Some Great Tips from Brian Tracy...

Here's a great tidbit from Brian Tracy. No matter how old or how young, any/all of these steps can change your life!

How to Avoid Procrastination

In his powerful book Eat That Frog, Brian Tracy gives us this important perspective:

There is a powerful formula for setting and achieving goals that you can use for the rest of your life. It consists of seven simple steps. Any one of these steps can double and triple your productivity if you are not currently using it.

• Step one: Decide exactly what you want.
• Step two: Write it down.
• Step three: Set a deadline on your goal; set sub deadlines if necessary.
• Step four: Make a list of everything that you can think of that you are going to have to do to achieve your goal.
• Step five: Organize the list into a plan.
• Step six: Take action on your plan immediately.
• Step seven: Resolve to do something every single day that moves you toward your major goal.

Clear, written goals have a wonderful effect on your thinking. They motivate you and galvanize you into action. They stimulate your creativity, release your energy, and help you to overcome procrastination as much as any other factor.

This is what Christmas is all about...

This story was shared with me today. I can't think of a better way to remember Christmas.

Enjoy~ Heather

This is what Christmas is all about...

Better bundle up - the goose bumps will freeze you!! I think I need to read
this every year at Christmas.

"Pa never had much compassion for the lazy or those who squandered their
means and then never had enough for the necessities. But for those who were
genuinely in need, his heart was as big as all outdoors. It was from him
that I learned the greatest joy in life comes from giving, not from
receiving.

It was Christmas Eve 1881. I was fifteen years old and feeling like the
world had caved in on me because there just hadn't been enough money to buy
me the rifle that I'd wanted for Christmas. We did the chores early that
night for some reason. I just figured Pa wanted a little extra time so we
could read in the Bible.

After supper was over I took my boots off and stretched out in front of the
fireplace and waited for Pa to get down the old Bible. I was still feeling
sorry for myself and, to be honest, I wasn't in much of a mood to read
Scriptures. But Pa didn't get the Bible, instead he bundled up again and
went outside. I couldn't figure it out because we had already done all the
chores. I didn't worry about it long though, I was too busy wallowing in
self-pity. Soon Pa came back in. It was a cold clear night out and there
was ice in his beard. "Come on, Matt," he said. "Bundle up good, it's cold
out tonight." I was really upset then. Not only wasn't I getting the rifle
for Christmas, now Pa was dragging me out in the cold, and for no earthly
reason that I could see. We'd already done all the chores, and I couldn't
think of anything else that needed doing, especially not on a night like
this. But I knew Pa was not very patient at one dragging one's feet when
he'd told them to do something, so I got up and put my boots back on and
got my cap, coat, and mittens. Ma gave me a mysterious smile as I opened
the door to leave the house. Something was up, but I didn't know what..


Outside, I became even more dismayed. There in front of the house was the
work team, already hitched to the big sled. Whatever it was we were going
to do wasn't going to be a short, quick, little job. I could tell. We never
hitched up this sled unless we were going to haul a big load. Pa was
already up on the seat, reins in hand. I reluctantly climbed up beside him.
The cold was already biting at me. I wasn't happy. When I was on, Pa
pulled the sled around the house and stopped in front of the woodshed. He
got off and I followed. "I think we'll put on the high sideboards," he said.
"Here, help me." The high sideboards! It had been a bigger job than I
wanted to do with just the low sideboards on, but whatever it was we were
going to do would be a lot bigger with the high side boards on.

After we had exchanged the sideboards, Pa went into the woodshed and came
out with an armload of wood - the wood I'd spent all summer hauling down
from the mountain, and then all fall sawing into blocks and splitting. What
was he doing? Finally I said something. "Pa," I asked, "what are you
doing?" "You been by the Widow Jensen's lately?" he asked. The Widow Jensen
lived about two miles down the road. Her husband had died a year or so
before and left her with three children, the oldest being eight. Sure, I'd
been by, but so what?

Yeah," I said, "Why?"

"I rode by just today," Pa said. "Little Jakey was out digging around in the
woodpile trying to find a few chips. They're out of wood, Matt.." That was
all he said and then he turned and went back into the woodshed for another
armload of wood. I followed him. We loaded the sled so high that I began to
wonder if the horses would be able to pull it. Finally, Pa called a halt to
our loading, then we went to the smoke house and Pa took down a big ham and
a side of bacon. He handed them to me and told me to put them in the sled
and wait. When he returned he was carrying a sack of flour over his right
shoulder and a smaller sack of something in his left hand. "What's in the
little sack?" I asked. Shoes, they're out of shoes. Little Jakey just had
gunny sacks wrapped around his feet when he was out in the woodpile this
morning. I got the children a little candy too. It just wouldn't be
Christmas without a little candy."

We rode the two miles to Widow Jensen's pretty much in silence. I tried to
think through what Pa was doing. We didn't have much by worldly standards.
Of course, we did have a big woodpile, though most of what was left now was
still in the form of logs that I would have to saw into blocks and split
before we could use it. We also had meat and flour, so we could spare that,
but I knew we didn't have any money, so why was Pa buying them shoes and
candy? Really, why was he doing any of this? Widow Jensen had closer
neighbors than us; it shouldn't have been our concern.

We came in from the blind side of the Jensen house and unloaded the wood as
quietly as possible, then we took the meat and flour and shoes to the door.
We knocked. The door opened a crack and a timid voice said, "Who is it?"
"Lucas Miles, Ma'am, and my son, Matt, could we come in for a bit?"
Widow Jensen opened the door and let us in. She had a blanket wrapped
around her shoulders. The children were wrapped in another and were sitting
in front of the fireplace by a very small fire that hardly gave off any
heat at all. Widow Jensen fumbled with a match and finally lit the lamp.


"We brought you a few things, Ma'am," Pa said and set down the sack of
flour. I put the meat on the table. Then Pa handed her the sack that had
the shoes in it. She opened it hesitantly and took the shoes out one pair
at a time. There was a pair for her and one for each of the children -
sturdy shoes, the best, shoes that would last. I watched her carefully.
She bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling and then tears filled her
eyes and started running down her cheeks. She looked up at Pa like she
wanted to say
something, but it wouldn't come out.

"We brought a load of wood too, Ma'am," Pa said. He turned to me and said,
"Matt, go bring in enough to last awhile. Let's get that fire up to size
and heat this place up." I wasn't the same person when I went back out to
bring in the wood. I had a big lump in my throat and as much as I hate to
admit it, there were tears in my eyes too. In my mind I kept seeing those
three kids huddled around the fireplace and their mother standing there with
tears running down her cheeks with so much gratitude in her heart that she
couldn't speak.
My heart swelled within me and a joy that I'd never known before, filled my
soul. I had given at Christmas many times before, but never when it had
made so much difference. I could see we were literally saving the lives of
these people.

I soon had the fire blazing and everyone's spirits soared. The kids started
giggling when Pa handed them each a piece of candy and Widow Jensen looked
on with a smile that probably hadn't crossed her face for a long time. She
finally turned to us. "God bless you," she said. "I know the Lord has sent
you. The children and I have been praying that he would send one of his
angels to spare us."

In spite of myself, the lump returned to my throat and the tears welled up
in my eyes again. I'd never thought of Pa in those exact terms before, but
after Widow Jensen mentioned it I could see that it was probably true. I
was sure that a better man than Pa had never walked the earth. I started
remembering all the times he had gone out of his way for Ma and me, and many
others. The list seemed endless as I thought on it.

Pa insisted that everyone try on the shoes before we left. I was amazed
when they all fit and I wondered how he had known what sizes to get.. Then I
guessed that if he was on an errand for the Lord that the Lord would make
sure he got the right sizes.
Tears were running down Widow Jensen's face again when we stood up to leave.
Pa took each of the kids in his big arms and gave them a hug. They clung to
him and didn't want us to go. I could see that they missed their Pa, and I
was glad that I still had mine.

At the door Pa turned to Widow Jensen and said, "The Mrs. wanted me to
invite you and the children over for Christmas dinner tomorrow. The turkey
will be more than the three of us can eat, and a man can get cantankerous
if he has to eat turkey for too many meals. We'll be by to get you about
eleven. It'll be nice to have some little ones around again. Matt, here,
hasn't been little for quite a spell." I was the youngest. My two brothers
and two sisters had all married and had moved away.

Widow Jensen nodded and said, "Thank you, Brother Miles. I don't have to
say, May the Lord bless you, I know for certain that He will."

Out on the sled I felt a warmth that came from deep within and I didn't even
notice the cold. When we had gone a ways, Pa turned to me and said, "Matt,
I want you to know something. Your ma and me have been tucking a little
money away here and there all year so we could buy that rifle for you, but
we didn't have quite enough. Then yesterday a man who owed me a little money
from years back came by to make things square. Your ma and me were real
excited, thinking that now we could get you that rifle, and I started into
town this morning to do just that, but on the way I saw little Jakey out
scratching in the woodpile with his feet wrapped in those gunny sacks and I
knew what I had to do. Son, I spent the money for shoes and a little candy
for those children. I hope you understand."

I understood, and my eyes became wet with tears again. I understood very
well, and I was so glad Pa had done it. Now the rifle seemed very low on my
list of priorities. Pa had given me a lot more. He had given me the look
on Widow Jensen's face and the radiant smiles of her three children..

For the rest of my life, whenever I saw any of the Jensens, or split a block
of wood, I remembered, and remembering brought back that same joy I felt
riding home beside Pa that night. Pa had given me much more than a rifle
that night, he had given me the best Christmas of my life."

Inviting Angels

Happy December Everyone!

I heard an interesting story recently.

A friend of mine's 83 year old mother got in a fender bender. Completely unaware that while pulling into the parking lot at CVS, she hit someone's brand new Volkswagen while they were in it. My friend said to me, "It's amazing. Mother invites angels into her life every day, even if by hitting their car." He went on to share that when the owners of the VW explained to her that she had hit their car, she was embarrassed for not knowing she had and of course for doing it in the first place. The VW people told her not to worry and in fact, to go on in and do her shopping while they called the police for the incident report.

They did not treat her with anger or frustration. And it was a Brand New Car! They treated her with grace and kindness.

What a reminder that was for me. Every day we have opportunities to choose our response. Traffic, Work, Spilling coffee on ourselves, perhaps someone speaks to us unfairly or unkindly. What if an elderly lady hit your brand new car? How would you react? I can only hope and pray that I would be half as kind as these folks were.

I know that this story will remind me the next time a new person is checking out at the grocery store and taking too long when I'm in a hurry, that this moment right now is all I have. I need to choose for myself how I want to feel right now in this moment. I also need to recognize that how I treat this person will affect their day and the days of the other people he/she interacts with all day long.

My message today is about choice. My message is about inviting angels into your life every day. Choose to live right now in the present and choose how you want to feel about right now. Right now, this moment is all we are promised.

Remember: The Present is a Gift. It's also a good idea to say "Thank You" when you receive a gift.

Blessings And Peace,

Heather Olson

Teens From Good Homes Steal Girl Scout's Cookie Money

Well, I'm here sooner than expected. But I'm in SHOCK! I'm sharing a video with you today that completely blows me away and further confirms what is happening to our future.

Our young women are accepting a set of standards that are COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE.

I realize that these 2 teens are not necessarily typical of young women growing up today. But what many parents do not understand is, these ideas and values are far more accepted by kids now than adults are ready to believe.

"My daughter would never participate in..."

"My daughter is completely against..."

"My daughter says she will be a virgin when she gets married"

I've heard them all. I've heard them just days or weeks before I got the call for help with that same daughter who is now pregnant, in jail, on drugs, or the like.

We need to wake up. Our kids want to please us. They don't want to tell us things we don't want to hear.

We must provide a safe place for them. By that I don't just mean a safe home, I mean a safe set of ears. We must be consistent. We must listen from the heart, not just wait for our turn to lecture. We must set boundaries and stick to them. Most of all, we must love them no matter what.

Watch this 3 minute video and please take a minute to leave your comments in the comment section.


If you like this blog, please click the "digg" button at the top and use the "share" button. These actions will help us reach our goal of 1 Million Young Women in 2008.

Thank you for your time.

Blessings and Peace,
Heather Olson

Why Your Life's Purpose is Bogus...by Morgana Rae

Today I'm bringing in one of my mentors to share with you. I was reading her blog and I thought "my peeps would love this!" So I asked Morgana if I could share with you and she said yes. Please welcome my friend and mentor, Morgana Rae...

Why Your Life Purpose is Bogus

“You do not belong to you. You belong to the universe.”
-Buckminster Fuller

I’ve been finding myself in frequent conversations on the topic of life purpose, so it seems timely to address the subject here.

Every one is looking for their purpose. Must have a purpose! A story I often hear from motivational speakers is the story of Alice in Wonderland and Cheshire Cat. Alice stands at a crossroads and asks the cat which path she should take. He asks “Where are you going?” She says she doesn’t know. “Well then, it doesn’t really matter which path you take.”

People treat this story like it’s so profound, as if it’s evidence that you should know where you’re going. You MUST know where you’re going! Really?

I have a different take. It doesn’t really matter! It’s nice to know where you’re going. It’s far more pleasant to have a clear direction, but the odds are you’ll be getting lost along the way. Your life has its purpose, and this purpose expresses itself as you meander. The act of finding intermediary goals and getting into action will put you on the path of your larger purpose.

The only thing more painful than not knowing your life purpose is beating yourself up for not knowing your life purpose.

Even worse than that is to have personal development people telling you that you have to have a life purpose. Of course you has purpose, whether you see it or not.

Let’s cut the crap.
Your primary job in life: be happy. Happiness is not for the faint of heart. I’m not talking an “I got a Kindle!” happiness (though I’ll take it of you got it). What is the quality of happiness that doesn’t depend on changing circumstances?

If you can learn to be happy, then you will be a model and a teacher for others to be happy. And they will be models and teachers for others to be happy. If we could all be Buddhas for happiness and fulfillment, abundance and prosperity, imagine the possibilities for the world. It doesn’t really matter if you get an MBA or paint flower pots. Where is your joy? That is your purpose.

Goals and accomplishments are important. They give our lives direction, support us in our happiness. Like a finger that points to the moon but isn’t the moon itself, our goals point to something bigger: our desire to be fully realized, loved, valued, happy beings. The big cheese.

What do you desire? What would it take for you to be fully happy?

Notice what naysayer thoughts pop into your head when you think about getting your dreams fulfilled. We’ll call those thoughts your demons. Things to know about demons:

* Your demons show up when you care about something, so their presence can be a good clue that you’re on the right track.

* Demons represent a point of view, not THE TRUTH.

* If what they say doesn’t empower you, say “Thank you for sharing.” (Then give your demon a pat on the head and some apple juice and graham crackers–quiets them down. Sit him in a corner. Go back to your life. Repeat as necessary.)

Scary Gremlin Monster

Get back to what you love. Pursue goals. Pay attention to clues from the universe. That’s how you live on purpose.

MORGANA RAE is a Master Results Coach and the Money Magic Queen. Morgana guides entrepreneurs and small business owners to create a new relationship with money, to attract more than they chase, and to enjoy success without sacrificing their humanity. Get more FREE tips on creating ease, flow, and abundance at www.howtobeamoneymagnet.com.

How Much Bigger Could Your World Be?

Our world is as big or small as we allow it to be. The more we allow ourselves to learn and grow, the bigger our world becomes just as a crab or snail grows out of its shell and must get a new one. The Hermit Crab wonders around naked and vulnerable until he finds his new home. The blue crab regenerates a very soft shell and is at constant risk until that shell hardens, but he's grown.

Growth is uncomfortable, sometimes even painful. It's a good way to know we are moving forward. Be thankful for the discomfort. Find solace in memories of previous challenges that today are second nature.

One simple way to change your life and grow every day comes from the Real Life of Mr Rogers.

Fred Rogers was more than the children's icon many of us grew up with, he lived his life every day making the world genuinely better for others.

Read this excerpt from the article: 15 Reasons Mister Rogers Was the Best Neighbor Ever posted last year on mental_floss.com by Mangesh Hattikudur:

"6. He Was Genuinely Curious about Others
Mister Rogers was known as one of the toughest interviews because he’d often befriend reporters, asking them tons of questions, taking pictures of them, compiling an album for them at the end of their time together, and calling them after to check in on them and hear about their families. He wasn’t concerned with himself, and genuinely loved hearing the life stories of others. Amazingly, it wasn’t just with reporters. Once, on a fancy trip up to a PBS exec’s house, he heard the limo driver was going to wait outside for 2 hours, so he insisted the driver come in and join them (which flustered the host). On the way back, Rogers sat up front, and when he learned that they were passing the driver’s home on the way, he asked if they could stop in to meet his family. According to the driver, it was one of the best nights of his life—the house supposedly lit up when Rogers arrived, and he played jazz piano and bantered with them late into the night. Further, like with the reporters, Rogers sent him notes and kept in touch with the driver for the rest of his life."

Can you see how much richer Fred Rogers' life was for really living it as a servant to his fellow man? Can you see how much brighter the world shines for anyone whose life he touched?

My challenge for you today is just to think. Think about what it might feel like to offer your friendship and be a servant in your heart. Can you imagine how you would speak? With a Genuine Intent to Serve, you'd be complimentary and kind.

“Give and it shall be given unto you;...” (Luke 6: 38)

What kind thoughts can you bring up about yourself? If you were to practice at home with just you, how would that go? Look around you, is it pretty? Do you deserve to have pretty things around you? What are you wearing? Did you shower and get ready for the day even if you weren't going out? Did you make your bed?

You may wonder why these things matter...?

Self-Respect is one of the most highly violated rules for an empowered life. You cannot be of valued service to anyone if you treat yourself like garbage.

Spend $5 on some flowers at the grocery store. Prepare yourself every day as if you were the guest of honor. Pick up the clothes off the floor and the garbage from around the trash can.

Look yourself in the mirror and say aloud "I deserve this, I created this and it's mine. Only I can change any part of it and I can change it at will. I am grateful for the opportunity to grow and prosper."

Once again, I thank you for your comments and if you like the post, please take a moment to bookmark it and share it with others.

In Peace, Love and Prosperity,
Heather Olson

Leaving A Legacy

Today is a sad day and a day of praise.

How can it be both?

Randy Pausch passed away today after fighting pancreatic cancer.

Oct. 23, 1960 - July 25, 2008

Randy lived his dreams. He knew what he wanted and continually worked with the Universal Laws to realize those dreams.

Many of you have already heard of Randy. He was on Oprah's show sharing his "Last Lecture". I've included it today, as he said more in those 11 minutes and 32 seconds than I can offer today.

So today I am sad and also full of praise. The loss of such a great man is painful to his wife, 3 children and their family. It's sad to those whose lives he touched. I am full of praise to have been reminded of such a great and powerful lesson.

Fill you life with Joy, Peace and Love. Allow nothing else permission to gain access to your mind, heart and soul.

Be grateful everyday in every moment.

Learn the lessons put before you, and be thankful for them. Change is uncomfortable. They call them "growing pains" for a reason. Of course we all know we must grow, for if we are not growing, we are dying. Be full of praise in all that you do.

In Peace, Light, Joy and Prosperity. God Bless You,

Heather Olson

Watch this powerful 11 min 32 second video of Randy Pausch's Last Lecture: http://video.stumbleupon.com/#p=ithct48cqw