Good Morning Sunshines! “Everybody wants happiness. Nobody wants pain. But you can’t have a rainbow without the rain.” I read this once and remember it every now and again when it’s raining, like today. I think back on my life and some of the most painful things I ever went through and how, afterward, I was able to appreciate life just a little more. We rarely ever think about what positive will come from an event when we are going through something like a cancer or the loss of a loved one.
I am a breast cancer survivor and so thankful every day. I wasn’t always like that. I remember the day my thinking shifted. I was 29 about to turn 30 in a few days when I was told that I would have surgery a few weeks later. I called my best friends and they came and rallied around me. Saying all the things they are supposed to say, “You’ll be ok”, “We are here for you”, “We are praying for you”, “We love you.” I was so glad they were there. For my 30th birthday we got a hotel room at the beach (my happy place) and spent the weekend together talking about all the shenanigans we got into as teenagers and looking at old pictures and reading some of the notes we had that we passed to each other in the hall ways. The morning of my 30th I woke up early and one of my besties and I slipped out of the room to go watch the sun rise. We sat on the bench holding hands not saying a word. I remember praying and just wanting everything to be ok, when I felt a peace come over me that I will never be able to explain. It was at that moment I knew I must speak life into myself. No more negative “What If” stuff but “I will be ok”. I remembered looking at my friend and telling her, “Everything really will be ok.” She agreed with me but I don’t know that she fully understood what I meant at that moment. As the months followed, if anyone would say anything negative around me, I would shut them down, and that’s when she found out exactly what I meant. I am about to go on 16 years cancer free in a few months and that moment of rain changed my life. I still had bad moments, but how I chose to handle them were all different from the past. Even the darkest day I would try my best to find good. I want to ask you, if you are going through some rain right now, try and Find The Good In Your Life.
Good Morning Sunshines! “Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.”~ Henry Ford. “You build on failure. You use it as a stepping stone. Close the door on the past. You don’t try to forget the mistakes, but you don’t dwell on it. You don’t let it have any of your time, or any of your space.” ~ Johnny Cash. “I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.” ~ Michael Jordan. “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” ~ Thomas Edison. These are some of my favorite quotes about failing.
Good Morning Sunshines! A positive mind finds opportunity in everything, while a negative mind finds fault in everything. Do you have those people in your life who like to poke holes in your excitement? They find fault and tell you why something won’t work when you are really excited about something? These people, the “Dream Stealers”, make me sad. Mostly because they once had a dream and they allowed someone to steal their dream. Most of the time I stay away from these people. However, when I need them most in my life is when I need to sell something. What do I mean by that? If I have a new business idea or just a pitch I need to make and I need to make sure I can sell this idea to the bank, a corporation, or just pitching a new idea to my hubby, I call on these people. I have my whole idea laid out including the comebacks I think they may come with. I am ready for them to find fault so that I can make my pitch to people who will hopefully be excited about my next idea. Sometimes we need the hard sell.
Good Morning Sunshines! It’s Saturday! I was lazy this morning and stayed in bed watching the sunrise above the mountains not wanting to get up, but thinking about my “To Do” list. Next week I am throwing my daughter a bridal shower, and in a few weeks she will be getting married. It’s funny how happy occasions can cause stress. I’ve always enjoyed throwing parties and having people over for dinner but it used to stress me out. I had to take a step back and think about what is causing the stress? Is it not having everything planned out? The people who didn’t RSVP? Will I have enough food? Then I realized it was me, I was stressing me out because I wanted everything perfect. LOL!!!! It’ll never happen. Seriously, every year I throw a big Christmas party and right before people are due to arrive something happens. One year my kitchen flooded and we had just finished cleaning up the floor and throwing the towels in the washing machine when the first guest arrived. We laughed, opened the door and went on with the party. No one had any idea what had happened. We ended up sharing later with some that stayed late and they said they would have never known, and if it was them, they would have put a sign on the front door saying “Party Canceled”.
Good Morning! Growing up I remember my mom and dad would tell me to watch out for who I was hanging out with. Onlookers would assume I was like them even if I wasn’t. I was lucky to make amazing friends at 12 and keep them for over 30 years. However, as I had kids, I would tell them the same thing. It wasn’t until I was an adult and going into business that I understood why hanging around the right people mattered. Though I still have these life long friends, I got married, had kids before they did, and moved away. My circle of influence changed as my career and goals changed. Just a few months ago my family and I were sitting at a table with people I never thought I would be in the same room with. My son-in-law tweeted that evening that his life was so weird from where he thought he would be. If he only knew I was feeling the same way. The conversations for these multi millionaires wasn’t just about cars and houses it was about “The Why”. Why they do what they do and who they were looking to help in the new year and how they could help others do the same. My dreams and goals were expanded that night. As I sat at the table I realized that I would never have had this conversation with my best friends. Not because we didn’t want to help others, but because our lives had gone in different directions and these goals were not theirs. My husband stretches me every day with his vision and what he/we will do next. One of my favorite quotes is by Mark Twain, “Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that,but the really great make you feel that you too can become great. When you are seeking to bring big plans to fruition it is important with whom you regularly associate. Hang out with friends who are like-minded and who are also designing purpose filled lives. Similarly be that kind of friend for your friends. ”
Good Morning Sunshine! Today is January 3, 2018. How are you doing with all those goals you set for yourself? Did you miss the gym already and say, “Never mind”? Did you eat something you said you weren’t going to have? Did you not get up and read or write like you said you would? Guess what! It’s ok! Today will be that day that you do that thing you said you would. I don’t understand why we continue to beat ourselves up when we are given a new opportunity every moment of the day. Right here, right now, you can decide that things are going to be different. You will pack your gym clothes so you can go right after work. You will pack your lunch so you can eat healthy, and save money, bonus! You will bring that book and read during your break. Today is the day you stand up for yourself and no longer allow others to make you feel less than, because you are amazing. You don’t need a date or time to make a change. You just say “Right here, right now, things are going to be different.” Just like that, they can be. Don’t listen to those who tell you that you aren’t going to change. Those who would say, “That’s just who you are.” No one knows you like you. I believe in you.
I once read this story about a guy who was down to his last $6 dollars who had applied for a job as a stock boy. They offered him the job and told him they would email him the rest of the application. He let them know he did not have an email. They then informed him he was not eligible for the job. With the last six dollars he had, he went and bought some produce and turned around and sold it. He ended up doubling his money! Every day he did this, eventually becoming able to get a produce stand. This produce stand turned into a small store and eventually into a larger store. One day he called his insurance company looking for life insurance. They told him they would email over the information. He let them know he did not have an email. They said to him, “Do you know how much bigger you could be with an email? Do you know what you could be?” He laughed and said, “Yes, a stock boy.”
Find The Good In Your Life 