Today I am grateful for more than I know

Today marks the start of my journey of faith, of trust and hope because I BELIEVE in what I knew that I could do all along. When you want something bad enough you will go for it you will push yourself and make it happen. I love life, I love my family, my greatest goal is to help people and I am accomplishing this, whether it is paid in money or other ways that are not as easily seen by the eye, but can be felt by the heart.
I cashed my first buyer transaction check since I quit my job almost 2 months ago( not including the rentals I have done)  and it feels great, to be back into doing what I love, getting in the swing of things balancing my life, appreciating what I have, setting goals daily, weekly and looking forward to all my upcoming adventures.
Remembering that things will happen beyond my control so I need to control what I can and let the rest of the things fall into place how they will, try to find something to be grateful in every interaction, situation or obstacle that I face. One moment at a time, one step at a time, one day at a time. Appreciate what I see, what I touch and how good I can feel. Take notice of others and all that I can learn from them, absorb as much knowledge as I can and keep moving forward toward my goals. Being kind and considerate with everyone because I can think before I speak, but I cannot take something I said away.
Sometimes like I have said in numerous posts, it is the little things that we don't even know that we do or say that can make a huge difference sometimes in the lives of others.  I was chatting with a person through face book yesterday who said this to me after we messaged back in forth a few times, for what I thought was a normal conversation...
"I meat to thank you again for all your help today! You never know who's life you touch through sharing your story and today you've helped so much."
I thought, how super sweet to acknowledge something that came so naturally for me to do as something that really helped her.
It makes me step back and think of all the times someone has touched me or gave me courage or strength to get through something and perhaps I never acknowledged them for it. What a great way to feel good about touching someone else's life. An old boss of mine once told me that her word of worth would be service. She truly feels that she is accomplishing what she should be in life by being of service to other people. You can truly take that word just as the word believe and make it whatever you feel is the definition for you.

Believe is my word and now I truly believe even more.
I believe God is good
I believe in miracles
I believe in myself
I believe that I am destined to do great things
I believe in those around me
I believe in my family
I believe in life
I believe in dreams................................etc.

Live for NOW it is a PRESENT

Often times I think that we go about our day to day routine, struggles, projects, work, life and demanding things that NEED to get done that we often times don't stop to enjoy what we really have. The blessings that are in our life. We take our family, our life and our friendships, our health, freedom and possessions for granted. We take the little gifts we receive every day, such as sunshine and rain, even running late or that blasted train that we didn't anticipate,( things that happen for a reason that we don't know, but something that truly was a blessing in disguise)  and we don't bother to be thankful, because it is expected, we are irritated or we just have too much on our plate to take the time to notice. Sometimes we are so wrapped up in the things that have happened to us,  and the things that we are in fear of in the future that we don't truly see or appreciate what we have right now.

I have come across a few people in my life who do appreciate what they have right now, they live for the moment.  This has made me reflect differently, they have made me truly find the good in every situation, even if it doesn't seem possible to view it in any other way than bad/tragic or terrible.

 For 3 years growing up I watched my best girlfriend struggle with brain cancer, from the ages of 7-10 I  never remember hearing a negative word come out of her mouth, I remember her smile, her soft voice, the way she made the Dr.'s and nurses at the hospital laugh- she inspired me to be grateful for everything that I have. She made me realize that life can be short, but not short lived if you are an inspiration to those around you, if you make your mark that will forever be remembered and well received by those you touched, something that will continue to be talked about, something that will forever inspire you to be the best that you can.

I know sometimes it is easy to forgot in a world where we are "trained" to want more, to never be satisfied with just what we have and to continue to strive for better. This is fine, and wanting more is not a bad thing, but stopping to slow down and be thankful for what we already have, and appreciate it sometimes gets put off until later, and then never happens, even if our intentions are in the right place. No one sees intentions only actions.
We have a dear friend right now fighting for her life, fighting to understand why something so sad and devastating could happen to such a kind, caring, uplifting person, someone who means so much to those around her that without her they may not fathom what they could possibly do without her. This is when people come together to be grateful, to say thank you for making an impact on my life.

For NOW is all we really have, all we can count at this moment in time. It is sad to say that sometimes our reflections, our thankfulness, or times of stopping to "smell the roses" come when we are faced with a challenge or we are fighting for a cause whether that be for ourselves or someone else. These tough times are great reminders for us that we need to slow down, make each moment count before it is gone and no longer the moment. We can so easily pass by opportunities to be thankful for what we have, to share a kind thought or word with someone else. To shine our light upon the world that so desperately needs our positive energy and support.

You will never reach a point where you are completely free of all your problems, only in being present can you truly be free NOW, no one can guarantee freedom of the future, and no one can change your past, but you can control now, your attitude, you light, the way that other's see you, the way you treat people, especially those that you love so much you often take for granted that they will always be there.
We can be in control of our thoughts, our actions and take the steps we need to take action and make our future's bright, however since we cannot predict what will happen to us, when our time is up here it is up and sometimes no matter how many  "what if" or what could we have done differently games we could play in our minds, we will never have the answers we are looking for as to WHY.

So take steps every day to make your life count, to create moments of happiness for yourself and for others, and truly let your light shine upon the world, you will not only make a difference in your life, in the way you view things, but in the lives of every one you touch, whether it be with your words, your actions or a simple smile, you can make a difference.

Don't wait to fight for a cause, make your cause your every day purpose to live for NOW and make your mark on the world. Make it a good, positive memorable mark, because if you wait to long and your time is up many will have missed the opportunity to have been touched by you and carry your legacy with them in their future.

Unexpected but Expected

So Day #1 of my fully trimmed out schedule for the week, heck I know I am a few days behind but didn't figure out what I was wanting to do until Monday and then how to use the fancy hotmail calendar that emails you an hour before an event as a reminder until yesterday!
Ended up having a bit of a case of insomnia last night so fully expected to sleep a little later than my first planned event at 5:40 this morning to read and pray once Steve left for work.... ah... unexpectedly my son apparently had different plans and thought that 4:50 was the perfect time to wake up. Coaxing him back in bed didn't really buy me much time to snooze, since he was bouncy into my room at 5:30, just before Steve left.
So needless to say that although I am going to do my best to assure that I try my hardest to keep to a schedule so that I get into a semi-routine of what I expect of myself to do on a daily basis, I have to remain calm and know now once again things are going to happen and adjustments WILL be made.
Anytime you work for yourself in the type of field that I am in, it is definitely WAY different than going to a routine job every day where you know what time to what time, what to expect and what you are going to be doing while you are there. Right now you have to be ready to do anything at the drop of a hat with how the market is reflecting the low inventory and the clients that are needing to see homes as soon as possible before they go under contract. It is way more challenging and exciting and for those of you that know me the best, I perform way better when under pressure and with lots of things to accomplish! I LOVE it.

OWN it- guilt FREE

I can recognize that I have flaws and I have strengths and one of my flaws is that I will often times have a plan in my head and do not write it down or carry it out because I get distracted by all the other little things that pop up. I am a people pleaser and I often times let others dictate what it is that I do, from my child to my husband, my mom, friends in need, or clients that I feel I may "lose" if I don't jump when they call. This type of behavior can cause a person to become overwhelmed and discouraged when you have too much to do on a daily basis and you don't know how to organize or dictate when you are available for them. This can also cause you not to be as attentive or do as good of a job because you are easily distracted and may forget what you were working on when you did "jump".
Don't get me wrong family and God come first, but sometimes the money that you are trying to pursue in order to spend more money with your family can cause you to work harder to get it and you will please people that you don't need to along the way to get it, sometimes getting disappointed when it doesn't come and you wasted precious time on something that didn't pan out. As a Realtor that is the chance we take sometimes for our clients, in hopes that they will stay loyal, work with us or find what they need/want. However, the trick is is to be busy enough that they don't expect you to jump at every phone call, but don't be too busy not to follow up in a manner that is professional, timely but doesn't allow them to run your life. I think in the past I have felt guilty if I was doing something for my self and didn't give it up to help a client. I truly love helping people but I need to remember everything has limits. Whether I am going to a Dr. appointment, eating dinner with my family, taking my son to the museum or taking a 1/2 an hour to read a book that inspires me; I need to attend to the task at hand and call the person back, or schedule them for a time that is open for me.
We are in control of what we do, when and the choices we make to reach and achieve our goals. With a plan in place and a target in mind, I am set to make some great choices this week that will lead me on a path to success, while standing by all of my commitments to God, my family and my clients, while still giving quality service to all.

People are happy if they can do what they think is right without feeling guilty. Romans 14:22

Daily Inspiration Coffee JOLT

Inspiration is something that can never grow old. In the daily grind of life we need a constant reminder not to give up, let go of our dreams or let others tell us what we can and cannot do. Hook up with accountability partners that will allow you to be you and hold you to what you want to do. Hold them to what they want to do/accomplish as well. Work with people who inspire you and who you can inspire. Hang out with people who are already living the dreams you want to accomplish. Whether you look up inspiring You tube videos, read quotes, read books, listen to motivating cd's; it is going to encourage you and give you the push you need to go forward.
This past week I had a few sales fizzle, a few renters find homes on their own because the inventory was so low that nothing I could provide them matched their criteria. I was very disappointed but decided that I needed a little rejuvenating. I took my son to the Science Center with friends on Friday, Saturday we went swimming and Sunday we went to the Natural History Museum in Mesa (free the first Sunday of the month) to see the dinosaurs. It was a lot of fun.
This Monday morning I am ready to go. I have a great week planned for all the things/steps I am going to take to get new and hold onto my current business. I am not going to let last week get me down, because I know what I want and I am ready to go for it.

You are the creator of your own HAPPINESS! Start today.


Thanks Dean for my morning JOLT, it was better than the coffee.

Keep Plugging Away

"One of the most common causes of failure is the habit of quitting when one is overtaken by temporary defeat."

Napoleon Hill
1883-1970, Author of Think and Grow Rich

I love this.... we all want to quit at some point in what we are pursuing whether we just have an idea, we think may not work, we are just starting out and something negative happens to bring us down, or we are a long way into it and are not sure what the future holds. Guess what? We don't know what the future holds and if we give up now without truly seeing it through, we will never know what it could of held.
Keep your chin up, keep going, pursue your dreams, keep moving forward, love every minute, every struggle and every triumph because that is what is going to make it all worth the end results!
Remember, we can only be better than we were yesterday, don't compare yourself to others, praise yourself and your abilities every day and be proud of who you are and what you stand for, while spreading a little joy and happiness in the lives of others.
We all struggle and no one knows what the next person is truly going through, give them all the benefit of the doubt and take care of yourself.