Who would we see if we were to take a peek into your calendar? Most of our calendars reflect the life of an overwhelmed, overworked, person who is living reactively pinging from one “have to do” activity to the next. Calendars have the potential to be a life-changing tool if we use them properly. However, more often than not they are a prison guard keeping us trapped in the vortex of a hurricane of tasks.
We go through life, living each day in reaction mode, attending meetings, conferences, completing tasks, and going places because we think we need to or feel obligated. Down-time rarely exists and when we get a day to slow down for a moment we end up crashing and sleeping half of it away.
We talk about wanting better work / life balance, a better marriage, better finances, and many of us to be better parents. But we’re so lost in the chaos of daily life that we don’t stop frequently enough to take steps to getting what we want.
I listened to a podcast the other day that really made me stop and think. How would my life look if I were to plan it around my dreams instead of my have-to’s? Who would I become? [click to continue…]
Have you ever been stuck in a cycle you can’t seem to break? Whether it be personal, generational, or environmental like being lost in the woods, we all have moments in life where our progress stalls and we feel like we keep having to experience the same things over and over again.
I had an aha moment Thursday night. My mom came over and helped me swap my office and our dining room so we’d have more room to open up our table and the office clutter would be less visible from the front door. Thank goodness she had the foresight to bring some wine because it was hard work!
In addition to the computer stuff, printers, mouse, desk lamp, office supplies, etc., we moved hundreds of books on success, business building, mindset, sales, social media, blogging, and marketing. These were just the physical books. They don’t include all the audios, videos, training programs and eBooks I bought along the way.
We laughed at how obsessive I can be (of course I got that tendency from her.) Let’s just say I took to heart the Jim Rohn quote, “Income seldom exceeds personal development,” when I was working from home building my blog and growing my home based business. [click to continue…]
Life is overwhelmingly complicated at times. Between careers, kids, taking care of the house, family, friends, and schools, the life of a mom (or dad) often resembles a juggler or plate spinner at the circus, running from one end of the ring to the other, keeping everything in the air.
My husband and I often laugh at how naive we were, thinking we were busy before kids, when we were newlyweds and he was working as a funeral director and I was in school. The two of us used to dream on the balcony of our tiny apartment, while eating peanuts in the shell, drinking beer, and grilling out. We’d dream about things like having a house, a new car, and a family. We worked hard to reach our goals: first car, second car, new career, first home, a bigger home, three kids. Each step we acquired came with a sense of accomplishment and pride. But aside from our kids, the rewards we felt after reaching these goals wore off after a while and we ended up looking for our next challenge.
Now, amidst the commotion of our big family and the hassles of the crazy busy life we’ve created, we’re longing for what we used to have. [click to continue…]
Is there a part of you that has always wanted to do something, but you’ve ignored it because it never felt like the right time? Maybe it was a little too outside your comfort zone, but you secretly wished you were bold enough to do it? Did you give up on something because life happened and “more important” things became a bigger priority?
I know for myself, I’ve always felt there was something more for me; a bigger game to play, than what I have done so far.
Saturday: Day 5 of Simple Abundance: “The Woman You Were Meant to Be”
On day five Sarah talks about the woman inside who we’ve ignored for decades, reminding us that she’s still there waiting for us to recognize her and reconnect with who we were meant to be.
I think, for the most part, I’ve mostly lived as the woman I’m meant to be. I have never been one to be someone else to try to fit in. I’m pretty outspoken in most situations and often wish my internal editor was a little more effective at stopping the avalanche of inappropriate things that spill from my mouth at inopportune times. I speak my mind, what’s on my heart, and what’s happening in my life.
I also don’t do a lot of things that I don’t want to do. If I’m in the mood, my house is beautiful, if I’m not, well then you’ll just have to step over whatever clutter is in your path.
But there are things I’ve wanted to do that I’ve put off because of other priorities. [click to continue…]
Okay, I’m only on day 4 of my Simple Abundance journey and I’m already struggling. Or perhaps, I’m a rockstar already abundantly living in this area of my life? Today’s lesson was, “Life is Not a Dress Rehearsal,” and Sarah’s talking about how we should use the “good” china, get dressed up “just because,” and do our hair even when we’re planning on staying home.
Now I have been to homes where I know someone’s had to dust the pretty basket on the back of the guest bath toilet that’s full of fancy soaps they probably received as a gift at least a year ago. I also think of the funny sitcoms poking fun at people with furniture covered in vinyl. All evidence that people who save things for good, really do exist.
But, I don’t get it. Maybe I’m just to practical, but I wouldn’t spend money on something if I wasn’t going to use it. What’s the point? If something’s not getting used in my house it’s because I can’t find it or I’ve forgotten that I have it. Or it’s a kitchen apparatus that I know better not to touch for fear of disaster. (Thank God I married a man who can cook or my children would be dining on fast food daily or starving!)
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Simple Abundance: Day 3: The Inner Journey. ”Today I want you to become aware that you already possess all the inner wisdom, strength, and creativity needed to make your dreams come true.” Sarah Ban Breathnach
I can’t count how many times I’ve read or heard some motivational speaker mentioning this concept, that all the abundance of the Universe lies within us. They tell metaphors of how inside every acorn is a forest since every one holds the potential to become mighty oak tree that can produce thousands more acorns in its lifetime, and of caterpillars with the potential to fly.
Those lessons, however, haven’t stopped me the countless times I’ve been stuck on something without a clue of where to go next, from wondering if I’ve hit the end. But inevitably a next step or answer always appears, usually when I am doing something unrelated to the challenge.
It happens frequently when I’m dealing with my kids, when a brilliant idea pops into my head and gives me the perfect words to say, the perfect solution to the problem or the perfect timing of when to shut-up and just listen. [click to continue…]
Day one and two of Simple Abundance suggest us to reflect over the years that have passed and write down our dreams and hopes for the most creative and fulfilling life possible. Questions like this are too open-ended for me and leave me feeling overwhelmed. Maybe I’ve got too many dreams? Or maybe I can’t focus through the laundry, job, kids, bills, and marriage? If you struggle with this too, I’ve got a tool for you in today’s post that will help!
I’ve done the proverbial brain-dump bucket-list of things I want to accomplish, do, or have someday. It is fun to see and cross them off as I have accomplished each one, but it is the deciding where to start stage that is my sticking point.
When we bought our first house, a little 2 1/2 bedroom bungalow with tons of “potential,” I was so anxious to re-do everything. After refinishing floors and stripping wallpaper from every room, painting and replacing the appliances, the house was livable but our bank account was dead. I felt so bummed we couldn’t keep working on it, but my dad said to me, “just live in the house for a while so she can tell you what she needs next.” Dad was right, the house told us along the way which step of the remodeling/restoring should be next, either something broke or there was something we just couldn’t stand to live with or look at any longer.
I’m often overzealous with my life, wanting to fix everything at once. [click to continue…]
It was an amazing experience when I journaled through most of the book, Simple Abundance, by Sarah Ban Breathnach many years ago, but like the photos of my childhood vacations, as the years passed, the details have faded.
I was searching through the bookcase next to the chair in my bedroom last night, looking for the Serendipity DVD to watch with my daughter. The bookcase is kind of a comforting catch-all of meaningful books, magazines and my favorite movies, always a bit dusty, and not really organized.
I stumbled upon the pretty pink book again, tucked between a devotional and The Me I Want to Be; the Serendipity DVD stacked sideways across the top. I kept glancing at the book throughout the movie, smiling to myself, as I found a connection between realizing it was New Year’s Eve and the book, a year long journey of discovering abundance through gratitude, started on January 1st. I couldn’t help feeling drawn to the idea of commencing the pilgrimage again. After all, as the author says, “This is the month to dream and to look forward to the year ahead and the inner journey.” And what better place to discover my inner peace and gratitude than my blog, “Becoming Me?”
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The story is a sad one, as life’s defining moments sometimes are. But when we choose to learn from them and grow, life’s sad lessons give birth to happy stories to come.
It’s possible I’m at the point of being so overtired I’ve become punch drunk and my words may come out gibberish, or that I may upset the powers that be in upper management where I work, but whatever the outcome I’m so grateful for being here. It’s been too long since I’ve written anything for me.
Thanksgiving’s Bitter Pill
There is a price to pay for blogging full time for a deal site. I’ve been lost in the black hole called Black Friday for the last couple of months and everything in my life is so far out of balance it’s on the verge of becoming comical. Building up the momentum to carry our social media into the busiest shopping weekend of the year (Black Friday – Cyber Monday) is no small feat. I’ve worked so much this past month that I’d be horrified to know exactly how much.
We had Thanksgiving at home this year, just the 5 of us because I had to work. While tweeting away at the dinner table between bites of turkey and stuffing, I felt sad and tried not to be resentful at the ridiculousness of the early Black Friday hype. Dozens of stores opened early on Thanksgiving day with doorbuster deals for those who ditched the dishes and their families for a retail rendezvous.
I tried not to think about it, reminding myself that I was earning an income for our family and I told myself dozens of times that there was an end to the social media madness. I resigned myself to the logic that I’d see the family at Christmas anyway, but the nagging feeling I had about skipping Thanksgiving wouldn’t go away.
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I wasn’t looking to change my life when my friend from high school messaged me on Facebook, telling me I needed to call her right away because she really needed to talk to me.
We hadn’t spoken more than 10 minutes at the health club since we graduated from High School almost twenty years prior, and I wondered what she wanted. I debated calling her back vs ignoring the message. I was happily leading a community of home based business owners sharing the challenges and celebrations of growing a business online and I’d been pitched to one-to-many times by friends online thinking I needed a “new opportunity.”
Be Open to Serendipity
This was an opportunity, but not the type I thought it was. [click to continue…]
Who would we see if we were to take a peek into your calendar? Most of our calendars reflect the life of an overwhelmed, overworked, person who is living reactively pinging from one “have to do” activity to the next. Calendars have the potential to be a life-changing tool if we use them properly. However, more often than not they are a prison guard keeping us trapped in the vortex of a hurricane of tasks.
I'm Heather, wife, mom of 3, social media director, and small business marketing consultant. Do you love who you are but know you can be and do better? Me too! That's what this blog will be 
