I have been learning a lot in my grief support group. One of the things that hit me is the concept of guilt. We have all claimed to have felt guilty at some point in our lives. I have an overwhelming sense of guilt being my dad’s primary caregiver and having to give him the medications the last few days of his life that kept him comfortable, but also kept him asleep. While my rational brain tells me I did what was needed and what he wanted at the end, the irrational part asks myself, “What if I kept him from everyone?” Now I know that’s not the case, but it is something that has played with my mind.
So that is one example. Another might be you got the job promotion but your friend was passed over, or you are economically finding yourself in a better position than your friend or family member. Or, you got pregnant and your friend who has been trying for a long time, has not. You see where I am going?
Well the actual definition of guilt is the intent to do harm. Most things we feel guilty about do not fit this definition. So if we didn’t intend to do harm, what is this feeling? I am learning it’s fear. Fear of what other might think, fear that I am not worthy, etc..
So knowing this is really a fear based emotion and not true guilt, I have something I can work with. I can overcome my fear. And as long as I know I am truly doing the best I can and not intending to cause harm, I will be ok. It takes work, but I have to keep reminding myself I am worth it.
How do we navigate this? That hole that feels so big and ready to swallow me up in a moment. It’s overwhelming on any given day if I allow it. 7 months ago he left us. As I try to piece together the few short weeks of his illness and how we got here, I find myself overwhelmed with this thing called grief. I have irrational fears that someone else I love will leave, and that I will forget him one day. Is that why I hold onto this feeling? So I don’t forget?
People say it will take time. Time heals all wounds, time will restore us. But I don’t believe that. I don’t believe this wound will ever be truly healed. I do believe I will learn to live in this world without the constant presence of tears ready to fall. I will laugh without feeling awkward about it. I will find some peace and serenity with all this. But will I actually fully heal? No. This changed me. I left one person and came home another. Now I have to learn to reconcile the two. Happiness does return.
I still see his face in my mind’s eye. I still hear his last words to me before he fell into that deep sleep. I still feel his presence when I am quiet. Are these the gifts he is giving me to calm my fears? A promise that I will never forget him? I promised him I would tell our story one day. I would tell the story of our last weeks together. One day I will.
I have gone through pain in my life, some of it intense and straggling. This is the worst pain so far. I miss my dad. I miss his voice, I miss his looks. I miss his hugs. I miss our talks. I am happy he is no longer suffering. My sadness is all for me. But I will learn to live with it in time. God is on my side, and so is my dad. I grieve because I had the gift of love.
If you haven’t tried Ningxia yet, you really should! This drink is not only super delicious, but also super good for you, and we have the science to back it up. We recently discovered through new data just how powerful this beverage truly is. Learn what makes this nutrient-rich drink one of Young Living’s most popular products in our new video starring our resident expert, Dr. Mark Bartlett, our executive vice president of science and product development.
I drink an ounce a day and it has helped my body in so many ways. Digestion is better, energy levels are up, brain fog isn’t present, etc. It is filled with antioxidants, which we all need to combat free radicals from our everyday existence.
It has been clinically proven to:
Significantly increase physical energy levels by 34.5% and reduce physical limitations by 36%.
Improve sleep patterns and increase time asleep by an average of 21 minutes following 60 days of continued use.
Significantly reduce daily stress by 23% and improve mental well-being.
supports normal eye health. ( this has been huge for me as I have glaucoma)
supports healthy digestion. ( our health starts in our gut)
supports healthy inflammation response
promotes and supports healthy respiratory function
It’s FULL of :
antioxidants
fiber
amino acids
vitamins/minerals.
If we don’t have our health, then we don’t have much. Do something for you today, you are so worth it!!
Go to my Contact Us page and when you leave your email requesting more information, I will send you a FREE ebook with all the Ningxia information!
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Here are a few reason why I give Sulferzyme to my dogs!
Science lesson time!
Deficiencies in biological sulfur can result in the less than optimal functioning of our cells, tissue and organs in our bodies. Inorganic sulfur is poorly assimilated. Organic, biologically active sulfur is therefore extremely important for the health of every living organism. MSM is the natural source of biological sulfur to which we are adapted. MSM has been reported to have the following benefits for both us and our dogs.
Chronic Pain
MSM is a natural analgesic and blocks the transfer of pain impulses through the nerve fibers. MSM also blocks the inflammation process by enhancing the activity of cortisol, a natural anti-inflammatory hormone produced by the body.
If your canine pals suffer from inflammation in their joints, MSM can help.
Antioxidant
MSM is a strong antioxidant, capable of binding and inactivating harmful free radicals. See my post on my wall describing this process and why we need antioxidants!
Couple MSM with the Wolfberry in Sulferzyme and you are giving your pup a huge benefit! An antioxidant jolt that is so good for her! And yourself.
Neurological Diseases
The brain is extremely sensitive to the effects of toxic materials such as heavy metals and organic compounds. Many of these compounds tend to accumulate in nerve cells where they can cause severe oxidative damage.
Neurological disturbances may be the result. MSM is one of the few antioxidants which can easily pass the blood-brain barrier. It may help prevent and repair oxidative damage and restore cell membrane elasticity and permeability. This allows the nerve cells to start excreting waste products. And means a healthier brain for Spot!
Allergies
Does your furry friend lick his paws obsessively? He may have allergies.
MSM has been shown in studies to alleviate the symptoms of a large number of allergies, including food allergies, contact allergies, inhalation allergies, and others. The major anti-allergic characteristic of MSM is caused by its ability to bind to the cells in mucous and present a natural blocking interface between hosts and allergens.
Besides, MSM may alleviate allergies through detoxification and elimination of free radicals, and improvement of cell permeability. Reduction in paw licking!
Parasites
One of the most amazing discoveries on MSM is its possible antiparasitic action against Giardia, Trichomonas, roundworms, nematodes, Enterobius and other intestinal worms. Animal studies include laboratory mice determined to have pin worms by fecal cast examination. They were given commercial food and drinking water, both containing 2% MSM by weight. After 17 days, fecal examination indicated the feces were free of worms and eggs.
We all know how easily our pets can have these conditions, let’s try to prevent it naturally.
Are There Natural Sources Of MSM?
MSM and its precursors return to the earth in rainwater, which contains a lot of MSM. Fruits and vegetables will absorb this rainwater and MSM can be found in most plants, with a content ranging from 1 to 4 mg/kg.
When animals eat these plants, they also assimilate MSM.
Cooking and heating will destroy most MSM in plants and meats. MSM is also lost when vegetables and fruit are frozen for a lengthy period of time, or when they are irradiated. Due to the realities of the modern food industry, in which a great portion of everything we feed our dogs is either heated, irradiated, or frozen for a period of time to preserve it, it’s no wonder that dogs and humans both suffer from a chronic shortage of MSM.
Is Your Dog Getting Enough MSM?
The therapeutic dosage for dogs is about 50 to 100 mg MSM per 10 pounds of body weight. Even dogs fed a raw, whole food diet might not be getting enough of this supplement, thanks to the industrialization of farming.
Toxicity is not usually an issue with MSM; in fact, it’s similar in toxicity to water. The lethal dose for humans is more than three pounds.
You would have to feed your dog a whole heck of a lot of MSM for toxicity to take place.
If your dog suffers from a chronic inflammatory condition or joint pain (our bulldog has joint issues and our older girl is showing signs of arthritis) you might wish to feed him MSM. Because it’s a synthesized product, extensive distillation is crucial to remove impurities such as heavy metals. Fortunately, you are getting the best with Sulferzyme along with the added Wolfberry powder to help keep your pup’s system in good working order. High quality makes a huge difference!
For our big dogs (50-70lbs), I give them each a teaspoon full of Sulferzyme powder twice a day with their food. They love the flavor and it helps keep them in optimum health along with a healthy diet, exercise and love!!
So the benefits of Sulferzyme powder as opposed to the capsules? No difference except for 2 things. The powder contains the MSM, Wolfberry, probiotics (gut health people!) and stevia to make it taste better if just mixing with water. The capsules have just MSM and wolfberry. I actually use both, but for our dogs I use the powder as it’s easier to mix in their food and with a bulldog, probiotics are a must!
So if you haven’t considered MSM and your dog’s health, I hope this helps educate you a little more in your choices!!
**I am not a vet or a doctor. Please evaluate for yourself what is right for you and your pet and ask a professional if you need more medical guidance.
As we welcome this New Year, I have been giving my business a lot of thought and attention. I am still the same rank I was 7 years ago. And sometimes that rank is sketchy. It’s not the business model that is at fault either. Forbes magazine has done articles on Direct Marketing and how positive it’s business model is. Many people are successful in this business, I actually know many of them. It’s not climbing on the backs of others as many would Iike to believe, nor is it a pyramid scheme. You have to work at it just like any other business. So what is it for me? I am pretty sure I figured out my WHY – I love being of service to others. I honestly do. It motivates me. So I am not stuck there. This business allows me to do that.
So the next question I am asking myself is, why am I stuck in the gap? We do it with so many things in our life too, not just business. Only looking at the desired outcome and not the progress.
Some examples of questions we ask ourselves when stuck in the gap:
• Why have I not lost all 20 lbs I was hoping to? (Not paying attention to the 10 lbs I did lose) • Why am I not living the life I dreamed yet? (Forgetting to look at all the joy actually around me that I have found so far on the journey) • Why do I keep falling back on old behaviors I know longer want to exhibit? (Not looking at the progress made and how much quicker I recognize that behavior now). • Why am I not further along in my business? (Not looking at the wins already achieved)
It’s super easy to get stuck in mindsets. So what is my point? I asked myself why am I not progressing? If I take an honest look, my business has been part of my healing these last 7 years. I have progressed a ton and am truly grateful for the love and friendships resulting! Progress not Perfection is a huge motto for all other areas of my life. But my business shares are the specific issue, I was starting to get stuck in the gap of what progress looks like there. And I realized a fear recently that has kept me stuck in a sharing mindset for my business (my life fears would take a book to acknowledge, so am focusing on one at a time. LOL). I have been sharing to the wrong people.
Yes, you read that correctly. I have been sharing to the wrong people. I have been sharing to the friends and family I fear will not take me seriously. I have been sharing to the audience who just doesn’t care. I have been sharing to people who are not in my niche – I am not young with little kids anymore LOL. I have been sharing inauthentically at times because sometimes I have tried to be someone I am not. Why? Because others are obviously doing well with their photos and words – again, not my niche!
Why have I shared like this? Because deep down, an old fear was still brewing. I want you to like me. If I annoy you with my shares, you won’t like me (my old fear tells me this). I make up everyone’s mind around me before ever giving them a chance. And it’s all because of fear.
This is an awesome revelation for me. I have spent many years working hard to overcome things and my personal and spiritual growth amazes me every single day. So to uncover a fear I thought I had given up is truly AWESOME! Because now I know what I need to do.
I need to stop making up everyone’s mind for them. I need to stay consistent so I am not all over the place. I need to not worry how you all think of me because it’s none of my business anyway – plus I know I am alright LOL. And I need to let the same passion that pushes me personally and spiritually push me in this business.
My brother sells cars, and he does it well! He doesn’t worry if the buyer likes him or not. He wants them to be happy with their purchase and he speaks to their needs. Some buy, some don’t. He doesn’t become someone else every time a new customer walks in to look at BMW’s. He meets them where they are at and stays true to who he is. And no one mocks him or rolls their eyes because he sells cars (cars have been his passion since he was a little kid)! LOL. So why am I allowing an old fear to tell me that will happen to me because I sell oils? I am actually pretty passionate about them and the company! This company allows me to practice principles of living I will no longer ever compromise in my life. Practicing these principles in ALL my affairs is deep seeded in me.
So my conclusion is this, it’s ok if people don’t like me. I don’t need to be everything to everyone. As long as I am true to myself, I am good! I believe this in every other area of my life, so it’s about time I believe it in my business life too! So my prayer around this is to have this revelation influence my business shares. Always looking for the opportunity to be of service.
So what is holding you back? I promise I won’t judge. ❤️❤️❤️
Thank you for coming to my TEDtalk. Lol. Happy New Year friends!
If you are within a certain age group, and happen to be on TikTok, you have most likely heard of this phenomenon going through the internet the last couple of weeks. That phenomenon is a 21 year old boy/man named William White. His charming lip singing of oldies, the smile and charisma, and yes, that eye roll when he seems to be crooning “Mandy” straight to each of us, has got over a million women in a tizzy! But it’s not as creepy as it sounds.
The joke is that TikTok is now CougarTok, implying that all us women have one thought in mind when we see William White on our FYP pages. While there may be that element, I am not judging, the reality is that’s not true for the majority of us. Most of these women know they are old enough to be his mother. He even calls them his Mama Bears. And while he is charming and very attractive, it’s not a sexualized hype that is heating up. This young man has taken all us Gen X women on a trip back in time. A trip to a place where things seemed simpler, even if they weren’t. A time where a cute boy on the cover of a magazine could make us smile and dream of what possibly could be. A time when we could daydream about someone as cute as this singing straight into our hearts and taking away the pain many of us were actually living with.
Gen X is the generation born between the years 1965 and 1980, roughly. We were born during war, sexual revolution and the birth of feminism. Society had learned that rock and roll was here to stay and the counter culture was in full swing. Times were turbulent, exciting, scary and uncertain. We were the generation born from fire.
Most of our parents came from the ideology that if you can’t see it, it didn’t happen. So while the world was opening up in many ways socially, it also was keeping its darkness and secrets locked up tight. For most of us young girls, this was a time of trauma. Don’t ask, don’t tell. That’s what we learned.
As teenagers, music was changing fast. We saw the birth of disco, punk and Teen Beat magazine. I remember the first video on MTV and the Brat Pack were everywhere. So were many of our traumas. Many of us were taken advantage of, abused and were latch key kids, abandoned while parents worked or partied. Gen X is a feral generation. We did the best we could with raising each other. For many of us, singers such as Rick Springfield and Shaun Cassidy, movie stars like Rob Lowe and the rest of the Brat Pack boys became our fantasy boyfriends. With them, we could daydream of better days. We could dream of romances that were more wholesome and where we were truly loved. We knew these were fantasies, but for those brief moments we could escape whatever pain we were living with. For those brief moments we could listen to them sing and pretend we were ok. Those were cherished moments in this Gen X’s life.
Fast forward 40+ years and many of us are mothers and even grandmothers. Most have had at least 2 marriages and we are doing the best we can to make sure our sons and daughters don’t have to face what we did. Many of us still hold on to secrets and fears. We have thrown ourselves into marriage, children, careers and life looking for that feeling of contentment. Don’t get me wrong, most of us love our families. I wouldn’t change anything about my life, even with all the trauma and confusion. But for many, the longing for simple love has been replaced with keeping busy.
Enter William White aka @whiteyy18. He isn’t new to TikTok. But Memorial Day weekend changed everything. We became Mandy with one eye roll and a wink. All of a sudden we were transported back in time. We started feeling emotions many had forgotten about. We became mesmerized. And his follow count skyrocketed as duet after duet ran through the app.
He doesn’t lip sing particularly well, sometimes he obviously doesn’t know the lyrics, but he has charm and this makes him even more appealing. He is signed with Mode Models in Canada, where he is from. He isn’t arrogant however. He includes his Mama Bears in his new found fame and he continues to give his followers a place where we can go back to the feelings of possibilities. It’s innocent and flirty and a wave that he has pulled us into. Many say they feel seen, they feel appreciated and feel like they did when we were kids and happy in our daydreams. And this young man knows exactly what he is doing and how it’s affecting others.
William’s lives are consistently filled with gratitude. His genuine excitement to make us happy is adorable, and he is always talking about this wave as everyone’s and not just his alone. He also loves his family and gives them credit and respect. He is a breath of fresh air in a world that has over-sexualized almost everything. He has brought over a million women together from every background and political map and created a community. And it all happened with a wink and a smile – and that eye roll – on an app that became a safe haven during Covid for so many Gen Xers. And friends, when women band together we are a force to be reckoned with.
But I cannot press publish on this article without acknowledging the fact that Mr. White’s charm doesn’t just end with Gen X women. It has crossed over to the men as well who see him and appreciate him. It has crossed over into the LGBTQ community with video after video of how he has hypnotized them as well. He doesn’t discriminate. He is helping all of us smile a little brighter.
So William White, this is a huge thank you. Thank you for seeing us. Thank you for caring. Thank you for helping us remember what hope can feel like. Thank you for reminding us we are more than we might have come to believe. And thank you for singing straight to our hearts.
It’s that time of year! Winter time brings out the cozy aspects of the season and one of those is creating yummy treats! At least in this house it is. So yesterday I did just that!
We love hot cocoa with melting marshmallows on top, however I am not a fan of all the ingredients in store bought mallows. So we create our own! This is a super easy recipe that is pretty much fool proof. They come out delicious every time. And you can add other Vitality flavors! We love peppermint, so Peppermint Vitality it is!
Mix together the cornstarch and powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Line a 9×5 or larger baking dish with parchment paper and then dust with a layer of the cornstarch/powdered sugar mixture, set aside.
In a small bowl, add the 1/2 cup of cold water and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Allow the gelatin to soften for about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, add the other 1/2 cup of water and the granulated sugar to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir and cook until sugar is dissolved.
Add the gelatin and stir until fully mixed into the sugar water. Bring just to a boil and then remove from heat.
Pour into the bowl of a stand mixer and allow to cool for a few minutes.
Add the vanilla and Peppermint Vitality, then beat on medium -medium high in the mixer for 10-15 minutes, until mixture is white and glossy and has doubled in volume. (You may need to slowly raise the speed to avoid splashing at first.)
Pour into prepared pan (the smaller your pan is, the thicker the marshmallows will be). Use a spatula to smooth the top. Dust with a thin layer of the cornstarch/sugar mixture. Allow to set for several hours, until the marshmallows are not sticky to the touch.
Remove from dish and use a slightly greased knife or pizza cutter to cut into squares. Dust each square in the cornstarch/sugar mixture, then dust off excess powder.
For more information on the essential oils I use, please leave a comment! Also, let me know how your treats turn out!
There are things we tell ourselves. That we are not good enough.That we are not strong enough. We are not pretty enough. We just don’t have what it takes. We all know those voices.They creep in at some point in our lives and change who we are depending on how long they stick around. Sometimes right down to our very DNA until those thoughts and voices are just part of us, like a limb.
For some of us, those can be a lifetime of inner doubts and ridicule. They lead us down dark alleys, both figuratively and literally at times.We make choices based on fear or apathy for our own selves. And that fear can sometimes tell us it’s someone else’s fault, so we start developing resentments and sometimes fall into victim thinking. It is too much for us to be responsible for, too overwhelming. Some of us are silent in this and some of us will tell anyone who will listen. It becomes a security blanket or shield.It’s something we know and so to just push it away can be even scarier than staying in the muck and dis-ease of our thoughts.
“What if we let it go and try to heal and things just get worse? How much more can I take?I think I will just stay here and guard my sadness.I will just pretend to smile and people will like me. I will say yes, all the time so no one gets mad at me. I can keep all these balls in the air. Until one drops. Then look at me, I knew I would fail.How can I hide my shame and guilt and fear? I will retreat. Lick my wounds and pretend it didn’t happen. I will clutch my blanket tighter.Smile, they won’t notice if you keep smiling.”It’s exhausting.
Sometimes, especially for a lot of women, our weaknesses are taken advantage of. These awful moments can plunge us further into the darkness. The voices tell us we deserved it.We just are not good enough. And we learn to cope, sometimes with unhealthy lifestyle choices whether it be alcohol, food, drugs, shopping, etc.Sometimes we just cling onto other wounded souls and try to glean some comfort.Unfortunately, their own dis-ease prohibits them from comforting us for too long.And the cycle continues. Resentment, fear, self doubt.You get the picture.It gets ugly.
This is reality for so many in this world. This was my reality for years and years, most of my life really.My fear was my security and I clung to it like a drowning person clutching a rock. Facing all of it has been incredibly scary. There have been times I was sure I wasn’t able to breath. But breath I did, and the most wonderful things started happening.It’s been incredibly freeing. I don’t have to be that victim. I don’t have to make choices based on my own fear anymore.I can actually be happy and mean it!What?!
A little over 4 years ago I wasn’t sure this was possible for me. I didn’t know that I could step into the light. But then I found my community. Like a scared animal, I slowly crept out of my cave and into the arms of these souls who did not coddle me, but who instead have guided me to seeing a brighter day.
They answer the phone when I call and they listen, and then they help me take action. They don’t tease me or make me feel small.Their love and experience lifts me up when I am feeling weak and make my own light shine even brighter when I am feeling strong. They know who they are. They are men and women who have made different choices.Healthier choices. They guide me and help me guide others.They help me find my faith, find my trust and find God. And they allow me to fall down sometimes, without judgement, hands outstretched to help me back up again. They teach me to be of service. And we laugh, great joyful belly laughs.Have you ever done that?? Just laughed until you cried and then just kept laughing some more?? It is so wonderful!
And I found these friends both in my daily life and in my business life.The two have melted into one and it’s truly a gift. All these souls filling my heart with love and light and the beauty of God.I never knew. ❤️
So now, I can fall down. And yes it sometimes hurts.And yes, there are moments I don’t feel like standing back up.And every so often those voices try to whisper. But I have a better security blanket now. Something much stronger and more real than I could imagine. And I have a community to help me when I struggle. And most importantly, I have God so am never truly alone.
“Fear is only an illusion. It is the illusion that creates the feeling of separateness – the false sense of isolation that exists only in our imagination.”Jeraldine Saunders
So tomorrow we have a cold front moving in. Here in Austin, we are just finishing with our real feel 100+ degree weather and most everyone is excited about the front.Everyone will break out their flannels and jeans and boots, and I will be one of them. The cold front will last 3 or 4 days before the temperature hikes back up to high 70’s/mid 80’s.
We laugh about “sweater weather” here. Our Arctic blast.Most love the colder temps until they drop too far.Too far for here is around 55 degrees. After a few weeks of this, most seem to begin longing for the warmer days.Many winters, we only get a handful of these colder temps.It’s rare to have full on freezes and when it snows everyone loses their shit. It’s exciting and frightening all at once.Mind you, it rarely sticks and is usually only a few flakes mixed with rain and sleet. But still, it is such a break in our common weather cycle that everyone decides they must shut down the city.You East coasters must roll your eyes at us southerners. By mid January, most here are ready for Spring.
I have a confession to make.I hate warm weather. I cringe when I see even mid 70’s in the forecast.I secretly pray every year that the 4 day cold front will miraculously turn into a full on blizzard.I scout the internet for pictures like the one below and daydream about that being my space. I long to sit at a coffee shop with a hot drink watching the cold through the window. And there must be a fireplace somewhere in that scenario.
Dark, cloudy, days make me happy — especially if it happens to be raining or snowing. On a cloudy day there is beauty in the various colours and shapes of the clouds: white, light grey, dark grey, black. The clouds may be moving fast or slow, forever changing. There is a cool, refreshing breeze or a chilling bite in the air. And who doesn’t enjoy the beauty of falling snow or the fresh scent of the cool rain coming down. There is a sense of excitement when watching the weather forecast.Something exciting is happening or about to happen.Especially here in Central Texas.Will an Arctic blast actually create a winter wonderland for us this year? I have only seen it once in the 12 years I have lived here, and it only lasted a couple days. Not long enough in my book!
Before anyone starts jumping to any conclusions, let me clarify. I am not sad or depressed in warm weather.At least not excessively so.I just withdraw more. I am less excited about leaving the air conditioned space within my home, and I keep the window unit next to my bed at the lowest possible temperature.Poor husband bravely freezes every night so I don’t overheat.So am I weird? Possibly, but I don’t think so.
Even though the numbers are low, I am not alone in liking grey skies, cold weather and thunderstorms.Most people believe that seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is only triggered by winters or sunless, rainy days due to the lack of sunlight, but in some rare cases, people feel depressed on sunny days and cloudy, dull skies make them happy. The condition is known as reverse SAD. About 10% of all SAD sufferers experience it in reverse. I think I have a mild case to be honest.
For me, when the cold temperatures hit I actually start feeling more alive. My brain seems to wake up and ideas begin to flow again.New York University’s professor Adam Alter said, “Sunshine dulls the mind to risk and thoughtfulness.” A research study conducted by social psychologists in Australia concluded that good weather could hinder our cognitive functions.On cold cloudy days, our minds are less distracted and drawn inward to think more deeply, hence increasing our focus on the task at hand or the idea in our head.
Spiritually I grow the most in the winter season.My husband, who is the opposite of me in all this I will add, just spent some time in Aspen with some good friends.One of them explained how she NEEDS the harsh winter weather to grow spiritually. It isn’t a choice for her.I completely understand, hence my fantasies of living in Sweden, bundled up by the fire.I honestly pray that one year I will get to live out a winter season in a part of the world that actually has winter.There is always the possibility of me hating it once I am in the thick of it. But something inside me doesn’t believe that. This is probably the number one reason why my husband isn’t likely to agree to it,I imagine he is afraid I will never want to leave.
My season is coming, tomorrow will be just a tease but I will take it.My brain is stretching awake and my soul is opening up to all the possibilities of growth.Will I get my blizzard this year? I suppose anything is possible.What season wakes you up to all your potential?
I recently read this Forbes article. It is an interview with author and business leader, Mark Sanborn. He wrote a book called, “You Don’t Need a Title to Be a Leader.” Which I plan on picking up! Part of this interview really spoke to me and I wanted to share what inspired me with you all.
August is traditionally been a super slow month in network marketing. Every August since I started as a network marketing leader, I have heard how much worse it is than previous years. And I bought into that way of thinking up until a couple years ago. Now, I would go out on a limb and say that’s absolutely false. When we are feeling uninspired, we tend to come from a negative perspective. This HAS to be the worse August ever! It’s the only explanation why my business isn’t growing, why my people are quiet, why I am failing!
But that’s not the truth. The truth is, after a full summer with everyone busy, and back to school stress hitting most families, we become disillusioned with a lot. We back up and back off. And we decide that our business must be going backwards. I have a little secret to tell you though, it’s not your business that is going backwards, it’s your thinking. It can all be turned around!
And all you have to do is change your perspective. Maybe sales are down, then it’s a great time to work on personal growth! Read your books, reach out to friends and those who inspire you with just something simple like “I am thinking about you and hoping you are having a great day!” Offer to fill in a gap in your group if you see it. Start making plans for your holidays. Reach out to someone you might have heard something inspiring from and ask them if they have a moment to chat. Don’t expect others to fix your situation, rather look to them to inspire you. Try something new. 😉. The magic in all this is when we stop looking at the negative and start focusing on positives, things really do turn around!! I know this from personal experience!
“In tough times you need both information and inspiration. Information is essential to understand what’s going on. Some say, “Don’t read the news. It’s only negative.” That is shortsighted advice. If there is news of an upcoming storm you need to know so you can prepare. Ignoring it won’t make the storm go away. We all need to face reality.
We also need to be inspired by focusing on what we can do to respond successfully. Neuroscience has shown that we aren’t just happy because we are successful, but we’re successful because we’re happy. Focusing more on the good than the bad, focusing on what we have rather than what we don’t have – these predispose us to doing better and achieving our goals.
I like to offer people hope, which I define as having something new to try and being willing to try it. There is no hopeless situation if you can find something different to try and you are willing to act on the idea. Keep searching for new solutions and don’t let lack of past success in dealing with a problem trick you into thinking there’s nothing you can do.” – Mark Sanborn
