Success

*Note…I wrote this months ago, but just had to re-post…it’s just too good.

We all want it (I know I do).

We dream about it, fantisize over it and hope for it, but many of us never attain it; at least not to the extent that we wish for. Since I’m among those desiring it, I must ask myself why I have not reached the penacle of success. Is success only reserved for a select few? Of couse not!

 

We ALL have the potential for greatness. We’re probably much greater than we recognize. I’m sure our closest friends and family think so already. They look at us as inspiring, dependable, creative, strong, funny, clever, stylish and just downright cool. Where we run into a snag is when we don’t think of ourselves in this magnificent way.

 

So maybe you don’t receive such accolades each day (or month or year for that matter); but if you did, would you ‘believe’ them? How many times have you times have you shot down a compliment, trying to be all “humble”? Please! It is time to take in all the positivity we can stand! If my son thinks I’m the best thing since sliced bread, then I am and then some!

 

That’s right folks, we have to think just a little more of ourselves each day. This will make us feel good and when we feel good, we become confident and with the confidence comes success.

 

So keep all of those “you’re the best” greeting cards and the “great job” emails and look at them everyday if necessary. Get pumped up about yourself again. Besides, there is nothing wrong with getting a big head except maybe you won’t be able to wear a turtleneck.

 

Until next time…be a little cocky, be extraordinary…be YOU!

I’m on WordPress Now….

…so now I’m on Word Press….please look for more of my musings there!!!!

 

http://inmynow.wordpress.com/

 

ciao,

Kelley

Poem of the Week

Forever we would be
Is what you promised me.
In love is where we’d be
throughout eternity.
To know your live is real,
It allows my soul to feel
intense passion surreal,
and yes, I love you still.

Channeling My Inner Tony Hawk

My son (age 7) is my role model. 

For the past few weeks he has been eating, sleeping and breathing all things skateboarding.  As a thirty-something mother of two boys, I struggle to relate to most things they do, but this is different.

You see, it isn’t the skateboarding itself that has my attention – it’s Sean.  I have never seen him so passionate and dedicated to any one thing.  Every few minutes it’s, "Mommy, can I go into the garage and practice" or "Mommy, can you take me to the skateboarding park?" and "Mommy, watch me do this trick!"  He is absolutely into it and it’s great!

Not only am I extremely proud of him (and his brother of course), but I am inspired by him.  His enthusiasm makes me want to try harder as a parent and as a person.  He got me to thinking about my own personal dreams and aspirations.  At what point, did I think they were no longer important?  It’s like I stopped trying and just settled into complacency.

We all have extraordinary lifelong "goals" that we passively try to reach and yet wonder why we come up short.  It’s like we give up right before our miracles happen, but kids…kids are different.  They know better.  They know that if whatever it is is important to them and they keep after it, eventually they’re dreams will come true.   They keep this resolve until some big, bad adult comes along and squashes their dreams.

I think I’ll take a good, hard look at my own dreams and stop squashing them myself.

Until next  time…keep dreaming, be extraordinary…be YOU!

Someone Else’s Life

All I could say to myself was, "how did I end up in this place?" 

I had the mental ‘flu’.  There were many thoughts in my head all going on at the same time but none of them made sense.  I was in mental chaos and I wanted out; sometimes I wanted death but I was too weak to kill myself.  I felt so alone, so disliked, unloved, under-appreciated but mostly, unable. 

It was really bad.  I didn’t sleep – ever.  I was paranoid, I was anxious, I was sad, I was lost.  I hated that the people around me laughed and enjoyed their lives while I was dying inside.  I couldn’t bear it, it was ugly, it was malicious and it was inside of me.

My psycho therapist said that I suffered from severe depression and anxiety disorder, but I knew better.  I suffered from a broken heart.  I just wanted love; not that superficial shit that people dish out.  I wanted the real thing and all he gave me was Paxil.  Yeah, pop a few of these…you’ll be alright.  I wasn’t; I was crazier than ever. What I wanted was so simple:

I wanted that mother who would tell me, "baby, come lay your head on my shoulder, pour your heart out to me."
I wanted that friend who would tell me, "girl, you are strong, you don’t need them and we will get through this."
I wanted that spiritual guide who would tell me, "dear one, your faith is great and you are highly favored, God will care for you."

I didn’t get that.  I got a bunch of no’s and not now’s and a few awkward silences.  There would be those who would say, "just pray to Jehovah, he’ll get you through it" and that was it. 

No girlfriends to sit with me and rub my head as I sobbed. 
No husband to hold me at night to show his undying support, though he didn’t know what to do.
No mother to go to therapy with me to sort out this mess in my soul.

There was just me and you know what?  I was ENOUGH.  I always had been enough but I had forgotten. 

There was a time when there were no angry voices in my head and melancholy was unfamiliar to me.  I was whole and I was special, but I lost all of that from the first time that my mother looked down on me as if I were nothing, as if I didn’t matter and that’s when the deconstruction of ME began. 

I slowly unraveled over the years to the point of nothingness and the only person who could help me was me (as it should have been).  I came into this world alone and I decided what paths I would walk and guess what?  I am still here.

I didn’t leave this world as a damaged, broken spirit.  I regained the spirit with which I entered into this magnificent place.  It is with that spirit that I say to those suffering from depression:  you can become you again.  You have to find your inner peace.  Don’t go looking out there.  It can be disappointing – look inside. 

What do you truly, deeply believe about yourself?  You are not damaged…at your core, you are pure, positive energy.  Don’t let those people tell you any different.

Get really quiet and listen to your inner voice (not the angry one)…the one that tells you about love and about joy.  It knows what you need and it will help to stop you from living someone else’s life and will lead to your own.  Don’t give up…you are already enough!

Until next time…may you be at peace; I wish enough!

Life Motto

Just the other day I was listening to a podcast about creating a life motto.  The speaker suggested that having one would help you remain focused on what’s important in your own life.  So for a couple of days I’ve been thinking about what I’d like my motto to be.

I select all of the common ones like…"no regrets"…"just do it"…"live life to the fullest" and so on.   But I’m not going to.  Here’s the thing, I am pretty much vanilla.  I do most things intelligently, carefully and cautiously, which have gotten me some places, but not many.  You see, I have this magnificent creative side of myself that rarely gets to be seen.  My reserved personality has sheltered that side of myself.  At my core, I am a dreamer.  Really, I am.  I don’t paint or sculpt, I don’t run marathons or jump out of planes, but I do enjoy self-expression – which is why I am writing this blog now.  Today, I will step outside of myself.

So…my brand new life motto is:  *drum roll*  BE DARING, BE COURAGEOUS, BE EXTRAORDINARY!  Yep, I’m gonna take some risks and I might as well start today!

Now, my question to you is…what is your life motto?

Until next time…be daring, be extraordinary…be YOU!

When You Know You’re a Slacker!

Yes, I admit it.  I’ve been lazy.  I want all of these things to happen in my life, but I have not really applied myself toward those goals.  I keep making excuse after excuse and sometimes my friends and family jump in, "you need to relax"…."do it later"…"you’re doing too much"…what?  How am I going to get there from here if I’m not willing to actively work on it?

I tell you what, it ain’t gonna happen!  I’ve got to get on it!  Successful people aren’t sitting around watching ANTM and playing video games all day!  They’re getting it done!

Until next time…be a go-getter, be extraordinary…be YOU!.

Living on the Sidelines

…is no fun.  As I sit here thinking about the paper I have to write for school (two days late), my mind keeps wandering.  I keep logging onto Facebook to see all the wonderful people that I grew up with and where they’ve been and where they’re headed; and while I’m proud and have this overwhelming feeling of admiration – I’m jealous.  I feel left behind.  I know I get this life to do my thing, but I’m doing NOthing.  I have finished none of my goals…so much time wasted.

I’m overweight, I’m broke, I’m embarrassed and now, I’m crying.  I want to live, I want to travel….I want to stop wanting.  How do I get there from here?  How?  Yes, I have determination, yes, I have intelligence, yes, I have the will…but do I have the heart?  Not sure.

There a million things I want to do and none of them include sitting here on my ass.  Gotta live…gotta live now.  When I’m 80 I don’t to look back with regret.  Really, when I’m 35, I don’t want to look back with regret!

Until next time…be courageous, be extraordinary…be YOU!

Lack Mentality

"I never have any money"
"This is too hard"
"I’ll never lose weight"
"I hate my job"
"I can never get ahead"

Sound familiar?  I have made these statements more that I care to admit (I probably made at least two of them just yesterday).  But what am I accomplishing when I say or think such things?  I fortify their truth.  You know, thoughts become things?  Each time we state so-called reality, we are making it more so and do I really want more lack of money or more weight to lose?  Of course not.

I recall having a brief discussion with a woman about the law of attraction and she kept saying, "yes, but what about reality…we live in the real world." That one always stumps me, but I’ve got it now.  Yes, right now there are "real" things happening that I don’t like and don’t want, BUT my thoughts before now got me to this place.  My previous musings and observations and beliefs brought me to this "reality" – all of my prior thoughts have manifested into my NOW.  So if my now is not as I wish it to be, then I must change my current thoughts, sayings and beliefs into things that I wish to manifest in the near future.

So, how about I say:

"I make more money now  than I ever have before and I know that more prosperity is on the way"
"This challenge is allowing me to get to know my own strength"
"It is fun to attract a thin body and I have many resources to support it"
"I am grateful to be working at a time when others have been laid off"
"There are opportunities for growth all around me and I always take notice of those that will get me to the next level"

I’m feeling better already.  Now that I have the positive self-talk, what follow up actions seem logical?  This is where the real work begins, but it’s completely possible.  Consistent repetition is the key.  Continually thinking and saying the desired things and then following up with the action that seems most natural to getting them.  We can do this!  Let’s get to it!

Until next time…be persistent, be extraordinary…be YOU!

Miracles

I was going to write this blog several days ago; in fact, the rough draft is still on my Blackberry, but for some reason I didn’t finish it until now.

You see, I received an email about the law of attraction (which is nothing unusual) and normally I glance over them to get the main points.  But on this particular day, the author said to "expect miracles" and that statement drew me in.  I’ve seen this saying before and it never really the caught my attention the way that it did on that particular day…and still I didn’t give it a second thought.  Really, I didn’t give it any resistance.  I didn’t doubt that the statement was true.  I simply accepted that miracles do really happen.

By now you’re wondering if I’ll ever get to the point.  Well, my point is:  a miracle happened to me today.  Yes today, after 20 years, my father found me on Facebook.  That’s right…on Facebook.  Wow!  I’m still in shock, but I’m ecstatic.  I’ve loved him for so many years without knowing if he was dead or alive.  I’ve loved him as if we’ve spoken everyday.  I’ve loved him as if I were still 9 years old celebrating another birthday at the ice cream parlor in Detroit (Farrell’s?).  I’ve loved him, I’ve loved him, I’ve loved him and I still do.

I’m so happy that he’s back in my life.  This is a glorious day.  Who haven’t you reached out to in a while?  Maybe you should pick up the phone, there could be a miracle waiting.

Until next time…be loving, be extraordinary….be YOU!