Boredom

Boredom is a choice, something you visit upon yourself.  The concept of boredom entails the inability to use up present moments in a personally fulfilling way. - Wayne W. Dyer

Don't let life's precious moments pass you by in a blur of boredom!

Live each moment with joy and purpose!  When you choose to feel excited, fulfilled, and happy life seems to be worth living.

Jolted

A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs, jolted by every pebble on the road - Henry Ward Beecher

I know that there are days where I feel "jolted" - like nothing is possibly going to go my way!  It wasn't until I read this quote that I really stopped to think and realized that I need to just smile, laugh, go with the flow.  No reason to feel jolted when instead I can feel like I am on a roller coaster ride! :)

So the next time you feel yourself getting carried away by negative emotions, try throwing your hands in the air, tossing back you head, and squealing with joy instead of crying in despair!

Rollercoaster

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all the men who play an active role in shaping the lives of the children around them!

My Daddy is no longer here for me to share the day with, but my love for him will always live in my heart.

Daddy's Girl
Butterfly Kisses
Watching You

Miracles

There are only two ways to live your life; one as if nothing is a miracle and the other as if everything is - Albert Einstein

Do you believe in miracles?

I Saw God Today

Simple Rules

Sometimes life gets complicated and when it does sometimes I wish there was a manual telling me what to do next.

I'm not sure why, because I am pretty sure I would simply break the rules or fail to follow the instructions anyway :)

The image below really caught my eye and made me think - these are definitely simple and true rules; why do I make things so complicated.  With that thought in mind, I did a little additional research and found a couple of websites where I enjoyed the shared words of wisdom . . . the links can be found below.

Hope this can help you to simplify the complicated - or at lest to take a small break from it!

That One Rule . . .

Rules to Live By . . .

God Bless our Soldiers!

Memorial Day 2012!

From a proud Army Brat that has numerous family members in the military, I would just like to say Thank You to all of our troops (past, present, and future) and to their families for all the sacrifices they make so that each of us can enjoy freedom!!  God Bless you all!!!

Some Gave All

God Bless the USA

Arlington

Nineteen

8th of November

Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue

Ripple Effect

There's no such thing as a small act of kindness; every act creates a ripple - Scott Adams

Everybody talks about wanting to change things and help and fix, but ultimately all you can do is fix yourself. And that's a lot. Because if you can fix yourself, it has a ripple effect. - Rob Reiner

What size and type of ripple will you leave?

Happiness

If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap.
If you want happiness for a day, go fishing.
If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune.
If you want happiness for a lifetime, help someone else.
Chinese Proverb

Courage

"Courage is an angel that makes the difference between a good life and a great life." - Kate on Fairly Legal

Live a GREAT life --> a life touched by an angel, a life of courage!

Where Did I Leave the Remote?

"By changing nothing, nothing changes." - Tony Robbins

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope that everyone took advantage of today to make sure that the mother figure in their life knew how special she was!

I would like to take this opportunity to try to make sure that everyone is aware of just how special their mother is . . . not just their mother, but each every woman on this planet!  There is a book by John and Stasi Eldredge called "Captivating".  This book has many revelations in it, but one that I'd like to share today is the idea that WOMEN are the crown jewel of God's creation, the cherry on top of the sunday.  I sincerely recommend that you read it and find out what revelations are shown to you.

Little by Little

"I ain't as good as I'm gonna get, but I'm better than I used to be" - Tim McGraw

As I've mentioned before, I am on a journey.  Working to become a person that I can be proud of being.  This morning I was driving to a book club meeting and I heard this song - it really struck a chord.  I know I still have a long way to go, I know that I tend to take almost as many steps backwards as I do forwards, but I also know that little by little that I am getting better.

I hope that my journey inspires you to do the same!

Better Than I Used to Be

Stressed . . .

There is a saying that I learned a long time ago - I thought everyone had heard it, but I recently shared it with someone when they were having a rough day and they told me they had never heard the saying before.

Stressed is just Desserts spelled backwards!

So next time you are feeling STRESSED out, like you just aren't sure how much more you can take . . . take my advice and have DESSERTS - give yourself a treat!  Now you can take the saying literally and eat something sweet, but you can also TREAT yourself in other ways: listen to a favorite song, read a book, watch a movie, spend time with a friend, exercise, etc.

Don't let life become overwhelming and weigh you down - take control, change your current circumstances and  physical surroundings to improve your state of mind!

I am not trying to force my beliefs on anyone else, but I personally believe in God.  I also believe that God doesn't give us any circumstances you can't handle (with His help).  Although sometimes I do say, "God, I know you don't give us more then we can handle, but sometimes I think You trust me way too much!"

Stay positive, stay strong, and take little steps to keep yourself on the right track!

Remember . . .

Decisions, Decisions

In any moment a decision you make can change the course of your life forever. - Tony Robbins

A real decision is measured by the fact that you've taken a new action. - Tony Robbins


So many fail because they don't get started - they don't go.  They don't overcome inertia.  They don't begin. - W. Clement Stone

For the past week, I have failed to make the decision to take time to post to my blog.  Each day that I let pass without posting something, made it a little easier to drop it lower on my priority list without feeling guilty. . .  I'm guessing that you can relate in some way - when we procrastinate, or fail to make a decision to follow through on something it tends to get easier and easier to excuse not taking action and justify not doing what we said we were going to do.

And THEN someone asked me about it - said they missed seeing the daily postings and tips.  A simple, innocent comment from someone else made me stop in my tracks.  What was my reason for not following through?  Why did I make myself a promise that I would do something, start strong with carrying out that promise, and then just let it drop without feeling guilty about it?

Honestly, I don't know the answer.  I think a lot of it has to do with FEAR . . . fear of failure, fear that I'm not good enough to deserve success, fear that I'm not impacting anyone, fear of the unknown, and on, and on . . .

What I do know is that it is NEVER too late to start again!  It is never too late to make the decision to fight your fear, overcome your procrastination, and work towards your destiny!  EVERY decision we make is important!  But just as important are the decisions we fail to make and the steps we fail to take, because they too are shaping our future!

Decide today to live a life of purpose that is dictated by your well thought out decisions - and if today that doesn't happen, then start again tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that until you break your bad habits and decide that it is easier to follow through then continuously start over again!!!!

Brand Name You

A rose by any other name . . . William Shakespeare

A brand name is a unique promise of value - normally reinforced by logos and slogans.

Most people associate brand names with a company or a product, but when we are in the job market we each must realize that we as individuals are a product and thus need to have a brand name for ourselves.  Our brand name is what people think of when they hear our name or see a picture of us.  It can be reinforced by the tagline we create to let people know what we have to offer.

There are several people who have created strong brand names for themselves - Oprah, Emeril, and Martha Stewart, just to name a few.  When you hear these people's names or see their pictures certain ideas about what they have to offer automatically come to mind.  We each need to work on creating that same kind of identity for ourselves.

The thing is that each of has a brand name - and if we don't take the time to create a strong brand image for ourselves, then someone else is very likely to create it for us (often something that is either unflattering or simply untrue).

So, stop and think about what you want people to know about you - what your unique promise of value is.  Then create an online presence and in person presence that reinforce this value . . .

Flexibility --> Amazing Moments

I took the last 3 days off from posting blogs - now I know I made myself a promise to post a blog daily to help keep myself motivated and to try to motivate and inspire others.  BUT, I also know that sometimes you need to compromise and go with the flow in order to totally take advantage of all of life's opportunities.

The reason that I took the last 3 days off from blogging was to spend time with my family.  Today is my baby girl's 19th birthday and she came home from college this weekend to visit.  We had an AMAZING weekend - we didn't really do anything big or special, we just spent time with each other.  

So I dedicate this blog to saying, "Happy Birthday" to my daughter and "I Love You" to my entire family!!

If you get anything out of this blog, I hope you realize the importance of spending quality time with the people you love and the importance of being flexible and willing to compromise in order to truly enjoy life's blessings!

Affirmations

Tonight the words aren't quite flowing, but I still wanted to make sure that I took the time to post.  Personally, I could use a little positive affirmation right now.  And I have learned that you should give whatever it is that you need.  So, I hope you feel inspired and lifted . . . 

Resume Tips

In thinking about what to write about this evening, I felt the need to let my "career coach" out.  Today I taught a workshop on creating an attention grabbing Resume in today's job market and was inspired to create a basic list of Do's and Don'ts to help people as they create their resume . . . . hope that you find them helpful in having a successful job search campaign!

DO

·         Ensure your resume looks, feels, and sounds like YOU on paper

·         Make sure your resume is PLEASING to the eye

·         1”margins on all 4 sides

·         Choose one font for entire document (including header and footer)

·         12 point font for Body

·         14 – 16 point font for NAME

·         Line spacing 1.15

·         Turn your contact information into a header so that it appears on every page

·         Customize your resume for each specific job

·         Focus on the employer’s needs and how you meet them

·         Create a professional e-mail address using your name

·         Highlight the position title you are applying for below your name

·         Give just enough information to grab the employer’s attention and make them feel like they have to meet you face-to-face to get the rest of the story

·         Triple Check for accuracy

·         Start with a Summary paragraph explaining why you are the right person for the job

·         Include Key Skills in the top 1/3 of your resume

·         Create between 3 and 6 bullets to describe each position in your work history

·         Start each bullet with a VERB to show you are action oriented

·         Keep all bullets in the same tense

·         Customize bullets to highlight skills employers are seeking

Quantify bullets to show measurable accomplishments


DON'T

·         Make your font or margins too small

·         SQUEEZE your resume onto a page

·         Use a generic resume

·         Have an unprofessional e-mail address

·         Include References or state that they are “Available upon Request”

·         Get someone else to write your resume or use a canned program to create your resume

·         Use an Objective statement

·         Give too much information

·         Over bulletize

·         Make references to politics, religion, race, gender, etc.

·         Include outdated or irrelevant skills

·         Have ERRORS – typo, spelling, grammar

·         Include your address if you live too far away

·         Use 1^st person – I, me, my, mine

·         Apply for jobs you aren’t qualified for

·         Use paragraphs

·         Use “Entry-level”

Include bullet points that sound like a job description

Power of One

We've all heard that there is strength in numbers and that one is the loneliest number, but recently I have heard a couple of things that have made me stop and think about 1.  

I know, sometimes my mind wanders and wonders about strange things - but I am sure there is at least one other person out there that can relate ;)

The first thing that I heard about one had to do with temperature . . . to be exact 1 degree.  The difference between "hot" and "boiling" is just 1 degree.  I read this in a Simple Truths book.

The second thing I heard about one had to do with time . . . to be exact 1 minute.  All change happens in the span of a single minute.  I heard this on a Tony Robbins CD.

So why do these things matter at all?  Why have I been pondering the number 1?  WHY?  Because 1 is so powerful!!  The difference between living a life of mediocrity and living an AMAZING life is the one degree of extra effort that we put in, that one minute where we make a decision to take action and make a change instead of allowing procrastination and complacency to keep us captive in a life of ONE of THESE DAYS instead of a life of TODAY and NOW!!

Please, embrace the POWER of 1!  Take a stand, make a change, give it your all . . .

A Job

In my quest to become my best ME, a friend has shared her Tony Robbins materials with me.  In the first few minutes of listening, I already had a page full of notes.  If you are ready for any type of personal journey, I highly recommend that you spend a little time with Tony :)

One of the things that really hit home with me is that many of us (including myself) live the majority of life as if it were a job - something to be gotten done, taken care of, worked through . . . what a horrid way to exist!  When we live our life as if it were a job, we aren't really living at all - we are simply existing!

Life is something that should be enjoyed, savored, embraced.  Another one of Tony's pearls of wisdom that I jotted down is that your life is all about how you feel.  Our emotions dictate the way act and react to the things around us.  To help make sure that we live a life filled with emotions make sure that you are living life from a stand point of "Get to" and not a stand point of "Got to".  When you are facing a task, looking at your to do list, staring down a Monday, etc. change your state of mind and embrace all of the "adventures" that you "Get" to be a part of!

Earth Day

Today is Earth Day and so I thought this Native American saying was a great reminder to us all, "We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children."

As we go about our daily lives, this is a great thing to keep in mind.  Are the things you're doing, the actions you're taking, doing something that will leave a positive legacy for the next generation?

A Gift

"When you are in need, plant a seed." Joel Osteen

Too often when things aren't going our way, we're having a bad day, not feeling too well, etc. that tends to be where we focus our thoughts and our efforts.  Most often when we do focus on these things, it only tends to multiply them.

Instead of focusing on ourselves, we need to learn to focus on others.  If you are feeling kind of cruddy, go visit with someone else  that is feeling cruddy and try to lift their spirits.  If you are stressed about not being able to find a job, try to help someone else reach their career goals.  If you are depressed about not being able to lose weight, go encourage someone else in their weight loss efforts.  If you are worried about not being able to meet your financial obligations, go donate time and money to someone who is in even more need of assistance.  Do all of these things with an open heart, not an expectation of repayment!

April Showers

Remember, April showers bring May flowers.

When you run into troubles, know that they are just a "shower" you must pass through to get to the waiting beauty!

Oh the Places You'll Go!

"Only you can control your future" - Dr. Seuss

"Imperfect action is better than perfect inaction" - Harry Truman

I allowed other "stuff" to keep me from posting blogs the last two days.  And then I read the quotes above that really hit home with me . . . if I want my life to live up to the goals I have set and the dreams I am dreaming, then I need to make sure that I am taking steps to work towards them.  Sitting around and doing nothing because I don't think I feel up to doing it correctly is just insane - trying and not succeeding is much more rewarding then not trying at all.  When I hit a bump in road, when I fail to reach a daily goal I have set, that doesn't mean I should just give up on the goal.  It simply means that I need to wipe the slate clean and start taking steps towards the goal again!  Sometimes I need to remind myself that nobody is perfect.

We can all use a smile or laugh to help us feel better.  And what better to bring a smile to your face then taking life advice from Dr. Seuss!!  As silly as that may seem, I once had a professor that gave a copy of Dr. Seuss' "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" to her graduating students.  I also knew a pastor that gave a copy to each of the graduating seniors in his congregation.  If you've never read it, I suggest you take the time to pick up a copy and see what direction it takes you . . .

Inspiration

Inspire: to exert an animating, enlivening, or exalting influence

I was struggling with what topic to choose for today's blog.  There was nothing that really stood out to me from the day that screamed "write about me".  I looked through Tweets, did a little internet searching, did some thinking, and then I asked my husband.  His response to me was, "who inspires you . . . people that are searching for a job and read motivational stuff could probably use someone to look up to."  I was really just thinking out loud when I asked him, but God sends us INSPIRATION at the most unexpected times and from the most unexpected sources.

I am inspired by helping others, making other people feel good, spending time with my family, learning new things.  People that inspire me include my husband and children, my sister, my team at work, job seekers that I work with, Zig Zeigler, Tony Robbins, and many others.

I use these inspirations to ANIMATE me which hopefully allows me to become an inspiration to others.  This is in part because  of some advice from Joel Osteen, "Don't just look for your miracle, become someone else's miracle!"

Simple Things

"It is always the simple things that change our lives." Donald Miller

Today was a simple day, filled with simple pleasures, but it felt absolutely amazing!

Youth auction and BBQ at church, a friend that I haven't seen in a while joining me for lunch, time with both my children and my husband, talking to new people, doing something good for the youth, great food, an e-mail from a customer giving me a compliment . . . all simple things.  But when we open up to simple things and react gratefully, your outlook and your life can change.

EXTRAordinary

This morning I Tweeted a challenge to make today Extraordinary!  To go the "extra" mile to give someone a smile, a laugh, a hug, a hand, a second chance.  Helping others is sure to make your day brighter!

I embraced this challenge, and my day was certainly extraordinary!  Did anyone else join me?

"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant." Robert Louis Stevenson