I love my cat

Tomas is one of the best things to have ever come into my life.  Tomas is our cat.  He's about 7 years old now.  He showed up in our neighborhood and hung around until he finally convinced us that he was meant to live with us.  We even thought that we'd found a home for him a couple of times but somehow they didn't end up working out.  Now I'm convinced that he was meant for us.  He has become a part of our family.  Actually since it is just me and my husband, I often say that he made us a family.  

I didn't have pets growing up and I don't have children, so I didn't understand this type of love until I had Tomas.  When I'd hear others talk about their pets, I think "they're just a dog"  or "it's just a cat.  What's the big deal?"  I was so wrong!  I really didn't know.  I hadn't discovered that part of my heart.  The pure love that I feel for Tomas is the most amazing feeling.  I had no idea that I could ever love a 4-legged, furry critter so much.  He has brought so much joy to my life.  I thank God daily for Tomas.  He's made me a better, more caring person.  Maybe that's why God gave us pets.

May God bless you!

Challenged

Reading James Altucher's book Choose Yourself  may end up being life changing for me. I don't know what the results will be, if any.  But I know that his ideas and philosophies have challenged me like few other.  I've read lots of books that I've thought were excellent & thought provoking. 

Napolean Hill's Keys to Success which I've read 3 times taught me that I was in control of my thoughts.  It has been a book that I've turned to when I needed help focusing on the positive especially from a business standpoint.  But I don't remember having a book influence my behavior as Choose Yourself has.  This blog is a result of it.  I don't know the purpose of this for sure, but I feel strongly that I was supposed to create it and write postings regularly.  My hope is that I'm able to encourage someone, somehow. 

I've also taken James' suggestion to write down 10 ideas everyday.  I'm trying to become an idea machine.  Again, I don't know why, but I feel like it has a purpose.  I think that actively engaging that portion of my brain might be a good thing.  It's also interesting to just write down an idea without judging its merit.  I have to tell myself, "It's an idea.  At this point it doesn't matter if it's a good idea or not."  The success is just in the creation of the idea. 

But for some reason, one of the biggest realizations that I've had through this process, is that I have let my circle become very small.  I tend to keep to myself.  But, I'm beginning to realize that I need to share myself more.  Putting myself out there on social media and risking that someone might think that I was stupid or might disagree with me just hasn't been worth it.  But now for some reason, I feel like I'm supposed to be more open, share what I know and most importantly that I'm supposed to reach out and encourage others.  I need to be more engaged.  It may seem like a small thing to you, but for me it's a shift.  I know something's changing in my life. 

I came across this verse from 2 Corinthians.

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 2 Corinthians 9:6 NIV

I'm realizing that I need to share myself more generously if I want to experience abundance in all things.  I need to plant the seeds - seeds of friendship; seeds of encouragement; seeds of knowledge.  They may not all sprout.  But they have no chance of sprouting if they're not sown. 

Go sow some seeds so you too can have a abundant harvest!

Following the Path

Isn't it wonderful when a bible verse that you've known for years suddenly speaks to you in a new way?  That happened to me this morning. I've written a few posts recently about my favorite bible verse:

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.   Proverbs 3:5-6 KJV

 I've known this verse for  years and have relied on it for encouragement countless times.  Yet this morning it spoke to me in a new way.  I was asking God to direct my path today, when I realized that I need only to be on God's path.  I don't need to know the destination.  I too often want to know where this path is going.  What is the destination?  Or more often,  I want to choose my destination and let God create my path.  But today I realized I need to just be on God's path, seek his guidance and trust in the destination.   I just need to take one step at a time on His path.  I'm sure the destination will be better and more abundant than I could ever imagine.

The Greatest Spectacle in Racing

Yesterday I attended the 98th running of the Indianapolis 500 aka The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.  I attended my first 500 in 1992 and I've been to almost every one since that time.  It's an amazing event and I'd like for everyone to be able to experience it at least once.  The racing is fantastic!  There's the roar of the engines, the breath taking passes, cars going over 200 mph into a turn, the heartbreaking crashes.  Everything culminate to a spectacular photo finish with one driver making his way to Victory Lane for the traditional drink of milk. 

While all of that is truly spectacular and an amazing experience to be a part of, it's the pre-race ceremonies that make this event something that I'd like everyone to experience.  First of all you have to realize that there are an estimated 300,000 people at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on race day.  Yes, 300,000 people gathered for one sporting event!  The Speedway is massive!  You could fit Churchill Downs, Yankee Stadium, the Rose Bowl, the Roman Colosseum and Vatican City all can fit inside the 253 acre IMS oval.  Now picture 300,000 race fans (some of them pretty rowdy) silent.  Silent and respectful for the pre-race ceremonies that include the singing of God Bless America.  Silent as the Invocation is given.  You could hear a pin drop when Taps is played by one lone bugler.  I'm moved to tears every year as these traditional pre-race ceremonies are performed.  I don't think that I'm alone.

We live in a day and age where it seems that all we hear about is Political Correctness.  We've removed God from so many places "so as not to offend" anyone.  Yet, He is very much a part of the race day tradition of the Indianapolis 500.  It's wonderful to be in a crowd of 300,00 people for the singing of God Bless America and the Invocation where God's sovereignty is acknowledged and His protection for all participants sought.  During these moments before each Indianapolis 500 I'm always go grateful to be an American.

God Bless you and this great nation!

Lesson in Trust

Several years ago I left my job in Corporate America to work with my husband in our fledgling company.  During the entire process of searching for the right business for us, we sought God's guidance.  And there was more than one instance where we felt that we were given pretty specific direction.  Sometimes that direction steered us away from something that we were considering.  And other times it affirmed a direction that we were headed.  The timing of my departure from my corporate job was certainly a "God Thing".

During a bike ride this morning, I was reflecting on this for some reason.  I was thinking that "without a doubt, God led me to leave when I did."  And then BAM!!  My next thought was, "then why have you questioned whether or not you did the right thing all of these years?"  WOW!!!  Talk about being convicted!  On the one hand I trusted God's guidance and followed it.  Then on the other hand for years I've analyzed,  wondered even doubted whether I had made the right decision.  Geez!  At that moment this morning, I felt like a hypocrite.

So my resolve going forward is to continue to trust in God's guidance and to make a very conscious effort to remove all thoughts of doubt about this decision from my life.  When those thoughts creep into my mind, I will counter them with assurance and trust that God's guidance is good and perfect. 

It really goes back to my favorite Bible verse that I wrote about in an earlier post:

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.   Proverbs 3:5-6 KJV

 I trusted in Him.  Now I need to stop trying to "understand" whether I made the right decision.  For one, it wasn't my decision. If I really believ and trust that God led me to do what I did, I followed, I didn't decide.  From now on,  I just need to acknowledge Him and continue to follow His path. 

What a blessed revelation this was!

Wishing you an abundance of blessings!

The Art of Relaxing

I'm beginning to think there must be an art to relaxing and that I'm not too good at it and probably need to practice.  This morning I was at a Bed & Breakfast that didn't serve breakfast until 8:30.  Yesterday, when I heard 8:30 I was surprised!  What?!?  I'm going to have to wait until 8:30 to eat breakfast?  Are you kidding me?  I'm used to eating breakfast as soon as I'm up.  It also meant that it would be after 9:00 before we're on the road.  Hmm... I had to tell myself there was nothing that I could do about it and that I just needed to go with the flow.  Maybe I could sleep in.  I could turn off my alarm.  Just chill....  that would be nice, huh?

Well this morning I was awake by 6:00.  So much for sleeping in!  Now it was going to be two and a half hours until breakfast.  Are you kidding me?  What am I going to do with all of that time?  I had to make a conscious effort to just relax and just stay in bed and read for awhile.  For once, it was okay to linger in bed.  How many times have I wished that I didn't have to get up right away?  Well, today was my opportunity.  Just relax....  enjoy the extra time, the lack of a rush. 

I started to realize that this relaxing thing was almost stressful for me.  Why is that? Am I so driven that I don't like to relax?  Or was it that I wasn't in control?  Maybe it's a bit of both.  I mean it is my preference to eat breakfast as soon as I get up.  But, I survived this morning.  I didn't starve.  I used the time to read, shower and take a lovely "relaxing" walk.  My takeaway from this experience was that occasionally, I need to be taken out of my routine.  I need to give up control, relax and stop and smell the roses (actually I did stop and smell the peonies on my walk) along the way. 

Family Time

Today is going to be a very out of the ordinary day.  My husband and I will  be traveling with my aunt and uncle on what my aunt calls "a grateful dead" tour.  My uncle has studied our family's genealogy and he wants to go visit some of the places that our ancestors lived.  Until  yesterday, I hadn't seem my aunt and uncle for 14 years.  Where does the time go?  How could that possibly be?  

Today I will learn about people that I never met and who were long gone before I showed up on this earth.  But they're my relatives, my ancestors.  Some of who I am, what I look like came from them.  It'll be about my history.  I don't expect that anything about today will be life changing, but it'll be interesting.  And better yet, it will be time spent with my family.  I've always thought the world of my Uncle Don and Aunt Sandy.  They are very special people.  I feel honored to to get to spend time with them this week. 

As I've anticipated this visit, I started recalling early memories of time spent with them.  In fact, I still have a toy that Don gave me as a small child.  It is a Remco Science Kit that taught you about the physics of gears, pulleys, ratchets, etc.  I loved that thing!!  I loved the fact that Don spent time teaching me about those things when I was little.   Now, I wonder if somehow he was the one that instilled my interest in engineering.  Did I always have that aptitude and he saw it and fostered it?  Or did he plant the seeds?  Who knows?  I showed Don the Science Kit yesterday.  He had no recollection of it. I have realized from this that sometimes we influence others lives and make an impact without ever knowing it.  That's kind of a sobering thought. 

Trust in the Lord - follow up

Shortly after finishing yesterday's post titled Trust in the Lord, a friend posted this on Facebook.  What a perfect way to sum it up!  TRUST GOD -- it should be so simple but for some reason it can be the hardest thing in the world to do.  It's hard to give up control. But who better to give control to than the One who controls the universe?  He's proven Himself to me time and time again.  He loves me and knows what's best for me.  For that reason, I choose to TRUST GOD.  I hope that you do do.

Wishing you abundant blessings!

Trust in the Lord

One of my favorite bible verses is:


Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.   Proverbs 3:5-6 KJV

Even though I'd known this verse and used it many,many times, it wasnt't until recently I stopped rushing past the first phrase - Trust in the Lord with all thine heart.  One day it just struck me,   first and foremost I have to Trust.  Trust in what/whom?  Trust in the Lord  Well, I knew that I trusted in God.  I think that's why I never gave that phrase much thought.  That's a given.  I trust God.  

Now what?  Well, the rest of that phrase is with all thine heart.  Trust in the Lord with all thine heart.  Uh, oh?  Now that's a little more challenging.  I not only need to trust in God but I need to do it with ALL my heart, not just some of it.  Not with a part of it but with ALL of it.  I'm not supposed to mostly trust but have my own backup plan if things don't work out.  No, I need to Trust in the Lord with ALL my heart.  When I started to really focus on that, it challenged me.  It made realize that I was holding a part of my heart back.  You know, "I'll trust in you God but just in case it doesn't work out I'll take care of it".  That probably comes from the way that I deal with people in my life.  I trust them to a point, but there's always that possibility that they'll let me down.  So I don't "trust them with ALL of my heart".  I reserve that little bit, so that I'm either not disappointed or surprised if they let me down in some way.  Well, I need to realize that God is not going to let me down.  I can trust in Him and that I need to do it with all of my heart.  I encourage you to learn to
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, too.

Wishing blessings in abundance for you!

It's All About Priorities

Boy, it's tempting to skip this blog post today.  I've got so much to do in the next few days that it would be easy to say, "I don't have time to blog today or this week."  But considering what I wrote in my post titled, Time, I find myself weighing the fact that it's not a matter of whether or not I have time, but whether this is a priority or not.  And for now, I want this blog to be a priority for me.  It doesn't take much time, hence the title 10 Minute Abundance.  I try to limit myself in how much time I spend on each post.  I don't always get it done in 10 minutes but I'm conscious of the time while I work on it.  And the fact that I've given myself "permission" to just spend 10 minutes on it often helps me get started.

I'm really trying to eliminate the phrase, "I don't have time" from my life, because it's not accurate and it makes an easy excuse for not doing things.  When you tell somebody, "I don't have time for (fill in the blank)" you'll rarely be challenged.  It's accepted in our culture.  We're all busy!  But again, I contend it's a matter of priorities and we use our time on our top priorities.  There's no right or wrong to how we prioritize and my priorities will be different than yours.  My priorities will be different from day to day.  For example, exercise is a popular one for the "I don't have time" phrase.  Well some days, "I don't have time" because other activities are a higher priority.  But if I determine whether or not I'm going to exercise on a given day based on whether it's a priority or not, I'm in control of the decision.  I'm choosing.  If I say, "I don't have time" and leave it at that, I've taken the decision out of it.  I'm the victim of my schedule.  So choose your priorities!  Take control of your day!

Blessings!

The sun is coming out

Yay!  After several cloudy, gloomy, rainy, cold days it looks like the sun is starting to shine.  I don't know about you, but I love sunshine.  It changes my whole outlook and motivation level.  This week we've had an abundance of rain.  The positive take on that is -- I haven't had to water my garden.  And my rain barrel is full.  I've got more than 110 gallons of watered stored up for watering. 

There's not much rain in the 10 day forecast so the stored water in the rain barrel will be a blessing as I use it to water the thirsty plants in the days ahead.  Maybe the lesson in this is that we need to fill our minds with the positive things in our lives - good memories, love, positive feelings, happy moments - so that they're there to help us get through the dry spells.  This is what the Happier app that I wrote about here is trying to help us with.  You don't need an app to do this but you do need to make a conscious effort to capture the blessings in your life.  It will help you get through the gloomy days until the sun comes out again. 

Becoming Positive

I just saw this on Facebook.  Someone shared if from Zig Ziglar's page.  It sure goes along with the "Focusing on the Positive" theme that I've been on.  It really wasn't until I read Napolean Hill's Keys to Success that I really learned that I could control my thinking. I wish that I'd learned that earlier in life, but I  guess better late than never. 

It's not an easy thing to do.  And it takes continuous diligence, but when you refuse to dwell on the negative things in your life and instead you focus on the positive things, on the abundance in your life, on the things that make you happy, your whole outlook changes.  We all have so much.  The fact that we're even alive is miraculous in and of itself!! 

Today, be aware of the negative thoughts that you have and make a conscious effort to replace those thoughts with a positive thought.  It may feel strange or corny at first but just try it and see how it feels.  Feel free to leave a comment about your experience.

Happier - follow up

Yesterday, I wrote about Nataly Kogan and her Happier app (see post here).  Well, I just have to do a quick follow-up to the post today.  I'm beginning to realize that when you become focused on something it just seems to pop up everywhere.  I'm not sure why.  It could definitely be a God thing.  He is reinforcing His message to me.  It maybe that I'm just hyper-aware of things that have to do with what I'm focused on.  Some might say it has to do with the whole Universe thing.  I don't know but I think it's a lot more than just coincidence and it's something that I need to pay attention to. 

For the past several weeks, since I started reading James Altucher's book, Choose Yourself, I've been focusing on having a positive mindset and being grateful for the abundance in my life.  I wrote about it briefly in my post titled Abundance.  Then , I discovered Nataly Kogan's Happier App.  What a perfect fit!   And I was encouraged  again to find someone who has recognized that achieving the "American Dream" is not necessarily going to make you happy. 

Nataly talks about how science has proven that focusing on small positive moments in our lives on a consistent basis has numerous benefits.  It can even make us healthier.  Pretty cool, huh?  Who couldn't be happy about that?  That scientific evidence seemed reason enough to continue down this path.

But..... this morning I got the ultimate confirmation that I'm focusing on the right stuff. A friend posted this verse on Facebook: 

"A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." Proverbs 17:22 NIV

 So, I'm going to continue to work on seeing the abundance in my life.  I'm going to create and collect the happy moments in my life.  I hope that you will too.

Happier

Last night I read this interview with Nataly Kogan, Meet an Optimist: Nataly Kogan is on a mission to make people Happier.  I was intrigued, so I watched her TEDx Talk, Sharer of Joy: Nataly Kogan at TEDxBoston.  I love this woman!!  She was a teenager when her family fled Russia and eventually made it to to the United States. She spent decades chasing the American Dream and by most standards she was successful at attaining it, but she wasn't happy.  So she turned to science to see if she could find what is proven to make us happy.  Her findings pointed to gratitude and led her to create Happier.  Her website, www.happier.com says, "Happier was inspired by research that shows focusing on the positive and sharing good things with people you care about makes you happier, healthier and more productive." 

Happier is a mobile app, that unfortunately for me is only available on iPhone right now.  The Android version is being developed.  Here's what Nataly says about the app in the interview,

 "We’re inspired by a lot of the science that’s come from positive psychology and neuroscience and sociology about things that make us happier. And one of the most powerful but very simple things -- more than 11,000 different studies have shown -- that has the most impact on our world is gratitude.  Developing a more grateful mindset where you find and create tiny moments in your everyday life to appreciate.  It’s not about chasing some big happiness goal. It’s about developing a mindset that you’re appreciating things that are in your life. However tiny they are.  So we built the Happier app based on that. We think of it as a social gratitude journal.  We just launched Happier Courses, which is a big piece of the platform for us.  They’re interactive, they’re on mobile and they’ll be on web. They’re bite-sized, they’re really fun.  The whole purpose of those courses is to teach you new ways to create those tiny, positive moments."

I love this idea of creating a more grateful mindset.  It dovetails perfectly with what I've been working on in my life -- not only being grateful but also focusing on the abundance in my life.  I encourage you to check out the interview, the TEDx Talk, and the Happier website.  If you have an iPhone get the app.  Try it out. Let me know what you think.  

"Life is made of moments. Choose to create and collect the happy ones."  - Nataly Kogan

Time

Time... it's an interesting thing.  We all get the same amount each day, week, month and year. Yet we never feel like we have enough of it.  We are all  guilty of saying, "I don't have time for that."  or "I haven't had time to get such and such done."  But what are we really saying?  Because we have a finite amount of time, we have to prioritize how we use it.  So I think that when we say we don't have time to go to lunch with a friend, we've really said, "It's not a priority to have lunch with that friend."  It sure changes the message, doesn't it?  Saying I don't have time sounds benign.  Nobody will fault you for that.  But boy, say, "You're not a priority" and see what reaction you get.

I'm not suggesting that you actually say those words; they could damage the friendship & you might not have to worry about having time to go to lunch with them again.  No, what I'm suggesting is that when you say or think, "I don't have time for XYZ", think to yourself , "XYZ isn't a priority."  See if that changes your decision, or causes you to re-prioritize.  It won't always, but I think occasionally it will. 

Optimism

This weekend, as I put my 6' tomato towers around my tomato plants that are no more than 1' tall, I decided that gardeners are optimists.  I guess we have to be.  Only an optimist would believe that you can place a small seed in some planting material and several months later you'll have a large plant that bears delicious fruit.  Maybe for some gardeners, the whole process is the reward, but for me the motivation, the reason that I garden is the promise of the harvest.  Nothing is better than eating that big, juicy, flavorful red tomato in August.  That's why I plant that small seed in early April.  That's why I so carefully tend the small seedlings and harden them off in preparation for planting them into the garden.  That's why I water them, check for disease & pests.  It's the optimism, "the belief that what you hope for will happen" as  Miriam-Webster defines it.  Here's hoping for an abundance of delicious tomatoes in August!  I'm optimistic!

The Hardening Off Process

Yesterday as I was transplanting my tomato and pepper seedlings into my garden I was thinking about the hardening off process and how it relates to life.  The hardening off process for seedlings is the process of getting these small plants ready to be planted outside in a much harsher environment than the indoors that they've been growing in.  You begin by setting the plants out for an hour one day and gradually increase the time that they are outside each day over a period of a week or so.  This process strengthens the plants and prevents the sudden shock that they would experience if they were just suddenly transplanted outside in the direct sunlight and wind.  Some plants might probably survive but they'd suffer in the process. 

This made me think of all the people who say, "I could never do that!" I hear this statement most often when I talk about running or cycling some distance.  I hate to disagree with people, but I think they're wrong.  Now if the person were to say "I can't do that!", they're probably right at this point in time.  Maybe they can't run 2 miles, 5 miles, a half marathon (13.1 miles) or ride a century ride (100 miles) today.  But they probably could do it with a hardening off process more commonly known as training.   Last year when I started to train for a half marathon, I really didn't know if I could do it or not.  I'd only been running semi-consistenly for a year.  My longest run ever was 5 miles.  There were only 15 weeks until the Highway Half Marathon, a one-time only event in my home town.  But the one thing that I did know was that if I didn't start training right away there was no way that I'd be able to run the 13.1 miles.  So I began training.  My mileage increased a little bit each week for 15 weeks.  I suffered through some tough, hot training runs.  I got stronger and on Oct. 12th I completed the Highway Half Marathon.  Fifteen weeks earlier I couldn't do that but with a good hardening off process I reaped the fruits of my labor. 

So don't let the fact that you can't do something today, keep you from trying.  Start your hardening off process and see what you're able to accomplish. 

Gardening & Faith

I'm excited!  Today is the day that I'm going to transplant all of my seedlings in to my garden.  These seedlings were started from seeds in late March and early April.  I've been nurturing and watching them grow.  I've transplanted them to larger containers.  I've been setting them outside everyday for the past week and a half for an increasing number of hours each day - known as the hardening off process.  And today is the BIG day!  They're going to be planted in the garden. 



I find parallels in gardening to life and faith.  I struggle sometimes with knowing how much to "let God" and how much to do on my own.  Gardening helps me with that.  Watching seeds become plants that produce wonderful tomatoes, zucchini, lettuce, etc is nothing short of miraculous.  I see God's hand in all of it.  He created it!  Yet, I wouldn't have this bounty of food to enjoy if I didn't first plant the seeds and then nurture and tend to them.  If I don't keep the garden watered, weeded, free of plant destroying pests (bugs, bunnies, squirrels, etc) I won't enjoy the fruits of my labor. 

For me, in my life this translates to the fact that I need to do create the opportunities - plant the seeds.   I need to do the necessary work - tend and nurture the seedlings.  I need to keep the negative, life destroying forces away - do the weeding.  And I need to let God take care of the transformation. 

Just 2 miles?

I only ran 2 miles this morning.  Just 2 miles?  Like that's no big deal.  Probably not even worth mentioning.  And it got me to thinking how easily we discount our accomplishments.  And how quickly we adjust what we consider an accomplishment.  I remember when I was amazed that I had run 2 miles, when I was excited about that accomplishment.  It hadn't come easily.  I had worked quite awhile building up my distance to be able to run 2 miles.  Now, it's only 2 miles, no big deal.  Why is that?  I guess it's because I've continued to run and continued to increase my distance so now 2 miles is no big deal.  And yet, it's the same 2 miles.  It was an accomplishment today.  I can be pleased that I made the effort to go out and get some exercise.  I can be grateful for the time that I was able to spend outside.  I can be grateful for the health that I enjoy which allows me to go out and run 2 miles (and more). 

So what's my point?  I think that what I'm trying to get at is that instead of discounting our efforts and accomplishments when perhaps we could've done more for whatever reason we need to still recognize the accomplishment and be grateful for the ability and the experience.  2 miles is still an accomplishment!!!  Yes, 5 miles tomorrow will be a bigger accomplishment!

Abundance

Ever since I started reading James Altucher's book, Choose Yourself I've been thinking about abundance.  It's so easy to get hung up on the things that we don't have enough of, but when you start to focus on what you have an abundance of your whole mindset changes.  Miriam-Webster defines abundance as a large amount of something; an ample quantity; profusion.  

What do you have an ample quantity of?  Last evening, I kind of chuckled to myself when I noticed the several pair of shoes on the bedroom floor.  I have a habit of just leaving them where I take them off.  Why put them back in the closet when I know I'll put them on again?  Well sometimes several pair pile up in the same spot.  Last night I recognized them as abundance.  Think about it.  How many people in this world don't even have one pair of shoes?  And I've got several pairs cluttering up my bedroom floor and more in the closet.  That's abundance! 

Recognizing the abundance in your life may take a little practice but once you start recognizing it, it will change your outlook.  Try it!  Let me know about the abundance that you have. 

The Journey Starts Here

I'm reading James Altucher's book Choose Yourself and it has given me so much to think about.  As a part of this, I've felt like I need to start a blog.  I'm not sure why.  Maybe some of it is to get my thoughts and ideas out of my head.  But a journal would do that.  It's more like I feel like I need to put myself out there.  Maybe I'll make some connections. Maybe I just need to share myself and my knowledge.  I don't know, but I'm going to go with it and see where it goes.  Starting a blog may not be a big deal to most and may be very natural to many.  For myself, it's not.  I'm not a writer.  In fact, I don't really like to write.  I'm a numbers gal. 

As this idea of a blog kept rattling around in my head, one of my thoughts was that I don't have time to write a blog.  I'm already about as busy as I care to be.  So I decided that I would limit myself to spending just 10 minutes on each post.  I have time for that.  Ten minutes isn't a daunting amount of time.  Like so many tasks that seem daunting to me, if I set a small amount of time aside for them it helps me get started on them.  Whereas, if I look at the whole task, it's too daunting and I never get started.  Cleaning the house, for example.  That's way too big of a job to want to even get started on. But if I tell myself, I'll clean for 30 minutes, that's manageable.  I get started and I can feel like I've accomplished something when I stop after 30 minutes.  Or if I'm in a groove I can keep going and then I've exceeded my goal. 

So that's my 10 minutes for today!  I don't know where this journey is taking me but I feel like I'm on the path to something new.