Tag: inspiration

MIRACLE AT THE DRY CLEANERS 👕

Here is a story that was relayed to me that I would love to pass on to all of you. It is a prime example where you can go from being a victim, to being a miracle worker. I warn you that doing this is not easy or for the faint of heart. What I can promise you is that it will bring you boundless joy and help transform the world. Does that sound like I might be reaching for hyperbole? Hear my story and decide for yourself.

My friend was working at a dry cleaners. I am sure on an average day most transactions transpired like the picture above. Both parties smiling and things going smoothly. Maybe a lot of them are people complaining about the price of dry cleaning? I really don’t know as I have worked with the public, but never in a dry cleaning concern. What is certain is that if you work with the public for long enough, you are going to have a tough day. It is just such a day that our story takes place on.

An older customer came in looking to get a suit cleaned. “This is a very important suit. I need it cleaned very carefully and back in a timely fashion.” the woman stated. My friend informed her of the charges and the lady paid. My friend prepared the suit to be sent off to be cleaned. He marked it urgent and placed it ahead of the other garments that were to be sent out for the day. The next day he was expecting to see the suit come back. It did not. As expected the lady came it to retrieve her garment. My friend had to apologize and inform the older lady that it had not returned yet. “It is important I get that suit back on time young man.” she asserted once more. My friend promised her he would look into it.

The following day came, but the suit did not. The lady appeared before my friend and inquired about picking up the suit she had paid to get cleaned. When informed that is was not present, she became incensed. My friend told her he would call the location that cleaned the item himself and he could call her with an answer. “I’ll wait.” she informed him, becoming angrier by the minute. My friend picked up the phone and inquired about the nice suit he had sent to get cleaned. “Umm…that one, yeah we lost it.” the voice on the other end of the receiver told him. He glanced up at the elderly woman who was becoming impatient for an answer. “Can you find it?” he implored. “We will look and call you back.” He hung up. “Well, what did they say?” she pressed. He swallowed hard before giving his answer.

When informed the garment had been lost, he had expected her to be upset. What he did not expect was the rage and expletives that followed. She repeated how important this suit was and how she needed it back right away. Just then the phone rang and it was the warehouse. “Yeah, that suit is gone.” He was told unofficially that sometimes nicer items, such as this suit, had a way of disappearing. Could he really tell this lady who was already so upset that someone might have taken it? The man on the other end of the receiver suggested that my friend offer a coupon for the next time she wanted something cleaned. How that would work if you lost the first item is beyond me, but that answer is easy to give when you are not face to face with the customer.

Seeing how upset the woman was, my friend decided to take a different approach. He recalled a saying he once heard, “Hurt people hurt people.” He went over to the woman and said, “Ma’am, I understand you are upset about your suit being lost, and I don’t blame you. However, is everything alright?” Now, after being cussed out and screamed at, would you consider that customer’s feelings? Most of us would have to honestly answer ‘no’. My friend did and this is where the miracle occurred.

After my friend’s question, the woman broke down in tears. Between her sobbing, she explained the suit had belonged to her only son who had just passed away. His funeral was that weekend and she wanted him buried in his finest suit. Soon, my friend’s eyes were also filled with tears. He asked the lady if he could give her a hug. Suddenly, all of the vicious things, and expletive rants made sense. It wasn’t anger over a lost suit. No, it was the pain over the loss of an only son. After she had left, my friend called the owners of the dry cleaner and explained the situation. The contacted the woman. Although they were never able to find the suit, they gave her money to buy the best suit in town for her son as he was laid to rest.

The point of this story is that my friend took the time and effort to discover what the woman was hurting from. Instead of compounding the woman’s grief, he may have very well showed her, through his compassion, that others really do care. Suffering the loss of her only son was a grief he could not take away, but seeing a young man care so much for a stranger that was cursing him out, may have given her a little feeling of hope.

If we understand that it really is hurt people that hurt people, we can go from victim to being someone’s angel in time of need. Is that easy? No. Not taking someone’s insults personally and still showing enough compassion to inquire about their pain can change the world. Not only for them, but for the world at large. How about you? Are you able to brush off a personal attack and consider that person may just be expressing they are hurting? It doesn’t have to be a stranger. Think of how many times this happens in families, at the workplace or even between loving spouses. Understanding their anger may be coming from a place of pain will allow us to heal in a way we could not if we just feel like a victim.

LESSON FROM A NEW TEACHER 👩‍🏫👨‍🏫

Recently, Margie set up a coffee date with another couple. She has a knack for picking some good people. In the course of a very inspiring conversation, my new friend and teacher, CJ, said something I think will impact us all. What he said was not only profound, but will add to our lives. It is something we should all wake up to that will positively impact our lives.

We were discussing perspective and how it drives performance. He relayed something he had heard that he uses to help keep his life in proper perspective. Enough with the build up. What was it that CJ said that I think will be so impactful for us all? It was this simple question. “If you would only wake up with only what you were grateful for the night before, how much would you wake up with?” When I heard this, it struck me. How about you? When you think about all of the blessings we have that we do not take the time to stop and be grateful for, how many do they number? I don’t know about you, but they are near countless for me.

Let us look at a few quick examples to help drive the point home. There is, of course, the love of my life, Margie. There are times when we are not seeing eye to eye. We do our best to never go to bed that way, but sometimes it happens. When you and your special someone go to sleep, whether you are getting along or not, do you pause and take a moment to be grateful for them? We are talking about focused gratitude. What if you were to wake up and they were gone forever? How about throughout the course of a day? Margie gives me plenty of reasons to be grateful. Whether that is sending me silly messages about rockets while I am busy at work, or having a delicious home-cooked meal to come home to, there are always reasons to be grateful for. Because they happen so often, I have to be careful not to take them for granted.

The person you love is an easy example. There are others. What about where you live? It could not be in the neighborhood you desire. Your house could need lots of work, or maybe your rent or mortgage eats up most of your paycheck. It is easy to complain about those things, but what if you woke up homeless tomorrow? How about work? That’s a good one. Work is easy to complain about it. I am as guilty as anyone when it comes to that. Waking up early, time away from family, crazy bosses and coworkers. There are a million things to complain about. What if they told you tomorrow you were out of a job? Suddenly, all of those things you were complaining about you would be grateful to have in your life.

Ask yourself this question, “If you were to wake up with only the things you were grateful for the night before, what would you wake up with?” I think that is a powerful question that can not only change our perspective, but help us live a life filled with more gratitude and a lot less lack. I know that I am going to put this question to use in my life. How about you? Once again, shout out to CJ and Faith for a great time over coffee.

REMEMBER TO REMAIN INDEPENDENT 🇺🇸

Today in the United States, we celebrate Independence Day. I imagine in Great Britain, they do not celebrate so much. Although this is certainly a national holiday, some of the principles should be celebrated and incorporated globally. Today, we are going to take a look at a few of these characteristics and look into what it means to truly be independent. These thoughts can be applied both politically and personally. We are going to take a look at both of them.

One of the main sticking points in the colonies declaring independence from our good friends overseas was “Taxation without representation.” Meaning, the people in jolly old England collected taxes from the colonists, but they did not have any say in how that money was spent. Our government is set up so every person who pays taxes has a representative in the government. The sad thing is that most of us do not ever have contact with this person. It is not that we are unable. It is that complaining is easier than looking up contact information. We should regularly share what is, and is not important to us with our elected representatives. On a personal level, we should always make our desires and what is important to us known to those who make decisions that affect our life as well. This includes our boss, our spouse and anyone who plays a roll in making decisions in our life. This is not to say we should be a fountain of complaint. Far from it. Just like in politics, when you are charming and persuasive, the results are a lot better. My suggestion is to read the book, How to Win Friends and Influence People.

Another point of grievance was freedom of religion. Not all of the colonists wanted to belong to the great church of England. They wanted to be free to practice their religion, whatever that may be. Personally, I think this is a good thing to be able to do. As long as your belief does not bring harm to others, it is my belief that you should be able to practice whatever religion makes your spirit happy. I think laws based on specific religions or dogma do not belong in an independent country. Laws for common sense morality are a different story. Another important point to note is that laws cannot govern one’s heart. What you believe is a personal and spiritual process, not one that can be mandated by the state.

Speaking of personal, there is a way in which this can be applied to our personal lives. Just as the government has no right to tell you what religion you should practice, neither does your neighbor. As long as your religion is focused on bettering yourself and not causing harm to others, it does not matter in what form it takes. You may not have to agree with the ritual and beliefs of your neighbor, but you must respect them. That is part of being independence. You would not want them telling you what you must believe, therefore, you must not tell them what is right or wrong when it comes to their spiritual beliefs. That is one reason the ‘golden rule’ is the same in so many spiritual practices. We all are required to respect our neighbor, just as they should respect us. I think this is one thing that could use a great deal of attention in today’s world. Being independent is not only being free to believe and worship how you choose, but to allow others to do the same. That especially holds true for those who are different than we are.

MONDAY WIN… WELL… KIND OF…😎

Today is cause for celebration! At the beginning of the year, one of my resolutions was to have a blog everyday for the year. Do you know what today marks? The 365th day in a row I have posted. Some were long and detailed, some were short and sweet. For 365 days, there was a blog posted on this site. I did this for 2 very important reasons. First, you never know when you might need a bit of motivation or inspiration. I felt that I should consider that fact that every day people are facing struggles throughout the globe. We are followed in over 200 different countries. Surely, one of those people, in one of those countries, is having a tough day and could use a little lift.

The second reason I wanted to have a post for a year straight was to show some consistency. If people can see that you are dedicated to providing thoughtful content, they might be a bit more dedicated to reading it. That seemed like a fair trade. By posting everyday, I was also hoping we could continue to expand our secret2anamazinglife family. The more content I shared, and the more often I shared it, the more likely it was to reach people. My mission in life is to help as many people bring positive aspects to their lives as I can before my time here is done. Posting every morning would help accomplish that.

Like Eric Thomas says here, you can catapult a Monday win into a winning week, and then a winning month. That is one of the reasons you should not write off Monday. If you do, you will be setting yourself up for a week that is not winning. We have discussed the importance of consistent effort on this blog many times. You can’t have a week of consistent effort unless you start on Monday! This has transformed my way of thinking of Monday. Instead of an end to the joy of the weekend, it is a beginning of a winning week!

If you noticed in the title of this post, I did add “Kind of” to the celebrating. Why? Even though I have posted a blog for 365 days straight, the goal was to do one for the entire year. That goal was set on January first of this year. We are only a little over halfway for the year being complete. I am going to use this accomplishment to remind myself that posting everyday is possible. For the next 6 months, you will still have a post here every day. I look forward to serving you for the rest of the year. Please share your Monday wins with all of us.

MISSING PIECE OF THE PUZZLE 🧩

It is a new month and we are going to take a step back and refocus so we can accomplish great things this month. How many of you have heard of the Law of Attraction? I am assuming if you absorb any sort of social media, or enjoy any self-improvement material, the answer would be a resounding “Yes”. Asked what the Law of Attraction (LOA) is, many people give a version of this answer – it is thinking positive to attract positive things. This is only one piece of the puzzle. Just like any puzzle, if you do not have all of the pieces, you will never get the whole picture.

There are actually three pieces to the puzzle of the Law of Attraction. Two very important pieces of the puzzle many of us miss. These two pieces are feeling (or vibration) and action. Many people watch movies, or read books, about the law of attraction and think it is just about thinking things into existence. That is not how the law works. It is a piece of the puzzle, but just one. You must accompany these thoughts with the corresponding emotion. Think of how you will feel when what you are picturing becomes reality. How will you feel when you get that new high-paying job? How about wrapping your arms around that special someone? How do you feel when a burning desire is finally realized? You feel so full of joy that you feel you are almost buzzing. Like electricity is flowing through your veins. That is called ‘vibration’. These have become such buzz words, they have lost some of their power. Is your vibration really that important? Let us look at what one of the smartest people in science had to say about it.

Understanding the secrets of the universe? That is pretty powerful stuff. Mr. Tesla was one smart individual. Did you happen to notice the other word he used in this quote? Energy. Have you ever met someone and just thought, “I love their energy!” That is actually what first attracted me to Margie. Your vibration is your energy. Having a positive energy can help you not only land an amazing partner, but jobs, friends and a million other things. How about the reverse? Have you ever run across someone with a negative vibration? Bob Marley used to call them emotional vampires. Why? They literally suck the emotional life out of you. Have you ever had a day where your vibration or energy was negative or low? We all have. What is that like? It usually causes us to be lethargic. We tend not to feel like socializing with friends. We trade healthy eating and the gym for junk food on the couch binge-watching our favorite reality show. Persisted in long enough, this will leave us with physical challenges as well.

I love this diagram because it shows how the 3 pieces of the puzzle feed off each other. This leads us to the final piece – action. As we showed in the negative example above, having a low vibration can lead us to taking negative actions. This will undoubtedly lead to a negative outcome. We can use this to our advantage. If we turn it around and focus on what we want to accomplish and accompany that with the feeling or vibration/energy we will have when it is accomplished, we will take far more constructive action. If you think of how much you desire to be a better golfer, you imagine yourself as a championship golfer, maybe even that you are on television with the world watching. Are you going to take your time lining up your shot or just swing away and hope for the best.

This is one of those quotes that used to drive me crazy. How the hell can I be something before doing it? Now, considering all of the pieces of the puzzle we discussed, it makes sense. If you picture yourself being something, feel how it will feel when you are it, you are going to take actions that person would take. In the end, that will end up with you becoming it. For those of you playing along at home, that does indeed mean we have to be something in or to…well…be something. Sounds very counterintuitive, but it actually makes perfect sense.

If you are looking to put the law of attraction to work for you, remember to include all of the puzzle pieces. Thinking about something is only one third of the puzzle. Seeing one third of any puzzle will never give you a clear picture. Just like using one third of the Law of Attraction will never give you any results. Remember to use your thoughts, your emotions and action to attract what you want into your life!

ARE YOU WEILDING THIS DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD? 🗡

Here is an example why choosing the right partner in life is so important. Recently, Margie and I had a text exchange the revealed an interesting truth that many of us might be struggling with. Margie has been doing an amazing job of living a healthier lifestyle. I am beyond proud of the amazing job she is doing. In doing so, she discovered one of the greatest obstacles to her success. The irony of this obstacle is it was the very thing that enabled her to persevere in many other areas of life. It was, indeed, a double-edged sword.

What was this double-edged sword that my lady both fought with and could also slay any chance she had at being successful with adopting a lifestyle that would allow her to reduce her stress, live longer with her children and grandchildren and have more energy? Her independent mindset. As she so eloquently stated, she never had anyone in her life telling her, “No you should not do that.” This served her in many ways. It helped her to develop the belief in herself she needed to start her own DJ and cake business. When people told her that she might not be able to learn the skills necessary her inner response (and often outer response because that is how my lady works) was, “Nobody can tell me what to do.” This works great for many situations, such as starting your own business. Without it, she might have fell victim to other people’s doubts, limitations and superstitions. It also helped her develop a belief in herself and a sense of independence.

Like many things in life, this independent spirit can be a double-edged sword. If used improperly, it can close our minds to considering and learning anything outside of what we believe to be true. I will also prevent us from changing behaviors that we know deep down are not serving us for fear we will look wrong. Not only to others, but more importantly, to ourselves. Telling ourselves and others, “Nobody is going to tell me what to eat.” or “Nobody is going to make me exercise!” may make us feel powerful. We may even resist doing something we know would be healthier. Why on earth would we do that? If you are using the independent spirit improperly you may worry about doing something they told you to. You may also fear something bigger. The fact that the way you chose to live your life was not the best way. This can be hard for any of us.

To admit our personal identity is flawed, may seem like a failure. I disagree. In my humble opinion, I view as “I am awesome and I just found a way to level up!” As great as any of us are, we cannot know everything about everything. Being stubborn and inflexible may seem powerful, like a mountain. What can wear away a mountain? The most flexible material on earth – water. We must grow and develop. Many times that means accepting the fact that we did not make the best choices in the past. Does that mean you are a failure? No. It means you are getting better.

In many cases of self-improvement, our own worst enemy can be between our own two ears. It can be difficult to overcome a certain mindset. Especially if that same mindset has allowed us to achieve many of our accomplishments. It is a struggle, as my lady will attest to. It involves developing a great deal of self-discipline. This is true freedom. Not letting others master us may seem like the ultimate power. Mastering ourselves, growing and evolving, that is the ultimate power. My lady is doing it. You can too!

WANT TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE? BUY A GOOSE 🪿

There have been many crazy titles I have featured in past posts, but this one might take the cake. I will explain why investing in a goose will radically change your life for the better in just a moment. Before we get to our support of our avian friend, I would like to share with you how I came to this information. That, in a nutshell, will be an example of my investment in my own goose. It involves a step that I recommend to everyone looking to make a positive shift. That is to read, or listen, to one self-improvement thing a day. A lot of people shake their heads and ask, “Do I really have to do that every day?” My answer is that you certainly do not have to do it at all, but then how bad to you want to live a positive and rewarding life?

On this fine morning, I found myself taking in a video by Earl Nightingale on my daily commute to the post office. It was using the time I was doing a different activity anyway. You could put in earbuds and listen as you make your way through the grocery store. You can listen while you are at the gym. Regardless of when you choose to listen, there is always time if you choose to make it. Back to our dear friend Earl and the video I was listening to on this day. In the video, Earl shared a conversation between a friend of his and his 16 year old son. It is this message that I would like to share with you today and I believe will positively affect all of our lives, mine included.

As this man sat down for a chat with his son, he brought a pen and a paper to better illustrate the point he was about to make. The son watched with interest as the man began to draw upon the paper. He drew a fairly decent picture of a goose and behind it he drew 3 eggs. “These are golden eggs, and this is the goose that lays them.” The man explained. He asked the son if he had a chance to buy one or the other which he would purchase. “I would buy the goose of course. Anyone would.” the son replied. “Yes, anyone would if they were presented it this way.” the father replied. He went on to explain that the eggs and goose were metaphorical. The golden eggs stood for the luxuries that people invest in. Their homes, vacations, new cars and things like that. “What is wrong with that?” the son inquired. The father went on to explain there was nothing wrong with that. The problem is that people tend to invest in eggs exclusively.

At this point, you may be wondering what the goose is. So was I. The goose is the bread winner, the person working to afford all of these wonderful items. The more you invest in them, the more golden eggs they will be able to provide. Take yourself for example. You go to work everyday and put in a quality work day. In doing so, you are investing in golden eggs. You can use that money to pay bills, save up for a new car or that exotic trip to Fiji. What about spending time learning about the business you are in? Spend more time on work related issues, even when I am not getting paid? No thank you. This is an understandable feeling. You just spent 8 hours a day, more if you consider the commute. Why would you want to spend even more learning? Think of who stands the best chance for a promotion. Would it be the person who puts in time, or the person who puts in effort and has the most knowledge?

Maybe your goal is not to get a promotion? You could be looking to start your own business. It could be nothing to do with your career at all. You could be looking to live with a greater sense of inner peace. How about learning a new skill? You could desire to be more attractive to your partner, or to attract a new partner. Investing in you will assure that you will be able to be the golden goose and lay more and bigger golden eggs in the future. I may even get a golden goose statue to remind me of this good story.

Whether it is learning any of the skills we mentioned, or simply listening to some self-improvement audio, ask yourself if you are investing in your golden goose daily, or are you just buying golden eggs? This same thought pattern can be applied to fitness. Adopting a healthy lifestyle is one great way to invest in the golden goose. You surely can’t lay golden eggs if you are sick and have no energy. Ask yourself how many of your actions are towards buying golden eggs and how many are for the golden goose?

THE SECRET THAT IS REALLY NOT A SECRET🤫

Recently, Margie and I attended a wonderful graduation party. I did not know anyone there. As we took our seats, I found myself next to a woman who was several years my senior. She began to talk openly with me from the very first second. Not only was she one of the sweetest souls I have encountered, we discovered many things we had in common. We both enjoyed the Wisconsin State Fair immensely. We also both enjoy reading and began to share some of our favorite books. As so often happens, this took us to sharing our philosophy on life. We came to many common conclusions. One, more than the rest, seemed to stand out to me and I would like to share it with you today.

There are a few things in life, that when we pay proper attention to them, can impact nearly every area of our life. With just one simple tweak to these areas, we can radically transform how we experience our time on this planet. One that I think everyone may overlook, or that the very least take for granted, is our perception. What I mean by that is the meaning we give every situation in life. Inky Johnson, one of my favorite speakers, puts it this way, “Perception drives performance every day of the week.” meaning how you view what you do, will determine how you do what you do. Feel free to slowly read that last line again. This may be hard to follow and even harder to believe, but I am going to give you a few examples that really drive the point home.

One of the books we both thought had a powerful impact on our lives was this one. Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. Viktor was a phycologist who was a prisoner in a concentration camp during World War II. To read what this man went through is enough to break your heart. How he managed to make it through was by finding a positive purpose in that journey and immersing himself in it. When I reach a challenging point in my life, I think of a man who was able to make it through one of the most hellish circumstances that a man can be put through. If he could make it through that, how am I to complain about car trouble, or not seeing eye to eye with a friend. Yes, those both can be frustrating situations, but when compared to surviving a death camp, it feels a little foolish to become to upset about them.

I mentioned Inky Johnson earlier. Inky was a football player who was only games away from being drafted into the National Football League. During that game, he made a tackle and through no fault of anyone, lost use of his right arm and hand. He was planning to help his family put and end to generational poverty but was now facing a dilemma of how he could support himself, much less anyone else. To have a dream you have chased since you were 7 years old crushed right before it was about to happen would be soul-crushing enough. To have it happen right after you inform your family you are going to be able to lift them out of a state of poverty would be more than most of us could handle.

Through his faith, Inky understood that he was being redirected. He is now one of the top motivational speakers in the world, and as you can see in the photo above, an author as well. He not only has earned a fair sum and has a career that will outlast any he may have had on the football field, he has also changed and positively impacted countless lives. This is a reward he would not have had if he had not been injured and, more to the point, if he had given up. His accent on why he did what he did, allowed him to continue to push forward and not give up. His perception did truly drive his performance.

What we believe about life and how we view life, will go a long way in determining how we live our life. If we view every obstacle as proof our life was not meant to succeed, then that is what shall be. We will live feeling defeated and beaten down. If we view them as life providing us opportunities to grow stronger, then we will feel as if we are growing with each obstacle we face. The same thing can be said for ‘Failure’. Some of us may view it as a defeat. Others may view it as a stepping stone to success. You can imagine both viewpoints would lead to not only a different emotional state, but different actions being taken. I suggest you not only get your hands on a copy of Viktor Frankl’s book, but take a hard look at your perception of life and how it is impacting the way you live.

A TALE OF 2 CITIES 🌆🌇

This past Saturday evening, Margie and I went to enjoy Greek Fest. It is an event celebrating the Greek culture. We love the food, music and crafts sold there. On the way into the festival we found this doll face down in the gutter. Perhaps it was an omen of things to come. As we were standing in line to get into the festival we were behind a young man, no older than 16, wearing a shirt that had the quote, “No gun, no fun”. I found this very dispiriting. Considering the rise in violent crime and mass shootings in our nation, I would not allow my child to wear such a shirt and spread such a message.

My mother phoned us and informed us that she was deciding to join us. This was great as there would be another person to split the food with. We got in line and as Margie put it to the lady taking our order, “We will have one of everything.” This included such items as stuffed grape leaves and flaming cheese. As we sat down with our many dishes set to enjoy, chaos erupted. People began running and screaming. Suddenly, a voice came over the PA system announcing they were shutting the festival down. Apparently, a disagreement turned violent somewhere in the midway. I am not sure if the young man mentioned earlier was involved, but I would not have been surprised.

We grabbed our food and headed outside of the festival grounds. Not too far is a small park where we sat on a bench and enjoyed our food, which was now a great deal cooler, and talked about what had just happened. It is a shame that disagreements turn so quickly to violence these days. I do not pretend to have all of the answers, but I can think of some. As we were leaving the park we witnessed a mother dragging her young son by the arm yelling words at him that would make a sailor blush. At one point even telling him that nobody would want him because he was ugly. I could not help but wonder if this is where the problems all start. We need to raise our children in an environment that includes respectful discipline as well as compassion for others.

Some of you may conclude that this is how the world is trending. You may shake your head and think that a few are ruining it for all of us. In some ways I would be inclined to agree with you. Before we draw any conclusions, let me share with you the second half of our evening. My mother somehow managed to convince the overly tired Margie that she might want to walk through a local park. In our leisurely stroll, I found many of these painted rocks. This is an idea that really took off a few years ago. People paint rocks, often add inspiring messages, and hide them throughout the city. There is a local Facebook group where you share a picture of the ones you find and hide. We found many this night and were reminded of the neighbors who use this fun and creative way to bring a community together.

Through the use of social media, a tool that often drives us apart, this group has found a way to connect us. Through the colorful painting of the rocks and especially the inspiring messages some contain, neighbors have found a way to bring joy to others. In a world that can often be found splitting apart at the seems, there are signs of healing and growth. It reminds me of a flower growing in the concrete. There are always reasons to find hope.

The sad events at the festival will hopefully spur some action to toughen laws and put the accent back on what happens at home. The example of finding the rocks in the park shows us there are many good, caring souls out there as well. As I lay in bed falling asleep that night, I could not help but thinking of something I heard Tony Robbins say many times, “What is wrong is always available, but so is what is right.” Yes, there was a negative event that happened in the city. If that is all we chose to focus on, we may draw a number of conclusions. Yet, throw a fun and neighborly hobby done by folks from the ages of 4 to 84, we can see and feel a sign of hope. One solution is to promote and participate in events that bring our communities closer. Thank you to all of the member of the West Allis Rocks Facebook page. You brought light to a dark day.

MEET ME! GRAB A LIFE-CHANGING BOOK AND HELP 2 GREAT CAUSES!😀

Last post, we talked about the importance of sharing your gift. I had mentioned that I had come up with a way to help two wonderful charities. One is called W.I.S.H. (Women Initiate Self-healing and Hope) Which is a support group that provides emotional support for women as they work through the effects of abuse and encourages personal growth in all areas of life. The second group is Rescue Gang. They are an animal rescue group that focuses on the use of foster homes instead of keeping animals in kennels. I consider these two very worthwhile groups to support. I realize that I could not support them as much as I would like on my own, but I can do it with your help.

On July 27th, you can join me at the Peanut Butter and Jelly Deli in West Allis. I will have all three of my books for sale. I will be personally signing them for you. (They make great gifts as well) There will be free gifts for those of you who purchase multiple books. Here is the best part, I will be donating 100% of the profits to both of these charities. If you have all of my books and cannot think of another person’s life that you would love to positively transform, that is fine too. The wonderful establishment that is hosting this event, has committed to donating a portion of their sales for the evening as well.

I would love to see all of you stop down and support two groups that really deserve it. You can do so by purchasing one of my books that will allow you to go from the life you are living, to the life you love. You can purchase one of the many amazing products at the Peanut Butter and Jelly Deli. You can have a meal and a drink. It, as the owner Mike notes, is the only place in town that you can enjoy a PBJ and a PBR at the same time. They have many amazing products you can take with you to enjoy at home, or give as gifts to friends. There will be a link at the end of this post for the event on Facebook. There you will find more details and can ask any questions you may have. From the bottom of my heart, and on behalf of the two organizations, thank you so much for your support.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE EVENT ON FACEBOOK 😀