Hope

Once you choose hope, anything's possible.  

~Christopher Reeve

Hope
Hope is...
a healer of wounds.
the knowing that it will get better.
the smile that soothes a restless soul.
a way out of a bad situation.
the belief that you can always start over.
the catalyst for change.
an unbelievable force of change.


Without hope, we live a very dark and dreary existence.  With hope our world turns from black and white to full of color.  Hope gives us the seed that our dreams grow from.  Always have hope and never give up on the belief that it can always get better!

Harmony

When your inner and outer energies radiate in harmony, 

you are blessed and spiritually magnetic.

~Terri Guillemets

Harmony
Finding your place of peace, loving with every fiber of your being and allowing yourself to find the joy in everything leads you to a place of harmony.  When you can see the bigger picture of life and embrace it all, you can achieve the balance you are striving for.  Harmony does not come to those who try and grasp it.  It only flows to those who finally can release control and let their inner voice guide them through their journey.  We can all achieve harmony.  We just have to be willing to let go!

Joy

Skipping is just jumping for joy, step after step.  

~Jessi Lane Adams

Joy
Celebrate life today! We are meant to have fun. We are meant to laugh. We are meant to be full of joy. Take a look around you. Take in all that life has to offer. Be grateful for all that you have. Be happy about the abundance in your life. Be willing to let yourself feel the joy rising inside of your soul. There is nothing stopping you from having the best day of your life except you ~ so don't let yourself do that. Go on and have a blast today...well actually have a blast every single day!

Love

Love has no desire but to fulfill itself.  To melt and be like 

a running brook that sings its melody to the night.  

To wake at dawn with a winged heart and 

give thanks for another day of loving.  

~Kahlil Gibran

Love
We all want to be loved so badly but how much are we willing to love another? 

• Do we take more than we give?  
• Do we tune out more than we pay attention?
• Do we say one thing but do another?
• Do we embarrass instead of praise?
• Do we take advantage of instead of support?
• Do we talk more than we listen?
• Do we get annoyed more than we are grateful?

Love only comes when we first love ourselves completely. That's when we understand how to truly love another being. In order to receive love big, you have to be willing to give love big. Love is a powerful emotion, actually it is the MOST powerful emotion that we can feel. So break down that wall, love yourself and then turn that love onto the world!

Peace

Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.

~Seymour Miller & Jill Jackson

Peace
We are all striving for a life of balance, serenity and peace. It is very easy to get swept up in the emotions of other people or their situations. Well not anymore! If you want a life of peace, create it. Purge the toxic people out or keep them an arms length away. Do not accept drama in your life, in all shapes and forms. Do not take on other peoples burdens. Stop allowing negative ideas to be dominating your thoughts. Watch your words and actions for life will mirror what you put out there, good or bad! Peace is not hard to obtain but it's a challenge to stay in that place if you don't work at protecting it. You are worthy of a life full of serenity so don't accept otherwise.

Completion

Life is full of obstacle illusions.  

~Grant Frazier

Completion

There is a project or projects that you have started but have not finished.  You have let them linger for long enough.  Whether it's because it seemed a bit overwhelming, you didn't have enough motivation at the time or you were just lacking resources but now is the time to finish it up.  It's time to put the pieces together to get an end result.  You have everything you need to complete this project so stop contemplating it and start acting on it.  Finishing up a goal will give you the sense of completion you are looking for and will open up your path to new and exciting things once that space is cleared out of your life.  

Rest

Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day 

is the rest we take between two deep breaths.  

~Etty Hillesum

Rest
Sometimes you need to just stop and let your body rest.  You run around so much that you can get exhausted, both physically and mentally, and this brings harm to your body.  Know when you need to take some time for yourself to rest, relax and rejuvenate.  You are worth your own time and energy.  Shut off the phone, shut out the demands from others and just take some time to be at peace with yourself.

Protect

A celebrity is a person who works hard 

all his life to become well known,

then wears dark glasses to avoid being recognized.  

~Fred Allen

Protect
There comes a time when we need to pull back, when we need to protect our feelings and our boundaries.  This is one of those times.  With our stress levels elevated this time of year, remember to take a step back and look inward.  Let's protect our character, who we are and not let anyone get the best of us.  Stay grounded and stay peaceful.  Don't invite anyone in to your circle who doesn't have the best of intentions.  

Hmmm

Tell a man there are 300 billion stars 

in the universe and he'll believe you.  

Tell him a bench has wet paint on it 

and he'll have to touch it to be sure.  

~Murphy's Law

Hmmm
There are things in life we do that make us go hmmm, why did we just do that?  Maybe we do risky things to feel that rush that we are still alive.  Maybe we just aren't paying close enough attention in the present moment. Maybe it's our way of feeling like we matter in the universe. Taking the time to analyze our own behavior is so difficult.  It's so much easier to complain about someone else's annoying habits rather than take a look at our own.  Paying attention to what we say and what we do is hard and sometimes even uncomfortable. Yet it's one of the most powerful things we can do for ourselves.  It makes us live completely present in every moment of the our day. It makes us accountable for our actions and our words. It allows us to grow and to evolve.  It gives us the chance to change what we put out into the universe.  It gives us the opportunity to change those hmmm moments into wow!

Get Inspired

Better to lose count while naming your blessings 

than to lose your blessings to counting your troubles.  

~Maltbie D. Babcock

Get Inspired
What motivates you?  What moves you into action?  What makes you inspired?  Take some time today to seek out that feeling that stirs within your soul.  Let that be your guiding force.  Let it inspire you to create new dreams and create greater visions.  There is inspiration all around us and within us.  Let the inspiration that surrounds you wake up your soul to new possibilities.  Let it be your driving force.  


To get really inspired today, watch the video below:
http://yearinreview.yahoo.com/2011/blog/1263/inspiring-video/

Service

I have found the paradox that if I love until it hurts, 

then there is no hurt, but only more love.  

~Mother Teresa

Service
When you give of yourself, you truly grow.  There is not greater service to this world than to do something that helps another soul.  If we walk around believing that the world owes us something and all we want to do is take from this life, then we will never feel fulfilled.  Realizing that you are meant to be of service, that you are meant to help others and that your life is more enriched when you connect to another human being, well that is when your world will expand and overflow with so much love and joy you won't be able to believe it!  Give of yourself and when you can't give anything else, give even some more.

NAMES

Names Project, AIDS Quilt on Display at Suffolk County Community College

today, 12/1, in honor of World AIDS Day.

When in doubt, wear red.

~Bill Blass

NAMES

Despite all of the education, the knowledge and the resources out there, AIDS is still an epidemic in our World and in our communities.  Over 16,000 people die each year in the US of AIDS and around 50,000 people become newly infected.  This is a preventable disease and yet we are still burying our loved ones.  Let's all make a conscious effort to not partake in any behaviors that put us at risk, to love and support those who are living with this disease, and to educate our communities. 

Salud!

May you get to Heaven a half hour before 

the Devil knows you're dead.  

~Irish Proverb

Salud!
Here's to life, happiness, health and love! It's time to toast yourself and enjoy each moment today.  Even in the midst of craziness, chaos, traffic and frustration, we can all take a moment to realize that despite it all, we are OK and isn't that grand.  Now that is certainly something to cheers about!

Intentions

It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark.  

~Howard Ruff

Intentions
Every day we have the opportunity to put out to the universe an intention for the day.  We can, with our hearts and minds open, cast the intention for a day full of hope, a day full of laughter, a day full of love or anything that rings true to us that day.  Why not try it out?  Close your eyes and set forth to dedicate this day to ...... (fill in the blank).  Now let the intention go!  Don't try and make it happen.  Don't try and control it.  Sit back and watch how this theme unfolds in your life today in ways you could have never imagined it to.  Enjoy your day focused on a positive thought and maybe, just maybe, you will make it a habit. 

Stay

Begin each day as if it were on purpose.  

~Author Unknown

Stay

You have found a spot in your soul of inner peace.  It's your job to make sure you do the best you can to stay there.  Even if uncertainty is looming around you or a major shift is around the corner, stay in this place of calm.  Let your new found peace guide you on your journey.  Let is speak to you when decisions need to be made.  Allow yourself to lean into the calmness in order to gain clarity and focus.  The more you let yourself stay in this wonderful place, the more you become aware of your life's purpose.

Be Open

 The shell must break before the bird can fly.  

~Alfred Tennyson

Be Open
Be open to life.  
Be open to new experiences that come your way.
Be open to change.
Be open to love in many shapes and forms.
Be open to compliments.
Be open to giving.
Be open to new ideas.
Be open to other's opinions.
Be open to smiling, a lot.
Be open to life lessons.
Be open to the possibility that it will get better.
Be open to just being open...

Living an Exceptional Life

Have a heart that never hardens, 

a temper that never tires, 

a touch that never hurts. 

 ~Charles Dickens

Living an Exceptional Life
Who's to say you have to be miserable?  Who's to say you can't achieve greatness (as defined by you)?  Who's to say you can't live an exceptional life?  Well many people can try to say a lot to you but that sure doesn't mean we have to listen to it OR believe it.  There is nothing stopping each and every one of us from living our dream life.  There is nothing that says we have to be unhappy and stuck with what we have, where we are and who we have in our lives.  Only you can decide to live an exceptional life.  I sure hope you choose to!

R & R

God didn't do it all in one day.  

What makes me think I can?  

~Author Unknown

R & R
Sometimes we just need to rest and relax.  We run around so much that we can wear ourselves out and even get to the point that we get sick.  So for today, take some time to rest and relax because you definitely deserve it.  Enjoy some quiet time with either yourself or your loved ones.  Connect to your spirit and make sure you laugh and smile today because today, well it's all about you!

Give Thanks

Thanksgiving Day comes, by statute, once a year; 

to the honest man it comes as frequently 

as the heart of gratitude will allow.  

~Edward Sandford Martin

Give Thanks
Let us all take a deep breath in, close our eyes and focus on one thing we are grateful for right at this very minute.....


What was the first thing that came to mind?  Do you feel warmth and love when thinking about what you are grateful for?  This is the feeling you need to connect with the entire day.  Scratch that, this is the feeling you need to make sure you connect with every single day.  Gratitude is not just something that you concentrate on once a year, it should be something you do at the beginning or end of each day.  The deeper you can connect to being thankful for the abundance in your life, the more enriched your life becomes.  The more ungrateful you are about your life, the smaller your life becomes. It's quite simple.  So start connecting to that which you are grateful for and watch your world widen in ways you could have only dreamed of.


I am thankful and grateful for:

• waking up this morning
• taking a deep breath in without pain
• the smell of coffee
• talking to my loved ones on the phone while they travel
• pumpkin pancakes
• another day to love and be loved
• watching the Macy's Day Parade from the warmth of my living room
• celebrating life and family with many people today

Gatherings

Family life is a bit like a runny peach pie -

not perfect but who's complaining?  

~Robert Brault

Gatherings
As with any major holiday around the corner, you might be a little anxious about a big gathering.  When that many people come together, with a boat load of personalities, you're not sure if you will be able to relax or feel the need to be on guard.  Well this gathering will be different.  This time around you are going to let love walk in the door before you.  When you let love be your ruling emotion, it calms you down and believe it or not, it also has a wonderful effect on all of those around you.  There is no need to operate from a place of defensiveness.  During this holiday, you are going to center yourself with love and warmth and let that shine brightly.  Enjoy being together.  Enjoy the connections you make and remember to be grateful for all of the characters in your life, for it makes it much more interesting and fun!

Mantras

When there is no enemy within, 

the enemies outside cannot hurt you.  

~African Proverb

Mantras
We all have patterns of behavior. We also have patterns of thoughts. These patterns shape how we feel about ourselves and the world we live in. They become our mantras, whether we realize it or not. So what are the words that you are telling yourself every single day?  Are you saying that life is difficult and unfair? If so, guess what?  Life WILL be difficult and unfair. Or are you saying that you are grateful just be alive and for the abundance that surrounds you. If so, guess what?  You will have a life FULL of wonderful things to always be grateful about. The motto that you live your life by has a great meaning to it. It will define the kind of life you have. You might "blame" life for the unfair or negative situations that have happened to you but ultimately, who is to blame?  This is a hard one to admit but the answer is always the person that is looking back at you from the mirror. If you are unhappy, change it. Take a hard look at the messages you tell yourself every single day. If they are not from a place of love and gratefulness, well it's about time that you changed your tune. Remember, being truly grateful for what you have and not concentrating on what you don't have is your key to releasing unhappy thoughts and living a life full of peace, joy and love.

Blocking

Holding on to anger is like 

grasping a hot coal with the intent 

of throwing it at someone else; 

you are the one who gets burned.  

~Buddha

Blocking
There is something that you are holding on tightly to that is blocking your path to peace.  You have thought you have let it go, you thought you had moved on but these past few days have made you realize that you have not yet made peace with the situation.  It's time to finally, yes finally, let it go.  It's time to forgive, not the words or actions, but forgive the situation and walk away from it filled with the peace of knowing that you do not have to carry around that burden any longer.  It's time to free yourself for good.  By holding on tightly, you are only keeping yourself chained down.  By releasing the situation you are acknowledging that you can't change the past but you certainly are changing your future.  It's okay to put down the extra baggage, the anger and the resentment.  It is no longer serving you.  It's time to move forward and give yourself permission to let love guide you from today on.

Eat, Pray, Love

Laziness will cause you pain.  

~Slogan on T-shirt worn at the 

Vee Arnis Jitsu School of Self-Defense

Eat, Pray, Love
Yes it's the title to a great book by Elizabeth Gilbert but it's more than that too.  It's about getting to know yourself, the self that is at the core of your being, and finding your own personal truths in this chaotic world.  How do we go about knowing who we truly are?  Well, you have to nourish all three things, your body, mind and soul.  You need to find food that makes your body feel and be healthy.  You need to connect with a source greater than yourself in whichever way you choose (church, temple, prayer, meditation, exercise, reading, etc).  You also need to infuse love into your life.  I'm talking all kinds of love but mostly, love for yourself.  Speaking kindly to yourself, being gentle and taking care of yourself is a great place to start.  Don't wait for tomorrow to infuse some stillness and happiness into your life, create it today.  You don't have to travel around the world to find yourself.  It's nice but not necessary.  All you have ever needed is right within your soul.  Stop living life on the surface.  It's time to inward and see who you really are and what gifts you have to give to this world.

Imagination

Sometimes I've believed as many as 

six impossible things before breakfast.  

~Lewis Carroll

Imagination
For the past few days, or maybe even weeks now, your creativity has been flowing. Thoughts seem to pop into your head faster than you can write them down on paper and your imagination is soaring at an all time high. You may not know the reason this is happening at this pace just quite yet but be prepared that you will know real soon.  This new found creative side might be leading you towards a new path on your life journey.  Don't close yourself off to your imagination.  Let if flow and guide you towards your next step.

The Sun Spot

All the statistics in the world can't measure the warmth of a smile.

~Chris Hart

The Sun Spot
When the sun comes pouring through the window and creates a sun spot on a nice comfy chair, the bed or even on a fuzzy rug, it's hard not to just curl right up in it and let the warmth flow through you and the peace take over.  Even if you only stay in the sun spot for 5 minutes, you feel refocused and centered again.  We all need a sun spot throughout our day.  We all need a spot that brings us joy and peace, if only for a few minutes, to let us remember that life is meant to be happy.  On this beautiful day, go find a spot that brings you just that.  Go find a place that makes you smile brightly and allows you to take a few deep breaths in.  Everyone deserves to a have a sun spot in their lives.  Create yours today!

A New Path

The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between work and play.  

~Arnold Toynbee

A New Path
We are either learning a lesson, stretching our knowledge or spreading our wings and when we have accomplished this where we are at, it's time to head down a new path.  How exciting is that!  We have the power to make big changes, to start brand new and to try something else.  Sometimes we hesitate or even worse, let the opportunities slip through our grasp because we are too afraid of the unknown but not this time for we are meant to do great things.  Well then, get ready, get set, 'cause here we go!

Be Still

One's action ought to come out of an achieved stillness:  

not to be a mere rushing on.  

~D.H. Lawrence

Be Still
Sometimes the best way to find the answer you're seeking is to get quiet and be still with yourself.  You can seek opinions, you can research as much as want but ultimately, if you just silence everything around you (including turning off the TV, phones and computer) and let yourself go inside your soul, you will always find the correct answer.  No one knows you as well as you do so stop going outward to find the answers when they have been right inside you all along.

Patterns

(a man performs on the side of the new Performing Arts Center in South Beach Miami)

When patterns are broken, new worlds emerge.  

~Tuli Kupferberg

Patterns
We all have patterns that we hold on to, not necessarily because they work but it's what we know and what we are comfortable with. Some patterns may be healthy and good for us while others are not. It's the patterns that cause us pain that we have to stop.  It's the hardest thing we can do but it has the biggest reward if we let ourselves face them and fix them head on with another approach. When life throws a new scenario at you, don't do the same thing you always done. Try approaching it in a new way. Watch first hand how changing our thought patterns and our actions will change our approach and that can make all the difference. Some patterns are meant to be broken. We know which ones they are. Now is the time to meet them head on and start breaking the chains that have kept you in the same place for far too long.

Generations

It's one of nature's way that we often feel closer 

to distant generations than to the generation 

immediately preceding us. 

~Igor Stravinsky

Generations
There is a lot to be learned from those who have come before us and those who have come after us.  Their wisdom, experience, fun, insights, joy, and spirit can teach us a thing or two if we let it.  Take the time to sit with someone who has many more years of experience and really listen to what they have to say.  Then go enjoy some playtime with the young members of your family.  Absorb the lessons you can learn from many generations, for that is one of the best gifts you can ever give yourself!

Serve

How important it is for us to recognize 

and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!  

~Maya Angelou

This Daily Pearl is dedicated to my heroes, my father, John Sierra, my uncles, Ed Sierra, John Beck, Joe Barsauskas, Ken Harding, Ray's dad, Sal Zaccaro, my former student Hector Delgado, and to all of the men and women who serve in our military forces as well as their families.  

Serve
There is no greater honor than to serve fighting for the rights and freedom of others.  The courage it takes to put your own life on the line to protect another is more than honorable, to most of us it's unfathomable.  But people do it all the time.  Hundreds of thousands of military men and women and their families sacrifice so much for people they have never met but they have this underlying need to serve.  


We can take a great lesson from these individuals. Instead of looking at our lives as what can we get from it or how much success we can achieve, let's start looking at it through the lens of "how can we serve".  When we start looking at our intentions, our interactions, our choices, our environment, our relationships, all through this lens, we tap into the greater connection between us all.  And isn't this what serving is truly about?  Whichever career path we choose or how we spend our time, let's not forget to look at the bigger picture.  Using our lives through the path of service will not only enhance it, it will make it so much more fulfilling and meaningful.  And above all, don't forget to thank a Veteran today!

Finish

The best angle from which to approach any problem is the try-angle.  

~Author Unknown

Finish
We have assignments, work, goals and projects that are unfinished because we have cast them to the side for way too long.  We might glance at them, even pick them up but we end up putting them back down in the corner saying to ourselves that we will "get back" to them when we have the time and energy to do so. At this point, they have about 2 inches of dust on them because we have waited way too long.  Today is the day to pick up those loose ends.  Today is the day to finish projects that you have started or get them going and on the path of getting accomplished.  By having unfinished areas in our life, we leave that space open to chaos and distress.  By tackling it head on, we balance ourselves, our life and our spirit.  So what are you waiting for, get to work and finish up!

No Day but Today

There's only us, 

There's only this, 

Forget regret, 

Or life is yours to miss, 

No other road, 

No other way, 

No day but today. 

~from RENT, the musical.

No Day but Today

Today's message is quite simple yet profound if you let it be; there is no day but today.  

Start living your life to fullest.  This is your day to shine.  This is your day to go for it.  This is your day to grab the golden ring.  There is no day BUT today.

Click here and really listen to all of the words.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbljhS4xDlU

Starting a New Day

Is there life before death?  

~Author Unknown

Starting a New Day
How to start your day off in a positive direction:

• Before you even land one foot on the floor to start your day, think of 3 things you are grateful for.
• Smile at yourself in the mirror.
• Give yourself an extra 5 minutes just to stare out of the window with a hot cup of tea or coffee.
• Play some music that lifts your spirits.  
• Dance around while you get ready.
• Text or call someone to wish them a wonderful day.
• Remember to pack a good attitude along with your lunch.
• Leave in plenty of time to take the scenic route to work.
• Wear one piece of clothing or jewelry that makes you feel like a million bucks.
• Choose the comfortable shoes today.
• Grab that book you have been wanting to read but keep saying, I'll start it tomorrow!
• Take a vitamin.
• Close your eyes for a few minutes and picture how your day is going to unfold.
• While you grab your keys, take a moment to breathe deeply in and center yourself.
• Don't play any music in the car or talk on the phone.  Sit in silence with yourself and get to know your soul a little bit more.
• Decide that today is going to be an amazing day, no matter what happens!

Releasing

To be "on edge," you are literally not centered -

not being in your spiritual center.

~Carrie Latet

Releasing

What in your life are you holding on to that is getting in the way of your happiness?  Or more importantly, what did you think you let go of but you still feel its presence deep down inside?  By not truly letting go of a situation, by talking about it, thinking about it, or giving it any sort of attention means that you have not yet let it go.  By not doing so you are punishing your soul every single day.  You can not change the past nor control what happened but you can certainly change this moment and your life moving forward.  Understand that until you finally release the angry, frustration, bitterness and sorrow surrounding a situation you will never really be truly happy.  And don't you deserve to be happy?  I think so! 

Your Voice

It's never too late to have a happy childhood.  

~Berke Breathed

Your Voice
You matter in this world and it's about time that you find your voice.  You might have felt that in the past no one was listening to you or taking your words seriously.  But not any more.  Don't let yourself be railroaded by other peoples thoughts and perceptions and certainly do not let your values or goals be dismissed, ignored or trivialized.  Your voice matters and so do your opinions and feelings.  It's about time you let yourself be heard loud and clear.  If people in your life don't like it then be prepared to let them go.  They do not deserve you in their life and you certainly don't deserve to be ignored any longer.  

The Truth

We do not err because truth is difficult to see.  

It is visible at a glance.  

We err because this is more comfortable.  

~Alexander Solzhenitsyn

The Truth
It's hard for us to get really truthful with ourselves.  We see our lives through the lens in which we choose to view it with.  We often ignore what's right in front of us and hush the little whispers from our soul telling us to open up our eyes wider.  We do not want to really face the truth because if we did, then we would have to finally make a decision or do something about it.  But then the question is, if we are not living in our own truth, can we really truly feel free?  Can we accomplish our goals with any sort of real joy and enthusiasm?  Can we be the person we were meant to be by hiding away from our truth?  The answer is a resounding no!  It's time to get truthful with yourself, your environment, your work and with your relationships.  Sense with your heart, hear with your soul and walk only in the truth towards your best life.