Welcome! I know your time is valuable & hope you find something worthwhile here. I journal about life, things that inspire me, things that tick me off, things I'm proud of & things that make me laugh. I'm attending school to become a Massage Therapist so that may be a frequent topic. I hope you'll comment on my posts & that you'll become a subscriber. Make it a great day & may you be blessed in all you do!
Immersed Motivation and a BIG Vision
Posted by Sue in Inspirational thoughts, Uncategorized
The following comes from a newsletter I receive from a leader in my company, United First Financial, Mike Collier (that’s his picture next to the article). Thanks Mike - well said!
It all starts with a big vision. What? You want to start with a small vision? Come on, It doesn’t take more effort (or burn more calories) to create a big vision. A big vision is what it takes to keep you in the game and to motivate others around you! So, what does “Immersed Motivation” have to do with betting on yourself? It’s simple. When you know with every fiber of your being that you can achieve the vision you’ve set before yourself …your destiny is assured! When you know without a doubt no matter what life throws your way - good or bad - you will ultimately achieve all that you desire …your destiny is assured. For these reasons I’ll bet on you!
Okay! I hear some of you saying, “Come on Mike how can someone assure their destiny? Don’t you know that nothing in life is guaranteed?” You are wrong my friend. There is one absolute guarantee in life and that is …If you do nothing your destiny is (without a doubt) assured!
I know it sounds cliché but we all need to be reminded that this is not a dress rehearsal for another life. This is the only one we get. However, there are those among us that live our lives as if - Hey! I’m not worried! If I don’t get this one right I’ll get a second chance! Huh?
The point is, whatever it is you want to accomplish get started right now! You just can’t afford to wait! Have you ever considered the price you pay for waiting? Well consider this; time is one thing you can never get back. Once it’s gone it’s gone! So …Maybe you’ve always wanted to write a book. Perhaps your dream is travel the world. Maybe you’ve always wanted to turn an idea into a tangible product or business. What ever it is do it now! Come on! You know you can do it! I know you can do it! I’ve seen what happens to those who get the vision, believe the vision and immerse themselves in the vision! The vision turns into reality! The vision turns into accomplishment!
Resolve right now to turn those dreams - you’ve had sitting on a shelf collecting dust - into reality! By doing so you will discover something profound …nothing is impossible!
That’s why I will always say when you believe you can do it I’ll bet on you. When you know with every fiber of your being that you will achieve your dreams and goals I’ll bet on you! …and I only bet on a sure thing! How about you? Are you ready to bet on yourself?
Today is going to be a great day!
Success! You Deserve it!
I Believe
Posted by Sue in Inspirational thoughts
I received these words of wisdom in an email from my sister. Thanks Alex!
I Believe:
I believe - That just because two people argue, it doesn’t mean they don’t love each other. And just because they don’t argue, it doesn’t mean they do.
I believe - That we don’t have to change friends if we understand that friends change.
I believe - That no matter how good a friend is, they’re going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.
I believe - That true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance.
I believe - That you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life
I believe - That it’s taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.
I believe - That you should always leave friends and loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.
I believe - That you can keep going long after you think you can’t.
I believe - That we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.
I believe - That either you control your attitude or it controls you.
I believe - That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.
I believe - That money is a lousy way of keeping score.
I believe - That my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.
I believe - That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you’re down, will be the ones to help you get back up.
I believe - That sometimes when I’m angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn’t give me the right to be cruel.
I believe - That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you’ve had and what you’ve learned from them and less to do with ow many birthdays you’ve celebrated.
I believe - That it isn’t always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.
I believe - That no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn’t stop for your grief.
I believe - That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.
I believe - That you shouldn’t be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.
I believe - That two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.
I believe - That your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don’t even know you.
I believe - That even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you - you will find the strength to help.
I believe - That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.
I believe - That the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.
The happiest people don’t necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have.
What great philosophy!!!
An easy exercise to improve the world and our relationship to it
Posted by Sue in Inspirational thoughts
I’ve exerpted this from a blog by Steve Pavlina:
“In Chapter 4 of my book, there’s an exercise called Oneness World. Let me share this exercise with you here because I think it will help you understand what the mindset of oneness can help us collectively create for the larger body of humanity:
Oneness World
Set aside ten minutes to sit quietly, relax, and just imagine what it would be like to live in a world where everyone lives in alignment with oneness. Picture a world where all people feel joyful and connected with everyone else. Imagine a place where cooperation replaces competition. What would it be like to walk down the street past throngs of strangers and feel as if they’re all close family members? How would people behave in a world where “we” thinking replaces “me” thinking, where profiting at someone else’s expense never happens, and where everyone assumes personal responsibility for the well-being of everyone else?
In this world of oneness, you can always expect fair treatment, regardless of race, gender, or sexual preference. If you need help with anything, you can approach anyone at any time, and you’ll be treated like family. The very notion of individual advancement at the expense of others is completely alien. This world’s mantra is, “We’re all in this together.”
This new world has no weapons, no prisons, and no national borders. There’s no violence or war. People still have differences of opinion, but they settle them by cooperating to discover the truth while treating every individual with compassion and fairness.
Allow your mind and emotions to roam freely through Oneness World. Think about what it would be like to actually live there. Pay attention to how it makes you feel.
Although this is a fantasy world exercise, it will deepen your understanding of oneness. Even in the real world, you’ll experience some of these benefits as you begin to align yourself with oneness. When you interact with others from a place of cooperation, fairness, and compassion, you’ll tend to receive similar treatment in return. When you treat everyone as a friend or family member, you’ll often find them responding in kind. Over time, you’ll attract others who resonate with oneness, which will enable you to create a microcosm of the larger ideal within your own life.
from Personal Development for Smart People, Chapter 4″
Click here to read his entire entry (which is extremely enlightening!).
Important Lessons & Tough Parenting Decisions
Posted by Sue in About Ryan, About me
You know what they say when you “ass u me”. Well, I recently made an assumption that unfortunately my son Ryan has had to pay the price for, but I was also able to re-enforce a life-long value that I have worked very hard to instill in him.
Last weekend we went to a free timeshare vacation at Massanutten in Virgina. When they called several weeks ago to schedule it, I made an assumption, based on previous experience, that the Washington County, MD public schools were closed for Columbus Day Monday. After all, schools were always closed for Columbus Day when I was growing up, they’ve been closed in other areas we’ve lived where Ryan went to school, and I remembered that he always had days off in October in prior years - so, of course, in my mind that meant it had to be on Columbus Day. So I scheduled our vacation for the Saturday, Sunday and Monday of Columbus Day weekend.
As you’ve probably guessed by now, schools WERE NOT closed this past Monday - they’re closed tomorrow (Friday)! Go figure! But, Ryan got his report card last Friday and got ALL A’s - he made Distinguished Honor Roll! This is no small feat since he’s in all 8th grade merit/honors classes - Geometry, Physics, Social Studies and English Language Arts. So, we went on vacation and had a blast.
Fast forward to Tuesday when Ryan has to go back to school. I have a choice to make - I can lie and say he was sick on Monday so he gets an excused absence or I can tell the truth and hope he gets an excused absence. He’s never had an unexcused absence so I didn’t even know what that means. Well, I told the truth in the note (that we were out of town - I didn’t go so far as to say we were on vacation) and, you guessed it, he gets an unexcused absence. I emailed the principal and took responsibility for making a wrong asssumption (basically ate some crow) and he was very pleasant in his reply but “rules is rules”. Thank god Ryan didn’t miss any tests or I might not be so proud of my integrity.
The lesson I have always tried to consistently instill is that honesty is ALWAYS the right choice. It’s rarely the easiest choice to make, but if I expect Ryan to be honest I believe that I need to always set the example and make the same choices I expect him to make. Boy - will I be glad when he’s off and on his own and I don’t have to set such a good example!
Hectic Week, Branding Article, Cool Software & Inspiration
Posted by Sue in General
Many hours were spent this week at the computer and buried in papers! Dual priorities made it tough but I got both done - didn’t sleep much, didn’t meet with any prospective UFirst clients - but I got all of my tax info from 2007 organized, logged, filed and to my accountant to meet the Oct 15 deadline.
The second priority was making revisions to my business website, www.GPSforFinances.com and I wanted to complete them this week because my site is entered in a contest. It was determined during a review with the instructor of my internet marketing course that my site lacked branding - at least at the entry point. After pondering this, I realized that, though I had an excellent theme in relating the Money Merge Account program to a GPS, tying that in with “life’s financial highway” and some stock photos, it really had no real branding. So I struggled with how to brand my site, while working within the confines of the web designer we’re using, which is good but does have some limitations - particularly the template I chose. Here’s an article I found about branding websites (other than the funky characters in the text, it has some good points).
One of my fellow students recommended a downloadable program called SnagIt. What a totally cool program! You can “snag” images - from your own files or from websites - which means you “cut” and make a copy of the image that you can then edit in a gazillion ways, add text to, overlay with other snagged images and then save to upload into other programs, with very professional-looking results. I’m having a blast with this program!!! It appears that the program has a free trial for the first 30 days and then the purchase price is $49.95. It got excellent reviews, and I would say it’s worth the price if you work much with images.
The inspiration I had was regarding the theme of my website and how it ties in with my interests, my love of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and this blog with the little paper boat. I used the theme of vehicles and a GPS - well, it dawned on me that they’ve been using GPS’s on ships, yachts and boats for longer than they have in cars! So, I may do another website about the Money Merge Account program and the GPSforFinances, but go with the theme of “navigating the turbulent seas” of personal finances - debt, retirement, college, mortgages.
What do y’all think?
Well, my family is off to Massanutten, in Virgina, for a little long weekend getaway. “Til next time - make it a great day!
John Tesh
Posted by Sue in About me, General
I had an unexpected opportunity Saturday night (thanks to my fellow UFirst agent, Earl) to see John Tesh in concert at the beautiful, historic Maryland Theatre (check it out - it’s 93 years old! with lots of naked cherubs hanging around - but then please come back) in Hagerstown, MD. What a great concert! He interacted a lot with the audience and had some very funny Read the rest of this entry »
Many Thanks!
Posted by Sue in Uncategorized
As a complete “newbie” at internet marketing, 2 months ago I didn’t even know what a Blog was. And now, miraculously, I have not only started this blog (I have another one too - www.MrsMoneyMerge.com) but I have also completed (well…almost) my very own website - www.GPSforFinances.com. I owe it ALL to Brooke Barnette and all of the wonderful agents of United First Financial that are taking Brooke’s internet marketing class. I am truly impressed with the guidance and encouragement offered so willingly and freely by these great people. I think it is very indicative of the caliber of people who represent UFirst and the Money Merge Account program, and I believe it comes from the top down. Many thanks to all of you!!