Not only is the Law of Attraction the most powerful Law in the Universe, but you must understand it before anything else that we offer will be of value. And you must understand it before anything you are living, or anything you observe anyone else living, will make any sense. Everything in your life and the lives of those around you is affected by the Law of Attraction. It is the basis of everything you see manifesting. It is the basis of everything that comes into your experience. An awareness of the Law of Attraction and an understanding of how it works is essential to living life on purpose. In fact, it is essential to living the life of joy that you came forth to live.

The Law of Attraction says: That which is like unto itself, is drawn. When you say, “Birds of a feather flock together,” you are actually talking about the Law of Attraction. You see it evidenced when you wake up feeling unhappy, and then throughout the day things get worse and worse, and at the end of the day you say, “I shouldn’t have gotten out of bed.” You see the Law of Attraction evidenced in your society when you see that the one who speaks most about illness has illness; when you see that the one who speaks most about prosperity has prosperity. The Law of Attraction is evident when you set your radio dial on 630AM and you expect to receive the broadcast from the transmitting tower of 630AM, because you understand that the radio signals between the transmitting tower and your receiver must match………continue reading “Does Life Come with an Instruction Book?”

Don’t you just love Winnie the Poo and his friends from the Hundred Acre Woods? Now, when Halloween rolls around let the Pooh gang add some fun to your Halloween with Winnie the Pooh’s Haunted Acre decorative Halloween Village collection. High-spirited fun begins with Issue One featuring Pooh’s Haunted Hunny Hideout and FREE Pooh-o’-Lantern and Pumpkin Patch Piglet figurines. Soon, you’ll be enjoying more tricks and treats with Issue Two, Eeyore’s Pumpkin Patch, which includes a FREE Hunny Bee Eeyore figurine. It’s a Hawthorne Village first, and makes a great Halloween decoration or excellent addition to any Disney collection, but don’t wait! Spooky demand is expected for these heirloom-quality, hand-painted Disney Winnie the Pooh collectibles, so order now!

I have discovered a great little secret in the mountains of Hiawassee, Georgia. It is a wonderful coffee house cafe called, “Mountain Perk Coffee House Cafe”. Whenever I am in the area with a extra time to kill, I always stop in to have a white chocolate latte and blueberry scone. I set up my computer and start blogging. The guys that work the counter are so friendly and the atmosphere is so relaxed that it is like sitting at home working in my kitchen.

Mountain Perk Coffee House is a fully gourmet coffee house. You can get any kind you want! They are the home of a brand of coffee called “The Dancing Goat”. I was given a sample of it today and it was the best coffee I have ever tasted. The legend of dancing goats goes as follows:

“Coffee was first discovered in what is now called Ethiopia. According to legend, the area’s
remote highlands were home to a goatherd named Kaldi. One day he noticed his goats dancing
and prancing after eating the small, red fruit of a nearby shrub. Not wishing to be left out of the
fun, Kaldi ate the coffee cherries and soon he was dancing with is goats.”

I just learned today that the staff are certified and trained Baristas, which are “bartenders in a coffee shop.” They serve organic coffees and teas from around the world. They make their own soups and sandwiches from scratch and have a variety of scones, muffins and breads. I tried a strawberry-banana smoothie today that was excellent!

The other really cool thing about this coffeehouse is that it promotes and features local artists, authors and musicians. They have writers night, which is an open mic for local writers, live music, local artist, book signings and there is a great reading area in the back that has new and used books on sale.

I highly recommend stopping by when passing through Hiawassee, you will be pleasantly surprised and extremely pleased.

Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it.” ~Eckhart Tolle

Does everything in our life have to be categorized as either “good” or “bad”?  How about if things just “are”. Can we just accept things as they come and experience them as they are, without expectations?  Expectations only leave us disappointed if they things don’t turn our how we wanted them to. It’s our expectations that force us to judge whether something is good or bad.

Hamlet said, ‘There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.’

If you would like to read more continue reading The Elements of Living Lightly

Did you forget today is Earth Day? Actually, today marks the 40th anniversary and countries all over the world are celebrating. President Barack Obama is hosting an Earth Day reception with environmental leaders in Washington.

There are so many things we can do to help our environment. To learn about some last minute things you can do, read about 12 Last-Minute Ways to Celebrate Earth Day. We can also get our homes in shape for Earth Day.

The Nature Conservancy also is honoring the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and offers a variety of ways you can help.

Together we can make a difference. It’s not too late to change our ways, go green as much as possible, and help preserve our Earth.

Mark in his tux

What an awesome sight! My son Mark all dressed up in a black tuxedo. As I have mentioned in previous posts, Mark is a senior in high school and we are experiencing all of the wonderful yet scary things that happen during that last year of high school. He has been accepted to the college of his choice, we are gearing up for senior trip, we have been awarded financial aid (thank goodness!) and we are well on our way! I guess I should say “Mark” is well on “his” way. But, the thought of him on his own is one of those scary thoughts I mentioned above.

Last Saturday was the junior-senior prom and Mark went with his friend Jessica. Jess is best friends with my daughter Haley, so the two of them were locked in Haley’s bathroom for hours getting ready. Haley is great with hair and make-up and by the time she was finished, Jessica looked like a princess.

Haley and Jessica

After all the pictures were taken, a group of kids took off for dinner at Enrico’s Italian Restaurant then off to the prom where they had an awesome time. They all came home with sore legs from dancing so much! From there, they went to a friends for a get together after prom. Finally, at about 2:30 AM a group of about eight kids came home with Mark and asked if they could spend the night at my house! I happily agreed and after talking with them all for what seemed forever, we finally got to sleep about 4:00 Sunday morning.

These are the memories that will live forever and I am so glad that I get to be a part of these young people’s lives. They are great kids and I am so blessed to be able to share in their adventures through life.

Senior trip is next week….stay tuned!

Do you find that you are rushing through life and not stopping to enjoy the very moment you are in? Lately I have so much on my mind that I am continuously thinking into the future. It’s like I am wishing my life away, hoping and dreaming of what is next. I really want to live in the here and now. I want to enjoy every moment as I am faced with it. I want to keep a positive attitude and I want to live as I truly believe, “everything happens for a reason.” So, if it is happening for a reason…..I need to experience it instead of wishing it away.

I read this article written by Dr. Wayne Dyer. I feel it has a lot of wisdom for me to take in and apply to my life. Dr. Dyer writes:

“I’ve discovered that I have greater success with living life in the present moment when I remove judgment from what I’m experiencing. Rather than making an event a bad or a good experience, I find myself being in the “isness” of the moment; that is, what I’m feeling is much more helpful than why it isn’t what I think it should be. This is called allowing rather than resisting what is. Even if I wish to change the moment, it’s far more useful to allow it without any judgment and then notice everything I can about it.”

Continue reading “Don’t Judge, Enjoy! Your present moments are precious.”

I read this article by Dr. Wayne Dyer and it completely changed the way I have been thinking. It gave me a new understanding and hope for my future. Things don’t always go as planned, I will be first to say that. I have had many things in my life fall apart at the seams. But, I have always been able to maintain a pretty positive attitude. My faith in God and my ability to put a positive spin on things has gotten me through some pretty tough times.

Do you blame other people and circumstances for keeping you from achieving the level of success, happiness, and health you’d like to enjoy? Blaming others for deficiencies or any of the conditions of your life keeps you from fulfilling your own highest destiny. Everyone in life does exactly what they know how to do given the conditions of their lives. That’s the way I’ve chosen to look at the story of my life. My mother had three small children under the age of four; and an alcoholic husband who walked away without ever providing any support. She placed one of my brothers and me in a series of foster homes, while my other brother lived with my grandmother until I was ten years old. This is not a story of pity or blame; it’s precisely what had to take place in order for me to learn about self-reliance firsthand. Because I’ve lived self-reliance, and then gone on to teach it to millions of people, I don’t find fault with anyone for any of the conditions of my life. I see all of my early-childhood experiences as necessary gifts, even the ones laced with pain and sadness.

Continue reading “Accept Responsibility” by Dr. Wayne Dyer. I think if you really take it to heart, his advice will make a huge difference in your life.

Never underestimate the power of your words. With one small word you can change a person’s life. For better or for worse. We are all put in eachother’s lives to impact one another in some way. How are you going to impact them, with positive encouraging words or words that tear them down and break their spirit?

The Bible says, “The tongue has the power of life and death.” Proverbs 18:21. “Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” Proverbs 12:18. “The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.” Proverbs 15:4.

Our words and actions are powerful beyond our comprehension. With our tongue, the words we speak, we can make war.

When you are talking to someone ask yourself this question: “Who am I being and what is the impact of my words on the people around me?” The power of your words lies in the intention behind them. Is it your intention to create a resolution or to be right? Do you intend to help the organization accomplish its mission or to satisfy the need to take someone down? We communicate best when we are clear about who we are and what we intend. This kind of clarity prevents us from saying words that are harmful to ourselves and others. It may prevent us from engaging in harmful gossip and complaining.

Gossip is usually destructive. It is often a careless use of our words. We just aren’t thinking about how we are affecting others. Sometimes gossip is mean spirited and intended to cause hurt. Whether gossip is careless or intentional, it causes pain. We may be hoping for a little humor or self justification, but the results of gossip are anger, suspicion, embarrassment, and fear. These creations of gossip negatively affect morale, service, and productivity. You cannot both care about someone and gossip about them. If you think back to the last time you either heard or offered gossip, it probably didn’t make you feel good. Gossip dis-empowers us.

Similar to gossip is chronic complaining. Complaining about people and situations makes us feel and look powerless. Managers who complain in front of their employees lose credibility as leaders. Chronic complaining leads us into a dead end street where there is nothing to be done. We become victims who are powerless to change anything. While venting frustrations to a trusted friend can be helpful in releasing negative feelings, complaining to everyone tends to reinforce negative feelings. Like gossip, chronic complaining dis-empowers us.

Our power to do harm is exceeded only by our power to do good. A simple, sincere apology (given without expectation of return) can heal a relationship. An uplifting word at the right moment can change a life, launch a career, or convince someone to go beyond perceived limitations. By consciously looking for evidence of greatness in others, and by using our words to tell them, we help others to build confidence. When we sincerely speak well of others we uplift ourselves.

There is great power in making the commitment to keeping our words as positive and life affirming as we are able. As an affirming presence our influence grows. We feel better about ourselves. Constant negative speech imprisons us and prevents us from finding joy and success. Developing the habit of speaking well of self and others frees us to enjoy life more. We become a blessing to ourselves and to others.

Our spoken words originate from our thoughts. The best way to increase the positive power of our spoken words is to clean up our thinking. We must become willing to think well of ourselves. Constant self criticism needs to become unacceptable. We free ourselves to think and speak well of others by thinking well of ourselves.

Consider practicing the following:

* Affirm life in your thoughts and your words. (To affirm life is to build up, to nurture, to support, and to bless)
* Refuse to gossip. Commit to saying only words that are uplifting or helpful to others.
* Refuse to listen to gossip. Compassionately tell others it is beneath them to gossip.
* Refuse to indulge in complaining about another person.
* Refuse to dwell on self critical thoughts. Learn from mistakes and move on.
* Intentionally look for positive qualities to think about yourself. Make a list often.
* Intentionally look for positive qualities in others. Tell them.
* Don’t take the words of others personally. Their words are more about them than about you. Let go of your grudges and your hurts and wish others well. This practice will make you happier.
* Do not allow negative emotion to control you. Accept it. Be willing to let it go. Stop feeding it with negative words. Choose words that will refocus you on who you are and what you really want.

Gossip and complaining are distractions and a misuse of your energy. Decide what you really want and apply your energy to it. As you become more life affirming in your thoughts and words you will experience more joy and success, and your sense of well-being will affect others. More people will trust you and want to help you. Your life will change. Affirm life with your thoughts and words and you will find that your organization, your family, your community, and you will benefit greatly.

Let’s be thankful for all things and wish ourselves and each other well!

I have always been interested in the stars. I love looking up and identifying the constellations and viewing the Milky Way. My son Mark has picked up my fascination. By a very young age he could point out the Big Dipper, Orion’s Belt, Ursus Major and Minor. He learned the names of the planets quickly and could explain the differences between them all.

Today we were talking about Mars, the Red Planet, and how we should be able to see it by the moon. Unfortunately, the skies in north Georgia are quite clouds and there is not a star to be seen.

However, our discussion about Mars forced us to do some digging on the Internet for some information about the planet. We would like to share this with those of you who are as interested as we are.

I am going to list a few links to web pages we feel are helpful and full of good information in hopes you read and learn more about our fantastic galaxy. Enjoy!

National Geographic

Universal Sky Tour

Mars Opposition 2010

Wikipedia