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Kindling the Sparks of Vision

The midlife experience for women might be described as “Life Reinvention 101.” We’ve come through the first half of our lives having done what we’ve done, learned what we’ve learned, and been who we’ve been. We understand it is up to us, to a large degree, what the second half of our lives will be. We might redefine in huge broad strokes, or we might simply fine tune. But there is a sense of urgency. Barbara Scher captures it in the title to her ovular (not seminal!) book about creating the second half of life: “It’s Only Too Late If You Don’t Start Now.”

One of the ways to “start now” is to kindle the sparks of your vision. Whatever dream you see for yourself, nurture it. Allow yourself to move in that direction. If it isn’t right for you, you will know it. As you move forward, more of your vision will come clear. Taking action will result in your greater clarity about what’s for you.

You may have only inklings and inclinations right now - that’s fine! Honor yourself by nurturing them. Feel inclined to take a comparative spirituality course? Do it! Curious about Tai Chi? Try it! Psyched to learn how to cook with kale? Borrow a good cookbook.

Or you may have a great deal more than inklings. You may know you want to start a foundation or a theater troupe. You may know you need to work on solving the world hunger problem. You may know you have to live at the ocean now.

Wherever you are in your own process of nurturing your vision, consider these suggestions as ways to support you in your process.

1. Create a visual expression of the dream and place it where you can see it daily. Part of my vision for myself is to further develop my work as a coach, writer, and speaker and to reach a greater level of prosperity through it. My own coach gave me a beautiful bamboo plant, a symbol of prosperity. Seeing this lush, beautiful bamboo in my office every day keeps the spark of that dream glowing for me, and inspires me. The bamboo also reminds me that my coach is holding my vision with me; I feel supported. What is your dream? How can you create a visual expression of it?

2. Declare your intention. Say it out loud several times a day, for yourself, in the form of an affirmation. Speak it to your friends. Making a declaration is itself an action that can be very powerful. Be open to the ideas that come into your mind when you declare your intention. You may tap into intuitive information you would be wise to act on. Trust yourself to know.

3. Protect your dream; it is a fragile organism when it’s new. Just as you would protect a newborn baby from danger and harm, or a tulip shoot just peeking out from the soil - protect your vision from harm. Do not expose it to the kind of people my daughters call “dreamkillers.” You know who I mean. When you say “I’m training for the AIDS Ride, they say, “Isn’t it a lot of work to raise all that money?” When you say, “I’m cutting back my hours at the office so I can spend more time painting,” they say, “Aren’t you afraid they’ll find someone full time to replace you?” It’s better not to declare your vision to people like this, certainly not at this stage in the life of your dream. Share it with people who are likely to say things like, “Great!” or “How can I support you in that?” or “I can totally see you doing that. What a great idea!”

4. Keep moving! Stay in action, taking steps toward your vision. The steps can be as small as looking up a website, or as large as writing up a plan for your new business. What’s important is that you stay in action. Each next step you take will bring you to a new location where you can see a landscape you couldn’t see before you took the step. There is new information for you here, feedback for you to process. Let it in and let it inform your next step.

The sparks of your vision can lead to the roaring flames of a great new adventure. Trust the process and have faith in yourself. Enjoy your journey!

If you’re considering hiring a coach to help you on your journey, contact me at sharon@stcoach.com for an initial consultation at no charge.

Copyright 2003 Sharon Teitelbaum. All rights reserved.

Firefighters Pole-axed by New H&S Regulation

Perhaps I’m wrong but aren’t these the guys who run into burning buildings when everyone else is running for their lives. But I must be wrong because health and safety officials in the Southport area apparently consider that firemen are no longer tough enough to slide down the traditional fireman’s pole.

It seems that the brave men and women of Southport’s Fire service must now use the stairs when responding to emergency calls. It would seem to me that if a professional firefighter were not capable of sliding down the traditional fireman’s pole, then presumably they would not be capable of performing the multitude of physically dangerous tasks we ask them to do every day.

One retired firefighter with 30 years in the job stated that in all that time he had witnessed one single broken ankle as a result of using the pole. Surely, this should be compared to the seconds saved that result in a firemen saving just one more life by getting to a fire that fraction earlier.

Firemen themselves suggest that a bunch of people heading down the stairs at breakneck speed is liable to be far more dangerous than their traditional route to the fire engine. What’s next, should we stop firemen tackling those dangerous fires in case they burn their fingers or singe their hair?

Whether we like it or not all organisations, even the Fire Brigade, have to comply with health and safety regulations. To ensure that your company is always up-to-date with H&S rules visit Workplace Law and check out their highly regarded NEBOSH general certificate course.

“Your Goals on Steroids”

You’ve heard it before, “The key to succeeding is make sure you write down your goals plan and review them daily!” The problem is the onus is on you to remember to review them and if you are able to review more than once a day, you’re better than most.

But is 1,2 or 3 times daily enough to make them happen. Is it often enough to engrain with certainty, your goal objectives will be met? If you’re truly serious about your goals and achieving them, why would you even want to leave that to chance?

Why not put your daily goal review on autopilot. Imagine having your goals fed 1000’s of times a day to your subconscious mind unobtrusively while all the while you’re working, typing, playing or surfing on your computer.

If you want to have the most impact, you have to engage the other 5/6ths of your brain ( your subconscious) to work harmoniously with your conscious will ( 1/6th of your brain power).

Today, we have the technology to do precisely that. Open your mind to these new proven techniques and watch your goals transform and gravitate to your desires.

Projects During Retirement

Many people are dreaming of reaching retirement, looking at it as a rush to the finish line to relax and take it easy from then on. This is fine for a considerable number of retirees, but there is an increasing number of older workers that are contemplating a different scenario, in part due to their good health but also the current economical climate is contributing to this re-examination. Some retirees are looking for paths to stay connected to their community, staying active and feeling satisfied, perhaps supplementing their income along the way. The opportunities are ever increasing: working under contracts, alone or in a team, some older workers choose part-time employment and others go for full-time approach. Some seniors start their own businesses, some partner with family members and close friends.

Working in a team can be quite rewarding and it does help maintain the connectivity that many seniors seek. For example three siblings in their 60s and 70s decided to write a book dealing with herbs and their benefits. Each one of the siblings contributed with their areas of expertise. The older brother did the writing being that he had traveled extensively collecting herbs, learned from locals as well as had a background in agriculture. The younger brother edited the content as he had been a language tutor for most of his adult life. Finally, the sister drew the herb images as she had been a high school art teacher since her twenties. This body of work allowed the siblings to collaborate as a family and as professionals, something they had not done in the past. The book became a channel for the brothers and the sister to, hopefully, pass their knowledge to others interested in healing with plants. Also, this book became a source of extra income for these siblings, a way of keeping active and feeling fulfilled.

Being involved in an activity is essential and communities should develop more opportunities for seniors, but it is also up to the retirees themselves to find an activity where they can direct their energy. Whichever way, staying active is what seniors want aiding them personally as well as slowing down their health declines.

Consolidating your debt - what to watch

Consolidating your debt - what to watch

You’ve possibly heard all types of tales about consolidating your debt. Some of these rumours portray it as a simple way to repay your creditors. Other tails paint a scary picture of escalating debts that inevitably leads to bigger problems.

The reality probably lies right the middle. Debt consolidation may or may not be the best way for you to get out of debt. It all depends on a variety of factors: not just how much debt you have, but how much you make and what kind of debts you’re thinking about clearing, as well as your attitude to debt and to money in general.

There are one or two dos & don’ts that apply to nearly everyone.

Think about the following debt consolidation dos & don’ts.

DO

Do consider talking to a debt adviser if you’re thinking about pursuing debt consolidation. You need someone who can help you explore your options, so make sure you talk to a company that doesn’t only offer consolidation loans. Its possible that all you need is some advice on budgeting more effectively, so you can handle your debts yourself.

Do think carefully about the repayment term on your consolidation loan, if you take one.

DON’T

Don’t keep on fighting if you really can’t afford to pay your creditors each month. If you need help, ask for it - your debt consultant will be able to help you decide whether you need a professional debt solution, and if so, which one.

Journal, The Window To Your Subconscious Mind

A journal is not just a simple diary, periodical chronicle or record. It is a window where you or any one reading your journal sees you from inside and through your subconscious mind.

A journal is a market place of ideas, thoughts, fears, hopes and aspirations, and the only way to reach it is through your pen.

The act of writing a journal can be your ticket to self-discovery.

Because you can be anonymous in your journal, you can write anything and everything that comes in your mind.

You can also use your journal like a psychologist. Psychologists use this as a tool in analyzing the situation of his subject.

You will easily understand your present condition, good or bad because you will be looking at it from the different side of the fence. This is how psychologists assess ones condition, looking at the matter from a different point of view.

Writers on their part use journals to write ideas, facts, feelings and snippets of conversation.

It is in the journal that most writers unleash their creative ideas that make them effective in their field. It is a log of their creative ideas, which they use later on for their stories.

The way to use your journal effectively is to write anything without having to think of where your writing will bring you.

Let the ideas fall freely. Do not stop until you ran out of things to write.

As you go along, you will realize that when you try to arrange conscious thoughts, your subconscious mind tosses ideas from your mind down your arm and final to the end where the pen is.

Writing also helps you develop ideas from deep in your mind, which you would not have thought exist.

You will realize that after a while, you have written along journal with clear pattern of thought that you initially did not have before you started writing.

Journals can also help improve your relationship with family members by understanding their fears, hopes and aspirations. This writing will help you understand who they are from beneath the person you see in front of you.

Writing journals also help release tension by having to write those things you would have said that might hurt the feelings of another person.

After writing that ugly words you long to utter, you will then have cooled down and realize that those things if you had said them may create nuisance and might create a wall and not a bridge to your relationship.

When you feel you have released your anger, you can tear the paper apart and you will realize you are not angry anymore and can face the world smiling. You will also understand the situation more when you have cleared the cobweb in your mind.

You have done two things; avoid hurting the feelings of your partner by releasing the tension on paper and clearing your mind to understand the situation clearer without a heavy heart.

I also have a friend who writes on her journal very often. She has a small notebook she brings around and writes anything that happen, when she finds the time, she expounds on them. She ends up writing a book of events that turned her into an author from being fondly called scribbling Anne.

The 12 Impossibles - Your Own Testament Of Courage

In the New Testament of the Bible, Jesus had his 12 Apostles. Each Apostle told his version about the life of Jesus. The lessons. The parables. The miracles. Now imagine if we each had 12 Apostles that told the story of our lives. Instead of the 12 Apostles, I call them the 12 Impossibles. Let me explain…

In our lives we all have overcome challenges or achieved successes in situations that we once thought were impossible. Have you ever asked yourself, how did I ever survive that situation? Or how did I ever manage to accomplish that result? Sometimes we shake our heads in disbelief yet we succeeded in spite of our fears and limitations.

So go back in time and remember 12 such experiences. I call these your 12 Impossibles. Look through the eyes of you at the time. Here are some examples of seemingly impossible achievements that people have made. 1. Surviving the first 3 months of Army officer training. 2. Travelling around the world on my own for one year. 3. Being be able to walk again after my car accident in spite of what doctors said. 4. Breaking a one-inch board with my hand after 10 minutes of instruction 5. Getting over the death of my beloved grandmother. 6. Completing a doctorate at my age. 7. Finding the perfect partner after a series of failed relationships. 8. Losing 4 stone and running a full marathon after being seriously overweight. 9. Getting through the labour pains of childbirth

So make your own list of 12 Impossibles. What is the story behind each one? What lesson did you learn? What revelations emerge? The aim is to use each of the 12 Impossibles as a measure of your growth over time. To remind you of your inherent strength. Too often we remember our failures. We forget the successes. Yawn. Ho hum. Nothing extraordinary you might think. What seemed virtually impossible at the time now seems easy. Yet there was a time when you were stressing and straining. Using a lot of concentration and effort. Like learning to walk, talk, read and write. All easy now but once were nearly impossible.

So when you are feeling overwhelmed and lacking confidence,remember your 12 Impossibles. Go through each one in your mind. Re-live the lesson. Restore the faith. Each Impossible is a testament to your courage and will to succeed.

Sweet Smell of Success over Alzheimer’s

Try the sweet smell of essential oils to provide your loved one relief alzheimers disease. If you rub a drop each of Rose, Rosemary, Pine, Ylang Ylang & Lavender oils on the bottom of his or her feet, & if you also diffuse the scent of these oils into their room, you will notice an improvement in their calm demeanor, their level of contentment, an improvement in their memory & an overall sense of improvement.

Not a cure by any means, but essential oils & aromatherapy can ease the severity of many cases of the loss of capacity associated with this disease.

Using aromatherapy for the treatment of alzheimers has been shown to offer much relief from a difficult disease, both for the family, as well as the patient who is suffering from this sad occurrence. The essential oils of Pine, Rose, Rosemary, Ylang Ylang & Lavender all have been shown to help with this condition.

Just rub a drop of each oil on each of their two feet in the morning or at night. Then also diffuse the oils (not at the same time) in a diffuser for the sweet & heavenly scents to calm the patient & affect the spiritual side of the disease.

What To Do When Nothing Is Working Out For You

If you are one of those people for whom things are just not going the way they want …. if you think that things work out wonderfully well for everyone else BUT you, then you should sit back, relax and ponder upon your situation in this light:

We have all been brought up “in comparison” to others. There is an ideal time to go to school, finish college, get married, make money, have children etc and then everything HAS to repeat itself the same way for our children and so on!

If we are ever “behind” anyone (or everyone) in achieving a certain goal, a lot of anxiety and despair comes rushing into our lives. We then desperately try all kinds of things to get to that goal, all the while worrying that it will not happen for us…and what is the result? It actually doesn’t! The more you despair for something, the more of these “wanting” vibrations will be released into the Universe and you will end up with more of “wanting” and no “gaining”.

I want you to remember that it is always a BIG mistake to judge your life by comparing it with others. Your circumstances are completely different from them…. plans and things that work for them cannot work in exactly the same way for you. By worrying about why things are not working out for you in the same way, you CREATE a reality for that time; that those things or plans are not working for you. It is all because you are defining your reality by comparing it with someone else. Some one else’s reality does not have anything to do with your reality.

Here is a better way of thinking and putting things in perspective: First and foremost, realise completely how you have acquired this state of mind. Accept that you have been comparing your reality with others and that is not taking you anywhere… they have a completely different path in life than yours. Love yourself the way you are, love your circumstances and accept that things at present are exactly as they should be. Also, allow yourself to believe that you WILL succeed although not in EXACTLY the same way that you want to. Perhaps God/Universe/Spirit wants to take you through a different path, but you WILL get there. Trust that although things may or may not turn out to be the way that you want them to, they WILL turn out in a way that is best for you. You have to be relaxed and non-judgemental for things to start working in the direction of your success. Set your OWN definitions of success, and do not base your happiness on how everything is working out for others.

Take action, but do not struggle to control each and every event in your life. Try to do all that you can to make things right and then trust in God/Universe/Spirit to take you to your goal. You will be happier, more secure and will have peace and love in your heart and best of all, eventually things will start going your way.

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Humaira Aslam likes to manifest the best things in life
To learn more about the tips and techniques of manifesting what you want in life and
to receive an incredible e-book “The Manifesting Mindset”, FREE of cost
Visit:
http://www.icanmanifest.com

Naturally Inspire Abundance

The act of celebrating naturally inspires a sense of abundance and blessing. To celebrate is to delight in the gift, so it puts us in a very positive, life-affirming state of mind. Celebration is a high form of praise and of gratitude.
Most of us are not into celebrating just for the heck of it. We remember to celebrate holidays and personal events; like birthdays, wedding anniversaries, and major achievements like a promotion or retirement. Then we brush off the small wins waiting for the big one. But, isn’t the big success usually the results of a series of small wins?

Celebrating is a matter of choice. And for those who have ultra-high standards or who are our own worst critics, there may be nothing worthy of celebration through an entire lifetime.

A lot of us are starving for good news about ourselves. We get so caught up between where we are and where we hope to be that we forget to pay attention to the things going on in our lives right now. We don’t see what has been accomplished-only how much is left to be done.

By the way, now is a great time to let go of old conditioning that might have indicated that you could not feel good about what you have done lest you travel the downward road to arrogance. Here’s a newsflash for some; to enjoy and celebrate the good does not mean it will be taken from you!

If you accept that celebration is a matter of choice you always have something to celebrate. When you have success, when you accomplish something, enjoy it! Pause, reflect, and rejoice. It doesn’t matter if you shout out Whoopee or if you call your best friend to share the news. Just take time to celebrate each success because it anchors positive feelings into your consciousness which will help build the momentum for more success to come. Like attracts like and our feelings are powerful magnets. What accomplishment can you celebrate? Helping someone through a tough time? Losing those five pounds? Giving that presentation? Did you make a new friend, or renew an old friendship? What is success, anyway? Sometimes it is as simple as tying your own shoes.

Also, become accustomed to accepting compliments with grace. Don’t demean anyone sharing an appreciation by saying something like; it was nothing. Anybody would have done the same thing. It goes with the territory. Respond with a simple “Thank you”. You show respect and compliment the person who had the awareness to notice and you allow yourself a [long overdo] pat on the back.

All along, you have been a gift to yourself and to the Universe.You are beautiful, delightful, a joy. You do not have to try harder, be better, be perfect, or be anything you are not.

Life is too important to take seriously –Corky Siegel

Mary Kay is a natural healer, passionate that people discover simplicity and fulfillment in their everyday experiences. She facilitates live events and is available for private and phone consultations. Be sure to visit her website and sign up for her *FREE* Monthly Newsletter, which is filled with inspirational, motivational and helpful information on creating a life you truly love.
If you want Mary Kay to speak at an event in your area or you want to contact her: call 702-239-5451 or e-mail marykay@sfgtd.com.