Getting Ready For Your Next Great Adventure

Margaret worked for an investment company for over 25 years. Her company was bought by a larger corporation and through the re-structuring efforts that took place as a result of that, her division was phased out. All the people who worked for that part of the company, including Margaret, were laid off. Margaret was devastated. This has been her only job as an adult and she did not know what to do next. Because she had some money saved up, Margaret was able to take some time off before having to locate another job. In order to keep busy she did some volunteer work with a local non-profit organization that assisted women who had been victims of domestic abuse. Margaret found she loved working with this group and after three months of volunteering with them a job opportunity came up for which she applied. Margaret was hired and although the pay was substantially less than what she had been making at her corporate job, she found that she could still make ends meet and the work was so much more rewarding than what she had been doing. She realized that her life prior to this job had been pretty empty and while she had a comfortable lifestyle, it had not been very fulfilling. She realized that being laid off was the best thing that could have happened to her.

John was dating the woman of his dreams. Carrie was dynamic, exciting, and lots of fun. If she had any flaw in John's eyes, it was that she worked too much. Carrie was trying hard to climb the ladder in the company she worked for. She would work long hours, travel two to three weeks every month and attend any corporate event that would help her gain recognition and attention by the senior management. John wanted to ask her to marry him but before he did so he decided to broach the subject of children for he had grown up in a large family and had always wanted to have a large family of his own. To his dismay, he found that Carrie was not interested in having children at all. She felt that if she took time off from the job to have a child, it would have a negative effect on her chances for promotion. John spent much time trying to decide if his love for Carrie was strong enough to overcome his desire to have children. In the end he decided it was not and he broke off the relationship. The next several months were very hard for John. He missed Carrie and found dating and the singles scene very hard. To make matters worse his widowed mother fell and broke her leg. She would be requiring several months of physical therapy before she was back on her feet. John began attending her physical therapy sessions so he could assist in his mother's recovery. His mother's physical therapist was a young woman named Jackie who turned out to be an energetic and fun young woman who loved working with people. John found himself attracted to her instantly. They had much in common including the fact that both had come from large families. They began dating and six months later they were engaged. John realized that what he had thought he felt for Carrie was insignificant compared to his feelings for Jackie. Breaking up with Carrie was the best thing that could have happened to him.

Tom and Lisa were renting an apartment in the downtown district of their city. To their dismay, the landlord decided to sell the units as condos and although the current residents were allowed to make the first offers on their units, Tom and Lisa were not financially in a position to buy their unit at the price it was listed at. That meant looking for a new place to live fairly quickly. They were able to find a house to rent which was further away from the downtown area that they loved but in actuality was closer to where they both worked and the rent was cheaper. Tom and Lisa soon realized that they didn't miss the noise, the expense and the soaring crime rate in the big city. Their current neighborhood was quiet, friendly and felt like home. They found that by living closer to their work, each was able to ride a bicycle to work most days. With the money they saved from driving to work and the lower rental payment, they were soon in a position to buy the house they were living in. Being forced to move was the best thing that ever happened to them.

In each of these stories, someone experienced an ending. Most people would state that they don't like endings. That's because we often equate endings with sadness. Endings represent the closure of something in our lives and that often brings melancholy, regret and feelings of loss and grief. But the reality is that endings are a natural part of living. People, events, activities and many other things flow into and out of our lives all the time. In fact endings are necessary in order to make room for newer things to come to us.

We need to learn to embrace the endings as much as we look forward to the start of something new and exciting. In fact endings are great time to celebrate. It's completion. It's culmination. All endings represent the passing of what was to what is yet to come. Even though we may feel sadness, without endings, we could never have the promise of new beginnings. So go celebrate. Each ending makes room for the next great adventure of your life.

Is Your Song Still In You?

“Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with their song still in them.”
Henry David Thoreau

There is a wide gulf between existing and living. Henry David Thoreau captures the essence of this reality through his poignant quote. There are so many people who go through life existing from day to day, not fully engaged, not fully enjoying all the possibilities, not expressing who they are and all they could be. These are the people who exist quietly in desperation and their song, their unique expression of who they are, goes unsung.

So where do you stand? If you believe that you have been primarily existing and not living, here are some questions to ask yourself.

Who am I? The main ingredient in your life is you. Knowing yourself is the key to discovering everything else that will transform your life into something magical.

What am I passionate about? A life without passion and meaning is like a hot fudge sundae without the hot fudge. Knowing what you are passionate about is what gives spark to your internal fire and flavor and zest to your life.

What do I need to be my best? Understanding the specifics of what you need to excel helps you create the environment within which your optimal life can evolve.

What nurtures, renews or inspires me? The answers to this question are your soul food – those things which nourish your body, mind and spirit. Knowing this helps you enjoy the good times in life and provide comfort, support and energy during the low times.

Under what circumstances do I feel limited, shut down or sapped of energy? As important as it is to learn what makes you feel energized and alive, understanding what drains your energy is equally important.

Use this list to help you examine where you are now and what you'd like to achieve. Living your life in alignment with your passions makes every day a joy. Your life becomes filled with excitement, adventure and fun. What is the song that you need to sing? Isn't it time you began singing?

The Secret of Abundance - More than Just Money in the Bank

In these times it's hard not to come across something in the media focused on the struggling economy, whether it's the mortgage crisis, the rising cost of fuel, or people losing their jobs. If we buy into all this negative reporting, it can be hard to stay uplifted, optimistic and positive about our own individual outlooks. But a sense of abundance is not about how much money there is in our bank accounts or how big our house is but rather a knowing deep inside that no matter what we need, it will be provided for us when we need it. Oddly enough this definition of abundance has been around a long time. Here's a few examples of what some of our greatest minds throughout history have had to say on the subject:

“Not what we have but what we enjoy constitutes abundance” Epicurus – Greek philosopher.
Epicurus knew that all the possessions in the world could not guarantee happiness or a sense of joy in life. To enjoy the company of family and friends around the dinner table, to walk in nature and feel its peacefulness, to laugh and play with children, these are the things that give us a sense of abundance in life.

“Not everything that can be counted counts and not everything that counts can be counted.” Albert Einstein, physicist.
Not only was Einstein a brilliant scientist but he was a great philosopher as well and he certainly understood that counting a large stack of money does not necessarily provide a sense of satisfaction. What would be the value of walking hand in hand with the love of your life along the beach? It certainly can't be counted but it would be priceless.

“Reflect upon your blessings, of which every man has plenty not upon your misfortunes of which all men have some.” Charles Dickens, author.
Dickens knew that gratitude was a big part of feeling abundant. Being grateful for what you have instead of focusing on what you don't makes for contentment and a strong sense of well-being. If we truly focus on our blessings, we realize just how many we actually have.

“The world is full of abundance and opportunity but far too many people come to the fountain of life with a sieve instead of a tank car... a teaspoon instead of a steam shovel. They expect little and as a result they get little.” Ben Sweetland, author
Sweetland is talking about expectations. When people see their cup as half empty, they miss the opportunity to find the source that will fill the cup to its brim. Too many people dream small, expect small and then receive small. Abundance is all about dreaming big and knowing that what is yours will come to you when are ready to receive it.