Amelia & Mother Teresa

So many times women wish for a guide book, an owner’s manual entitled “How to Have It All” but we simultaneously ask the question “Is it really possible?” "Don’t we have to give something up, especially because we are a woman?” The reality is that cliff notes were written, brave, courageous women paved the way for us to be anything we choose. We seem to choose the sign saying “Detour.” If we would just take a moment to really listen to the incredible women who tirelessly strived to create a playbook for us, our future would be filed with possibilities instead of limitations. The best part is that we can be exactly who we are as long as we follow our passion.

“Some of us have great runways already built for us. If you have one, take off! But if you don’t have one, realize it is your responsibility to grab a shovel and build one for yourself and for those who will follow after you.” Amelia Earhart

Take calculated risks, share what you’re doing well and then bask in the glory of women united. Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean and set many aviation records. Because of her tenacity, and confidence, she was able to challenge the possibilities and ideals that were associated with women of her time. She was comfortable, and aware of the extraordinary power that she possessed. Her inspiring adventure would have never taken place if she waited passively for the right opportunity to reveal itself. Instead, of sitting on the bleachers in her life, she was a deliberate creator. To be a deliberate creator we must take credit, for the positive contributions that we have made in the world. We must own all of our greatness the same way that we own all of our flaws. Just owning our negative qualities doesn’t do anyone a favor. Once we take responsibility for our ability as women, to choose the life we deserve and desire, we no longer can rely on excuses for reasons of failure. We must dare to disregard reason, and make our goals and passions an inexcusable initiative; that was the philosophy of the legendary Amelia Earhart. But contrary to most people’s beliefs, she was NOT sprinkled with magic dust that ensured her lifetime of achievements. She had to build her own runway. And we all have a little bit of that Amelia Earhart spirit within us. Our capabilities are limitless once we dare to be unreasonable. That is when the magic truly begins!

“Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.” Mother Teresa

Who better to make a daily difference, person to person, than women? Our stamp of authorship will be significant if we realize that our influence may start and stop within our own circle but those people will pay it forward when we care with our whole hearts and minds. Mother Teresa devoted her entire life to caring for the poorest of the poor – the sick and dying poverty stricken people of India - referring to them as “her beloved Jesus in their many distressing disguises.” She demonstrated a spark of possibility in the midst of situations where everyone else felt helpless. Being a deliberate creator is the only way to transform motion into action. Mother Teresa was so devoted to the poor that she was able to generate funding from sources all over the world for her causes simply by her extraordinary example. In 1979, Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Price “for work undertaken in the struggle to overcome poverty and distress, which also constitutes a threat to peace.” Being confident that we all possess the power to shape the world to match our core beliefs is the least selfish quality in the world. Women often shy away from seeming overly confident, in fear of making those around us feel inferior. This is anything but true. Being the best person we can be only grants others the permission to do the same. Confidence is the catalyst for change. It’s a good thing that Mother Teresa wasn’t conservative regarding the potential that she possessed to promote change. Again, passion supersedes all else: money, connections and experience.

This month and every month stand and be counted so they can inspire other women to step up and embrace their power so no woman will be invisible but instead invincible.

The Last Word

Once again I have received an email I think needs to be shared because it just made me smile . Here is a little vignette which perfectly illustrates those negative people we all know and sometimes wish we didn’t:

A woman was at her hairdresser's getting her hair styled for a trip to Rome with her husband. She mentioned the trip to the hairdresser, who responded:

“Rome? Why would anyone want to go there? It's crowded and dirty. You're crazy to go to Rome. So, how are you getting there?"

"We're taking Continental," was the reply. "We got a great rate!"

"Continental?" exclaimed the hairdresser. “That’s a terrible airline. Their planes are old, their flight attendants are ugly, and they're always late. So, where are you staying I Rome?"

"We'll be at this exclusive little place over on Rome's Tiber River called Teste."

"Don't go any further. I know that place. Everybody thinks its gonna be something special and exclusive, but it's really a dump."

"We're going to go to see the Vatican and maybe get to see the Pope."

"That's rich," laughed the hairdresser. "You and a million other people trying to see him. He'll look the size of an ant. Boy, good luck on this lousy trip of yours. You're going to need it."

A month later, the woman again came in for a hairdo. The hairdresser asked her about her trip to Rome.

"It was wonderful," explained the woman, "Not only were we on time in one of Continental's brand new planes, but it was overbooked, and they bumped us up to first class. The food and wine were wonderful, and I had a handsome 28-year-old steward who waited on me hand and foot. And the hotel was great! They'd just finished a $5 million remodeling job, and now it's a jewel, the finest hotel in the city. They, too, were overbooked, so they apologized and gave us their owner's suite at no extra charge!"

"Well," muttered the hairdresser, "that's all well and good, but I know you didn't get to see the Pope."

"Actually, we were quite lucky, because as we toured the Vatican, a Swiss Guard tapped me on the shoulder, and explained that the Pope likes to meet some of the visitors, and if I'd be so kind as to step into his private room and wait, the Pope would personally greet me. Sure enough, five minutes later, the Pope walked through the door and shook my hand! I knelt down and he spoke a few words to me."

"Oh, really! What'd he say ?"

"He said: "Where'd you get the awful hairdo?"

Women Listen

"Because of their agelong training in human relations - for that is what feminine intuition really is - women have a special contribution to make to any group enterprise…”- Margaret Mead

During these times of economic stress, more than ever it is women who are making wise financial decisions because we listen with our hearts. Listening involves much more than hearing. It means paying attention to our special intuitive abilities, and then instinctively applying them to all our activities, including those involving money. Our unique ability to empathize and intuit gives us an edge in all aspects of living including business. Women have always known how to deal with crisis and stress. We are caretakers. So it is only natural that we can combine those aspects of ourselves to generate a positive ripple in our economic energy stream. We must just trust our instincts and listen with our hearts. I have more to say on this subject. Check it out here:

http://www.nuwireinvestor.com/articles/women-in-business-listen-up-52551.aspx

PATRIOTISM IS POPULAR AGAIN

"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty…And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country."
– John F. Kennedy January 20, 1961

"America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we the people have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears, and true to our founding documents. …In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned… Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America."
– Barack H. Obama January 20, 2009

48 years between those eloquent speeches. President Kennedy’s stirring words were uttered before I (and probably most of you) was born. Now President Obama has arrived on the national scene to motivate us once again with his eloquence and a healthy dose of good old fashioned common sense. I really asked myself, "Am I playing my part?" Are you? Let us take these powerful words to heart and do more than hear but really listen and take action to remake America in the image our founders had in mind.

Check out this link and be inspired to become an involved citizen by signing the pledge to be a “Born Again American.” http://www.bornagainamerican.org/

SAROYAN’S TRUTH

It is a brand new year. And time to renew our resolve to improve our lives by reconnecting to our faith. A faith based life fills the voids that often create the question, “ Is this all there is?” I am a traditionalist, so the Bible is my source for strength and wisdom, but I realize that not everyone is grounded in that foundation and I have a healthy respect for all that serves as a groundwork of faith for others.

A few years ago I watched a prominent actor being interviewed on the television show, “Actors Studio.” When queried if he was a devotee of the Bible, his response was that the author and playwright, William Saroyan’s “Time of Your Life” served as his platform for wisdom and truth. Being an admirer of this particular actor, my curiosity was piqued and so I went in search of this piece of prose, which follows. See what you think. Here it is:

In the time of your life, live – so in that good time there shall be no ugliness or death for yourself or any life your life touches.

Seek goodness everywhere, and when it is found bring it out of its hiding-place and let it be free and unashamed.

Place in matter and flesh the least of the values, for these are things that hold death and must pass away.

Discover in all things that which shines and is beyond corruption.

Encourage virtue in whatever heart it may have been driven into secrecy and sorrow by the shame and terror of the world.

Ignore the obvious, for it is unworthy of the clear eye and the kindly heart.

Be the inferior of no man, nor of any man be the superior.

Remember that every man is a variation of yourself. No man’s guilt is not yours nor is any man’s innocence a thing apart.

Despise evil and ungodliness, but not men of ungodliness or evil. These understand.

Have no shame in being kindly and gentle, but if the time comes in the time of your life to kill, kill and have no regret.

In the time of your life, live – so that in that wondrous time you shall not have added to the misery and sorrow of the world, but shall smile to the infinite delight and mystery of it.

We really aren’t ever alone nor do we ever have to be if we cement our foundations with a faith based life. My New Year advice: We should share our faith if it is part of our core values, resuscitate it if we have allowed ourselves to wander and be prompt and deliberate in selecting our faith platform if we have been searching.

Many Blessings,

Catch It If You Can-And The Good News is You Can!

It seems that happiness is not merely a function of individual experience or choice, but is also a property of groups of people, in other words a collective phenomenon. It turns out that it is contagious. This is wonderful news with huge implications. It means we can all be carriers. They say misery loves company, but the same may be even more true of happiness. According to a study published by the British Medical Journal, scientists from Harvard University and UC San Diego showed that happiness spreads readily through social networks of family members, friends and neighbors. They found a “statistical relationship not just between your happiness and your friends' happiness, but between your happiness and your friends' friends' friends' happiness."

Knowing someone who is happy makes you 15.3% more likely to be happy yourself, the study found. A happy friend of a friend increases your odds of happiness by 9.8%, and even your neighbor's sister's friend can give you a 5.6% boost. There you have it: Three degrees of separation.

"Your emotional state depends not just on actions and choices that you make, but also on actions and choices of other people, many of which you don't even know," said Dr. Nicholas A. Christakis, a physician and medical sociologist at Harvard who co-wrote the study. Go here to read more about this study, and then make a resolution for the New Year to be a “happiness carrier.”
http://www.webmd.com/balance/news/20081204/happiness-is-contagious

I CAN!

I Cancel All Negativity!

Make this your new mantra, and there will be nothing but smooth sailing ahead.

Of course many of you might say, “That is easier said than done!” And that statement itself would be continuing with a negative pattern of thinking. It implies that it is not easy to stay positive in every aspect of living.

The truth is that it is easy once you decide to make a conscious effort toward reprogramming your brain. One way to do that is to get in the habit of asking yourself every time you utter a sentence or have a thought if it was a positive or negative statement or thought. If your thought was negative then say, “cancel, cancel” to yourself either silently or out loud as a tangible way to modify your behavior. Yes, I am serious. While you are standing in line at Starbucks judging the person in front of you for no apparent reason, stop, take self responsibility and say, “cancel, cancel.” It requires some slowing down of the mental processes and some honest and deliberate evaluation, and that is all there is to it. Voila!

Granted, it doesn’t happen overnight, but with persistent effort and dedication to refocusing and changing your thoughts, you can cultivate a new way of looking at and reacting to life, and there will be improvement in every aspect of your existence. You will have more vitality, more laughter, more fun, more prosperity, and more joy.

Just remember your new mantra: I CAN! (I CANCEL ALL NEGATIVITY.)

And if you need a little nudge to get you started on your new path to positivity, check out this site for some inspiring and uplifting quotes: http://www.quotegarden.com/attitude.html