Consider how hard it is to change yourself and you’ll understand what little chance you have in trying to change others ~ John Maxwell      

To know and not to do is still not knowing.     ~  Confucius

There’s a difference between interest and commitment.  When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when it’s convenient.  When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses; only results.  ~ Unknown          

Someone who is intelligent can learn from their own experiences … someone with wisdom can learn from others’ experiences ~ unknown     

In the absence of clearly defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily trivia until we ultimately become enslaved by it. ~   Robert Heinlein

 All of us are watchers — of television, of time clocks, of traffic on the freeway — but few are observers. Everyone is looking, not many are seeing ~ Peter M. Leschak

I am not sure where I got this quiz from so if anyone knows, please let me know so I can credit the person. 

Choose a number between 1 and 4 that best describes your response to each of the following statements:

1:   Never or almost never.

2:   Sometimes.

3:   Usually.

4:   All the time.

Then add them up and see how you score below.

1. When I have free time I like to shop.

2. I keep bills, bank statements and other mail in piles, until I have time to file.

3. I have more than 10 plastic bags in my house.

4. I save magazines with interesting articles/recipes.

5. When I look around, I get tired just thinking about what it will take to unclutter my home.

6. I have two or more craft projects going on at any one time.

7. My house may look messy to some people, but I know where to find everything.

8. If someone stops by unexpectedly, I try to avoid letting them in.

9. I leave things out so I know where they are or as a reminder to myself.

10. Time keeps me from getting or being organized.

11. When it comes to clutter, I think, “Why bother? It will just get cluttered again.”

12. I can’t bear to part with things and I consider myself a pack rat.

13. The stress level in our house is directly related to the clutter level.

Rating Your Answers

44 to 52: is indicative of a clutter problem that’s been building for some time. You are in need of some serious clutter-busting!

35 to 43: Your clutter problem is likely growing worse with each passing year and will continue to do so unless you do something about it.

26 to 34: You have the potential to develop a clutter problem, but you also have the power to change a few old habits.

17 to 25: You may be simply, temporarily disorganized.

Less than 17: Congratulations on controlling your clutter. rather than letting it control you.

Here is a listing of the essential oil sprays I sell:

Abundance … orange, rosewood, mandarine, frankincense, cinnamon

Anxiety … lavender, orange, ylang ylang

Balance … black spruce, rosewood, Canadian tsuga, blue tansy, frankincense

Clear … eucalyptus, wintergreen

Delete … lavendula vera, ravensara, anisata, spearmint

Divine Feminine … bergamot, geranium, Canadian tsuga, red pine, goldenrod, St. John’sWort, ylang ylang, Bulgarian rose, jasmine, spikenard

Energy … rosemary, lemon verbena, black spruce, eucalyptus

Gratitude … grapefruit, rosemary, cinnamon, frankincense

Immune Up … black spruce, thyme, ravensara, rosemary, niaouli

Joy … balsam fir, rosewood, lemongrass

Peace … tangerine, orange, marjoram, goldenrod, Canadian tsuga

Spell Out … rosemary, lemon, clove, cinnamon

All essential oils used in these sprays are from Mikael Zayat, an Egyptian alchemist for over 26 years living and distilling in Canada. All of his essential oils are 100% pure and therapeutic grade, so they produce beneficial biochemical and electromagnetic effects. Mikael uses a state of the art distillation process which is at a low pressure and takes much time. The oils are distilled with natural spring water and exclusively in a stainless steel distiller. The oils contain no solvents, no mineral substances and no allergens.

Go to bed 30 minutes earlier. Use the time for reflection, meditation and peace after a busy day.

Arise 15 minutes earlier each morning. Spend the time getting centered for your day.

Prioritize the things you want to accomplish.

Arrive at meetings and appointments 15 minutes early.

Know what you are worth per hour. This way you can determine how to best spend your time. If your time is worth $200/hour, then be sure that you are saying ‘yes’ to those things that are worth that and ‘no’ to those things that aren’t. Learn to manage interruptions and stay focused.

Delegate.

Use modern technology if it truly helps. I am a ‘gadget person.’

Time Log. Write out each day of the week, each hour of the day and record how you spend your time. Include work, commuting, daily tasks, self-care, chores, etc. Look back each week and note patterns. Begin to eliminate those things that do not serve you.

Schedule and make sacred time a priority. This includes time with yourself, your significant other, children, friends, etc. This is what counts in life.

Take time now to write down your accomplishments so you can refer to it when you need a little encouragement. Try to feel the excitement of these achievements as you write about them to increase your vibration. Some things you might want to include: 

• 10 Things I love about my life
• 10 Things I feel relief when I think about them:
• I am grateful for:
• What do you like about yourself? Are you smart? Kind? Creative?
• What are your strengths and talents? What are you ridiculously good at?
• Name your three best experiences.
• Name 5 things you did as kid that you loved and did well
• When were you the happiest as a child?
• Name 5 things you have done as an adult that you loved and did very well
• Describe a time when you were working or playing and having so much fun that you lost track of time? What was so great about this experience? What specifically did you enjoy about it?
• When are you currently the happiest?
• What is the best part of your day?

My daughter will turn 13 this week and rather than just celebrating a typical birthday, I wanted to create something for her to remember as a special salute to her for reaching a milestone she so desired.  I think rituals add a richness to life; and even when your kids run screaming at your feeble attempts, you should not be dissuaded from doing what you feel might someday be considered special by them.  

We spent yesterday having a mother / daughter mani - pedi, and then shopped for ideas and materials to make our “spirit dolls.”   These are dolls made from simple materials that represent and celebrate who we truly are.  You can make one for each facet of your personality and create a gallery that pays tribute to your soul’s progression throughout life.  They can either capture a moment in time, or help to create a dream or desire of who you want to become.   She was resistant at first, but now seems to really be getting into it; I can’t wait to see what each of us comes up with!

We woke up at 5:00 am this morning and drove to the highest point on the Blue Ridge Parkway <6000+ feet> to see the sunrise.  It was cold but absolutely magnificent!   Then we drank hot chocolate & had breakfast at the Pisgah Inn - what a view!   Took lots of pictures; hiked and laughed a lot … hopefully made memories she will always look back upon and smile.   Life is good!

Take 2 deep breaths which resets the sympathetic nervous system 

Autogenic training:     visualize and feel each sentence and repeat slowly for a minimum of 18-20 minutes daily:

My arms and legs are heavy and warm

My heartbeat is calm and regular

My breathing is free and easy

My abdomen is warm

My forehead  is cool

My mind is quiet and still

Think of one stressor … sit up, uncross your arms and legs, rest hands on thighs … eyes closed … relaxed … hold breath and at top of your breath let the stressor go … then breathe from your feet and come up your body … imagine floating high above yourself where nothing is stressful … notice that you live down below … then float toward the future where you have achieved success … look back and see that the stressor is gone … anchor in whatever positive thoughts you want while here in the future because anything is possible and they become resources for you … then go back towards now and bring the good things you anchored in with you … then go forward one year from now and look back on now and there is no worry, stress or fear

A belief is a thought that we keep returning to. Limiting beliefs block us from manifesting our desires because they are false and come from fear <which is an illusion>, worry and anxiety. We can tell we have a limiting belief by what’s happening in our lives. The less we judge and resist, the more we are connected to intuition which guides us effortlessly from one synchronicity to another. Every time we hit a fear, we either shrink or we expand. The faster we remove our resistance, the faster our dreams come true. One of the biggest reasons people don’t change is safety: we sabotage ourselves if we don’t feel safe. Another is guilt: if we feel guilty about something, we might subconsciously believe we should be punished. We are 95% controlled by subconscious programs gotten from other people which may negate what we consciously want out of life. When we rewrite our limiting beliefs by changing the old programming, our subconscious mind effortlessly responds to the repetition and new habits.

Fears can include future fears < live in the now in gratitude>, fear of failure <get out of your comfort zone>, fear of loss of approval or fear of rejection <learn to love yourself>, or fear of success or loss of control <take calculated risks>. Worry occurs in the past so we are not moving forward <use forgiveness>. Anxiety deals with the consequence of something that has not happened yet and we become restless and doubtful <use unconditional love>.

Best questions to consider when dealing with these issues:

 The upside for staying the same is: _________________

The downside to reaching your goal is: ______________

Yesterday a group of 10 of us headed out to Wiseman’s Bluff in Linville Gorge to see the Brown Mountain Lights.  It was a beautiful fall day in the western NC mountains; the crisp mountain air sill had a bite to it, but the winds were minimal so we could enjoy the night in relative comfort.   We brought food to share, and enjoyed each other’s company in the hour and a half drive to the dirt and gravel road of our destination.  We stopped to take in a gorgeous sunset lighting up one of the nearby ridges as the sliver of the moon provided a focal point.  Each of us were inspired individually by the perfection of the moment.  We were surprised by 5 other friends who changed their plans in order to meet up with us to share their night vision goggles.  It is truly amazing when you look at the sky through the lenses … billions of stars light up the sky that the naked eye can’t see.  There’s a general shimmer over the whole landscape, like a thin piece of silk light flowing in delightful randomness.  The lights played peek a boo games with us as they dipped and flitted along the ridges, which could be seen with the naked eye.   Additionally special were the lights that could only be seen through the goggles … closer to us than we thought.   Some of the lights were triangulated, darting all over the sky like spacecraft and definitely not in ordinary flight patterns.  Did we actually see aliens through the goggles?  I didn’t, but that’s not to say they weren’t there staring at us.   Did I see comets, falling stars and stars that were at first stationary that later moved?  Maybe … probably … I still don’t know exactly what I saw; it’s more a feeling than a rational thought.  I felt a definite connection with the unknown; a feeling that there is so much more out there than we can’t even conceive of … yet.   There are no words to describe what I saw, but I do believe the answers will be revealed to us … soon.