Happy New Year!

With the new year just around the corner most people are making resolutions. Personally I don't use the new year as a reason for a resolution; I prefer to make my resolutions throughout the entire year as I see fit.

Regardless I have decided 2008 is already a fantastic year. Instead of trying to explain that thought process to you, I found this writing by Bob Perk.

Below is a repost of the email sent today. Please keep his details if you share it.

All stories copyright 2007 Bob Perks
Today's message:
"The Echo"
by Bob Perks
You hear so much about memories at this time of year.

From Thanksgiving Day on we are bombarded with the idea
that we are not only making memories but somehow building
upon them.

It is the sites, sounds and smells of the holidays that trigger
vivid flashbacks for me. The turkey taking center stage, the
cranberries and sweet potatoes all make me think of mom.

The first Christmas bell, carol, or even laughter I hear, readies
my mind for a long journey home and the loving sounds only
family can provide.

But, oh how a whiff of chocolate, peanut butter cookies or pumpkin
pie can set my soul a dancin' down memory lane!

It's easy for me to venture back to things I hold close to my heart. It
takes very little to find myself remembering people, places and things
which somehow mixed in with the very essence of who I am today.

I swear if they checked my DNA, they'd come up with elements of
chocolate chip cookie mixed with genetic traits of dancing when the
spirit moved me and smiling when I hear my wife's voice.

Memories are as much a part of who I am as today's choices become a
part of all I will become.

But what about this new years eve thing?

Just below the sound of horns tooting and bubbly bubbling, lies the stark
reality of the passing of another year. Many struggle with all they wanted
to do and didn't. Some struggle with all they think they can never accomplish
and still others bask in the glow of success beyond measure.

For the first time in my 57 new year celebrations I have discovered the real truth
about time.

"The Echo."

If I take away all the fond, sweet feelings of the past and remove the element
of regret from things I wanted to do right or things I did wrong, I am left with
the facts.

Everything I do in 2008 will be reflected in how I see my life on new years eve
that year.

Thus, my theory of "The Echo."

If you stand in a canyon and shout, "Hello!" "Hello" comes back to you.

You can't yell, "How are you?" and get a reply, "Fine. Thanks for asking!"
2008 is like a canyon. You stand on the edge on new years eve and what
you put into it will come back to you. The more you put in, the more will come
back. If you love more, you will get more love back. If you fear more, fear will
come back.

So, this new years eve when you find yourself reflecting on 2007 remember, it has nothing at all to do with memories.

It's "The Echo."

What will you get back next year?
"I believe in you!"
Bob
I encourage you to share my stories but I do ask that you
keep my name and contact information with my work.
If you would like to receive Bob's Inspirational
stories, please visit http://www.IWishYouEnough.com
and submit your email address.

Bob sends frequent emails that I always find uplifting, relevant and inspiring. If you're interested in joining him, find his web site here.

Wanna blog?

You all know I love to write which means I like to blog because it's an extension of writing for me. So when I saw this link, I jumped on it. It's from the good peeps at Simpleology and it's a fun way to profit from blogging.

I'm evaluating a multi-media course on blogging from the folks at Simpleology. For a while, they're letting you snag it for free if you post about it on your blog.

It covers:

• The best blogging techniques.
• How to get traffic to your blog.
• How to turn your blog into money.

I'll let you know what I think once I've had a chance to check it out. Meanwhile, go grab yours while it's still free.

Where's that silver lining?

I don't know where it is exactly but it's around here somewhere. Everybody tells me it is and my heart agrees so I know it's true.

Why am I looking for a silver lining? Because I didn't get the copywriter job in Boulder. The one I had my heart set on. The one my gut told me was right for me. The one that would have made good use of my creative abilities and paid me 10K more than I make now.

Yeah that one.

*sigh*

I got the news this afternoon and I was crestfallen. I fully understand the meaning of that word after the way I felt. I was so completely sure it was mine.

But it isn't.

So now I am waiting and looking for the my silver lining. It's there and I will see it soon. This I know.

I know it's true because when I set an intention or ask for a wish, I always add "this or something better" to the end of it. And the universe listens and responds in kind. I must simply trust.

It will grant me the "something better" soon and much sooner if I let go of my sadness and grief about the Webroot job.

So tomorrow is a new day, a new dawn and another day to be thankful for. And tonight before I fall asleep I will thank the universe for this blessing that at first blush doesn't appear to be much of a blessing and then I will ask for the "something better" to come my way.

I'll let you know when it does. ;)

All the best,

Lara

Can You See Without Your Eyes?

This boy can. Check out the video here.

Breaking the Board

So I promised you a recap about how I broke a wooden board with my bare hands. Well one hand to be specific!

I'm not sure I can adequately walk you through the details of it so I'll give you a brief overview. Basically we spent about an hour preparing for the actual act. We mentally prepared (James walked us through the act and we watched movie clips (Braveheart, The Edge).

James told us about other people who had succeeded - people like a 65+ year old woman with arthritic hands so crippled she couldn't open them. Or the quadriplegic who couldn't even lift his own arm.

They all broke their boards.

And they did it because they followed James' instructions exactly. He said that if we did exactly as he told us to do, anyone could do this. And he was right.

Now that we were mentally prepared,we began the emotional / spiritual preparation by writing down a limiting belief we currently hold on one side of the board.

And on the other side, we wrote a new and supportive belief we were going to replace the limiting belief with. My belief was around the financial and relational pillars of my life and I replaced it with a much more supportive and empowering one. ;)

And once we were ready with our boards, James called on a woman to come up on stage and break her board.

She worked at it so hard - too hard in fact, she rattled herself out her initial focus. She tried several times but couldn't do it. James helped her realign her mental and physical focus. She was a trooper! The entire 750+ crowd cheered her on. We were all standing, cheering and clapping - urging her to keep at it.

Finally she did!! She broke her board and the crowd went wild. I cheered for her as though I were in her shoes. It was the most exhilarating feeling!

And then we were on to do it ourselves. Every pump-up theme song you can imagine was blaring through the speakers throughout the conference room. People were jumping up and down with energy.

I watched others break their boards and mentally held fast to that picture. I didn't see anyone who struggled because those pictures weren't allowed to stay in my mind.

For several minutes, I held my board and touched it. I saw the limiting belief and lasered my focus to the other side. I was going to push through this belief and let it escape from my mind forever.

The time was approaching.

As people moved through the line and broke their boards, we all cheered, clapped and roared each time another belief was released! You could physically feel the energy change with each board break.

After waiting, cheering and excitedly channeling my anxiety, it was my turn. I did just as James said: I stormed over to my board holder, gave him my board and took my stance.

Next I narrowed my eyes to only see my limiting belief, then I looked through. In an instant, I had pushed my hand through the board and it splintered in half.

For a moment, I stood in awe. I had done it! I could barely believe it. In fact, I didn't believe it for at least 15 seconds. And then my friends behind me roared!!! I jumped up and pumped my fist in a celebration I had only before imagined possible.

I hugged my board holder and ran to the other side of the room where I found my friend Kimberley and we jumped up and down hugging each other, laughing, cheering and crying.

After a few minutes, we went back to our lines and cheered for everyone else
It truly was one of the most empowering moments of my life. It is something I will draw upon time after time.

And that was another lesson for us - the board break was a reference for us to hold in our subconscious for those future moments when we wonder if we can do something.

Yes I have doubts, anxiety and sometimes I waffle but now I have another experience to draw from. Truthfully if you had asked me earlier on Friday if I could ever break a wood board with my bare hand I would've said you were crazy. Now I know better!

I can do it and so can anyone else...all we have to do is follow in the footsteps of our predecessors and do what they did.

Wow

That's one of the words I'd use to describe the past 2 days. Wow. Incredible. Amazing. Profound. Real. exciting. Exhilarating - however it's spelled. True, truth, awareness.

If you don't know, I've spent the last 2 days in Atlanta, GA attending James Arthur Ray's Harmonic Wealth Weekend.

The simple fact that I was even at this event is incredible. It cost me roughly one month's income/salary. That seemed unattainable to me earlier this year. I've been a fan of James since I saw him in The Secret. Within a few short months I promised myself I would invest in this weekend.

And I did. I made it happen. It seemed almost too big of an investment for me to make this happen.

I'm so thrilled I did. I'm even more excited to implement the things I learned.

What did I learn you might ask? Far too much for me to write here but I can give you a few of the points I took away from tonight. Tonight's discussion was about money. We played a game where we took out as much cash as we chose (based on how much we would invest in ourselves right then and there) and then we had to trade it with each other.

We literally had to give our money, our cash to other people and then the cash they gave us we had to give to another and so on. It was incredible.

You can imagine it created a lot of emotions in most people. I personally felt very uncomfortable giving away my cash. At no point did I enjoy that game. I knew it was a game, I knew it was a lesson and I knew it was something I needed to do and to learn.

So I did it.

After the game was over we discussed how we felt and after listening to others, I felt pretty guilty for getting upset that I gave away $31 and got $2 in return...especially when one person stood up and said he had given away over $300 back and hadn't gotten anywhere near that in return.

And then I realized I was beating myself up for that feeling and had to let it go.

It was very important to understand that exchange was a metaphor for life and our relationship with money coming into and through us to others. And money is just a thing, just energy, money is an idea.

It sounds simple but it's tough to grasp, at least it is for me.

In the act of realizing what money felt like for me and does feel, I see places that need work and that need paradigm shifts. They were there before but the game, my actions and my interpretations of the exercise brought them to the forefront.

And like AA tells us, the first step to recovery - I prefer healing and changing - is recognition.

So that's where my work begins.

That's just one SECTION of ONE day. Imagine what 2 full days were like???!!!! Incredible. You need to experience it yourself. And you can right here.

If you're in my area, you can check out James in February. He's coming back to our lovely home and he'll give you a free intro to his work. It's worth every minute of your time - and then some!

It's 12am, I've slept about 7 hours in 2 days and had 32 hours of immersion in those 2 days as well. Yes I know that doesn't add up to 48 hours but we had meals and other things in between sessions. :P

Stay tuned, tomorrow I'll tell you all about how I broke a SOLID board with one hand on my first try.

It's one heck of an accomplishment for my 5'1" tiny little self. :)

Another one...

Ok it's my last survey of the day, I promise! But gosh-darn do I love these things. Here goes...

***100 Nosey Questions*** by longtallsally28
The Basics
Name:	Lara...you'll have to ask to get the rest ;)
Age:	31
Month of birth:	May
Any Siblings?:	yep - 2 in my fam, 7 total (long story - weird family tree)
Parents still married?:	my dad & stepmom are yes
Occupation:	copywriter
Do you like your job?:	ah, I like the freelance work and the day gig is decent.
Any pets?:	My roommate's dog Heady
Hair color:	dirty blonde
Eye color:	blue
Shoe size:	6.5
Any Tattoos?:	not yet
Any Piercings?:	yep - 5 in my ears
Current mood:	intrigued
Current wardobe choice:	sweatpants, cute T and a sweatshirt with sneakers. It's cold out!!
What are you listening to?:	the crappy TV
Who did you last speak with on the phone?:	Sean
What do you currently smell like?:	Olive leaf soap & lotion - it's wonderful
Last....
Movie you watched:	Cold Creek Manor
Magazine you looked at:	Rolling Stone with super hot David Beckham...oh yeah his wife was in it too ;)
Thing you ate:	thing? i don't eat things, I eat food. I ate pizza.
Book you read:	Science of Success
T.v. show you watched:	America's Next Top Model (it has redeeming qualities!)
Time you cried:	yesterday when I thought about my great grandma
Took a shower:	3 hours ago during halftime of the Packers game
Got a real letter (a.k.a Snail Mail):	hmm...probably 2 months ago from my grandma
Ate at a restaurant (not fast food):	last night
CD you bought:	CDs? Who buys CDs and not iTunes? The last iTunes album I bought was Love Arcade
What is/was....
The best thing to happen to you today?:	visiting my friend's aunt and meeting her dog (who I am watching this week)
Your most prized possession:	my car? Don't know really - probably family photos
Your first vehicle:	ah, an old Cutlas something or other
Your current vehicle:	04 Jeep Liberty - he's only been with me for about 2 weeks! So exciting
Your favorite quote:	I have many but this is one: Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks." -- Phillips Brooks
You bedtime (on average):	11pm
Your best trait/characteristic:	just one? I am kind-hearted and loving.
Your worst trait/characteristic:	self-doubt
Do You....
Store things under your bed:	NO! Bad juju
Daydream:	yeppers
Have a computer at home:	of course
Live in the city, suburbs or country:	city! no 'burbs, blach
Live in a home, apartment, duples or mobile home:	trailer park...just kidding! apartment bldg with condos
Own a cell phone:	duh who doesn't?!
Have a good luck charm:	I think I am my own good luck charm.
Collect anything:	ex-boyfriends it seems ;)
Attend high school or college:	currently? no but I've completed & gradimakated both.
Make good grades:	Did I? Yes, I was a good student. A/B average
Have You Ever....
Had a surgery?:	nope
Had teeth pulled?:	yes - 2
Broke the law intentionally:	yes - everybody speeds
Ran away from home?:	no
Broke a bone?:	yep, my ankle
Cheated on a test/exam:	no actually i never did.
Had a friend pass away:	no, just other people my age I have known personally but no one who was a friend.
Been issued a citation/traffic ticket:	duh see broke the law above
Been in an auto accident:	yes, several but only one with my car. RIP Kala, I miss you.
Lied to someone:	yes sadly
Been lied to:	yes sadly
Your Favorite....
Place to be:	the mountains of Colorado, being held by someone and anywhere with friends or family
Place to visit:	Key West, Cozumel and any other locale I haven't been to yet. Spain, Ireland and Egypt are next!
Place to chill:	yoga studio, in my car, on a patio somewhere with a bucket of margs
Non-Alcoholic drink:	sweet tea, iced tea, Sun-drop, lemonade and good ole water
Alcoholic drink:	margs, microbrews, Rieslings, Gewurztraminers
Type of food:	ANY! Except meat, don't eat much of that.
Meal/Food dish:	see above question
Dessert:	ANY! well except coconut - blach, hate that
Shampoo & Conditioner:	pretty much anything formulated for curly-haired gals like me
Toothpaste:	Colgate 12 hour baby - it's the best
Salad dressing:	French, homemade Italian, balsamic vinagrette
Ice cream:	chocolate, rocky road, mint choc chip, most anything with chocolate
Fast food establishment:	Taco Bell, Sonic
Color:	blue, purple, emerald green, deep red and chocolate brown. I like rich hues.
Season:	fall followed closely by summer and then spring. Not much of a winter fan except for the Colorado powder. It's fabulous!
Holiday:	Halloween (I'm a heathen I know) and then Christmas
Perfume/Cologne:	none, my lotion smells good though
Video Game:	ah Tetris?
T.V. show:	Supernatural, Grey's Anatomy (thanks to Sean I can watch both!), that's about it...oh! NipTuck too and Rescue Me
Smells:	just-cut grass, a nice clean boy after a shower, mud (yeah weird I know), strawberries, my incense, oh lots...thunderstorms, rainwater, a bubble bath, fresh cut flowers, chocolate, chocolate chip cookies in the oven, pizza, beer, coffee
Article of clothing:	my fleece REI pants! they are the BEST ever...and my red dress.
Book:	OMG just one? You're nuts - I have 4 boxes of books so I can't possibly name them all so I won't start
Children's Book:	Bridge to Terabithia (spelling)
Candy:	chocolate
Car:	BMX X3, BMW Roadster and my Jeep Liberty, BAMF
Do You Believe....
In Karma:	of course
In God:	yes
In Heaven & Hell:	As John Milton said: The mind is its own place, and in itself, can make heaven of Hell, and a hell of Heaven.
That aliens exist (extraterrestrial variety, not illegal aliens):	yes
That ghosts exist:	sure
In horoscopes:	somewhat
In others you know (family, friends, co-workers etc):	of course
In yourself:	yes, I am getting better at this.
Your Opinion....
On the death penalty:	ah that's too complex to answer here
On reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in schools:	moment of silence for everyone instead
On homosexuals in the military:	yes
The war in the Middle East:	no unequivocally not
Schwarzeneggar...Governor or Terminator:	neither
Current gas/fuel prices:	no
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