Karen Marzo

Have you ever had a day when you just needed a charge?  Give me some positive electricity!  If you picked your friends wisely, this is where they come in, and you for them. 

A good friend:

Someone you can play in the leaves with.

Someone you can be silly with and/or get dressed up and be serious in public with.

Someone you can vent to who won’t try to solve, they’ll just listen.

Someone who will take you to get ice cream on those days you just want to cry.

Someone who can hear in your voice on the phone that you need them.

Someone who loves you enough that they will only let you be negative for so long before they tell you to not let this ugly situation change you in an ugly way.

Someone who points out your strengths when you feel like you have none.

Someone who points out your strengths even when you know you have some.

Someone who lets you share with them and build them up when they are down.

Someone who loves you regardless of what your hair, make-up, clothes or whatever looks like today.

Have a Friend! 

Be a Friend! 

Take Care of Your Social and Emotional Needs! 

Reconnect with People ‘cuz that’s where it is all at!

Our TeleSeminar last night was on Stupid Things We Do…  You know… most of them can turn into a positive if we choose. 

Examples:

1)     My sister was getting her hair cut by her daughter outside.  Her son-in-law decided to hose her down.  STUPID thing to do to your Mother-in-Law…  But what are her choices?  Get angry… call him names… or laugh about it… 

My theory?  If you’d secretly or openly laugh if it happened to someone else, you should laugh if it happens to you.

2)  My girlfriend’s husband has been working tons of overtime with his job right now.  This weekend, he called her by his boss’s name (another woman).  What could have been a huge fight turned into a laughing fest… with the realization that he needed to cut back on his hours and that they could pay a little less on their bills each month.

These are just a couple of examples.  Nothing major, yet I’ve seen friendships, relationships, families, torn apart from simple misunderstanding.  When you mis-speak or do something you later regret, apologize and don’t do it again.  If you’re hurt by something someone else said or did… communicate and/or ask yourself, have I ever done anything similar?

“KITES RISE AGAINST THE WIND!”  Renae Putnam

Without adversity everyone once in a while we don’t rise to the next level!  Appreciate the stupid things you and others do for the humor they bring.

It was suggested that I take my notes from before and put together an e-book…  I’ve done that…  now I’m hoping it will inspire me to get off my duff and write somemore good stuff. 

Anyone want an e-book – go to the contact page and just ask… It’s free…

To love and honor others is a blessing we all have.  The famous quote says “It is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.”

Here is a story about such love and honor.  If I hadn’t seen it myself, I don’t know if I’d believe it.  But I did see it and I want to pass it on to you!

Another Yellowstone story:  As it is with the circle of life, the weak are preyed upon by those who feed off of them and feed their young.  That being the case, a Bison who had slipped into a boiling pot had much of the flesh burned off his hind legs.  This caused the Bison to move slower than the others.  A pack of wolves looking for dinner, came upon the Bison herd and picked out this Bison to attack.  They took him down and the first round of feasting began.  As nature would have it the rest of the herd for survival had to run for safety.

Hours later the wolves retreated.  As onlooker watched to see what other animals might come in to feast something beautiful happened.  The herd of Bison returned.  Now this in my mind is not a smart thing for this herd to do.  There is the smell of fresh meat and any number of preditors could come at any moment.

As we watched we thought it was just another herd of Bison.  But this particular herd began to gather around the deceased Bison.  They all gathered for several minutes, then a large group of them moved away and a handful remained.  This is when we realized these Bison, with feelings we had not concidered, were having some type of ritual.  A Bison funeral so to speak.

Bison Funeral taken by Ed and Jack Marzo

One by one the rest of the Bison moved away a short distance gathering with the rest of the herd and looking back at the one downed Bison.  Finally there was only one Bison left.  It nodded it’s head, then in an appearance lowered it’s head for several minutes.   About 10 minutes of standing there with it’s head bowed, he too began to move away.  Only this one would go a few feet then look back.  Walk a few more feet then look back.  Then walk with his heard looking back.  Finally he reached the rest of the herd.  The herd gathered around him and slowly they all walked away.

This was the most touching sight I had ever seen.  I know these Bison were greaving their dead.  There is no doubt in my mind.  I myself gained a new love of nature and of animals in general.  If they can love so deeply, so can I.

I decided that day to start honoring and loving more fully those who are around me.  I don’t want to wait until the end.  Do you love as fully as these Bison did?  Would you risk your life to tell a loved one you LOVE them?

Note from Karen

I get a weekly gem from a good friend, Andrew Sanderbeck… he has kindly agreed to let me share this one with all of you!

Post

The Gallup Organization recently asked this question in a poll to hundreds of thousands of people worldwide:  If you knew that you had only 6 months left to live, would you live your life differently in anyway large or small?

The fact is we don’t know how long we will be here on earth. We don’t know for sure if we will wake up on Saturday. We often hear the phrase, “Make the most out of everyday that we have.” Yet, we still get caught up in the details and dramas of life and forget what is truly important to us. We lose focus on we are and who we are becoming. 

In every moment there is an opportunity to create a new experience and memory

Fortunately most of us have more than 6 months to live. One of the main points of the survey of course, is what will you do to make the most out of your time. Here’s my list of things to do to make the most out of each day:

Tell someone “I Love You”

Show someone that I Love Them

Laugh, often

Take at least a few moments to appreciate nature…especially when I am very busy

Learn something new…the other day I learned how to make a Pineapple Sandwich!

Listen to something or someone inspiring or motivational (Many times I find inspiration in music)

Write or read something inspiring or motivational (Some times I inspire others too)

Give a kind word or help to a stranger

Eat chocolate

Sleep well

Hug and be hugged, often

Dream of my next opportunity to travel

Step away from all of my life’s stuff and enjoy the company of the people that I love and respect (and vice versa)

Live in the moment…instead of the past (If only I would have…) or the future (Tomorrow, I’ll…)

Focus and take action on what I want in my life…instead of what I don’t want

Separate myself from the drama of other people’s lives (including those on TV)…reminding myself that their drama is not mine

–

By the way, 98% of people that responded to the Gallup survey said that they would live their life differently in some way large or small. What will you do differently?

Andrew Sanderbeck 

The Friday News Minute!

A weekly gem of information you will be using on Monday!

Refer Your Friends to the Friday News Minute

http://www.peopleconnectinstitute.com/vp/enews-signup.htm

Smile!  Just one moment at a time.  Smiling is a form of laughter.  It helps to relieve stress, put things into perspective and improve productivity…  it is also physically healing…

Have a smile filled day on purpose!

When you have a goal  focus on it.  Don’t worry or fret over it… just focus on it and believe it will happen it will happen!  Napoleon Hill said “What the human mind can conceive and believe, it will achieve!”  There is a lot of truth to this!  If you watch the events of history, if two people loose everything they have, the one that believes they are being punished and are not worthy will rarely regain what they’ve lost.  The one who believes this stinks, but I’m worth more, almost always finds a way to regain what they lost and much more!

Focus on the Goal!  Be open to the ideas that come to you no matter how senseless they may seem!  And don’t be afraid to put what you want out there to the Universe, through friends, colleagues, blog buddies, family, whomever…  Also help others it always comes back to you and more, maybe not from those you helped but from someone else!

PUTTING IT OUT THERE…  I mentioned yesterday I’m going to co-host a teleseminar…  you can get the link from the site www.genderlyspeaking.comunder Calendar of Events…   I tried attaching the links on this blog but it wouldn’t let me.

If you’ve ever had a mis-understanding with the opposite sex, this will be a great blogcast for you!  Please call and ask questions too… this will ensure the show will run weekly.

It’s has been forever since I’ve been here!  I apologize for leaving everyone hanging.  My life is in a fabulous whirlwind and I haven’t had a moment to catch my breath.  By not writing every day, it is so easy to say “I’ll do it tomorrow!” 

When you feel like it is time to just give up, you have to rethink and put out positive vibes!  Things will turn around!  I am living proof of this.  Business had slowed down.  Money was no longer tight – it was almost non-existent.  I put out the positive vibes, called a few people and let them know I was looking for some positive changes and  WaLLa!  I’ve got three bookings, a weekly blog-cast (I’ll give you the Internet address and times in a couple of days) and more positive energy than I’ve felt in months.  And I live for the positive!

Put it out to the Universe/God/Fates whomever and/or whatever you believe in.  With a little faith and a lot of positive energy focused on your needs something will open up to you!

Today has been a fabulous day for me.  I got up, breathed in the fresh air.  Smelled the flowers in my flower beds.  And went to the salon to get my hair done.  What could be better for a woman?

But as I was at the beauty salon I noticed a good portion of the people were stressed.  As they rattled on and on about all their troubles I wanted to just call out…  stop complaining and do soemthing about it!  Something simple like slowly breathing.  YES! Get that oxygen in your system.  Feel your lungs fill up!  Smell the interesting aroma of perfume, perm and hairspray for heavens sake.  (Okay maybe not that last one.)

What I saw was this group of people talk faster and faster and faster about their sorrows.  By doing this they were taking shallower and shallower breaths – depriving the brain and body of the oxygen it so needs.  Oxygen heals.  Oxygen helps the mind think clearer and see other options and possibilities. 

The next time you hear someone say, “Stop and smell the roses”, ask yourself when was the last time you did that very thing and what was your mental state of being.  If sad, I’ll bet it calmed you.  If happy, it solidified your happiness.  If angry, I doubt you’d smell the roses, but if you did, it would help – you are breathing deep – getting a refreshing fragrance – and seeing one of the beauties of the world.

Find something that you love to smell and the next time you feel stressed… BREATH in the fragrances around you.

Every Summer I host a small back-yard carnival for my nieces, nephews, grand nieces and nephews, my own grandson, etc…  Preparing for this is such a blast!  I go to the dollar store and purchase little toys 4 and 5 at a time throughout the year.  When they play the different games they get points… with their points they get to buy these little toys from the toy table. 

It sounds like such a simple thing and it is!  But the joy in those kids eyes as they fish at the fish-pond, throw bean bags through holes, pin the ear on the elephant (we wanted to be different), etc… is enough to swell my heart and positive thoughts to last for months and months on end.

The fun is infectious!  My son builds a new game every year.  My kids’ friends volunteer to come and run the games, and my neighbors have started bringing their children too.  The joy just spreads and spreads.

If you need a pick me up… have some kind of a party for children, friends and/or neighbors.  It gets you out there socializing, it gives you something to plan and succeed at, and it will fill your heart with joy!

I am grateful for the mysteries of life that keep us on our toes!

I’ve stated that an Attitude of Gratitude is the place to start.  What if you have nothing to be grateful for that day?  I may have already stated this, but when I started my Attitude of Gratitude Journal, I couldn’t think of a thing to write.  Nothing!  My husband finally asked me if I was grateful I could breath… quite frankly, I wasn’t sure if I was grateful for that or not…  For the first two weeks all I could think of to write down were bodily functions…  and that was a stretch for me… I’d say “I’m thankful for my eyes so I can see”… then follow it with something negative like, “even if my eyesight is getting worse because I’m getting old – and I’m getting fat – and I’m getting uglier”…  you get the idea…

So what do you have to be grateful for?  Can you let the negative after-thoughts go?  Try simple things like:

I’m grateful for my eyes so I may see the beauties of nature.

I’m grateful for my ears to hear the singing of birds, or the melodious sound of a loved ones voice.

I’m grateful for my nose and sense of smell.

I’m grateful I can breath.

I’m grateful my bowels work.

I’m grateful I can write what I’m grateful for.

I’m grateful for my hands so I may touch soft and soothing things.

I’m grateful for my tongue so I may taste the sweetness of ice-cream.

I’m grateful for my mouth so I may speak.

I’m grateful for my legs so I may stand.

I’m grateful for my big toes so I may keep my balance better.

I’m grateful for my feet so I may walk.

I’m grateful for my skin, blood, organs (kidneys, liver, heart, etc…)

If you add why you are grateful for whatever you are grateful for, it is much easier to eliminate the negative after-thoughts!

I’ve given you a dozen or so examples.  Use them if you must.  Some of them may or may not apply to you and/or your situation.  So try to come up with your own.  Within a few weeks the list will turn to sunshine and glory.

For those of us in the USA, celebrate the freedoms you have!  We may not live in the perfect country – but then again, which country is 100% perfect? – but we do live in a country that honors our freedoms and our right to make choices!  Who we put in government is our choice.  Which doctors we see is our choice.  Which grocery store, which church, etc… we patron all our choice.

Positive Living?  Choose to be positive and/or do something legal/moral/ethical about what is not going the way you want. 

Happy Independence Day!

It’s been raining here and as I travel, it been raining throughout most of the USA.  Today however the sun is shining with its glorious warmth!  It’s good to remember that the sun is always shining as we discussed in an earlier blog… but don’t forget on the delightful days like today to stop and appreciate all the joy and blessings you have!  Feel the warmth of the sun and appreciate it.  Watch the animals curl up in a spot of sunshine, see the plants suck in the rays for their growth, bask in the vitamin D producing rays yourself.  It will fuel you for those rainy days.

Frustration is an overwhelming emotion.  It rarely has any positive effects, unless you use it to motivate yourself to action.  Frustration from others builds up a negative vibe that will quickly surround us if not repelled. 

We’ve all been frustrated, annoyed, even angry when we couldn’t depend on someone else to do what they said they would.  Why would you put yourself on the other side and be the one warranting such negative emotions and energy waves directed directly at you?  You are not just letting other people down.  You are reinforcing to yourself that you are telling a lie, that you are a procrastinator, etc…  None of these are things we want.

So… to live a more positive life, only say you’ll do the things you know you’ll be able to and then do them.  If you say yes and find out that you cannot, immediately let the other person know.  People would much rather hear ”NO” so they can make other plans, than to think it’s getting done and find out too late that it wasn’t. 

BE DEPENDABLE FOR A MORE POSITIVE LIFE!