Spring is official here even if the weather where you are may not show signs of it. I love the spring because this is the time when everything begins again. I love watching the plants bloom and the animals return. The warm weather returns and the days start to be sunnier.

As you can see from the photo, for spring I started growing a small pot of clovers. I got it for a dollar at Target and I was amazed to see them blossom. Each day they reach for the sun through the window.

I realized I am reaching for the sun. I am ready to be outside reading in the sun again. I need spring just like all plants. This is my time to start a new me.

I have already been spending time spring cleaning my house and working on a plan for some house updates in the next few months. My home is growing in the spring so I should as well.

I decided I am going to set 3 personal goals for myself. Goals that push me to personally grow as a person. I want to use the spring to allow myself to be a better me. I am reaching for the sun like the plants. I want to soak up the sun!

What goals could you set for yourself to grow this spring? It is time to spring into a new you!

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This is my 150^th blog entry!  What do you write about on your 150^th blog entry? I wanted to do something fun to celebrate this accomplishment and I wanted it to be themed with 150 so, I decide to share 150 things about me with you.  I appreciate all your support and readership and I want to allow you to get to know me a little better. After 150 things, I think you will know more than enough. J  

1. My favorite holiday is Halloween
2. My birthday is October 14^th
3. I am the baby in my family
4. I graduated early from high school
5. My first job was at Pacific Sunwear (I was a mallrat)
6. I am scared of snakes and throwing up.
7. I am working on reducing my fear of flying. I do fly but I am not a fan.
8. When someone makes a good point that I agree with, I say “TRUE!” (That is the written form used in text messages, emails, and IMs) The in person version sounds so much more fun!
9. I stole a DVC Welcome Mat for my friend Nick because he is a HUGE Disney fan.
10. Outside of Florida, I have traveled to Nassau - Bahamas, Bartlesville – Oklahoma, Gatlinburg – Tennessee, Charleston – North Carolina, Hilton Head – South Carolina, and Macon – Georgia, San Jose – California, and Napa Valley – California.
11. My favorite Yankee Candle scent is Sun and Sand.
12. My favorite Disney movie of all time is the Little Mermaid.
13. I have had 3 pets in my life, First dog was Fluffy, (who we gave away because of bad behavior) my second dog was Rusty, (who passed away from old age) and currently I have my first cat, Piper.
14. The first car I drove was a white and sliver Grand Am. The first car I owned was a red Saturn Coupe. I then owned a Grey Jetta and this year, I bought a Red Honda Civic Coupe.
15. I am currently trying to learn how to juggle.
16. I love Cirque du Soleil. I have seen La Nouba, in Orlando, at least 5 times. I own a lot of Cirque merchandise as well.
17. My friend Becky and I purchased a tension rod for her shower and then created a song about it called, “I love my tension rod” which we sang for quite sometime.
18. I have been to two foam parties which were held in Orlando at the Club at Firestone. The first one was the best; the second one was just cold hence why it was the last.
19. I wore clear braces when I was 16.
20. When I go to Starbucks, I order a venti iced green tea or chai tea latte. I love Starbucks.
21. I love playing with stress toys and have them laying around everywhere, even in my car.
22. I am an Apple Addict. I have a Macbook, Ipod and Iphone.
23. A friend once convinced me to go to a “Paint Your Own Pottery” place. Since that one experience I have painted 2 coffee mugs, a candle holder, cat water bowl and a potted plant pot.
24. I was invited to a preview event when IKEA opened in Orlando. The only thing I bought that day was a potted mini palm tree, and white pot for it, which I named, IKEA.
25. I was on the Mickey Mouse Club when it was filmed in Orlando. I was in the audience in the episode when Dee Dee and Chase sing “Tell Me I am Not Dreaming.” Continue Reading »

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Did you ever notice how small the world is? We are really connected to each other and everyday I learn more and more how. Here are some examples from just the last month:

• Karen and I are both coaches and became friends through our certification program. We live in different parts of the United States and have never met in person. Randomly in conversation one night, we found out that my father and her grandfather were both born in Bermuda. Bermuda is a small island which is 12 miles long and 2 miles wide. How is it possible that two strangers would become friends who both have relatives in Bermuda? We both swear we are cousins now.

• I went on a date with a guy and took him to my favorite restaurant, Café Tu Tu Tangos which he had never been to. He ended up moving to South Florida shortly aster that for a couple of years. He has since moved back to Orlando. He is now the head host at Café Tu Tu Tangos. But what is even weirder is that he is in a masters program at UCF taking a course with only 6 students. I happened to be asked to speak to his class and found him there. How weird is that? What are the odds?

• Lastly, I had a client who ended a 3 year relationship and was ready to move on. He came to me to coach him through the process. I worked with him for 12 weeks and we were able to make a lot of progress. I understand where he was coming from because I had been in the same situation when I ended a 3 year relationship many years ago. At our very last session, he mentioned that he truly had moved on and happened to run into his ex and was able to thank him for the good times. His ex told him, "You sound just like an ex I had a long time ago." My client happened to mention his name and he was the same ex I had broken up with many years ago and said the same thing to. It was me he was talking about to my client when he responded to his thank you.

It doesn’t bother me to be so connected with people. It makes me feel I am not alone. I have learned to be careful how I treat people. Somehow they will always be part of my life and I only want positive, happy people around me. I use my connection with people to improve my life and I am thankful to have all the experiences I do.

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Ending my week long Sea World theme, I wanted to share this great book I have believed in for a long time.

This book is a lot about moving from management to leadership with great results. Based on the experience a manager has going to Sea World. He is amazed that they do not treat the killer whales negatively. There is no punishment when the whales do something bad instead they are just redirected to another activity. When the whales do something good, they are rewarded with positive reinforcement which is rewarded in hugs, rubs, fish, etc.

It all makes sense; how are you going to hit the number predator in the ocean with a stick then get in the water with whale and hope it doesn’t eat you.

In reality, it works great with people as well. Positive reinforcement allows people to keep moving forward instead of stopping because of self doubt or fear. Hearing negative things keeps us from believing in ourselves and taking the risks needed to truly live more productive lives. This is not about making people feel good, just to feel good. It is all about getting better results.

I know I have worked with and been friends with a lot of people who were very negative. I also noticed how my life, back then, was full of  self doubt and less action. It is when I got positive reinforcement I are really able to make great things happen. Again, this wasn’t people telling me I was great all the time just because. It was about the people in my life believing in me, supporting me and appreciating me.

Take a look at this book. It is a great story and a simple read. You will get so much from it.

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Continuing with my Sea World theme for the week, I went and saw the new show, Believe while I was there. During the show they said I quote that I just love:

"There is a moment when you stop wondering and just believe."

It really sums up a lot of what holds me back from really living life out loud. I allow self doubt to creep in and keep me from taking action and moving forward. I can spend a lot of time thinking of the best solution, asking others for advice and their opinions and then finally I may make a choice.

If I would just stop wondering about what to do and just believe in myself, I will make the best choice and move forward in life. It is hard sometimes just to believe in yourself but I am getting better at it throughout the years. I see the great results I get when I believe in myself so I know it is my best bet.

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This week was my ex’s birthday. I was preparing to send him the normal birthday wishes but then I stopped and started to think about what I was doing.

He has received all emails letting my friends know the exciting things that have happened in my life. He has received all the holidays text messages and cards I send to all my friends wishing them well. I just remembered though, he has not responded within the year. 

If any of my friends stop responding to my emails, phone calls or text messages, I take that as a hint that they are busy and I stop including them. They will get in touch with me later if they want to. But, why haven’t I discontinued to contact him? 

I figure it is because we shared more than a friendship. We had a relationship that lasted 3 years but that was 8 years ago. I think part of me is afraid of letting it go. It is easier for me to keep the contact because I get to hold on for a little longer. But what am I holding on to?

Our time has come and gone, I know this.  We had our great times but we learned that we just weren’t meant to be. We had separate goals and dreams. We had different expectations and we have selected different paths to follow in our lives.

It is easy for me to say I will always love him but who do I love? I love the him of the past who shared his life with me. I do not know who he is now, 8 years later. I have great memories of us but they too are of the past. He is not part of my present nor is he part of my future.

I decided it was time to let him go…

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Time is passing us by each day. I am guilty, like everyone else, on wasting time. This week the time change is kicking my ass so I spent all last evening in bed watching TV and doing nothing.  I had plans to start spring cleaning but instead I watched re-runs of shows I had already seen. I even went to bed early trying to recover but I am still dragging.

So this morning I decided to revisit my goals for this year. Sometimes I need to give myself a little kick to jump start my life back into motion. I haven’t set any goals that I won’t be able to achieve but I need to get re-energized to make them happen. I am looking at my goals and decided which ones can I make plans to tackle this month.

One being spring cleaning. I know how clutter in your house can really hold back your life so I going to commit to finishing all of my spring cleaning this month. If I just commit to it now it will be done and I can move on to more fun things to do.

Of course I am not going to just work hard all month, I need to have fun too so; I am also going to commit to going to Sea World this month. I haven’t been in years and it is one of my favorite parks. I have the tickets, I just need to pick a weekend and plan it out. Maybe I will even get to do the lunch buffet with the behind the scenes tour!

Now I am ready to get my life in motion. I will be making a plan for the spring cleaning and looking at the weekend’s weather to pick the best time for Sea World. Maybe I will even get to share some pictures from the day.

So are you feeling dragged down my Daylights Saving Time, why not revisit your goals and get yourself jump started again!

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There are so many areas in your life to think about and grow in. There is no way you can multi-task your life and work on all areas at once in an effective way. Where you focus your energy is where you will see the most progress. Unsuccessfully focusing on everything will lead to nowhere.

 I know I try to do this but it never works. I have to sit down with myself and take a quick poll of my life areas and decide which one I am going to focus on right now. As you know from my blog it is my health area which includes fitness.

Take a few minutes and think about your life areas and which one you should be focusing on most. Let me know…

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I use to play truth or dare all the time when I was younger. Who I am kidding, I just played it last month.  It is a fun game where you learn about your friends and push them out of their comfort zones. I love this game!

When playing you simply have to choose truth or dare.

Some people will always choose truth because they see it as the safe choice. They just have to answer a question which reveals a little about themselves and only they know if they told the truth.

Some people choose dare because they want to take a risk. Maybe they enjoy living life on the edge or maybe they trust their friends not to make it so rough on them. Whatever reason is behind their choice, the dare is over in minutes, they are filled with such a rush for doing it, and they get a sense of accomplishment for completing the simple task.

Either way, you are playing a game with your friends which makes you laugh for hours.

When it comes to your life, do you think you are playing it safe or are you taking risks and pushing yourself to grow and learn? In the game of life, do you choose truth or dare?

I choose DARE!

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 Taking time out to vacation is something I think is very important for your life. I have been thinking back on the last time I took a real vacation and it has been over 5 years. Can you believe I have not taken a vacation in over 5 years? I realize I tell people all the time about the importance of work/life balance and here I am not taking the time to plan my own personal vacation.

 My friend Nick plans a trip from NYC to Orlando at least once a year and sometimes more. He gets away from his home/work and spends time doing something he loves most, Disney. Yes I always get to join in the fun with him but it is not my vacation. So I need to plan a vacation. There is no choice but to sit down and really think about where I would like to go and make the plans to make it happen. I need a break.

 I am not a huge fan of traveling so I am thinking of something that will be a simple and nice trip. I always say I will take weekend trips but they never happen so, I am going to plan one week away from it all and just relax. I am thinking somewhere on a beach where I can enjoy the ocean breeze and the warm sun. I want to enjoy great food and do nothing. Now I just have to select where…

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