Daily Strength Training

Growth comes into our lives sometimes in the most inconvenient times.  When things are not going our way...maybe we are not feeling supported...maybe we are overwhelmed with physical changes in our space....perhaps we are moving to another home or to a different emotional capacity...sometimes that defined space of time is very dark and difficult...challenging and chaotic...But in the midst of it all....

We are learning how to create "emotional elbow room" ...enough space for ourselves and enough space for others to interact within it along with us...in our NEW PLACE OF GROWTH.  We are not yet comfortable with accepting our own personal changes, still adjusting...

As we are finding our way along our journey...let's be kind and gentle to ourselves....knowing that each step we take, no matter how small or how often....it is progress....we are right where we are supposed to be...receiving STRENGTH from within, from that quiet, intimate place where our heart beats, and our spirit resides...

I look over this past year and see my GROWTH SPOTS....most of them have had one common catalyst...my own choice to just go with the flow and follow it to where it goes...releasing my preconceived ideas of how things need to go.  

I have grown in the midst of very pressuring, unrelenting, painful situations because of instead of reacting...I have chosen to reflect first before responding and sometimes not even responding....just relaxing and staying at rest within myself. Staying at peace is the growth measuring stick I use, not if the circumstances always change to make me feel comfortable.

There is always room for more growth...we never "out-grow" our need for it!

Lifting my glass to 2013....thanks for all that it brought me...

Lifting my glass to 2014....thank for all that is coming to me...

Cheers!!!!  

Enjoying the journey...thanks for everyone who has joined me along the way!!  

It will be a fun excursion tour into 2014...

Give Yourself A Gift This Christmas!

Let this be the year that you gift yourself with THE LIFE you have always wanted!
Look through the EYES OF EXTRAORDINARY!

Watch for every opportunity that comes your way to blossom into something special, even if it doesn't LOOK like what you have planned!  Sometimes we miss out on the very thing that will move us into the next chapter of our lives when we resist the necessary changes that must come to thrust us forward.
Take time out during this busy season for yourself...in the midst of parties, spending days in crowds of people in the mall, doing all the expected things of the season....STOP right in the middle of all of it and take a breath....close your eyes and ask yourself what you need.  It may be a brief break to catch your breath or perhaps you need to change what you are doing.  Maybe it is making a new tradition all your own...creating something that marks this moment in time.

There is no time like THE PRESENT to start living your life to the fullest...remember...it all starts with the way we think....and then what we say and then the actions that follow.  Don't get caught up in the drama around you....go within and find the peace and then move forward with confidence!

With just days before Christmas, you have the opportunity of a lifetime, your lifetime to become WHO YOU were created to be...FIND THE JOY IN BECOMING.....just take the first step...and DON'T FORGET to enjoy the journey!

Ponder Some More...Brené Brown: The power of vulnerability

Enjoy!
When I have been cuddling my little Elliott as he has been ill, I was just watching her on TED yesterday..
Some of my fav quotes:

“Healthy striving is self-focused: "How can I improve", Perfectionism is other-focused:"What will they think”
"We cannot selectively numb emotions, when we numb the painful emotions, we also numb the positive emotions.”
“Faith is a place of mystery, where we find the courage to believe in what we cannot see and the strength to let go of our fear of uncertainty.”

“Understanding the difference between healthy striving and perfectionism is critical to laying down the shield and picking up your life. Research shows that perfectionism hampers success. In fact, it's often the path to depression, anxiety, addiction, and life paralysis.”


I got her book from the library....check it out!
The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are

PONDERING MOMENT: Gratitude ~ Humility ~ Grace

All the TED Talks are great...and this one is thought provoking and will leave you with a sense of wonder...wondering about your own life...not maybe challenging you to live in a small space....but appreciating the space you inhabit inside yourself....CONTENTMENT AND REST.... If we do not have a peace and ease inside, our surroundings, our environment will not bring it to us.

Take some time to reflect, not on what is happening in the videos, but what is happening on the inside of you while you watch. Ponder and mull over and over in your mind, journal...do what you need to do to find what you need to discover WHO you are, then you will discover WHAT you want and WHERE you are going....When I chase my fascination of these types of videos, the BOLD font contains my reflective thoughts...they may not mirror yours...

Whatever your chosen path, beliefs...lifestyle...even choice of foods...in order to make it all sustainable, long lasting...whatever that means to you...figure it out on the inside FIRST...then it will not be such a struggle to maintain it. You are never a failure ... You are figuring out what works for YOU...and that changes in the different seasons of your life...not just because you age or your circumstances change...the seasons are defined by who you have become over time.

I first met Dee Williams when I watched the large video in the middle of this page.  I enjoy people's stories of choosing to live in a tiny space...from building their own little house to taking a closet-like space(90 sq.ft***) in of Manhattan that rents for an enormous amount of money and is smaller than one of the small bedrooms of my 1000 square foot home.

Although I would never live in a minute space, it fascinates me and helps me clear clutter of my spacious house...helping me to realize what is really important...to enhance my life with less and not more...causing me to become more creative within the life I live, thus bringing a contentment and ease like I have never known before.  

I wanna LOVE and be LOVED...and walk in Gratitude ~ Humility ~ Grace...
I found this vid of Dee sharing and it grounded me even more....
If you do not have time for both vids, choose the first one and come back another time.

For those of you who are curious like me.....

 

Remember the microstudio viral video? See Felice Cohen's new home  ***

Here first vid is here

 

Tiny Origami apartment in Manhattan unfolds into 4 rooms

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  Extreme transformer home in Hong Kong: Gary Chang's 24 rooms in 1

YOU GOT IT, BABY!!

This morning when I woke up..I had this song running through my head.  : )
So I have been listening to it most of the day...Reminding myself that I GOT IT!!
Yep, you know it....I was pretending to sing into a mic and danced around the house!
"Susan, YOU got it Baby!!"
(Let this be our little secret!!)

I have what it takes to RESET myself...in whatever areas of my life that I desire to change!
It is within my reach...It don't matter how I feel...It is true...I am the only one who can move me forward!
So this is my theme song for Our 28 Day Total RESET!  Sing  and hum along with me..

What uplifting, empowering songs are you going to sing???
I am sure that many more songs will run through my head over the next month and I will add them to the mental playlist in my head!!!  And of course, I will have my pretend mic in hand and sing LOUDLY!
Music is a wonderful way to assist us in setting the tone for our days and nights.
In the morning, I usually wake up with a fun song in my head...so I /sing/hum/play it all day long!
At night, I play soothing, relaxing music to get my mind and body ready for rest.
When we find ourselves singing along to an uplifting song, we are telling our body a message!

In addition to singing empowering songs, we can speak good things over ourselves...things we want and desire...When things are not going the way we would like, we can CHOOSE positive words of affirmation.
I created this tool to help you stay focused on thinking and speaking good words!
For all the affirmation written out, click here!
During Our 28 Day Total RESET, I challenge YOU to begin to transform your life by beginning with your thoughts and words!

Step up to the microphone in your life!  Choose your words wisely!
Your Body Believes Every Word You Say!  It really does!!

(I suggest reading, Your Body Believes Every Word You Say by Barbara Hoberman Levine
You can get it at your local library or library interloan it!)

If YOU have not yet joined us...WE ARE HAVING SOOO MUCH FUN!!!

Join us in Our 28 Day Total RESET! 
Get access to the exclusive RESET site, download your program materials , connect & get moving for an epic February!

My Dad's went on a trip....

Dad left for Heaven!

Dad's finally Home! He left on January 11th.

His Memorial service was on January 15th.

Click here to check out Dad's video slide presentation and audio from his service!

76 Years to Celebrate!

It's my Dad's birthday today!  He is 76!  

I love YOU, Dad!  We love YOU, Grandpa!!

These pics were taken a few years ago.  The pics we take of him now, he has a blank stare, showing his disoriented look.  So I prefer to remember and think of Dad as remembering us..

Dad is not really knowing us these days.

I called him at the Nursing Home to wish him a Happy Birthday and he didn't know it was his birthday.  But when I told him, he said, "I am getting to be an old buck!  Voy Gogh Gee Ah...In Finnish, that means something like, WOW!

I love my Dad and will cherish the time I have with him.  Even if he doesn't know me, he knows that someone loves him and hugs him and spends time with him.  I am focusing on the memories and reminding him of them, even if he only knows about the past for the moment I tell him.

Be sure to call your Dad, your Mom...your loved ones today...Enjoy them while you have them!

Find Your REST!!!

Remember...your soul is your mind, will and emotions...

Sometimes you have to speak to your soul and tell it to REST in Him!

Don't be ruled by your emotions....Let your spirit lead as you are led by Him!

He is jealous for me, Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us so
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us so

He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.

We are His portion and He is our prize
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes
If grace is an ocean, we're all sinking
So Heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest
I don't have time to maintain these regrets
When I think about the way

And oh, how He loves us
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us so


Yeah, He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.