Archive for July, 2009

July 31st, 2009

One Week of Listening to Yourself

We get information overload everytime we switch on our computers. We’re logged on, Facebooked, Twittered, Myspaced, Stumbled Upon, etc. No wonder we can’t decide what to do with our lives, let alone decide what to do right now.

That’s the reason why I decided that for 1 week I would get quiet, centered and focus inward. There will always need to be something to do, something to stress about, someone who knows better than me telling me what I should do. But for just one whole week, I’m going to try and listen to myself.

This means whenever I have an instinct about something, no matter how tiny or quiet and seemingly insignificant, I am going to follow it. This experiment grew out of a desire to see if we really have the answers to all of our problems. You know the belief that the answer “lies within.” Well I’m going to try it.

What about you? Do you have problems like me listening to your inner voice, or are you a whiz at following your instincts?

My hope is that by listening to myself, I will get even closer to my dreams.

Here’s another tool for that as well. Oprah.com has a new application on their website that you can download for free. It’s the O Dream Board, a virtual vision board that allows you to upload pictures from your computer or their site to create the digital version of your dreams. I’ve already started using it and it’s been fun! I’ll let you know if it works.

odreamboard-debt-free

CategoryHow to, Inspirational Stories | CommentNo Comments »

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July 29th, 2009

Saying Yay to the Naysayers!

I just finished watching a very inspirational documentary on PBS aptly titled, “Following Dreams.” Part of what moved me was the fact that it followed 8 people of various ages and aspirations, on pursuit of their dreams. 

The thing is, taking the step to fulfill your dreams can bring out the worst in others. It’s kind of like that piece of hair that drives people nuts because they can’t get down. You want to stand out and that makes the ones that stay down with everyone else, uncomfortable. Like one woman from the program says, “When you believe in something, you can get a lot of negativity around you.”

That’s why it was comforting to see that I wasn’t the only one. That there is a band of dreamers like me who would like to scream, “Yes we can!” to those naysayers. And if you are reading this and in the same boat as me, know that you too are not alone. There are many of us searching, struggling, and doing everything we can to fulfill our dreams. Let’s support each other on the journey and remember to be positive and compassionate to those who are struggling too.

The road is not easy. It’s windy, bumpy, scary, unpredictable and there are no guarantees that you’ll come out alive. But on the other hand, if you take this road, you’ve got a great shot at happiness.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXeAIuyEks0&hl=en&fs=1&]

CategoryInspirational Stories | Comment4 Comments »

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July 28th, 2009

Follow the Beat of Your Own Drum

“Walk away from the 97% crowd. Don’t use their excuses. Take charge of your own life.” — Jim Rohn

I’ve never been one to follow the crowd. I remember being in elementary school arguing with my classmates that their crayon drawing of green grass was incorrect because it did not have the brown dirt under it. Anal, I know!

And while my need to follow the beat of my own drum still stays with me today, I now see how doing so can be beneficial in the long run. Great people are the ones that makes waves and are not always the ones who passively ride them. It made me think, maybe being stubborn has its advantages after all. 

In fact, whenever I decide to do something that makes people cringe and cry out, “Why are you doing that?” I kind of think I might be on the right track. I’m not saying of course that I like to be different just for the sake of rebelling. But there is something to be said about the road less travelled. If everyone is doing it, maybe you should ask yourself not why aren’t I doing it too but what else can I do?

If we spend our lives being like everyone else, walking in their shoes, we never get the chance to be the person we were meant to be. We may live a safe life. We may have the support of the majority. But we will always wonder what if. So the next time you are hesitant to stand out from the crowd, remember this. You not only have every right to follow the beat of your own drum but you were born to.

CategoryFreelance writing, Inspirational Stories, job | CommentNo Comments »

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July 27th, 2009

Overcome Fear With Faith and Doubt With Surrender

Fear, a common subject on 2inspired, is spreading like wildfire. Terreece Clarke, from Freelance Writing Gigs wrote about how it affects writing success. Life coach Jaqui Duvall said it was a common obstacle among dream chasers in Successful Dreamers. And now Dr. Oz? 

Oprah’s Radio Show host Dr. Oz interviewed Ariane de Bonvoisin, a change expert. In this short but powerful audio clip, he describes fear as “a change demon that prevents you from making change in your life.” Dr. Oz also says that “fear can be overcome by faith and doubt by surrender.”

Although this 8 min clip deals with change such as quitting smoking or losing weight rather than following your dreams, there is a common thread that unites the two. It is the challenge to get through all of our stuff to get to where we want to be. Ariane explains this as many things including acceptance and surrender of the unknown and having patience to get through the difficult times. This also applies to taking that big leap into living the life of our dreams. When doubt comes knocking, do we answer it with fear or with surrender? The way we answer may predict how likely we are to get to the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Want to learn more? Take a listen to this short audio and be inspired. 

 http://www.oprah.com/media/20090721-radio-dr-oz-change

CategoryInspirational Stories | Comment1 Comment »

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July 24th, 2009

Preventing Dream Burn Out

Dream chasing can be exhausting. For one, it’s like going after that unattainable pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The faster you run, the farther away it gets until it’s out of reach. The one big worry when you attempt to fulfill your dreams? You’ll run out of gas, right before you get to the end.

To prevent dream burn out, read these helpful remedies.

  1. Celebrate all of your victories, even the seemingly minor ones. A compliment? New blog viewers/customers? An email from a potential client? Take time to do a little, “Yay me!” whenever anything good happens to you. It’s so easy to keep pushing ahead but it’s important to treasure all the good things that are happening to you right now!
  2. Practice patience. If only we could all make our dreams come true with the snap of our fingers and the wave of a magic wand. But in reality, dreams take time to come to life. Remember that every thing comes in due time. Take a deep breath and reflect on what you want for your future and what you need now until then.
  3. Learn gratitude. A part of celebrating the good things is learning to appreciate them as well. It may be harder on some days than others to find something to be grateful for but learning gratitude is essential to your well-being now and in the future.
  4. Take a break. There will always be more ___ that needs to be done. Press pause when you need to and remember even the most successful people take breaks.
  5. Remember where you have been. When you remember what you have been through and all the challenges you have faced thus far, the road ahead seems less daunting. Recall the past mountains you have already climbed and charge ahead revitalized by the strength and courage of your past.

There will always be challenges in front of us, more projects to tackle and people to compete with who want the same things. The best thing we can do for our dreams? Invest in ourselves.

New York

CategoryInspirational Stories, Stories of Gratitude | Comment2 Comments »

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July 23rd, 2009

Birthday Break

Today I’m taking a birthday break. While I will enjoy my special day, click over to not2shabby to celebrate by winning a free gift, my treat.

Birthday Cake

CategoryUncategorized | Comment2 Comments »

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July 22nd, 2009

Facing the Music

One of the greatest challenges to success is facing ones fears. You’ll notice it’s a reoccurring theme in my blog and seen here in my previous interview with Life Coach Jaqui Duvall. The real question then, is why are we so scared of success?

On LiveStrong.com and in a post titled, “Handling Fear of Success,” licensed psychologist James J Messina talks to Jake Lawson about what those fears are and why they prevent us from success.  Some of the reasons such as the fear of not being good enough, fear of not being happy once we achieve our goals and fear of being recognized when we do well, sound all too familiar to me. When someone compliments my writing, for example, I’m always scrounging around for words of critique versus praise.

But why? Why do we do this to ourselves? Isn’t the goal in life to be happy, to succeed, to accomplish all of our dreams? When we play video games or board games, how often are we worried about these same fears? We seldom think that we don’t deserve to win. But in the game of life, why is that we take ourselves out of the race, even before the competition has really begun?

It may be those self-sabotaging beliefs that motivated our actions as children such as, “nobody likes a winner” or “it’s best not to stand out from the crowd.” It could also be a deep, underlying belief that we are somehow unworthy of success because who are we really?!

The solution? Although there’s no easy solution, there are hope and love. Hope allows you to believe that dreams are possible and love involves loving yourself enough to believe that you can. Not everyone can make it to the top, but I truly believe that everyone deserves the chance to get there.

At the top of the mountain

CategoryInspirational Stories, Life | CommentNo Comments »

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July 17th, 2009

Exciting News!

It’s hard to believe it’s been a week since I decided to go full-time as a freelancer! It’s been bliss!  There’s also a lot of exciting things that’s been happening. Starting this coming Monday check out a new feature to this blog and you’ll want to tune in next Thursday at not2shabby for sure!

CategoryUncategorized | Comment1 Comment »

July 16th, 2009

Harry Potter Made Me Believe

I was lucky enough to catch the latest Harry Potter late last night.  It was the best one yet!  Lots of actions, excitement, humor and even a few love stories added to the mix.  

The thing that really got me about this one was how scary it was.  I had to close my eyes to get through some of the scenes.  My reaction got me thinking about how much they resemble my personal fears.  They too sometimes make me want to squeeze my eyes shut especially when there’s no magic wand to make it all go away.

So how do we deal with our fears?  

Well in reality, we can either run and hide or face them head on.  Though we might not have a wand to make them disappear, we do have the courage to defeat them.  We are a lot stronger than our fears and a whole lot more powerful.

In fact, there’s no need for a cape, super powers, or magic to get us through even the scariest moments in our lives.  All it takes is having the courage to believe…belief in ourselves and our dreams.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood PrincePhoto from the WashingtonPost.com.

CategoryFacing Fears, Inspirational Stories | CommentNo Comments »

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July 13th, 2009

My Worst Fear Comes True

When you’re slaving a way at your stable 9 to 5, not much really scares you.  Life is often boringly easy.  Maybe that’s why we stay in it so long.  Having a paycheck come in every few weeks becomes a luxury when we take that leap from desk job to the job of our dreams.

As I transition from corporate life to being a full-time freelancer, I’m realizing how scary and exhilarating making that jump is.  I thought just entering the field was terrifying enough but there are many, equally scary steps along the way.  

For me it was my fear of my tape recorder not working in an important interview I had scheduled.  I did everything I could to prevent my fear from happening.  I brought a dozen batteries and two tape recorders and tested both three times before I went.  And guess what?  Both didn’t work!  

What I got instead was a lesson learned.  We can prepare but we can’t control life.  Even when your worst case scenario becomes a reality, life goes on. Embrace the fear, and you’ll find that you receive more than you lose.  So I didn’t get the entire conversation on tape.  Instead I took good notes, listened well and made a connection with the interviewee.  And most importantly I learned not to allow my fear to get the best of me.    

Florence


CategoryFacing Fears, Inspirational Stories | CommentNo Comments »

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