Category Archives: Mindful Living

Do What You Really Want to Do

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“The minute you begin to do what you really want to do, it’s really a different kind of life.” -Buckminster Fuller

Even if what you want to do seems like the silliest thing ever . . . I’m not talking about deep stuff here like what do I want to do with my life . . . Just simply going with your gut/intuition when being pulled towards an activity. Accept that there’s a reason . . . the reason will become clear if you simply trust yourself.

Last weekend I got the feeling, the urge that I wanted to go through boxes in my garage.  I kept thinking “I don’t have time for this right now, I’ve got to do this, that and the other before the two conferences I’ve got upcoming in July.” I could not get this thought to go away.  It’s as if there was something in those boxes pulling me out there and it was not gonna give up.  I decided I’d go out there and just go through a few.  Many of these boxes have been packed since moving to Reno in 2006 and my divorce in 2007.  Some not as long as that, just since we made our last move about 2 or 3 years ago.

This is exactly what I need to be doing right now. I’m still going through them . . . in fact, I’m headed out there after I get this written. I’m definitely getting rid of a ton of stuff – boxes and boxes . . . some in the garbage, some to Goodwill and some to a friend who just had a baby.

The simply amazing aspect of this is that I’m also finding little treasures and messages that are perfectly timed. If I had ignored my gut telling me to “Do this NOW”, I would not be discovering these treasures and messages.  I would not be processing and getting rid of some thorny little thoughts that still sneak their way back into my life.

Camilla’s Purge Palooza 2011 has shown me the path for something I’ve been stuck with for almost a year now.  All I’m saying is that the quote above, “Do what you really want to do . . . ” doesn’t have to be about figuring out the meaning of your life or something deep. Just simply going with your gut/intuition when you get the urge that you should be doing this, that or the other.  The reason will become crystal clear as you are doing it or shortly thereafter.

Here’s to trusting ourselves and going with our gut!

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Enthusiasm

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“You can do anything if you have enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is the yeast that makes your hopes rise to the stars. Enthusiasm is the spark in your eye, the swing in your gait, the grip of your hand, the irresistible surge of your will and energy to execute your ideas . . . Enthusiasm is at the bottom of all progress!” Henry Ford

May each of you let your enthusiasm shine today!!

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The Shift that Happens

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Reno Rainbow

I’ve been a member of Reno Downtowner’s Toastmaster’s Club for about a year now.  I originally joined as I wanted to improve my speaking skills and be in a comfortable environment amongst others who were improving themselves and wanted to help fellow members do the same.

Lately, I find myself so busy that I have this recurring thought that I just don’t have the time to keep going every week.  Toastmaster’s clubs meet once a week for an hour.  I get myself to the meeting in spite of this thought telling me I don’t have time and EVERY single time I do this, that particular Toastmaster’s meeting is out of this world and I know I was meant to be there and be a part of the speeches, discussions and table topics.

Last Tuesday, May 24, 2011 was no exception.  First, I was chosen during table topics.  For those that don’t know, table topics are to help you speak off the cuff, spur of the moment without any preparation.  The table topics master makes a statement of 5 words or less and chooses another member to speak for at least a minute about the statement they just delivered.

I was chosen to speak about the word “If”.  Having just had a speaker the previous Wednesday at our eWomenNetworking Dinner event whose topic was Going with Your Gut, I tied the word “if” with that message.  See, this is the thing, that Go with Your Gut message was very timely and hit home with me.  I have just recently made a HUGE decision involving my daughter and her education by way of going with MY gut.  This was another little reminder for me to nevermind the “What if’s” and pay attention to my gut!

Following that, we had two amazing speeches.  One based on Giving Thanks which had as it’s foundation the speakers own story which was very moving and one that I identified with on many levels!  Next speech had to do with finding our own point of power. WOW!  Again, based on the speakers own story and definitely packed a powerful message.  This was a meeting I was just supposed to be in attendance.

Attending and being a member of Reno Downtowner’s Toastmasters Club has shifted to mean more than why I originally joined the club.  One never knows what will happen or shift for us when we choose to show up. I certainly felt a shift occurring for several other members when they were privy to some of our very own stories.

Have you joined any organizations or attended events for a certain reason and then find that reason shifting at some point? Would love to hear about it!

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I enjoy taking the time to share information with y’all that I think is helpful and give you ideas to live an Inspired Life. So, if you feel this helped you in any way, toss a tip into the tip bowl on the way out of Inspired Living.

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If you can’t afford to donate, please feel free to pass this article along to others who might get some help from it. Thank y’all to everyone who has donated and shared in the past. I don’t always get a chance to respond, and the donations, shares and comments are my indicators that what I share is helpful. Thank YOU!


Decisions from the Gut

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I had the honor and privilege of being at the eWomenNetwork Dinner event last Wednesday, May 18, 2011 and we had a fabulous speaker, Mary Goulet.  Her presentation was about making decisions and using our gut to make those decisions rather than our head or our heart. Ms. Goulet’s presentation was extremely meaningful to me and hit home.

I purchased her book, Go With Your Gut!; which is the perfect size and a quick read.  Had it read in two days.  I’m sure it could be read in one or two hours if one has the time to sit and read it straight through.

Ms. Goulet’s message is so simple; but many times very difficult for us to get out of our head and make decisions using our gut.  That first thought we have that tells us “Do it this way”, “Make the call now”, “Do it now”, “No, don’t do it” and the like.  I realized that I make many of my decisions using my gut and THEN come back a few minutes later or days later and get stuck in my head about that decision.  “What if”, “But”, “How”, “Why” and “What will they think”.

I recently made a huge and important decision regarding my daughter, Lillian, and her schooling situation.  I knew what my gut decision was right from the beginning.  “Do it.”  “It’s the right thing.”  This was at least two months ago and I still find myself, well, arguing with myself about the decision I made. ” What are you going to do about this? How are you going to handle this?  But, what about this?”  I think I’ll save what led to this decision and our school plans for next year for another post.

I highly recommend Go with Your Gut! (amazon affiliate link) for anyone who is interested in the differences in making decisions with our heart, with our head and with our gut.  Ms. Goulet gives excellent descriptions of how to recognize when we are using our heart, head or gut.  Plain and simple, I felt empowered after hearing her speak and especially after reading her book.

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This article is now part of my inventory in Inspired Living.  

I enjoy taking the time to share information with y’all that I think is helpful and give you ideas to live an Inspired Life. So, if you feel this helped you in any way, toss a tip into the tip bowl on the way out of Inspired Living.

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If you can’t afford to donate, please feel free to pass this article along to others who might get some help from it. Thank y’all to everyone who has donated and shared in the past. I don’t always get a chance to respond, and the donations, shares and comments are my indicators that what I share is helpful. Thank YOU!


Dares, Choices and Changing the World

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(Based on a Toastmaster’s Speech I delivered today, April 5, 2011)

Three concepts for all of us to ponder . . .  The first concept is that of choices.

Do you live each day thinking, “Well, I’ve got to do this and I’ve got to do that”.  Or, “I’ve got no choice in the matter?”  Or, do you live each day thinking, “If I choose this one, then this will happen and if I choose this one, then that will happen.”  I CHOOSE this! Do you say “I HAVE to do this, that or the other” or do you say “I WANT to do this that or the other”?

A poem to share with you –

“Happiness”

Life is so happy, it makes me cry.
And I cannot, tell a lie on April Fools.
The point is that you will have a non stop lovable brain.
And it has our choices in it.

Now, I think this is an absolutely beautiful and powerful poem! I may be a bit prejudiced, though, as my 9 year old daughter, Lillian Darnell, wrote it this past Friday, April 1, 2011. I’d like to share why I think, partly anyway, that Lillian created this poem.

Lillian received an email from a family member with the following statement, “I often feel like I have no choice” .  I disagree with this attitude and felt the need to share that with Lillian.  I explained to her that each of us ALWAYS has a choice.  No matter what decision we are faced with making, no matter what situation or circumstance, we always get to choose. There are consequences to accompany whatever we decide; but we get to make that choice.

I believe it’s not even which choice you make that matters as much as what you do with your choice after you have made it.  Once we make a choice, we should then make it the right choice! She really took my point of view to heart and mind.

Choices – one concept to ponder . . .  Which leads me to the second concept of Changing the World.

What are you doing to contribute to our World – whether it’s changing it for the better or adding to it for the better? I’m not meaning or saying we all have to be an Einstein, Earhart, Branson or Buffet. What I mean is in your own way – what has meaning to YOU!

Do you wake up every morning and conform?  Are you doing the same thing day in and day out – doing something that means absolutely nothing to you?  Or are you waking up thinking, “Hot Darn! Another day to work towards my goal.  Another day to enjoy the heck out of while I’m working my way to that goal.  Another day to squeeze every ounce of joy, love and happiness out of!”

Two concepts to ponder – Choices and Changing the World.  Now to wrap those two concepts up and give them a nice foundation with three words – I Dare You!

I Dare you to retrain your mind and thought habits about thinking you have no choice in matters.  You have a CHOICE with every single decision that involves you. I Dare you to do what you want to do with your life. I dare you to not conform.  I dare you to stop doing it the way everybody else is doing it cause that’s the way its always been done.  I dare you to have FAITH in yourself and what your gut or your intuition is telling you should be doing in this World! I dare you to be Different!

The thing is if we look back at our history and even our present, and look at the people who are successful at doing what it is they know they were meant to do; there is ONE common thread amongst them.  I’m talking about the creators, the innovators and those that change the world.  Race does not matter and gender does not matter.  That common thread is that they were and are DIFFERENT.  In the beginning everyone around them whispers or even says aloud, “(S)he’s weird – (s)he’s different – what’s wrong with that person?”

It is my belief that each and every one of us is different in our own unique and special way.  I think way too many of us cram that different part of us back down saying “Get back in there, You’re making me look weird, You’re making me look different.”  It’s time to uncork that different aspect within us and share with those around us for the benefit of ourselves and the world.  Amazing events will and must occur when we do this!

Just some concepts for us to ponder . . . I Dare You to Make Choices and Then Make Them the Right Choices, I Dare You to Change the World, I Dare You to be Different!

Another Lillian poem to leave you with –

“Pretty Flowers”

A poem is a sweet brainer.
You listen to music.
And the point is that your creative brain is a bank.
And listen to it.
I love you a lot, of pretty flowers.

(This post and speech were inspired in part by Earl Nightingale’s, “The Strangest Secret“{amazon affiliate link}, and William Danforth’s book titled “I Dare You“{amazon affiliate link})

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This article is now part of my inventory in Inspired Living.  

I enjoy taking the time to share information with y’all that I think is helpful and give you ideas to live an Inspired Life. So, if you feel this helped you in any way, toss a tip into the tip bowl on the way out of Inspired Living.

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If you can’t afford to donate, please feel free to pass this article along to others who might get some help from it. Thank y’all to everyone who has donated and shared in the past. I don’t always get a chance to respond, and the donations, shares and comments are my indicators that what I share is helpful. Thank YOU!


Showing Up Can Change Your Life

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Awesome Reno eWomenNetwork Members Who Showed Up!!

It’s changing mine! I attended the 10th Anniversary eWomenNetwork International conference July 15th – 18th in Dallas and now I’m taking my life, my passion and my heart to the next level.  And, I have accountability partners and mentors to keep me on track and give me a hand if I stumble.  This was the 3rd year I have attended the eWomenNetwork conference and the speakers and break out sessions just keep getting better and better.  Zig Ziglar and Lisa Nichols all at one conference!! Amazing!

I don’t believe there are any words I could use or any way I could describe the eWomenNetwork conferences.  The positive energy and good vibes that fill the air and permeate every little nook and cranny is exhilarating!  I believe there were about 30 of us that attended from the Reno eWomenNetwork chapter.  We met for a pre conference mastermind lunch to discuss and set forth each of our intentions for attending the conference.  This was an amazing experience; reinforced at the conference as many of our intentions were realized.  We’re talking goose bumpy stuff here y’all!

2010 eWomenNetwork Lifetime Achievement Award ~ Zig Ziglar

The thing is, how on earth do you expect to take yourself and your business to the next level if you don’t show up? How do you expect to build your business, increase your sales, grow your brand and establish yourself as an expert if you don’t show up? How do you expect for the right people to know you if you don’t show up? How do you expect to build relationships, engage with others, collaborate with others and connect with others if you don’t show up? That’s what this is all about! The way in which we communicate and conduct business has fundamentally changed forever.  We must show up on a consistent basis at events, meet people face to face, engage and build trust.  We then take that relationship into the online world and continue to nurture and grow it.  Then, you flip that upside down.  Show up online and meet people, engage and build trust.  Then, when and, if, you ever meet in person the relationship is taken to another level.  This is the core of Social Networking sites and using Social Media Marketing.  We’re not talking fake relationships here.  Those of you out there that are just connecting with people so you can increase the number of eyes to which you can broadcast your wares.  You know who you are ~ we can spot ya!

So what goose bumpy life changing moments happened for me? My intention was to make connections that will further the mission and goal of my 501(c)3, Turning Views Foundation. This actually began before even getting to the eWomenNetwork conference.  I attended The Chromosome 18 Registry and Research Society Conference in Tulsa the beginning of that same week.  I wrote about what happened here.

On Saturday, we took a minute to share our dream with someone at our table.  The lady in front of me turned around and we decided I’d go first.  I began talking of my dreams for Turning Views Foundation and her eyes were absolutely lighting up.  She had something exciting to tell me!  When it was her turn, she said, “I said a quick prayer before beginning this exercise and asked to be paired with the right person.”  She then went on to tell me about her business, Dawn’s Angel Wish Network, and the database she is building of 501(c)3 orginazations so that they can be paired with corporations who are seeking nonprofits to support.  This was her first time attending an eWomenNetwork conference and she was touched by this experience as well as many others she had been experiencing!

Julie Norman Ziglar, DeDe Galindo and Zig Ziglar

On Sunday, we were blessed with a presentation by Zig Ziglar and his daughter, Julie Norman Ziglar.  Their presentation is a blog post in and of itself.  It was beyond extremely moving.  When they were done, the Ziglar family stayed for a while to chat and take pictures.  I had the most unbelievably touching conversation with Zig Ziglar’s granddaughter, DeDe Galindo, (Julie Norman’s daughter).  As a result of our conversation I set a deadline for making the transition to the Turning Views Foundation.  Stay tuned for a post announcing and unveiling what it’s all about!  I think y’all will absolutely love it!

I know several of my fellow Reno eWomenNetwork members had similar experiences.  Any eWomenNetwork members or conference attendees want to share your experience?  We would love to hear your experience!!

Show up y’all on a consistent basis and it CAN change your life!

I Showed Up and Fell in Love

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18p- Description and Image from Chromosome18.org

I’m in love y’all!  In love with my daughter, Lillian, in love with Janine Cody, founder of the 20 year old Chromosome 18 Registry, in love with Rick Guidotti of Positive Exposure and in love with absolutely every one of my fellow Chromosome 18 Registry members.  I love the sense of family we share and the feeling of understanding and closeness that our common thread holds.

I attended the Chromosome 18 Conference last week in Tulsa; at which we also celebrated the Registry’s 20th birthday.  This was my 2nd conference to attend.  Attending the conference solidified for me that I am committed and will attend this conference EVERY year. More than that, I absolutely must bring Lillian and Thomas with me, too.  I want Lillian to experience the joy, love and fun that the other affected kids, teens, young adults and adults experience while at the conference.  I want Thomas to be around and experience the pure love and sheer dedication of the siblings to the affected individuals.  The absolute number one aspect that moved me the most was the Sibling Panel.  These beautiful kids, teens and young adults are the cream of the crop.  I must have Thomas begin to experience and be around these fabulous people.

I cannot thank Katie Bailey Schilly enough for inviting me to present at the conference this year.  Had she not invited me and stayed on me I would not have attended this year and would have missed this eye opening and good for the heart and soul experience.  My presentations were “Safe Social Networking and Online Communities” and “Enhancing Communication with Technology and Social Networking“.  I so thoroughly enjoyed sharing my knowledge and passion with my Chromosome 18 family.  It meant the world to me!

Show up y’all! One never knows what will happen when you show up at events and engage with those whom you share a common thread.  Actually, you can help steer what happens if you set your intentions BEFORE attending these events.  I’ll expand on this a bit more in an upcoming post about the 2010 eWomenNetwork Conference!  Rick  Guidotti, if this makes it’s way to you, thanks from the bottom of my heart and soul for your enthusiastic offers of help, support and Positive Exposure’s images in furthering the upcoming Turning Views Foundation and the Different iz Good movement! You are an AWESOME and BEAUTIFUL man and I look forward to collaborating with you!!

If you are a part of the Chromosome 18 family or, heck, a part of any organization that supports those with genetic differences, I would love to hear your thoughts!

Y’all are stuck with me, Lillian and Thomas now! See ya in Indianapolis next year ~ July 2011!