved that job, loved the people I worked with and did it well for 7 years. I came up from nothing and ended up making a name for myself, jamming on the phones every day to colleges all over the US.

My goal was simple. Find out WHO the person was, and coach them to find it.. to do it or to achieve it! And oh, yah, by the way.. book some speakers with them.. which I always did. I truly loved the people I met and am STILL friends with some of them to this very day. One guy I spoke with was the brother of one of my clients. He’s now a big wig with the Major Baseball Leagues in London. Clive Russell is still a good buddy.. and that’s from about 16-17 years ago!

I finally decided to get out of sales when I moved to NC and started a PR business. Little did I realize, that EVERYTHING is sales, and everything NEEDS to be sold. From the napkins you eat with to the clothes you wear, someone is using their talent to show it, demonstrate it and present it to the right people. It’s all about the connections.

So, I’ve gone BACK to my roots, of selling, and I feel so blessed that I can go BACK to such a fun career as booking entertainment. Oh, I”ll still coach and speak and do marketing consulting, but I’ll be promoting and selling and helping whoever I can during this time where everyone seems to need an extra push to get out there and let their services be known!

I’m finding now that it’s like getting back in some old jeans that fit just right, or an old shoe that your feet just slides in comfortably. I’m able to see the GOOD and the HIP parts of whoever I meet and can shine the light on them in a fun way so everyone enjoys it. If it’s not a fit for someone else.. no problem.. “have a great day and we’ll catch up again later”. But if it is, then I’ll make sure they’re incredibly happy with their choice!


Going back… it’s not so bad. I’ve had some great experiences in between.. on TV, with PR, with branding, coaching, training, management and with entrepreneurship. But I’ve never quite felt like it fit like a glove. I had to work at it a little, and had to gear up and practice and learn. Not with sales. Not with promotion. It came as natural as any instinct can.

So, I’m back. I’m not boxing myself into just speakers or performers. My skills are here to help whoever needs it and who I can really serve … so I can make us both money.

Going back to stuff from the past. Not always a bad thing… and sometimes its just the EXACT right thing.. that you need .. to move ahead!