Wrapping Up 2009
January 1, 2010
2009 was bright!
Participating in the #best2009 Blogging Challenge has been an easy and delightful way of remembering the small and simple things of 2009 that have made it special for me. I appreciate the Challenge, as I honestly don’t think I would have given myself the time to reflect on the year appropriately, thank it, and wrap it up like a nice gift! In fact, today, the first day of 2010, the visualization of me wrapping up my year, giving it away, and setting aside a nice, large box to fill for 2010 is my gift to myself.
So, I shall begin my New Year, by completing the Challenge and remembering a few more moments and people who helped to make my year.
Dec. 19 – Car Ride – Just yesterday, Dec. 31, 2009, my children and I dropped off daddy at a friend’s house and took the long way home…windows open, music kicking, and enjoying the beautiful homes and nurturing oak trees. This has always been a pastime for our family. In fact, it’s one of the ways we incorporate Visioning into our lives…imagining the perfect home for us and claiming it ours!
During the drive, Celine Dion’s “Taking Changes” inspired me further as I not only envisioned our future, but what this next year would hold for us. “What do you say to taking chances, what do say to jumping off the edge, never knowing if there is solid ground below, or a hand to hold, or hell to pay. But, what do you say?” I say go for it!
The ride and the song gave me the right energy to begin 2010. And, I believe my daughter felt the same. When we arrived home, she said, “Mommy, let’s go on another ride!” Anytime, baby.
Dec. 20 – New Person – Melissa Izquierdo is not a stranger to me. She has been working in our office for many years. But, this year, she was “gifted” to me, so to speak, as my right hand in the office. All I can say is what a gift she is, indeed! Life and work become so much more pleasurable when you have a partner by your side who cares about the quality of our work, and enjoys learning and growing along the way! She is a true professional, a shining star, and I’m very grateful for her. Thanks for all you do, Mely!
Mely
Dec. 23 – Web Tool – Hands down, the iPhone!! Need I say more? 🙂 Those of you who are iPhone users get me. You can read one of my recent blogs that gives you a glimpse as to how I use it to be productive.
Dec. 26 – Aha Moment – This year was about self-discovery for me. I immersed myself in books, concepts, skills, and more so that I could reinvent myself. Why? It was time. The gift in the process was understanding that while it is essential to create a powerful vision for your life and move toward it with action and passion, your “purpose” lies in living your vision in the moment…finding joy in everything that you do and being grateful for all of the joys and lessons life brings. “Therefore, I AM, and I AM NOW. Ahhh!”
Dec. 29 – Biggest Belly Laugh – Gosh, I’ve had a lot of laughs this year and I am grateful for all of those moments, because, as we know, laughter adds more years to our lives! One that made me laugh so hard that I cried was watching my son (11) breakout into an uninhibited hip-hop dance. It was so genuine, and so filled with passion, and it was so good, too! We were all outside enjoying a cool night and a bonfire, playing music, when an old 80’s tune came on that just lit a spark in him. I wish I had a video camera to capture the moment. Regardless, it is imprinted in my heart forever.
I think that will do it for this Challenge, although there are so many more moments, people, experiences and things I will cherish about this past year. Thanks for the memories, 2009.! I’m wrapping you up and gifting you back to the universe.
I’d like to close with this great quote that inspired me today from Martha Beck:
“By creating plans and acting on them you create an energy zone of clarity and power. That alone can change your life.”
What plans, or thoughts of 2010 are revving you up? I’d love to hear from you.
Go create some great plans for 2010 that will energize you and propel you forward.
My best wishes to you and yours for a magnificent and miraculous year.
Monique
Related Posts:Â Set an Intention for the New Year, Your Top 10.
Vision Quest
August 31, 2009
 
    I was channel surfing yesterday and came across an old 80’s flick you may remember—Vision Quest. If you’re my age—let’s just say “in the late 30’s”— and you are a female, chances are you will definitely remember this movie, since Madonna had a cameo in it as a bar performer, singing her hit love song, “Crazy for You.” I think I was around 13 or 14 when that song and movie came out, and who didn’t have a crazy crush at that age, right? So, when I first watched Vision Quest, the thing I remembered most about the movie was the love story…the crush…the first love.
When I saw it this time, however, my perspective was completely different. What caught my attention was this 18 year old’s insatiable quest for success—his relentless pursuit for excellence. His belief in himself and in his capabilities was un-matched; his excitement was so high it was untouchable.  Simply put, his vision was focused, powerful and tangible.
We all have goals. Perhaps not all of them are at the forefront of our mind and of our lives, but what if at least one of them was, just as it was for the young man in the movie? How would achieving just one major goal change your life?
Author Jack Canfield—“America’s Success Coach” believes that it is essential to have a Breakthrough Goal. This is not just any goal, this is a goal that, if accomplished, will “represent a quantum leap for you,” not just an incremental improvement. Within our team at the office we are focusing on goal-setting and achievement as well as the identification of at least one breakthrough goal. Why? It’s so easy to set goals that are reachable, especially those that are expected of us in some capacity, either at work or at home. I bet one of these goals will come to mind for you right now as one did for me. However, it’s usually those things that we truly want to achieve, dreams we want to breathe life into, which we shy away from. These goals make us work so much harder than we are used to and show the world (especially ourselves!) what we’re made of. These are the goals that allow us to shift our paradigms, re-define ourselves, and shout out, “Wow, I really can do this!”
The best part about the movie was how by having a vision and sticking to it, the character inspired so many around him as well—his classmate who was abused by his father, the local chef who never had the chance to do what he dreamed of, the older girl—his first love—who was lost and hated the world, and his grandfather, who felt hope again after experiencing his grandson’s determination and achievement.  He actually inspired his entire town. He was a beacon of light and hope.
You see, when we witness the achievement of breakthrough goals by others, we are inspired, even if only for a moment, to do something extraordinary with our lives; to take a risk, push harder than ever, and stay the course. How can we extend that moment long enough to help us create our own breakthrough moment? I’d love for you to ponder this question with me this month.
How crazy are you for a breakthrough? I’m ready for my vision quest! Are you?
Honoring your values through rituals
December 23, 2008
As we’ve discussed in my previous blogs, November and December provide us with perfect opportunities to think about how we can center ourselves through mindful meditation, with music, or by just being. But during these joyful, yet hectic months, I find that it is always a great time to think about what we value most and to create ways to honor those values we hold dear. Why? The holidays themselves are a ritual, so why not evaluate how to strengthen this ritual as well?
Just recently, my husband and I had a conversation surrounding our family values. And we both agreed that this was one area of our life that we needed to pay more attention to. We decided that we wanted to introduce a few rituals into our week that would help us feel more united, provide our children with a deeper spiritual foundation, and mostly, to just enjoy each other’s company and be present, in the moment, with one another.
So, with only so many hours in a day, and the many stressors we deal with daily— like our busy careers, exercise, dinner, homework, etc., how do you introduce meaningful rituals into your routine? In my opinion, you do it slowly! Try one thing at a time, giving yourself time to evaluate if the new ritual is accomplishing the goal you had set out for it to achieve.
In our case, we decided to start by creating our Friday Night Family Night three times per month. Because we hardly ever eat dinner as a family, the one very important criteria of our Family Night is that we eat dinner together. The second and third criteria is that we have fun and laugh a lot, and that it is just the four of us. The kids are quite excited about it too, because each week one of them will choose what our activity will be, whether it’s the movies, the park, playing a game…and dinner of course! Maybe we’ll make home-made pizza, or bake cookies. The options are endless, and we love the spontaneity of it.
The second activity we plan to implement soon (again, the key is to introduce them slowly so as not to overwhelm yourselves!) is to set aside 30 minutes to read a short story (spiritually or values-based) with our children and to discuss its lesson. When do we do this proactively? Usually, we are teaching our children right from wrong after they have committed an action we don’t approve of. Or, we hope that by osmosis they will obtain this data during Sunday service. I really like the idea of having a short conversation with them, allowing them the opportunity to imagine what kinds of decisions they could make if they were involved in certain, perhaps tense or uncomfortable situations. Think of the power in that.
So, during this holiday season, which will seem to fly by, maybe you can take a moment to think of a value that is important to you, but is not necessarily reflected in your current activities. Would you like for that value to be more present in your life? How would your life be different if it were? How much time would it take to make that happen? Could 10 to 30 minutes make the difference? You don’t have to have children in order to live a more values-driven life. I would dare to say your life would be a bit more on purpose if you did.
And with purpose on my mind, I now wish each of you a purposeful and prosperous holiday season, filled with memorable rituals! May love and joy surround you and those you love during these special days and continue on in the New Year!
Monique
Illumined Life Leadership 