The catalyst that can change your life and move you in a different direction can be determined by so many varied things.  These days we are in constant phases of change that is more visible as the world of social media, along with the internet speed up the process of how information travels to us.  Therefore we may be changing more times and more frequently than we think.  People may think that they are a creature of habit and that change is not something that they adapt well to. However, all of us make decisions about what to purchase or spend our discretionary income on based upon what messages we may be receiving via these communication methods.  In thinking back to my younger years, I never would have that you could have dinner to be delivered via a website and now even more convenient via a hand held electronic device.  We make purchases without going into stores and have become more comfortable in making monetary transactions via the web, which has thus eliminated a large amount of work for the now struggling postal service.  I remember very vividly growing up and knowing the exact hour in which our mail would be delivered by the postal delivery person.  It was like clock work and now it is a long forgotten memory to most.  Electronic mail and adapting to the constant barrage of messages that can come at you within a one hour period can be a job all unto itself.  Yet in all of these examples, we have all adapted and changed along with technology.  Again, our change is constant and how we proceed as a result of those changes is entirely up to us.  Whether we adapt or get left behind as a result of our ability to change is entirely up to us.  We have many choices to make on a daily basis that affect our lives along with our joy and happiness.  We should all make a concerted effort to not let change bother us, rather be accepting that it is part of our daily lives.  The quicker you get on board with small changes around you, the sooner you will be able to address the larger changes that need to be made in your near future.

If you were a flower and able to bloom in the midst of adversity, you would be considered most rare and beautiful.  This is the essence of a quote from a famous Disney animated film that had at its core a key message about how inner strength can persevere in any circumstance. If you find yourself in the midst of a tumultuous period, consider the amount of growth that you are undertaking as you become more focused on what your outcome should be.  Sometimes we may not think that we are fully prepared to take on a particular problem or issue, due to our own assessment of potential success.  History is filled with many people that failed more than once and some for many years before they were able to achieve that lucrative validation from the public, that they had arrived to such a level of accomplishment.  In some cases, the individuals that achieved fame did so almost at the end of their careers.  Vincent van Gogh, Emily Dickinson, Paul Cezanne and Claude Monet are among those now world renowned artists that did not see much fame through most of their lives.  The majority of them struggled through much of their lives as they pursued their passion of painting art.  Artists of any genre will always be the example of how you do the work because you love it, not because of the pay or the adulation that may come from having an audience.   The lesson for all of us is that we too can endure what may come our way, whether we feel that we are prepared or not.  We also have to be passionate about our own convictions and what truly motivates us. Chances are that we can always rely on our instinct and resilience when faced with tough circumstances to get us through.  We are usually more prepared for what comes our way than we give ourselves credit for.  If a flower is able to bloom in a difficult environment, then this should be our reminder that we can also flourish when others may think that we cannot.  In the end, our own definition of beauty and strength can be the end result of what we find given any occasion we happen to be in.  

A shift can happen at any moment that can bring you much needed joy and peace to your heart.  This was the message I heard last week from a minister of a famous church, who had me mesmerized with his frank talk about expecting good things in your life.  His name is Joel Olsteen and he not only has one of the largest congregations in the country, he is a much sought after motivational speaker and life coach.  I love a message that is so full of positive energy that it can fill you up in that moment and allow yourself to feel void free.  There are those people that go through life with their ingrained  philosophy that their glass is half empty.  I am sure that you can recognize who these people are, as they are constantly waiting for validation that when something bad happens, they are the one's to point out that they told you so.  They have been preparing for the worse to come and have a good amount of fear driven decision making that speaks to how they operate.  There is much to be said for being prepared for emergencies and for being a good planner in the event that something out of the ordinary occurs.  However, I am much more attracted to the other people that have lived with the philosophy that their glass is half full.  I learned many years ago to appreciate what little I had and to be respectful of others who may not have as much as I did.  This is attributable to having a great mother and grandmother with solid beliefs and values.  I would also like to think that the glass half full people are always looking for a positive shift to occur in their lives, when something good happens to them that they in part had the ability to manifest it in their lives.  The size of the good things that happen is what I have learned the most about in my recent years, as wisdom has taught me that the littlest of things can mean the most.  I expect something good to happen to me everyday and it is part of my daily motto that walks with me in my daily living. More recently I have also come to the realization that my motto needed to be updated with the added expectation that I may be of use to someone else.  One's talents or gifts should be used to their fullest potential and that is when others around you come into the formula with this expectation.  What ever your philosophy about life is, my hope is that you embrace the good and look forward to those positive things that are coming your way.  As you patiently wait for your breakthrough moment, remember that others can benefit from your talent and if you exercise to use them for others your breakthroughs happen at a much quicker pace.

At the conclusion of a poem by Bonnie L. Mohr, there is a line that reads; "Recognize the people you have been blessed to know".   The poem, "Tree Of Life" and this particular line I enjoy re-reading every time I see this work.  We have all been around some pretty spectacular people through out our lives and if you live long enough you can take a inventory of who some of those special people are or were, along with how they touched your life.  Sadly, we tend to run out of time sooner than we think when it comes to the actual act of recognizing some of these individuals.  Hearing the words from someone who says "I love you", "You make me proud" or "You touched my life", is affirming when you realize that there is someone that has such deep affection for you that it fills your heart.  Today I had a meeting with a person that I am mentoring and when we got the chance to sit down and talk, he mentioned to me that he had told some people that he was coming to meet me.  The people that he spoke to were old acquaintances and co-workers that have been part of my life through out my career.  The reactions and comments from some of these individuals that he had informed, made me smile fondly at the early stages of my career.  It was a moment that provided me with some recognition of the fact that I had some sort of impact in the lives of these people, who felt that I had added value to them and the organization.  This allowed me momentarily to reflect on the fact that I have been blessed to know so many of these great people that have been part of my life.  Some of them I worked with closely at the very onset of my career and others were peers from afar.  My recollection of them was that they were warm and friendly individuals who worked hard to provide excellent products and services with a cheerful smile.  As children, we may feel that our parents are going to be around forever and will always be there to offer their children positive reinforcement.  Parents may also tell their children that they mean the world to them along with the words "I love you", which become more meaningful as time goes by.  We have friends that we have grown up with and others who have been with us through good times and bad ones.  We have to be mindful that we are truly blessed by those special people that are part of our inner circle.  Finally, we should not miss an opportunity to recognize someone that has honored us with their support, recognition and affection.  A simple note, a phone call or looking at that special someone in the eye the next time you see them to let them know how you really feel can be a refreshing occasion. Not only will you make their day, it will also give you some peace of mind to know that you were able to convey this to someone without regard or apprehension that your time to do so may have run out.    

This afternoon, I ran across a great article that spoke to the fact that your home is a reflection of yourself and is your source of your support.  The actual article is titled; "Change Your Home; Transform Your Life", by Laura Carlin & Alison Forbes.  As I read the rest of this piece it discussed how our home or where we live is a true reflection of may be happening in your life.  It made me wonder a bit about the days when I get home from work late or just tired, that I don't feel like cleaning up after myself in the kitchen or picking up the newspaper that I just finished reading.  When this happens I quickly convince myself that I would be doing myself a great favor by picking up or cleaning up right then, as I jump over the potential hurdle of procrastination.  I sat thinking about the rest of the rooms in my house where some offer complete order and then there those areas that can use some sifting and perhaps throwing things away.  I think the term Spring Cleaning is not really meant for a once a year activity.  Cleaning a closet or perhaps the drawer that is filled with what you thought were documents that may be important one day, are more than likely things that you have not looked at since the day you made that statement.  If you live in a cluttered space and you are losing things like your keys, remote controls or other often used items, then perhaps it is time to add a little dose of order.  I think we can all use more of this in our lives and if you have things that are always getting in the way because you are waiting for the right day to take action, then pick a day this week and put some of this on your short term goal list.  I also went through a process not too long ago, where my bank sent me some information about decreasing personal debt.  They asked some good questions that made me do some research with regard to knowing what you pay for in interest rates on your personal credit cards or lines of credit.  I had not realized it until I went through all of my accounts that there were some glaring differences.  This revelation would be a catalyst to help prevent me from making decisions about which accounts needed to get paid off first and then not making any further purchases due to eliminate higher than average interest rates.  Since where we live and how we maintain that space can have a direct correlation to our state of being, then I certainly encourage everyone to take another look at where you can make those needed changes.  If we had a place to come home to that was clear and uncluttered, then perhaps we could also sleep better at night knowing that our lives are closer to achieving the state of true balance.    

This morning I saw a great quote by Paulo Coehlo, which stated "If you are brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello".  A powerful statement that captures the essence of our ability to grow and transform if we are willing to let go of something that no longer is moving us forward.  It does take strength and bravery to say goodbye, whether it is to your past or something that you felt had a hold on you. The potential of being vulnerable is a great deterrent for not wanting to change.  We get comfortable in our surroundings and knowing the familiar, when in actuality it may be time to move on to new things that will change our perspective and ultimately our lives.  Anyone can generate that strength that is needed by beginning to imagine how the change will look like in your life along with how you may feel as a result.  The visualization process is great and can be perceived as dreaming by some, however, in actuality it is very different from imagining without limits.  Careful and focused thinking is more in line with what visualization consists of.  What we have to understand is that change of all types can cause apprehension even in the most confident person, yet, it is the impetus for making your way to another destination.  Many of us have constant mental battles about making those decisions that can have an impact in our lives.  We are usually much better at telling others how they could benefit from changes or being a support to an individual involved in making these adjustments.  When it comes to planning for ourselves, we are usually left behind in the process.  The fact that we need to make ourselves a priority is a something that we should all get better at.  What happens when you do say goodbye is that you allow yourself that great possibility of a new hello.  Be bold and choose to say goodbye to something that needs to be part of your past and stop letting it cloud your bright future.  You will sleep better at night knowing that you are moving in the right direction.

There is a lot of preparation going on as people begin to celebrate as early as possible the upcoming Superbowl game on Sunday.  Many people take this event very seriously and embrace it with much tradition, almost like another national holiday.  For football fans this is the annual holiday that they have been waiting for, as the top two teams collide in the last game of the season.  Whether you are hosting a viewing party at your home or will be preparing something to take to another person's house, there is always a lot of attention that encompasses this national pastime.  Can you imagine if you spent the same type of detailed preparation on something that was really important to helping you in your own personal growth?  If there is something that you want to tackle as a personal challenge to yourself, perhaps it is time to revisit your approach.  If you are the type of person that has a lot of ideas, yet, have trouble executing them, then part of your preparation should include a plan of action with a timeline by which you will hold yourself accountable with specific dates associated with this.  Goals are great, however, if you do not attach criteria to them that is; specific, measurable, achievable and realistic, then you may be repeating aspirations that fail to see a result.  Think of your life as the great game that you need to plan for, with the exception that it does not happen just once a year.  You need to work on conditioning, stamina, strength and strategy in order to have a fighting chance in winning the game of life.  The people that you surround yourself with can be seen as your coaching team or personal trainers that will aide in you looking at different strategies to achieve a winning result.  Then there are those individuals that you take valuable information from that are authors, speakers or other enlightened individuals that can play the role of a consultant, when you need to have new information or a different point of view.  The ability to win at anything means that you in fact are capable of achieving such a result.  That also means that you have to believe in yourself and can envision yourself as the winner holding the treasured trophy.  Remember that you are in fact the big game and every day should be approached with some thoughtful preparation, as you seek to hold that winning trophy in your imminent future.