What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?

What Do You Want To Be 
When You Grow Up?
Wear The Hat That Best Suits You!
Do you dread getting up Monday morning, knowing you have to go to work?  Do you dislike or even hate your job?  Everyone deserves to live a complete passion filled life, and that includes our work where we spend most of our hours and days.  Perhaps you're wearing the wrong "hat", perhaps it's time to rethink what you're doing with your life!   Think about what you'd really like to be doing if there were no obstacles.  What could you enjoy, really enjoy doing for 40 hours a week?
If you can't seem to connect with the "real" you, and what you'd love to do, I listed some simple exercises to help you find the hat that fits!

6 Simple Tips to Make Sure That You're Wearing 

The Right Hat For Life!

1)  Simply look at what it is that you enjoy doing in your off-time.  Is it cooking?  Is it entertaining or planning parties and get togethers with friends?  Is it painting or photography?  Believe it or not, but most 'hobbies' can be recreated into careers these days!  In fact, with some time invested a little research and perhaps some retraining, you could be doing what you love full time and making a good living at it!

If you think your 'hobby' or interests seem too corny to develop into something bigger - then think again!  It's about having an idea or interest, and then researching to where it fits into today's market.  It may mean tailoring it somewhat.  If you are an artist for example, a trade that historically is not a big money maker for most, tailor you talents to perhaps graphic design if you like computers as well.  Now you're into the big world of online marketing!  A gift of entertaining can be turned into a career of event planning.  It's about doing the research, and making the move!


2) What did you want to be when you you were little?  Make a list of all the things you thought you wanted to be when you were growing up.  We seem to have this great insight when we're little and then life's journey seems to lead us a stray.  Even if it seems like a lofty goal now, such as becoming a doctor or lawyer, think about it again.  There are new ways to get retraining such as  online courses and distance education to name two.  Even if its one course a season, remember that a 2,0000 mile journey begins with just one step!


3) Volunteer in organizations that  fit where you'd ideally like to work or think you'd like to choose a career in.  If you secretly love curating and art, volunteer at a major art gallery on weekends.  Work hard, go the extra mile, learn, and create your own personal brand.  You'll find out quickly and inexpensively if that's the fit for you!


4) Make and keep a concise contact list!  Who are your friends, acquaintances, business associates?  Chances are that if you've been working for a while you know quite a few people.  Add them to your contact lists such as email or facebook.  Keep getting out there and meeting people.  Keep adding them to your list.  You never know who can help you and in what way in your journey at finding the perfect fit!


5) Pick everyone's brain!  Make sure as you meet new people and then ask a lot of questions!  Find out who they are, what they do, and who they know.    There are some people who have fascinating jobs, jobs that you would have never known existed unless you met them and asked.  Find out what they know.  Glean from their wisdom, life and business experiences.  Become interested in EVERYTHING!  This is about gaining real knowledge - besides the obvious - making contacts!  And people are quite obliging in sharing their stories and what they know.

6)  Be confident!  If you aren't as confident as you think you should be, FAKE IT until you MAKE IT!  In the end, it doesn't matter who you are, a man or woman, how much you earn, or your weight or health issues.  It's about presentation and approach.  You are a brand.  You know stuff simply through life experiences.  You are an individual and there's no clone of you anywhere.  Market yourself properly.  Make sure everyone gets the true brand of who you are - you can only do this by putting yourself out there!  


And remember, enjoy the journey! 

Everything You Need To Know

Night Harvesting   Photo by:  HMP ©

Everything You Need To Know
You Learned in Kindergarden

All the rules that you need to know about life, love, success and happiness, most of us have already been taught way back in kindergarden.  Somewhere along the line, we have failed to process these magic rules and apply them into our lives, and then live by them.  Here are a few examples:

1) Always tell the truth 
2) Love thy neighbour as thyself
3) Work hard
4) Share & play nice
5) Go to bed on time

Always telling the truth develops integrity and trust.  It creates an authentic person that people will impeccably trust, both personally and in business.  It creates this world in which there is less stress because doing the right thing becomes easy.  Truthfulness becomes a part of a person.  Remember the saying, "Your reputation precedes you?"  You want truth to be a big part of your reputation and legacy!


Loving thy neighbour as thyself instills respect for other people and teaches us to love ourselves as well.  It tells us that we need to take care of those around us when they're in need.  Our neighbours can be our physical neighbours in a neighbourhood, or more global, such as our coworkers, our extended family, our children's friends, or the needy here or in other countries.

Working hard is a rule that is typically underrated.  A person can never go wrong giving all they've got in every aspect of their life, from work to personal relationships.  Don't take shortcuts - always, always go the extra mile!

When we think of sharing, do we think of our personal relationships?  We should, because sharing means sharing our time, our energies, and our empathy with those around us.  It means giving of ourselves for the benefit of another.  Applied in any situation, can only create positivity in the long run!

Our mothers were right after all!  Nagging us to get to bed on time was a great piece of advice considering that all the research studies point to the benefits of getting at least 8 hours sleep a night.   Weight maintenance, anti-aging effects and a better memory are some of the benefits from a good nights snooze!


Thought for today:  Do you always go the extra mile?

How To Simply "Be Happy"

How To Simply "Be Happy"
Your Happiness Guide


Have you ever wondered where the true road to happiness was?  Have you really wanted to be truly happy and content, but just couldn't manage to get there?  Yet, every day, we are surrounded by people - who in spite of their problems and difficulties - are sincerely happy.  How does this work, how do they manage this?


Well, first of all, research studies indicate that much of our happiness is in how we "view" things, people, and situations.  It's the old cliche, "Is the cup half full, or is the cup half empty?"  How we view the world and situations around us can be attributed to individual personality types, the friends we keep, and/or how we have been taught to deal with our problems by our parents and/or guardians from a young age.


Individual personality is a major player in how we see the world.  Personality can be a throw back from at least 4 generations of parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.  The good news is that personality can be 'shaped' to accentuate the positive.  Ideally, shaping happens as you grow up and mature with those positive networks in the brain created.  But hey, most of us didn't come from perfect beginnings, so thankfully we can 'shape up' in adulthood as well!  The biggest variable in having the ability to shape up is to have awareness of who you are, and know who you want to be.  After that, it's practice, practice, practice!  


The friends we choose are easily read predictors of where we currently are in our life, and where we're going fast.  This is why self help books tell us to be aware who our friends really are.  Surround yourself with only positive people and realize the deeper reasons that you've chosen the friends that you have.  Make the changes that are necessary to have only the most positive people in your life wherever possible.


Finally, we need to practice being positive, even if and when we don't feel like it.  This doesn't mean ignoring our feelings, but instead, doing positive things for ourself in spite of what else is going on in our lives and our hearts.  Another recent psychology study shows that just by activating the 'smiling' muscles in a person's face, signals are sent to the brain that the person is happy!  The same goes for the 'sad' or 'angry' facial muscles.  So smile, and your brain will do everything in its power to make you happy!  


And incidentally, further studies in the business world show that when you smile, the whole world does, in fact, smile along with you!  Smiling can close deals, get jobs and more.


Remember, it's in how you "see" the world that will predict your sense of happiness.


Please note:  If you have been suffering with depression, or sadness for prolonged periods of time (more than a day or two at a time), please seek medical attention, counselling, visit your physician or hospital emergency room. 

The Power of Thankfulness

Early morning sunrise by H.M.P ©


The Power of Thankfulness

One of the biggest lessons I've learned in life is simply to be thankful.  It's a life lesson that we hear all of our lives, in cliches, speeches, and reprimands from our parents growing up, but it kind of becomes "white noise" as we get older.  Don't get me wrong - I'm always thankful for a gift or when someone helps me out - but it's that deeper thankfulness for life, breath and life's 'moments.'


It's about living in the moment. It's about when everything seems to be going wrong in your life, and it's hard to see any positives, or any way out and then you notice how warm it is sitting in a sun's ray.  It's about going to a job you dislike at 6:00 a.m., your kid's principal calling and telling you he's suspended - again, and your divorce lawyer's appointment at 3:00 p.m.  It's when every aspect of your world seems to be falling apart piece by piece and then . . . a beautiful crane flies up from the ditch and right over your car.  Graceful, slow piloting wings.  Soaring.  Free.  Beautiful!  That's a moment to give thanks.  


In those moments - those moments of perfect clarity and perfection - that I know God is near and taking care of things.  It's a moment meant to give thanks.  Somehow we get through the children's problems, they graduate in the end; and somehow we get through our days or weeks at our job and move on when we're ready; and somehow the lawyer appointments end and we survive the divorce process.  We get through it with 'time'.  


"Time heals all things!"


It's what we do with our time in-between that matters.  Life and happiness is about enjoying each moment we are on this earth - each moment we have breath - no matter what is thrown at us.  After all in the end, it is all about life lessons.  


Helpful Hint:
Keep a daily journal.  Every morning, get up 10 minutes early and write down 5 things you are thankful for, before any other daily journaling.  You will be amazed at how it changes your day by changing your focus.  You can bring good things to you and into your life!

When Life Throws You a Curve Ball!

Life's Unexpected Pleasures
By HMP ©

When Life Throws You A Curve Ball!


So you know what you love, you've made steps towards your life-dream goals and then . . . disaster hits!

The simplest way to tell you what to do is give you a couple of my favorite quotes and points of guidance at a time like this.  These quotes and ideas have got me through the worst and stopped me from giving up whatever battle I was facing.  Sometimes life can be overwhelming when things don't seem to be working according to plan.  Life kind of has ways of throwing a curve ball sometimes, and when you can't think straight, you need something to lean on.  This helps you to keep putting one foot in front of the other until you get through this rough patch in life.

1)  Never give Up.  NEVER ever.  

2)  Review your objectives & goals frequently

3) Meditate (when you are able) and allow God to provide you with the answers you can't see

4) Think Outside the Box

5) The only way to the other side is Through!

6) Visualize the perfect outcome daily and before falling asleep at night

When life isn't going as planned, there is always a valuable lesson to be learned.  Perhaps you are rushing things and not allowing things to unfold as they need to.  Or maybe you just need to learn something before proceeding that will help you later in life.

Let me tell you about Ken's story:

Ken was strapping and strong young man, happily married, successful and doing what he loved.  He had a positive outlook on life and enjoyed working hard running his own business.  Life then threw Ken a curve ball!  Within a 6 month period, Ken lost his health. The loss of his health also eventually cost him his business.  Finally, Ken lost his wife too.

Many people would give up at this point, and ask "Why me?"  But not Ken.  Ken was a positive person, which helped.  But that alone would not have pulled him through.  It was his stubbornness to "never give up" and his faith in God that wouldn't allow life to keep him down.  He eventually found a way to work around his continued health issues, build another business and find the woman of his dreams.  That was over 25 years ago, and he's happy, healthy and wealthy ever since!

Now is the time in your life to BE STUBBORN!  Don't give up on your life-dreams - never - ever!©

Cleansing The Home & The Soul

The Cleansing by HMP ©

Cleansing The Home & The Soul

If you've ever 'purged' a closet or even your entire house, I don't have to tell you how good that feels in the end!  At first, it is uncomfortable because you've hung onto that 'thing' for a reason so getting it out of your life feels like a loss.  It just feels wrong.  It doesn't necessarily feel wrong because you shouldn't get rid of it, but it is feeling wrong because it is out of your comfort zone for some reason.  It's that reason, the reason you can't get rid of items that you no longer need or use, that is vitally important to understand.

There are many different reasons why people fill their lives, homes and offices with clutter, but usually it's because we just can't let go.  We can't let go of the junk.  We can't let go of emotions, we can't let go of the importance (usually false) that we placed on these 'things', we can't let go of anger . . . and the list goes on. 

I once knew a gal named Alice who lived in a large farm house filled with 'stuff.' Alice didn't have much money during and after her marriage ended.  Her ex husband was controlling and used any and all available money for his gambling addiction.  Alice grew up in an atmosphere in which her mother had no organizational skills and hoarded.  Her childhood home was also filled with 'stuff'.  As such, Alice began collecting old discarded chairs, bookcases, coffee tables, lamps during her marriage - in fact, she collected and acquired junk she found at garage sales or even left for the garbage man.  This was not an eclectic attractive decorating display by any stretch of the imagination!  Her house was a garbage dump!  When faced with moving, Alice was confused and overwhelmed.  It was so hard for her to get rid of any of her acquired 'junk.'  It was difficult and she said, "I lived with nothing and so when I got something, it didn't matter what it was, it became 'something' to me - and I felt like I had 'something' at least."  Even though she acknowledge it was junk, it took her six years and several attempts to purge.  Every six months or so, she revisits the stuff she hung on to, and says, "When I open a box of stuff now, that I felt was too precious to throw out or even give away six months ago, I am shocked!  I now can't believe I kept that!"

After Alice's purging, she admits to feeling lighter and freer.  She can make decisions about her life better and particularly about her spending.  She says, "I am super careful about what I decide to spend money on now - I don't want to deal with it later!"  Now that Alice is single, educated and doing what she loves, her money saved is helping to build her dream life!

It is important to go through our possessions and decide what we really need.  Our "stuff" can be a burdon and clog up our thinking.   Figure out what is important to keep and exactly why.  Your answer might surprise you.  As we purge our physical environment, something happens inside that lightens our load and we often have  'enlightenment' about our lives too.  

Purge one closet or cupboard a week - be ruthless and kind at the same time.  Remember that you can give away things that may be useful to the less fortunate, and this act helps the task at hand.

Simple Strategies For Life

Notice Me  by HMP ©

Simple Strategies For Life

Life can be incredible, beautiful and filled with passion, but life can also throw you a curve ball.  I found there are some strategies that one must live by in order to remain authentic to oneself.  Authenticity is important because without it, we are just 'faking' our way through life.

For clarity, here are some important strategies to incorporate into your authentic self - every day - and in every situation:

• Tell the Truth - Always & as QUICKLY as possible

• Notice Everything: physically around you and the emotions within and acknowledge

• Stop Talking & Start Listening - really listening - and not just 'hearing'

• If in Doubt - Wait it out - sometimes the best thing to do is nothing at all - for a little while until you have greater clarity

• Eat, Rest and Call a Friend if you're lonely meaning take care of yourself -  don't expect someone else to look after your needs

• *Learn to Enjoy Your Own Company*  This is super important in 'finding' your authentic self, what you love and what you need.  Do this and you will also never be bored with life

• Give Something to Someone every day!  It can be small, like a few important minutes of your time, or it can be just giving some spare change to someone in need.  Even sending a 'Thank You' card to someone in appreciation of something they've done or meant to you and why is a form of giving to others.  Complements are great - as long as they are sincere and without ulterior motives. The greatest gifts I have given are those that I have given that are most in need and in complete anonymity! 

Spend some time today just looking around you, wherever you are, as boring as the surroundings might be, and see how many different sights, smells and sounds you notice when you are 'tuned in'.   Touch the things around you and feel those things that look tantalizing - like the smoothness of a round stone or the coolness of a piece of metal.  How do you feel inside when you experience these sensations?

Enjoy the sensationalness of your day!