Do You Believe In You, Because I Believe In You

Do you believe in you, because I believe in you!

Do you have what it takes to shape your life? Absolutely! Do you have what it takes to break free from the past and begin living in today? Absolutely! Do you have what it takes to make your dreams come true? Absolutely!

Today is the day for you to start believing in yourself. Today is the day that you are going to stop that negative mind chatter telling you what you can't do; telling that you could never achieve that because you don't have the experience; telling you that you are not pretty enough; telling you that you can never get what you want. Today is the day that you are going to stop holding yourself back, pull off the road, look at your map, regain your direction, and start dreaming.

Dare to dream! Dare to imagine your ideal life. Dare to think about how you want to be living. Stop looking at life as sand that is falling through your hands and start looking at life as a piece of clay that can be molded and sculpted to fit you perfectly. You can create any life that you choose. Just look at your life today. You are living the life that you are living today because of the choices that you made yesterday. So, if you want to be living a different life tomorrow, start making different choices today.

What do you do first? Take action! You need to get up off of the couch, or the floor, or the bed or from wherever you are and refuse to live life like you have been living. Make a commitment to yourself that you are going to start taking steps towards creating an amazing life for yourself.

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with just one step."

If you want to create an amazing life you will need a plan, a map. First, you will need to identify what your goal or goals are. Then, you must write your goals down on paper. It is a critical success factor to put your dreams on paper. Dreams in your head are just that-dreams. Dreams on paper become reality. Once you have your dreams on paper, you can devise a plan of action for each goal. It doesn't have to be long, it doesn't have to be complicated. But, in order to obtain you goal, you must identify concrete action steps that you will have to take to reach that goal. You need to create the map that is going to take you from where you are today to where you want to be tomorrow.

The important thing is to start somewhere. Start today. Do not waste another minute of another day aimlessly wishing for things to be different. Stop complaining and start doing. Grab ahold of yourself, make the commitment to change, write it down, create a map, and then get packing because you are going on the trip of a lifetime! You are going to start living the life you always imagined. Start believing that you can be, do or have anything that you want.

"There is no failure except for giving up."

Take the time to do the inner work. Do you view yourself as strong, capable, charismatic, and successful or do you see yourself as weak, shy, and unsuccessful? The way that we view ourselves plays such a big role in our outward projection to the world. If we don't believe ourselves as being strong, capable, creative, and successful; how can we expect others to believe it? We must believe that are dreams can come true. We must believe in ourselves.

"Every single one of your dreams was given to you for a reason. You would not have been given a dream if you didn't have the tools to fulfill it."

The moment you decide to change your life and dare to dream is the moment that you are embarking on a great adventure. It's the moment that you believe in yourself. It's the moment of excitement, of anticipation and of expectation. It's also a time of hard work, patience, dedication, and endurance.

There are no "drive-through break-throughs." We can't pull up to Starbucks and order a "tall decaf non-fat Perfect Life with whipped, please." A break-through signifies that you must go through something to reach the other end. It signifies a series of events. It signifies that you must do something to get to the other side. God provided worms for the birds to eat, but the birds have to go and get the worms!

Getting what you want isn't always easy. It can be, but it also can mean some hard decisions and lifestyle changes. You may get tired, you may get off track. And thats to be expected. However, you must get back on track.

"You don't drown by falling in water, you drown by staying in water."

Anytime that you start feeling sorry for yourself and feel like your dreams will never come to pass, keep asking yourself what are my core beliefs? Do I believe in me? How do I view myself? Remember, breaking through to a new life means that there may be some uncomfortable moments. Embrace those moments, cherish those moments because it means that you are working towards your dreams. It means that you are refusing to live half-way and are demanding to live life full-out.

I believe in you!

Trust Yourself! Believe In Your Dreams! Believe In Yourself!

Life Always Finds A Way To Sort Itself Out

by Dona Lyman

Many times in life, things seem to be humming along. The job is going well, the family is doing well, and you seem to be on top of everything that needs to get done. Things are flowing very nicely, life is happening exactly as you think it should, and, all is well in your world. But, there are times when life will throw up the “under construction” sign without any notice at all and have you feeling like you have run smack dab into the middle of a really big brick wall. What can you do to get rid of the “big brick wall” syndrome?

First, take a deep, cleansing breath and take a step back. Look at the situation as you were an outsider looking in. Yes, you could consider yourself a sort of a “peeping tom” of your own life. When we are in the middle of a crisis or are feeling stuck, we tend to perpetuate in this chaos. It’s very hard to see our way out and the deeper we look into it, the further we get pulled in. It’s like a well. The more we reach over to look in, the greater our chances are of falling. And if we fall in, it can be very difficult, and often a long and arduous process to get out of. But, if we can calm our thoughts for a moment and remove the emotions that we have attached to the situation, and step back from the well, we can look at our current condition from a higher state of mind. We can then move from being reactive to being proactive.

Second, look at the situation at hand objectively and stop trying to control something that can’t be controlled. When we are calm, we become clear. When we are clear, we are at peace. When we are at peace we can see. When we can see, we can run through the information like a card catalogue and begin to process a solution by asking ourselves a few questions: first, assess what the real problem is. Ask yourself what is really wrong here. And then ask that question again and again until you reach a conclusion. Second, once we know what is really wrong, we can then decide what measures we need to take to repair it or remove it and then thirdly, we can take identify the action steps needed to move forward.

Third, take a moment to appreciate what is going right in your life and remove focus from what is not. We may not be able to control what comes into our lives, but we certainly can control how we respond to it. By taking on an attitude of gratitude we can command our life to get back on the right road. By focusing our attention and energy on what’s good, we can take our power back and re-direct our path and our thoughts. And, underneath it all, we learn a bit of humility in knowing that somehow in time, life always finds a way to sort itself out anyway.

Have a great day!

The Morning Prayer

The Morning Prayer

Author Unknown

Now I wake me up to live,

I'll give life all I have to give.

If today I face a test,

I'll cope and pray and do my best.

With each breath and step I take,

Be with me LORD

for heaven's sake.

Amen.

Being Alive Is A Miracle, Being Here Is A Gift

by Dona Lyman

Can you believe that we are the ones that get to wake up and breathe in the new life of a new day every day? We get to wake up to the warm rays of the sun joining hands and dancing on our faces letting us know that today will start with a clean slate. We get to wake up to a new day that has yet to be created and is waiting for us to take out our paintbrushes and begin to "paint" our lives with amazingly vibrant, vivid, and crisp colors. We get to walk downstairs and put on a pot of coffee. We get to hear that wonderful “gurgle” of the coffee maker just chugging away doing it’s job faithfully just like it has been doing for the last 10 years. We get to smell that wonderful aroma of coffee beans mixing together with hot water to create a delightful morning beverage. We get to shower with clean water. We get to get dressed with clean clothes. We get to leave the house knowing that God is pouring his blessings upon us. At days end, we get to breathe in the crisp evening’s air. We get to watch as the sun slowly hides itself behind the horizon getting ready for a nights slumber. We get to give our spirit the gift of seeing an amazing nights sky with the stars putting on a regular evening show just for our entertainment. We get to sit at the dinner table with our loved ones and share in the days successes as well as share in the days sorrows. We get to kiss all of our loved ones goodnight, and, the next day, we get to do it all over again.

Pueblo Indian Prayer

Hold on to what is good, even if it's a handful of earth. Hold on to what you believe, even if it's a tree that stands by itself. Hold on to what you must do, even if it's a long way from here. Hold on to your life, even if it's easier to let go. Hold on to my hand, even if someday, I'll be gone away from you.

-Pueblo Indian Prayer

When God Whispers

by Dona Lyman

When God whispers, do you listen or do you turn your head?

When God whispers, do you take action or do you do nothing?

When God whispers, do you feel the breath of your spirit responding, or do you feel your ego controlling?

When God whispers, do you feel the peace, or do you feel confusion?

When God whispers, do you feel free or do you feel imprisoned?

When God whispers, do you choose to embrace your truth, or do you choose to live the lies?

When God whispers, do you forgive your past mistakes or do you attach the chain to your legs?

When God whispers do you feel your inner beauty, or do you feel others opinions?

When God whispers, do you breathe in the empowerment, or do you breathe out your power?

When God whispers, do you feel the courage or do you feel fear?

When God whispers, do you feel the strength, or do you feel weakness?

When God whispers, do you allow the pure love, or do you reject it?

When God whispers, are you grateful or are you ungrateful?

When God whispers, do you bask in the grace of the spirit, or do you drown in the misery of the world?

When God whispers, do you answer the call?

You Are Beautiful Inside and Out

by Dona Lyman

Many times, the quality of our lives can suffer because of the way we see ourselves. Believe it or not, most professional women do not have a very high level of self confidence. In fact, most women find themselves in a constant battle with that dreaded "inner critic" telling them "you're nothing", "you're no good", "you can't do that", "you are ugly", "you are fat" and so on.

Our culture seems to take us and divide us into parts- kind of like a chicken. This culture then takes a good, hard look at each "part" and then will proceed to tell us what is wrong. The message that is received is that you are broken, or that you need to be fixed. The truth is we are not broken. We may need to work on some things, but we are certainly not broken.

Our society then sets standards of an "ideal woman." As we go out and try to achieve this "ideal woman" status, we find ourselves comparing ourselves to someone who doesn't even really exist. The irony of this notion of an ideal woman is this ideal woman never seems to be the same from one day to the next. One day small breasts are in, and the next they are out. One day, tall is good, the next day short is better.

From every woman that I have both coached and spoke with I have found a few common truths. First, every woman feels inadequate, or not up-to-par at least some of the time. Second, every woman experiences fear at one point or another. Third, you are not alone in how you feel.

The bottom line is that your thoughts about yourself today could make or break your future. What can you do? First, stop fueling yourself with self-induced poison. By constantly feeding yourself negative scripts, your are sowing the seed of despair. Second, start encouraging and motivating yourself to succeed at being exactly who are. Celebrate every inch of you. Begin to love the gifts that you offer this world. Love those gifts, live those gifts. Begin to find the confidence to fulfill your destiny. Flaws that you think you have may actually be something will attract another person to you. Lastly, make peace with the past. Yesterday has forgotten you already, so why don't you forget it and move on with living the life you were meant to live?

You are Amazing!

by Dona Lyman

"Use your gifts to faithfully serve others with grace as only you can."

-Dona Lyman

You are amazing! As a woman you are gifted with the amazing ability to transform into anything you need to be in an instant! You are a nurturer, a referee, a nurse, a Girl Scout leader, a soccer coach, a corporate executive, a maid, a cook, a wife. You stand tall through the storms of life hanging onto your faith and determination. You celebrate life and are always there to lend a helping hand.

You were created with special gifts and talents that only you possess. You were personally shaped, molded, and created by God to be needed, to be loved, to be a blessing and to be blessed. Each of us are filled with a treasure so rich in value. This treasure is meant to be shared with others as well as with ourselves. Don't forget to celebrate the most important person of all, you!

At times when your strength seems to be at a loss, and the waves of life keep knocking you down, know that you have direct access to an unlimited amount of a divine power source. This divine power never leaves you and is supporting you, holding your hand, mending your bruises, and guiding your way. It's a soft cushion that can soften even the hardest of hits. This power source is also telling you not to limit what you are capable of achieving to your past experiences. Open up to the divine power and let him weave new, extraordinary things into your life. I can guarantee you that God's plans for you are far beyond your wildest dreams! All you need to do is be open to receiving them.

Remember that wonderful blessings come to you each day whether you acknowledge them or not. Try to tune into the blessings and forget the daily irritations that detract from your happiness. And remember, you are amazing!

Simple Things To Be Thankful For

by Dona Lyman

• Your life
• A beautiful sunrise
• A fresh baked batch of home-made chocolate chip cookies
• A good cup of coffee
• Your favorite pair of shoes
• A kiss from your child
• A smile from a stranger
• An extra hours sleep on a Sunday morning
• A summers day
• A loving hug from your spouse
• Good friends
• Laughter
• Chocolate
• A glass of wine
• The ocean breeze
• Learning something today that you didn't know yesterday
• 5 minutes of silence
• A rainbow on a rainy day
• Your favorite song
• A clear nights sky
• Flowers
• A new outfit
• Good health
• A good haircut
• A bubble bath
• The song of a bird

Drop the Struggle

by Dona Lyman

He who has achieved it cannot be drawn into friendship or repelled, cannot be benefited, cannot be harmed, cannot be raised up or humbled, and for that reason is the highest of all creatures under heaven.

Our society seems to be overflowing with every day chaos. It is absolutely bursting at the seams with drama, negativity, and scarcity mentalities. Common struggles such as weight loss, relationships, finances, physical living circumstances, bad attitudes, and stress seem to take hold like a giant boa constrictor squeezing the life out of so many people.

Don’t be one of those people. Instead, today, make the commitment that you are going to drop your struggles. You may be saying right now to yourself, that it’s easier said than done, but actually, it’s easier done than said.

Let’s take a look at nature. Nature does not struggle. Every morning, the sun rises and every night the sun sets. Every spring the grass grows, the flowers emerge from their dormant winter nap, the birds and other wildlife busily come to life. Birds do the bird thing, squirrels do the squirrel thing, and so on. There is absolutely no struggle. It just is.

We have to remember that we are connected to that same unlimited power source. We have absolutely no limits except for the limits that we place upon ourselves; we can prove to be own worst enemy. When life seems to take us in one direction, and we want to go in another, the struggle appears. We begin to let fear creep into our lives like an overgrown vine ready to devour the whole tree. We allow a scarcity mentality to take hold of us and we begin to see these struggles as something we must endure.

That is absolutely not the case. We were not put here on this earth to endure struggles. We were put on this earth to conquer these struggles and to lead a life that is overflowing with abundance, joy, peace, and happiness.

When we look at it more carefully, we see that it really is a matter of perception vs. reality. Every situation in our life receives it’s meaning from the meaning we place upon it. It is our beliefs, values, and perceptions that determine how we view a particular matter. For instance, let’s say that you are late to work and while driving you ran over a pot hole and got a flat tire. The reality is that you have a flat tire. Nothing more, nothing less. The perception is what you believe it to be. You could look at it as an excuse to let your temper flare, as an invitation to take a walk on the path of self pity, or, you can look at it as an opportunity, or as a gift. Maybe, just maybe, you got a flat tire because if you would have kept going that drunk driver that ran through the red light would have hit your car head on. The point here is this---you, and only you, have the control to decide how you perceive every situation in your life. It could be viewed as a struggle, or it can viewed as a gift-it’s up to you. Our currency here on earth is our belief, you get to choose how you want to spend it.

It’s important to understand the immense personal power that you hold. You have the power to create the life of your dreams. As we learn, grow, and evolve on our path to enlightenment we begin to view situations differently. We begin to speak less and listen more. The Tao says “those who know do not speak; those who speak do not know.” This leveling of our attitude is what we can call the process of self-control. We all have the self-control to determine if we are going to live a life full of struggles versus a life full of blessings.

By understanding that you are always connected to a divine source and that you always have the power within you to create an amazing life, you can begin to control your ego who is very selfish, absolutely loves the drama, and just loves to bathe itself in struggles. Rather, you choose to become selfless. By knowing that this divine source is always there, you are no longer sitting on the see-saw of life; one day up and one day down; one day is good and one day is bad. Instead, you are perfectly leveled leading a balanced life. You position yourself to receive the best of what life has to offer. You begin to enjoy the beauty in the simplest of things. You begin to appreciate that you are alive and that everything is happening just the way it should be.

Drop the struggle and begin to thrive.

Open Your Heart and Allow Me To Enter

by Dona Lyman

Your beauty trancends any description,
Your light shines a divine brightness against my bare skin,
Open your heart and allow me to enter.
Watch carefully, see our love emerge from the tiny seed that was sowed,
I will be honest with you, for I will hide nothing from you,
We can prepare for the birth of our love together,
Open your heart and allow me to enter.
Our time that we came together was God's timing to place us together,
I will wait for you in love, not in impatience.
Open your heart and allow me to enter.

May Your Day be a Shay Day

This is another one of those great stories that is floating out there in cyberspace.

Two Choices

What would you do? You make the choice. Don't look for a punch line, there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the same choice?

At a fund raising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question: "When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?"

The audience was stilled by the query.

The father continued. "I believe that when a child like Shay, physically and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child."

Then he told the following story:

Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, "Do you think they'll let me play?" Shay's father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.

Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and said, "We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning."

Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.

At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.

However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.

The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.

Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, "Shay, run to first! Run to first!" Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.

Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to second!" Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball ... the smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home.

All were screaming, "Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay!"

Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, "Run to third! Shay, run to third!"

As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, "Shay, run home! Run home!" Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team.

"That day", said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, "the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world".

Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!

A wise man once said every society is judged by how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.

May your day, be a Shay Day.

Things to Think About

• Smart people live by responding versus reacting
• Most people don't make things happen they let things happen
• It's not about working harder, it's about working smarter
• The younger look into the future, the older look into the past, very few look at the now
• Find happiness within and the rest will follow
• For every problem that exists, the solution can be found within you
• If you are on the path, seek other people on the path
• The key to attraction is feeling attractive to yourself
• Be true to yourself and be true to those you lead
• True success is finding peace of mind
• It's not about winning something, it's about feeling happy that you have lived a full life and experienced success as a mother, wife, husband, brother, sister, daughter...
• A bell isn't a bell until you ring it, a song isn't a song until you sing it, the love that is in us wasn't put there to stay, love isn't love until you give it away.
• Love is lasting and enduring. Passion is temporary.
• We all have the same amount of time whether we are millionaires or living in the street
• You will never make it as a wandering generability
• Mind your business and attend to the things in your own life
• We marry some one who we want to be like ourselves, except most of the time, we don't even like ourself
• You are magnificent. You are a divine creation. Value yourself.
• Nothing tastes as good as being healthy feels
• Don't forget to live

Each Day is a New Opportunity

by Dona Lyman

Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is a gift.

Yesterday is over and done with. We can't do anything to change that. Tomorrow has it's own set of rules that it is living by and we can't change that either. Today is the only day we have influence over. Today is the first day of your future.

Thomas Edison once said, "if we did all things we were capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves." We have such great inner power and strength that can literally propel us into achieving outstanding things. How do you release this power ? How do you live each day to the fullest? Why wait another day to find out. Take action today!

First, let go of limiting beliefs:

• I am not good enough
• I can't do this
• They would never want someone like me to get this job
• I am not pretty enough
• I don't have the talent

Second, give up the excuses and justifications:

• My dog ate my homework
• My spouse doesn't support me
• I grew up in a household with alot of fighting
• It's my mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, friends, co-workers fault
• I knew I would fail because I just am not good at doing that
• I didn't get the promotion that I wanted because my boss doesn't like me

Third, be clear why you are here:

• Take the time to understand what really is motivating you
• Identify the things you like
• Identify the things you don't like
• Visualize the kind of life that you want to be leading
• Create a life purpose statement - ex: "My purpose is to empower and inspire people to achieve their true potential"
• Organize your life around your life purpose

Fourth, get in touch with the silence within yourself

• Take the time to sit in silence and hear what your inner voice is telling you
• Appreciate and embrace your greatness

How do you know what the opportunity is? Each of us is born with a life purpose. Without knowing your purpose, it's easy to get sidetracked and swerve from lane to lane. But, with a purpose everything seems to fall into place seamlessly. To be "on purpose" means that you are heading down the right road. You are doing what you love to do and things seem to fall your way. By doing what you love to do, you are congruent with your value system and are accomplishing what's important to you. When you are truly on purpose, doors seem to open up and people naturally will be attracted to you.

As you let go of the limiting beliefs, give up the excuses, identify your life purpose and begin to meditate on that belief, each day will be your opportunity to shine!

Successful Thinking

by Dona Lyman

A highly successful entrepreneur wanted to create a different kind of company. A company that people loved to work for, and a company that encouraged personal growth and creativity. Over the course of time, this entrepreneur realized that no matter how clear her vision was, she was not successful in her attempts to create this company. What she realized, is that she did not have the right mind set.

The way this entrepreneur was thinking was prohibiting her growth. Successful thinking requires planning. Planning allows you to maintain the path. Consistent achievment over time helps people to nurture a positive attitude. By expecting more, people become more. "Successful thinking" is the key to success.

Every man or woman who has accomplished extraordinary things in life has had a positive attitude. And, when you develop yourself to the point that your belief is so strong, that no matter what, you know you can be who you want to be, or do what you want to do, your potential is limitless. I often ask my clients the question, "what one great thing would you dare to dream if you knew that you could not fail?" By asking yourself this question, you are inviting opportunity in. You begin to shift your mindset. Once you are in the right frame of mind, you can accomplish things that were a dream just a day ago.

Perhaps, one of the greatest secrets of all times is that we become what we think about. It has been said, "As you think, so shall you be." It's an understanding and acceptance that your outer world is a reflection of what's going on inside. I invite you right now to think about whatever it is that you are thinking about. Are these thoughts serving you, or are they prohibiting you?

By "thinking" successful, you take your mind off of what you don't have and you begin to focus on what you do want. I often tell my clients, "If you want something different than you have today, then you need to do something different today to have what you want tomorrow." Vince Lombardi once said, "the difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will." The truth is that we are all born with every quality, desire, and skills that we need to succeed. I don't say that it's going to be easy, but what I do say is that you can reach true success. By harnessing the power of your thoughts and giving them a direction to flow, you realize that you are in fact "the magic weapon" that will lead you to your own success.

When the rest of the world believes that the deck is stacked against them, you believe that the deck is playing in your favor! Start to look at obstacles as opportunities. Look for the seed of something better when everything seems to be going wrong. Identify the benefit in every event. Soon, you will see that success is not an accident, but rather something you created with your attitude and your thinking.

Get Up and Get Going!

by Dona Lyman

Most successful people that I know take action. They have a low tolerance for excessive planning and don't just talk about what they would like to do, they actually go out and "do" what it is they would like to do. They are eager to get started. They want to see their plan begin. Now, I am not saying that planning isn't necessary, but planning must be kept in it's own perspective.

Have you every heard of the phrase "paralysis by analysis?" The problem is that too many people spend all their time analyzing the outcome and they never take action. What's the worse thing that could happen? You do something and maybe you find that you were a little off target? All you need to do is adjust your sights and try again. You keep trying and adjusting until you get a direct hit.

By taking small steps, one step at a time, we make great progress. Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither will you. By implementing one action step at a time, you will soon see how quickly your plan will come to life. I often tell my clients to start slowly, too just "lean into it." You don't need to have all the answers. You will figure it out. Look at toddlers who are just beginning to walk. They try to get themselves up time and time again. And, like clockwork, they fall time and time again. You don't hear them say, "this is so hard....so, forget it, I decided that I am not going to learn how to walk. I'll just crawl around for the rest of my life." Doesn't that sound ridiculous? Don't give up. Keep trying and the answers will be given to you.

Make a commitment to yourself that today will be the day that you take action. Today will be the day that you move towards empowering yourself to achieve your goals.

Stop Hanging on the Fence

by Dona Lyman

"Stop hanging on the fence and go out and play in the meadow!"

-Dona Lyman

So many of us lead our lives living so close to the fence that we have absolutely no idea what is available to us in the meadow. We have no idea of the richness and the fullness of life that can be ours if we just left the fence once in awhile.

I heard this story of a young man who had lost everything. He had lost his family, his home, his job, everything that was of value to him. After spending many years feeling sorry for himself, he woke up one day and decided that today was going to be the day that everything changed. That, from this day forward, every step that he would take would be a step towards success, a step towards prosperity, and a step towards overflow. Today, that young man is re-married, has a wonderful family and a job he loves.

Alan Alda once said that "you have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover is yourself." By discovering yourself and by aligning yourself with your true purpose and your true potential, you realize that life is meant to be lived full throttle, not just barely getting by on the crumbs.

Stop worrying about what others think of you. Stop becoming offended by what others may, or may not say. Everytime that you do something great, someone will come at you to make you feel small. You don't need to waste your time seeking approval. Just make sure that you are not acting like they are!

We need to walk the walk and talk the talk. You should be the one to set the example for others to follow. Don't give a reason for people to judge you. When you are in a situation where you feel another person would benefit from an extra minute or two with you, give them the time. When you have the choice to be right or to be kind, always choose kind.

By living life against a set of standards that include kindness, compassion, love, and generosity we begin to feel comfortable stepping away from that fence. We begin to care less about what others think of us and begin to care more about what we think of ourselves. As we become more confident in ourselves we begin to live more and love more. We begin to see that the meadow really is an awesome place to live!

The Trouble Tree

This is a great story that a friend of mine had sent me.

Enjoy :)

The Trouble Tree

I hired a plumber to help me restore an old farmhouse, and he had just finished a rough first day on the job; a flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric drill quit and his ancient one ton truck refused to start.

While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence. On arriving, he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands.

When opening the door he underwent an amazing transformation. His tanned face was wreathed in smiles and he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss. Afterward, he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and my curiosity got the better of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier.

"Oh, that's my trouble tree," he replied. "I know I can't help having troubles on the job, but one things for sure, those troubles don't belong in the house with my wife and children. So, I just hang them up on the tree every night when I come home and ask God to take care of them. Then, in the morning, I pick them up again." "Funny thing is, he smiled, when I come out in the morning to pick em' up, there aren't nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before."

Live Life To The Fullest

Today I was called to write this:

Taken from: Ecclesiastes 11:7-12:5

Remember Your Creator While Young

"Light is sweet, and it pleases the eye to see the sun.
However many years a man may live, let him enjoy them all. But let him remember the days of darkness, for there will be many. Everything to come is meaningless. Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgement. So then, banish anxiety from your heart and cast off the troubles of your body, for youth and vigor are meaningless.

Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, "I find no pleasure in them"--before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars grow dark, and the clouds return after the rain; when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men stoop, when the grinders cease because there are few, and those looking through the windows grow dim; when the doors to the street are closed and the sound of grinding fades; when men rise up at the sound of birds, but all their songs grow faint; when men are afraid of heights and of dangers in the streets; when the almond tree blossoms and the grasshopper drags himself along and desire is no longer stirred."

Releasing Emotional Toxins

by Dona Lyman

With the new year, comes new dreams, new intentions and new life.

There was only one thing that came to my mind today to discuss and that was, "how can I create this year to be all that I want it to be?" What can I do to ensure that all my dreams and intent are the very "buckets" that are set up to "catch" the abundance, the prosperity, the love and the grace. What can I do to ensure that the "goodies" that these buckets catch can be learned, shared, and taught to others?

A very good friend once told me "to grab one hand behind you and one hand in front of you and everyone will reach the path to discovering their true potential." It's so important that we help each other out - you see "just as the student is ready, the teacher appears"; and so it is that "just as the teacher is ready the student appears." When we are eager, willing, and able to learn, we must be open to receiving what it is that we are asking for. However, so many of us "miss" this receiving part because we are carrying along so many bags of emotional baggage that we can't possibly move forward. This baggage acts as toxins that invade every cell of our mind, body and spirit. It's like drinking the most vile, disgusting polluted water you can find. Wouldn't you rather quench your thirst with delicously pure spring water from the most purest, highest place untouched by human hands?

Ofcourse! We all want nourishment from a pure,natural, organic source. The beautiful thing is that each and everyone one of us has a direct tap to that source. So, how do you release these emotional toxins? The prescription is quite simple.

First, you must take take 100% responsibility for the actions that you have taken. I like to say that "you can't hire someone to do the push-ups for you." You can not change the circumstances that you are in, but you can change yourself. Give up the excuses, give up the victim stories, give up all the reasons why you can't and stop placing the blame on outside circumstances. All that matters from this point on, is that you are choosing to take 100% responsibility so that you can cut the cords that have been keeping you down.

Second, acknowledge and really "feel" those feelings. How did a particular situation make you "feel." What feelings did you like, and what feelings didn't you like? What can you change? By acknowledging the feelings, you are giving them their due respect. It's almost like a nagging child pulling on the leg of your pants. That child won't go away until you acknowledge them.

Lastly, you need to release it. Extract what you have learned and then let it go and don't give it another thought. Begin to focus your time and energy on the positive. Set your intent and then take the action you need to achieve it.