Are You Becoming the Company You Keep?

Remember as a child when your mother cautioned you about choosing friends?  By hanging around the wrong “crowd,” you would be guilty by association.

As you grew older and ventured out to create a life of your own, you realized the wisdom of her words. In business associations, friendships, and raising your own children, you found the company you kept made a world of difference.

Relationships mold our lives. These important choices will either stifle your growth, jeopardize your ethics, or propel you to experience new adventures and continue your personal growth. Which path will you take? For yourself. For your loved ones.

Consider the following. Read more

A New Day

Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Do You Know What You Want?

I can teach anybody how to get what they want out of life. The problem is that I can’t find anybody who can tell me what they want.
Mark Twain

No one seems to have time to think anymore. Bombarded with information from the Internet, newspapers, radio and TV news, we process more information in a day than most people used to hear in a lifetime.

Walking a tight rope, you balance efforts to shuttle children, volunteer for community service, and attend networking events. You nurture everyone else as your inner resources are drained trying to build a career or start a new business. You are frazzled, forgetful, and stressed. And then suddenly, an abrupt standstill. Life changed and you are forced to re-evaluate your life. Now what? Read more

Power of Focused Action

I don’t care how much power, brilliance, or energy you have, if you don’t harness it, focus it on a specific target, and hold it there, you are never going to accomplish as much as your ability warrants. Zig Ziglar

Focused action is a universal principle embraced by leaders throughout history. Once you understand and apply power of focus to your own life and career, you will be amazed at how much you can accomplish in a short period of time.  Faithfully follow the action step explained below and you will see an immediate change in your day. Read more

Burning Questions

Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark,
in the hopeless swamps of the approximate,
the not quite, the not yet, the not at all.

Do not let the hero in your soul perish,
in lonely frustration for the life you deserved,
but have never been able to reach.

Check your road and the nature of your battle.
The world you desired can be won.
It exists, it is real, it is possible, it is yours.

Ayn Rand

Are you a woman on fire with passion for life?

Or are you just burned out?

Time to ignite your future with a compelling vision for the life you dream of living.  Time to pull out your boxed in dreams and bring them into the light. Re-examine them. Do these dreams of yours remain important? If so, why do these dreams remain in the caverns of your mind?

Just like an unlit candle, collecting dust, your dreams have wonderful potential for touching the senses and lighting up your life.

What small step can you take today that will bring you joy?

Stop thinking. Start doing. You will feel so much better.

Need a mental boost to get you going?  Join other savvy women at The Swan Network, a life planning resource center for savvy women who are ready to own their future. Be sure to sign up for our free newsletter to stay inspired and informed.

Treasured Memories

Treasured memories are created in fleeting moments of time.

Capturing those special moments on film to be enjoyed over and over again, reminds us of the joys of friendship, loved ones, and shared experiences.

June has been quite a month for my family. My granddaughter, Makenzie, was born and my grandson, Ethan, celebrated his first birthday! All captured on film.

Life itself is an adventure. Weddings, babies, travel, gardens. I am never without my camera, snapping photos. In fact, the majority of the pictures displayed on this Journal were taken by me. So I am always on the lookout for unique personalized gift ideas where I can use meaningful photos to share with others.

It’s easy to create personalized Photo Gifts (cards, photo books, mugs, and more) at Shutterfly. Give unique gifts for all occasions!  Create your own mousepads, calendar, poster … the list goes on. 

Check it out and see what life adventure you can capture and share with your someone special! Being a grandma, I know any of these gifts would be appreciated!  Just thought you’d want to know!

Release the Fear ~ Live the Life You Dream

What fear is holding you back?  Watch one person as they go for their dream.

You, too, have a voice you haven’t shared with the world. An illusive talent, a dream, a lifestyle choice. You have been given the vision, but not the confidence. What a waste to let fear hold you back from living the life you have imagined. Perhaps you aren’t “good enough?” Or others won’t “approve?” Read more

The Disease to Please

The thought-provoking poem, The Disease to Please, was written by Louise Gibson, who has graciously granted me permission to reprint here in the Swan Journal. Embrace the life-changing message by incorporating “No” into your vocabulary.

The Disease to Please

I am suffering a debilitating disease-
Self-diagnosed as the disease to please.

I can’t even tell you when it began-
I never knew it was common to man.

It compels you to say “yes” to every request-
It silently steals your time and your zest!

I struggled for years to form the word “No”.
When I finally did, it amazed me so.

I actually believe that is the cure for me-
That one little word has set me free!

Time is so precious, I must take control-
New freedom for mind, spirit, and soul.

Be aware, dear friends, I am working on me.
No longer a prisoner to “yes”.  I am free!

“Pardon me, what was it that you wanted to know?
I can’t hear you…but the answer is “NO!”

Copyright 2007 Louise Gibson (my wonderful mom) All Rights Reserved

Are Circumstances Holding You Back?

Release your mind from the chains of circumstances and believe in the power of possibilities. Shaw

Irish playwright, George Bernard Shaw, a strong advocate for women’s rights and best known for his play Pygmalion, believed:

People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can’t find them, make them.

Regardless of your past life circumstances, how you were raised, where you have lived, what jobs you have held, or your success with relationships, you have the ability to control your attitude and take responsibility for life’s next chapter.  Playing the blame game only holds you back from living a life of fulfillment.

The Prayer of Serenity states:

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

Using life’s wisdom to concentrate on what you can change will dramatically change your life ~ physically, financially, and emotionally.

Shaw’s wisdom provides guidance in how your thoughts direct your actions:

Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine, and at last, you create what you will. You see things and you say “Why?”, but I dream things that never were and I say “Why not?”

Isn’t it time for you to allow yourself to accomplish what you want. New career? Financial security? Better health? Closer relationships?

Life is within your grasp. Follow the six step decision making process found in the Circle of Wisdom:

Awareness, Acceptance, Accountability, Action, Achievement, Assessment

How do You Handle Adversity?

Are you the carrot, the egg, or the coffee bean?

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil.

In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.

Turning to her daughter, she asked, “Tell me, what do you see?” Read more

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