Posts Tagged ‘Inspiration’

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9 out of 10

Wednesday, April 11th, 2012

I am blessed to have a handful of friends who consistently inspire, love, encourage and support me. I think that it is high time that I introduce you to one of those friends.

Beth Bracaglia is a Maryland based Professional Organizer and the Chief Organizing Officer of Simply Organized.  She is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO).  Beth has over (15) years of experience helping her clients to organize their homes and offices.  She has experience in fields as diverse as retail management, technology, event management, training & development and restaurant consulting.

I asked Beth to answer this question: “When you fall down, what is the one sure thing you turn to that picks you up?” Here is what my amazing friend had to say.

I have always had a very positive outlook on life, yet I still have those days that can throw me a curve ball.  When things seem to be falling down, the one sure thing that I turn to pick me up is my family. They have always been there to support my goals and dreams, no matter what.

I am blessed with an extremely positive mother who always told me that there was nothing that I couldn’t accomplish in my life and she’s been such an amazing role model.  I am also so fortunate to have my sister Amy, who is my best friend.  She has (5) kids, works a 40+ hour work week, and still always finds time to chat on the phone and lift me up if I’m having a tough day.

And then, there is my amazing husband Nick. We are celebrating 13 years of marriage next month and Nick loves me exactly as I am and is always there for me.  I have jokingly referred to him as “St. Nick” and it really is true.  He’s such a wonderful partner and I know how lucky I am to have him to share our lives together.

When I was younger, all of my friends were settling down and getting married. I often wondered if I would ever find someone who could understand, appreciate, and not try to change me.  One particularly frustrating evening, I sat down and wrote a list of the (10) attributes that my ideal partner would have never figuring that I would find someone who had them all.  You want to know something?  Just about six months later, I met my future husband and the bonus was that Nick has nine out of ten on that list!

Each and every day, I am truly grateful for my husband and family for their love and support whenever I need it most.  It’s what keeps me moving forward and inspired!

If you are looking for ways to organize the clutter in your life or simply want to connect with Beth, I encourage you to visit her at anyone of the following links:

http://www.simplyorganizedtoday.com
http://www.facebook.com/simplyorganizedtoday
http://www.facebook.com/bethbracaglias.simplyinspired

Thank you Beth!

 

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Just Listen

Tuesday, April 3rd, 2012

I had the great opportunity to be the invited guest on a blog talk radio show (The Real Roar) which aired last month. The shows format is place where real conversations are happening among real people and talking about real issues. The show is hosted by two fabulous women: Debra Carter and Vicki Lickorish.

Vicki told a story about receiving a newsletter from her young son’s school. She has always made a point of reading anything coming from the school. But, it was in this particular newsletter that she read a very powerful piece that was submitted from a writer who wished to remain anonymous. Vicki had no idea who penned this moving piece but she was sure about one thing. This writer is a student and had to be 16 years old or perhaps even younger. I would like to share this piece of writing with you that is simply called:

Could you just listen?

 When I ask you to listen to me and you start giving me advise you’ve not done what I asked.

When I ask you to listen to me and you feel you have to do something to solve my problem, you have failed me strange as this may seem.

Listen!

 All I asked was that you listen to me, not talk or do…just hear me. I can do for myself I am not helpless, maybe discouraged and faltering, but NOT helpless.

When you do something for me that I can and need to do for myself, you contribute to my fear and inadequacy.

But when you accept as a simple fact that I do feel what I feel, no matter how irrational, then I can quit trying to convince you and can get about this business of understanding what is behind this irrational feeling.

When that is clear, the answers are obvious and I do not need advice. 

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For Aunty Dora

Monday, March 12th, 2012

The Little Farm House on the Hill

As a little girl it seemed as though the frequent weekend drives took forever to get to Auntie’s home. It was hard to contain my excitement knowing that eventually I would be walking into a home filled with love and into the arms of someone who always made me feel special and that I mattered.

Butterflies would begin to flutter in my stomach at the first sight of seeing the little farm house on the hill. The fluttering would only get stronger when I would finally see Auntie running from any given direction to make sure she was there to welcome everyone who piled out of the Volkswagen Beetle to visit with her. Her body language along with her smile that went from ear to ear told us all, without even uttering a word, that she was just as excited to see us as we were to see her.

We knew that as we entered her home that it wasn’t our home. But Auntie had a way of making everyone who walked through her door feel as though the little farm house on the hill was your home too!

Spending time with Auntie if it were only for a day, weekend or for the two amazing summers I stayed with her were gifts that are mine to treasure. Returning to school after those two particular summers, my school friends would brag about their vacations to places like Disney World. They never quite understood how this city girl could be so excited about visiting a little farm house on the hill located in Fisher Branch, MB. Being so young, I too, found it difficult to explain why this place was so special to me. All I knew was that every time I went to visit, I felt that Auntie’s home was my own magical kingdom where dreams could come true. My friends could keep their memories of meeting Mickey Mouse and the whole gang but I knew I had something much more special and real. I had Auntie. We all had Auntie.

As I grew older and when all my sisters and brother would reminisce about all their special times with Auntie, I quickly realized that Auntie’s love was not only reserved for me. My siblings have their special memories of times spent with this amazing woman. Auntie’s incredible gift and legacy that she leaves behind was her ability to make EVERYONE feel special and loved.

Every time we will think of borscht, puffed wheat cake, lemon meringue pie, donuts, BANANA’s, looking for a pair of lost contact lenses in slop pails, Hola, Guts, Bingo, Spoons, chicken coops, stones & rocks, gardens, flowers, riding lawn mowers or summer kitchens we will also remember our Auntie who lived in the little farm house on the hill and who loved with every part of herself, how her whole body jiggled when she laughed, how she never had a bad thing to say about anyone or how she always looked into your eyes when she spoke to you or took the time to sit down and really listen to whatever you had to say whether you were a child or an adult. We will never forget you Auntie because it’s impossible to forget those who gave us so much to remember.

Eulogy for my Aunt Doreen (my mentor) – 1919 – 2012.

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The Key To Peace

Tuesday, December 27th, 2011

Have you ever noticed that there are people around you who always seem to be naturally happy? It doesn’t matter the time of day, the season or what is going on around the world. They seem to be able to shield themselves from it all to remain in their ‘happy’ state. What I find fascinating about happiness is when you ask people to try to define it for themselves. It becomes very clear to me that the ‘happy-go-lucky’ people share one thing in common that the rest struggle with.

Whether it came from our parents, friends, society or the media, it seems like we have been conditioned to think that there is a connection with money to happiness. The more we have and acquire will be the solution to living a happier life. I know that you know that is simply not true. Some of the unhappiest people come from wealth; whereas, some of the happiest people come from nothing.

I have traveled to impoverished places in the world and when I looked into the eyes of the local residents who had so little, I remember feeling they had something very precious that so many of us were searching for. They held the key to happiness. It was contentment. Being content with what you have as opposed to what you don’t gives you peace of mind.

Is it so bad to want for little? I know that goes against so many theories and beliefs about saying we should want and deserve to have it all. I believe we can have it all, but not until we are truly happy with what we already possess. Happiness has nothing to do with what is happening on the outside. It has everything to do with what is going on in the inside.

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To The Rescue

Thursday, December 1st, 2011

I adore and have recently become a huge fan of Melissa McCarthy. By now, most of you may be familiar with who Melissa is because she won the Emmy for her role as lead female actress in the hit comedy series, ‘Mike and Molly.’

I’m attracted to laughter so it’s no surprise that when I want to watch a movie or something on TV it will most likely be a comedy. If you are ever feeling low on a Saturday night, choosing to watch SNL will most times make you burst out into laughter and help you forget about your worries for a brief moment. Sometimes that’s really all we need to get over our humps in life.

Melissa is more than just a brilliant comedian. She is a refreshing change to what is normally seen on the covers of magazines or what Hollywood tells us our leading women should look like. Melissa is a beacon of hope and has come to our rescue when we seem to need her the most.

When you read the body image statistics it is clearly evident that people are seriously preoccupied with how they look. What is most alarming is that these beliefs are affecting our children at younger and younger ages. Click here to read just one of thousands of articles that share some of the disturbing facts about how children battle with body image issues.

What really has drawn me to Melissa is not her comedic genius; however, that is a big pull. It’s the courage and strength she finds within herself to stand face-to-face with the skinny and sickly majority of Hollywood female stars. Melissa is an inspiration to women, young and old all over North America. This confident, talented and very funny woman is quietly telling us that beauty and happiness is an inside job first, last and always!

 

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What Would You Say?

Thursday, July 21st, 2011

I was asked to submit a 500-word article to an on-line inspirational website. This site’s content is solely intended for contributors to share their summary of the best life lessons they have learned. This was a very interesting and challenging request. Interesting because you had to be brief and yet, get your message across. Challenging because you had to be brief and yet, get your message across. All contributors were asked to answer the following question:

If you were asked to write your final words to leave to humanity, sharing the most important things you’ve learned in life, what would you say?

Talk about a loaded but very thought-provoking question! As I was writing my submission (keeping the number of words I could use in the forefront while writing), I could not stop thinking of YOU. This is where my inspiration for today’s blog originated. I would love to hear what you have to say. I will not put any restrictions on you. I don’t even care how you wish to respond. You can post your response on this blog by clicking on the ‘share your comments’ link below, use the contact form on my website, answer on facebook or send me a direct email message.

Ready, set…WRITE!

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Do I Care Less?

Wednesday, July 13th, 2011

I read a quote today by Evelyn Underhill that said, ‘It is those who have a deep and real inner life who are best able to deal with the irritating details of outer life.’  I thought about what she said and I would have to agree with Evelyn’s statement. The only thing I ponder over is that I am not sure if it is a matter of the wisdom we attain through aging or could it be that the older I get the less I care about things that are out of my control?

I believe that the answer is yes to both questions I contemplate about. I would suspect that as time goes by we are all gaining wisdom from our past experiences so that we make wiser choices down the road. As for wanting to be in control of situations or relationships, in my younger days that was very important to me, but now not so much. It took almost 40 years to realize that the only thing, person, situation, etc., that I was in control of was me. I needed to stop beating my head up against the proverbial wall with wanting to control others and life’s situations. Man oh man, when I finally stopped wasting my energy externally and refocused that same energy internally…that is when the change (and I am not talking about menopause) really allowed me to have a much calmer and deeper relationship within myself.

Do I care less? Absolutely not! I simply choose to care about the things that really matter in the end. What is it that matters most in life? I know what it is for me but what is more important is this. Do you know what it is for you?

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Get Dirty

Tuesday, July 5th, 2011

Would you like to be happier? I know. What a silly question. Who wouldn’t want to be happier if they had a choice? But here’s the kicker. Well, there are actually two kickers. One, we do have the choice and two we need to make our life a little harder. You may think I am pulling your leg, but hear me out.

I just came back from 9 glorious days of camping. Being out in the wild blue yonder where the luxuries of life are minimal. The funny thing about living in the great outdoors is that you have work a little harder. Setting up camp, chopping wood, preparing meals on much smaller appliances than usual and hanging clothes on a line are just a few examples. When I observed our neighbours doing the same manual labour I noticed a common emotion that connected us all. We were all happy. No complaints and no arguments. Just smiles and most often you would see couples working together side by side giggling as their kitchen tent caved in on them when one of the poles gave way.

I started thinking about pioneer days and shows like Little House on the Prairies and The Walton’s. Those days were hard but people were happy, connected and the family unit was very strong. I thought about my own mother who lived most of her days in dark and unhappy places. However, when she was in her kitchen cooking or sitting at a sewing machine, these were the times that I would hear her hum one of her favourite songs as she worked happily on her task at hand. I recently read an article in a magazine that basically said when you do meaningful work with your hands, a kind of neurochemical feedback floods your brain with dopamine and serotonin. These happy brain chemicals are ‘natural antidepressants’.

On a much grander scale I started thinking about how ironic it is that as more Americans are dealing with depression they are also dealing with obesity and a decrease in physical activity. Hmmm…makes one think doesn’t it? I am going to call a spade a spade. From this little observation I would say that perhaps it’s time to actually pick up a spade and plant a garden, paint the trim of your home, sew a bikini or try a new recipe on the barbeque. By getting your hands a little dirty now I have a funny feeling that your brain will thank you later.

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A Future Leader

Thursday, June 23rd, 2011

Something very special occurred when I was out driving attending to errands today. Listening to my favourite light jazz CD and having the windows wide open to let the fresh air in, I had to come to a stop. It was not because of a stop sign or red light. I was in an elementary school zone and it was lunch time. The crossing patrols were out and doing their job.

Approximately 5 children stood to the right waiting to cross but were being held back until the patrol felt it was safe to extend his flag. This little boy was horsing around and ‘sort of’ wearing his crossing vest when he sent the children out to cross the street. I looked to the left and saw a completely different picture. His partner was straightening out vest, standing tall and confident and ensuring that his feet were spread apart like he was probably trained to do when he volunteered for this position. He then walked out and held out his flag to guide the crossing children to his side of the street. As they crossed, the left patrol said to his clown of a partner, ‘You shouldn’t be playing around when kids are crossing and your vest is all messed up’.

If I had decided to have the air on instead of having my windows down, I would have missed out on this little guy’s comment. When it was safe to accelerate and move on, I decided to pull over. I walked up to the little boy, who again was standing in proper form at his assigned spot. I told him my name and that I overheard what he had said to his colleague. I was curious to know why he felt he needed to say something to his co-worker. He simply said,’Safety is number one. Appearance is number two. Our job is very important. If you are not paying attention to what is going on, all it takes is one second and someone could get hurt really bad’. I smiled at his response and congratulated him on doing such an exceptional job. I wish you could have seen the huge smile on his face. As I turned to walk back to my car, he cheerfully said, ‘Thank you and drive safely’. I smiled even more thinking to myself, ‘this little guy is going places’.

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Masterpiece

Wednesday, June 15th, 2011

Imagine that your life is a painting that hangs on your wall. When you cast your eyes on that piece of artwork does it fill your heart with joy or do you feel that something is missing from its canvas? If the painting is incomplete, when will you decide that it is okay to remove it from the wall to rest upon your easel and with your paintbrush, add the colours you feel will enhance your work of art?

It all comes down to choice. There is nothing wrong with letting the image remain as it is. It’s still a beautiful piece of  artwork that you can admire. If you are happy with what you see, that is all that matters in the end. Maybe your illustration only requires a few paint strokes to add to its already existing beauty. On the other hand, you may want to create a brand new work of genius. The point that I am trying to make is that just because your painting hangs on a wall does not mean that it is necessarily a finished piece of art. There should be no guilt associated with wanting to see a more colourful picture that represents your life. The paintbrush is in your hand. You are the artist and in complete control of the masterpiece you wish to create.

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