Aspire to Inspire

Do You Have a Note From Your Doctor?

I broke down and went to the doctor the other day because I had had enough of feeling like soggy cereal all day long.

Overall it was a decent experience - good customer service, short wait time - totally NOT what you would expect from a doctors office.  But, I digress, because that was not what I was going to write about (though I always make a learning experience out of ANY customer service I receive).

At the end of my visit, after my oh so fun shot in the toukis - the nurse asked me if I needed a note from the doctor.

WHAT?

I felt like I was back in high school.  It took me a while to recover from this shock and look at her without a totally uncomprehending look on my face.

No, really, for what felt like 5 minutes (but was really more like about 30 seconds), I had NO IDEA of what she was talking about.  I just could not digest the idea that a grown woman over the age of 18 (ok, over the age of 22 since some college professors might rightly demand one) would need a note from their doctor to prove they were really sick.

Seriously?

At first I was a bit offended - The nurse was not offensive, the question was.  

Then I just felt sad.  Sad at the fact that we must even need such a thing.  That there are 1. People who are not trustworthy enough to take off when they are actually sick and 2.  Employers who do not trust their employees enough that they have to require one (presumably because of #1).

And I was sad for the poor soul who has to say yes.

Chalk this one up to another reason I am glad to work for myself.  

No notes for this employer - a bed to sleep off the shot, yes, a note, no!

Are You Clear About Why?

I was reading Carrie Wilkerson's newsletter about why she does what she does.  

And it got me to thinking about my last few years and why I do what I do.

A while back, my husband was diagnosed with stroke-level high blood pressure (the level at which they bring you back day to day and put you in the hospital if it does not GO DOWN!).  

This situation, along with some other devastating occurrences that significantly contributed to his stress, sent me to my knees in prayer.  

I began to see the truth – I saw the very real possibility of loosing my husband.  

I also was faced with the financial possibility of having to support myself and my son without my husband or the three of us with an incapacitated husband.  And I knew I absolutely couldn’t do it.

But truly what was worse than the immediate health need was waking up to the effects his very stressful job had had – it had been slow death of his spirit.  

And I realized without hope of changing our circumstances, which meant changing our choices, he had to resign himself to a job he had grown to hate and I would have to go back to a job that I had once loved, but knew I would grow to resent. 

Because we had both opened our eyes to the fact that working for someone else makes you dependent upon them and takes away your choices about when to work, when to take time off and how much you have the potential to earn.  

You can work very hard, but ultimately your future is in someone else’s hands. 

I could not go back to work for someone else.  I love to teach, but it was not going to give me the future we needed.

So, I decided to take what I was passionate about and create an income!

It has not been an easy road and I have not realized the full potential.  

I have not achieved all that I set out to do.  YET.

But THAT is the best part.  I have come to realize that there is never an end to what I want to do.  There is no "I have arrived."

Because I am in control, no one sets my last promotion level, my salary ceiling or top management level.

I determine how far and how fast.  And I am responsible for getting me there.

Scary?  Maybe, but I wouldn't have it any other way!

What is your Why?  Share with me! 

What a Year!

My kidlet has spent yet another night with his grandparents and I got up to peace and quiet this morning.

Actually, as nice as that is, I am going to be glad to have him back tonight.  Not that I mind, it is a fabulous thing to have a great relationship with your in-laws and live close enough for him to go over there often. And with this, I am highly blessed.

I was also blessed to have some quiet time this morning, just me, my coffee and my Bible (and my yellow labrador with her head in my lap - she was in heaven too).

And as I read Psalm 18, I got to thinking about my past year - 2008.  It has been one of the best years because it was one of the worst - hmmm, sound a bit like C. Dickens "It was the worst of times, It was the best of times....."  May sound completely ridiculous, but I think it is all a matter of perspective.

Starting in Nov 2007, I went on the worst downhill slide I have ever been on and hit rock bottom in April of 2008.  I may talk more about the actual journey sometime, because it is amazing what I learned going through the medical system that changed my perspective forever when dealing with any health issue.  And if I can help someone with that information, it would be an honor and privilege.

But that is a dissertation and not what I wanted to dwell on this morning.  Now, having come to the other side of this issue - I wanted to dwell on my thankfulness!  

God was with me through that dessert and the transformation that has taken place in my attitude, my ability to deal with difficulty and learn from it and my desire to live a life that matters is the gift He gave me for taking His hand and focusing on Him instead of the heartache and pain.

It is all a matter of perspective.  I could have focused on the complete lack of "fairness", the inability to change what was happening or the fact that my body felt like it was being ripped apart from pain (can you tell excrutiating pain was involved)  OR  I could focus on the One who mattered.

God "heard me from His sanctuary; my cry reached His ears" (Ps 18:6).  This time last year I was at a point at which I could only be on my knees and the only words I had were "I know You are faithful".  And as the Psalm says "THEN, the earth quaked and trembled; the foundations of the mountains shook; they quaked because of His anger.......... He reached down from heaven and rescued me; He drew me out of deep waters.  He delivered me from powerful enemies, from those who hated me and were too strong for me..." (Ps 18:7-17).

God heard my cry and began His plan to rescue me.  I have heard it said that if only we could see the unseen war that goes on when we pray, we would pray more often.  The plan was laid out and was tough, but I had to walk it.  I just didn't have to walk alone.

And this reminded me that over 2000 years ago, God heard another cry from His sanctuary - the cry of humanity to rescue it from destruction.  And thus His Plan of Salvation was born and the most perfect plan ever put into place was begun.

Tomorrow, we celebrate Christmas.  And most of the world gives but a nod to the reason we celebrate.  (Yes, I do know it started as a pagan holiday and I know that we should celebrate His birth all year AND that it is too commercial- I am not going to debate all that).  But, it is good to make a specific effort to think about what this season means and why we celebrate at all.

I, for one, have a lot to celebrate!

Rocking Chair Test

Take the Rocking Chair Test:

Answer this. When you are 80 years old and sitting on your rocking chair, reflecting about your life;

- What will you be most satisfied with?
- What will you want to have accomplished?
- What will you have wanted your kids to learn?
- What will you most regret NOT doing?

This little self-inventory is a good thing every once in a while, because it allows us to see what is important to us and what might need changing.

When you truly reflect and answer these questions, you can see what is really valuable to you. Then you are able to assess what is a barrier to attaining those goals.

Do you know where you are going? If not, stop and figure that out. See where you want to be and the road will be easier to map. Because you can then evaluate every action according to whether it gets you closer to the goal you have in view.

If you know where you are going, do you have a plan? This is not hoping it will work, but having specific actions that will lead you to your goal.

Do you advance that plan every day, by doing something concrete? Because it is bad enough to not have a plan, but it is worse to know what needs to be done and then not do it.

Here's to Rocking Reflections leading to Inspired Plans!

Motivation-Shmotivation

I went dancing again today!

Whew those kids wear me out. Not really, I love it and I barely break a sweat!

I cannot believe how far along they are coming - I am working on posting pictures and video!

I had an idea today that I cannot believe took me this long to think of and I am so excited. I am going to collect small, token gifts to use as motivational incentives for these fabulous dancers (and the not so fabulous).

This program is all about mentoring and, unfortunately, the kids are not always so receptive. You gotta be a little sneaky when you are mentoring and teaching at the same time! They tend to think ballroom dancing is a little dorky - but thank goodness for "Dancing With the Stars"! The act like they think that, but I know they don't really! ;)

So, I plan on offering these token gifts as incentives to stay focused and keep learning! I'll bet we will be surprised at what an ice cream sandwich will be worth to them.

And, I need some categories. I can figure out things like, most improved, most attentive, least stumbling, always on the right foot.....

But what else? Can you think of some ways to recognize even the students who have two left feet? If so, leave a comment and let me know!

All this reward talk got me to thinking. Everyone needs a little motivation!

What do you do to motivate yourself? Do you reward yourself when you reach even the small goals? Do you do a happy dance when you cross the last to-do off your list. Do you offer yourself a popsicle when you call the last customer on your list?

Our to-do list needs to have something happy to close it out! If you are not rewarding yourself when you reach a small goal, why would you want to reach it???

We cannot wait for just the big stuff. We will be far more motivated if there is a donut (or less fattening object) at the end of the short stick!

Now, be Inspired and Motivated. And do a Happy Dance for me!

Your Words are Building Blocks

"You can't build a reputation on what you are going to do" so sayeth Henry Ford

I do understand what he is saying, but I have to respectfully disagree.

You CAN build a reputation around saying "I am going to ...........", and then dropping that goal in favor of another and then dropping that goal in favor of another.

You CAN build a reputation that says "I am someone that never gets around to it!"

But is that the reputation you want?

Don't we all know people like that? People who always come up with great ideas and who, if they would follow through, would be fabulously successful. People who promise to get things done and never come through. People who lead with excuses about why they cannot do what they want to do.

Am I that person? This quote has made me analyze what I say I am going to do. What kind of reputation do I want to have? One that is built only on what I say I am going to do - and then do not accomplish? Or one that is built on what I have actually done?

I mean no disrespect to Mr. Ford, but what I think he meant was "You cannot build a (good) reputation on what you are going to do." But you sure can build a bad one!

To Take Action, You Must Get Off the Floor

I am the co-director of a fabulous program called Step UP Ballroom (www.stepUPballroom.com).  It is a program that brings mentoring in the form of ballroom dancing to 5th grade students in our local schools.

We have begun our fall program and I am having the best time interacting with these wonderful kids while they (and I) learn some moves.

As I was at one of our schools yesterday, I spent my time with the boys and we learned the basic elements to ballroom dancing and began learning the waltz.  I love kidding around with the boys and asking them to show me how to do what they have learned and generally getting to know them.  They are a hoot - give them some attention and they want to talk your ear off!  Not to mention show off!!

Well, the beginning of the program is very basic.  We walk forward, we walk backward.  We step to the left and bring our feet together, we step to the right and bring our feet together. 

And the boys soon begin to complain that this is boring - nevermind that they cannot walk without tripping over themselves and their version of step-together, step-together looks more like Frankenstein than Fred Astaire.

Welcome to life, boys.

You gotta learn the basics before you get to the good stuff.

It occured to me that it is the same with our businesses.  We must learn the basics. They must be mastered or we will trip over our own two feet.  And then we will become frustrated - and mislabel it as boredom.  Then we are off to find something else to fulfill our dreams.

Know what the basics of your particular business are and then work to become good at them.

NO, better yet, MASTER them.  Become so good, in fact, that someone could drag you out of bed at 3 a.m. and in your comatose stupor you could perform at top level.

Now, Have an Inspired Day!

Who Needs a Stinky Sponge?

I have to admit, the idea of blogging, twitting, oops, I meet twittering. tweeting, digging, stumbling...... etc., all seemed so, well, useless.

I read Liz Strauss' post about "What Possible Benefit Could Anyone Possibly Get From a Blog?" (see my blog link at the right) and really identified with the audience she is describing! Mention the word blogging and my eyes began glassing over. I saw the internet as a tool to gather information FOR ME! I never looked at it as a tool to give information. I was just busy getting, soaking, gathering and gleaning!

Well, all that information going IN is like a sponge that just sits in water. It soaks it up and eventually begins to mildew.

Whew, I was beginning to be a stinky sponge.

Now, I don't have aspirations of becoming a world-wide known blogger, or an in demand speaker for sold-out conventions. But, the information needed to come out and I just wanted a way to share what I have learned.

Bingo, self! What a brilliant idea - use the internet. Document what you are doing. Forge a path. And, of course leave giant chocolate cookie crumbs for others to follow along the way, should they so choose.

My first goal: I set the goal of writing and submitting at least one article. So, what did I do?

First Step was to I research some free sights to submit articles (take a look at my Resource page for sites).
- I looked at the articles under the topics I would be interested in and read the most frequently read
articles. I read several of the same authors articles.
- I made note of what titles interested me and made me click on them.
- I read the guidelines for submitting articles to each of the sites.

Second Step was to determine what I am going to write. I have the goal of inspiring others to take action, so I want to write articles along that line.
- I brainstormed on the reasons (or more appropriately excuses) we have for not taking action
- I came up with 3 ideas for article topics
- I wrote bullet points the first one
- I wrote for 20 min straight without editing, rereading or changing anything.
- I then edited and looked at the word count
- I repeated the above 3 steps for the remaining 2 topics.

Doing this, I was able to get 3 articles written in less than 2 hours (well, research took a little longer, but I still have ideas for even more articles). These were not dissertations for my master's degree. Just little, content-rich, blurbs really! So fun. I really can do this.

Now, I am going to submit them. Stay tuned. Hopefully it will be a totally undisastrous, un-"story-worthy" event. But with great results!!

You know, to get water out of that sponge, you have to squeeze. And a lot of us are scared of pain.

But, I am here to report - the squeeze really felt more like a massage. And I felt excellent when it was over with!

Let me Inspire YOU! Tell me how I can in my 3 question survey: Inspire Me, Please!

What Crumbs Are You Leaving On Your Trail?

QUOTE to think about:
I will not follow where the path may lead, but I will go where there is no path, and I will leave a trail.
(Muriel Strode)

What kind of trail are you leaving? What kind of trail am I leaving?

I have been watching the trails other people leave.

Some are inspiring. Some are fun. Some give you a swift kick in the behind (great when it is much needed). Some give you ah-ha moments (Oh, I love those). Others teach you a much needed skill.

All of these are the ones that make you want to follow and see where they will lead. They leave breadcrumbs behind to make that possible (or even better giant cookie pieces!). They teach, inspire and challenge. They give of themselves without expecting in return. You want to follow because they make you feel as if it will be worth your while and they are glad to have you along!

This is the kind of trail I want to leave - let me know if my crumbs are just dust particles or if you are finding great chocolate cookie pieces as I go.

Now, go have an inspired evening!

What I like to call Bear Central

My son is a scream.  Yes, he does make me want to scream, but that is another issue (think two strong-willed individuals in a face off, but I digress).

He makes me laugh on a daily basis and for this I am so thankful.  He doesn't always like it that I laugh, but sometimes I can't help myself.  And yesterday was one of those days. I had tears!

Now, my husband warned me that this might not be funny to anyone else, especially since you cannot see the expression on his face.  But I also wanted to tell it because it made me think about my life!  And the story is funny!  But I won't be bothered if you don't think so.

He is 7 and has an amazingly vivid imagination and if you are egging him on, his stories get bigger and bigger and bigger.

Yesterday we were 2 kids out in the wilderness having to fend for ourselves - think Boxcar Children meet Grizzly Adams.  And he starts killing the bears for me and telling me about the wild animals that are surrounding us.  After killing the umpteenth wild animal, I told him that I was ready to go find me a hotel!

"Not so easy" he says in all seriousness.  "Because you have to go through a raging river with big dangerous rocks, cross a very long log that is slippery and then go through.....(serious pause, with his hand on my arm) what I like to call Bear Central."

I couldn't help it.  I tried, I swear, to be serious.  But it just got the best of me!  I laughed until I hurt.

Thankfully, he found it funny too.  And then we had to go through snake central, desert central, coyote central...............  All that to get to a hotel!

How did this relate to my life?  I have been paralyzed by what I thought was in front of me, by what other people told me would be the obstacles in my way!  I saw those obstacles as scary as I would if you told me bears were in my path.

Are you stuck somewhere because someone told you that you "really don't want to do that because.......... (it doesn't work, it takes too much work, people don't want to hear what you have to say, there are already too many of those, it takes too much money, it takes forever to make a profit etc., etc., etc.)"?  Or have you told yourself that the obstacle are much to scary?

Are you afraid you will have to go through Bear Central and you will be vulnerable?

Me too!  But what if you can get through Bear Central with the help of guide and you find on the other side it wasn't so bad?  My guide gave me all the weapons I needed - I guess ray guns would work on bears??!!??

The guides I needed for my business were people who had done what I wanted to do.  I went to these people to ask what I needed to do and I follow them closely.  And my weapons?  Not so complicated.  Education.  When you learn how to get through the bears, they are not so scary!

See you on the other side!