Spiritual Beings having a Human Experience

"Just when I thought I had a handle on life, the handle broke."
— Mother Teresa (Roman Catholic Nun and Humanitarian)

Since reading about Mother Teresa's humanitarian efforts in 2nd grade, I silently declared her as the most powerful inspirational and influential person in my world. I studied her, immersed myself in her failures and successes from a distance. To me she transformed her own life by making proactive decisions every step of the way. A born teacher, with a spirit that was unlimited in gracious giving of herself. In a way, a very strategic person, and when I read this quote, "Just when I thought I had a handle of life, the handle broke." It made me think of how little control we have on "handling our lives," no matter what our ego would like us to believe. I once heard that the only control we have is how we choose to respond. That made me understand, that responses come from our thoughts, so to modify our response, we would have to do shift our thoughts, which comes from our original conditioning from repetitive thinking the same way. So, to change our thinking, means we can change our response. Everything else is out of our control, now that's a sobering thought, to know we have free will in one area of our lives. It's quality over quantity right!? It's a difficult pill to swallow, but it does not need to be.

Maybe that's why when the "handle" breaks, it sends us to a place of learning, growth and true transformation. Perhaps it's a necessary mechanism to jolt us forward during our spiritual adventure. After all, we are spiritual beings having a human experience.

Today!

I've experienced a life-changing event two weeks ago. I survived a head-on car collision. The other car crossed over into my lane. It was his fault, and during my recovery time, I've come to realize how much of a gift Today is for us. I've come to be even more grateful about the little things and the wonderful people in my life. How blessed I am and how much I am able to give back to the world, through my God given gift of words. Read this poem, and take it's meaning, with every moment in your life, and realize we are all blessed to be given the gift of our lives. Remember, how we respond to something is our choice, so choose an empowering, growing and strong one, it will make all the difference in your reality.

There are two days in every week about which we should not worry, two days which should be kept free from fear and apprehension. One of these days is YESTERDAY, with its mistakes and cares, its faults and blunders, its aches and pains. Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control All the money in the world cannot bring back yesterday. We cannot undo a single act we performed or erase a single word we said. Yesterday is gone. The other day we should not worry about is TOMORROW, with its possible adversities, its burdens, its large promise, and its poor performance. Tomorrow is also beyond our immediate control. This leaves only one day, TODAY. Anyone can fight the battles of just one day. It is only when you and I add the burdens of those two awful eternities - Yesterday and Tomorrow - that we break down. It is not the experience of Today that drives us mad, it is remorse and bitterness for something which happened yesterday and the dread of what tomorrow may bring.

Let us therefore… Live this one full TODAY. - Author Unknown

Knowledge Nugget - Who is Michelle-the-Motivator?

Happy June 1st! It's a gorgeous day here in Chicago, the cool breeze is perfect and the sun is shining. It's one of those days you want to commit to memory, so when it rains, you can savor the sunshine and the cool air.

I felt it was the perfect day to begin a motivational blog. Stories, people, events, literature, music, and other collections of inspiration will be the driving content. Since some of you know me, and others don't, this first entry will speak to my personal credentials.

The idea I had was to give you all bite-size entries to overcome any small or large obstacles (negative self-talk, recovery time from a tragedy, hopelessness from job loss, break up from a former loved one, dealing with difficult people, etc.), where you can read it during your lunch break, or in between meetings, or after any difficult client calls.

I view obstacles as challenges to overcome.

• When working on a project that intrigues me, I lose track of time.
• I am goal-oriented.
• I rarely make the same mistake twice.
• If I say I'm going to do something it gets done.
• Success is important to me.
• I'm often the one to come up with new ideas or new way to do things.
• Change doesn't bother me.
• I like learning new things - even things I see no immediate use for.
• I trust my intuition.
• When told something is impossible it makes me want to try even harder. I will work doggedly on a problem until it's solved.
• I take calculated risks.
• I don't suffer from analysis paralysis.
• I like to travel to new and exotic places.
• I bounce back quickly from setbacks.
• I'm self-confident.
• I see the glass as half full.
• I'm kind.
• I love playing with children.
• I view mistakes as inevitable.
• I'm willing to give up security in the present for possible long-term rewards.
• I prefer to travel the road less taken.
• I make decisions based on having enough information, not all the information.
• I enjoy working independently.
• I like to lead projects and people.
• Persistence is my middle name.
• I forgive quickly and let go easily.
• If someone or something no longer serves me, I either let it go completely or I face it head-on and resolve it.
• I am able to connect and build rapport easily.
• Speaking is my greatest gift.
• I am a free-spirit, and love to read, write and speak.
• I am a teacher at heart.
• I'm selective.
• I nurture each relationship as if it's my only one.
• I have learned to "fire" a thought right out of my mind if it does not serve me.
• I give my generous smile to everyone I meet, and feel good about using that gift.
• I've looked death in the eye and survived.
• I'm on my way to achieving every personal and professional dream in this life time.
• I love people, in particular, their quirks.
  

Life is a school room, the events are the subjects, and the way I choose to respond to each event is how my teachers grade me.