Being the miracle

I received one of those story type emails today - you know the kind where you wonder if it's true and if it's not someone has a great gift for story telling. Well I am sharing a piece of one with you today.

I was walking around in a Target store, when I saw a Cashier hand this little boy some money back.

The boy couldn't have been more than 5 or 6 years old.

The Cashier said, 'I'm sorry, but you don't have enough money to buy this doll.'

Then the little boy turned to the old woman next to him: ''Granny, are you sure I don't have enough money?''

The old lady replied: ''You know that you don't have enough money to buy this doll, my dear.''

Then she asked him to stay there for just 5 minutes while she went to look around. She left quickly.

The little boy was still holding the doll in his hand.

Finally, I walked toward him and I asked him who he wished to give this doll to.

'It's the doll that my sister loved most and wanted so much for Christmas. She was sure that Santa Claus would bring it to her.'

I replied to him that maybe Santa Claus would bring it to her after all, and not to worry.

But he replied to me sadly. 'No, Santa Claus can't bring it to her where she is now. I have to give the doll to my mommy so that she can give it to my sister when she goes there.'

His eyes were so sad while saying this. 'My Sister has gone to be with God. Daddy says that Mommy is going to see God very soon too, so I thought that she could take the doll with her to give it to my sister.''

My heart nearly stopped.

The little boy looked up at me and said: 'I told daddy to tell mommy not to go yet. I need her to wait until I come back from the mall.'

Then he showed me a very nice photo of himself. He was laughing. He then told me 'I want mommy to take my picture with her so she won't forget me.'

'I love my mommy and I wish she didn't have to leave m e, but daddy says that she has to go to be with my little sister.'

Then he looked again at the doll with sad eyes, very quietly.

I quickly reached for my wallet and said to the boy. 'Suppose we check again, just in case you do have enough money for the doll!''

'OK' he said, 'I hope I do have enough.' I added some of my money to his without him seeing and we started to count it. There was enough for the doll and even some spare money.

The little boy said: 'Thank you God for giving me enough money!'

Then he looked at me and added, 'I asked last night before I went to sleep for God to make sure I had enough money to buy this doll, so that mommy could give it to my sister. He heard me!''

'I also wanted to have enough money to buy a white rose for my mommy, but I didn't dare to ask God for too much. But He gave me enough to buy the doll and a white rose.'' 'My mommy loves white roses.'

A few minutes later, the old lady returned and I left with my basket.

Whether it's true or not this story was a reminder to me about the choices we have in our daily life. We can choose to rush from place to place and live from task to task, or we can participate in life and be open to opportunities like this - times when we can be the miracle in someone's life.

Bailing on your life during a busy time

Wow! What a great time! As many of you noticed I've been out of touch for a while. The reason is that I went on vacation. I had pushed myself really hard and when an opportunity to go on vacation popped up I went. And, once again, this was a story of choices.

Many of you know that besides my work helping people make choices that improve their lives and businesses I also co-own http://www.reclaimu.com/. Well, we've been extrememly busy with the current launch of the Phoenix Center which guides and supports people who are ready to make some new choices and move in new directions. We launched with the basics and had some amazing ideas for growing and expanding. That means we started pushing ourselves like mad to get them done and out there so people can use them. Then, in the midst of major updates and a ton of work needing to be completed, I chose to leave town. Not only did I leave town, I went backpacking with my husband with no cell phone access - and it's the best thing I ever could have done for my business and for my personal life.

Many of you have heard me talk about making the choices that you know are right for you. I encourage you to do what you know in your gut is right, even when the choice doesn't seem to be the most logical one. This was an example of exactly that. In a situation where there is a ton of work to be done, my business partner is preparing to move, and we have a good product that is ready to be made into a great one, I chose to leave. That was a choice I knew was right in my gut even though it may not have looked logical on the surface. And by going someplace where I could recharge my batteries and fill myself up again I have come back with better focus, better perspective and the ability to get more done in less time.

You really do know what is right for you. And as you learn to listen to your gut, your intuition, that little voice inside, I encourage you to trust it and to follow it.

I wish you an extraordinary life!

An Unusual Life

I was reading a book about a couple who credits themselves with living an unusual life. The thing they believe to be unusual is that they follow their dreams. Throughout their life they have done whatever felt right to them.

Quite frankly I find it sad that following your dreams is considered to be unusual. You guys know I believe you can create an extraordinary life through the choices you make. So today I am challenging you to choose to do something that gets you closer to your dream.

Send me an email at Sandy@ChooseMyLifeNow.com and let me know what you did.

Logic vs Instinct

I had an interesting morning. Things have been piling up around here as we get ready to launch some new features at www.ReclaimU.com and my family gets ready for vacation. (Note to self - do not take vacation the same week you are launching new products in your business.) I had planned out the week and it was going to be busy but doable. Then we had a funeral added to the mix.

This morning I woke up as usual. The birds are chirping, I'm lying in bed looking out the window watching the trees and clouds, but instead of my usual time of relaxing and opening myself up to inspiration and new ideas I feel only stress. The only thoughts in my head are about things I need to get done and the things that aren't happening. Not a fun way to start the day.

Since I'd already spent time the day before working on the overload from the angle of adjusting the to do list and working through things to get them done, I decided to try something new. I went the other way and did something that felt right even though logic says it's absolutely the wrong thing to do. I gave myself permission to relax. I stayed in bed and let myself daydream. I read my book. I let my mind go blank and just enjoyed the cool, quiet morning.

IT WORKED! Here I am, 1 1/2 hours later, relaxed and productive. I feel good and I feel like I can get anything done. My guess is I will make me more productive than if I was running around stressed out with knots in my stomach.

Sometimes we have to go against logic and do what we know is right in our gut. Trust yourself!

Two Choices

There are two primary choices in life; to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them. -- Denis Waitley

Hmmm....do you agree? I do. When we are unhappy with things, we can work toward change. It doesn't matter whether that change occurs just in our mindset or in our physical circumstances. Either one can make us feel good about our life right now.

I've been at points in my life where I was dissatisfied, then, a short time later I am happy. Sometimes a tangible or visible thing changed. And sometimes only my thoughts changed. Perhaps I chose a path toward change and just knowing I was working my way out of the mess made me feel good. Maybe I did something tangible like moving or changing jobs. Or maybe I just made some adjustments to my calendar or to do list.

So whatever your circumstances, if you are unhappy with your life, choose to change it - then work on the steps to create change. You might just be amazed at how fast you feel good about your life again.

Thank You, but I'm on No

I was working with a client the other day and as we reviewed one of my tips for Creating Your Extraordinary Life I realized I wanted to share this with you.

This tip is called - I'm on no. Bottom line, when you can't take on anything new in your schedule you "go on no". This means that when people ask you for something, anything from a dinner invitation to volunteering, you can just politely let them know that due to circumstances in your world at this time you are on no and will have to decline. That's it. No muss, no fuss, you are on no.

I've used this technique at a few crucial times in my life and am amazed at how well it works. So give it a go and let me know how it works.

Keys to Planning & Organizing Your Time - living in limbo

Have you ever been in one of those time periods where you just have to wait? Your life is changing but you can't really live your new life yet, and your old life doesn't feel right anymore either? That's living in limbo. How was that time for you? Frustrating, scary, exciting?

If it was only about negative emotions then I recommend taking a good hard look at how you live your life. Are you allowing yourself to live in the moment? To enjoy what's happening in your life right now?

Being in limbo leaves you in an interesting place. It's easy to get caught up in living in the past by reliving memories. It's even easier to get caught up in the future dreaming about what it will be like or working through the plans and logistics of the change.

The question is - Are you enjoying your life in that moment? Are you living while you're in limbo or are you just trying to survive it?

I've been in a limbo place lately and in looking at the way I handle it I realized that I use my planning and organization skills to hide from right now. It's uncomfortable to not know what's happening and when it will happen so I create plans to focus on.

Now don't get me wrong. Planning is a good thing - to a point. Just like dreaming about your future is a good thing - to a point. Living the day you are in right now is more important. When you live in a plan or a dream you aren't really living. So I challenge you to let the plan be. Work it, but don't live in it. Let the dreams sit. Dream, but only for a little while each day. Then think about what you enjoy about the life you are living right now. Let your thoughts linger there. When you are with someone, focus on them. When you are outdoors focus on nature. Celebrate those moments and enjoy your life today.