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#love, Communication, Legacy, Life Lessons, Starting Over, Uncategorized, Values

Facets of Life: A Journey of Life, Love & Relationships

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I recently had a relationship to  end. It was the first relationship since my divorce so I had the experience at the age of 50 of having butterflies, giddiness, and heartache all in one. Despite that though, I don’t regret the relationship.

I learned more about myself, about what I wanted in a relationship and what I was willing to give in a relationship.  I learned to define boundaries yet also let down those invisible walls that I put up to protect myself. And when I did, it allowed me to face my fear of being vulnerable to another. Being vulnerable is scary. But yet I know now that to be all in, that’s the only way to be. Even when it ends, the vulnerability of it all gives you life experience that you build on to help you to evolve as a person and as a partner.

As with any break-up, you think about what went wrong. Could you have done anything differently; could they have done something differently? You think about in moving forward, what can you take away to have better relationships in the future.

While going through this this self-reflection process, I came across poetry that I had written from decades ago – my 20’s and 30’s –  about former relationships.  As I read, I said to myself “Girl, you were dramatic back in the day.”  However, I also felt the essence of the words were still viable so I decided to share a few of the poems in hopes that my journey of life, love and relationships is relatable to those who are experiencing new love or the loss of love.

Whether you are experiencing the joy of new love or the heartache of a love that was lost, it’s all worth the journey of learning who you are and who you will become from the experience.

Facets of Life: “A Conversation With My Love”

when i’m with you

i feel complete

i feel free

free to be who i am

free to be who i hope to be.

yet at the same time

i feel you don’t know all of me

because i fear showing you

the depthness of my love

the depthness of my soul

i fear telling you

the pain i’ve had from my heartache

the shame i’ve had from life.

but when i ponder on these very things

and begin to reflect

that maybe you’ll understand

these are facets of my life

they have created who i am

they have shaped the character of my being.

all these facets have created

the person

who has chosen you

to unconditionally love.

all these facets have created

the person

you have chosen

to give a part of your world.

 

Facets of Life:  “If I Could”

If I could

Tell you what was deep in my heart

I would tell you

That with you

I have learned how to love again

I have learned that I have something good inside

I have learned that I am worthwhile.

If I could

Stop being afraid of life

Of love

Of letting go

I would tell you that no man

Has ever made me feel the way you do

No man

Has made me feel the joy

That I have known with you

If I could

Share the deepest part of my soul

I would share a heart that has known both delight and despair

I would share a life that has known both honor and shame

I would share my hope of being forever in your life

All these things I would share, say & do

If I could.

 

Facets of Life:  “I Remember”

 I remember the day we walked in the park

Arm in arm and hand in hand

And you poured out your heart

You told me your expectations, joys, and sorrows,

Your hopes for a better tomorrow.

And deep within my heart, I cried

Because even though those words were about yourself

I could see a reflection of myself

For in the mirror of your soul

Your words made me whole.

I remember that afternoon you kissed me

So tenderly and sweetly

And yet so passionately

For when you reached out to me

It felt like a little boy wanting someone to love

And yet when your lips touched mine

I knew within that shyness of a boy

There was a man

Who needed me

As much as I needed him.

I remember the night when you held me in your arms

And filled my disillusions with all your charms

And for the first time

I felt as though that I found that key

To open up those deep emotions within me.

And although I’ve searched for so long for that key to happiness

It scares me,

So much that I want to close my dreams to reality

To close the door to my destiny.

For when I really look at my life

All I see are problems and strife

And it hurts my heart so much

So terribly much,

That it’s better for me to pretend

That life can have a happy end.

For when I think of the happy times

The really good times

Nothing else matters

Because through my memories

I can have forever

And everything seems better.

For when I remember when you said

“This is not goodbye – only the beginning.”

I feel as though I’m in a different hemisphere, not of this world

Because you are here with me and once again, I’m a special girl.

But then reality steps in

And I’m back in this world again

For then I realize those words weren’t true.

There was never a me and you.

And even though it hurts to know

In my heart, I have to let you go

I still have one thing…

I remember.

 

Facets of Life::  “Love’s Reality”

We seemed to have it all

But we lost it all

As quickly as we found it

Maybe I should have told you more

How much I really cared

How much I wanted to be there

How much I wanted you to be in my life.

Maybe you should have told me

That you really loved me

But my dreams were not yours

My hopes were just that

Pleasurable myths that would never be fact.

I gave you my heart

I gave you my soul

I gave until I had nothing else to give

But it was never enough for you

And I will never know why.

I only know

That no one could ever love you

The way I did

The way I do now

Despite it all

For I feel the deepest type of love

A love based on truth and togetherness

A love that expands the realms of forever

Because it is a love

Entwined by a bond of truth of one’s feelings about one’s self

And the person they love

Entwined by communication of your brightest hopes and darkest desperations

Entwined by your most shallow dreams and deepest inspirations.

I now know we were never meant to be

That sometimes love isn’t enough

That sometimes you have to let go of what you have

To find in life

What really matters

To find in life

The friend within yourself.

Legacy, Life Lessons, Living, Resolutions, Values

“Why Not Me”

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“I am not what happened to me.  I am what I choose to become.”

Emma Watson

In 2012, I had a procedure to remove vocal polyps. It was a procedure that prevented me from talking for 4 – 6 weeks.  It was my third vocal procedure in 3 years.

After my second procedure, my doctor advised me that I had a recurring condition, that he was  not sure why it was  recurring, and he didn’t know how often it would recur. Needless to say, the first thought that came to my mind was “Why me?” My mind then began to spin with thoughts such as:

1) My 3-year old son has never heard my real voice, will he ever?

2) I’ve been in HR for over 20 years and I need my voice, what am I going to do if this keeps happening?

3) What lesson am I suppose to be learning from this recurring event?

4) What else can happen to me?

After I allowed myself to think these unproductive thoughts and allowed my tears to dry, I gave myself a reality check. I began thinking about all of my prior life challenges that I have overcome. I just did not survive but I triumphed. So now instead of asking “Why me?” I ask myself, “Why Not Me?” What can I learn from this life challenge that will allow me to be a better person, to be a better giver of myself to those that I encounter, and to be a better mother to my young son?

Like all of us, I don’t know what tomorrow brings but why worry about what hasn’t happened. Fortunately, my doctor was able to identify the reason for the recurrence and I’m healthy today.

This experience, this challenge, has taught me the importance of my daily choices.

I choose to dream about tomorrow but live for today. I choose to learn, to love, to give. I choose to be living proof that with my faith coupled with positive actions that I am powerful beyond measure  and I can overcome anything. Instead of life happening to me, I choose to happen to life.

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What life challenges are you facing today? What can you learn from those challenges that will help you to move from victim to victor?

Family, Legacy, Life Lessons, Making a Difference, Resolutions, Starting Over, Success, Uncategorized, Values

“I Am Enough” #imenough

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I recently saw a You Tube video entitled “I’m Enough” by a band called The Mrs.  The video was focusing on uplifting women’s self- image, to help reinforce that we are more than what we see on the outside, we are an inspiration to those that love us.

Although the focus was on women, it is an impactful message for both men and women, boys and girls. So many of us grow up believing that we are not enough – not pretty enough, not smart enough, not rich enough, not strong enough, etc.

But what if we flipped the script, and saw ourselves the way others see us. By others, I’m not talking about people who don’t know us or show through their actions that they don’t value us. By others, I mean the people who love us for just being ourselves. They “get” that what is most important about us is who we are and not what we are: Who – caring, giving, supportive, loving vs. What – nurse, doctor, teacher, homemaker. They “get” that we bring joy, inspiration, a sense of well-being, and much more to their lives.

So close your eyes, think of someone you love, that loves you. Now imagine, you are looking in a mirror. You see your reflection but you also see your love one who is telling you how much you mean to them, how much you impact their life in a positive way. Now open your eyes and embrace the feeling of those words. Look in the mirror and say “I Am Enough” …. because you are.

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“I’m Enough” By The Mrs.

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“The Most Important Words” #Important Words

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“Learn to speak kind words; no one resents them.”  Carl Rowan, Syndicated Columnist

Our words have power. Word can motivate, change us, change others, and inspire. Consider the following:

  • You see things and you say ‘Why?’ But I dream things that never were; and I say ‘Why not?’” ~ George Bernard Shaw
  • You can tell more about a person by what he says about others than you can by what others say about him.” ~ Leo Aikman
  • In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.” ~Robert Frost
  • In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.  ~Martin Luther King, Jr.
  • “If someone were to pay you 10 cents for every kind word you ever spoke and collect from you 5 cents for every unkind word, would you be rich or poor?”  ~Unknown Source

 So think about your words because others do. Think before you speak and remember:

  • “The 6 most important words: I admit, I made a mistake.”
  • “The 5 most important words: You did a good job.”
  • “The 4 most important words: What is your opinion?”
  • “The 3 most important words: If you please.”
  • “The 2 most important words: Thank you.”
  • “The most important word: “We”

                                 (Source – Dennis Kimbro, Author)

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In the last week, have your words helped or hindered your relationships? Are the most important words used in your vocabulary on a daily basis? What can you do to be more mindful about the words you speak? 

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Family, Goal Setting, Life Lessons, Living, Making a Difference, Parent, Resolutions, Starting Over, Success, Uncategorized, Values

“Are You For Real” #RU4Real”

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One of my favorite stories is called “The Velveteen Rabbit”.  It’s about a Velveteen rabbit that longs to be real so that he could be special and not looked down by more expensive mechanical toys because “he was just a velveteen rabbit”.  Ironically, the Velveteen Rabbit feared becoming real, because when talking to his only friend, the Skin Horse, becoming real seemed painful.

On his journey of ‘becoming REAL’, he learns several important lessons, the core of which is reflected in the following passage:

 “What is REAL?” asked the Rabbit to the Skin Horse,  “Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?”

“Real isn’t how you are made,” said the Skin Horse. “It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.”

 “Does it hurt?” asked the Rabbit.

“Sometimes,” said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. “When you are Real you don’t mind being hurt.”

 “Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,” he asked, “or bit by bit?”

 “It doesn’t happen all at once,” said the Skin Horse. “You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”

(Source – “The Velveteen Rabbit: How Toys Become Real” by Margery Williams)

So in the end the Velveteen Rabbit learned that being REAL was not about what he was on the outside or even what others said about him.   He learned that BEING REAL was about BECOMING REAL TO OURSELVES AND TO OTHERS and sometimes that might hurt.  He learned that when he allowed others to see him – the core of who he was, they loved him no matter what.  He learned that being real didn’t happen overnight but “bit by bit.” But most importantly he learned that being real was not about being like everybody else. Rather being real was about being himself and that was more than enough.

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Are you being real… to yourself?…with others?  If not, ask yourself “why? and commit to showing who you are “bit by bit”. In the end, the ones that matter, will stay. In the end, by allowing your light to shine, you will give others the courage to do the same.

Career, Goal Setting, Legacy, Life Lessons, Living, Resolutions, Success, Uncategorized, Values

“Are You Dreaming?”

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“Every dream comes with a price. Nothing is free.  The dream is free, the journey is not.”  John Maxwell

 Like many of you reading this, I have had life challenges, some expected but many were not. Those challenges have put me on a journey of self-discovery and re-evaluation; a re-evaluation of what I deem to be truly important. It has caused me to really reflect both on what I am doing with my life and the type of person that I am becoming.  It’s caused me to think about my dreams and the realities of “why” I have not pursued some of those dreams.

Have you thought about why you have chosen not to pursue certain dreams, that “thing” that you know within your core is your destiny, your purpose; but for some reason you have not pursued “the dream”? What’s holding you back?   

To aid you in this self-discovery, consider the following key questions from one of my favorite motivational authors, John Maxwell. As you reflect on these questions, assess how real your dreams are and determine what you need to do to move from dreaming to doing:

  1. Is my dream really my dream? Are you living your dream or what others think you should do? Have you fully committed and bought into your own dreams?
  2.  Do I clearly see my dream?
  3.  Am I depending on things in my control or am I depending on things out of my control to achieve my dream? Do I have the skills, abilities, and talents to accomplish my dreams or do I need others to help me?
  4. Do I have the physical energy and passion to achieve my dream?
  5. Do I have a strategy to achieve my dream? 
  6. Who do I have around me that can help me achieve the dream?
  7.  Am I willing to the pay the price for my dream?
  8. Am I moving closer to my dream? Have I prioritized the activities that must be done daily to move me closer to achieving my dream? Is this activity that I am working on moving me closer of farther away from my dream?
  9. Am I enjoying the journey to my dream? Does my dream bring joy and excitement to my life?
  10. Does my dream benefit others? “Our dream really isn’t about us. It’s about the people we serve. How is your dream helping others? Be a river not a reservoir.” ~ John Maxwell

(Author of Questions – John Maxwell)

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  • Stop dreaming and start doing the things today to help you achieve your dreams for tomorrow. (Source – Valerie Burton, Motivational Author)
  • Balance focusing on the future with “maximizing your present moments on the journey so that your “daily life becomes richer and more enjoyable.” (Source – Valerie Burton, Motivational Author).
  • Finally, as you go about the business of doing and achieving, be mindful of who you are being and becoming. (Source – YOU)                        

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Family, Legacy, Life Lessons, Living, Making a Difference, Sisters, Uncategorized

“I Was Here”

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On October 30, 2011, my oldest sister, Peggy, was diagnosed with Stage 4 liver cancer. On December 17, 2011, she passed.

Peggy’s passing got me to thinking about my own life. The choices that I have made and the choices that I chose not to make out of pride, fear, or uncertainty.

 It got me to thinking about the legacy that would I leave. Would my legacy paint a picture of a person that gave the best of who she was to those she met and those she loved, would my legacy be that I made a difference in someone else’s life, would my legacy show that I made a difference in my own life?

 As I ponder on my legacy, I recognize that our legacy starts with we do each day. “It’s what we do in between that matters.” (Source – Author Unknown)

 It’s like one of my favorite songs “Live  Like You Were Dying” (Source:  Tim McGraw).

Live as though your life matters. Dream as though life has no limits, only possibilities. Push beyond life’s challenges by listening to the lessons that each brings. Give the best of who you are to the world because you do make difference. Your presence, your existence, makes a difference to those you love, your co-workers, and your customers.

 As you progress through life and go about the business of being and becoming, will your legacy show”that you lived, that you loved, that you did, that you have done” (Source: “I Was Here”, sang by Beyoncé).  Will your legacy say, I WAS HERE.

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 What can you do each day to show that you are here?

 

 

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Career, Goal Setting, Life Lessons, Success, Uncategorized, Values

“Success – How Do You Define It?”

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I’m often asked what it takes to be successful. Are there some key steps to achieving career success? With that in mind, I’d like to share some ideas on how to do that:

  • Core Values: Always remember that keeping the customer first, being innovative, having integrity and respect are not just catch-phrases but represent the core to an organization achieving long-term sustainable success. Keep this in mind when you have to make decisions that will be defining moments of your character.
  • Me, Inc.:  The days are gone when you could show up, do your work and expect to be noticed; therefore, you have to distinguish yourself through personal branding. Personal branding is more than just your external appearance, knowledge, skills and abilities; it’s linking all that to who you are at the heart – your values, your vision.
  • V2PR: Values, Vision, People, Results. 
    • Values – know upfront what your values are. You know what they are when you live them regardless of the reward or consequence. Once you know your values, determine if they are aligned with your organization’s values. Your organization needs you to be accountable to their core values because you are an integral part of their success.  
    • Vision – Understand where you want to go and again  determine if your vision is aligned with your organization’s vision; know what your resources are to achieve your goals and know that you help your organization achieve their vision when you meet and exceed performance expectations.
    • People – know that people, both internal and external customers,  are why your company and your job exists. Treat them with respect.
    • Results – know your key performance indicators (KPIs) and achieve them. That’s a key way to get noticed and recognized for being a valued contributor.

 All these elements will help you to be successful, to stand out as a personal brand. 

That’s what success is – preparing for opportunity before it happens so when it does, you can achieve your goals. “You can work hard at a job and make a living but if you work hard on you, you can make a fortune. A fortune not just related to money but a fortune in terms of knowing you have lived up to your potential.” (Source  of Quote – Author Unknown).

 Don’t fear failure. Rather fear not living up to the greatness that is within you.

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How do you define success? Are you taking action on a daily basis to achieve your goals? If not, what’s holding you back? If you knew you could not fail, what would you do?

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Goal Setting, Life Lessons

Making Your Bed

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When I was a little girl, my mom always told me to make my bed because it would be my first accomplishment of the day and because when someone walked into my room, it was a representation of me.

 When I got older, my Mom told me to be careful how I made my bed because one day, I might have to lie in it.

 When I first heard her say this, I thought, what is mom’s obsession with beds about? However, as I grew up and life happened to me, I realized my mom really was not teaching me about making beds but rather my mom was teaching me some important life lessons.

 Lesson 1) Making my bed in the morning was really about the importance of having a goal and then putting forth the effort to achieve it; it was also about the power of image – how what we present to the world through our words and actions creates a perception of who we are.

 Lesson 2) Being careful about how I made my bed because one day I might have to lie in it was just a gentle reminder that every action has a reaction. When we do what is right because it’s the right thing to do, we gain so much more – sometimes, we are not the direct benefactor but it may be a family member, a friend, or co-worker that does; however, when we focus on doing what is wrong, or doing whatever it takes to achieve a goal even when we know it’s wrong, there are consequences in that people view us in a negative light.

 There may be times when we see people who are intimidators or not forthright in their interactions  who appear to be achieving their goals but at what cost.  So always remember that achieving goals is great but how you achieve them is of greater importance. As you go about achieving your goals, be mindful of who you are being and becoming.

Lesson 3)  The final lesson that I learned is that our actions are really just a reflection of our thoughts.  If we focus on what we don’t want or like, we get more of it. However, if we focus on what’s in our control, what we want, we can achieve more than we ever believed that we could.

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 At the end of each day, ask yourself, have you been mindful of who you are as a person? Have you lived that day by doing what is right toward the people in your life –  both personally and professionally? Have you lived that day knowing that your actions and words reflect who you are? Have you lived that day where you can say “I was here”.

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