Dreams a.k.a. Burning Desire

That's an island I could own.  I'd like to own an island someday, but I want one that's already developed.  Wouldn't it be AWESOME to have a family vacation to your own island.  I have SO many other dreams as well, but this is a picture that I downloaded.  I can't remember from where, but I'm sure you could find it if you Googled "own an island."

Have you ever wanted something so badly that you HAD to have it?  When I was growing up, I don't think I allowed myself to dream that deeply, so the first time I remember a burning desire was in college.  We had an activity with a church group where it was a race and scavenger hunt.  Each of our names was put into a bowl and we each chose someone else's name.  The person whose name we had was the person we were supposed to chase after.  When we found a time to do it, we would touch them and say, "Gotcha."  I remember finding reasons to see these people just so I could get their card.  Then once I got their card, I would start chasing the person they were chasing next.  At the end of the game, I won.  Everyone was SO surprised because I was generally a book worm and not into that type of thing.  I didn't even get the prize because, to me, seeing the reaction of everyone when I won WAS the prize.

Now, that example really didn't matter in the scheme of life, but it was a BURNING desire.  When was the first, or latest, time you've felt BURNING desire? 

Napoleon Hill says it's key to achieving anything worthwhile.  Skip Ross says that in order to achieve any goal, you need three things: 1. Think of what you REALLY want, 2. Infuse all of your energy into it, 3. Write it down.  Even if you KNOW what it is- it's ESSENTIAL to write it down.

Again mentioning Napoleon Hill, in Think and Grow Rich, he mentions a sure fire way to achieve your dreams (he mainly mentions financial, but you can adapt it to other types of riches).  He also talks about figuring out what you REALLY want and writing it down.  He takes it a step farther than Skip Ross, however.  He recommends you read this statement, written in positive and present tense, out loud while FEELING as if you had already acheived that goal.

Sorry to cut this short, but I need to do that right now with my new goal.

You are AWESOME!

Purpose - what's yours?

 
This is not an easy thing to discover - some spend their whole lives looking for it and others never find it.  I remember when I worked in a nursing home, the halls and rooms were filled with people who didn't have a purpose.  Not that none of them had a purpose, but many of them didn't.  As a Recreation Therapist, part of my job was to help find something for the residents to do, but that was just temporary.  Purpose is something you have to find on your own.

I've been learning and thinking a lot about purpose and what mine is.  I think, as my life evolves, so will my purpose.  I have some inklings as to what I'm intended to do while I'm here, but I'm not quite sure how and when these things will happen.  Good thing I'm a work in progress.  I love listening to Robert Allen each day when he says, "When I'm the me I was meant to be, I'm awesome."  That's a very non-threatening way of inspiring us to live up to our potential.

Above is an AMAZING book that may help you with figuring out your purpose - if you choose to accept it.
I try to live my life on purpose everyday, but I often find myself getting distracted by so many things.  I know that focus is one of the keys to success, so why do I let myself get distracted by things that aren't related to my purpose?  I don't know, but I'm daily trying to master focus.

You are AWESOME!

Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

As most of us in the USA know, today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  For those of you who don't know who he is or why he has a holiday named after him, I'll tell you.  He was a Human Rights activist who fought for rights specifically of Black people.  In those days, Blacks went to their own schools, couldn't vote, drank out of their own drinking fountains, sat in the back of public buses and things like that.  His most famous speech was entitled, "I Have a Dream."  You can read, or reread it here: MLK or you can watch it here: YouTube

Yes, there were others, many others, who contributed to the Civil Rights Movement.  I'm not trying to discount them.  I'm only trying to honor one man who did much good in this country on this day.

You are AWESOME!

Self-Made Wealth

 
I found a couple of his videos very inspiring because they were not only talking about business, but being successful in life.  I hope my notes from these videos make sense.  To view the actual videos, click here
http://blog.selfmadewealth.com

 

Most important ways for me to become more value: 1. Learn more about English language and how to use it properly to connect with more people, 2. Learn more about verbal and non-verbal communication , 3. Marketing – communicate my full story to others, 4. Selling – LEARN HOW to do it genuinely – consultative selling – let me ask you some questions and see if what I have is a fit and sell solutions, 5. Public Speaking- we fear it more than death oftentimes – rejection triggers same pain center that physical pain does – MAKE IT HAPPEN – failure is an idea that humans created – look for the lessons in every failure – when I mess up, tell people as soon as possible and make them feel comfortable finding mistakes – make it a game – Evitability Thinking – set things up so success happens itself instead of trying to make it happen – who can we bring in to help us solve the problems – create the conditions so success will happen automatically – What can I do to make success inevitable? – learn to be good goal-setter and problem-solver both – set up conditions to make sure success happens – accountability partner and give $100 if you don’t show up – focus on large blocks of time -His Productivity Pyramid – 1. No or negative value,2. Low monetary value, 3. High Dollar Per Hour Value, 4. High Lifetime Value (I need to be proactive about) – Look for prospects who are looking for me – Direct Response Marketing (people who give direct response after an interview) –

You are AWESOME!

Caring People

I was listening to K-LOVE again today and heard an inspiring story that I wanted to share.

Recently some grandparents had heard that their 3-year old grandchild was killed by the mother's live-in boyfriend (OK, that's not inspiring - keep reading).  The mother decided to donate the boy's organs to other people who needed it.  The grandfather wanted to be around for moral support and to offer whatever help he could. 

The couple went to the airport 2 hrs early, but still barely made the first plane, for whatever reason.  The grandfather, because of some delayed layovers was about to miss the last plane that got him to his final plane to get to his final destination.  He should have missed his plane.  He arrived at the gate 12 minutes late.  Yet, what he found at the gate shocked him.  He found the gate attendant and the plane still there.  The gate attendant asked, "Are you Mark?" to which the grandfather replied in the affirmative.  "The pilot held the plane for you."  When Mark asked to speak to the pilot (who had apparently heard of the situation), the pilot replied, "The plane wasn't  going to leave without me and I wasn't going to leave without you."

What a great example of how much God loves each and every one of us and how He loves it when we love others as He would.  Thank God for caring people.

You are AWESOME!

Restructuring

Haiti Flag - read below

So, things are a little different in my life today.  My husband and I had a talk -an accounting on the goal we made 6 months ago.  For me, it didn't go well.  I hoped it wouldn't come down to that, but it did. 


Because things went the way they did, it got me to thinking about why my business hasn't been as profitable as I had hoped, and I realized that there are things I know I need to do that I haven't been doing.  Over and over again, I keep hearing that I need to do the same things.  It just takes time and I was hoping for something to happen quicker. 


I also realized that in addition to not doing the right things, maybe I simply didn't work hard enough.  I recently watched a movie, Where the Red Fern Grows, where the main character wanted two hunting dogs so badly.  He said that when you have a goal this big and ask God to help you, you do all the work and He provides the strength and opportunity.  I don't know how true that is since I haven't achieved my big goal yet, but maybe it is, and maybe I was relying on Him too much to perform the miracle, but I wasn't working hard enough.  I feel like I was working hard enough, but apparently not.


I also realize that I maybe wasn't reading enough inspirational books and listening to enough motivational CDs.  I was so focused (at times) on acheiving my goal that I didn't take time to "sharpen the saw" as Stephen R. Covey would say.  With exercise, eating healthy, taking care of my baby, working on my business, reading, listening, serving (where I can), etc. - there's just WAY too much to do that I thought I could cut that out, but I guess that wasn't the best idea.


I've also heard, time and time again, about Napolean Hill's way to make any goal (mainly financial, however): Write it down, be specific, put a date on it and write a positive statement with all the previous components in a positive statement and read it out loud with passion twice a day.  I do it sometimes, but I'm not very consistent.  I need to become more consistent - starting today, once I figure out my next goal.


I know it's the beginning of the year, the time when people start thinking about goals.  I just found out an interesting fact, sortof related and sortof not: It has been one year as of today since the calamities that occurred in Haiti.  Their flag is the picture above.  It's clear to see, I'm not the only one restructuring.

You are AWESOME!

5 Words

 I was on Twitter (I'm "lapstarr" if you'd like to follow me) on Saturday and someone asked, "If you could describe your church in 5 words, what words would you use?"  I was very intrigued by the thought of that.  There are so many parts for my church that it's hard to break it down into 5 words.  What would you say?  I'd like to hear any responses you'd like to describe your church. 

You are AWESOME!

Zero Chemicals

Well, I didn't really intend to post this here, but just in case anyone's interested, I might as well.  

U R still awesome!

Zero Chemicals

<a href="http://lstarr1.0chemicals.hop.clickbank.net"> <img src="http://www.zerochemicals.com/affiliates/bannersandgraphics/ ZeroChemicalGIWebsite.jpg"> </a>
Here are FOUR reasons to start cleaning without chemicals starting TODAY:

      1.      Save hundreds of dollars per year by making natural alternatives.

      2.      Improve health – household chemicals can cause cancer!

      3.      Help the environment – our planet doesn’t like toxic chemicals.

      4.      Help others in your community by teaching them about chemical free cleaning.

Don’t you have better things to spend your money on than cleaning chemicals?  Who really wants to spend money on this, but how many of us still spend hundreds or thousands a year on harsh cleaning chemicals?  Most of us.  Why not save up for that vacation you’ve always wanted or a shopping spree?  Pay off bills? 
In addition to saving money, aren’t you concerned about your health?  Studies have shown that many household cleaning products can cause cancer or other health problems.  Why submit your body to that when you can live naturally? 
Also, when we dump the bottles which held the cleaning products, it can hurt our water and soil.  Most of us aren’t farmers, but we eat the food we buy at the store that others have farmed.  Don’t you want that soil to be natural and free of toxins?  You’re feeding yourselves and your children that food aren’t you?!  We can’t do everything to save the environment, but we CAN do OUR part.
If you’re learning to save money, improve your health and help the environment, wouldn’t you want to teach others to do so?  How many of your neighbors, friends or family would like to know how to do these things too?  I know I sure like to help out my loved ones when I can, especially when it’s helping them to live better too.  You could also reach out to other members in your community and teach them the important facts you are learning as well.

http://lstarr1.0chemicals.hop.clickbank.net

Never Give In!

 
     My husband was giving me a quote from a movie today.  I sortof understood his quote, but it reminded me of this quote and this one was shorter, so I thought I'd include it here.

     I don't know how many of you know the story of this quote.  Winston Churchill gave a speech to the boys of Harrow, his old school; delivered October 29, 1941. I heard that "Never, never, never give up" were the entire words of his speech, but apparently, that was incorrect.  Just in case you're curious, below are the words of the speech and the website from which I found it.

      "Almost a year has passed since I came down here at your Head Master's kind invitation in order to cheer myself and cheer the hearts of a few of my friends by singing some of our own songs.
      The ten months that have passed have seen very terrible catastrophic events in the world--ups and downs, misfortunes-- but can anyone sitting here this afternoon, this October afternoon, not feel deeply thankful for what has happened in the time that has passed and for the very great improvement in the position of our country and of our home?
      Why, when I was here last time we were quite alone, desperately alone, and we had been so for five or six months. We were poorly armed. We are not so poorly armed today; but then we were very poorly armed. We had the unmeasured menace of the enemy and their air attack still beating upon us, and you yourselves had had experience of this attack; and I expect you are beginning to feel impatient that there has been this long lull with nothing particular turning up!
      But we must learn to be equally good at what is short and sharp and what is long and tough. It is generally said that the British are often better at the last. They do not expect to move from crisis to crisis; they do not always expect that each day will bring up some noble chance of war; but when they very slowly make up their minds that the thing has to be done and the job put through and finished, then, even if it takes months - if it takes years - they do it.
      Another lesson I think we may take, just throwing our minds back to our meeting here ten months ago and now, is that appearances are often very deceptive, and as Kipling well says, we must '...meet with Triumph and Disaster. And treat those two impostors just the same.'
      You cannot tell from appearances how things will go. Sometimes imagination makes things out far worse than they are; yet without imagination not much can be done. Those people who are imaginative see many more dangers than perhaps exist; certainly many more than will happen; but then they must also pray to be given that extra courage to carry this far-reaching imagination.

      But for everyone, surely, what we have gone through in this period--I am addressing myself to the School--surely from this period of ten months, this is the lesson:
      Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never--in nothing, great or small, large or petty--never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.
      We stood all alone a year ago, and to many countries it seemed that our account was closed, we were finished. All this tradition of ours, our songs, our School history, this part of the history of this country, were gone and finished and liquidated.
      Very different is the mood today. Britain, other nations thought, had drawn a sponge across her slate. But instead our country stood in the gap. There was no flinching and no thought of giving in; and by what seemed almost a miracle to those outside these Islands, though we ourselves never doubted it, we now find ourselves in a position where I say that we can be sure that we have only to persevere to conquer.
      You sang here a verse of a School Song: you sang that extra verse written in my honor, which I was very greatly complimented by and which you have repeated today. But there is one word in it I want to alter - I wanted to do so last year, but I did not venture to. It is the line: 'Not less we praise in darker days.'
      I have obtained the Head Master's permission to alter darker to sterner. 'Not less we praise in sterner days.'
      Do not let us speak of darker days: let us speak rather of sterner days. These are not dark days; these are great days--the greatest days our country has ever lived; and we must all thank God that we have been allowed, each of us according to our stations, to play a part in making these days memorable in the history of our race."

Read more: wiki.answers

You are AWESOME!

Faith

I was listening to K-LOVE again and thinking about my current situation.  Basically, my husband and I made a deal that is running out net week.  I'm stressed out about it, but I also feel calm, like it will be taken care of.  I'm trying to keep that faith going.  Even if I can't pull my end of the bargain, it's sure a whole lot more enjoyable having faith rather than doubt and fear.  Let me know if you have a similar circumstance where you're trying to pull something off that there's no way you can without help (God, family, friends, co-workers, etc.) 

You are AWESOME!

Life Going Well?

Does this ever happen to you - things are not going well and you are almost at your breaking point, when all of a sudden things start going right?!  I'd LOVE to hear your stories!  They inspire me and I'm sure they will help inspire others.

You are AWESOME!

New Year Resolutions

First of all, Happy New Year!  I sincerely hope that this year brings abundance in all areas of your life.

Second of all - New Year Resolutions: Are they overrated or necessary?  I think they are overrated.  Don't get me wrong, I try to make them every year too, but I don't beat myself up if I don't make them or if I break them in the first week.  I just readjust and reset the goals.  Maybe people break goals because they set unrealistic expectiations.  You're trying to be better aren't you?  Don't be so hard on yourself.  I hope you're trying to be your best friend and kind and gentle to yourself.  Remember to love yourself even when you don't make your goals/resolutions.

You are AWESOME!