How To Find Your “Gift”

“What are my talents or gifts?”

“What do I have that I can give back to the world?”

“Why am I here?”

“What can I do that will make me money?”

Those are all very important questions, yet most people are not sure how to find the answers. “What can I do that will make me money?” also tends to be the first, if not the ONLY question many people ask themselves. To tell you the truth, if you’re honestly living your passion, it won’t matter if you’re “making money” at it, or not. It just so happens that those who are true to themselves, and are using their talents and gifts, can actually make a good amount of money!

In order to get the answers you need, you must first ask the right questions.

So, how do you know what to ask NOW? You may have heard about a little thing called “Personal Development”. What you read, watch, listen to, and participate in, has everything to do with your evolution – personally and professionally. When you start to get outside your own mind, and take in the thoughts of great leaders and spiritual representatives, the better questions start coming to you easily. And so do the answers…

Another method I found effective in my own quest for “answers” and direction – going back to the beginning. What did I enjoy as a child? What was I told I would be good at? What am I naturally good at NOW? What am I doing when I lose all track of time? These types of questions can give you some of the answers, or at least some direction. Now if your favorite past time is playing video games all hours, that doesn’t mean that’s what you’re supposed to be doing! So look at it with a list of pros and cons: skills needed to excel (depending on the game, you may need to be analytical or have great hand-eye coordination); time management may be a con…..

The bottom line is this – to get the best answers to your deepest hearts desires, you must improve your questions.

Here are some resources for more guidance and support on your journey:

Niurkainc.com

www.kimlifecoach.com

www.crystalandrus.com

**Just so you’re aware, I do not make any money by referring you. It is done out of love and respect for you and for the process. Your success and happiness in this world is important to me!**

Please feel free to share this information with everyone you know and love.

Congratulations on beginning your new chapter in life!

Please leave me a comment, or contact me with your progress and any questions you may have.

LOVE Like In The Movies? YES!!

It started with “The Notebook” , then it was “The Astronauts Wife”, and now we have ”Dear John” and “Eat Love Pray”. These are some intense love stories! I have read from posters on Facebook that love like that is only in the movies. It just isn’t like that in real life. WHAT?!?

Love like that DOES happen! Why sell yourself short? If you are not experiencing that connection with your mate, and not having those “movie style” moments, it’s because of you. That’s right – it’s ALL ABOUT YOU!!!

If you want the man in the movie, you have to be the woman in the movie – and vice versa.

When most of us were younger, we made a list. The list contained all of the qualities we wanted in a mate. But how many of us settled for less? Thinking that the opportunity to be loved by someone WORTHY of us, someone we designed on that list, would never come? Did we forget what qualities we wanted?

Here’s the bigger question: Are WE what we wrote on that list? Do we possess those same qualities? C’mon people, we all know that like attracts like! If you are not living up to your own list, what makes you think you can attract someone who is? Why would THEY want to be with YOU? Do YOU want to be with YOU? Or is your current relationship (or lack of one) just a distraction from low standards for yourself?

Do this NOW: Grab a pen and paper. Write as fast as you can, as many words and phrases you can think of for your perfect mate. DO IT! I’ll wait….

Chances are, you wrote down all the stuff that is external: great dresser, beautiful smile, nice butt, rich, sweet, etc. Now that we have gotten that out of the way, we can start to go deeper. What about integrity? Honesty? These are scary words to most people, especially when doing an exercise like this, because that means YOU have to BE these things in order to attract them in someone else!  These are the qualities on THEIR list!

Now take a few moments and let that concept sink in. When you have contemplated what that means, take a deep breath (or two), and start your list again. Drop the “stuff”. I’m not saying those other things are not important, but they’re superficial. When you take away the external, what’s left? THAT’S the list I want you to write. NOW.

Keep it with you, add to it when the mood strikes, and review it each night. Change the title of the list to “Qualities In Me”. Be those attractive qualities on your list – daily. You’ll be suprised how fast your situation will change!

**Sidenote** If you’re already married, or in a relationship, this can improve it! If you’re being the person you need to be, then you may influence the person you’re with, so that they become the best person THEY can be. You don’t have to change them – and you can’t, really. But you can influence them to want to be better. In the end, when you are your BEST self, and that person is just not on the same level, then your relationship will organically change. Don’t stop shining your own light because you think it will turn the other person off. All you’re doing at that point, is selling both of you short.

Mahatma Gandhi said: “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

Leave me a comment and let me know how it works out for you!

I LOVE MY KIDS!

I just had to give a shout out to my kids because I LOVE them so much! My girls are only 2.5 and 1 year old, and will not be reading this anytime soon, but I couldn’t contain myself!

Mommies, we all know there are times when our little ones (and not so little ones) absolutely drive us crazy. But at the end of the day, they are the most magnificent, innocent, incredible Spirits, ever. If you pay attention to those things that seem somewhat insignificant (things they say and do) – especially when they’re not looking – you will find yourself enjoying them for who they are so much more. We tend to get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of “life” and getting things done, we often miss some of the most important “little things”. Those little things add up over time, and you just don’t want to miss any of them!

We are visiting family this weekend, and it has been so much fun to watch my kids and their kids play together (I’ll post pics soon). They are all around the same ages, and it’s just too cute for words. Listening to toddlers have full out conversations in their own language is hilarious! We seem to have a problem letting our “mommy” guard down long enough to enjoy the fruits of our labor. Today, I did just that, and enjoyed my daughters in ways I hadn’t before. It helps when you’re surrounded by others who assume the babysitter role so you can have a break! It’s sometimes difficult being at someone else’s house with your kids, because they are out of their element, and you can’t always use the same tricks to get them calm. But the past couple of nights and today were nice.

I will write more about our adventures, when I have pictures to include, so you can see just why I have enjoyed them so much today!

For now, it’s time to go to bed, with the yummy feelings in my heart!

How To LOVE Your Life

Live With What You Love – and Get Rid of the Rest!

Country Home Magazine’s February 2009 issue had this statement on their cover. It had an immediate impact on me, and I knew I had to write about it! While the article related to home decorating, my mind went in a million different directions!

This simple statement can be applied to every area of your life, no matter what it is.

Think about it for a minute. Are you currently Living With What You Love?

Look around the room you are in right now. Are you surrounded by junk, trash, or beautiful, useful things?

Look around the place you live, inside and out. Just take a nice walk around, and notice what you have collected! Do these things serve a purpose? Are these items you have collected and held onto being Loved? Are they Loving you? What do you have packed away that have not seen the light of day in so long, you no longer remember what is in those boxes?

Now move to your work area – whether you are a work at home mom, or a work outside the home mom, it doesn’t matter. Ask yourself the same questions from above.

Check out your car(s) and what is inside. Trash on the floor? Baby/kid toys, books, etc all over? When is the last time you vacuumed in there? Got it washed?

These next two are REALLY FUN!

Look at yourself in a full length mirror (if you dare)….Do you LOVE what you see right now? Remember, Live With What You Love and Get Rid of the Rest. When I did this recently, I was not impressed, let me tell you! I was at my Hot Yoga class and thought I looked like a contestant on the “Biggest Loser”! While I can stand to lose a few pounds, the way I was dressed made things look worse than they really are (I hope!). So, my clothing choice was not very Loving. Out they went! As for how your body looks when you are naked, make a list of the things you want to change. Then circle the things you CAN change. Work on being more Loving to those places. It may require dietary changes, some exercise, or just some daily fresh air and water. Rest is a big one for me, and I am more Loving to my body when I give it some. As for the parts of your physical body that you cannot change, practice Loving those areas, by accepting them.

*As a sidenote, my husband and I both decided that we will start the Shaun T. Insanity workout as soon as we get it in the mail! I will post before and after pics, in the hopes it may inspire others to do the same!

Moving on….

Clothing, shoes, accessories, hair and make up can also use an overhaul. Take a good look at everything you have in those areas, and make the changes necessary to become the best YOU possible. If it no longer fits, give it away, sell it to a consignment shop, or trash it! Make up – if it’s old or outdated, throw it out! Hair – big one for us ladies – don’t feel you have to be all dramatic and drastic with your changes here. Sometimes all you need is a nice trim to make you feel lighter and more energized with your life.

Another part of really looking at yourself includes your insides. What I mean is, how are you emotionally? Spiritually? This one can take some time to discover the Truth about. We tend to overlook the act of really Loving ourselves. Where do your thoughts take you all day and all night? A resource I have found incredibly useful in transforming my thoughts, has been the use of NLP. Neuro Linguistic Programing was introduced to me a while ago, but not used until I started sessions with my Life Coach. It’s amazing the things we say to ourselves, as well as others. Check out anything by Tony Robbins, and you’ll see that this is what he uses. “Thoughts Are Things” is the truth! What are you putting out there with your thoughts and words? To yourself and others? Are your thoughts and words Loving? If you have to wonder, the answer is probably “yes”. A quick test is to look at what you’re getting in return. Love out, Love in. Some people also find it helpful to pray or meditate. Whatever feels right for you, DO IT!

Saving the best for last….Drumroll please!

Relationships! Whatever order you make these observations and changes in, nothing will change your life as much as your relationships. I have found that with making changes to all of the above items, ironically, my relationships with others changed. Why? The Law of Attraction Baby! When you declutter your surroundings as well as your own mind, your relationships get clearer and less cluttered as well. Remember, we only want to Live With What We Love! This applies to your romantic relationships, family relationships, friendships, work relationships, and everyone else in the mix! So refuse to shortchange yourself and the quality of your life by holding on to a relationship or connection that is no longer serving either of you.

Obviously, this process will be deeper than it reads, and I will be posting more about it soon. Until then, start with the basics, and Grow from there.

Until Next Time!