World Aids Day

Today is World Aids Day. As someone who lost a loved one to this devastating disease, today I urge you to reach out to those you love. Life is short and each moment is a precious gift to share with those we love and cherish. In remembrance of World Aids Day, please consider donating to a local charity. You may also consider calling your local Aids center and telling all the volunteers & workers thank you, for the fearless work they are doing to eradicate the global epidemic we call Aids. I wish you peace this day.

VOTE!

In case you have missed it, today is Election Day in the United States of America. Please exercise your right today and get out and vote. Your voice and vote matters!

I don’t care who you vote for but I do care that you exercise your right to participate in the process. Check out this interview from ABC World News Tonight about awesome kids discussing the election process.

Enjoy and VOTE!

For All the Saints

Today is All Saints Day and tomorrow is All Souls Day in the Catholic Church. No I'm sure the Church wasn’t necessarily thinking of my mother, who is no longer with us as a Saint. But for those of you, who have heard me speak about my parents, behold above the vision of a saint.

In the past month my posts have been on claiming your power, breaking the rules, not complaining and learning to forgive. These life lessons and wisdoms came from the saint pictured above. What… you still don’t see her halo?

Who is the Saint in your life? Who is the person that gave you courage, hope, wisdom, and the strength to be you? If they are alive write or call them today and say thank you. If they are no longer living, light a candle in their honor. Pass on their wisdom to someone else.

My definition of a Saint maybe unorthodox to some, but I can think of no one who deserves the title more in my mind today than my mother.

“May the good Saints protect you and bless you today, and may troubles ignore you each step of the way.” Irish Blessing

Breaking the Rules

So often we are told to be perfect, to do the right thing. As children we were told to color inside the lines, eat everything on our plate, and clean up our mess.

But you know what? Life is messy. We don’t need to be perfect, to be in harmony with life. It is okay to be imperfect, just like no two snowflakes are alike, no two people look at life and deal with life’s situations the same way.

Revel in your mess and today break the rules. Color outside the lines, and work on being the best imperfect being that you can be. You will discover more things about yourself, than when you try to please others and fit inside the mold of perfection.

Give yourself permission – to
break free of the rules and fly!

"If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun."

Katharine Hepburn

Claim Your Power

The power to be who you want to be comes from within. What we desire most come from the expression of who we are. When we give voice to the thoughts and desires that we express, we claim our voice and our power to be fully human.

We often let others trample on our desires; we encounter dream stealers and naysayers, who lead us unto a path of unbelief.

By saying YES to what you want and silencing those of negative energy and thoughts around you, you stake a claim on your life and the power of yes.

Claim your power…
The Power to be who you want to be no excuse no
exceptions.

Ultimately, the only power to which man should aspire is that which he exercises over himself. Elie Wiesel (1928 - )

Say No to Complaining

I recently had the pleasure of reading “The No Complaining Rule” by Jon Gordon. What a fun story. It is great tale of how complaining and negativity in the workplace not only ruins our attitude at work but spills over to our personal lives.

Yes once again, this blog post is reeking of a Pollyanna moment but hey. I loved the premise of this book. I thought about how all of us can apply these simple concepts in our topsy-turvy world. In the No Complaining Rule, Gordon gives us five things we can do right now instead of complaining.

1) Practice Gratitude

2) Praise Others

3) Focus on Success

4) Let Go

5) Pray and Meditate.

If you do nothing else today but follow rule #1) and have an attitude of gratitude, your world will be a much brighter place. As the books says, Positive or Negative the choice is yours.

Hint! Choose Positive!

The Power Within You to Forgive

I have been thinking a lot about forgiveness lately. When people say “I forgive you” for a perceived wrong, it is a tad bit backwards and truthfully sanctimonious.

Recently, I was in the act of forgiving a friend for an injustice that I felt had been done to me. I felt she hurt me. Then it dawned on me, that she didn’t do anything, I had by my own omission of silence, had done it to myself.

You see when we give up our power to live in truth and harmony, or ask others to control our happiness; we often end up in situations that cause us pain. The awareness that we let their behavior interfere with our reality is quite startling.

Today the power is yours. Choose to forgive yourself of any grudges, angry thoughts, and misappropriate actions towards others. Give yourself permission, to live a life that blesses other people’s decisions. No, you don’t have to agree, but celebrate their freedom of choice.

Give power to the forgiveness within in you and be
free and open to an expression of love.