The People of Mexico

I have arrived back home from Mexico, safe and sound. First let me say that the media had installed some fear into us regarding the violence going on there, but we had found nothing but friendly, happy people. Yes, the policia were visible, but that only made me feel safer.

I now have a new appreciation for the people of Mexico. They are extremely hard working. They are always smiling and seem happy as they work long hours, which is usually consisting of hard labor. They work everyday…no days off. As I look around me here in New Jersey, I don’t see many people who are happy going to work. How about where you live?

Along one of the highways we traveled on, if you look past the concrete yards, you will see poverty. At first, you think you are looking at abandoned shacks…no windows or doors, surrounded by garbage. We were told people live there. That gave me a heavy feeling. But, these people who live like this, are also “happy”. Is it because they do not know any other way?

In the short time we were there, we spoke to many residents and we were told that the people appreciate what they do have and are grateful. Their families and friends mean the world to them. Man, does that say a lot about the people here. It immediately made us think how greedy we can be…how people here want more and more and we are hardly ever satisfied. Trying to outdo their friends and neighbors. We just don’t seem to appreciate and know how to be grateful. Things in your life can be much worse and I saw first hand how living situations can be hard for some.

When we went into town, we saw much of the same thing. Some of these shacks looked like they were going to fall over any second. Made of scraps of wood, garbage and anything else they can find to put together. And yet, as I said…these people were still happy and enjoying life. Some of the lucky ones had jobs where the tourists were. At the resorts, the restaurants, the stores etc…One spot we visited, showcased the talents of the many who are excellent crafters. Throughout the time we were there, we observed the landscapers and masons. We were so impressed with their knowledge and quality of work. It made me think about the Mexicans who are here working with landscapers and are being paid peanuts for their long hours and hard work. I can not help but feel that we are terrible people to take advantage like that. Is it our greed? Our need to pay out a small amount, so we have more money in our pockets?

I had such a great time on this trip and I also feel blessed to have learned a few lessons. Seeing things from a different perspective. Happiness is not brought about by how much you have or how much you want…it is about being happy, appreciative and grateful with what you DO have. We make our own happiness. I have always felt money does not bring you happiness and this trip confirmed it as I saw it through the residents of Mexico.

More about our trip in my next post...

Pain Control

I have always had issues with my back. As a young teenager, I had scoliosis which required surgery. In my later years, I developed more back issues which required medical assistance.

I was in the mindset that pain is something I just needed to put up with. I had surgery 7 years ago and again just this past Wednesday. Unfortunately, surgery was my only option to correct my current problem. I had a bone spur in the canal at the base of my spine. The doctor told me that this spur was very close to my spinal cord, but he was able to peel away the nerve and get the spur out. Sounds kinda scary, doesn't it? The doctor also decompressed a few areas, so I am now pain free, with the exception of where I was cut of course. My surgery was a success and I am very grateful. I was able to come home yesterday and am now on the road to recovery.

Due to all the back issues I have faced throughout my life, I learned that I can help my pain if and when it resurfaces.

Pain is personal. The amount of pain you experience may not be the same as what others feel, even if they have the same disease or condition as you.

Ask your doctor what you might expect if you going for a test or surgery. Prepare yourself and you will feel more in control. Write down any questions you may have. You can discuss with your doctor your choices regarding pain control.

Non Drug Pain Relief

I chose not to medicate myself with drugs whenever possible. I am not a 'pill' person. I found these methods are helpful for mild to moderate pain.

> Learn about your disease, surgery or procedure to better understand how it will affect you.
Educating yourself can reduce the amount of anxiety you may feel.

> Relaxation: Simple techniques as abdominal breathing and jaw relaxations can help you cope better.

> Cold packs, moist heat, massage therapy, rest and TENS therapy are some ways to help reduce the pain you feel. *TENS therapy stands for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation.

I am lucky to have my brother who is a massage therapist. He has helped me so very much in controlling my pain. Yes, the treatments are not comfortable, but I would be pain free for weeks at a time.

> Exercise: I have discovered that stretching and pilates have helped me. I not only feel more relaxed, but could also feel and see a difference in my body.

Slow Rhythmic Breathing for Relaxation

1. Breathe in slowly and deeply
2. As you breath out slowly, feel your body beginning to relax, feel the tension leave your body
3. Breathe in and out slowly and regularly. Whatever is comfortable for you.
4. To help focus on your breathing, you may say to yourself...IN, two, three... OUT, two, three or replace those words with peace or relax.
5. Imagine that you are doing this in a place that is very calming and relaxing to you...such as lying in the sun at the beach
6. Do these steps once or repeat up to 20 minutes.
7. End each step with a slow breath. As yuo breathe out say to yourself,,,,I feel alert and relaxed.

FEAR IS OVERCOME WITH ACTION

One of the greatest surprises you'll experience,
is when you discover that you can do
what you were afraid you couldn't do.

Your obstacles will melt away,
if instead of cowering before them,
you make up your mind to walk boldly through them.

Do the thing you fear and fear disappears.
Confront your fears, list them, get to know them
and only then will you be able to put them aside
and move ahead.

When you face the things that scare you,
you open the door to freedom.

The only thing you have to fear, is fear itself..


Copyright 2008 www.yourdailymotivation.com
Reproduce freely but maintain Copyright notice

In With The New, Out With The Old...

It seems to me that most people do some 'spring cleaning' in the month or two preceding summer. We want our homes to be clean and refreshed from the winter months of closed windows.
A fresh start for the nice warm weather...

We purge the old...we tidy up...maybe even redecorate to give our homes a new updated look.
"in with the new, out with the old"

We go spring/summer clothes shopping...updating our looks. A new hair cut maybe and how about getting our bodies in shape for the beach? That's all we see in the magazines, on TV and on the Internet. Exercise to get our bodies in tip top shape.

Well, to go along with all this spring cleaning, updating the interior/exterior of our homes, our appearance...we should also consider spending time updating the way we think.

How many of us have negative thoughts about how we look or have confidence issues or our motivation isn't what it should be?

Why don't we put some time into our "inner self"? Changing any negative thoughts we have into positive. Learn how to be happy with ourselves.

Sounds easy I know, but if we focus on even one issue and make it our goal to overcome that issue, we would feel so successful... so wonderful and happy to go along with all the other spring cleaning updates we did in our life.

Our state of mind is what will spontaneously create the desired results. Create your life from within. Become satisfied with yourself and your thoughts and there will be nothing you cannot do or be – because your thoughts are powerful! Expect the very best of everything that this world has to offer - and know that you deserve it. You have friends and family who love you. Learn how to be thankful. Think of all the things you have to be happy about.

Try not to over analyze things. Stress can cause many mental, physical, and spiritual problems in your life.The true key to happiness is acceptance. Learn to be grateful for what you have. A lot of people know it, but don't keep it in their minds. Comparing your life with others is dangerous. Accept the gifts you have and know that no one is better than or less than anyone else.

Happiness begins from within. If you don't accept what you have or who you are, then you will never be truly happy with anyone else.

YOU HAVE THE POWER TO LIVE YOUR DREAMS

The day you take complete responsibility for yourself,
the day you stop making any excuses,
that's the day you start moving down the road to success.

No one else can do it for you.
Only you can make it happen.
You're the only one that has to live your life.

Success on any major scale requires you to accept responsibility.
It's up to you to choose the thoughts and actions
that will lead you to success.

Your life will be what you make of it.
Nothing will ever happen by itself.
Success will come your way once you realize
that you have to make it come your way by your own actions.

The power to succeed is yours alone.


Copyright 2008 www.yourdailymotivation.com
Reproduce freely but maintain Copyright notice.

Why Can't The Rest Of The World Get Along??

My girlfriend knows how much I love animals. Tigers and lions are among
my favorites. I have tiger/lion plates, candle holders, pictures,
calenders and a plate collection.

She sent me this email and I loved it! Just gave me that warm, fuzzy
feeling...Now only if people can adjust, be as loving and accepting...

Here's the Story:
In a zoo in California , a mother tiger gave birth to a rare set of
triplet tiger cubs. Unfortunately,due to complications in the
pregnancy, the cubs were born prematurely and due to their tiny size,
they died shortly after birth.

The mother tiger after recovering from the delivery, suddenly started
to decline in health, although physically she was fine. The
veterinarians felt that the loss of her litter had caused the tigress
to fall into a depression. The doctors decided that if the tigress
could surrogate another mother's cubs, perhaps she would improve.

After checking with many other zoos across the country, the depressing
news was that there were no tiger cubs of the right age to introduce to
the mourning mother. The veterinarians decided to try something that
had never been tried in a zoo environment. Sometimes a mother of one
species will take on the care of a different species. The only
'orphans' that could be found quickly, were a litter of weanling pigs.
The zoo keepers and vets wrapped the piglets in tiger skin and placed
the babies around the mother tiger. Would they become cubs or pork
chops??
Take a look...

Global Love Day ~ May 1st

For some inspiration, watch this video.

Taking a Chance...

As I mentioned the other day, I hadn’t been feeling up to par. It seems a lot of people are complaining of not feeling well. Global in fact… It seems more people get sick around the change of season. Thanks for all the well wishes.

I believe my stomach bug was accompanied by being worn down by stress. Work drama that I was dealing with on a day to day basis, plus other life situations thrown my way just made me feel tired. I felt like a rock at the edge of the beach. Wave after wave pounding upon me. My choices were to keep taking it or do something about it. Complaining about it or feeling the stress of the situations was not helping, nor would that change anything, so I had to do something different. My brain was yelling....STOP…ENOUGH already…

We truly are in control of our life and what is happening around us. I took the bull by the horns and decided to do something. I was beginning to feel I was not centered….everything around me was off balance. I needed to regroup, get back in control.

I Got a plan together, made the to –do list and started picking away at those things that needed to be changed….one by one. My work related problem was the toughest actually for it included other people causing the issue, but reflected on me. I took a deep breath, swallowed some pride, threw out the notion of who was right and who was wrong, realized what was best for the situation and I made phone calls to the parties involved.

I wasn't sure how this would work, it could have back fired, but at this point I hadn't anything to lose but more to gain, so I took a chance.

I Suggested my plan and I was successful in having them see a new point of view. Only after 2 days back into work, you can feel the difference. The air is lighter, the stress lifted…ahhhhh…much better

I knew something had to be done. Management wasn't ‘managing’ so someone had to grow some gonads and do something. I’m glad I did

My other issues are currently being worked on and I am positive they will work out for the best. Sometimes it takes some thought and looking at a different point of view to see a solution. If what you are doing is not working, realize a change in the way you are handling a situation can bring about a positive result. Sometimes the solution rests with YOU even if someone else is causing a problem.

Taking a chance, asking a higher spiritual guide for help or digging deep within yourself will provide the answers you need.

Happy or Sad Tag

Angelbaby over at Your Caring Angels Tagged me with the Happy or Sad meme...

I was curious to see what this Happy Sad Test would reveal about me. I think it came out pretty accurate.

You Are 96% Happy

It's unlikely that you know anyone happier than you. You know how to be happy, no matter what life throws at you.

How Happy Are You?

I'm tagging:

Robin
Bobby
Sam
Robin
Ellen
Zubli
Hye
Speedcat
Beth
John
Mariuca
Louise

Let Go and Be Happy

One of my posts on Mind, Body & Soul is titled... Are You Happy? I spoke about your happiness set point. Are you aware that everyone has this set point which they return to regardless to what experience you have in life?

Research shows that approximately 50 percent of our happiness is acquired through genetics and the other 50 percent is learned. However, everyone has the ability to change your set point. You can catch the happiness wave by utilizing the secret The Sedona Method has mastered. They are presenting an opportunity to receive a FREE CD or DVD on this self help tool which will teach you how easy it can be for you to melt away unnecessary negative feelings.

When learning this method you can overcome your need to hold on to negative thoughts, feelings and even actions. When holding on too tightly, you force yourself to believe in these powerful emotions. You literally talk yourself into it. Our mind is a powerful tool and unfortunately, we don't always use it enough for the positive emotions to create happiness. We can be happy for no reason once we learn to 'let go'.

Ever find yourself thinking you are unhappy about something or have an issue you want to change? You may find yourself then only repeating either to yourself or outloud that you are unhappy. What happens next? You ARE unhappy. Why not twist that around to thinking positive thoughts. Letting go of the negatives. Can you let go? Are you willing to try?

Mariel Hemingway has been using The Sedona Method to overcome depression, self hatred and emotional pain.

Get your free cd and learn The Sedona Method. Feel how easy it is to be happy and watch how this will raise your happiness set point and overflow into all areas of your life.

So, I'm Not Perfect...

Ok, so I'm not perfect. I allowed some stress to wiggle into my life. A situation came into my life and gave me an unexpected ending, which I wasn't prepared for. I had to work through a few emotions before concluding I have choices...first on how to handle this situation and second... how to deal with what I was feeling.

Although justified, I felt angry with the outcome of this situation. I realized quickly that wasn't the answer. I needed to get myself 'in check'. If I continued to be angry, I wouldn't be productive. I took a deep breath and just said to myself...I will get through this.

But as I allowed stress to enter, I took a short ride with negativity. It's amazing how those little inner voices sometimes can cause an avalanche of scenarios in your mind and you start believing them. So... realizing this quicker than usual, I just put a stop to it.

I thought about a happy memory or the feelings of love, thought about all the good and blessings in my life...took to the couch, lit some candles and just relaxed. Repeated some affirmations...Relaxing my body and soul.

It does work...I now have calmness. Whatever happens....I will deal with it and get through it. It's not the end of the world...I am a good person, have my health, my family and friends. This ding in my life will be dealt with. It's not the end of the world.

I certainly have grown this past year. I remember a time that I would have held on to those negative emotions for days and have it hinder me. Affecting not only me, but the people around me. I truly can feel a difference within myself. Now I can remove negativity faster and talk my inner self out of self doubt, replacing it with a positive attitude.

How do you deal with stress and any negativity that creeps in?

Do You Dress According to Your Mood?

It never occurred to me until today that I am a mood dresser. Are you? Do you dress, wearing colors that match your mood?

I have to admit to wearing black and white a lot. I just like the way the colors look together, but I realize that I really pick colors depending on my mood.

Today feeling content and happy, I chose blue. It happens to be my favorite color, but wearing blue does make me feel calm and peaceful. Like my old, worn out favorite pair of jeans, the easy feeling I get looking at the sky, or the serene feeling of Caribbean blue waters. ahhhhh....

If I have a meeting to attend, I feel more confidant and secure wearing black or gray pants with maybe a white or red top. I know if I want the meeting to go well, I have to feel comfortable. It's not the time to wear a new outfit or one I'm not so sure about.

How many of us have that one outfit we feel the best in? The one we wear out when we know we look good?
I know I do...

Here's some color decoders...

1.) Wearing Blue - Serenity and Calm
2.) Wearing Gray or Black - Invisibility and Blending In
3.) Wearing Green - Nurturing and Earthy
4.) Wearing Orange - Energetic and Creative
5.) Wearing Pink - Open Heart and conveys compassion
6.) Wearing Purple - Unique and Special, you want to be noticed
7.) Wearing Red - Powerful and Confident
8.) Wearing White - Fresh Outlook - New Beginnings
9.) Wearing Yellow - Cheerful and Happy

How To Look Good Naked

Has anyone watched the new show on Lifetime TV, ‘How to Look Good Naked’? Ladies, if you are able to view Lifetime TV in your area, I suggest watching this show.

I was impressed with how Carson (the host) gives women confidence, overcome insecurities and allows a woman to see the distorted perceptions we have of our own body.

Carson has one women (the make over woman) go through 5 steps.

Step one: The dreaded full length, tri mirror. She’s dressed in only undergarments. UGH! We all hate the mirrors, but in this process, Carson gives you a reality check. We may not be perfect, but we are beautiful. We have to love what we have and who we are.

He then shows a huge picture of this make over woman, plastered on the side of a building wall, on a busy main street. Asking the people passing by how this woman looks. All comments were complimentary…nice arms, legs, breasts…etc….However, even after hearing these comments, this woman still insisted she was ‘fat’, still only saw the imperfections. She didn’t accept compliments very well.

He also had 5 woman dressed in undergarments in a line up. Their size ranged from small to large. He asked the make over woman to place herself between the two women she felt she matched closer in hip/size dimensions. She placed herself at the end between the two woman considered larger. It turned out; she was actually sized after the first woman in the line…much smaller. Our perceptions really do play an important role in how we view ourselves.

Step Two: The procedure in picking the correct undergarments. I was amazed the difference in appearance this can make. The stat revealed that 95% of women are not wearing the correct undergarment. Wow…

Step Three: Correctly picking the appropriate clothing to accent what we have. How this can show confidence is an eye opener! There were 3 pictures of 3 women wearing 3 different styles of clothing from the neck down. He asked his “make over girl” to look at the pictures and describe each woman. She was asked based on the clothing, which woman weighed less to more. The make over woman has decided the one in this black dress looked confidant and weighed less than the other 2 women in the pictures. Well, In the end, it is revealed to you that the 3 pictures are all of the same woman. This floored me the most.

Carson then takes his makeover woman on a shopping spree. As she is being dressed in the appropriate clothes, you can actually see this woman’s attitude change; she held her head higher, smiled more, held her posture more erect. The tips you hear are something we all can learn from.

Step Four: The make over woman gets just that. New hair style which does make a difference, she is pampered and she feels beautiful. How many of us forget or make the time to pamper ourselves. Ladies: I know I will now set time aside for ME and pamper myself. It really does make you feel better.

Step Five: After all these steps, Carson had this woman pose naked. This woman was a changed woman. Confidence, self assured, beautiful, loved herself and everything she has. No more perceptions. It was wonderful! Seeing her in those pictures, one might think that wasn’t the same woman at the beginning of the show. Carson again plastered a huge picture of the woman (now naked) on the side of the building. She was hearing comments like…she’s hot.

I hope more woman watch this show. I commend Lifetime for having another show directly geared toward helping woman love themselves, imperfections and all.

Even though this make over woman had experienced help by Carson, it allows you to see each step. You can take the information, tips and examples to widen your eyes to how you perceive yourself, how to gain confidence and how to love yourself.

Great show and looking forward to Friday to learn and see more.

Do You Possess the 8 Qualities?

Yesterday while channel surfing, I came across the Suze Orman show. Do you know who she is? If not, a brief summary: She is known to be a best selling author, magazine and online columnist, writer/producer, and motivational speaker,and recognized as an expert on personal finance.

Her show was geared toward women and introduced the "8 qualities of a wealthy woman". Her message was that to control your destiny it requires reconditioning from the inside.

After reading the 8 qualities, let me know what you think. Fluff or common sense advice?

Quality 1 and 2: Harmony and Balance
Harmony is an agreement in feeling, approach, and sympathy between what you think, feel, say, and do.
Balance is a state of emotional and stability in which you are able to make sound decisions and judgments.

How many times do we think one thing... say another... feel something else...and act in a way that has nothing to do with what we just thought, said, or felt? If our thoughts, feelings, words, and actions are not in harmony, it is an imbalance

Quality 3: Courage
Courage is the ability to face fear. Fear of any situation. In some way you must find the courage to overcome your fear and not let this emotion rule you. Courage to correct imbalance in your life.

Quality 4: Generosity
Generosity is when you give the right thing to the right person at the right time -- and it benefits both of you.
Ms. Orman wants women to realize that we give too easily with our time, support, love and money. If we are giving for the wrong reasons, then it is not true generosity.

Are we giving because we think we should, to be liked, giving out of guilt etc...

Quality 5: Happiness
Defined as a state of well being and contentment. If you find the 'courage' to live your life in 'harmony' and 'balance' and practice true 'generosity'...happiness appears. When happy, we are more optimistic, seeing possibilities. Happiness should be the goal we should strive for in all aspects of our life.

Quality 6: Wisdom
Is the knowledge and experience necessary to make decisions and judgments. Wisdom taps into the core of one's beliefs and has the courage to correct her life if out of balance, knowing to do what is right rather than what is easy. A wise woman knows the true meaning of generosity, knows that happiness is the true reward in life when lived in harmony

Quality 7: Cleanliness
Is about respecting order and organization. Remove the clutter from your life

Quality 8: Beauty
You have beauty when you have the other 7 qualities in your life. She isn't talking about beauty on the outside, but the beauty within each of us.
When you have all these qualities together, you will become a confidant woman. When you are confident, you feel secure... when you feel secure, you have no fear... when you have no fear, you have the courage to say what you think and feel. When you are calm, you make wise decisions with your money, which then allows you to be truly generous to others as well as yourself, which, in turn, makes you a happy, powerful, and beautiful woman.

Do you think all of these qualities together could help you arrive at the goal of being a woman in control of her destiny?

I do think these qualities are what we need to have in all aspects of our life, not just in regard to finances, but everyday living. I suppose they are difficult sometimes to achieve, but if we keep practicing, we will eventually grasp the concept and the goals we are striving for.

Receiving Special Gifts

My friend and inspiration, Zubli has presented me with two awards. I feel overwhelmed at his thoughtfullness and constant wind beneath my wings.

As Thanksgiving passes, I continue to be thankful for him and so many others that have believed in me and encouraged me through their friendship, comments and help that I have become addicted to writing on my blog and try to do my best.

I guess I should have listened to my teacher back in high school who told me that I should pursue writing and one day will enjoy it. Who would of thought that many, many years later, I would be doing just that. Writing not only one blog, but two.


Wow! This is a such a nice award. I salute Mark the initiator of this Be The Blog award badge.

According to Mark:

"This badge is for bloggers who make their blog their own, stay with it, interact with their readers, and have fun!"

That desription is very fitting for I do try to have fun while presenting some useful information and share my thoughts and ideas.

The other award Zubli presented to me is called 'Winning attitude'



The acknowledment of a Winning Attitude makes this award the best yet. Through my lifes journey of ups and downs, I have continued to (try) and keep a positive attitude. It takes work sometimes, but it is so worth it. I have made up my mind to be happy and optimistic.

The creator of this award, Mel from Attitude, The ultimate Power states "this award is based on positive thinking and is meant for those blogs who base their existence, in part or in whole, on Positive Winning Attitudes".

I have tried to pass along my positive attitude by way of my posts here and when my readers leave comments thanking me for the inspiration, for the ways I have touched them, I can't begin to tell you how surreal that is for me. That I, ME can make a difference by sharing a positive attitude.

Mel dedicates his entire blog to the development of one's attitude. I was immediately drawn to him and his blog for that very reason. The same holds true with Zubli and his dedication to bring happiness and share his winning attitude towards helping others.
Both Mel and Zubli possess a giving nature that you don't find too often and am very grateful that I met them through blogging.

I'm Loving Myself

Many posts on this blog refer to females and how wonderful it is to be a woman.

I have mentioned self-esteem, the many ways we, as women are successful in both our personal and/or business life. I have spoken about our strength, our confidence, how we should and can stand on our own two feet by being educated, plus an array of other topics.

I just stumbled upon a site that promotes woman. Females can now make an expressive statement about who you love... "I'm Loving Myself" ... isn't that a wonderful statement? I love it!

Well, now you can make a statement by wearing your expression of loving yourself. Are you a successful business woman, recently graduated school, or simply loving yourself for who you are or goals you have accomplished?

Wear your own tee designed by Doheny Designs. This is a great way to remind yourself each time you put this shirt on.

More woman should love themselves.For the goals we accomplish, for the way we care and nurture others. I'm Loving myself is a great thing to tell yourself each and every day. Be accepting of who we are. No one is perfect and we all need to accept ourselves, flaws and all.

Show it to the world for all to see...Feel the pride of being a woman and all that we have to offer.

My friend who had second thoughts about going back to school, recently graduated and I now know exactly what I'm getting her for Christmas. A "I'm loving myself" tee especially for her because she should be so proud of herself and loving herself for her achievment.


Brought to you by Doheny Designs

Attitude is Everything

There once was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror and noticed she had only three hairs on her head.

Well," she said, "I think I'll braid my hair today?"

So she did and she had a wonderful day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw that she had only two hairs on her head.

"H-M-M," she said, "I think I'll part my hair down the middle today?"

So she did and she had a grand day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that she had only one hair on her head.

"Well," she said, "today I'm going to wear my hair in a pony tail."

So she did and she had a fun, fun day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn't a single hair on her head.

"YEA!" she exclaimed, "I don't have to fix my hair today!"

Attitude is everything.

Be kinder than necessary,for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

Live simply,
Love generously,
Care deeply,
Speak kindly......
Leave the rest to God
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...
It's about learning to dance in the rain.