Tag: purpose

Did you live with Passion?

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I LOVE this Serendipity movie line…Greeks didn’t write obits when someone died. They asked one question—Did they live with Passion?

My daughter is on her first world adventure across the continent & I can honestly say that she is doing her best to live with Passion. She hiked to a waterfall, had a kava ceremony, ate pineapple and watermelon from a local market, visited a Hindu temple, yelled ‘Bula’ to children in the villages she passed through out of her taxi window, took a shower in an outdoor, stone alcove, walked the beach & found her first puffy sand dollars along the shore. It was a day to remember!! She then woke up & the first picture she sent me was her with a headlamp, “heading out in the dark before sunrise to find treasures!!”

What is passion to you? What gets you out of bed? My daughter’s friend stayed in bed and missed the beautiful sunrise…missed opportunity! What gets you up and lights you up?

The definition of Passion: strong and barely controllable emotion

This is an incredible word to describe my daughter—she has this on varying levels of emotion 😉 She had her boyfriend on the phone as she found her first Fijian ‘puffy sand dollar’ and he just laughed listening and watching her on FaceTime get soo excited and barely able to control her enthusiasm and strong emotion. She gets lit up and excited about so many things. That is a great trait to have.

Passion is energy. Feel the power from focusing on what excites you. -Oprah

This goes along with the whole ‘what lights you up’ thought process. Follow those things that stir your soul, that add a little zest to your life, things that make you feel energized, get’s you up and excited to follow the energy that is a strong guiding force.

My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, compassion, some humor, and some style. -Maya Angelou

I had a friend give me a sign that has this quote on it. I love the whole idea of not merely surviving, but thriving…living…doing… with PASSION! I don’t profess to have any style—I am my own style. I wear black, usually patterned, slimming yoga pants and a black tank. I wear fit flop sandals and usually a hat of some kind with sunglasses. I own who I am in that!! I don’t have to think, I just do ME. But, I try to live with the compassion and humor part as well. Seeking it all with thriving on my mind. How can we thrive? Chasing the PASSION. It ignites and fuels…it creates barely controllable emotion. smile. smile. That is exciting!!

Think of a time that you got soo excited about something…anything…what was it?

Passion is your joy, it is the essence of who you are. You have to unwrap it and find it. — Jackie St. Onge

The essence or the nature of who you are is found in the passion and joy of your authentic self. You have to look at it like a gift you were born with, but the only way to open it, is by trying on those things in life that bring you joy…passion…that excite or ignite you. Then, the gift will be revealed. You have to shake it, listen, tumble, turn it, be still with it and allow the gift to slowly be opened in due time. SURPRISE!! Life may guide you to the very things you need to become your best version. That is where the passion lies…within… hidden in the essence of YOU.

“Only passions, great passions, can elevate the soul to great things.” — Denis Diderot

Its like a soulful alignment, a good vibe, an energy that seems to be able to take you to a whole other level of ideas, creativity, a higher awareness of what can be. That is power. That is passion.

“Develop a passion for learning.”  — Anthony J. D’Angelo

This is a WIN for me. I have a need and desire to input information. I feel like I have been creating, collecting, reading, learning, doing…a definite passion for learning. There is so much out there to see, hear, read, write, create, inspire, educate, elevate, etc. It is a non-stop wishing well of good things. Learning opens doors to new ideas, it ignites a fire that conspires to be started, it challenges our brains on different levels, It is the beginning of most creations. It is the spark that runs wild with passion. Learning takes you to places and shows you new possibilities or ways of thinking or imagining.

How to find and chase YOUR PASSION : Think about activities or interests that get you EXCITED. What do you enJOY doing? Think about your STRENGTHS. Look at subjects or things you love to share or teach to other people. When you are in conversations—what topics do you like to share or talk about? On the flip side—look at things, topics that seem to drain or suck your energy.

Needless to say there are soo many things out in this beautiful world to be excited, intrigued, curious…about, that it makes you spin sometimes. At least for me. I can have multiple ideas, things to write about, places I want to see and explore…the list goes on. I mean, ‘Who knew there was such a thing as a “colorist”—a person who is great with colors and can be an expert on creating the right feeling for a house with specific colors. Who knew!?! There are people passionate about soft corals, making dog biscuits, hiking waterfalls, quilting for a cause, doing yoga with goats, thrifting for treasures, stargazers & just regular things like gardening or sports…the list is endless. There are experts out there with such passion for soo many things. It is amazing!! So, have fun chasing what gets YOU excited and lights you up! LIFE IS THE PASSIONATE ADVENTURE!

Here are some ways to help…

CREATE: I say…create. In creation you find that special something that seems to whisper inspiration and fill you with focus, energy, direction, excitement…you just go…you flow. You create with passion. It is part of your true nature. Take some personal time each day, week, once a month (up to you on your time schedule) to create—whether you take a creative class, pull out creative journal prompts, write daily writing pages, take photos daily, build a sand castle with your kids, build a shed or a sauna…the list is endless of the creative possibilities—the point is to just create! Take the time to allow those deeper internal guidance systems to engage and lead you to the creative pursuits that stir passion.

ON YOUR MIND: You are excited or passionate about something when it is continually on your mind. Notice if there are specific ideas that keep popping up in your mind. Maybe there is a business that you are curious about. Maybe you keep finding yourself humming a certain melody that is a song idea trying to come through to you…There are so many ideas, creative longings, nudges from random places (think books you are drawn to, videos that pull on your imagination and call you to create, etc) Notice different things that play on your mind.

FIND YOUR FLOW: It is easy to find a rhythm or flow in doing something you are passionate about. Time seems to go by quickly and there is an ease. You have this natural energy and synergy that seems to ignite your thoughts & you feel as if you could keep going and going without a care of time. When you fall into the flow of passion…creativity is even easier. It is remarkable.

WILLING & WANTING TO LEARN MORE: When you are interested in something and want to learn more–there is a reason. You are drawn to a subject, style, hobby, interest…when you are first curious to know something, you become almost obsessed on some level to find out more. You want to get your answers, to learn what makes something so interesting…to practice, to try, to find out the beginning, to become more knowledgable. Think about it. When something peeks your interest…you want to jump in, swim a little deeper, see what’s under the surface and find out more. That is the natural path to finding one’s interests and passions.

BOTTOM LINE–YOU DO KNOW: In reality, YOU DO KNOW what you are drawn to & what possibilities COULD light you up. There may be a tiny grey area of complete knowing until you TRY it on for experience, but if someone asked you…could you be interested in working with doctors to find a cure for something…could you enjoy washing elephants at a sanctuary in Thailand…could you get excited about knitting hats for the homeless…could you see yourself writing a book…could you possibly enjoy detailing cars…could you see yourself flying an airplane…could you get excited to teach and train therapy animals…the list goes on. There are limitless opportunities to try things to see if they get you excited or push your passion buttons. BUT, you have to ask the questions, try them on and see what is a good fit for who you are and the kind of energy and passion that is created.

EXPLORE THE UNKNOWN: How do you REALLY know what you like, are interested in, get excited about…can be passionate about…IF you don’t get out of your comfort zone, try various activities, see and feel those things that create a spark and fire within. You need to explore the opportunities beyond. Its like a trip—you can stay in the safe harbor of the known or you can get out and feel the wind, dive under water, look at the stars from a new perspective, eat something you have never seen before, touch, feel…go beyond to find the real shiny stuff that might excite you that you never noticed or experienced. Get out and TRY things, explore, and find those unknown places within.

Great stories of people who followed their passion: A few stories of people you may have no idea about, their passions and where it took them.

From Inc online : https://www.inc.com/bill-murphy-jr/here-s-how-to-turn-your-passion-into-a-fortune.html. My personal favorites from the article…Jim Koch: A Harvard Business School graduate and consultant with Boston Consulting Company, Koch took the Austrian beer recipe that had been in his family for generations and used it to launch Samuel Adams (Boston Beer Company). With Budweiser, Coors, and Miller now owned by foreign companies, Boston Beer Company is now the largest American brewery.

Yvon Chouinard: An avid climber, Chouinard bought a second-hand forge and began to make his own equipment. Ultimately he founded Patagonia, a manufacturer of high-end outdoor clothing that did $600 million in sales in 2013. [There is also a great documentary about Yvon’s partner Doug & Kris Tompkins who did North Face–who have literally saved so much of the natural landscape of Patagonia–great watch https://youtu.be/yJL-OAPBDa8?si=emTsKGSueTTUl-nD] Talk about Passion & Purpose. Wow

Wendy Kopp: Kopp turned her senior thesis at Princeton University into Teach for America, a $229-million-a-year nonprofit organization that places graduates from some of America’s top colleges and universities as teachers in challenged public schools.

Kevin Plank: A football player at the University of Maryland, Plank designed shirts that could wick away sweat, and convinced his former teammates who went on to play professionally to try his product and share it with their teammates. The company that resulted, Under Armour, had $2.3 billion in revenue in 2013.

Here is a link to a list of other people who followed their passion! https://vocal.media/motivation/10-remarkable-people-who-turned-their-passion-into-profit-inspiring-tales-of-success

Sincerely hope this post helps you follow, seek, chase after the passion you need at this point in your life.

Peace. Love and Light to you today. xoxo -H

Power to the Ladies

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I genuinely appreciate stories of women who can rise from their tough beginnings in life to show up as the incredible examples of determination, drive, perseverance and purpose. We need these stories to help push us along to become our best! History is sprinkled with such stories…here are a few I was able to find.

Coco Chanel aka Gabrielle Chanel

Some may struggle with Coco & the way she lived her life with multiple lovers, drug use, socialite parties, rumors, drama…but this was a strong woman who came from nothing, struggled through life and had a conviction to make a rich life. She lived on so many levels. There will always be critics of any story, but I believe you can always find the good in any story. She had true love, heartache, emotional wounds, rejection, abandonment, but she was able to rise from the broken pieces that were her life to create a legacy to be remembered. You have to respect this woman and all she did.

“Elegance is when the inside is

as beautiful as the outside.”

So much history: Chanel has done a beautiful job sharing the history and stories of Coco Chanel https://www.chanel.com/us/about-chanel/the-history/1910/

I watched the movie about her life—-Lessons learned from the movie Coco Before Chanel

“Fashion has two purposes: comfort and love. Beauty comes when fashion succeeds.”

Her Style: I think one of the greatest things she did—she gave women freedom from the tortured (corset) fashions of that era. She re-created the fashion world into something that women could live in. “I make fashion women can live in, breath in, feel comfortable in and look younger in,” she said. True to her word, Chanel’s signature little black dresses, stretch jersey garments and mannish tweed tailoring were all created to liberate ladies from the restrictive apparel that had dominated in the early 20th century. -scmp.com

“How many cares one loses when one decides not to be something but to be someone.”

It was a sad beginning. Her and her 2 sisters, Julia and Antoinette were dropped off by their father to an orphanage around…11-year-old after their mother died of tuberculosis & she stayed there until she was 18. The family—which eventually included six children—lived in poverty while moving throughout the French countryside. After her mother died in 1895, 11-year-old Gabrielle Chanel was sent to a convent-run orphanage in Aubazine.

Her last and longest childhood home was in Brive-la-Gaillarde, a bustling market town in the Corrèze department. Gaillarde means spirited, aptly for the young girl who showed such spirit when she’d grown up. -tatlerasia

She wanted independence and created her own life: Coco Chanel began working as a seamstress in her teens, and she opened a small millinery shop in Paris about a decade later, in 1910. In 1912 she established a boutique in Deauville, France. Her practical, elegant designs attracted influential women, and Chanel was soon heading a thriving couture house. “My life didn’t please me, so I created my life,” she said. -britannica

‘What really interested Chanel was influence,’ says Chaney, author of Chanel: An Intimate Life. ‘She wanted power, but not for power’s sake. She wanted what power brought, which was independence.’ -Tatler

“In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different”

Power of influence & the people around her: After working as a seamstress and a cabaret singer – it’s thought that one of the popular songs she sang in Moulins gave rise to her nickname Coco – Chanel met Etienne Balsan, heir to a textile fortune, who established her as his mistress in his chateau at Royallieu. It was Balsan who, in 1908, introduced Coco to her English lover, the polo-playing playboy Captain Arthur Edward ‘Boy’ Capel. ‘He was my father, my brother, my entire family,’ Chanel later said of him. Educated at Beaumont College, Berkshire, and then Stonyhurst, Lancashire, Capel was the dashing son of a rich shipping merchant. ‘He was one of the most important people in her life, if not the key person,’ says Chaney, who was the first biographer to have access to Capel’s personal papers. It’s generally accepted that the inspiration for many of Chanel’s most iconic designs – including the CC logo, the design of the No. 5 perfume bottle and her use of unconventional fabrics such as jersey (previously used for men’s underwear) – all had their roots in her affair with Capel. Her lover channelled money into Coco’s first shop selling hats and within months Chanel’s exquisitie creations were being featured in national magazines. Soon, Chanel opened a boutique, again financed by Capel, in the fashionable resort of Deauville, followed by one in Biarritz and then a store on Rue Cambon, in Paris.

Edward ‘Boy’ Capel died in a car accident, in December 1919. ‘His death was a terrible blow to me,’ she said later. ‘I lost everything when I lost Capel He left a void in me that the years have not filled.’ Yet Chanel busied herself with work and, after several months in mourning and then a trip to Italy with Misia and her husband, she returned to Paris ready to live again. Following an affair with Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich – who introduced her, in 1920, to Ernest Beaux, the man who helped her create Chanel No. 5 – she embarked on a long relationship with the 2nd Duke of Westminster. -tatler

“You were born an original, don’t become a copy !”

She was unapologetically herself in all she did: Whether it was the boyish style clothing she would create, the muted tones she would wear, the mood swings, the independent attitude—she was her own woman. She was never going to be tamed or cornered into a life she did not desire. She truly did create the life she wanted. She could have married many men, but she had decided early on in her life to not marry anyone. She was her own woman.

In 1921 She creates the first perfume (No 5) by a fashion house. She wanted to create “A woman’s perfume with a woman’s scent,” with over 80 scents to create the essence she desired. It becomes the number one selling perfume in the world. So many firsts to ensure the test of time. She has had 100 years of celebrities from Marilyn Monroe to Brad Pitt…the list is endless of the faces behind Chanel.

Few designers are as revered as the iconic Coco Chanel, one of the most influential designers of the 21st century. Now considered by many to be the first modern perfume, Chanel No. 5 is as recognizable and enduring as Chanel’s most famous clothing designs, and the designer herself. -history

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“Freedom is believing in yourself”

-Margarete Steiff

Margarete Steiff contracted polio when she was just 18 months old, which meant that she would spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair. 

However, this spirited and courageous young woman was not going to let her life be defined by her disability. She learnt sewing and tailoring and soon became a very skilled seamstress. She started up her own small business, initially making ladies’ and children’s clothes, but soon diversified into other products. 

Little did she know, when she was working on a little felt elephant to be used as a pincushion, that she was laying the foundation stone for the international company of the future, Margarete Steiff GmbH. -BearGarden

The following timeline is from the steiff website:

The Margarete Steiff felt goods factory is founded
On 3 March 1893, the toy factory is registered in the commercial register as “Margarete Steiff, Filzspielwarenfabrik Giengen/Brenz”. Our toys are presented for the first time at the Leipzig Toy Fair. Margarete now employs 4 sewers and 10 home workers

1895 Harrods sells first Steiff products
Our first foreign business relationship with Harrods, London, is established.

1906 The Steiff bear becomes the teddy bear
American President Theodore Roosevelt, whose nickname was “Teddy”, played a major role in the success of the Steiff bear and in giving it its name. He refused to shoot a helpless bear tied to a leash during a hunting trip. As a result, he was portrayed by cartoonist Cliffort K. Berryman in the Washington Post along with a small bear. This is the best publicity for our Teddy Bear, the Teddy Boom begins and our Steiff brand achieves worldwide recognition.

1907 Teddy Bear Boom
Steiff produces 1,700,000 toys and 973,999 teddy bears with 400 employees and 1,800 home workers!

1909 Margarete dies
At the age of 61, Margarete Steiff dies on 9 May in the presence of her family as a result of pneumonia. After her death, the company is continued by her nephews and the toy and plush range is further expanded.

Her work went on and still continues to this day.

I first came across Margarete’s story when I was looking at teddy bears on eBay and came across the Steiff brand and wondered why they were so expensive. I then found a small Steiff elephant that is missing the ear tag, but I excitedly purchased it and now look at that little elephant as a great reminder of her story and know its history. I think of this woman who created the elephant as a pincushion & from there a larger, magical toy elephant that would transport children to far away lands. There is a history in this brand, as well as a beautiful story about perseverance, purpose…a woman who started out just sewing and then began to create toy gifts for friends and family. Her business began small, but she created with her heart and big things happened.

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I hope these stories help you see…From you heart your destiny will fulfill your purpose for this life. Follow where it leads you. There is only one you…one story that is all your own, so follow your heart and fulfill the gift you were meant to give. These women were great examples of finding their own freedom and living from that place to pursue their greatest purpose.

Have a beautiful and blessed day. Peace, Love and Light to you xoxo -H

On Purpose

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This past weekend my little family drove to a nearby lighthouse to take photos and spend Memorial Day together. It was a wonderful coastal drive that took us by a tiny shop that seemed to scream eclectic mess of treasures! We had to stop!! You never know what you will find in a shop like this. We were welcomed by the cutest, little lady who was buzzing around the yard, in and out of the shop. She smiled a big, wide smile and said, “I have chocolates for you inside!” We walked through the shop full of giant sea stars that sat on a window, bowls of shells, trays of rings, vintage clothing, strands of jewelry hanging from tree branches, antique kitchenware, elephants, mermaids, every kind of whimsy, along-side inspired signs or worry dolls. It was an eclectic shop full of tiny touches that Lex had made herself…lessons from Native Indians, wisdom from the ocean…it was sensational in all its wonder. Our eyes had endless things to see, but the cutest was the homemade brownies that Lex makes every day for any store visitors. She chimed in, “They are free. I make six batches a day!” The brownies were placed in old, Whitman’s chocolate boxes and the delight was real!

I mean, really. Who does that? Lex of Netarts does!! She was such a delight and you knew from listening to her that this tiny store gives her such life purpose. She shared how a man had just come in the other day and was telling his son about this shop and remembering the free brownies he was given as a boy. Lex lit up telling us about the sweet moment. She then lit up, “Did you see my changing room? I had a 100 year old woman in here who told me it looks like a brothel.” She laughed and then shared how she has been there 20 plus years and that she told herself, “I will keep going until I am 80. Well, 80 has come and gone, so now I am shooting for 90, I guess.” She smiled her happy, joy-filled smile and quickly shuffled away to the front of the store.

There are people doing small things—like making six batches of brownies a day to bring smiles and joy to those she comes in contact. What can we do to find or create a little more purpose in our lives? How can we be more like Lex?

Thank you, Lex for your beautiful example of how to just bring JOY to the world. Even if its just a little free chocolate!

Peace. Love and Light. xoxo H

Greater GOOD videos

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After having such a stressful and daily mind bog of ‘what if’ situations, you walk away feeling a sense of gratitude, a new perspective on ‘what could have been.’

I cannot tell you what a relief I feel of the gifted outcome I received last week. Even in such a heart sinking month of unknowns, I look now and know what a gift it is that I am not sick. Such a gift makes you look at everything you want to do, everything you want to aspire to do, everything you know you can now make time for & say YES! NOW, I look at the day and say, “I could be going to the doctor each week and getting chemo and not able to get out of bed because of treatments.” NOW, I feel even more alive. It makes you want to be more on purpose and to find those things that make your heart swell and move you in a direction of doing for the greater good.

So, today, I am going to gift all of you with a variety of story videos that I have posted (or not posted yet) to inspire you. We need inspiration. We need good stories.

Enjoy!!

“I have a process: You commit and then you figure out how you are going to do it!”  -Mick Ebeling

 

“I learned from my parents that you have to get pleasure out of what you’re doing, or don’t do it,” he told Earth Island Journal in 2012. “You can be in the wrong craft. That is why I got out of making stuff that nobody needs. … Everybody’s destiny is what it is. I just feel lucky that I somehow escaped from the confines of the business class. … I feel so fortunate that somehow I managed to break out of that world and get to do something that really had more meaning. It’s like David Brower used to say – to pay my rent for living on the planet.”

 

“Some people collect antiques or baseball cards, for me I like to collect experiences and soak in as much as I can.”  -Erik Weihenmayer           LOVE THAT!!

 

I love his story because he came from humble beginnings, followed his heart and has helped create jobs, restore hope and do good things. I have read his book and feel he is a good man & I don’t even drink coffee. haha. Interesting fact: If Howard Schultz gave up after being turned down by banks 242 times, there would be no Starbucks.

“I believe life is a series of near misses. A lot of what we ascribe to luck is not luck at all. It’s seizing the day and accepting responsibility for your future. It’s seeing what other people don’t see and pursuing that vision.”  -Howard Schultz

 

I just posted these videos not too long ago, but they are so worth watching if you have not seen them. https://yourhappyplaceblog.com/2018/01/24/the-difference-one-can-make/

 

I hope these videos inspire your day!! Be inspired. Life is too short.

-Peace and love to you today.  -H

 

Purpose? That is the big question

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I think that no matter what age, there is always that little voice pushing you to go deeper, to find something greater, to find something within you that makes you want to give of yourself & share it with the world. Is that purpose?

That is my question for you today. Are we all on purpose or are we continually seeking things within us or outside us that give us purpose?

Here is what I found around the beautiful internet universe!! Enjoy!

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Wow! that is quite a statement. You can look at it a couple of different ways–If you have a cause to stand for, then your life will have more purpose OR If you just GO through life it will have no cause or reason. You will have no effect on anything.

Is that true?

Well…have your heard of the BUTTERFLY EFFECT? EveryTHING has an effect. The question is, Will you have positive or negative effects?  Will your purpose be from your personal truth?

I LOVE Andy Andrews work & in this clip he tells about the butterfly effect. Its amazing! Its a ten minute clip worth the watch. He also has many incredible books that weave true stories with life lessons.

 

PURPOSE CAN CHANGE THROUGHOUT YOUR LIFE. Some people may find theirs early in life, while others may take their lifetime. Purpose is ongoing. You have your whole life to find various gifts and share them with the world.

At this point in your life, what do you feel is your purpose? Here are some others thoughts at various ages.

 

TO HELP FIND PURPOSE With over 9M views I figured this would be worth the watch & its a Ted talk. 5 easy questions to help you find purpose for your life.

Well, I hope all these videos get you thinking about where you are at and where you want to be. Life is about challenging ourselves to grow on different levels. We have a steady path that desires us to follow, but are we listening? Are we seeking within to know where to go? Are we taking the time to find greater purpose? Are we having a positive or negative effect? What can you do?

Make it an amazing day!  -Ha39711c8f9c653600db7374d8272a8bf--purpose-of-life-quotes-quotes-pics

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Find your YOUniqueness!

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570fd34c4dd35c2149fcb5e0ed7879da--epic-quotes-godly-quotesMy daughter has been going to a summer camp this week at our local aquarium. She has been learning from all sorts of people–some love to scuba-dive, some love ‘cats’, some train the parrots, one guy loves toads and another guy LOVES coral.

As I have sat and listened to my daughter explain these various people, my mind truly connected on how different each and every one of us are. We each have our own strengths. We each have our own ‘loves.’ We each are drawn to various things. We are each so very unique! It was truly an aha that someone could truly become so attracted and drawn to coral. Who would have thought!! But that just shows how the world is full of variety on every level. Each and every individual is suppose to unearth their ‘YOUniqueness’! Their one and only gift to the world. The things that make them come alive.

That makes me think of this great quote:164351-don-t-ask-what-the-world-needs-quote

Here are some tips and tricks to unearth a deeper, bigger part of YOU.

Look at your passions/gifts/strengths: What do you enjoy doing? What could you do for hours and not get tired of doing it? Look at your hobbies & evaluate what you enjoy about them. Figure out what you are good at, what you enjoy, what lights you up & build on that.

Look at your strengths and build on them: I truly believe investing in yourself is a great step in moving forward in developing yourself. Take a class you are drawn to, but have been avoiding because of feeling uncomfortable. Take time to read something that will lift and build your life. Learn something new each day. Practice something you excel in each day (even if it is only 15 minutes). Take a strengths test–see link below.

Don’t ever compare yourself to anyone else: You are YOU! You have your own unique qualities and characteristics, so when you compare yourself to others, you are desiring to become more like them & NOT yourself. Practice seeing YOUR unique life gifts and the great things you do.

Don’t shrink so others feel comfortable: I think society makes many of us feel like we need to wear certain things, drive certain cars, participate in all the fads, have the “best” things, etc. I think we sometimes put our own styles aside to fit in. I think we say things to fit in. I think we do things, buy things, talk about certain things to fit in. How does that serve the world?? If we all become exactly the same & shrink so we ‘fit in,’ how is that shining our uniqueness for the world to embrace?  That reminds me of another great quote–one of my favorites.

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Take a fun test to learn about your strengths & personality traits: There are all kinds of personality and strengths tests out there. Find one that sounds interesting to YOU. I have taken a couple–The Strengths Test (StrengthsFinder by Tom Rath–which helps you identify different strength qualities you have). Recently I took the free 16personalities.com test & that was a fun test to take. The tests are fun just to see how accurate you feel they are & give you additional insight to you in a different way. Try it & see what you learn about yourself.

Here is another article with some tips: Top 10 Ways to Discover your unique gift. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laura-berman-fortgang/personal-development_b_1925875.html

Great article with some additional ideas to help you seek your YOU.  http://www.yoursuccessprogram.com/blog/19-steps-to-becoming-your-unique-self/

A list of different ted talks to help you find your purpose: https://www.ted.com/playlists/313/talks_to_help_you_find_your_pu

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Have a BeYOUtiful day!!

Thanks. Gratitude & YOU

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I just finished reading Pam Grout’s book, Thank & Grow Rich. It was a great read and I would highly recommend it. It is full of wonderful stories, ideas, activities and overall good!! I think if you can finish a book and it leaves you feeling better, learning something, and taking good things away from it…AWESOME!! So, with that, I wanted to share some of my favorite highlights (my literal highlighted points). Enjoy!! I am only going to put some because I do not want to spoil the book for you in any way. Read it and take the good from it!

THANKS PAM for your inspired book!!

woman-watching-sunset-1920x1200“When you get on the joy and gratitude frequency that I write about in this book, you radiate an energy that draws things into your life. The right people serendipitously walk across your path. The answer to a troubling question miraculously appears.

In Spain, they call this energy duende. If you tender (have) duende, it means there is something invisible that draws magic your way.”

 

maxresdefault-1“It wasn’t until I began counting my blessings that the other frequency was able to make contact, the still, small one that whispered kind truths…

The still, small voice reminded me that everything I see, everything I believe, is just a story I made up. It told me that, in Truth, I am spirit. I am light. All those voices, those wars going on in my head, are nothing but chunks of the collective consciousness that I can either believe an defend against or I can transmute with gratitude.     The real me, it told me, is kind, giving, in deep communication with all of creation. The real me is a true force for love.”

 

2“What could elicit more joy than realizing your assignment here on this big ball hurtling through space is to have fun, follow the GPS of your joy, and create the good, the holy, and the beautiful.”

 

988037-bigthumbnail“Rather than take steps to flee or change it, you have to first allow it. You have to bless it. You have to go so far as to call it good. Freedom and power come in choosing to bless with gratitude every single thing that shows up.”

 

8“Once you come into coherence with your real self, a sacred being with no beginning and no end, you can get on with creating beauty and expanding love. You can give up the grasping and the clawing, the pointless plans to protect your linear self.

You are not linear. You are light temporarily doing Sue or Bob or Priscilla. We have become so focused on this transitory, temporal self that we forgot who we really are. We forgot how powerful we are. We forgot our true mission–to expand the Kingdom of Light and Love.”

 

being-grateful-for-what-you-have-now-could-make-you-richer-in-the-future“Sh*t happens. And I would be the first to agree.     However, 99.9 percent of life, even during the sh*t storm, still operates in perfect working order, continues to run as efficiently as that annoying Energizer Bunny.

Right now, for example, my body is emitting two and a half tons of atmospheric pressure that keeps me from flying off into space. That is a friction’ miracle–99.9 percent of my life is a friction’ miracle.

Anyone who thinks life is nothing but an ordeal is clearly deluded. For the sake of argument, let’s take a count:

  1. The skirt you wanted to wear to work is wrinkled in the laundry basket.
  2. The freeway is crowded with bozos on their cell phones.
  3. Your boss doesn’t get you.

AND…

  1. You were created from stars.
  2. Free liquid falls from the sky–do you know how remarkable that is?
  3. You live on a planet with just the right amount of oxygen and…
  4. …just the right ratio of…
  5. …just the right gases.
  6. Each of your cells has thousands of mitochondria that create energy so you can give the finger to me and all the other optimists.

And I’m just getting started.

I’m not suggesting we play ostrich and stick our head in the sands of la-la land. But why devote so much of our lives to the one-tenth of one-percent that isn’t working? Deal with the wrinkled shirt and the boss… and… never forget that your body’s 100 trillion cells came from the division of one single cell.

And…that millions of new cells are being born every hour to replace the old ones. Without, I might add, any input on your part. Thousands of things have already gone right for you today….”

 

239933edc3385edfb8e5891059fbf2f0That is all I am going to share. There are some great quotes, statistics, stories. There is SO much more, but I did not want to “spoil” it. This gives you a tiny glimpse of her message. Take the time and take the good.

-Peace out and love to you my friend.  -H