The Power of Believing in Yourself. "How do you do it?" I hear that a lot. There are so many pieces of my life puzzle. How do I do it? My business, my family, the household, paperwork, my mom, 2 in college, 1 in High school, family health issues, friends, family and fun! THEY ARE ALL IMPORTANT!

 Life is a bit of a juggling act, for me, but I would not change it. IT'S ABOUT TAKING CHANCES, FOLLOWING THROUGH AND BELIEVING THAT IT WILL WORK OUT. It sounds so cliché, but it's that simple. DON'T ask me how...but I always know it will work out.

 SOMETIMES, it about help from others, sometimes it's just DIVINE intervention! IT IS ABOUT FAITH! You can't sit back and hope and pray...you have to do the work, and focus on forward progress. Make a plan and work the plan, as they say, BUT remember the plan will change (unless you are psychic) you can't plan out all the variables. So the plan will be fluid.

DONT LISTEN TO OTHERS AS THEY TRY TO UNDERSTAND WHY YOUR PLAN CHANGED AGAIN. THEY DONT UNDERSTAND THE PLAN IS FORWARD PROGRESS. IT IS MOST IMPORTANT TO BELIEVE IN YOUR PLAN.

 Oh and don't forget to ask for help when you need it!

This applies to all aspects of life!

 Happy Trails!
Terri

The excitement of a purposeful life!

I've read tons of books. I love 'em! I love to see someone reading one of my favorites..There are so many! The Celestine Prophecy, The Prophet, The Four Agreements , The Road Less Traveled, The Purpose Driven Life, The Secret, The Magic of Thinking Big, Chicken Soup of EVERYTHING, All Og Mandino's books, Dale Carnegie, Zig Ziglar, Steve Covey and many, many more.

They all kind of say the same thing. No need to oversimplify and wrap them all up into a sentence or two...its not that easy. They say the same thing in VERY different ways. It is the compilation of all that reading over many years that has molded, rather sculpted, the person I am now.

A lovely novel I just finished called The Gift Of an Ordinary Day, speaks to its title. I try to remind myself that each day, in and of itself, is the gift. "Life is remembered in moments" it said. That leaves us the opportunity to purposfully string together moments to create the story as we want to remember it. A horrendous event, can be remembered by what comes out of it. The pain fades and you remember what you want to remember. What you choose to remember.

As I have seen all too often, some choose to remember the negative. They relive and repeat the negative events,almost hard wiring them into their memory as to leave no room for anything else.

I have always looked back on my life and had year by year recaps! (at least since marriage and children, that's how I celebrate New Year's Eve!)

I always have somewhat naturally seen the good with the bad.

Love, Death, Marriage, Birth, Friendship, New Car, New Home,Vacations, Business ups and downs, more births, more deaths, Financial highs and lows, Heart Attack, Survival, Cancer, Survival, Strength, Success and Faith!

We have always belived we would overcome any obstacle! We have!

I am looking to make this year of 2011 a year of Purposeful Choices!

Wishing everyone the patience and ability to expeience life one moment at a time and to choose to create the story of their life as a string of positive experiences.

Happy New Year!

Making a difference!

Taking a moment to savor a great day. It poured today, there was traffic, the Dunkin Donuts clerk messed up my coffee (it had sugar),ADP messed up my payroll.... yet today was a special day. It was not really any more special than other days...but today I remembered to notice all the good.

So often I screech through a day, sliding into the end, wishing it was over so I could start fresh on a new day. "Tomorrow will be better" I say. I think I am having the right positive mental attitude.

What I am forgetting is that each minute is a fresh start. TODAY, all day, as things HAPPENED, I thought (quietly in my soul) about the positive! I really soaked up the good in my day and CHOSE to ignore the bad. I still had to DEAL with the bad, but I did not allow it to detract from the good. It was a conscious choice.

So as I get ready to close my eyes tonight, I recapped ...

I woke up feeling rested, from a funny dream.
I had time to enjoy the morning with Glenn.
I met a new client that I really believe I can help!
I was complimented by a colleague for whom I have a lot of respect.
I had a special moment with Julie.
I watched a High School Football Game, because I wanted to.
I laughed.
I loved.
I lived.

I hope tomorrow I remember that every new minute allows me to wipe the slate clean and focus on the good!
Peace to ALL!
Goodnight

A snapshot in time!

Every once and a while, I stop and take inventory; not of stuff...I covered that in an earlier blog. I take inventory of my life and what is in it. I am so incredibly proud of our kids. The kind of people they are...their compassion for others...their trust in us as parents...their dependence on us to provide a safe and loving home. Wow...we are doing that!

We have raised them to be the kind of people that you can really be proud of. I can not tell you how much I am SURE we have invested well in them! We have put our heart and soul into teaching them what we know, academically, emotionally and spiritually. They are so amazing.

I truly love spending time with them, listening to them laugh, getting their jokes and feeling somewhat responsible for their existance! What a trip!

People tell us we are good parents...but I think it is more than that. We are good people. We are real people that believe in the simple truths in life...God, love, family, honesty, integrity, ambition and the true belief that we all control our own destiny!

Life is a gift! Enjoy and for God's sake..HAVE FUN!!!

Remember to live! Remember to give!

I often think that the gift of life is to give to others. So many go through life trying to "GET", to acquire, to accumulate more, more, more! When you figure out that when you give you get back tenfold, IT IS SO MUCH MORE FUN TO GIVE.

The fun thing is, some of the true givers...never ask for anything. They have no expectations of getting anything in return for their giving. That is giving!

If you have an expectation about a return on your gift, favor, kind word ...it was not given in the right context. You can't expect a return or accolades for what you have done. When you do it right, it feels right.

Give for the sake of giving...hold a door...say a kind word...offer a ride...bake a cake...visit someone ill...call a friend...remember a birthday...write a note to a pen pal in India...do it because you want to! It feels good!!!

Love Ter

If I knew then what I know now…

If I knew then what I know now…I would not be the person I am. Thank God for the gift of time. Life is a collection of experiences that mold and shape us into the person we are.

Sometimes as a parent we want to protect our children from those experiences, any of them, that hurt. The ones that hurt the ego or wound the spirit, even if only temporarily. We want to protect our youngin’ and keep them safe under our wing. We guard them furiously if anyone ruffles their feathers.

I think the magic of being a good parent is to be there to shape the lesson. It starts early in the toddler years. When another child takes your child’s toy; you want to go take it back and give it back to your child. It would be faster that way... and much, much easier.

But what would your child learn? That their parent is there to fix it. That is nice and comforting but it only works right then, with that situation. What happens when they are in the school yard and you are not there. Based on the biblical quote “give a man a fish feed him for a day, teach a man to fish feed him for a lifetime” You must teach your child at every moment possible. You must shape the moment.

“Did that make you sad when he took your toy?” “Let’s go tell him that and ask for it back”

That works well at age 2 but at age 8 and 18 they need different tools. That’s why parenting is an ongoing process. Each age comes with it new situations that need shaping. As the years go by a parent would be foolish to think that they will hold the monopoly on shaping their experiences. As we allow our children to experience more of life, they reach out to friends, teachers, music groups, TV, other family members and complete strangers. The key to it is to maintain a trusting relationship with your child so you still "get to be in the loop".

Keep in mind your child is not living life on a “track” that will replay your life experiences. They will be different. Your experiences will only give you an opportunity to shape an experience the way YOU see it. Guess what…That may not be as accurate as you think!

Try to step back, put your own feelings and belief system aside and hear your children. They may possibly have a valuable lesson to teach you. If any life lesson has a solid foundation in trust and honesty it adds to the shaping of the soul.

Terri

Conceive, Believe, Achieve!

“Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” W Clement Stone. An incredible phrase that has been a part of our family dialog since we can remember. While it also doubles as a spelling lesson, demonstrating the i before e concept. It really is the most powerful phrase I know. But the believe part is the key ingredient. It is like the sugar in a sugar cookie! Many books on the topic of positive energy, success and the powers from within, speak to the importance of choosing the right language and being conscious of your thought process. Speaking and thinking in the positive. "I will be healthy" instead of "I will not get sick"..."I will succeed" not "I will not fail". The Universe does not recognize NO, NOT, WON'T, CAN'T etc.. The Universe hears sick or fail and sickness and failure is created. Consciousness of this process is HOW to conceive. That is the first part...NEXT, you must truly BELIEVE. Recently, my cousin asked me if I ever thought I would be the owner of my own company, back when I was in school. I thought about it and replied "Yes I did, I just did not know what business". The same person asked me if I believed it would TAKE OFF! I explained I knew it would. I BELIEVE IT, I KNOW IT but my actions have to support my beliefs as much as my beliefs have to guide my actions. I can not sit back and wait for it to happen. I must create my own destiny. Too often, people are so close to the success they dream of but they don't believe in themselves or the circumstances ENOUGH to plow though the obstacles that pull us back and fill us with self doubt. Conceive your plan....believe in your plan...execute your plan..you will achieve! TLC Support Services of CT opens March 1, 2010 BELIEVE! Good luck to all! Ter