“Those who have learned the power of sincere and selfless contribution experience life’s deepest joy: true fulfillment” (Anthony Robbins). When I think about all the “things” that are in my life it’s clear that materialism is no substitute for connecting one’s self with a worthy cause, participating with people who share the same vision and values, or doing something for someone without any expectations in return. The feeling of fullness because your heart place is alive with energy and purpose is immeasurable.

Your resistance to change, negativism and unrewarding work are no substitute for doing something about which you are passionate. Fulfillment can be experienced through volunteerism, connection with your spiritual self, working toward a far-reaching goal, being someone’s support or mentor, or any activity that elevates your sense of self. It’s worth both time and energy to search for and find that vehicle or outlet which reflects your uniqueness and values your participation.

Denis Waitley says, “Personal satisfaction is the most important ingredient of success.” Feeling satisfied and knowing that who you are and what you do contributes to the well-being of people and community is powerful. Fulfillment is not the job you perform or the task you accomplish. It is how you feel about yourself because of the difference “being you” makes! Here is the question. “Where are you in your life’s experiences as it relates to feeling fulfilled?” Are you connected to something bigger than you? Are you engaged in tasks that are rewarding? Are you stretching your mind to explore new possibilities? And more importantly, are you willing to consider other options that could take you to a place you’ve not yet been? Take time to expand your self awareness. Find answers to these difficult questions.

Congratulate yourself if you are leading a fulfilling life. Give yourself permission to seek more rewarding avenues if you’re not. In either case, life is a journey. It’s your journey. What you do and accomplish in this lifetime and who you share your life with are your choices. Remember, you and your contribution matter!

The following message is taped over my desk. It was given to me by a friend. “If you knew where the treasure is would you enjoy the journey as much, or, would you miss things along the way by focusing on the treasure?”

It’s been my experience that regardless of the outcome I anticipate, sometimes the fulfillment comes from implementing a plan rather than actually achieving the goal! Think about a time that you planned a surprise, arranged the details for a vacation, the years you were in college to earn a degree, overcame a job loss, or spent weekends looking for the perfect home to purchase.

While every journey of value has its challenges, how meaningful would reaching the destination be if there were no stories or excitement related to the experience? A significant part of getting what you want is in the road taken to achieve it.

While intellectually this makes sense, if you are like me, I get impatient. When will my plans come together? How much longer must I wait to achieve the rewards I desire? Why is it that the closer I get to something I want, a challenge shows up creating a set back? Are road blocks treasures in disguise? Do we willingly learn life’s lessons or are the lessons we learn the result of our having to alter our course to reach our destination?

The reality is that there is no end to one’s journey. It simply continues day to day, as one experience follows another. The journey embraces the people who impact us, circumstances and changes we can’t control, the choices and decisions we make and the effect of those actions over time.

The road is comprised of trial and error, risks and opportunities, pleasure and disappointment. Through it all, we learn and grow as we move closer to our destination. I encourage you to be patient with yourself and the universe. Take time to experience your journey and enjoy the treasures along the way.

February 14th is set aside to show our appreciation and love for one another. I’m sure you would agree with me, appreciation and love should be expressed all throughout the year. I came across an interesting quote sent out by Tony Robbins through twitter. It stated; “It is not beauty that endears; its love that makes us see beauty. “ –Leo Tolstory-

As a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant, I have the great pleasure to cross paths with many beautiful women. Today, I speak of the woman who for the first time sees the beauty within herself.

As I sit across the table and I notice the uncertainty of trying the skin care products, let alone even putting on a dash of color; she states, I don’t know if I could do this every day, it seems like too much work. Well, if I could teach you everything you needed to know to take care of your skin and a few simple techniques with a little color; it would only take five minutes in the morning and about five minutes at night. Do you think you could stick to a daily regiment? Still some uncertainty?

It wasn’t until after the appointment that I understood the uncertainty. As women we sometimes don’t believe we deserve to look and feel beautiful. We are too busy taking care of everyone else and never taking the time out for ourselves. Does this sound familiar? I’m sure at some point we all have been in this position. As we grow in life, we begin to understand who we are and start to see our inner beauty in a whole new light.

She looks into the mirror with her head held high, shoulders back and with a smile she says, “I LOVE IT”. With the spark of the eye, she realized it was something deeper inside which came alive. She thought back to her younger years and whispered, oh my. She had lost what was so dear. I left this woman’s home full of cheer. Yet I found out later on, when she closed her door, she broke down in tears.

The following year on February 14th, she called me and wanted to show me her appreciation as her Personal Beauty Consultant. She shared with me her story of not loving herself and it was on that day she saw the BEAUTY and began to love self again.

Take time out to pamper you and appreciate the love within.

I find it very difficult to maintain my faith in something when the anticipated outcome ends up not to my liking. I can think of numerous times I did not get what I wanted. For example, I had to withdraw a contract on a house purchase because I didn’t sell the home I owned. The job I wanted was offered to someone else. The vacation plans I made fell through. The speaking engagement I anticipated was cancelled. Each time what I thought was in my best interest was not mine to have. It’s during situations
such as these I began to doubt myself and the universal plan. Why are my wants going unfulfilled? Why am I not getting the results I want?

This is what I have learned. If I feel doubtful I will experience doubt. When I have faith that everything unfolds according to my best interest and not according to what I think is best, I can maintain faith. The only way to eliminate doubt is to embrace faith. Faith and doubt can not co-exist. Regardless of the circumstances around you, choose to maintain faith within you. Choose faith over doubt If you doubt today, you will limit your trust and faith for tomorrow. Strong faith moves us forward without fear. Faith refuses to acknowledge doubt or render you discouraged. Faith is blind to impossibilities. The essence of faith is to believe that every possibility exists. Faith is the fuel which moves us forward. It is essential to peace of mind. The weak person remains doubtful, but the strong person maintains belief.

Faith requires patience and trust. It defies logic, believes in the impossible, expects miracles, and renders explanations unnecessary. When one has faith one has confidence in the outcome of our circumstances even when we don’t understand them.

Life is a continuous battle between faith and doubt. The beginning of doubt destroys faith; the end of doubt restores faith. It is challenging for those of us who like to be in control because we want to insure the outcomes as we imagine them. However, experience shows us that the universe doesn’t always view things with our set of eyes. It sees beyond what is visible to us. For us to maintain faith we have to believe in the unseen.

All that I have experienced so far is evidence enough to trust what I have yet to see. For me, life is worthwhile when I combine faith, and commitment with enthusiasm for something. When I am on purpose and my actions are in alignment with that purpose I have faith in the journey, including the outcome. Faith stems from the heart; doubt from the head. Life is a series of choices. You can choose to live in faith or you can choose to live with doubt. What will your choice be?

It’s been said the more you celebrate the more there is to celebrate! All of us celebrate birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, promotions, graduations, retirement, and new homes. Sometimes I’ll be at the supermarket during the middle of a work day and see someone at the check-out line with a personalized cake in one hand and a happy birthday balloon in the other. When I comment it looks like a party, the person is usually taking the surprise to a colleague at work. Imagine the joy the recipient feels in being remembered and the joy that comes from remembering to do something special for a colleague. We even have king-sized chocolate chip cookies to celebrate special occasions.

Card companies do a great job in encouraging us to celebrate. They offer holiday and commemorative cards for everything. Florists are also quick to remind us that any occasion is a perfect occasion to send flowers. Why we choose to celebrate at those times is obvious. Why not celebrate life in little ways every day?

Everything we have, everything we do, and all the people we love and who love us are reasons to celebrate. Imagine if we took the time to look at life from a new perspective and gave ourselves permission to honor the everyday events in our lives. Imagine if we decided to celebrate our accomplishments, a great week at work, having dinner with our family or with friends, our health, or anything else that brings us happiness. We would feel so much better if we acknowledged those parts of our lives that pleased us instead of focusing on those things that didn’t go the way we had hoped.

One of the things at this stage in my life I’m celebrating is being a grandma. I enjoy talking with young mothers, marveling at their small children, and delighting in buying cute clothing and fun toys. Watching grandchildren make small steps in their daily development is cause for celebration. I clap for every joyful moment, laugh at every opportunity, and give hugs and kisses as often as I can.

I encourage you to recognize and create special times in your life to celebrate. Look for happy moments and invite others to share those moments with you. Celebrate your life. Celebrate the lives of loved ones. Celebrate every chance you get. Life offers us many reasons to celebrate. Find your reasons.

These Joy of Connecting networking events are coming up in February. Find one near you and start connecting!

I love to read. Were it not for the demands on my time I could spend hours at the bookstore.

I prefer buying books because I use colored “hi-liters” to mark everything I either intend to remember or refer to at a later time. I gravitate to books “in large print” because they are easy to read on the treadmill. It’s amazing how much information is available. Sometimes, however, it’s frustrating that we are limited in the time we can devote to reading for pleasure.

I also love seminars. For me, to learn in a “live” environment, to be part of an audience, and to be connected to what a speaker is sharing is worth both time and money. Some seminars only feature one speaker. Some last all day and include small concurrent sessions or tracks. Regardless of the format, taking time for self discovery, to improve one’s skills or just to learn something new is energizing and enriching. When you expand your outlook you feel empowered and motivated. There’s an expression that compares one’s mind to a stretched rubber band. Once either is “stretched” it can no longer return to it’s original form.

Do you ever think about what you might do to expand your awareness? There are many learning opportunities close to home! Hospitals frequently offer free clinics and lectures on health and well-ness. There are franchise centers which provide affordable classes on everything from A – Z. Chambers of Commerce have mini courses on business strategies. Local universities provide continuing education classes. Recently I attended an all day “Conference for Women” which offered several mini-trainings on personal and professional development. Imagine spending an entire day with high energy, entrepreneurial women who are committed to improving their effectiveness!

Anthony D’Angelo wrote, “Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.” Take time to expand your thinking! Whether it’s a one time class, a course or a lecture, reward yourself with the gift of learning. If you find something you believe might interest me, connect with me via email to share the experience. Would welcome the connecting.

I have always believed that if I can make a person feel about my product the way I feel about my product, then they will want my product. That has proven true in my life through sales, through ministry, and now through networking.

They say a smile is contagious – in fact, the effect extends beyond the people we come into contact with. When one person becomes happy, the social network effect can spread up to 3 degrees — reaching friends of friends.

A study by researchers at Harvard University found that when a person becomes happy, a friend living close by has a 25 percent higher chance of becoming happy themselves. A spouse experiences an 8 percent increased chance and for next-door neighbors, it’s 34 percent.

The smiles spreading in Washington state because of The Joy of Connecting are increasing my reach exponentially! This week marks the expansion into a second event each month – and it is nearly full before the first meeting!

The JOY of Connecting is authentic – and proven. I am so thrilled to be part of it!

Can you even remember life BEFORE the microwave oven? Can you live without it? I resisted for quite a while before owning one. I couldn’t justify spending money to save time by heating food quickly! Today, to “nuke” something is commonplace. In fact, having recently bought a new home, I didn’t realize that a built-in microwave is now considered a standard appliance.. (Sharing this with you reminds me of the stories our parents enjoy telling that frequently begin with “I remember when”.)

So, you’re probably thinking, what’s the point? In examining my behavior I’m wondering if you’re a lot like me. I usually take a “wait and see” attitude when considering whether or not to purchase something that speaks to newer technology. I resisted remote controls because they represented laziness, a food processor when my mixer with three different sized bowls worked just fine, a C D player (what am I going to do with all my tapes?), and a mobile phone. If you relate to this behavior, surely I’m in good company!

Both a recent series of inconveniences and the reality of what is commonly called “information overload” precipitated my once again giving in to another advancement in technology. Because of my ongoing struggle to organize a full schedule and life style, to keep track of names, phone and fax numbers, addresses and appointments, e-mails and reminders I bought a small, hand-held computer commonly called “the palm” or “Palm Pilot”. It’s fascinating that one can actually have all necessary data in one place and quickly accessible without requiring an address book, day-timer, or business card file.

I have to admit I’m really benefiting from this new purchase. Not only has it simplified my life, but now I feel really connected to current technology. When asked if I have a palm, I can reply, “Of course. Doesn’t everyone?”

You’ve heard it before: “Attitude is everything”. “It’s not what happens to you that matters; it’s how your mind looks at what happens”. Life is about “attitude”. From where I sit, it’s getting increasingly more difficult to maintain a positive mental attitude! Traffic is stressful , responsible customer service rarely occurs, people are over-worked
and struggling financially; it’s becoming very difficult for individuals to maintain a balanced life style.

When I arrive at the gym at 7:30 in the morning, a dedicated group of early risers has already worked out, showered, dressed and are on their way to face the daily challenges of their jobs. I bet in addition to feeling strong and healthy, this committed group begins the day with a positive attitude because they’re taking time to take care of their health. It’s a lesson for all of us!

Attitude is an inside job. It’s how you respond to conditions out of your control. The challenge for most of us, including myself, is how to prevent external situations from impacting our attitude. Being positive requires work. It’s a decision. It’s telling yourself that no matter what is going on outside I will remain positive.

I’ve decided to make having a positive attitude a goal for one week. For 7 days, regardless of what happens, I am going to sail through life’s annoyances. Whether it’s a delivery that doesn’t arrive, an unresponsive customer service representative, a long slow moving postal line, traffic, or an important appointment that gets cancelled at the last minute, nothing is going to disturb my inner peace and mental toughness. I am going to maintain a positive mental attitude.

It’s all about focus. Will you join me? Excuses are not an option!