Free Inspiration
In these challenging times, inspiration can lead to motivation that gets us through the crud. Opening our minds and hearts will lead us forward on our path.
You are invited to register to receive the Victory Letter. This e-letter has been written every Monday morning for the past seven years as a reminder to appreciate the small victories in our lives. Open up your Monday morning for a little extra inspiration to send you on your way each week. To see an example of what you will receive visit our blog page.
Your Standing Place
"Do not lose hold of your dreams, or aspirations. For if you do, you may exist but cease to live. "- Henry David Thoreau
This weekend my husband Ed and I traveled a bit further to Phoenix to attend yet another inspiring workshop. As timing of some things worked out we have found ourselves submerged over the course of the last 10 days in not only two dynamic workshops but in the subsequent planning, dreaming and inspiration about what our future holds for us that came with it all. It has energized us as individuals and as a couple. It has been really quite awesome. My gratitude and thanks goes out to my loving husband for opening his mind, spirit and heart in such a wonderful and empowering way.
Our inner landscape makes us so much of who and what we do. Sometimes in getting caught up in the day-to-day stuff, we lose sight of what we were meant to do on this planet. Taking time out to reconnect and remember our focus can be so important. Leaving the past in the past can help us to insure a brighter future. Finding a way to reenergize and reconnect with our purpose (I do believe we each have one) can be life-changing especially if you are finding yourself being stuck and unable to move forward in ways that fill your heart and soul.
Why to How
"The bigger the why - the easier the how" - Jim Rohn
As the lightness of day starts to unfold early on this Monday morning a new week stands before us! Over the course of the last three days my husband, Ed, and I participated in a workshop that had us looking at many aspects of our life. Diving into some inner introspection, the events and exercises that unfolded were revealing and energizing, a factor that can become critical in keeping your mind open to life's possibilities.
While there were many things shared throughout this workshop that touched my mind and heart, this morning's quote spoke very loudly to me. There are many days that we get lost in the day-to-day of life, from the demands of keeping all the balls up in the air, to things not working out as we had hoped or planned. We can begin to forget our purpose, our "why", for being on this planet. When we forget our why it can become more and more difficult to remember the reason we are moving in the direction(s) that we are moving.
Forward We Go
"If you get up one more time than you fall, you will make it through." - Chinese Proverb
This Monday morning as we each head out into the week with one extra hour - yes, it is time to fall forward! Last week I wrote an article for the November Victory Woman Magazine (coming to your online newsstand this week) entitled Fail Forward. A twist of words reminding us that when we fall down and scrap our knees the important thing to remember is to get up! To try and try again if that is required, to indeed get that forward momentum happening as we see past out downfall(s).
About a year ago I submitted a manuscript to a New York publishing house. It was rejected with a letter that told me it wasn't what they said they were looking for at that time. Their initial interest had turned to non-interest and of course, it was very disappointing. Over the course of this year it hit me to not throw out the baby with the bath water, but to do some rewrites of what I had originally written - to make my original idea stronger, meatier.
So I set out and over the course of the past three months to do the major rewrites on the book - not giving up the faith that the core of the book was good. Now this required many, many hours of working on something that only my faith and hope in what was possible was my fuel to move and guide me forward. Making what some would have considered a failure, to giving it a new life of what it was destined to become.
The result - last week after resubmitting my rewritten manuscript I was contacted by the publishing house, they now want to publish the book! Exciting indeed - giving me even more faith that I need to follow my heart and not let perceived failures ever stop me from moving, failing, forward.
This month in the Victory Circles we are focusing on the Master Mind principle of profiting from failure. Failure is something that we have all experienced in one form or another. Some failures are huge while others are minor, and some simply come from never even putting our dreams to the test. Of quitting before we even get our foot out of the door. As the saying goes, it is better to have tried and failed than never to have tried at all, simply because to never try is perhaps the worse kind of failure. Not giving our full potential the shot it really needs.
For me, there is now the work ahead to make sure this publishing house is the one I want to go with and then what I will do to get my book out there and marketed. Plenty of room for failure but a risk and challenge that I am ready to go after!
As you move forward into your week and month ahead look at the failures you have accomplished along your way. The things you have done that required you to put yourself self out there, placing your neck on the line.
I invite you in the week ahead to look forward to what you have to contribute - to be grateful for what you do have in your life - right now, today. To remember it is about what we give that results in what we get - even to ourselves.
Stepping Into Costume
Gold To Grow
"Ancora Imparo" - Michelangelo
As I write to you this morning the aspen trees right outside my office window have turned to the most beautiful gold (see today's picture). It is as if they are illuminated. So very beautiful and yet I know that it is a temporary beauty that will be gone within the next couple of days. The final splash of color before these trees go to sleep for the winter. Change is all around - what comes with change, from my perspective, is the opportunity to experience, to learn and to grow.
Therefore, today's quote seemed quite appropriate which was Michelangelo saying in Italian, "I am always learning." These beautiful words came to me this past week on a magnificently crafted Italian plate, a gift from my husband that he had found on his travels. I loved the sweetness of the gift and the thought of the words. Let's face it, when we are always learning - there is much hope for what can be possible in our lives.
Lost vs. Found
"Do you want to be a victim or victorious?" - Dr. Cherie Carter Scott
Life comes at us from many directions that is for sure! This morning I woke up when my daughter (the bagel girl) got ready for work at 5 am. With every intention to write this letter after helping her get on her way...I dozed off for a few minutes only to discover that several hours had passed. Several hours of interesting dreams ensued - giving my day a different start than I had originally imagined.
In my dreams I was traveling by the ocean meeting interesting people. People that I just happened to run into along my journeys. The crazy part of it was that I kept getting lost in a very funky car I was driving - each time I did I would meet a cool person. My misfortune would become a treasure. In my dream one of the coolest people I came across was my Mom. She was there telling me of her journeys to date full of excitement and life. I woke up missing her, but happy to have felt her so close to me. Happy as well, to have had the opportunity to get a little more sleep to start my day.
Now as I scramble to get back on track I have to remember the message of the dreams as opposed to the fact that I am running late!
Star Shine
"Shoot for the Stars" - T. Harv Eker
While some Monday mornings I have a good idea what I am going to write about - life has a way of shaking that up a bit, as with so many things that come across our path.
This morning was a case in point. There was another quote I had to share with you today but upon arising at 5:30 and looking out my window I saw the most amazing star! What is now today's quote popped right into my head from a conference that I had attended over the weekend.
The Me of We
"It's a fine line between me and we. Me is ok if it does not get in the way of we." - Howard Behar
In the early light of this Monday morning, as I begin to write to you, the fall winds of change are most definitely swirling all around and it is starting to get a bit chilly! Time to put on some warm socks, sip some coffee as we blast into a new week and the season of fall that lies in front of us. While fall officially doesn't start until tomorrow, in this part of the world here in Colorado, it is getting a full day head start today.
Last week I found myself participating in a number of teleconferences. As a Solopreneur I love teleconferences because they allow me to connect with some pretty incredible people without ever leaving my home office. There seems to be a wide variety of teleconferences available these days that are absolutely free. Sure they are usually trying to sell a book, workshop or idea of some sort but most times totally worth listening to a small sales pitch. In exchange I get to walk away with some new thoughts or ideas.
Change Begets Change
"They say that time changes things but actually you have to change them yourself." - Andy Warhol
Ta Dah! Monday has once again arrived! Remarkable! Contrary to what Andy says in this week quote, somehow the days do seem to go marching on and change all by themselves. They seem to do it without much prompting on our part!
What indeed does need our focus and attention is what we do with those days. For sure this is the time of year when change seems to be hovering all around us. Kids back in school with different life opportunities before them as well as nature telling us to get ready for the change. Yesterday I spent some time starting to move plants indoors and putting out a little fake fall foliage in some on the front pots that are starting to wane.
Sour Grapes
"Everything that's really worthwhile in life comes to us free - our minds, our souls, our bodies, our hopes, our dreams, our intelligence, our love of family and friends and country. All of these priceless possessions are free. " - Earl Nightingale
Happy Labor Day! This morning I write to you from one of my favorite writing spots my back patio, overlooking my garden. I am especially enjoying it with the beautiful official last day of summer before us.
Now on to my "sour grapes" that I wanted to share with you. Ok, for sure things in life happen that we don't plan or foresee before us. We want what we want and hope for the best. From my writing spot here in our little piece of heaven on earth, there is usually a lot going on around me as I write including birds chattering, pooches running around, and from time to time a hot air balloon goes floating past.
A few weeks ago I sat here writing as I was watched a multitude of Robins continue to feed from our little vineyard of grapes that we have over the arbor of our barbeque area. It's not a huge space or a huge number of grapes that we get from it but the Robin's were taking them in droves. Sometimes dropping them as they flew on and splattering grape juice on the patio. Yes, imagine little grape bombs flying past.
Well you know how it goes when you put up with an irritation for a while...then you finally say enough!! That happened for me. I stopped the writing project I was working on, grabbed my garden snipers and began harvesting grapes. While snipping I figured I would make grape jelly like our friends had done last year when they had graciously harvested for us. I had not heard from them this year and quite frankly there really wasn't that many left.
Inspirations Speaking
"Do what you can with what you have, where you are." - Theodore Roosevelt
With a puppy under my feet most of the time these days I do find myself falling way behind schedule and some days getting a bit irritable because of it. But there are times when I look at our new little Izzy that I realize the gift she is giving this household by her innocence and free spirit.
Laughingly, the other day I also started thinking about how raising a puppy is a lot like growing a business. So I thought today I would share those analogies - here's what I came up with, the "it" can be either a puppy or a small business:
1. You have to put time into it that you didn't think would be necessary.
2. Just when you are at the end of your rope it turns and does something to pull at your heartstrings that you can't help but love it.
3. It's energy and passion collectively moves your momentum forward.
4. It makes you say, sometimes on a daily basis, "What have I done?!"
5. Some days it seems to be spinning out of control.
New Additions
"The will to win, the will to achieve, goes dry and arid without continuous renewal." - Vince Lombardi
There is nothing quite as inspiring as watching the positivity that a puppy can bring to the world. As I write this morning to you, nibbling at my feet is a beautiful new baby girl. This past weekend we made the leap and brought a new puppy into our world. We had been planning it for a while and made the excursion out east to Kersey, Colorado to pick up our new 8-week-old family addition, a beautiful yellow Labrador.
With much debate and many renditions we finally decided to call her Isabella or Izzy for short. She really doesn't care much about all the fuss over her name - in fact she didn't seem to miss a beat as we called her Ava, Lily, Coco (of the Chanel variety), Maggie, Daisy and a variety of other names. Somehow when we landed on Isabella it just seemed to fit. And Izzy indeed marks the energy she goes after life when she is awake.
I watched with a joyous heart as she melted all barriers around her. Together as a family it re-connected us as well as everyone that came over to our house this past weekend. She was like a super magnet instantly drawing everyone to her from children, to teens, to adults. The power of attraction on steroids!
Contrasting Colors
"Color provides an unexpected and free experience of emotions." - Patti Weaver CDS Studio
During the week gone by I really had my mind on color. And not just color by itself but color as it contrasts to another color. This time of the year in the garden I do believe brings it out the best. There is just so much color happening everywhere we look. It can indeed transform emotions in us in so many different ways.
Last Thursday I walked around Coot Lake with my friend Patti, a fabulous interior designer. As we yakked our way around the lake we found ourselves on the conversation of color. She shared some profound words that touched me and upon returning home, I emailed her to ask about it one more time. Not only did she provide the words she said for this weeks quote but these words as well:
"Honest, raw perspectives that may force us to redefine or renew ourselves. Surrounding yourself with your favorite colors will give you a fulfilling sense of a 'new culture' in your home, your pulse that is exclusively your own. Shed new light...let color take you on a quest for truth!"
So what is your truth about color? Looking up around you right now what are the colors that resonate with you? I love green - since I was a little girl green has always been my favorite color. Perhaps that is why I love gardening so much. The key in getting color in nature is that it changes with the season.
Here in Colorado we are starting to see sprinklings of yellow tips here and there amongst the trees. The sign that fall is just around the corner. A time of year that will make the colors change to a completely different palette. And then before you know it, we will be in a black and white world in nature again. Leaving us to find color indoors I suppose as well as in the clothes we wear.
More Articles...
Page 4 of 8
