The Journey with No End – Week 24

As with everything else all good things must come to an end. There really is a time and a purpose for every season. Now that we are at the commencement of the MKMMA experience I feel confident, full of life and ready to charge onto my next venture of using my gifts to affect the lives of those whom I come in contact with. With my newly found drive to conquer the world, this experience has left me feeling fulfilled and empowered. I have gained a tremendous amount of insight over this last six-month period and I now feel like I can see life in three dimensions. I believe that I can become the change I wish to see as an independent self-leader.

When I first began this MKMMA experience I was not sure about myself and I was unsure of what to expect. But I learned that “The prizes of life are at the end of each journey, not near the beginning” (Og Mandino). Now that I am at the end of my journey I became more than I expected, and like all journeys that do not end, I must now change my direction and keep on going.

What really matters now at the end of this journey for me is not what I bought or what I paid for, but what I built; the friendships that I have made. It isn’t so much what I got, but what I shared with others. Although my competence was not judged I remain thankful for the character I built here. While my success was important I would like to believe that what I did was of some significance. We all have to “live a life that matters – Live a life of love”.

 

Pushing the Envelope – Week 23

This week I feel the need to complete things. Perhaps this may have something to do with that happy knack thing, but now I have the urge to see things through to the end. I recently heard the saying “how you do anything is how you do everything” and I found that to be an interesting point of view. If I do things half-way, then maybe I do all things half-way. If I tend to complete tasks, then maybe I always complete tasks. Presently, I seem to be experiencing the up-side of that saying and I feel it is time to “push the envelope” literally… the correct envelope… the prosperity envelope that Napoleon Hill speaks about. Now more than ever I feel that I must reach for the blessings and hold that envelope close to me.

Yesterday someone shared with me that life is like a tree and that you can choose whichever branch you want to choose. We all make a choice and that’s the choice we make and must live by. Luckily for me if I am unhappy with the choice I originally made then I can always change it. I can always make another choice or a better choice. So, I am deciding to make a better choice now. Thank you, Hill, and thank you MKMMA.

 

The Sound of Silence – Week 22a

I enjoyed listening to the sound of silence this week. I went to Mulberry Park into the tall pine-forested area that was covered with pine needles on the ground. After about twenty minutes in I sat on a bench and I closed my eyes and just listened to all the sounds of nature around me. I heard the faint sound of water rippling from the brook close by and the whistling of the breeze through the tall trees. It was a cold winter day about 40 degrees, but It was peaceful and quiet, and the sun shone through the trees onto my face. On the one side of this forested area was a golf course and on the far end of the opposite side, there was a trail. As I looked up at the pine trees I taught about how tall and strong they appeared although they easily swayed in the breeze. I also thought that the trees got their nutrients and all else that they needed to exist from their surroundings. They all looked like a community of trees. Perhaps there is a connection here between the trees and myself I thought, and maybe, just maybe I too can get what I need to exist from my surroundings and from my community so that I also can provide shade and comfort to others in return.

I walked further into the forested area where I found another bench and I sat closed my eyes while in the silence. There I saw someone who looked just like me. If I didn’t know any better, I would have taught that it was my twin. I was stunned by how she looked. She seemed to look much younger than I do, and she appeared to be super focused and purpose-driven. I observed in disbelief and I kept asking myself “what’s happening here, am I really seeing this, am I dead or am I still here?” I observed for long while then I eventually came out of my sit and silently walked around some more and observed before ending the day. My first Day of Silence was just absolutely incredible!

Life Is A Journey – Week 22

This week I reflected on what might be my next move as we draw closer to the close of the MKMMA program. Now that the month of March has begun, March 24^th will be here at the blink of an eye. I am enjoying this journey that I have embarked upon here but isn’t that the way it usually is. It appears that the journey is usually more enjoyable than the destination. On the last trip I made to California I was very excited about getting there. When I got there I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. However, when it came time to leave there was no more wind left in my sail; I was not so happy anymore.

I am a firm believer that “when you’re ripe you rot, and when you’re green you grow”. As a result, I’m always on the lookout for ways in which I could grow and develop. So, I figured to bring more joy to my life at this time I need to find an opportunity to give (give more get more) when I remembered hearing about the “March to 3000”. I figured this could be my next journey. I could get to learn some skills that I can use in my business. I could get to mastermind with members and I could get to contribute towards helping others. What do you think the person I intend to become did next? You guessed it! I applied to be a part of the March to 3000 group and I am now looking forward to writing more exciting blogs with videos.

 

Learning – Week 21

This week I learn that people learn for themselves. When I was growing up I had a friend who said the weirdest things. Many times, the things he said would throw me for a loop. One day he stepped to me and said, “learn me something”. At first, I thought it was silly, but after examining his statement carefully and before rushing to correct him, I considered that there might have been something to what my friend was saying. Is this an act of recognition? After all, we learn for ourselves. We can’t really teach others, but they do learn for themselves. Just like when I sat in Bible School, I didn’t always get the lesson that was taught but I did have quite a few breakthroughs and I always learned something. I imagine that I learned from the lesson what I needed to learn that was specifically for me at the time.

Similarly, often I hear other people proudly state that they have helped Jane Doe or John Public in some way or the other, and to myself, I speculate that if that were so then Jane Doe or John Public would be the one to say that. I guess that’s one reason why testimonies are so valuable. We may think we helped someone, but that person may not even know it. They may not think that they have been helped.

 

Sometimes I need to get out of my own way to learn and grow, and I am discovering that when I do, and I am open to a different shift in perspective it becomes available for me to entertain a new idea that would stretch my mind never to return to its original state. My family members shared with me that they have been seeing a lot of personal growth in me since having taken this MMK course. I thought I was always like this. The cement must be chipping away.

 

Dash – Week 20

Have you ever had one of those days when you had so much to accomplish on your bucket-list that you found yourself dashing around to get it all done forgetting to acknowledge the person who greeted you with a smile, or not pausing for a moment to bid farewell to your neighbor hastening off to work, or not realizing that the person standing in front of you in the line was the very person you have been wanting to contact for the longest time. That’s when I knew that I needed a time-out. It was then that I realize that my life was going by in a flash and I was missing out on the many opportunities before me. Opportunities to make a vested contribution in someone else’s life. Life goes by in such a flash and at the end of the day, as I look back on it, that day would have already been lived. “Each hour of this day I cherish for it can never return. Each minute I trade only for something valuable”. (OG) Like being able to share myself and touch the lives of others; which reminds me of that good old saying by Albert Pike “what we have done for ourselves dies with us; what we have done for others remains and will live forever”. Accomplishing the things on my list at the expense of cultivating my relationships with others did not permit me to be the best that I can be. “I have but one life to live and life is nothing but a measurement of time”. (OG)

A shift in my thinking helped me to realize the value of including others in my world surrounding me into my world because you never really know when next you will be in that person’s presence. Seems like it all boils down to “The ability to adjust our thought processes to the will of the Universal”. (TMK)

Change – Week 19

I remain grateful for the information Mark shared on this week’s 19 MKE video. I especially appreciated the talk by Amy Cuddy on training your brain and the serendipitous way in which she was able to prove Mark’s theory of his signature pose of his raised hands in the air. Amy says that when we feel powerless we close-up and make ourselves smaller. This is a position that I seem very familiar with and it brought back to my memory why I felt that way at the time. My body actions or my non-verbal’s as Amy calls it was me giving my power away vs us opening-up when we feel powerful. It was refreshing to learn about the “pose” and that it is ok to fake it until you become it. Amy highlighted that “our bodies change our minds, and our minds change our behavior, and our behavior changes our outcome.”

This helped me to change my perspective on some things this week regarding changes in my life. As I reflected on where I was before and where I am now I realize that “I will waste not a moment mourning yesterday’s misfortunes, yesterday’s defeats, yesterday’s aches of the heart” (OG). I can not change what happened in the past, but I can use the power that has been given to me to change my mind and alter what my future can look like. I can reclaim my power with the aid of these poses and the self-talks I give to myself because as Amy shared “tiny tweaks can lead to big changes”.

Reflections – Week 17 HJ

As I reflect on where I was when I began this MKE course and looking at where I am now, I certainly feel differently. Before I would be apprehensive to approach people in need because of fear of the unknown, but now it is a natural response for me to reach out to anyone who appears to need help. I feel like I have had a shift in perspective with this. I am reminded of the very first time that I saw a homeless man and I thought about what his situation might be or if help was available to him. It is clear now that I was the answer to both those taught and that if I could go back in time and right the wrong with that homeless guy, I would become the hero to do so.

In my transformation, I have also become more focused and more productive in fulfilling my purpose in that I have begun my certification process to become a Financial Advisor. I have also been seeking to master-mind with others who are interested in helping others find their purpose. And I discovered that with having this MKE experience, that those people that I am looking for seem to be finding me. It as if the things that I need are falling into my lap. I really was not certain where or how I would get my certification done until I was approached by a woman who offered me an opportunity to do so. Now I feel extremely happy that I fed the right wolf.

Just Be – Week 18

Not too long ago I adopted the phrase “Just Be” and used it every time I sent out an e-mail to anyone. Most of my friends began to know me by my catchphrase until one day I saw my signature phrase on the logo of an apparel company. I was crushed! I thought to myself who could be so bold as to snatch my phrase away from me. As it turned out, the company had branded my phrase and I didn’t.

I had originally created the phrase “Just Be” as encouragement for my readers as it had previously encouraged me one time when I felt down in the dumps. Have you ever had that feeling when you wondered what is this “game of life” that we all seem to play where some people win all the time and some people lose just as often? It was during one of my quiet time moments that I fashioned this phrase “Just Be” when I realized that at any point in time all I can be is me. Just be me and believe in what I do. I would have to before anybody else believes in me. I told myself to dream, and not just a dream but Dream Big! Because I can go anywhere my dreams take me…win, lose or draw.

I believe that sometimes things become very simple when I make it so. If I want to be a teacher, “Just Be” just become a teacher. If I need to get to know someone, “Just Be” just become a friend to them. If I want to be successful, I just become an improved version of who I am. We all need to be the persons we were meant to be. That person we were put here on this earth to be. But above all, we need to “Be the Reason Someone Smiles today”!

At Play… Week 17

One of the things that seem to make me happy is originating things. When I get into my creative space I feel like there is no stopping. Whether I am writing or redecorating or even cooking or whatever else artistic I am doing. I appear to be in my happy place and I feel comfortable. My friend calls it “playing in the sandbox” like most kids love to do. Children tend to naturally creative also and, in some instances, it seems easy for them. But young children spend most of their time playing which is how they learn. When children are playing they love it and they are happy. I believe that kids going to school can be like adults going to work.

According to Al Gini, adults need to play in the same way that kids need to play in order to fulfill themselves as people. Some adults need to relearn how to play and relax as this can be a great way to manage stress also. Part of our life must be lived as play for us to have and experience joy. When I make things into a game, although it’s work it becomes fun and I become like the eternal child. It becomes like playing in the sandbox. It’s like the song says, the trick is to grow up without growing old. I did just that during kindness week and my acts of kindness became more enjoyable for me to do.