Do You Make THIS Mistake?

Photo by Grendel Khan

   

   Are you the kind of person with hundreds of great ideas but you rarely do anything about them? 

Well then, your ideas may be as worthless as rotten eggs.That’s mean, isn’t it? To tell someone their ideas are worthless is pretty cruel. 

But you know what? It’s true, well sort of anyway. 

I can’t count how many times a day brilliant (or so I think) ideas pop into my head. All these ideas for making my life easier, ideas about inventions that should be made, ideas about a better way to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches without ever getting one in the others’ jar… you know, important stuff.

 Anyway, if you know anything about me at all you know I’m a daydreamer, therefore at any given moment I have about half a dozen ideas floating around in my already overcrowded brain. 

Here’s the problem – unless I make a plan and put these ideas into action, they’re basically worthless. If, however, I take one of these ideas and foster it, allow it to grow into something bigger then perhaps it will have some value. 

   When I was really young we used to hatch and raise chickens. We had the whole set up – incubator with temperature control, an egg candler (a light to see inside the egg), etc. 

We would take the eggs and wipe them with a dry cloth then place them in the warmth of the incubator. We would place an X and O on each end of an egg to make sure they had been turned and we would make sure to turn them several times a day. 

Every now and then we would use a light to look inside the egg and see the progress. We would just wait and watch and wait as the chick would grow inside the egg. 

After what seemed like an eternity, we would see a tiny crack and the chick would work its way out. The whole process takes a few weeks (seems longer) but is very rewarding. 

   I know, you’re asking “Where on Earth are you going with this and why do I care about your chickens?” 

   Here’s why you care: Ideas are like hatching eggs. You have to tend to them patiently, foster them, keep them warm, and every now and then examine them from the inside out to see from every angle how this idea in progress is changing and what it might become.

 Eventually, after we spend some time letting our idea develop, we can clean it up and set it free into the world. Oh, we won't entirely let it fend for itself, but if it's a good one we can, for the most part just sit back, let it find its wings and fly. (Yeah, I know chickens don't really "fly" so slightly bad comparison but that's not the point).

   If none of that makes sense, what I’m really trying to say (just taking a long time to get to it) is we need to nurture our ideas before putting them into action (or before giving up on them entirely). 

Some ideas might take a little longer than others to grow into something more. You know, the best things in life sometimes take a while to become the best things - like wine, cheese, fruitcake… well, maybe not fruitcake.  

Anyway, the point is you can have the most amazing ideas in the world but if you don’t nurture them and allow them to grow, well, in time all you’re left with is a bunch of rotten eggs. So yeah, they’re pretty much worthless.

 Have you been letting your eggs rot?

What Is Personal Development?

Photo by Arnel Dollosa

   I’m sure most of you have a good idea what personal development is. The answer is both simple and complex. Anything and everything that is done to improve who you are as a human being is personal development. There are many different areas of personal development and some are making improvements to your education, health, relationships, and self-esteem. Some things that most people would agree on when it comes to personal development are the need to set goals, defining exactly what it is that you want before you’re able to achieve it, not being afraid to work consistently to obtain what you want, as well as finding sources of motivation and inspiration to keep you headed in the right direction. 

   Personally, I like to think of personal development as a human investment. Think about something – Why are so many people willing to pay out thousands of dollars for items such as cars, houses, boats, clothing, etc. but these same people are hesitant to pay for self-help books or seminars in personal growth? What’s worse is that many times these things can be had for free from the library or online but people will say they don’t have the free time. An investment in YOU is the best investment you will ever make. It took me a while to figure that out for myself. Every book I read, every bit of knowledge I gain from reading or hearing about someone else’s experience, and every cent and minute I spend becoming more fulfilled, more educated, more in tune with who I am, the stronger I become as a person. I understand time is a huge issue and that’s one investment that people feel they don’t have the luxury of making. BUT it’s usually the people who are so pressed for time who benefit most from personal development. Even if it’s as simple as taking a few minutes a day to sit and think in complete silence that’s better than nothing at all. If you don’t have time to invest in yourself you can’t possibly live every part of your life to the fullest. What’s holding you back?

Paying it Forward - Helping Yourself by Helping Others

Photo by Tim Green

    I’m always talking about how you get what you give but I was really reminded of that last night and I wanted to share it with you. My family went out for dinner and as we sat enjoying our meal, a gentleman approached our table. He commented on how well behaved the children were and I told him that yes, they have their good moments. He chuckled and said something about kids usually being rowdy in restaurants and then stepped around the corner to place his order, or so I thought. He came back around and sat $20 on the table and said we should buy them a treat for being such good kids. I said thank you and prompted the children to do the same. Normally I would have tried to refuse it but a while back someone told me that I shouldn’t always turn down someone’s offering because doing so took away a piece of the happiness they would receive for doing something nice. It’s almost instinct to say “Oh, no, please we can’t accept this.” BUT I fought the urge.

   On our way home from the restaurant, there was a man standing in the median at the intersection of the highway holding a sign and a gas can.  It was below 30 degrees out and snowing and he wasn’t really dressed for the weather. I took $20 from my purse and had my husband roll his window down and call him over to our van as we sat in traffic. You could tell by the look on his face that he wasn’t expecting that much (Not that it was a lot of money but he had one of the smallest gas cans I’d ever seen.) He was very appreciative and apologized. He told us he wouldn’t usually do something like that but he didn’t have any other way. I assured him it was perfectly fine. I was so glad to pay it forward so quickly. From the moment the gentleman in the restaurant put the money down on our table I was thinking of a way I could return the kindness. I didn’t expect it to happen as soon as it did but I saw it as a true sign that you get what you give. You never know when it will happen or where but your kindness will always come back to you.

Create Your Perfect Life Map Using a Vision Board

Creating Your Perfect Lifestyle 

Photo by Nanette Saylor

  Most of us have in our minds the image of our perfect lifestyle. For some that might mean living in the middle of nowhere on a farm and being completely self-sufficient and for others it might mean being a big shot executive with a multimillion dollar home, lots of power, and money to burn. I often ask myself “What’s one thing that you can do today that will bring you one step closer to your perfect lifestyle?” I’m a believer in the law of attraction, although I do think that a little work and planning never hurt anyone. One of the best tools I’ve ever used has been a vision board. If you’re not familiar with vision boards they are basically collages that you create of things you want and need.  You then take these collages and put them in places where you will see them every day. 

Recently, I read an article by Martha Beck that explains 7 steps to getting the lifestyle you want. This article explains how you can map out your perfect lifestyle. It involves using vision boards but there’s a twist because you’re also going to create a board for the lifestyle you currently have and step by step go through the process of enhancing different areas of your life and doing research to figure out how to eliminate the negative aspects in your current lifestyle.  Of course, this isn’t meant to get you where you need to be in order to have that lifestyle but once you’ve finished you’ll have a pretty clear picture of what you want in life and a better idea of how to get there. With anything worth having there’s going to have to be some effort put forth so don’t expect instant gratification and be willing to work for what you want. I know it’s cliché but where there’s a will there’s a way. Hey, I’m a poet and didn’t know it. =)

Martha Beck Explains How to Live the Life You Want

Stay Focused on Your Dreams - Don't Be Afraid to Dream On

Photo by Melody Campbell

I was the kid in class who always got in trouble for daydreaming. I would sit and stare out the window imagining I was anywhere but there doing anything and everything. It was and still is so easy for me to get lost in thought. Some of the best ideas I've ever had have come to me in daydreams. I think with the unlimited potential of our mind, dreaming can be a powerful tool in getting what we want out of life. Everyone has dreams, hopes, desires, wants... things they want to achieve in life. Maybe you want to learn to play the piano or write a best selling novel. Maybe you just want to be able to find your keys every day so you'll make it to work on time. Dreams don't have to be huge or extreme. They can be anything really. 

Some of us seem to think that having dreams is fun but not something we necessarily take seriously. That's where the problem lies. Anything worth wanting is worth trying for. You never know what you can have until you go after it. Make those dreams priorities in your life no matter how silly they might seem. Create a goal plan to reach those dreams. Decide exactly what it is that you want, decide when you want it, and come up with a step by step plan to reach that goal. If along the way you realize your plan isn't working out for you, adjust it. You may have to do quite a bit of tweaking before you find the right method to reach your goal but don't give up easily. Stay focused on your dreams, work for them and don't let setbacks and obstacles stop you. You might just be amazed at what you can accomplish if you dare to believe.