The Flip Cam - and what it taught me about being scared!

I've always used FaceBook for my videos, but thanks to Santa, I got an HD Flip camcorder. It took me ages but I finally managed to upload it to YouTube.

The message is - don't let imagined limitations hold you back!

Greetings from the Goddess

Waiting to be Special?

I saw this Red Had lady at the Mall the other day.
She ordered her coffee, graciously left a tip and then settled at one of the tables to watch the world go by.

And she got me thinking about the whole Red Hat thing.

You've probably read the poem by Jenny Joseph ~
"When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me...."

And I wondered,
why do we feel we need to wait until we're old to do something "out of the norm"?

Why do we need permission to do things that make us feel beautiful, special, unique?
Like wear a maroon shirt when the rest of the office wears white?
Eat off the 'good' china when there's no company coming?
Or wear a ball gown to go grocery shopping with your equally bedecked little girl?
(I did this once ~ it was Fun!!)

I've noticed that it's the very young and the very old that seem to be able to shed this claustophobic mantle of 'normalcy'.
Once we hit our 30s, we all become bland, ordinary, afraid of standing out.
Except when we get "permission" ~ like at Halloween or New Year.

Isn't that sad?

Why do we stifle the very spark that makes us Special?
Why mask the outside reflection of your Uniqueness?

Today, I double dare you to do something Out of the Ordinary that fills you with Bliss and makes your Being tremble with the lusciousness of authentic living.

I think we'd be a lot less worried about what people think of us,
if we realized how seldom they actually do!

Perception

This was submitted by Adrian Armstrong on BetterNetworker.com (my first guest post, if you will) but definitely ...

..something to think about...

Washington, D.C., Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007.

The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approximately two thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.
4 minutes later: The violinist received his first dollar; a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

6 minutes: A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.
10 minutes: A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.
45 minutes: The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.
1 hour: He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $200.00.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities.
The questions raised: In a common-place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One conclusion reached from this experiment could be this: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made, how many other things are we missing?

Author Unknown

Learning to Dance

Over the past few weeks, I have had a building sense of frustration - that feeling of being Almost within reach of what I want but still ... not... quite... making it.

I've had so many small indications from various sources that tell me I'm progressing, gifts and accolades and shout-outs of encouragement from people who are where I want to be, but still the feeling of being out of step persists.

I think, perhaps, it's a bit like learning to waltz.

At first you're looking at your feet, counting in your head, concentrating on not falling on your face or stepping on your partner's toes. There's a bitter sense of frustration, you have all the pieces, but they just won't mesh.

You toss it off with a laugh, a self-deprecating comment, but inside you're squirming. You see others swirling by, looking smooth and effortlessly glamorous and you long for their skill and confidence.

And still you count, 1-2-3, 1-2-3. One step at a time, tripping, pausing, righting yourself. Absolutely determined not to join the wallflowers.

But then suddenly, magically, it all comes together. Head, feet, body, partner all just click and you can flow with the music. You lift your head, smile at your partner. And really, really Dance.

That's where I am with my MLM/online biz. Still watching my feet, counting out loud, trying not to make a fool of myself.
I have been so very tempted to stop trying, stop starting over, and just sit this one out.

But I made a COMMITMENT ... to Myself.

And because of that commitment,
I will not give up.

I will not be a wallflower.

I have found the right dance floor, and the right partner.

And I will keep moving until I dance.

The War of the Shoulds

Usually the word 'SHOULD' has very negative connotations.

We hear 'should' - or versions thereof - every waking minute of our growing years ...
- "You should do better at school"
- "You should go to college"
- "You should try this drink/sport/drug"

And of course there are the implied 'shoulds'
- "Stop daydreaming"
- "Try to be nice to Aunt Agatha"
- "Why can't you be more like your brother?"

And then there are the 'should nots' which are actually 'shoulds' in disguise
- "You shouldn't do that"
- "You shouldn't say that"
- "Who do you think you are?"

Usually these are external pressures applied by well-meaning parents, teachers, friends, bosses, in an effort to protect you, improve you or simply to get you to do what they want you to.

In my search for authenticity, to find out who Jacqui Gates really is and what she stands for, I have dragged many of my own 'shoulds' out into the open; scrutinized and evaluated them; accepted a few; rejected many.

What is left are my own 'shoulds' - the ones I believe are good for me and the life I am creating. The ones that ring true with the person I am uncovering/discovering. They are the ones I know that, if I did them, they would make me healthier, wealthier and probably wiser too.

But I've also realized that, even though these 'shoulds' are in my best interests, they still create a ridge of resistance, that imperceptible stiffening of the spine at being told what to do. A childish flash of mutiny that has nothing to do with logic and belies my so-called adulthood.

- I should eat less carbs (But they taste sooo good!)
- I should exercise more (but I don't have time/don't wanna)
- I should turn off the TV to do more productive things (but I'm tired/ might miss something)
- I should get those projects done (but, but,but)
- I should write that article/create that splash page/work (too many excuses to mention)

It's my guess that you also have your own list of 'shoulds'. You know, those things the little voice in your head whispers would be the right thing to do, but you metaphorically pout and ignore.

Special Note: Be careful here that these 'shoulds' are, in fact, your own. So many of us have 'shoulds' that have become so ingrained, so programmed into us that we believe they are true and valid. But upon closer examination, many of them are revealed to be outdated, inappropriate to who you really are or who you wish to become, or quite simply an affirmation of someone else' agenda for you.

If a 'should' feels uncomfortable, if that ridge of resentment is instant and palpable, examine it thoroughly in the light of your goals and dreams.

If it fits - fine.
If it doesn't, discard it, regardless of whether doing so will cause raised eyebrows, snide comments, or outright disbelief.

To do anything else is to lessen your own authenticity; to push your dreams a little further away; to die a little each time.


But here's a thought - and (finally) the crux of this note:
What if I actually DID these 'shoulds'?
What if I took a month to silence that inner toddler and in true grown-up fashion, really DO the things I have already determined would be beneficial to me?

Hypothetically speaking, a month of doing what I 'should', could result in any or all of the following:-
- I could quite possibly shed 3 - 5 lbs
- I would be fitter
- My business would be more established and probably more profitable
- I would have more time for quality activities
- My house would be cleaner/prettier/more organized


So here is my Challenge - to Myself, and to you, if you wish to accept it.

For the next Four Weeks, I will disregard my inner brat and actually DO what I know I should.

I have a feeling this is going to be revelatory.

Care to join me?

I hate to say it, but you know you probably 'should'!

A Goddess' Guide to Creating Time

I have been as guilty of a grave misconception.

I have been constantly thinking, (and what's worse actually say out loud!) that I don"t have enough time.

Not enough time to do everything I need to do to keep my home running smoothly; my family fed; myself healthy; grow my business; plan my future; feed my mind; feed my soul; earn enough money to fund aforementioned enterprises.

And this is a LIE.

The truth is, I have exactly the same amount of time in a day as anyone else on this whole beautiful planet.
24 hours.
That's it.
No more. No less.

The same amount of time as you have, as Oprah has, as John Milton Fogg, Richard Bliss Brooke, Diane Hochman, Donald Trump, or any other great achiever you care to mention has.

The distinction, the radical difference between them and me, is how I choose to allocate that time. Somehow, without my awareness, that allocation got skewed toward the unimportant, the paltry and the immediate.

I've been jumping from project to project, without a plan or goal, always with the underlying assumption that I must rush because "I don't have enough time" to get it done.

What I have manifested is a house full of half-completed projects, a stagnant business and a mind so distracted by things-I-should-be-doing that I'm exhausted before I start.

I believe that every little half-done project, every niggly broken thing that makes me think "I really should fix that", drains a little of the attention I should be paying to things like building my business or writing. They suck my strength and distract from the now. Plus they create clutter, stagnation and that feeling of being spread so thin that nothing feels real anymore.

Despite this scattered approach, I have nonetheless managed to attract some really exciting projects and powerful people that are just waiting to lift me to the next level, and because of this, I need to take some Massive Action (as per Tony Robbins) to regroup, reorder and refocus.

So here is my plan for this coming week, and if you find that you don't have the time to get done the things that are truly important - the stuff that will actually make a difference five years from now - then join me in Creating Time.

My Focus :
To ReAllocate my Time to DeClutter and Complete Projects, thereby Creating Time to Grow My Self and my Business.
My Goal : To Create a Vacuum for Prosperity

To do this, I will :

1. Choose a room in which to spend 15 minutes just decluttering and putting things in their rightful spot. Start with the most cluttered room (my office) and work round the house from there. (I use the Fly Lady System for decluttering - works every time)

2. Do this BEFORE I turn on my pc and check email.

3. I will keep a notebook with me and jot down projects that need finishing, things that need repairing, etc, so that I can keep my focus on just getting rid of stuff.

4. If schedule and family allow - I will do this twice a day. But once a day will still be cause for congratulation.

5. I will do this daily until I can breathe freely again.

So if I'm somewhat scarce on FB and Twitter, you'll understand.
I'll be back soon.

PS : This cool "Whatever" clock is available here.