Thought of the Day

I create my own destiny. Other people and events can try to influence the direction in which I may travel; but it is me, and me alone, that decides which path I take.

Motivational Poem

Here is a poem I really like.  It has a powerful message that I can relate to and I read this when I feel that I may be struggling to keep hold of my dreams..


You Can Be Whatever You Want To Be!
by: Donna Levine

There is inside you

All of the potential

To be whatever you want to be;

All of the energy

To do whatever you want to do.

Imagine yourself as you would like to be,

Doing what you want to do,

And each day, take one step

Towards your dream.

And though at times it may seem too

difficult to continue,

Hold on to your dream.

One morning you will awake to find

That you are the person you dreamed of,

Doing what you wanted to do,

Simply because you had the courage

To believe in your potential

And to hold on to your dream.

Friday Story...You Are Amazing!

YOU ARE AMAZING! (And I Can Prove It)
By Michael Murphy

Has anyone told you lately that you are truly amazing? Probably not unless you are one of the very blessed few who have at least one powerful encourager in your life that truly does care about you.

I was 6 feet tall when I was in the 7th grade. I weighed all of 140 lbs. Skinny doesn't begin to describe it. Toothpick would come a little closer. With the unruly and wiry hair that I tried to grow long and fight to keep straight, most of my friends called me 'Q-tip.' You can imagine how that did wonders for my self esteem. Yeah, not much.

I was reminded by my father that I wasn't planned when I was born. I guess not. Three kids in LESS THAN three years. My brother was 2 years old, about to turn 3. My sister was 1 year old, 9 days before she turned 2.
My father suffered most of his life with what we now know as bi-polar disorder. Major moods swings and a plethora of attitudes that did not serve in my best interest (or anyone else's for that matter.) He constantly reminded me that I was an "accident" and with the constant psychological abuse that he put on me, I felt more like an intruder on this planet than a little boy.

As I got older and begin to discover personal development and what it could do for me to heal my past and create my future, I begin to develop new beliefs about myself. What I discovered changed my life. I discovered that the facts proved that I was not an "accident", but indeed, my life was/is a miracle.

I discovered through reading personal development books that the chances that I was ever conceived to begin with were tens of millions to one. In fact, I learned that I had beaten out somewhere between 10 and 90 million other 'seeds' that were all vying to fertilize one egg. Tens of millions of potential suitors and only one was going to get a date. In fact, the others were going to die. It wasn't just a race and competition for affection. It was a battle for life.

Stop and think about this. If any other seed had fertilized that one egg, neither you nor I would be here right now. Ever wonder why you've always felt ''special''? Maybe you felt ''lucky''? Well, you gained access into the inner sanctum to fertilize the egg and millions others died off who didn't make it.

I don't know about you, but that fact alone makes me feel pretty amazing! Now I'm not asking to you believe in some kind of esoteric, metaphysical or spiritual concept. I'm sharing this as an established fact. Go check out these stats with a medical doctor. Now, if those odds haven't made you feel as amazing as they make me feel, then think about this.

Go back 5 generations in your family. That would be to a great-great-great grandparent. Having extensive genealogy records for my family, I know who my great-great-great grandfather was and where he was born.

He was born in 1795 in Kentucky. Just 18 years after our country declared its independence. He met his wife by some set of circumstances, which I'm not aware of. Nonetheless, just imagine your own experience, or perhaps that of your parents (or grandparents) and know that the odds weren't good that he and this particular woman got together.

Now add to the equation that the odds that they ever conceived and had the particular child that they had, were also in the 1 in several millions odds. Now, THAT child grew up and met someone else and the process goes on and on.

My point? Imagine the odds that you ever arrived here on this planet. Trillions to one. Your life is amazing. You may not feel like it. You may feel the lowest emotions that a human can feel. Nonetheless, the FACT remains that YOU ARE A MIRACLE!!!

Perhaps in another article, I'll get into to the amazing biological, skeletal/muscular make up of your body (which is itself a miracle.) For right now, just allow yourself to consider and deeply think about, how YOU got HERE.

You, my dear friend, are no accident. You are amazing! You were a miracle the day you began your existence on this planet. And, you still are. Most people are never taught to love themselves.

Most people are never taught to really understand how awesome they really are. Through a lot of emotional and psychological damage that we get from very ill informed sources in this world, we never face the REALITY of who and what we really are.

I'm here, telling you, YOU ARE AMAZING! I know it. You have talents, skills, intelligence and heart to do miracles in your own life. You have potential that you haven't even begun to tap into its power.

You've likely either forgotten or, you never knew how the facts that supports you as being a phenomenal being. Take some time today and think about what I've shared with you here. Think about the dreams, hopes, desires and incredible vision inside of your mind. I'm not asking you to ''believe'' anything.

I'm just giving you the FACTS. You are amazing! You can do, be and have more than you've ever dreamed possible. Let yourself awakened to the TRUTH about you. Get your dreams off of the shelf and dust them off. Let them live again in your heart, soul and mind.

Keep believing that you can and will accomplish them. Then, expect them and watch your awesome life unfold.

Dreams for my kids..

I sat yesterday and watched Ross, my 3 year old son (nearly 4) as he took part in a hip hop dance class for the first time. Isn't it amazing how proud and grateful you can feel?  He was a bit shy at first but got into the class and was doing really well.  Seems like only yesterday I was changing his nappy and feeding him and now he can do cool dance moves!!  Watched my 6 year old daughter Emma doing backflips and somersaults today! Incredible.  They are becoming real little citizens of the world and are growing and learning..life is an adventure and there is a glint in their eyes as they take on new tasks and their self confidence and awareness grows.  Isn't it amazing the attitude we have as kids?  Where, when, why and how do we allow this attitude to be knocked out of us as adults. Is it at school?  Is it at home?  How many times do you hear stories where someone has been told by a teacher, parent or some other person in authority that they need to 'get a real job' or 'stop dreaming' or that they will 'never be able to make a living from that' etc.  I am determined to make sure my kids know that they must follow their dreams and not settle for the norm..cos the norm just aint happening!!  It's no way to live..unfulfilled potential is a sin in my eyes.  Settling for the mediocre and average is not on the agenda.  If I have learned anything this last year, its that there is so much more to life than what we are taught and brain-washed into thinking. Ross and Emma will be encouraged to express themselves and not to think they have to follow the path trodden by the masses.  We were all made to be extraordinary..but we are conditioned to become ordinary.  Well, not while I have a say and can open their eyes to the abundant possibilities of their dreams.

Stay young at heart and keep dreaming....

Friday Story

A JOYFUL LIFE
by Miles Patrick Yohnke

I've never seen a u-haul behind a hearse. The only thing you take with you when you're gone is what you leave behind. We are slapped when we come into this world and they shovel dirt on us in the end. This is our life. Everyone's life. These are the bookends of life. But what really matters is what goes on in the middle. That we are passionate people. That we are caring people. That we LIVE!

The people I've been privileged to watch succeed have intensity about them. They demand everything from themselves. They show up everyday, in fact every moment, and they are accountable to themselves. Everything they do has a hard statement, and they know when to stop. Very impressive.

Real beauty is found in oneself. That's the tranquil beach. The beautiful sunset. It's not a location, the location is you. To travel is to travel inward. That's the ultimate vacation.

Turn your weaknesses into your strengths. Success is failure turned inside out. We need to find a deeper meaning in life. Our duty, as artists, is to tap into those notes that resonate in us all. Not to sleep walk through life, like an outpatient program; but to strike a chord.

We can't catch kindness in a net or a gun. When kindness is given to you, it's by choice. One must adopt an attitude of gratitude.

We can become prisoners of self. One must dig tunnels; escape one's own mind. We get just this one life. We have to stop doing time. But live lives like we planned in our youth. No matter where we are, how old, we can always reach our dreams.

All your life you're going to be judged, what matters is keeping your soul intact and making work that matters. We have to stop telling people what we are going to do, what we have not yet accomplished, and tell them instead what we have accomplished. Only in this way can we be accountable for our actions. I am not accountable for achievements I have not yet reached, but I am what I have accomplished.

It's when we stop forcing it ... trying to impress, that we really shine through; we start having strong people like us, just fall into our laps - and those that are weak are empowered by the tone of our voice. Get off your knees and do. Words without action is death. One has to stop sitting in the back, waiting. Come to the front. The front row of life. A joyful life.

My mother told me at a very young age, "Miles, we are placed on this planet to help others. Go out and help others." So, it is by her words that I try to shape and reshape my life. Yes, each day we will be challenged by indifferent people and for the most part it isn't their fault. We are just so conditioned by life (media, society) to live like caveman or barbarians (non-contemplating spoon-fed society). To live like the subjects in mindless beer commercials. Their ideals perhaps "you deserve better, more than another, you are the most important."

After a while we believe it. Brainwashed. Let's have "fun." Fun? Fun is a limiting word. Why would one limit their existence to only this? Is that all we appreciate for the life we've been given?

Life is a 24/7 celebration of the word itself (existence). So maybe one needs to replace the word "fun" (a word created by media to keep you down, to bait you, to sell you things, tell you what you need) to the word "joyful."

Maybe we could be way happier if we lived a life that from each waking day till sleep time is joyful. You get but one life. We are each only given one shot at getting it right in the long run. Find a job you love and you'll start to bring joy to yourself and all others in your life.
Words are either negative or positive. Could it be that all this time "fun" is really a negative word and "joy" a positive one? Perhaps a little rethinking is in order.

Finish Strong....

This guy is an inspiration...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOlTdkYXuzE&feature=related

Quote Of The Day

Determination gives you the resolve to keep going in spite of the roadblocks that lay before you.

Denis Waitley

Human Spirit

"Sometimes our light goes out but is blown again into flame by an encounter with another human being. Each of us owes the deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this inner light."

Four Steps To Reaching Your Goals

Step 1
Be clear about what you want and commit this list to paper.  Be specific and use the present tense to describe your goal.
'I am so happy and grateful to be driving my BMW X6 in Deep Sea Blue'

Step 2
Consistently focus on this list and visualise with emotion those things that you want to manifest.

Step 3
Start to take action in the direction of your goals.  Just a small step every day is enough to create momentum!

Step 4
Consciously adopt daily habits that will turn you into a manifesting magnet. This can be reading a chapter from a personal development book, listening to your favourite motivational CD, watching 'The Secret' DVD etc.  Keep your vibrations in the positive, be happy and focus on gratitude..watch the results!!

Friday Story - Happy Easter Everyone!

The Daffodil Principle
Author Anonymous

Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, "Mother, you must come to see the daffodils before they are over." I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead "I will come next Tuesday", I promised a little reluctantly on her third call.

Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and reluctantly I drove there. When I finally walked into Carolyn's house I was welcomed by the joyful sounds of happy children. I delightedly hugged and greeted my grandchildren.

"Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible in these clouds and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these children that I want to see badly enough to drive another inch!"
My daughter smiled calmly and said, "We drive in this all the time, Mother." "Well, you won't get me back on the road until it clears, and then I'm heading for home!" I assured her.

"But first we're going to see the daffodils. It's just a few blocks," Carolyn said. "I'll drive. I'm used to this."
"Carolyn," I said sternly, "please turn around." "It's all right, Mother, I promise. You will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience."

After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small gravel road and I saw a small church. On the far side of the church, I saw a hand lettered sign with an arrow that read, "Daffodil Garden." We got out of the car, each took a child's hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path. Then, as we turned a corner, I looked up and gasped. Before me lay the most glorious sight.

It looked as though someone had taken a great vat of gold and poured it over the mountain peak and its surrounding slopes. The flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns, great ribbons and swaths of deep orange, creamy white, lemon yellow, salmon pink, and saffron and butter yellow. Each different-colored variety was planted in large groups so that it swirled and flowed like its own river with its own unique hue. There were five acres of flowers.

"Who did this?" I asked Carolyn. "Just one woman," Carolyn answered. "She lives on the property. That's her home." Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house, small and modestly sitting in the midst of all that glory. We walked up to the house.

On the patio, we saw a poster. "Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking", was the headline. The first answer was a simple one. "50,000 bulbs," it read. The second answer was, "One at a time, by one woman. Two hands, two feet, and one brain." The third answer was, "Began in 1958."

For me, that moment was a life-changing experience. I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than forty years before, had begun, one bulb at a time, to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure mountaintop. Planting one bulb at a time, year after year, this unknown woman had forever changed the world in which she lived. One day at a time, she had created something of extraordinary magnificence, beauty, and inspiration. The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest principles of celebration.

That is, learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at a time--often just one baby-step at time--and learning to love the doing, learning to use the accumulation of time. When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We can change the world ...

"It makes me sad in a way," I admitted to Carolyn. "What might I have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal thirty-five or forty years ago and had worked away at it 'one bulb at a time' through all those years? Just think what I might have been able to achieve!"

My daughter summed up the message of the day in her usual direct way. "Start tomorrow," she said.

She was right. It's so pointless to think of the lost hours of yesterdays. The way to make learning a lesson of celebration instead of a cause for regret is to only ask, "How can I put this to use today?"

Use the Daffodil Principle. Stop waiting.....
Until your car or home is paid off
Until you get a new car or home
Until your kids leave the house
Until you go back to school
Until you finish school
Until you clean the house
Until you organize the garage
Until you clean off your desk
Until you lose 10 lbs.
Until you gain 10 lbs.
Until you get married
Until you get a divorce
Until you have kids
Until the kids go to school
Until you retire
Until summer
Until spring
Until winter
Until fall
Until you die...

There is no better time than right now to be happy.

Happiness is a journey, not a destination.

So work like you don't need money.

Love like you've never been hurt, and, Dance like no one's watching.

Wishing you a beautiful, daffodil day!

Don't be afraid that your life will end, be afraid that it will never begin.

Dreams - Finding Your Purpose and Passion In Life

Here is a short movie that just gives a little inspiration and encouragement to keep on following those dreams...

http://www.thedreamsmovie.com/