Business

Decisions Navigating Personal Growth, Reflection, and Hope -Episode 248

Decisions Navigating Personal Growth, Reflection, and Hope -Episode 248

Good Morning to this week’s Podcast of Mini Miracles from Minor Moments with Linda Gullo.  This week is Podcast 248 about decisions and how our decisions affect the direction of our lives.  Linda starts about talking dogs.  Perhaps you have had similar stories.  Stories like this make you question your thinking and yet turn out well.  Have you made a decision that caused you regret?

Then Linda shares about a car that was a lemon.  What decisions are you facing?   Are you able to have alternatives? How we live from day to day can make us happy or very negative.

How does one stay optimistic?  Hope is a virtue we all need to hang on to and share.  Things that seem impossible turn out to be wonderful growth opportunities.

Next Linda addresses habits and how they can make our life easier.  Whether it is dealing with exercise, teaching our pets, or determining how we deal with issues at work.   Our relationships change and the results of the changing seasons allow us to bloom along with the outdoor changes.

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The Value in Relationships Cannot Be Diminished

The Value in Relationships Cannot Be Diminished

The Value of Relationships Cannot Be Diminished

Welcome to Mini Miracles where the smallest things in our lives are often dismissed. The value in relationships cannot be diminished. Minor times develop opportunities to strengthen the ties that bind us together.  Times to develop healthy relationships. They shouldn’t be because they bring us great joy.  It allows us to share with other people times to smile and laugh.  Linda talks about how we can be located at different places in the world and still relate.

What are your relationships?  Are they nearby?  What kind of work do you do?   How do relationships stick?  What things can you do to promote your friends, businesses you use, and people you enjoy?

Relationships are so relevant and necessary.   You are an integral part of the lives of other people.  Our Chamber of Commerce is always evolving as we bring new members and businesses into the area.  We need to add these to our Rolodex.  Linda shares a moment in time when contacts saved her house from a fire situation and serious follow-up issues.  Contacts and healthy relationships do count!!!

Stay Connected

Know the links that will help you and your neighbors.  Create a team of people who can reach out and take action.  We grow in gratitude.  Keep in touch with those you know and appreciate.

(Now is the time to sign up for our Women’s Entrepreneur Group that meets every two weeks on Thursdays at 1 pm.   Enrollment is open until Dec. 25th.   It is also a good gift to give someone.   Call our office at 815-459-5161. )

Thanks to Jordan Debbink, the communications and resource management contact from the Crystal Lake Chamber of Commerce.  Jordan brings a background in programs and development.

Keeping yourself joy filled and strong! It’s all about working together with others no matter where they are located.

Take the first step, it may put you on the Escalator of Success

 

 

Everyday is a New Day for a Dream to Soar!

Everyday is a New Day for a Dream to Soar!

It is amazing when one finds a dream and executes it to the fullest.  So blessed to have had the privilege to encounter two wonderful Conferences this past month in Franklin, Tennessee.   First was The Tribe.   Jeff Goins and many speakers did an outstanding job of inspiring us at the 5th and Last TRIBE Conference.  Jeff Goins is a

Creative Entrepreneurs Gathering together to make the World Better!

Then following this lively conference was a wonderful encounter with my brother and sister-in-law from Alabama who took us to see the beautiful Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center.  We had a wonderful, long overdue, visit with each other.

A Beautiful Nashville Hotel offering the finest ambiance ever!

Weekend # 2 in Franklin, Tennessee was for Free the Dream, a Conference of enthusiastic, life giving talks with Cliff Ravenscraft.

If you have ever wanted a new boost in life and a positive direction, this is the place you need to attend in 2020!  Cliff and Stephanie Ravenscraft offered awesome speakers with 23 sessions filled with enthusiasm, overcoming procrastination, and clarifying your beliefs.
Over the years, I have had the privilege of taking courses, and workshops with Cliff.   Along the way, I have met individuals who continue to be part of my daily life.  I listen to their podcasts, grow in faith, and continue to learn.
Did you know that all beliefs have consequences and updating your beliefs on a regular basis allows for growth and more connections in your life?   Well, we all need to reevaluate what we believe and how we want to grow.   It isn’t a secret that limiting beliefs can hurt us, but how to get rid of them is of great value.  Of course, I can help you do that with a session. 

What may seem impossible and limiting can be temporary, but it doesn’t have to be.    More to come on the next few blogs, as I assimilate many of the great lessons I have been taught.  I will be sharing some of them with you!

Take the first step forward, it can put you on the Escalator of Success.   Have the Best Week Ever!

Rising to the TOP

Rising to the TOP

Rising to the Top

Growth is ongoing and can be fun in the process. Not everything we do in life is easy. We become the best version of ourselves with practice and setting ourselves up for success. We develop levels of competency, levels of understanding, and in our approaches to tackling change.

We do know that changes can be hard. They can also be fun and allow us avenues for meeting new friends, colleagues, and neighbors. At Delight in Living, you are encouraged to like yourself and reach for the stars. We walk the journey with you for support. We want you to succeed at every level.  Rising to the top is easy when a person voluntarily makes changes.  It is when we are forced to make changes that we rebel and feel victimized.

You are unique like this brick layered support beam! You are strong, stylish and can achieve height in your endeavors. Taking one day at a time allows you to be stunning in all that you do.  It gives you time to level up in your education.  Each course you take, every time you teach yourself something new, you are leveling up and creating portable equity.

Encouragement!

Portable equity goes with you forever.  It is the reputation you create.  It is the resume of skills, education, and knowledge you have within you that can be applied to everything you do.  For me, I am an organizer; it is easy for me to create systems and evaluate on the spot the discrepancies in being efficient.  It was something that I began training for in college.  I worked for a professor who was absent minded.  He would misplace everything and make it difficult for the graduate students who needed him to sign off on projects.  Within 2 to 4 weeks, I had his office organized with systems that he could follow.   I recall finding 2, 3, and 4 copies of dissertations that students had turned in because he kept losing them.  I put order to the chaos in the office.  Those skills multiplied as I taught school, worked in offices, and carried me into my own counseling and teaching practices.

You too have skills that are portable.  Make a list now of the ones that you own and let them start working for you.   Are you a fast learner?  Are you super coordinated?  Do you comprehend facts quickly?  Are you bilingual? Do you understand other people with compassion and clarity?  Are you a communicator?  A great listener?  Are you easy going when things get stressful?  Flexible when changes need to be made? A faith filled person who helps others feel better?

Leveling up can have a style of its own!

These are all steps to Rising to the Top!  Take the first step forward, it may put you on the escalator of success.

Hop Scotch Prepares the Way

Hop Scotch Prepares the Way

Good morning and welcome to Mini Miracles from Minor Moments. A Staple may hold your papers together, but what holds you together are the minor moments so join us here every week for Mini Miracles from Minor Moments on Friday.  This weeks Podcast is number 113

Our first segment talks about looking at the mentality of a community and helping one another. It may take a village to raise a child, but it takes a support team to engage well in business too. An entrepreneur looks to its customers and supporters for help.

Playing Motivates Us

The Magic Chimes leads us into “Taking steps” to accomplishing things that are important to each of us.
Please enjoy this weeks podcast. Join us every Friday when we take the first step forward–the one that may put you o the escalator of success.

A New Year Begins for Students

A New Year Begins for Students

A New Year Begins for Students!  If you don’t believe me, check out social media sites where proud parents have posted pictures of their children kicking off the new year with clean bookbags, new outfits, and school supplies labeled with their names.

Heading off to School with the Backpack in place is a good start!

While fall is typically the season of new beginnings for students, it also begins a New Year for many businesses and family routines.   We tend to start closing down pools, programs, and summer houses.   We begin to think of movement toward eating more meals at home, and buying supplies for the family lunches.  We get out the calendars and start adding entries for meet ups, bowling schedules, lessons, and weekend events with our extended families.

In our office here at Delight in Living, Ltd., we tend to speed up on developing groups, online activities, and office appointments.   Families return from summer vacations and the need to do self work begins.  If one is a parent, he or she begins to evaluate how they can improve the relationships with children, spouses, and often their own aging parents.  By now many of the deductions on insurance have kicked in and that means that insurance may help cover expenses for our patients.  It is a good time to catch up on mental health.

Finding our place in the world begins with moving in for the day!

Yesterday is gone and tomorrow has not yet come.  We have only today to dive in and make it worthwhile.  Let us begin and make the improvements we want in our lives.   Find you place at work and in your private lives.  Establish happy moments for you and your family.   Maybe it is time to meet up on Friday nights for dinner.   Years ago, my in-laws would take the family out to dinner.  It was a time we all looked forward to and it became a wonderful memory for our children.

Smiling our way forward is a great start to anyone’s future!

Keep a smile on your face and complete the summer with activities of your choice.  Finish up those outdoor projects, and enjoy the summer crops.   Soon it will be a season of stews, chili, and soups.

Watch for our new course on Developing the Confidence Muscle that will be coming out soon.  It will put you on a new path!

So How Did YOU Make that Choice?

So How Did YOU Make that Choice?

So How Did YOU Make that Choice?

Making choices continues to be the topic this week, because it is such a powerful one.   Our choices may be as simple as waiting for a cup of coffee or something seemingly insignificant.   So this morning I stopped at our local coffee shop and ordered my black decaf.   When I got to the drive up window the girl asked if I could wait for the brew to finish.  I looked behind me and no one was there, so I said sure.   I proceeded to pay her and wait.  Still no one around, so I sat patiently.  Then the young girl comes up to the window and tells me to move my car to the other side of the building and park to wait.   I replied, “No, there is no one behind me.”   She said something to the effect that they needed have a quick turn around time.   I said, “No, I do not want to drive around the building as the parking is horrible and I would have to go around again to get out,  AND, there is no one behind me!”   She left the window and said something to the other clerk.

Fast forward, the usual clerk came to the window.  She was smiling, and thanked me for waiting and handed me my coffee.   AMEN.   Now as I am pulling away, a car pulls in behind me.  I had not disrupted anywone and saved myself gas, aggravation, and time.   As I thought about this, several things struck me!  First of all, I seldom refrain from being compliant in situations like this.  2ndly, her request just didn’t make any sense.   3rdly, I was the customer and wasn’t interfering with their business.  4thly,  Kindness and a smile from the second clerk secured the chance of my returning!And that takes me back to choices.   We need to operate on the facts behind the choices we make.   Who is the outcome serving?   Making decisions is easy when we know the situation.   Making decisions that you have thought through then don’t need to be 2nd guessed.

Now some choices may be much harder than this.  Examples might include spending money on a trip or costly purchase.   It may mean one has to decide on a drug to take, a treatment for cancer, or a decision regarding a loved one.  Years ago I had to decide on whether or not to have my husband under major heart surgery.   When the facts were in, I said “NO, it isn’t an ethical option.”   That was 17 years ago and one of the best decisions I have ever made.  I hope it isn’t the last good decision I make!

Check out https://youtu.be/FLRmMdJqvSI   The simple hack to make a decision with Mel Robbins!

Why Did You Make those Choices?

Why Did You Make those Choices?

The choices we make, our accountability partners, the constant discernment process, our education, and finally our thoughts can advance us!

CHOICES    The best part of questions is that they allow us to make decisions and understand why we react the way we do!   Most often it helps children become aware of their behavior.   “Why did you lie?”  “Where did you go that you can’t tell me?”   “Did you complete your homework?”  Let me see it!   Choices allow us how to spend our time, who we spend it with each day, and how we live.

ACCOUNTABILITY    Even into adulthood questions make us honorable and accountable in completing projects.  We are held at a higher standard when we know we must answer to the boss, the spouse, or set an example for our children.  For example:  “Did you put that check in the mail?”  “How’s are the email blasts doing?”  “Did you follow up with the calls?”  “Are you making good choices?”

DISCERNMENT     Questions help us discern where and when we are using our time.   Do you watch the clock?  Do the entries in our books reflect what the actual expenses and earning levels are showing?  Are you setting your goals and working toward them?  Who is safe to share that information with when it comes to money?  Why are you letting other people make your choices?

EDUCATION   When one asks questions, it opens up opportunities for learning and exploring the unknown.   Geography, math, science, and languages open the door.  “Are you taking your knowledge to the next step?” Are you learning more about the techniques in your world that are up-to-date?  Whether that is as a CPA, a doctor, a counselor, a teacher, or a banker, are you confident with the level of learning you take on?

Step on Up!

THOUGHTS Remember that we all have some control and can make a choice in stepping on up!  Monitor your thoughts because they effect your emotions, they control your behaviors, and they can push you forward or trip you!  Take that first step and put yourself on the escalator of success.

You Never Know What’s Behind Closed Doors

What is behind door #1?  FAKE NEWS

You Never Know What’s Behind Closed Doors.  We don’t know the reality of what happens between members of a family or within a business setting.   Are the staff members of the restaurant really happy?   Are the kids of the house all so well behaved and helpful as they looked in that family photo that comes at Christmas?   Is the story in that Family Newsletter the neighbors sent out really true?   Or is it all fake news? 

What is behind door #2?  LIES

Well I was telling someone that often pictures do not tell the truth.   We have all had the situation where we gather for a photo and everyone is being crabby, but the smiles make it seem that the family is joy-filled.   Or do you go into a Department Store and meet a wonderful clerk only to find out later that the person has a horrible life and they have learned to smile through it all without uttering a complaint?

What is behind door #3?  CLARITY

We don't know what goes on behind closed doors!

“Close the Fridge Door”

Recently this picture was sent to me from a mom of 7 children.   After reminding the children to close the refrigerator door, this is what happened.   The mother told me, “Guess I needed to be more specific!”  Often pictures don’t communicate what it is we want to really share.   Sometimes we need to be alert as to what is really happening.  Obviously, Mom was watching her to see if the child was listening and a chuckle ensued.

What is behind door #4?   OPPORTUNITY

So this takes me to another point.  What doors do you want to open?   Are they doors to doing more business?  Are they doors to a store that has hours that are inconvenient for your working hours?  Is that person you met in person the man or woman who can support your latest invention?   Is that older gent the one who can finance your latest educational pursuit?

Take that first step forward and see all the doors that may open on the escalator of success!

 

Organization is a Matter of Developing Excellent Habits

Organization is a matter of developing excellent habits.  How well do you organize?  Do you have a list of priorities you want to accomplish every day?   Our habits develop by repeating the same behaviors and routines.   Sometimes it takes us awhile to be consistent, but once we practice the new behavior, it is easier!  Try it.   Drive in a different direction if you want to avoid that fast food restaurant.  Change a password, if it will help you change the sites you want to visit earlier in the day.   Check out your appointment book and make an appointment with yourself to exercise or take a walk if you want to ramp up the time you exercise.   Create shortcuts to get were you want to be sooner rather than later.

I find that making a list on a form I have created is easy.  I fill out the form each evening of the contacts I need to make, the people I need to reach, and the people I am waiting to hear back from.   It is so very useful.   I place the list in my purse and unfold it as I get into my car in the morning, just in case I need to stop somewhere before I go into the office.  I put down the phone numbers to make it even easier.  It is such a simple thing that I adapted doing from Brendon Burchard.   He has excellent ideas and a great book called High Performance Habits.   Check it out, it’s very good.

Take the one step to put yourself on the escalator of success.  You’ll be glad you did!