The fear of death follows from the fear of life.  A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.  ~Mark Twain

It is true, I do have a terminal illness.  The doctors can’t tell me how much longer I have, it could be minutes, it could be days, months or even years.  It seems sometime in the early morning hours of September 19, 1966 as I took my first breath I contracted a terminal illness called life.  I am sorry to report but there currently is no cure, it is 100% fatal.  It is highly contagious, and from what I understand everyone has it, we are all carriers.

If you’re not quite certain that you suffer from this incurable disease just ask yourself if you have any of the following symptoms:

• You are currently breathing

If you are currently breathing that is a good sign, you definitely have the main symptom of life.  No need to go see a doctor, don’t waste your money, you are definitely dying.  The amazing thing, between Avian Flu, Al Qaeda, and lead coated Barbie dolls from china this disease isn’t discussed much on the news.  I have not yet seen an in depth report by Dr. Sanjay Gupta on CNN.  I’m beginning to think that this is a huge government cover up, which doesn’t make sense, because fear is how the government gets us to vote, and the media turns your viewing eyes into advertising dollars.

Maybe it’s because we shouldn’t fear this simple little fact that we are all dying, but instead fear how we are living our lives in the meantime.   Sorry if I am coming off as a bit macabre, it is not my intention to disarm anyone, but to inspire myself to get off of my butt and enjoy what precious little time I get on this planet.  That is not to say that I am not excited about what awaits me on that next journey that we have labeled death, but apparently this little adventure we call life is so important that some higher power found it necessary that we experience it, and experience it I must.

I don’t know where this will all lead, but something tells me that through all this growth and change that I am experiencing it is going to lead to some truly interesting places.  It already has thus far, but this is only the beginning, I haven’t hit the big hills or loops on this roller coaster ride just yet, however I sense that they are right around the corner.

I hope no one thinks I am making light of cancer and other illnesses, but the message I keep getting from those who are experiencing such things is that “we know how to die, we just don’t know how to live.”

Time to learn…

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I can live for two months on a good compliment. ~Mark Twain

I was sitting down getting ready to go through my nightly ritual of meditation, visualization and affirmations when I noticed I had missed a phone call. It was Tanya one of my co-workers who has turned into a really good friend. So I called her back to see what was up and she said she just wanted to tell me that she was grateful that I had entered her life. That touched me. Tanya, if you are reading this, I am grateful to have met you too.

She also went on to say that she knew that I was someone special and was going on to do big things and followed it up with, “I don’t know if anyone told you that today or not…” The simple fact is I get told stuff like this all the time. I am so blessed with so many good friends that I can’t turn any direction without bumping into someone who cares for me, and I am so grateful to be blessed in such a manner.

That wasn’t the only compliment I received today. A young aunt and her little niece had gone horseback riding today and they were both really hot and tired from the Nevada sun. I didn’t know their back story until later, I just heard someone in the deli telling them that Starbucks had some water. So as I passed by them I told them to come right over and I’d have it ready for them, and of course we did.

She and her niece sat down in our lobby and ate a quick snack and drank their water, but on their way out I handed them a couple of samples of a new frappucino that we are selling, of course it was the creme base no caffeine for the little ones. All of this attention impressed her enough to call my bosses and let them know about me.

As I sit here writing this, I have come to the conclusion that I do not give enough compliments throughout the day, and it is my intention to actively, but with honesty, give out as many compliments as I can every day from here on out.

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Life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they’re supposed to help you discover who you are.

Life was not meant to be difficult, but it sure as hell wasn’t meant to be easy. If it weren’t for the challenges we face in life, we would never have a chance to grow, physically, mentally or spiritually.

We have all been in the store and watched as a parent gives into every whim and demand to their little angel who is screaming at the top of their lungs non-stop. If this were to continue for the remainder of this child’s youth chances are, unless the parents are considerably wealthy, have a lot of pull or power in their career field so they can continue the spoiling into adulthood, this child will have learned nothing about patience, work ethic, gratitude, or any other virtues that help to make us whole beings. But if this parent were to say no to this child would that mean they loved them any less? No.  In fact it takes a lot more love to say no, than it does to say yes.

I don’t want to be that spoiled child in life who gets everything handed to them without any effort at all. I want to be able to understand what gratitude truly feels like, what accomplishment truly feels like, and that’s why we have challenges. Challenges are merely obstacles that we either go over or go around, either way we overcome them just enough to get back onto the path we were taking that was moving us forward.

It once again all boils down to perspective. You can look at challenges as either hard work, or an opportunity to grow whatever physical, or metaphysical muscle that needs to be worked on. Challenges in the past to me were hard work, they felt like punishment even though I had done nothing wrong. My mantra was, “Why me?” Now it’s “Why not me?”

Do I face every challenge with a smile on my face? You would know I was a miserable liar if I said yes. But I do face them with the knowledge that there is something wonderful waiting for me on the other side, so let’s figure out how to either get over this obstacle, or around it, because I can’t wait to see what it is.

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Life is something that happens when you can’t get to sleep. ~Fran Lebowitz

I enjoy many things like watching t.v., sleeping, and eating, but not one of these things has brought me the fulfillment in life that I desire. When you consider that we spend almost one third of our life sleeping, another one third working, and then what’s left of the time we have spread amongst things like watching t.v., running errands, visiting family or friends, it is no wonder we think life is just passing us by.

I used to think that I was picky when it came to what I watched on t.v., until I added up the hours, and came to realize why I wasn’t accomplishing the goals I had in life. Over the past couple of weeks I have severely limited my t.v. intake to a maximum of two hours a day, and I am not even hitting that maximum target at all. I am maybe watching one hour, and the amount of time I have left to do the things I truly enjoy is staggering.

What does this have to do with being awake? Well I am awake literally, and metaphorically now. Today is my day off, and I am up at 7:30 in the morning ready to take on the world. I don’t have to be up, I want to be up, because there is a drive and energy within me that continues to grow, and this makes me very excited about the future. Sure I could very well spend a few more hours in bed, hell I could sleep off and on until noon if I put my mind to it, but I would rather make more progress in my life, even if it is just taking one step today in the direction I have chosen head in.

Sleep is not overrated, neither is eating, or entertainment they all have their place. However they don’t have their own purpose in our lives, but are here to serve our purpose in life. I have my hand on the rudder now, I am guiding this ship in the direction I choose to take it. Where it lands is only a part of the journey, so far the trip is pretty damn interesting and that is enough to satisfy me.

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Today was an interesting day to say the least.  I was treated to a reflexology treatment by Jan and Linda, as well as attended dinner with them at Women Poker Hall of Famer Susie Isaac’s home where we were fed a fantastic pot roast, and an amazing dessert of homemade shortcake.

Not only did I get to hang out with some old friends like Linda, Jan and her father Peter.  But I was able to make some new friends like Susie, Herme and their dog Bet .  Looks like I will be adding another client to the dog / house sitting list.

Susie and Herme are like minded individuals when it comes to the Law of Attraction, which makes things that much more interesting.  Like attracts like, so who knows where this will all lead.

Once again another  day filled with abundance, these are just a few of the many blessings that stood out.

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Megan, Hanna, and Michele @ Mandalay Bay, Shark Reef Exhibit

Our brothers and sisters are there with us from the dawn of our personal stories to the inevitable dusk. ~Susan Scarf Merrell

My sister Michele has been one of my closest friends as long as I can remember. Over the years we have had a few falling outs, but for the most part I know I can count on her to be there to support me no matter what I got myself into.Over the past few months while I have worked on improving my own life, she has made a lot of improvements in her own. She has lost weight, taken responsibility of her own life and happiness which helps her to be a good example for her children. I am proud of her, and I am grateful to have her in my life, and pray that she receives the abundance in health, wealth, and spirit she so richly deserve.

I love you dearly. Thank you for being my big sister.

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Today was not only pay day, but it was also my day off.  I had a few errands to run, and one of the things I wanted to do was buy an organizer at Office Max.  The last time I was there I was kind of put off by the prices, but I was wanting something that looked professional so I figured I would just suck it up and plop down the $50 + that they ran.  Much to my surprise, they were all 50% off, so I ended up getting the organizer I wanted for just a bit over $20.00.

Another item on my list from Office Max was to find out some information on a pen they gave me in a welcome kit during their grand opening.  I really liked the pen, and for some reason I can’t ever seem to find one that not only feels comfortable in my hand, but writes really well too.  This pen doesn’t just meet those requirements, but it has a really cool highlighter tip on the top of it which works our really well for all the reading I’m doing.  I can take notes and highlight stuff with just one instrument, thank you mad scientists.  Let me wrap this up by saying when I asked if I could buy the pen the guy told me no, but I could have some, and then he proceeded to give me half a dozen of them.

I then spent the rest of my afternoon reading, writing, and working on a variety of projects.  Once again I was blessed with ample time to take care of most things on my to do list.

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There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.  ~Anaïs Nin

It has been awhile since I wrote out a bullet list of all the things I am grateful for so here it goes.

Today I am grateful for…

• My father
• My brother Donald
• My brother Eddie
• My sister Michele
• My nieces Hanna and Megan
• My friends
• My co-workers
• My job
• My car
• My  home
• My health
• My creativity
• My inspiration
• My determination

And last but not least I am grateful for my rose colored glasses that allow me to see the wonderful things that life brings me while weeding out all the garbage.

We all have rose colored glasses if we choose to wear them.  At the core of our brain stem is the RAS (reticular activation system) which weeds out repetitive stimuli to help us avoid sensory overload.  We see and hear hundreds of thousands of images and sounds a day, and the RAS essentially limits that amount to the images and sounds that we need to hear, or are allowing ourselves to hear.

However, through our subconscious we can choose to see and hear what it is we want to.  We have all had the experience of going out and buying a new car and then for days after we see that same car on the road everywhere we look.  The fact is those cars were already out there, we just weren’t paying any attention, or RAS was weeding it out because it was unimportant to us..  Now that we have decided on something we like, something we want,  we now see more of it.

This is where the power of positive thinking comes into play.  Buy retraining yourself to always find the positive in every situation, to no longer see problems but challenges that can be overcome, pretty soon the RAS begins to weed out all the unimportant negative stuff, while allowing the positive experiences to stand out.  They are all still there, both existing as they occur, but you are controlling your perception, you are wearing rose colored glasses.

Put them on for a test spin.  Start your day off with a gratitude list of things you want to see more of.  Feel the gratitude, be truly thankful, and begin to limit the negative thoughts that enter your head each and every day, and pretty soon you too will start to see the good in life.

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Tonight I am starting a new part of my blog that I have been meaning to add for some time now, and I call this section, Evidence of Abundance.  Each night, I will document the blessings big and small that enter my life.

1. Wells Fargo agreed to refund a fee of $34.00.  I took responsibility for the issue, but also stepped forward in faith and asked for help and they gladly helped me.
2. Family issues that I have been praying about for months now, are finally getting resolved.
3. I was blessed with more than enough time to finish tasks on my to do list which included finishing my current book, and rearranging and reorganizing my bedroom.
4. I felt inspired to write another blog post.
5. I had an aha moment for an interesting book idea.

Just a simple little post to acknowledge these blessings.
I am grateful for the blessings I have received, and the blessings I am receiving.

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in·ten·tion  [in-ten-shuhn]
–noun
1.  an act or instance of determining mentally upon some action or result.

Today  isn’t so much of a gratitude post, but is more of an intention post.

What I am trying to learn, is to get clarity, and focus on the things I want in life, I truly believe that is what separates really successful people, from the rest of the world.  Clarity is something I have lacked in in the past.  I have allowed myself to stumble through life not knowing what it was I wanted to do, what I wanted in life.  So today I plan on setting forth some intentions to gain control over my thoughts, and to get some clarity.   Because having clarity changes something from a simple wish, to a real goal.

For example in the past I have set goals of, “I want to lose weight this summer.”  Well if I lost one pound, I have achieved this weak attempt at a goal I set.  But having clarity would be to establish what I want to do, by how much, and by when.  A better example would be something like the goal I have set now.   I will weigh 155 pounds by 9:00 a.m., December 1st, 2008.   I can now measure my goals in time and quantity, this eliminates all confusion as to what it is I want in my life.  I am also writing these goals out onto 3 x 5 cards along with an affirmation to read every morning when I get up, throughout the day, and before I go to bed.   Each card looks like this:

Goal:  I will weigh 155 pounds by 9:00 a.m, December 1st 2008.

Affirmation:  I am so happy and grateful now that I weigh 155 pounds.  I have more energy, my joints and muscles are flexible, my body is fit and trim, and I am in complete control of my eating habits, making healthy choices.

In following along with my beliefs of Asking, Believing, and Receiving, I write out my affirmations as if the goal is already achieved.  I have asked by stating the goal, I have believed by quickly meditating on it, and I have received by going into a present state of gratitude accepting that it has already happened.

What I have learned recently is that this creates something called “structural tension,” in the brain.  The brain now has to fill this gap between the reality of what is, and the reality that you are creating with images in your sub-conscious.  The Law of Attraction goes to work, as well as the Law of GOYA *Get Off Your Ass*.  Your mind gets creative bringing forth ideas, and putting you into action in order to achieve these results.

Just like the intention I set forth on healing my body just a few weeks ago, the difference I feel since then is like night and day.  There is still room for improvement, because I am still in the process of healing my body.  But because I set forth that intention, my mind won’t let me rest until I make some sort of steps to improve my health, which presently comes in the form of doing core exercises using my exercise ball.

So my intention I am setting forth today is …

I am so happy and grateful now that I am the master of my thoughts.  Through meditation I have quited the mind and I am receiving clarity.

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