Archive for ‘Uncategorized’

April 16th, 2009

Think You Don't Have What it Takes to be Successful? Think Again

I’m noticing a pattern these days with successful people and you may be surprised by what I’ve observed. On Oprah, for example, Carrie Underwood said she never dreamed that her life would be about singing.  She said although it would have been nice, unlike other people, she never spent her life dreaming about being a singer-that everything just seem to come easy for her.  On one of my favorite blogs, This Young House, design couple John and Sherry Petersik have transformed themselves into superstar designers receiving a flurry of media attention on everywhere from CNN and HGTV to DIY and The Nest magazines.  When asked how they were able to obtain such coveted opportunities by Decor Medley, the couple said that a lot of it was by chance.  The publications sought them out and essentially came to them after having seen their blog.  What started as their desire to renovate their 50 year old ranch house and blog about it to keep their friends and family updated, transformed into a full blown successful career.  I know of a lot of other people personally who found their life calling “by chance.”  In fact, Oprah always says, “Find your passion and the money will follow.”  Her own successful path began when she was pulled off of the regular news and dumped onto the morning show.  She said she felt like things just fell into place from there felt she had found her passion.  This got me thinking…Maybe we all have a calling that’s just waiting for us to be brave enough, open enough and ready to take the call.

Tip: Try finding something that comes easy for you and that you enjoy.  That seems to be the secret at least for the people in these three stories. Also, check out Jean Chatzky’s article about finding your passion.  

The main idea is that these people were not trying desperately to make money but were driven by their dreams. It seems that connecting with one’s true purpose not out of fear or desperation but out of their desires and passions, led them to live a life that financially provides for them.

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April 9th, 2009

How to Love the Job You Hate

I’m noticing a trend lately with people stuck in jobs they dislike out of fear of the alternative. Hearing about how thousands of people are being laid-off, those of us who are lucky enough to have a job, hold on to it with our life. With that being said, though we are grateful, how do we continue to stay in jobs we hate for the love of money?

Monster.com has an article on ways to stay happy at work.  Doing things like making friends, eating healthy and getting organized are things we probably already know.  But there are other things you can do that the article suggests that we may take for granted, such as focusing on the positives at work whether that may be as miniscule as liking the peace and quiet of your cubicle or enjoying your lunch hour.  The more you focus on what is good about the place you’re at, the easier it will be to be there. Elizabeth Lesser, co-founder of the Omega Institute in New York who also has a spot on Oprah’s XM radio show, talked to Oprah about how being present in your job will also help you get clearer about what you want to do.  Sometimes it will bring you opportunities when a new position opens or it will give you an answer about whether you should stay or start getting ready to go.  

For me, I try to take every moment as they come.  Using my lunch hour to either get to know a co-worker better or to catch up on my writing or reading.  Those moments have taught me patience and appreciation.  I know that eventually the reason for my purpose in this moment will show, so in the meantime I’m working on keeping myself inspired, motivated and prepared for the next phase of my life.

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March 31st, 2009

Creating a Simpler Life

I’m someone who often tries to turn lemons into lemonade. And so our downward spiraling economy has given me yet another opportunity, albeit a tremendous one, to transform my life. When I was a kid, my friends and family had a nickname for me “cheap” or “tight with her money” because I hated spending. I was also skinny. I thought buying candy and popcorn at the movie theatre was absurd, not only because it was costly but because it was so fattening. Somehow I had everything all figured out when I was younger and then something happened…As I got older, my waist grew and my wallet shrank. How did that happen? More importantly, how did I let that happen?

When I look at online job sites now the prospects of me finding my dream job seems slim. It’s also a constant reminder to me about the importance of that simple life, the one where I knew when to stop eating and spending my money. The greatest lesson it has taught me is how to take back control of my life. Somewhere in my twenties and thirties, I had the insane notion that I could spend as much as I wanted and eat twice as much without any consequences. Whatever it was that got me here, one thing’s for sure, this economy has brought me back to reality. I don’t want to be looking back on my life ten years from now, ten pounds heavier and in debt. It’s a wake up call for me to start thinking the way I did when I was younger-to separate want and desire from necessity. To remember that a brand new car or outfit will not suddenly transform me into the confident, happy and successful person I’d love to be. That it’s the difference between the fantasy of a marketing ad and the simple honesty and realness of my own life.

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March 25th, 2009

Hope in a House Plant

We live in a stressful society. Today, the possibility that anything is possible, good or bad, can often be overwhelming. Keeping up with the Jones for example, has now turned into, “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” and how can anyone keep up with them. Where opportunities abound and so does imbalance and instability, having hope these days may feel like a second job. That’s why today’s post is of a simpler nature.

It’s the story of a “little house plant that could.” I’ve killed probably every single house plant I’ve ever own, along with my fish. Thank goodness my other pets are still alive. So when I asked the clerk at Trader Joe’s if this plant would be easy, I really wanted to know if it was worth the investment. Would this $6 flower plant last longer than a bouquet of fresh flowers? Well surprisingly enough, I’ve had it now for about a year. This little miracle has inspired me to never give up on my dreams. It’s a survivor. Every once in awhile, it looks like it has taken its last breath, but then it starts growing new leaves. I think it’s a simple reminder of the importance of hope. That when all seems lost, you never know the treasures waiting to bloom, just around the corner.
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March 12th, 2009

Taking a Bite of the Big Apple One Bite at a Time

If the US is where American dreams are dreamt, then New York city is where those dreams become a reality. Having just experienced my first trip to the gorgeous city, my eyes became open to the possibility of the impossible…to dream a dream that could really come true.

What I once thought was a big, dangerous and cold city, I learned was not only a beautiful and an exciting place but a place filled with life and inspiration. It made me realize that most dreams are just waiting to be fulfilled and that what prevents us from obtaining them are fear and a lack of focus.

While I was walking through the bitter cold, sharing subways with people who talked to themselves and escaping traffic like an animal running away from its predator, I felt so alive! And I realized that to make a dream happen, to really live your life, you need to be focused and present.

In contrast, what my life is normally like is multitasking. I multitask at work to drown out the boredom, and I multitask at home to try to get as many things done as possible. The outcome is not a life filled with dreams but a life spent sleepwalking. My short trip in that sense, woke me up. From now on, my goal is to meet life head on, just like how I approached being that little girl in the Big Apple, I plan on doing it one bite at a time.
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December 31st, 2008

New Year's Resolutions: 2008

Every year, I attempt to write a resolution-even though as a friend said, “What’s the use when you never stick to it?”  So true, but I think that resolutions are a tradition for me.  I’ve done it almost every year since I was kid.  Writing that list always gave me something to hope for, look forward to and to wish upon, as if a new year could hold so much more for me than the previous one.  Kind of shedding your old skin and being reborn into everything you wanted to be but couldn’t.  You know the “perfect you”-the skinnier, more organized, gentler, kinder soul that everyone loves while having the perfect job and the perfect life.  Of course you might never achieve all that’s on your list, but there’s that glimmer of hope that maybe this year…

So here’s my list for a fine 2009.  After all, 2008 was pretty great, who knows what’s in store for the new year?

1. Write more!

2. Spend less.

3. Travel to New York.

4. Write a gratitude journal.

5. Keep a food diary.

6. Volunteer.

7. Spend time doing something fun every day.

8. Create a timeline for my dream career.

9. Meditate at least weekly!

10. Be open to possibility.

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