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 . . .