Simply Put

Be happy with what you already have. You may build upon yourself with experiences with people, things, and goals. But a bee and all of nature has all it will ever need, and have been quite content with that for centuries.


Quote by Diana Jeong, photographer, writer, black belt, friend, woman extraordinaire.

Perfection

It is a wonderful and freeing thing to realize you are perfect.

It is a wonderful and freeing thing to realize you are imperfect.

A Brilliant Statement On Abundance

Grandmaster Maria Baird was teaching one of her Manifesting Me seminars on dreams and desires when she said something that struck me as brilliant. She said, “Once basic needs are met, abundance is an experience that comes from utilizing our gifts in rewarding ways.”

Americans are big on stuff. I live in Los Angeles. People here are really into their stuff. It’s the syndrome of, “He who dies with the most toys wins.” In fact, people are so incredibly focused on what they don't have, they can rarely see and appreciate what they do have. Even when (by my standards) they have A LOT.

I like stuff and all, but I’ve spent years striving for and collecting things just to find out that what really gives me a kick is helping people feel better about their lives. When you are doing what you love to do because you love to do it and because you’re good at it, it’s what comes from that action that feels so good. Not the stuff you buy with it.

Focus on gratitude. Forget consumerism. Forget stuff. Redefine what is really and truly important to you that isn’t material. Then build on it. You will know abundance like you never have before.

Felix Felicis

I've been thinking the last few days about Felix Felicis, aka Liquid Luck, found by the rest of the Harry Potter nerds on the planet in book (or movie) 6. There's a big Quiddich match and Ron is rightfully nauseous and nervous because...well...he's not a very consistent player and he knows it. At breakfast, Hermione spots Harry slipping something into Ron's drink and as Harry puts the bottle of Liquid Luck into his pocket Ron immediately knows what Harry has done for Ron and for the Griffindor Quiddich team. Ron gulps down his lucky pumpkin juice feeling like a million Galleons, plays uncharacteristically well and gets carried off the field as the game champ. It's not until later that evening that Harry divulges to Hermione that he hadn't actually slipped anything at all into Ron's drink - he only pretended to. Ron played his best game by his own devices and never needed Liquid Luck to do it. He never needed anything more than a nice healthy dose of courage and faith.
The way Felix Felicis worked when Harry actually took it is it sort of guided him. He'd get a feeling that something was just the right thing to do and he'd go for it without question. It led him to a great success and changed the future of the world and the rest, of course, is magical history.
There's the internal voice in us all that says "That looks fun - maybe I'll do that!" Then you've got the other voice giving you a nudge-nudge-wink-wink and in no uncertain terms says, "Listen to that other voice and you're gonna totally screw up." In a way, it seems the potion blocks out the voice that says, "Naaahhh....better not go out on a limb."
I've asked a couple of people what they'd do if they could drink some Liquid Luck and, predictably, they say they'd go get a lottery ticket. But then what? Now you're a millionaire, great. Would you still avoid the things that you think you've got no chance at? Or would you finally talk to the person you've been crushing on for years? Would you apply for that job or start that business? Would you make a phone call you've been dreading? Would you get on the 405 freeway at 5pm on a Friday?
What would you do today, tomorrow, the next day, if you knew no matter what that luck was on your side?

A Big Dream

There is a very cool, wonderful man named Mark Hoog whom I had the pleasure of meeting. When I was introduced to Mark he had published a number of inspirational children's books with Growing Field including a book called "Letters From Katrina" which I highly recommend you check out.

I attended one of Mark's speaking engagements where he told a story about speaking to three groups of kids. The first group was an elementary school age range. Mark said to the group, "Ok, I want you to raise your hand if you have a big dream and a big goal to support that dream." Pretty much every kid in the room raised their hand and Mark was pleased and not surprised. A couple days later he spoke to a group of middle school kids and he asked the exact same question, only this time less than half the room raised their hand. This was surprising. You can imagine his shock and dismay when he asked the high school students and about 5 people in the entire auditorium raised their hands to say "I've got a big dream!"

I've thought about this story a lot over the last several years.

Now, I feel there are many contributing factors to this, and I think hormones is one of them. In the average high school it becomes outrageously uncool to raise your hand for anything unless, of course, you're already dubbed The Smart Kid. The few kids who raised their hands when Mark spoke were also the kids who weren't afraid to raise their hand when they knew the answer in Geometry or AP English. However, I also think that when kids are young we "humor" them, and as they get older we want to be "honest" and "realistic". When a six year old says, "I want to be an astronaut," we say, "Great!" When a sixteen year old says it, we ask about their grades in math and tell them about how impossible it will be for them to be what they want to be. For most of us, by the time those 10 years pass we've had so many dreams shot down that it's no wonder we give up and lose the race before we run it. We do and become what's expected of us by others which is all too often a shortcoming of who we could've been and who we really are.

I'm going to take some time today to think about my dreams. I know for a fact that there are many that I started and consciously and fairly decided against. I definitely don't want to be a wedding photographer and I know that because I tried it. However, if there are dreams that were squelched by others or that I was just plain afraid of, gosh darnit, I'm going to re-hatch them and I encourage you to do the same.

When someone asks if we have a big dream and a big goal to support that dream, I want us ALL to raise our hands, I want us ALL to be already living some of them and I want us ALL to be on our way to more. If you don't know how to do that, read a book, take a seminar, go within and study yourself, contact me and I'll help you.

Mean What You Say

"I am forthcoming and decisive....I think...."

Ever say yes when you meant no? Ever avoided telling someone that you were upset because you didn’t want to upset them? Ever say you didn’t care when you did and let someone else make a decision for you? Made you pretty resentful, didn’t it?

I found a story I wrote about a year ago. I was at work when someone asked me if we should go a route that I disagreed with. Instead of saying, “No, let’s do something else instead,” the actual words I used were somewhere along the lines of, “Wellllll…..uh…hmmmm…..I dunno….” I used a voice inflection to insinuate my message instead of using up-front words. WHY THE HECK DIDN’T I JUST SAY NO FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE?!? I've been working on keeping all my messages accurate and to the point ever since.

We are not doing anyone any favors by being unclear or untruthful – quite the opposite, actually. When you do not say what you believe to be true, you're lying. Plain and simple. When you lie, you're doing yourself and the person you're speaking to a rather serious injustice by cheating everyone of the truth. It drags things out, it plants false ideas, it robs you of Power of Choice and it can do an excellent job of wrecking personal and professional relationships. How many people do you know that are extremely understanding when they find out that you've been dishonest? I know zero people like that and frankly, I don't want to know those people. Those are the people who only want you to tell them what they want to hear. No, thank you! My friends today all know and they'll agree - "Don't ask Micki a question unless you're sure you want to hear the answer!" I'll not be mean or heartless or condescending, but I will be honest.

Mean what you say. I can now vouch that in the long run you and everyone around you will be a lot happier, even if your honesty is sometimes hard to say and/or hard to hear. Also, in the process of telling people the truth you will learn new truths about yourself! Honesty is a blessing.

A Year Of Hope

I have lots of friends who I talk to and see quite a lot. I subscribe to a number of blogs that range in content quite a lot, from perfumed oils to total geeks to renowned authors and photographers. Seems to me like 2010 was a year of mention.
I entered 2010 with a foreboding feeling that the bottom had dropped out and I rang in the new year as cheerily as I could...which was not nearly cheery enough, especially for me. As the year progressed and I tried to figure out what to do with these uninvited emotions, I ended up forming a new, extra-steely bond with my husband and a couple of very close friends who I now hold even dearer. Closer to June, I hit breaking point and with as much dignity as I could possibly muster, I straightened up and screamed at the top of my spiritual lungs, "ENOUGH ALREADY! I'VE HAD IT!" I took steps that scared the bejeezes out of me and I did it knowing that if I didn't, part of me was going to die. Thank God for the people in my life who reminded me through the year that it was all going to be ok. I ended 2010 and entered 2011 rather proud of myself for sticking out the tough times while upholding my "moral fiber". It was of the utmost importance to me to maintain an amount of dignity in my trials and though I can't say I wouldn't do a few things differently, I think overall I did pretty ok.
Is this sounding familiar to anyone? Because the more I read and the more I talk to people the more I hear the undertones of my own tale told back to me in different circumstances. I'm not saying anyone is out of the woods yet, but it's sure nice to be in a place that feels fresh and hopeful. It's like a brand new room with nice carpet and fresh paint and now we're all ready to start adding squishy furniture and pretty paintings. I'm ready to join my comrades in making 2011 a really place to live.