Tag: Taking Action

Our path to joy

Married With Luggage: The List That Changed Everything

We hope you enjoy this excerpt from Warren and Betsy Talbot's fourth book, Married with Luggage: What We Learned About Love by Traveling the World. You can find out more about the book and their story of relationship renewal in their bio at the end of the article. We finally went to a therapist to see if he could fix us. The office was in an old building on Main Street, and we both left work early to make the appointment. That showed commitment, right? Neither one of us knew what to expect. This marriage therapist had the look of a distracted…

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Bouncing with Style: Better Boundaries

Yesterday I read a book about boundaries. Why? I had to for one of my upcoming shows.  Much to my delight, I started understanding what that bandied-about term meant in relation to me, my family and friends, and my kids. Even my dogs will benefit from my reading the material. We hear a lot in the media about boundaries. Gotta set boundaries. That’s a boundary violation. I have firm boundaries.  I have no boundaries. But what does that really mean? I started thinking about how boundaries are being erased as we groove into a society where personal choice often trumps the rights…

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Ask a Luminary

How Can I Start Something New?

"I have a dream to move to the West Coast. Every time I try to follow my dream, I hear that little voice in the back of my head telling me that I can't achieve this, and I stop making plans. How can I overcome my fears to act?" ~ Lynn, Tampa, FL Dear Lynn, Starting something new can seem overwhelming at first. The solution is to do three things: 1. Break your dream down into baby steps. For example, your steps might include researching different cities for lifestyle options and expenses, contacting friends who have experience living in different areas,…

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Adapting To Trials

During the course of our lives, each of us will undergo some major trial, the nature of which is immaterial, for each ordeal carries a weight that can only be measured by the one who bears it. My trial began in the summer of 1954, when I was stricken with polio. I don't remember much of the day on which polio entered my life, other than that that was the last time I was able to walk under my own power. I was hospitalized until the initial thrust of the attack, which paralyzed me from the neck down, subsided. After which,…

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New Year’s Eve, Drop All That No Longer Serves Behind You

Before midnight on New Year's Eve, take some time to reflect upon on your past. This past year and as far as you can remember. Refrain from going into story about the past or reliving old memories,  just reflect. And everything that you don’t want to drag into 2014 with you, drop it. Drop it like the ball that falls in Times Square each year. Drop it like a hot potato and let it go once and for all. Leave the past in the past so that you can move into 2014 with clear unencumbered focus. Between Christmas and New Year's Eve…

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How Do You Let Go of the Past?

I watched with great interest the various shows commemorating of the 50th Anniversary of the assassination of our 35th President, John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Having only been 2 years old at the time, I'm a little fascinated that it feels like it means so much to me. I'm sure it has to do with the impact on everyone around me at that time, that as an energetic being, I absorbed, without even knowing what it was I was feeling. I know my family was devastated. My brother and I stayed with my Grandmother while my parents made the pilgrimage to see Kennedy lying in state, which Mom later captured…

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Releasing Caregiver Stress

By B. Lynn Goodwin. It seems as if everybody is a caregiver for someone - a spouse, a parent, a special needs child, an in-law, a sibling, or possibly an old friend. Caregiving covers a vast range of responsibilities. You could be raising a special needs child or you could be checking in on a neighbor who recently lost a spouse. You could be the best buddy of a soldier who's just back from the war or you could be the spouse of a police officer. You could be a social worker or a teacher, caring from a distance. For…

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Implement a Timesavings Plan: Communicating Effectively with Your Physician’s Office

By Michele Howe. Reminding myself here... to be an advocate for those on both sides of the medical arena with my attitude and my actions. With time at an all time premium, it only makes “cents” to learn the best ways to communicate with every physician’s office (for your sake and that of the office staff). Just about everyone has had at least one experience when they’ve felt frustrated waiting longer than they anticipated. This waiting too long can be felt in both in the scheduling department and the literal waiting room itself. While everyone’s time is valuable, it appears…

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Keeping Your Orientation – In Life and Work (Avoiding Unnecessary Missteps)

By Michele Howe. Taking a misstep here would be fatal. Taking a misstep in daily life happens more often than we realize (with perhaps not fatal results, but otherwise unhealthy ones.) Why? It's so easy to lose our focus (lose our orientation) because of the demands placed on us by others (and ourselves.) Keeping your orientation is one principle that crosses over into every area of life. Home. Work. Health. Play. Not convinced? See how this phrase, "Keeping Your Orientation" put me on notice after a fast-paced morning in the operating room. Not too long ago, I was given the…

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3 Easy Steps to the Results You Want

I used to be a little insane, just a bit crazy. Albert Einstein once said "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results". That was definitely the insane and crazy me. Then I realized if I wanted my results to be different I needed to change my behavior. I learned that three things could change my results, and my life: Desire... You need to really want to change. Commit... Make the commitment to yourself and to really add power commit out loud to someone else. Persist... NEVER give up until you…

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10 Tips to Get Through Hard Times

Each morning as we wake up we have a choice to determine the direction of the day. We can go into default mode and wake up fearful and worried about things like how am I going to pay the bills, heal this relationship, find a job, etc..... or we can make the conscious decision to choose the kind of day we'd like to experience. Many times the events of the day happen so quickly, we get caught up in the drama and we truly feel that we don't have a choice. Things just happen. Bad things happen to good people.…

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Catch Someone Doing Something RIGHT!

Last evening as I watched the Opening Ceremonies for the Winter Olympics, K.D. Lang performed an amazing rendition of Leonard Cohen's song, Hallelujah. I was reminded of the last time I was in Canada, for Engage Today, last September. I was given a VIP ticket to a Bryan Adams and K.D. Lang concert that night, but due to a scheduling conflict, I was unable to attend. Between three friends and I, we had four VIP tickets and we couldn't attend the concert. It was just hours before the show. As we were sitting in a restaurant on the streets of…

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Sunset and Other Illusions

If you've been following my tweets and postings on Facebook for the last week or so, hopefully you've enjoyed some of our sunset photos. We moved to a new home in Montana that has some of the best sunsets I've ever seen. About a week ago I was out on the deck with my mother when something she said really hit me. She mentioned that the sun was setting and for the first time, I really thought about what that meant. Her simple comment made it an introspective experience for me. We all know what sunset is and can picture…

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Update on the Global Hug Tour

So, what's up with the Global Hug Tour? I think the most honest answer to that question is to explain that we're going through the same things in life that you are. In other words, while enthusiasm and belief are strong, time and money are limited. It's a big project with a lot of moving pieces. Imagine the planning that would go into a two-week vacation to Europe. Now make that a 5-month trip with 50 events worldwide and you have the picture of the task we've been facing. The logistics alone are staggering, let alone adding in things like…

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Spring Renewal- Starting Anew

Just a few weeks ago I found myself mentoring a client who had gone through a major loss and life change. While sometimes difficult, rebuilding your life after a loss or big change can also be one of the greatest opportunities in life. When we look to Nature, we see that rebirth and renewal are a standard part of life. And like the newness of the Spring, we get to start over with the wisdom that we've learned from our past experience of what works and what doesn't. Life is giving us a clean slate to create anew. I've personally…

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Playing for the Yahtzee in Life!

Yesterday we had very strong winds that kept us boat bound in the evening. It was almost like curling up by the fireplace on a cold winter night. Almost. Except for the continual rocking of the boat. We spent the evening playing cards and Power Yahtzee on board the boat with the family. I've played Yahtzee before, but not Power Yatzee. My son-in-law, Josh, who brought the game explained the rules to us throughout the game, as it required more strategy then just plain Yahtzee. He said, "Remember the name of the game is Yahtzee, so that's the goal each…

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Take Action on Your Dreams!

I was privileged to recently attend the filming of Beyond the Secret as a guest of my friend Marcia Weider. We are proud to have her as the luminary today on Inspire Me Today. When you read her Today's Brilliance you’ll see how she helps people do the most important thing possible- live the life of their dreams and get into action. This was also the key message I saw being taught in ‘Beyond the Secret’.  Taking action is simply the most important thing you can do to improve your life. Without taking action you’ll find that year after year your…

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What Would You Do If You Couldn’t Fail?

About a week ago I had an idea that was the biggest, boldest idea I've ever had. It came to me in a flash of inspiration during a visioning session with my husband. This idea came from asking ourselves questions like, "How can we make the biggest difference in the world? If we absolutely knew we couldn't fail, what would we do?" Very big questions birth very big outrageous answers. If you don't believe me, ask yourself the same questions. What could you do to make a huge positive impact on the world, knowing that you can't possibly fail? When…

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I Have a Secret that I Can’t Wait to Share!

I have the coolest job on the planet. Each day I get to interview some of the greatest and most enlightened people in the world. I am blessed to have created a way to do this and each day I'm grateful for the opportunity to surround myself with such excellence. About three months ago I started to write a book, combining the wisdom that I've learned throughout my life, along with the information shared from our Inspirational Luminaries.  Based on some of the same principles from Napolean Hill's masterpiece, "Think and Grow Rich", the preliminary title for my book is…

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Celebrate Life by Living it to the Fullest!

Today would have been Randy Pausch's 48th birthday. We were fortunate enough to have Randy Pausch as one of our Inspirational Luminaries on InspireMeToday.com.  Randy, known for his "Last Lecture", passed away in July from cancer. I know how special birthdays are, for I just celebrated my 50th three days ago, surrounded by family and friends. On my birthday, one of my good friends, who is only in her early 40's, had surgery for cancer. All three of these things are reminders for me of just how short life really is. I think we all live our lives just assuming…

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