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Year in Review

Well...What a year! For most of us, this year had many difficulties, curveballs, and the roller coaster ride of a lifetime. Did you struggle this year? I know I did.

Yet I am here to share with you that there is good news within the struggle. I know I survived the year that WAS. For many of us changes in the economy affected our livelihood and what we came to define as ourselves. Yet the one thing that remained true for me was my faith.

A family member told me I was crazy to have hope and faith. However, I believe in the power of God. I knew that no matter what the outward circumstances were, my faith and my belief in something greater would get me through any situation.

This is the year that I thank all the angels, those who walk on the earth, and those guardian angels that invisibly supported me. For you see, the times we think we are alone, there are many who are praying for us, sending up a good thought, a positive vibration, or just a smile.

As we get ready to ring in the New Year, I encourage you to define your own reality. Stay strong in the New Year and be confident that you are a positive being of light and you are not alone.

I wish all of you peace and love!

The Letter

In these challenging times, we need all the encouragement possible to be loving, encouraging, and forgiving to ourselves. This was posted on the Ripples Project and I thought I would share it here. Peace!

I promise you that I will help you whenever you are troubled.

I will do everything in my power to make things better for you.

I promise you that I will be there for you whenever you need me.

I will help care for you and keep you healthy.

I promise you that I will get up every day with a positive outlook, with my chin up and I'll never deprive you of hope.

I promise that I will love and respect you and never take you for granted.

I will remind you each day that you are a child of God, that there is a purpose for your life and will spend my life helping you discover that purpose.

I promise that I will listen to you when you need someone to talk to, I will not pass judgment or condemn you for mistakes you make.

I promise that I will always forgive you and I will not let past problems overshadow our relationship.

I promise that I will be a true friend to you and love you always, no matter what.

Love,

Yourself YYY

-written and submitted by Mary E. Bentley

¿Are You Somebody?

Recently, I taught a class and afterwards a student asked me, if I had resource name to back up a statement I made. I said, “Yes, that resource is me.” He then asked me if I could quote somebody who was famous, a celebrity, or well known. I reiterated, “yes, me.”

He was so shocked that I confidently stood beside my name and my statement. I said yes, I am somebody. You can choose to heed my words or not, the choice is yours. I am my credible source because the story is mine.

He was so startled that I said that I was somebody; he did not have a comeback. I thought to myself that so often we look for validation on who we are from other people.

Boldly and confidently, declare to the world

you know who you are.

You are somebody!

"I am larger, better than I thought. I did not know I held so much goodness."-Walt Whitman

¿Dream Job?

Recently clearing out an old file, I ran across a description on what I was looking for in an ideal job from my youth. Idealistic, Naïve, or Impractical…? You be the judge.

I dream a world of togetherness, a job that is not work. It is cliché to say that making a difference is what I want to do with my life. The job I want should not just be a job, or a career, but a vocation.

I know that I am destined to be a revolutionary leader. A revolutionary leader holds the vision of an organization in their head, making it possible for others to share the same dream. Respect, encouragement, and motivation are my biggest leadership assets. I enjoy supervising others with the point of view that you cannot micromanage someone and help them to grow. We all make mistakes. The best teachable moment occurs when you give someone the opportunity to spread their wings while providing safety nets.

I want to work in a collective organization where being a part is part of the whole. This is an environment where colleagues come together to inspire each other daily. I know that when work stops being stimulating or fun, we should stop the madness and no longer go into a toxic place. The workspace should have an atmosphere that encourages laughter and tears, for both offers worlds of support. Some days working is hard but sharing the fun and the pain gives you the courage to continue for another day.

I am an extraordinary leader who looks behind and people are not only following me but they are developing into leaders themselves. My dream job is out here. I know this to be true because we are building a new society of visionary leaders who get inspired just the way I do.

I must say that reading this made me smile for my idealism, and for the jobs, I loved along my vocational journey and saddened me for opportunities missed. It occurred to me that in today’s challenging world, most people are scared to articulate what their dream job is. Should we be running so scared from our dreams and ideals that we drift aimlessly into thoughts of I will do it someday, maybe tomorrow, or worse yet, the chance opportunity is gone. The question then becomes, if not now when?

¿What is your dream job?

A Humble Walk

Yesterday I was walking through Boston during a rainstorm. This in itself was a difficult feat for me because I have rheumatoid arthritis. I was achy and hobbling downtown with my bag and a cup of coffee. I was not in the greatest of moods.

That changed after an experience humbled me and gave me a new perspective on life. As I was hobbling along, I passed a homeless man sitting on the wet curbside. I glanced his way but truth be told did not want to make real eye contact. I was not in a position to give him money at the moment and frankly I was also feeling a little sorry for myself as I walked with difficulty through the rain.

Then it happened. This gentle man turned to me and said “sister friend, you take care of that leg of yours okay". Wow, that powerful statement from a man that most of us deem invisible moved me to tears. In that moment, I recognized the spirit of God and the light that shines in those who society has forgotten.

“There is so much good in the worst of us and so much bad in the best of us, that it doesn’t behoove any of us to speak about the rest of us."

¿Why Are you Special? Me Is Not an Answer

I was chatting with a colleague and she was intrigued by my question that I had posed to her as to why she was special. She was so perturbed by it that she went on to post that very question online as to what about friends in her online community made them special.

In a later conversation, she said “Sandra most of them replied because I am me. Do you get that a lot, she asked.” I laughed because that is a standard response when we are uncomfortable with our own introspection. It is often difficult for most of us to look inward and articulate an answer.

Many of us have been taught that if we talk about ourselves in too positive a light, we are being braggadocios. We are advised to be modest and to be humble. The worst part is we are told not to say anything but to let people discover what is special about us on their own.

Honestly if you cannot proudly cry out to the world why you are special, no one else will be able to either. An ineffectual answer is because I am me. A dazzlingly response is I am special because and shout from the rooftops how special you really are.

Stay tuned as I collect answers and look for it in my upcoming book, "Why Are You Special". So, I have asked it before and I ask it again…

¿Why Are You Special?

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.

Breathing in an Upside Down World

This week if you listen to the news, you may instantly hyperventilate. The media is predicating the most awful atrocities to our financial situations. I realized that I had to turn the news off as I was working because I felt that I was mentally being abused by the media. YET everything we have learned about the Law of Attraction tells us we should remain positive. This question comes up a lot but how…..

Focus on the positive... Challenge the negative... Smile don’t cry… Yada, yada, yada … Sometimes it can feel like we are all used cars salesman (not that there is anything wrong with that). While the media is focused on the lack –focus on what you do have. Breathing is essential in times like these so…. Breathe.

If the world right now seems upside down, stand on your head if you have to and look right side up. No... I don’t have the answers about the situations that most Americans face. However, I do know this ….with energy shifting to the negative it is a must that you stay strong mentally and this too shall pass.

Who will tell whether one happy moment of love or the joy of breathing or walking on a bright morning and smelling the fresh air, is not worth all the suffering and effort which life implies. ~Erich Fromm

Focus the Energy

This week I went to a free workshop offered by James Arthur Ray who is a featured speaker in the movie the Secret. He was entertaining, and it is always great to leave a seminar with a new nugget or two. He talked about energy goes where attention flows.

That concept speaks to me on a deeper level. The whole idea behind the power of positive thinking is really what we choose to emphasis on in our daily lives. One of my friends this week was in a negative space and called me to chat. When she asked what I thought and I told her, she told me that I was too Pollyanna for her tastes.

It struck me that that her perception of Pollyanna was a bad thing and go figure I see it as positive. You see there is always something that will come up in our lives which could derail us from our plans and make us miserable if we choose. However, if we decide to focus the energy into the positive, more often than not, we will find the good in the situation.

The Sun rises every day of this you can be sure. Even if it cloudy and thundershowers are on the horizon, one thing I know to be true is that the sun will rise every day. Here comes the Sun, focus the energy and have a great day!

PollySandra

Entry Level

I was at a Law of Attraction meeting the other day, and found myself telling everyone about an experience I had after college when interviewing for jobs. I would go on interviews and when I was told by the employer that it was an entry level position. I said great, that it what I wanted.

You see, I thought, entry level meant that you start at the top. I mean, why would anyone want to enter at the bottom of the ladder to success? From my point of view, entry level was full speed ahead to the top. To my chagrin, when it was explained to me, that it meant something completely different, I was shocked.

I think I had it right all those years ago. In your mind, enter at the top. Plan on being the best at what you do. Sure you might have to start on a lower level to success but nonetheless, keep your mind focused upward. So you see Entry Level is tops. Well I have to say my Law of Attraction group laughed with me and said that would be you, to think so positively that right out of college, you would be at the top. Well you know what, it wasn’t the top, but I did land pretty darn close.

So keep your feet forward, eyes upward, and your
goals centered….. to enter on top!

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!

Suppose It’s All Positive…

I was in a training class the other day, and one of the participants had a deficit mentality. He saw the negative in every hypothetical situation, that may never occur. I tried to make light of the situation by saying, “hey suppose everything turns out okay, you are excellent at what you do and it will all work out for the positive.”

To my chagrin, he stuck himself in the negativity corner and refused to come out and play in the sunshine. His answer to me was that, “nope I know these things happen and I prepare for the worse.” Oops.

So my challenge to you today is to suppose the good in life. Yeah, many of us have the opportunity of looking at the glass half empty or half full.

So choose a full life – with all the possibilities
that lie ahead.

Who will you be in five years?

You know for most of us that question seems incredibly far-fetched. As adults we are caught up in the trappings of time, money, family commitments, and thus are dreams are often on hold. If I said to you, what would you do if could be or do anything in five years.

Would you be able to answer that? Suppose I asked that same question and added, if money was not an obstacle and you could be or do anything in 5 years. Would your answer change?

For most of us the answer is resounding yes. Our dreams are only limited by the box that we keep them in …our minds. Open up your box and let your dreams soar into the imagination of the infinity.

Dare To Be The Person You Want To Be.

Set your goals as high and as unlimited as the stars.

Dream…………………..

New Year's Resolutions

Did you make a New Year's Resolution? We are two weeks into the New Year and statistics show that most of us have already given up the ghost. Our resolve is weakening as to the lofty goals and dreams we had on New Years Eve.

The reason that New Year’s Resolutions often fail is that we don’t visualize the goal that we have in mind. Do you want to lose weight? Rather than feeling tortured about that new gym membership you have, did you visualize what your ideal weight is? Do you want a new career or new job? Have you visualized your new office, what your coworkers look like or even more important who is your boss and who do you supervise?

You see the power of creative visualization is a blueprint to our innermost goals. When you are able to clearly see the end result and experience the feeling in your mind of what that outcome is you will inspire action and you have a greater chance of achieving your dreams.

Thoughts ► Feelings ► Visualization ► Actions ►Dreams ►Goals

"The vision that you glorify in your mind, the ideal that you enthrone in your heart - this you will build your life by, and this you will become." - -- James Lane Allen, As A Man Thinketh