Dreams Really Do Come True!

This past week, I had the honor of being in New York City among elite Latino authors and publishers at the 14^th annual International Latino Book Awards.  I must admit I was a little awe struck by the talent and distinguished presence of those who attended.  And then it happened...My book “In Memory of A Saint Lessons From My Mother I Didn’t Pay Attention to Until She Died” received an Honorable Mention in Best Women’s Book- English.  All I can say is WOW!!!http://tinyurl.com/InMemoryofASaint

The dream to write and publish a book started when I was a child.  As a voracious reader, I would often imagine that if I had written the tale, it would have ended differently.  I would tell people that when I grow up I would write a book.  Out of the mouth of babes... I spoke a dream into reality.  I took action and actually turned my Mañana into Today and accomplished a lifelong goal.

I learned a shocking statistic that 81% of people want to write a book and yet so few accomplish their dream.  So do you have a dream that you are planning on working on tomorrow?  Why not start today.  Every baby step you take will put you that much closer to your dream.  Turn your Someday into Today.  Come on I Dare you!!!

Words of the Year

Today I learned that pragmatic was the word of the year as determined by Miriam Webster. I thought nope...That is certainly not the word of the year for citizens from the land of Positivity.

Florence Scovel Shinn wrote the book "Your Word is Your Wand." She spoke about how our words are filled with magic and power.

Thus, I conjured the seven words that positively describe this year and how they can propel us in 2012.

7) Believable! Whether it was a moment of synchronicity, a time when the Universe winked at you- It was not unbelievable but Believable- Good things can and do happen.

6) Angels- The angels that walked through our lives… some we knew and more often than not the anonymous ones that just do good on this earth. They’re all around and have helped us all this year.

5) Dreams- Just by have the ability to dream, to have goals and a wondrous plan is what gives us hope to go on in this topsy-turvy world.

4) Action- The song Put One Foot in Front of the Other, inspired this thought. As long as we keep moving in a positive direction and take action, we live to dream another day.

3) Transformation- This year has been all about change and for every constant there is change. The time to change is now. If you want, create a new reality. Dare to be the person that you want to be… Today!

2) Gratitude- The ability to be grateful for taking a breath and a brand new day is essential to a positive attitude. We often assume our abundance is reelected by our monetary status. Our abundance is so much more- and it multiplies when we say thank you

1)Love- Love yourself enough to be brave. Make a difference in your own life and others. When you see the world through Love colored eyes the world reflects love right back at you.

Maximizing Opportunity

I know I have been silent on the blogosphere. I have been very busy. My book “In Memory of A Saint: Lessons from My Mother I Didn’t Pay attention To Until She Died” has been published. http://tinyurl.com/InMemoryofASaint

I was speaking to a friend today, and she reminded me that although I feel as if I have been slow; I have been very busy maximizing my opportunities.

My mother always told me the race is not for the swift nor the strong but for the one who endures. Thus, I have been steadily working on my own goals and dreams, so that I can be a better cheerleader for all of you.

Are you a making the most out of your opportunities today? Better yet, would you take advantage of a new opportunity if one came your way? To work on your goals, you should explore every opportunity for you never know when you will be motivated to take a chance and leap into something new.

“Life's up and downs provide windows of opportunity to determine your values and goals - Think of using all obstacles as stepping stones to build the life you want” ~ Marsha Sinetar

Pursuing the Dream

I have been off the blogosphere and I miss all of you. I am glad to be back and want to share with you what I have been up to. I finally finished the book that I had been writing about my mother called In Memory Of a Saint: Lessons from My Mother that I Didn't Pay Attention to Until She Died. As you know, I have written many posts about her and as a result, I wanted to capture her spirit in a book.

The journey has been marvelous as I have been able to put into practice what I preach which is to strive for your goal and to go for your dreams no matter what. I also had the opportunity to take part this summer in Jack Canfield's Breakthrough to Success Training and was able to be among others dreamers.

Today, I hope all of you are pursuing your dreams with passion!

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!

Dear...........

This week I had the pleasure of finishing a wonderful book called the Wednesday Letters by Jason Wright. I enjoyed it so much that it inspired me to write this blog entry on the lost art of letter writing.

When I was growing up I had 82 pen pals from all over the world. It was kind of cool, I had a big world map on the wall in my bedroom, and I had push pins in all the countries where my friends resided. I loved getting mail from friends all over the world. I loved sharing experiences about my life in the US and theirs from whatever country they were from.

I learned to love letter writing. It was a process to pick the right stationery, the right stamps, and even as to what color pens to use. As I found out when I was young, not to use red ink when I write because it perceived anger. You see, through letter writing, I became culturally aware of others and how we are all connected in the Universe.

Now that the world is so much smaller because of the internet, letter writing seems to be disappearing somewhat. As much as I love email, it is not the same as opening a letter from a long lost friend. So to all my friends out there this is for you.

How are you? I hope all is well. What’s up where you are? I am
well. Today is a great day because I get to connect with you.

Write Back Soon,
Sandra

Eat Dessert First

I know I know it goes totally against what your parents told you. But just think about it, dessert at the end of the meal is usually yummy, rich and puts a smile on your face. Right…..

Well if that is the case, shouldn’t everything that we do in life be like a really good dessert. Now all the healthy conscious people please don’t shudder. I mean it with the best of intentions. Life is to be enjoyed. We even make guilt an association with pleasure e.g. (guilty pleasure). Well today let go of the guilt. Take pleasure in the fact that you can live your best life by fully indulging in a bit of fun.

Often what we want to do feels naughty just because we are having fun. Not today. Today I charge you with doing what you feel with no guilt attached. For some it might be curling up with a good book on a Saturday afternoon, it could be taking the day off for a mental health day, stopping to wiggle your toes in the sand, or even just taking a catnap in the middle of the day.

Whatever your pleasure ….... Eat your dessert first and do something that you enjoy!

Taking Risks

What would it take for you to take a risk and do something completely new or different? That is the scenario in one of my all time favorite books "Dancing on the Edge of the Roof”. The protagonist, takes the biggest risk of her life, quits her job, leaves her family, moves across the country, and starts a brand new life.

Many of us want to try that new adventure, but we are padlocked in place by our fear. What will happen if, who will do what, what if I fail? All those questions may need to be answered and some of them will lead to a path of self-discovery. Nevertheless, if we do not take a chance on life, we will always be stuck in a holding pattern of time.

What risks have you taken? The risk of life is in living and be fully present.

Today, just go for it!

Three Kings

Today is Epiphany, Feats of the Three kings, Little Christmas, or the Twelfth day of Christmas. I was in church today listening to the story of the three kings’ visit and thought of one of my favorite children’s books, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

I love this book because the Herdmans knew that if you were going to visit someone special you give them something from the heart. I reread it every year during the holidays and it always brings a smile to my face.

Peace

One More Day

I read Mitch Albom’s book "For One More Day" recently. Then I watched Oprah and she had an emotionally charged episode about if we could have just one more day and it got me to thinking. If I could spend just one more day with someone, who would it be? Hmmmm.

When we knew my mother was dying, she had been ill for a while, I said to my sister that I wasn’t ready for her to die yet. My sister said, “When would you be ready,” and I told her that “I would tell God when I was ready.” Well she laughed and said, “So you are trying to micromanage God.” And I said yes!

Isn’t odd that most of us want to micromanage the Universe and to control what will happen and when. I suppose we all want that one more day to say the extra I love you or a heartfelt I’m sorry.

For one more day, I would love to tell all the people that I loved or who touched my spirit for a moment, what a great impact they had in my life and their life on earth mattered.