photo credit: PLCMC training account
My eyes opened wider as she continued. The cards she was reading directly related to things that were happening in her life and many of the personal challenges she was having. I was blown away at their accuracy. Several times I raised my eyebrows at her to hear, "Mommmm!" She knew they were hitting the nail on the head too. The messages were making her angry because she knew they were areas she struggled with daily.
That experience helped me see my own lack of balance. Spinning here and there has taken a huge toll. Partially, that's why I stepped away from this blog for a few days, to get perspective. The vastness that is the internet is totally overwhelming when you feel you're in a losing game of "catch-up." Rather than speed up more if that's even possible, the need was to step away.
I'm looking forward to growing this site with the help and feedback of every single reader who is willing to share. Let me know what challenges you're facing in your own lives, I'll always be here to offer encouragement and support. As Bryce, one of my new online friends says, sometimes you just need to know someone else cares.
I'm not sure where this new journey of discovery will take us, or how long it will take. I'm totally following the Universe on this one. You can be sure of this however, it's going to be wicked fun so stay tuned...

A Life For Sale


"What's a life worth?" 5 years and a painful divorce later, one man has decided to find out. Ian Usher, from Perth, Australia has had enough, so logically he has listed his entire life for sale on ebay. That includes his home and all the contents including a spa, skydiving equipment, automobiles, personal introductions to his friends, a two week trial at his rug store job... everything that holds a memory of his former life.

Different, yet tastefully executed (except perhaps for the fee-based intimate detail sharing, letter since removed), Usher's sale manages to do an excellent job promoting Western Australia in the process. According to Usher, he wants the auction viewed as a "complete lifestyle package." Opening bids start June 22, 2008. When all the dust clears, Ian Usher wants nothing but the clothes on his back, his wallet and his passport. Where life takes him from the airport will be determined by fate. Interesting.

I tend to mentally put this auction next to the one selling the container for a well known meal of happiness. Surprisingly that throw-a-way child's meal container sold for almost $3,000. Amazing. No one was told the contents of the box because "happiness is defined differently by all of us." There was no solid price that could be attached because you "can't put a price on happiness." You get the general idea.

Usher states in his case, he's not "sure if its inspired madness, foolishness or a mid-life crisis." Most likely a mixture of all of them. And yet his creative way of turning pain into something better has to be commended on some level.

It's a big risk, but what's the worst that can happen? Nothing sells, or he becomes uber famous and writes a book about "How to sell your life on eBay," for others right?

I'm sure we all know people who have been broken by life. Whether the individuals went forward in denial or bitterness, acceptance or despair, all faced the similar need to move on to something better or to give up.

The quote, "When it becomes more difficult to stay where you are than to change, you'll change," comes to mind. Ian phrases it this way, "I believe that life is about experience and adventure. A job is merely a means to provide the money to enjoy the life you want to lead."

Let's hope things work out with the auction for Ian Usher. Meanwhile, I think I'll just embrace the lesson that a life half lived is really no life at all. What do you think?

By Dennis Heath

One of the most common areas for development that arises when coaching executives is the need for more assertiveness. The problem is that "assertive" is often confused with "aggressive" or dictatorial.

Those that subscribe to an aggressive style to produce results may well deliver the goods in the short term. However, over the long term, team members will feel disrespected, become demoralized and look for opportunities outside the organization.

The longer term outcome is a steady decline in results as attrition rates climb, which also affects members of related departments as they see their colleagues being victims of aggressive or bullying behavior. Such behavior is a common career derailer, particularly for those in senior positions or those who are highly ambitious.

At the other end of the spectrum are passive managers. Managers who fail to assert themselves have a similar, negative impact on morale and productivity. Passive managers can be indecisive, poor mentors, uninspiring and equally as damaging as Mr. Aggressive.

Team members working for a passive manager may find it hard to gain support for their ideas and initiatives, be uncertain about where their focus should be and concerned about the ability of their manager to represent their needs and concerns at senior level.

Assertive managers are able to lead, direct and motivate without the need to bang the table, play the dictator or criticize their direct reports. Some managers however, hesitate to embrace assertiveness because they mistakenly equate it to aggressive behavior.

Assertiveness and aggression are two entirely different things. Whilst aggression is emotional and counter-productive, assertiveness is all about clarity of communication and intent. An assertive statement or request has five key elements:

1/ It is not open to misinterpretation.

2/ There is absolute clarity of what the speaker requires from the listener.

3/ It is free of negative or aggressive emotion.

4/ Body language is congruent with the spoken words.

5/ Words used and body language show respect to the receiver.

As well as enabling a manager to give clear, unequivocal direction and leadership, assertiveness has an important role to play in giving positive motivational messages to team members. Compare the following two statements: Read the rest of this entry »

Take A Look At The Video First

 

Did you discover the secret inside?

Actually, there were several parallels that I saw starting with creativity.

Branching out to do something unfamiliar, starting over, taking a calculated risk.

What emotional response did those words cause in you? Fear, anxiety, exhilaration? Perhaps you experienced all of them or none of them. It probably depends on how you handle change, and your past experiences.There are many times the thing we put our hands

to seems to not go as planned and we need to "think well beyond the outside of the box" to get a clue what might work next.

The road to success has a lot in common with starting a new business or adventure. You need to find unusual ways to accomplish things with less time, money and resources, especially if you're starting as a one person deal. Without creativity you will most likely quit at the first obstacle you can't overcome.

Another parallel is energy and finely honed skills. Man does this video have that and some to spare! It was truly both creative and energetic. On your path to success take a good honest inventory of what you can

do, and what you can't. I know it sounds simple but a lot of time can be lost trying to figure out how to do something when you're much better off to bring in an affordable pro.

My mentor often says, "Don't trade your time for money." Use your time wisely.

Are you truly living your life with passion? What is it that you would gladly do, even if you were not paid for it? What lifts your spirits to a place outside yourself, a place where you feel you are invincible and can harness anything you want in the world? What makes you happy? What gives you a feeling of calm, accomplishment and pride? A famous saying states, "Do what you love and the money will follow." I'd like to add, "Do what you hate, a life of lack may be your fate."

Optimism is defined by Wikipedia as "an outlook on life such that one maintains a view of the world as a positive place." Consider this tale of the two men looking out nightly at the ocean where they had been lost for several days. One looked out and saw only an endless sea, believing he had no hope of rescue. The other man looked wide eyed at the sea every night but before he turned away, he would always look up to the stars with hope. Even if they eventually perished at sea, he wanted his final vision filled with hope and beauty.

OK, so I made my own version of the glass half empty or full, but you get the drift. Finally, you have to take time to enjoy the trip at least every once in a while.

What good is achieving a life of luxury if you have sacrificed everything else that was valuable in your life, like quality time invested with your husband or wife, your kids special games or ceremonies, your health or your friendships?

That seems like it would be a hollow victory in my humble opinion. So, there you have it! "Tray Gamble's 7 Secrets To Success!"

• Creativity

• Energy

• Talent

• Courage

• Passion

• Optimism

• Fun

What other parallels do you see?

Working on building a business, building new foundations to stand on has been both a pleasure and a pain. Distractions come and go and sometimes I guess it's natural to wonder why in the world you are putting yourself through some of the things that you are experiencing.

Those are what I consider "step away" times. Times when the act of shutting down the computer, turning off the television, and forgetting totally about my challenges for awhile can renew my energy.

Have you ever been so wrapped up in getting ahead and surviving all the obstacles that you forget what the sun feels like on your face, or that you honestly can't remember what the sound of your laughter was like?

That was a person I became after my father passed from lung cancer in 2004. In fact, between 1995 and 2006 I lost 7 close family relatives.

The good news is that I found the strength to survive. A lot of that strength came from finally stepping back away from it all. My mind has completely blocked out 1995 but the rest of my story will form the basis of a motivational book, DVD/CD inspiration series which will be featured on Oprah's book club List and the universe only knows what else. Any interested publishers, speaking engagements or additional opportunities out there in my "Law of Attraction" based statement?

It wasn't until I stood at my front door one morning and the sun suddenly beamed directly into my face that I "got it." I understood that being too serious had blocked my path to success to the point where I'd almost stopped living in exchange for merely "existing."

Simple existence has never been enough for me in the past, and it certainly isn't an option now that I'm on my internet quest for financial independence. That's partially why the focus of this blog site had changed quite a bit. I am branding myself as "the success blogger" so I needed to take my own advice in order to be able to share it and fulfill my goal of helping others.

Stepping back from difficult situations is sometimes the only way to put life back in perspective. So, does it matter if the challenge is big or small? No, not at all. In fact, I think sometimes the smaller things are pieces that got flecked off the bigger ones so take just as much thought.

During "the dark tunnel" as I refer to that earlier time period, I really had to stop taking myself and everything else SO seriously. So what?! Life is going to happen but was it OK to stop living? Would people really respect me more if they only saw my "professional" side (actually I think I did some major over compensating in that area to hide my feelings from the world).

It goes back to a previous post I made from Mark (Wizzer News) about doing less leading to becoming more productive. Kids in America used to call it "taking a chill pill." It's really about rediscovery of what used to be exciting, not full of stress and totally enjoyable just for the sake of entertaining yourself.

What do you do to step back from situations in your life? What have you found that works for you that you could share with others reading this?

Life really is too short to be taken so seriously so cut yourself some slack. Go to the zoo with your kids (which I did Monday), watch old Abott and Costello movies, dance barefoot in the grass to music that only you can hear, reframe the situation and do all the things you would regret missing out on if you were living today as your last.

Photo courtesy of the Parade Company It’s that time of year again in Michigan when the sky is filled with brilliance. Thunderous booms can be heard throughout the night as they mix with the squeals and laughter of children. Usually the Detroit River is SO crowded with thousands of people that we go onto the Canadian side. The view is absolutely gorgeous and we are able to sit right along the riverwalk without the loudness, the massive forced bonding with those next to you and enjoy the night stress free. There are vendors along the way and the atmosphere is just radically different. This year’s 49th fireworks event, also called the International Freedom Festival, is sponsored by Target. Next year, my husband Rel and I are considering renting a hotel room so the family can watch the fireworks from high above the river. I wanted you to be able to enjoy some of the magic of this celebration so here are a few links and galleries you might enjoy looking at. Have a great 4th of July celebration to those in the United States! Detroit River Days and Fireworks Photo Gallery The following links are to photos taken by one of our local newspapers. The Detroit Skyline A View From The Windsor Side Spectacular View of Hart Plaza