Common Sense Living

Archive for the ‘inspiration’ Category

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In one way or another, there are consequences for your actions. Some good, some bad. You will always get paid.

There’s this lady I know. She has a pretty cool business, drives nice cars, volunteers in the community, goes to church. All looks pretty impressive.

But, she operates a little shady. Some lies. Some deceptions.

And she just recently did something horrible to her employees, in some cases taking hundreds of dollars out of their paychecks and putting it back into her own pocket. Yes, I know the business is hurting. But ya know – there’s right and wrong.

Payback was swift. She is now in the hospital with a protrusion on her intestinal wall that could have burst and killed her.

Was it guilt? Was it Universal payback? Was it God?

Do the right thing, and you’ll get the right reward.

Food for thought…

Image by Bert Kommerij via Flickr

Can you imagine chasing your dream for 35 years?

Oh sure, we had role models who went through years of struggle before becoming successful – Abe Lincoln, Thomas Edison, Stephen King, … But these days everyone thinks everything should be instant. Everyone thinks you should be able to push some magic button and just acquire all the skill you need to be successful – no work required.

Do you think that Susan Boyle just imagined that she could sing, and then woke up one day with a fabulous voice? Or do you think that she worked on it day and night for years upon years, always holding on to her dream?

I look at my quest, which is going on 10 years now. Just starting out learning how to do rudimentary things. 10 years ago, I never could have even attempted a project like I’m working on now. Believe me, it’s still not coming easily – but I have a dream. It’s a heck of a lot easier than it was 10 years ago when all I knew was office. It’s taken me that long to gain the skills I need to move ahead.

Heck, there are a few of you here that were members at ConvenienceNet.com. There have been a lot of changes since then. I’m only now starting to feel like I’m coming of age – so to speak. (no getting old jokes from the peanut gallery!)

There are a lot of times I wished I had never even heard of the Internet. How easy would it have been for Susan to just give it up?

The truth is, it’s not easy at all when you have a dream that burns inside you. You can’t give up. It’s like it’s a part of you.

You might have buried your dream – but it’s still there, I promise you.

How about dusting it off?

Here’s mine – a work in progress >>>

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• Notable Successful Failures (micasadenipa.blogspot.com)

Have you seen the video of Susan Boyle on Britains Got Talent? I’ve been hearing the radio dj’s making fun of her for thelast couple of days – but not being moved by the hype, I never looked into it.

Someone sent me the link this morning. If you haven’t seen it – you want to. Just have some kleenex handy. It’s still possible… 

Susan Boyle – Living Her Dream

Have a great day!

Image by ocean.flynn via Flickr

OK, no one willing to be the first to step up and brag about themselves, ey? OK, 2nd. I went first. Well here’s just some the horns that deserve some tooting – just a few of your fellow blog subscribers:

We have Linda who has been fighting lung cancer for over 3 years now. She is never is a bitter or foul mood – at least not when I talk to her.

Then there’s Jan. She’s a great mom, and has handled moving more times than I would ever want to! And from one climate to another. She is a healthy eater and feeds her family healthy meals. She has also been working hard on her writing.

Then there’s Donna, who is another writer. Donna has come really, really far since I first met her. She was wallowing in self pity and procrastination. Now she’s got it together, has control, and is working toward reaching her goals.

Then there’s the other Jan. Always upbeat. She is another of my top affiliates. She’s a WAHM and I wish I could find her blog link. I lost a lot of info with that last computer crash. Jan – if you read this – plug yourself!

Then there’s Beth. Beth has had a lot of health problems over the years. She and her husband are finally moving into their new house that they have been working on so hard. She is always so sweet. I appreciate you keeping in touch Beth!

Then there’s Fiona. Fiona lives in Cairo. It’s a little more difficult to get the things you want on the Net there with no paypal, but Fiona reaches out and really goes out of her way. She is a great wife and mother who goes out of er way to provide the best for her family.

Then there’s Carol. Carol has it together, even though she thinks she doesn’t. But we all feel like that when we have a lot going on, don’t we? You need to give yourslef more credit girl. You’ve been dealing with a lot, and handling it marvelously.

Then there’s Cecelia. Cecelia managed to drop a lot of weight, and has kept it off for a few years now – despite the fact that she is a teacher, and works a second job. It can be really hard to keep up healthy eating when you’re never home – but she’s done it, and she looks great.

Speaking of healthy eating, there’s Debbie. She’s been a tough nut to crack – but she’s really made an effort to eat healthier and keep her house cleaner. You’re on the right track – keep up the good work!

Now you might not think that losing weight, or being a great mom, or working at home while being a great mom, or just getting yourself organized, or staying upbeat and optomistic even when life is unfair, is all that noteworthy. But I do. I think every accomplishment should be celebrated.  All those seemingly ‘little’ accomplishements add up and before you know it, you’re in a whole different place.

Don’t take your accomplishments lightly. Even if they seem small right now.

I invite you to toot your own horn. Tell us your accomplishments in the comments.

Do you ever wake up in the morning and wonder what the purpose of it all is?

Why should I even get out of bed? What’s the purpose?

To struggle endlessly? To rack up bills I can’t pay? To face another day of problems? To spend another day watching TV? What? Why?

I’ve had many purposes in my life.

Saving people from the evil Cable TV companies, and making them act responsibly.

Taking care of my grandparents.

Raising my daughter.

Right now my purpose is to help people improve their every day lives. Later, I want to be the grandmother that my daughter didn’t have.

Purposes change as we go through life – and it’s not always easy to find the next one. But you have to have a reason for getting out of bed in the morning or you’re just as good as dead – just going through the motions of living and breathing for another day.

And what about your dreams? What have you always wanted out of life?

A life without dreams is sad at best and worthless at worst. Boring. Mundane. You end up just doing what you have to do to get by and putting off as much as you can until things are totally out of control. The worse things get, the less motivated
you are to try to change them. The old you isn’t even alive anymore.

We have to have dreams. It’s what makes life worth living.

Have your dreams been buried?

Here’s a little exercise to help you reawaken your dreams. It’s as old as the hills. It was first developed by Freud, and now is used in many self improvement courses. It’s a powerful and fun exercise that works on many levels of your mind. So here goes -

Write down everything you would want if wanting it or having it didn’t make you feel guilty or selfish or otherwise sinful.

Now, be brutally honest with yourself. Tell the truth about what you really want from life. Don’t hold anything back.

Who would you be?

Where would you live?

How would you live?

Describe your dream house.

What would your day be like?

What would you look like? Would you wear jeans and designer
boots? Or dress sleek and stylish? Would you be slim? Muscular?
Have great hair? Lots of jewelry, or just a special piece?

Where would you go on vacation?

What kind of car would you drive?

Would you have fresh cut flowers?

What would you eat?

This will be a real eye opener for you. The first time I did it,
I wrote 6 pages! It just came pouring out. Everything I felt guilty about wanting, stuff I felt I never could have. It was like lifting a burden to let it out and say, yes, this is what I truly want.

Now…have a blast…totally indulge yourself!

Carole

Exercise taken from Whole Life Overhaul