Dare to... Count Your Blessings

"The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings." ~ Eric Hoffer

To completely count all of your blessings that life affords you each and every day would be hard. There's just no way to do that.  But sometimes we are so busy that we forget to pay attention to the blessings that are present in our lives.  And there is no excuse for that. At least a few times a week, you need to remind yourself of your blessings, or you will forget they are there.  Most people have a daily 'to do' list filled with things they need to do for the day; problems that needed to be solved. So many problems that they never get around to counting their blessings. 

How about this. Your car won't start  You spill your coffee on your new skirt. You wanted to throw in the towel, drive home and crawl back in bed. You may be fed up to here. You may say that you have had enough. Every single thing that could go wrong seemingly did.  And that fed-uppedness spilled over into your whole day.  It all starts with one bad event and then it seems  to start a chain reaction...or so you think. 

You can turn things around. Realize that when you let that first unfortunate event push you over the edge your life has a tendency to spiral out of control.  Instead of just laughing about it and chalking it up to just another day in paradise, your day takes a turn for the worst and no amount of resuscitation can salvage it.  Its all about awareness, pausing and being attentive to all the ways you have been blessed. Use the three easy ways below to count your blessings.

The Inner Path: No Need For Disappointments

We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

You're disappointed, again.  You failed your exam, your favorite sports team lost, you dropped your iPad, your heel broke.  Let's face it, your expectations were unfulfilled and the feeling of dissatisfaction that follows begins to manifest. You're angry, sad, hurt and fearful. You don't take disappointments well.  You just don't know how to deal with it and want to give in.  But don't let disappointments take a toll on you.  As the great poet and lecturer Dr. Maya Angelou says,  “If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain.” So just how do you overcome disappointments? Know that disappointment is temporal and hope is eternal.

• Disappointment is temporal.  It is what it is. It happened.  But know that every disappointment, however real it may be to you, is temporary and can always be overcome in time, along with the hurt, the fear, and the pain that accompanies it. Only your thought about it is permanent. So change your mind about what has disappointed you and you will change your life.  
• Hope is eternal.  There is always hope. Hope erases doubts, clears your vision and makes you far sighted. Hope promotes the belief in a good outcome of events in your life and that things will turn out for the best.  Hope always returns, continually.
  Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning is from a quote offering hope.
  

No disappointment is permanent and hope can sometimes persuade you to haste across the finish line even when you are tempted to give up. When there is hope there is life, for hope is the oxygen that fuels the spirit.  Hope infuses courage and provides you the momentum to keep moving forward.  However, no one or nothing is perfect and remember we would never learn to be brave and patient if there were only joy in the world. So remember this, there's no need for disappointment, even in the midst of it.... it is what it is.

Dare to... Shoot For The Moon

“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars.” ― Les Brown

Dare to...

Dare to.... aim high, go ahead, do it because even if you don't quite get where you're going, you'll be further along than you were before. And "try your hardest" or "give it all you've got." But most importantly, give yourself more credit than you have been giving yourself in the past.

Give yourself the potential and creative thirst for wanting to do more, achieve more and have more, it's your right. What's important is how you perceive yourself, because the possibilities of life are open for you to grow and stretch yourself in every facet in your life. So, dare to....:

shoot for the moon

• Change your thoughts. Change your thoughts and change your life. Success is a habit you embrace on a daily basis, not just every now and then.  And the earlier you get into that mindset the sooner you will be able to embrace the possibilities awaiting you. The mind is everything and remember we become what we think.

• Get off the shore. Stop waiting for someone to give you a chance, you've got to take a chance.  Do something different.  Try something new. In order to do something you’ve never done, you’ve got to become someone you’ve never been. Stretch the potential within you by giving yourself permission to aim higher and be a greater you.

Personal Development: Influence You

 “Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing.” ~ Albert Schweitzer


Instead of looking outside of yourself for influence, strive to be an influential individual. When you are influential, you have more control over your life, your finances and how you are treated, and what you say holds more weight with those who listen to you. We never know which lives we influence, or when, or why.  So, what do you need to be influential? Check out some of the traits of truly influential people and work on getting the following characteristics of influential people for yourself.

1. Walking in self confidence is a virtue for an influencer.  They know what they want and do not hesitate when it's decision time. There is no doubt in them about their capabilities because they know that they can handle anything life throws at them.  
2. Be self motivated.  Influencers don't rely on others to motivate their actions as they have the ability to provide all the motivation they need to accomplish any task. 
3. As  poet C. S. Lewis puts it, “Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.” Influencers word is their bond. When they say they'll do something, they always follow through with it, including setting priorities and good time management. 

Dare to... Believe In Your Dreams

Dare to...

"Risk, care, dream and expect." ~ Derek Davis

You've had a dream... a vision about your future, you like it, but have a hard time believing that you can really make your dream a reality?  The real deal is that you have to create that state of certainty where you believe in your dreams. You have to really know and feel that it's coming your way. So what do you do? Read on:

Dare to...

Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. Habakkuk 2:2

“Always think on paper.” ~ Keith Cunningham

• Write down your dreams and visions. If you expect to achieve what you believe, then you must write it down. I mean using pencil and paper, erasing all doubt, by drafting and refining it until you get it to where you want it.

Dare to... Question Authority

It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority.” ~ Benjamin Franklin
 

You may not think about this very much, but every now and then authorities must be questioned.  Why, because anyone can discover a problem that needs to be corrected or have an insight that must travel up the chain in order to be acted upon.  Just because they're considered professional or in a position of power, doesn't mean they're right.  Questioning authority isn't about rebelling, being a renegade or a badass either.  It's about being responsible and asserting yourself as an independent human being. To ask why someone demands something of you is a quality that not enough people have. 

We live in a world where there are many social conventions and, so, if we aren't questioning authority then we just blindly follow without any critical analysis.  Having questioned it... you may then feel it's perfectly legitimate and decide to abide.  Authority could mean your parents, your workplace, school, businesses and even the  government.  Authority works well for those who are in charge with their fixed rules and social conventions, but are often miserable for the rest of us. 

The Inner Path: No To The Ego

“The moment you become aware of the ego in you, it is strictly speaking no longer the ego, but just an old, conditioned mind-pattern. Ego implies unawareness. Awareness and ego cannot coexist.” ― Eckhart Tolle

Life and Stuff

The ego is a powerful thing. So many people have been snared by this conceptual element and don't even know it. The ego disguises itself as... you.  A conception your identity in a physical form.  Elements of the outside world and of personal experiences are mostly repressed by the ego... that's a problem.  The ego comes out as your character for all to see, not always seen as an overinflated sense of self.  It can turn up in feelings of inferiority or self-hatred also, because ego is any image you have of yourself that gives you a sense of identity.   That identity derives from the things you tell yourself and the things other people have been saying about you that you've decided to accept as truth. Yes, and that's why it's important for you to let go of the ego and be you. The ego is a protective and guarded shell for you, not protecting you, but separating you.  It's a barrier, cutting you off from other people and the outside world.  Separating you... from you.  

Meatless Monday: Fennel and Blood Orange Salad

Meatless Monday Recipes!

Fennel and Blood Orange Salad Recipe

 This bright, fresh salad has an interesting combination of texture and flavors. Only a few simple ingredients are needed to make this dish, which is perfect at the end of winter and beginning of spring.

 

Spring Pea and Asparagus Risotto 

What says “spring” more than fresh peas and asparagus? This springtime risotto highlights the sweet and fresh flavor of sweet peas and fresh asparagus – mint and lemon zest add the perfect flavors to round out the dish.

Life and Stuff: My Very Pinteresting Views

Here are some very Pinteresting views from my Life and Stuff Pinterest boards. I love this social bookmarking tool.  I think of it like an interactive, shareable scrapbook. I follow other users, share their content, make comments, and sometimes tag users.  I love sharing my pins on Facebook and Twitter too. Take a look at some of the pins from my boards.

 

MsLifeandStuff

on

Pinterest

 

It's spring, the weather is warming up so there's no need for those big meals.  I pinned this Pesto Shrimp with Mixed Greens to my Tasty Goodness! board from the William-Sanoma recipe site. Love it!

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I pinned these beautiful Healing Stones Bracelets of the Om symbol, Tree of Life, and Silver plated Buddha Head charms, to my The Inner Path board. Bringing in a little peace, awareness, healing and consciousness.

 

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Dare to... Ask For What You Want

“Ask for what you want and be prepared to get it!” ~ Maya Angelou

Dare to... Life and Stuff

As we all know, infants usually do get what they want if they yell loudly enough. However, as adults we know throwing tantrums are unlikely to get our want’s satisfied.  So, what do you do? Asking for what you want is hard.  However, knowing what you want is much easier, but you've got to know how bad you want something and how much work you're willing to put forth to get it.

The problem is you want it and you want it now, but don't forget, nothing great comes without effort. But if it has  great meaning for you, then it's worth every risk, every step and every drop of effort necessary to get it.

It's not always easy asking for what you want. Women, especially are sometimes uncomfortable asking for what they want. Perhaps not feeling entitled, maybe the fear of being denied or just thinking that successful people never ask for help. But, that kind of thinking puts too much power and faith in the hands of others. However, the quicker you master your misconceived notions you have about your ability, the faster you will grow.  If you’re ready to make a change take the following steps today:

1. Make a list of your current wants by taking inventory of your business ideas and what it takes to get those needs met. Your time is a treasure to be invested and by making a list you follow the lead of successful people first identifying what's really needed, and then avoiding, what matters the least. 
2. Be worthy of the wants you seek.  Don't let fear keep you from asking for what you  need. Your identified needs and wants warrant resolution, so take stock in yourself and apply self-compassion... it prepares you in asking.
3. Apply your faith and just ask. If done appropriately, people will have more respect for you.  So, you've made your list, now just do it... ask. 
4.  Build your confidence by purposefully asking, on a regular basis, for what you want. Once you start asking it'll start to get easier and you'll start to build your confidence. 

The most effortless and fastest way to get what you want out of life is to ask for it, as mundane as it sounds... it works, like a charm, well most of the time anyway. But, in the real world, like most things in life, there's a process to getting it. No one can read your mind. It's up to you to tell others what you're thinking and what you want, so get out there and ask for what you want and be prepared to get it.

Personal Development: The Growing is in the Journey

 The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.  Lao Tzu

Sure, your goal is the desired result which you envisions, plans and commits to achieve an end-point in some sort of assumed development and deadline.  Now, that anticipated result is what guides your actions and gives value to your goal.  And, goals, even small ones are beneficial to follow, for they lay out a strategic path of short goals to achieve, rather than simply striving only for the thing you desire the most.  In order to reach your goal, you must embark on a journey and there lies the determining factor as to whether or not you reach your goal ... the journey, because each step counts.

~ It's because of the Destination  ...

To reach your goal, keep your mind on the destination, but focus on you path or journey you encounter along the way.  The journey is important because it's where you grow. You cannot get anywhere without moving. Without journeying through life, you stagnate and die. It's where you're tested. Planning your goals and writing them down is the safe part of setting your goal.