What's love got to do with it?

It amazes me how I can get to 57 years old and still learn so much about myself. Are you learning anything new about you?? I bet you do.
Because of what we are taught from age 0 to where we are right now on the age timeline, we make decisions, feel certain ways about things and live our lives really, based on those beliefs without ever questioning them. I joined in "The Ultimate Game of Life" by Jim Bunch this past 3 months and learned so much I'm busting to tell you about it. Or should I say make you question about it.
So clear your mind of distractions for a moment. I'll wait:)....now picture in your mind what the happiest day of your life would look like. Picture all the details, get caught up in it...yes daydream about it. Now capture all the details as you write that down on paper. (yes you have to write it down so stop whining) just do it! I want you to see how easy it is to get exactly what makes you happy. Write down 6-8 actions you can take that you can do on a daily basis that will bring that happy day right to your front door. (Not to discourage you but if your happy day envolves anyone else, they are working their plan as well and it may not be cohesive with yours)
If you are skeptical, like I am, try it with something that only relys on you to get it accomplished. Say you want to be more relaxed and have more fun each day. Your action steps could be to take a walk outside for 15 mintues every day, to sing along with your favorite song twice a day, to meditate before bed every night.
Now try it out and see if you can reach that happiness goal.
Here is what i learned about myself that was rather sad...I never set myself up for success. I was always striving but never arriving. Just one step more to the gold...but could never let myself take the step. Sounds crazy doesn't it? Have you set yourself up for success? To get the love of your life, to travel and see the world, to have more of what you desire, to actually design your own life? Yes? Then I applaud you and rejoice in your ability. I'm just getting started. Better late than never:)
I learned that loving myself means to be happy, to design that happiness and what it looks like in my mind. Each day is happier now, every moment is spent doing the striving but celebrating the wins!! I am winning at the game of life...and the game is always on!

What type are you?

If I asked you what personality type you are...would you say you are more of an explorer, pioneer or settler?
Here is the thing, do you like to search out new things, take risk, have fun, like excitment and challenges? Do you like to take on projects in the beginning stages, lay the groundwork, be the leader, clear the trail for the settlers? Or do you like things to be tried and true before you settle in and get on board?

I never realized we had these different personality types until today. Or maybe I just never heard of them in this way. I was trying to figure out what type I am and I think I am a pioneer.  I'm not really fond of the unknown but I am able to keep going if I can see a scant trail of where the person ahead of me has been. So where do you think you are??

It's important to figure it out because lots of things in life hold us back, trip us up and stop us cold! If we are trying to accomplish something that doesn't match up with our own mindset/personality, we may be hitting our head on the wall. If you hate leading but love to follow or you don't like taking risks and only want to invest in a sure thing...well you sure wouldn't want to be the first one on the block to try something brand new. It just wouldn't be you. You may wonder what I am getting around to here. Here it is...what has been your experience already? How many things have you tried and either been successful at or not successful at? Take a minute and think about it. Maybe those things did not match up with your mindset/ personality. Maybe it wasn't your fault at all that you were not successful. Because you didn't know that you should be a match.

So here is the deal we can make for ourselves going forward. Get to know who we are. Get to understand what we are comfortable with. If we have to do things that we are not comfortable with in order to be a success in that ...what do you think the chances are?? We all have the opportunity to step outside that comfort zone don't we? We all have the opportunity to learn how to do what we are not comfortable with don't we? But don't we tend to fall back into that comfort zone when nobody is watching?? Come on, let's be real.

Get a mentor, get someone who is successful to coach you. Stick with them and do what they tell you to do.
It doesn't matter what we want to accomplish in life, if you are trying to fool yourself, it's not working is it?
This is a master key. It will open doors, open opportunites, unlock health, happiness and wealth in ways you have never dreamed of. Get your dreams lined up with who you are and what you are comfortable with.

The Etchings

Ever wonder how you got here? I don't  mean the big bang theory or the creation. I mean how you got here, right now.There you are, right now, reading this post. Your____old. You are full of ________. Looking forward to ___________. How did you get to this place in your life? Did you design your entire life?
Did someone tell you what you should do along the way? Did you always listen to your heart? Are you doing what you always dreamed you would? Are you living the life you always pictured with the person by your side that you always thought you would be with?

It's a bit of a mystery that needs solving at times. We start out as a child and that blank slate in our head just gets engraved with things our parents or those in charge of raising us wanted us to learn. Did they know what they were doing? Did they put things on that slate that you have had difficulty with? Have you had to overcome some things to get here today. Do you think you still have work to do on that?

Well, I will share my story with you and you see if it might get you thinking about yourself. When I was a child, I was quite sensitive. I picked up everything that was said. I listened at doors, I peaked through things around the house. I was a regular detective...I may have missed my calling. I was great at trying to piece things together so I could understand them. Children are so impressionable. So many things I saw didn't set well with me. I didn't know quite how to deal with them. Some of the lessons I learned were because I didn't agree with those etchings on the slate. Somehow I knew, that something was rotten in Denmark (just a saying) But as a child, it isn't anything you can do something about.

I can remember being so angry at times, I wanted to run away. I can remember deciding if I would be punished more by staying or going. Fear in a child can be a good way to keep them in line, but it can be too deep of a fear. It can feel like a prison. Home can feel like a bad dream. It can be a place you hate to go. When i raised my kids, I would keep that in mind. NOT. Because that slate was etched. Not just written on softly with chalk, etched in my mind were the stupid things you say and the over the top things you do in anger or frustration.

It's the shame, the blame the mistakes and the success that we have despite our etchings that have brought us here today. Just as we are. We are perfectly and wonderfully made to do what we do right now. There is time as long as we still breath, to make amends, to say what we need to, to do what we feel is necessary to make the next ___________years, exactly the way we want. Throw out the old slate. Get a new one and fill it with all the things that have served you well over these years. Be thankful for the lessons, the etchings and the work that you have had to do. I have too.

Today is a new day. That is the key to your success. You can design your life. You are able. Are you willing?

"Cancel My Taxi"

In this hectic, faster than a speeding bullet lifestyle many of us are caught up in, it's easy to get distracted. There are days I have my thoughts interrupted every 10 minutes. When I was in my office job, I used to say to myself, what is wrong that you don't get more accomplished in a day. I have read books on organization, books on time management and then took a trip of self discovery. Now that is what gave me the real picture.

Picture if you will, sitting at the desk, engrossed in an important task and the phone rings, of course you answer it right?

You are typing a report while working home and have left your facebook page open. You hear a "ding" and you know someone is asking to "chat", you immediately see who it is right?

It's that rumble in your tummy, you look at the clock and it's about 9:30am, something is calling you to munch. So you become a hunter/gatherer and start checking your desk drawer for something close and handy, nothing...fumble for change for the machine, just some coffee, wish I packed a healthy snack. You have to get to the cafeteria and eat breakfast or you can't think right?

It's tax time and you feel the pressures of what that will do to your schedule. Several days focused on nothing but the annoying reminder that you didn't scan in those receipts again this year and where is that file in the computer that I put my details in? I hate taking so many days in a row off because one of my customers might want something. I could send them a letter to text me right?

The day is breezing by, the mood is actually high and things are falling into place today. I have time for a little exercise, I choose a walk. Get on the sneakers, 1/2 hour later, starving for a snack, find something and back to work. Oh no, I should be in a meeting right now, I'm late, rush rush rush...slide in late and unprepared. No water, no bathroom (10 minutes in feeling like your kidneys are floating) don't dare leave now right?

If any of these scenarios are something you can relate to, raise your hand:)

Making the best choices for our success in any given situation is something we need to learn to do. The only way to learn that is to look at what we do. Look at what you did yesterday. Did it go smoothly? Was there something that you wish would have been different? Did you get the most out of your 24 hours? Emotionally what were you like at the end of that day? Was that the way you wanted to feel?

Here is a fact. You can be in the drivers seat of your life. If you don't like to drive, then you may be in the passenger seat and whatever happens, happens. You can't steer from there. You feel powerless to control where you are going. Well, you have given the power to someone else. They are driving your life around. I took control of my own life the day I was willing to get behind the wheel and you can too. You can control more than you think you can. In each of the scenarios above someone else was driving. Read each one again but this time, with an outcome that would allow you to stay in the drivers seat!! Get set...GO!

I believe in you!
Sandra Bullard

P.S. If you liked this, share it with someone today. I would love to hear your comments too!!