The last day of 2007!!!

It's New Year's Eve and the last day of 2007!! It feels almost like a cleansing of some sort in which we look back at 2007 and remember all the good times and well, probably the other times too! And then we get all giddy about 2008 and all the wonderful, exciting events that are waiting for us! We are not fearful of the unknown, but rather excited about a new beginning and fresh start and welcome change! It's about the only time that almost everybody is on the same page and get excited about new beginnings and not swimming upstream! We are all going with the flow right now and open for everything!! Just imagine what would happen if we were open for everything and going with the flow everyday all year long!

Out with the old, in with the new!

It's that time of year that we are all optimistic about the new year because for most of us, there are things we want to change or things we want to accomplish and the New Year provides that amazing inspiration!! We want those things to be achievable, so perhaps keep a short list of maybe 3-4 items and then have a little plan of attack versus perhaps a cold turkey approach? Whatever it is, look back at the 2007 goals and figure out why there was an obstacle or just simply learn from it and readjust those goals a bit. For me, having a motto seems to work!! And mine for 2008 is "ALL WILL BE GREAT IN 2008!!" The New Year is such an inspirational time and one that can be kept throughout the year if we truly want it to!! It's our choice and we are in control of our feelings and destiny! Let's all have everlasting inspiration.

Don't dwell on it!

There are times when things are going pretty darn good and then all of a sudden it comes to a screeching halt!! It's at these times, that we just need to learn from the mistake and take it as an opportunity to grow and move on! Easier said than done because lots of us tend to dwell on things, but honestly, what result does this produce? None! If we make a mistake, which we all do, and it's good that we do make mistakes because how would we grow, well, then just learn, roll with the punches and don't make it again! All in all, whatever boo boo we tend to make, the ultimate thing to remember is "I'll handle it". It's amazing how you feel once those words are repeated, for there is a sense of peace and calm that immediately felt!

You never know what's around the corner!

You truly never know what is around the corner when your eyes are open and receptive to seeing things differently! When your mind is alive, happy and alert, truly interesting and amazing things happen. A thought of someone pops into your mind that may be a good resource for you. A thought of a great book may just out of the blue pop into that little head. But when you are in a calm, stress free and serene state even when things appear to be in turmoil or uncertainty, it's amazing what happens. It's like your little angels are around you to help and when you're receptive to their help, they dance all around you and guide you along. When the mind is open, it is very obvious that Life is for us, not against us!! When we are receptive to good things happening and going with the flow, good things often follow.

The Confidence Factor

When we are given our handful of lemons, we feel a bit of a setback with that sour little taste of the lemons. But it's at that point that we can regain control and turn it into a good thing. But how do we do this and where does it come from? It comes from various ways, but one of the most compelling ways is your self-confidence. If you are strutting yourself and feeling darn confident, it's hard for anything to penetrate this shell. This is isn't to say, one should become cocky, but rather confident in themselves and their abilities to deal with anything that comes their way! It's not easy at times, but if you dig deep enough, it's there! Confidence will get you through the toughest times when it's being shaken the most, but bring it out in full force during those times and turn those lemons into lemonade.

Interpretation of Events

It's funny how some things happen in your life and sometimes we ponder how we should interpret the events. When we have something happen that goes against what we wanted, does that mean we should go into another direction since we are perhaps being steered somewhere else or do we learn from the experience and try again? Perhaps it's both?

But, there does come a time which we continue to go down a certain path and it's like swimming upstream. To me, this is the sign to go into another direction and find that path that is conducive to satisfying your inner passion. When we do this, then the path is easy and we internally know it! And there are people out there with the jobs they love, the family life they love and the amazing friends! And what is awesome, is that we can all have this!! What does it take? Passion, focus, postive attitude a clear vision of what you want!!!

Surrounding yourself

Everybody has a tough time in their life and feel a bit blue for whatever reason. In these times, it is of utmost importance to surround yourself with everything positive! Surround yourself with positive people, positive books, positive sayings, positive EVERYTHING which will inevitably bring yourself up too! Steer away from negative situations, negative people, negative books, music or TV since these will inevitably bring you down further! We all like a little bit of a pity party, but just stay at the party too long! Leave the party early and get back to the good positive energy out there. It's easy to get caught up in gossip, but gossip doesn't produce a positive result, but rather a negative one, so just simply steer clear of the gossip circle and stay on course with the positive energy. Life is so much better with positive forces around you, so pick the easy path and swim downstream.

Road to self improvement

Isn't it good that nobody is perfect? If everyone was perfect, there would be no more learning or changing which sounds pretty boring! We are always on a road for self improvement and usually we all know what our faults are and we work on them all the time which is good! For me, patience is a limiter. I like things to be done quickly and when I have to wait and show patience, it reminds me that my road for self improvement keeps marching on! While my path of improvement is patience, other exhibit extraordinary patience, but have other areas of opportunity that may be my strength? Nobody is alike and we all see traits in others that we can learn from. Each day brings new opportunities to see the good in people and help us see how unique we are, what we have to offer and things we need to keep working on. Will anybody get to perfection? I hope not, for that would be pretty darn boring!

Alignment

When things are going great, we probably don't need much time to get ourselves aligned because frankly, we probably already are! But then there are times when we are out of balance and overcome with feelings and emotions that knock us off kilter a bit. So, what do we do? Well, if it takes getting back into balance once a week, then so be it, once a day, then so be it, once an hour, then so be it or every minute, then so be it. But, we can't afford to be off balance and it takes effort when this happens, but the effort will pay off. Perhaps not that day, that week or that month, but it will. And the key is to remember at times to stay in balance because things are just a bit easier to handle! We usually know when things are not aligned properly since it usually manifests itself in stress, worry, fear, anxiety, etc. That is the queue to get yourself balanced through whatever means works for you. Perhaps that means talking to a friend or family member, exercising, reading inspirational books, or whatever makes you KNOW you are aligned once again. Essentially it's that feeling that you are now flowing with the stream versus swimming upstream. And as we all know, flowing with the stream takes much less effort than swimming upstream! All it takes is listening to yourself and bringing things back in alignment.

The Holiday Spirit

The holidays are an amazing time of year that brings out the best in people! People have a cheerful spirit about them and it comes from seeing your neighbor string some outside lights to the stringing your own lights on your Christmas Tree. A simple pleasure of a decorated Christmas tree and seeing it lit up at night brings so much joy to all. And writing out Christmas cards to those perhaps you haven't talked to in years, but you send cards every year. Perhaps you are not as close as in the past, but they are in your thoughts and seeing their name brings back fond memories. And you know that when they receive your card, you will be in their thoughts and most likely they will have those same fond memories which brings a nice warm smile to their face. The holiday season is a wonderful time of year in which we should all be grateful for what we have and most importantly EXPRESS such gratitude. I just read a saying that to be grateful without expressing it, is like wrapping a present and not sending it. Very true!! Tis the season to express the gratitude and enjoy the simple pleasures.

Listen to yourself!

Your intuition or that gut feeling is usually correct on a major decision or change you need to make. But sometimes that gut feeling is contrary to what others may think is the best decision for you. The bottom line is that we all should do what makes us happy versus perhaps others because once you are truly happy on the inside, everyone will see that beauty and understand why a decision or change was made. Your true happiness is what everyone strives for. A person or tangible objects may make us think we will be happy, but if a person is not happy on the inside, nothing external will bring that. Once a person is truly happy on the inside, everything external is now just enhancing your happiness and making life even that much better!! To me, we are put on this earth to be happy because when we are truly happy anything is possible and any obstacle will be overcome!!