Where Is Your Measure?

The ultimate measure of man is not where he stands in moments of comfort & convenience but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
           ~Martin Luther King Jr.

How about you? Who are you and how do you respond during the good times? This is important. Who are you and how do you respond during the hard times? During the character building days? When the worst of times is staring you in the face? This is your measure.

Nothing Happens by Accident...

The number of positive, inspirational and motivating books in my house is greater than 500.  (I know because my 12 year old counted them when there was “nothing to do” on holiday break from school.)  Interestingly enough, none of those fabulous masterpieces can be of use to me if I don’t grab the book with my hands, open the book and physically read the words.  The wisdom does not mysteriously float into my brain on its own.  I must take action steps to obtain the teaching.

Nothing Happens by Accident

I love the teachings of Kim Lavine – go-getter, one-of-a-kind, living across “the pond” from me (i.e. = Lake Michigan) Mommy Millionair.  Ms. Lavine shared in a recent blog that the Yiddish word “mac-krae” means:

Nothing Happens by Accident

My very first thought to that statement was ‘How true’.  I’m going to be rather bold here and make a statement that is wrapped in love but comes straight from my heart:  All the desire and passion in our heart to accomplish our goals cannot and will not ever come to fruition while sitting on the sofa.  Having good intentions, a grateful heart and heaps of positive thoughts and words are very useful – quite honestly, they are considered, by most including myself, to be the first step on the staircase to success.  Yet, until we get up off the sofa and start walking, all those good intentions are only, well….good intentions.  The action is missing.  We may be able to see the top of our Success Staircase and believe with all our heart and soul it is obtainable.  YES! That is the right attitude. But how are you going to get there when you are standing on the first step?

Nothing Happens by Accident

What are your goals? What is at the top of your staircase? What would your world look like if you started climbing, step by step, toward your dreams?  …And think on this: How many other people might be inspired to do the same when they see YOU stepping up?

Now it’s YOUR turn…

We want to know…What is YOUR next step on your staircase to your goals and dreams?

What Are You Waiting For...

Do you know someone or have you met someone and thought to yourself ‘They have so much potential inside. They really could be doing more with their life.’ The great Nelson Mandela said, “There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living." The truth is, any one of us could look around and find that there are many people ‘playing small’.

In thinking about our inner potential, I will pose a question to you: What if each person decided to go after the one thing that burns them up inside; that one passion they have dreamed about all their life; that one thing that puts a smile on their face; that one thing above all things, which makes them feel free? Here’s my question for you:

What are you waiting for?

Are you waiting for the fear of failing to dissipate? Are you waiting for the insecurities to melt? Are you waiting for all the traffic lights to turn green? The amazing performance coach Kurek Ashley says: “When you work on and build your success muscles every day, you get stronger and more able to achieve your grandest of goals." Finding success in anything in life takes small consistent efforts each day - It’s an every day event.

Here are my personal words of wisdom for you today: I encourage you to take a bit of time to find what it is that you are using for an excuse to hold you back – then go after your passion despite that obstacle you see in your head. When you do, you will find that life has so much waiting for you. Do you realize that there are:

Planes to fly - Mountains to climb - Pictures to take - People to meet - Restaurants to enjoy - Water to sail - Books to write - Canvases to be painted - Cars to drive - Museums to experience - Sunsets to appreciate – Planes to jump out of – Friends to make – Languages to learn – Mountains to ski – Families to love – Children to raise – Music to sing – Dances to dance - Laughter to express and Joy to be felt.

It’s all out there. Find your inner potential...your passion.

What are you waiting for?

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P.S. Here’s something new and a simple request from you.


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It's Planting Time...

Last fall, many people saw the American economy ‘down for the count’. We heard terms like downturn, recession and slump. True, America was sick, but during challenging times, poor discipline and immaturity seem to be revealed. Maybe it’s time to get real and be honest. Try this on for size….the economy is not dwindling – it’s being transformed.

We were sick and now it’s time to fix the root of the problem. Forget the band-aid. Let’s pick up the pieces and put them together in a new way to form a new life. What this situation exposed was simply all the elements that were broken.

What would happen if we embraced the chaos? What if we buried the self doubt, the doom and gloom, the envy and the ‘woe is me’ attitude? Go ahead…pick up a shovel, dig a six foot hole and bury that stuff for good. The truth is, today is a great time for a new generation to rise up and find the strength to start planting – planting confidence, determination and belief.

Think about when the gardener plants a new seed. When that seed begins to sprout, the first thing that comes up is a little dirt - it is then and only then that the shoot begins to appear. Can you hang on long enough to brush away the initial dirt so you can celebrate the new healthy green sprouting growth? That kind of determination will be needed.

The germination period for each seed is different. Some seeds sprout right away but the plant is slow to grow. While others take excessive amounts of time to push through the earth, then their bloom comes quickly. Can you maintain your confidence even when there is no sight of growth?

Think about a farmer. When he plants corn in the spring, he knows without a shadow of a doubt that he will be harvesting corn (not wheat) in the fall. He maintained his belief throughout the entire growing season. Can you sustain your belief throughout growing season?

We’re not ‘down and out’; it’s time to Plant. Planting confidence, determination and belief today has the potential to create an abundant harvest tomorrow.

Choosing Your Battles...

Growing up I've heard the saying, "You have to choose your battles."  I've told other mothers the very same thing.  While this is great advice for parenting (especially when you have a teenager), some battles arrive with full armor ready to take charge that we did not choose.

My dear friend did not choose breast cancer and a brain aneurism...but she did choose to fight.

The battles that have chosen me this last month, I did not choose.  But I know in order to survive them, I have to fight.  And that I will do.

What battle has come to you?  Are you willing to fight?

The world is looking for a generation of people who will rise up when the battles of life get difficult....even scary.  It would be much easier to give in or give up all together.

Know that you are not alone.  Know that YOU can CHOOSE to be a warrior.  I will.  Will YOU?

** Kimberly recommends the book "Warrior Chicks" by Holly Wagner for further insight on this subject.

Perseverance with a Capital "P"...

I dare you to watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nifq3Ke2Q30
No, I’m not going to have you buy anything or send anything to your computer. Nor am I going to sway your political or religious beliefs. I dare you to watch this video (be sure to click the back button when you are done) and reflect on the emotion that it evokes inside of you. Go ahead…it only takes 2 ½ minutes. When you have that assignment done, then you are free to continue reading.

Ok. That was worth 2 ½ minutes of your time, wasn’t it?

That Olympic performance was perseverance with a capital “P”. Because of Derek Redmond’s sheer willpower and strength of mind, he completed that which he had started - The one thing that was his only focus for weeks prior. He persevered through extraordinary circumstances to accomplish his goal.

During the Olympics we see so many individuals stand the test of time and overcome great obstacles to earn the right to stand on a podium and watch the flag from their country raise while their national anthem is played. The thing that those athletes have in common is perseverance.

Perseverance is not only for the Olympic athlete. The woman diagnosed with breast cancer receiving chemotherapy and continuing to care for her children, has perseverance. The man who was laid off months ago and continues to seek employment after each rejection letter is received, has perseverance. The child who comes from the home where there is fighting and unhappiness, yet chooses to give their best during school has perseverance.

Perseverance comes in all shapes and sizes. What is your challenge? What are you pressing through right now? Are you in the beginning, end or somewhere in the middle? Have you had those days where you just don’t want to go on any more? Are you asking how to carry on?

A dear friend, whom I have great respect for, gave me this quote this week, “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass – it’s about learning to dance in the rain.” Derek Redmond didn’t wait for the pain to subside – he danced through the puddles in his way.

If you find yourself faced with a challenge and the road seems long and bumpy, look around you and see all the reasons to keep going. If nothing else…write these quotes upon your heart. They are sure to get you through the next hurdle:

Let your hook always be cast; in the pool where you least expect it, there will be a fish. (Ovid)

Aerodynamically the bumblebee shouldn’t be able to fly, but the bumblebee doesn’t know that so it goes on flying anyway. (Mary Kay Ash)

Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all. (Dale Carnegie)

In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins – not through strength but by perseverance. (H. Jackson Brown)