Want to learn how you can do life on your terms and conquer a condition threatening your success and well-being? Start here by reading Susan Brown’s article, where you will discover one SIMPLE habit that will help you better manage the overwhelming demands and pace of 21st century life.

….I was recently shocked when a client told me that she wanted 100 items on her DAILY To Do list in order to feel successful.  I felt overwhelmed and it wasn’t even my list.

Overwhelmed is a state of feeling upset, overpowered, engulfed, swamped and crushed and if it is left unchecked, it threatens your well-being and your success.   It is normal at times to feel that way given our current and unstable economy; rapid change; information overload and proliferation of choice in our world.  But it is dangerous to fall into the trap of thinking that this is just the way things are and continue to live your life in a state of unrest and anxiety.

You can do life on your terms.  You really can.  It will just take some adjustments and training.

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Learn how to dump your mental sandbags that weigh you down in this informative article by Susan Brown.   Susan shows you why getting rid of your burdensome thoughts will not only make you feel instantly LIGHTER but increase your JOY and SUCCESS.

…When it comes to living an elevated life – one that feels free and light – how high are you flying most of the time?

I can guarantee that if you’re flying at low altitudes,  it’s because you’re most likely resisting the reality of your circumstances by thinking things like: if only s/he had…. or why me or s/he should not have … or you’re thinking about the future with fear by thinking what if……..

Before you know it, you’ve lost elevation as you spiral downwards.  The result will always be the same: you’ll feel physically terrible and you’ll typically not make the wisest decisions to regain your sense of well-being.

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Vacations are wonderful! There’s something exhilarating about getting away, leaving the routine, responsibilities, and daily stresses behind to enjoy new experiences and surroundings. Being away offers a break from phones, faxes, e-mails, palm pilots, and other interruptions. It’s the time I set aside to explore, read, relax, to make easy decisions and to usually eat more then is required. The problem with vacations is they are never long enough and we don’t take them as often as we should.

We can take shorter breaks besides vacations. Sometimes a day or overnight can be just the divergence I need to clear my head, to look at life from a new perspective, or to experience something different. Taking time out from my usual schedule, whether it’s for sightseeing, to visit with out of town friends, or to play, is a reward I give myself. I am giving myself permission to feel unencumbered and non-productive for a short period of time.

There is, however, irony to this scenario. No matter where I go, regardless for how long, I still experience an overwhelming sense of relief and comfort each time I return to my community, my street, my driveway and my house. When I see that place and the space and settle into the space that is home I am so grateful. Whether I’ve traveled by car or by plane, from a nearby location or from a long distance, as I enter my home I feel the warmth and comfort of familiar surroundings. The feeling of being home again is one of reassurance and safety.

The magic to all of this is to thoroughly enjoy where you are at any given time. When on vacation, feel the excitement of new places and enjoy and celebrate them with gratitude. When it’s time to return home be equally grateful that you have a place that is yours. When I get into my bed after being away, place my head on my pillow, pull the covers up and over me and drift into sleep, I know there is no place like home!

Knowing who you are is vital to your success. Susan Brown’s blog encourages you to have fun while you do your self-discovery work. As a bonus, she provides links to three FREE tests that help you APPRECIATE and USE your unique qualities and brilliance.

…I love taking the kind of tests that reveal more about me and I think you feel the same about yourself.  Why?

TESTS offer a CLEARER PERSPECTIVE of you! 

Tests help UNLOCK the MYSTERY of YOU.

They provide invaluable information as to WHY YOU INTERPRET LIFE  the way you do; the  BEST WAYS TO LEARN; what KIND OF WORK or career best suits you; how to OPTIMIZE YOUR RELATIONSHIPS and create  AUTHENTIC HAPPINESS to name a few.

Tests give you clues as to why you excel, fail or struggle  with  things and people –  in ALL AREAS of your life.

The FREE tests below will help you APPRECIATE and USE the uniqueness and brilliance of you!

I’ve selected three tests that offer information to help you ELEVATE YOUR LIFE.   Have fun with the results and keep in mind:   Angels fly because they take themselves lightly. When we do the same we allow our spirits to soar.— Anonymous

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Acknowledge What We Offer One Another

Every now and then I take a moment to realize how inter-dependent we are. We go about our routines and interact with many people each day. Do you acknowledge just how significant others are to our wellbeing?

If not for cleaners, where would I go for my dry cleaning? Grocery shopping is not only about the items I need to purchase. It’s about deliveries, stocking shelves, pricing, check-out, and staff! How would I transact business if bank employees didn’t show up? Imagine how intense it is to be an air traffic controller?

Some one provides and installs road signs to ensure our safety. Where would all the trash go if there were no garbage collectors? It continues to amaze me that employees report to work while I’m still sleeping, on days that I’m on vacation, and during inclement weather when I’m able to stay indoors. How would I feel protected were it not for fire and police professionals? Who would insure our children’s education if teachers didn’t teach?

Lightening strikes! Storms tear down tree limbs! Car accidents cause injuries! No matter who you are, where you live, or what you do, people everywhere help us, ease our lives, and are responsible to provide the services we require. Imagine life without all the individuals who every day assume responsibility for what they do. We can not take them for granted!

Appreciate how we must rely on one another. Next time you’re in slow moving traffic, sitting in a waiting room for an appointment that is running late, or watching the news about another horrible set of circumstances, acknowledge all the people that are affecting you that very moment. It may be the police or rescue team responding to an accident, a road crew fixing the roadway, a doctor that ran behind schedule because of someone else’s emergency, or neighbors rallying because of an incident in their local community.

Each of us has a role to play in the complexities of life. While you make your contribution to others, recognize those who make your life easier because of their contribution to you.

Time Plays Tricks on All of Us

When I was younger, people would tell me that the older you get the faster the time goes by. Of course, I knew that was not possible. After all, time never changes its pace. It moves universally at the same speed.

What I am able to accomplish during any given time period is only to the degree to which I focus. It has nothing to do with the clock. That being said, I still can’t understand how time seems to move faster as I get older.

I remember days when I’d wonder if a certain week was ever going to end or a weekend was ever going to appear. When life isn’t going as planned, time seems to drag; when anticipating a special time, it seems like it’s never going to come! Why does the trip home seem shorter than the one we experience when going somewhere?

Under certain circumstances, we want time to rush by. When we are on vacation, feeling productive, enjoying friends and family, we want time to stand still. The truth is, it doesn’t matter what we want, what we think, or our situation; time can never be manipulated! It’s a waste of time to even try.

The question still remains unanswered. Why does time appear to move faster as we get older? I think the answer is hidden in the wisdom developed as we age. Time becomes more precious. It has greater value. The past, whether it’s days, weeks, months, or years, can never be recaptured. Because I view time as fragile, each day lived lessens my allotted time.

As with any special gift, you want to hold onto it, protect it, and cherish it. Time is a gift given to each one of us, equally. We must use it or lose it. How we handle it is up to us. As I get older I realize that time is our most valued possession. Nothing is swifter than our years. If only I could slow down the process!

Did you procrastinate?

Didn’t send Holiday Cards? Need to send Thank You cards? Actually, sending cards now can get you noticed (and in a positive way). Instead of your card getting lost in the shuffle of the busy Holiday season, sending a heartfelt personal card for the New Year is surely to make your greeting ‘stand out from the rest.’

Are you making your resolutions for the New Year? Is getting organized and simplifying your life at the top of your list? It seems to make my Resolution list every year. What I find with organizing that has helped me the most over time, is putting systems and tools in place that not only remind me but help make the task easier and saves time and money. Here are to testimonials from two professional organizers who endorse as well as use SendOutCards:

Sending Christmas cards to all my clients was a breeze, using SOC with “custom shared” greeting cards.  SOC saved me lots of time this holiday season:  my client list is already loaded so I  was able to hand-select who to send cards to, I had the cards “done” in November but had the campaign sent in December, and, of course, I didn’t have to address envelopes or slap on stamps – what a time-saving service!

Dawn McCloskey
Ultra Organized, LLC
770-844-1049
www.ultraorganized.com
Member:  National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) and the NAPO Georgia Chapter
“From chaos comes order”

Send Out Cards is the perfect service to help any company or individual stay organized.  I consider Send Out Cards essential when organizing a client’s home or office.  I organize both residentially and commercially and Send Out Cards is perfect for families and businesses alike.  With Send Out Cards you can easily upload all your contacts, set reminders, even make cards ahead of time and set them to send on a certain date.  With a feature like this, even the busiest of clients can find the time to sit down once a month and send cards for all birthdays, anniversaries and other needs.  Send Out Cards also allows you to create your own handwriting font so your cards even have your personal touch.  Businesses can upload logos and other marketing pieces, making it the perfect tool to promote your business in a cost effective manner.  Save time and money and become more organized in 2009 by using Send Out Cards.

Sharon L. Hess

Mommy Management, Inc.

2260 Rushmore Drive   Suite P

Marietta, Ga. 30062

770-826-3864 – Cell and Office

770-993-4449 – Home

770-454-0143 – Fax

www.MommyManagementInc.com

So whether you want to send Happy New Year greetings or send Thank you cards or both, SendOutCards offers lots of great cards with New Year’s greetings and 1000s of great cards for every other occasion. Ring in 2009 with beautiful and thoughtful Happy New Year Cards for your family, friends, clients, and prospects. You can get very creative by customizing with colors, fonts, and images/photos to create wonderfully personalized cards that are unique and different. Wish your loved ones and clients joy and happiness in the coming year with an exceptional card from SendOutCards today!

Being one who has always been a card sender, SendOutCards provided that system for me and so much more. It provides the tools within the system that helps me to save time all year long. No more driving to the store, post office, stocking cards, (not to mention still not having just the right card when I needed it) and then trying to remember to mail it at the appropriate time. SendOutCards has solved all these issues for me.

I invite you to try the system yourself. Experience a demonstration and send a couple of cards with my compliments. Log onto www.CardsByPaintedLady.com or www.SendOutCards.com/12466.

I will be glad answer your questions and/or send you additional information. Get started today saving time and money. Find out how to set up your starter account for less than $15 with no monthly fees or contracts. Oh and ask me how you can also make money with SendOutCards.

Happy New Year and Happy Organizing!

In gratitude,

Annette

Resolve to Simplify Your Card Sending this year.  Log on and find out how to create, personalize, and mail your cards with just a few mouse clicks. Send them a REAL greeting card with my compliments @ www.CardsByPaintedLady.com or http://www.SendOutCards.com/12466

Gifts, Greeting Cards, and Promotional Products

www.PaintedLadyEnterprises.com

“Helping You and Your Business Look Good”

by Dory Devlin

You know if she knows you’re feeling the pinch this year with rising gas prices, job uncertainty, and all-around-everything-is-so-expensive anxiety, Mom is not going to want you to spend a ton on her this Mother’s Day.

The market analysts who watch just how much we spend on what predict fewer dollars will be spent on Mom this May, though not in a big way. The National Retail Federation says, on average, we’ll each spend $138.63 on presents for mom, down from $139.14 last year, which still adds up to $15.8 billion. Tons of dough, which most moms would rather you not spend.

With that in mind, I thought my obligatory Mother’s Day post on Work+Money would focus on what working moms could use for Mother’s Day. If you ask any working mom, top of her list would be time. More time to get everything done that needs to be done. Time to just stop and be with our families.

Since my blogging roots are in tech, I always think of tech-related ideas first because tech is supposed to help us be more productive at work so we have more time for the other parts of our lives. So here a few tech ideas, and more importantly, ideas to give mom some time apart from all of her demands, and some other great ideas from the women of Shine.

Smartphone for a smart mom: Okay, if your mom is looking to make the leap from basic flip phone to a smartphone that will allow her to text and email with a full QWERTY keyboard, check email easily while on the road, the iPhone is all the rage and is very cool, but RIM’s BlackBerry Curve will do everything she needs. If you go the BlackBerry/iPhone route, take a tip from my chat with Lisa Belkin on her Life’s Work XM radio show the other day: Tell her to turn off the beeps and sounds that let you know when every single email has arrived so it doesn’t make her less productive and stressed. (Lisa does.) If you’ve got an older mom who is having trouble seeing the tiny, tiny print on her mobile phone, I recommend the Jitterbug phone, which is so intuitive to use, has large type on the screen, and can always reach a live operator by pressing zero. After the initial $147 purchase price, you can tailor monthly plans to how you use the phone, for as low as $10 a month. Continue Reading »