Leap of Faith

A ship in harbor is safe - but that is not what ships are for.  

~John A. Shedd, Salt from My Attic

Leap of Faith
Today is a great day to take that giant leap of faith.  Maybe there is a project you have been delaying, a phone call you have been putting to the side or hesitating on sending that resume in for a great job opportunity.  Today is the day to muster up the courage and strength and forge ahead!  We are given the gift of an extra day today so let's use it to our fullest advantage.  Take that leap of faith and see the miracles that are waiting for you on the other end.

Wake Up

There is deep wisdom within our very flesh,

 if we can only come to our senses and feel it.  

~Elizabeth A. Behnke

Wake Up
It's time to wake up our mind, body & soul to life!  You've taken some time to work on one or the other but now is the time to work on all them.  You need to carve the time out in your day to feed your soul, quiet the mind and move the body.  By connecting to all 3, you will be able to hear your inner voice and let that guide you closer to your life purpose.  Waking up your entire being to your potential, to life, to those experiences all around you will only enrich your journey here on earth.

Belly Laughs

A good time to laugh is any time you can.  

~Linda Ellerbee

Belly Laughs
When was the last time you laughed so hard you couldn't breathe and tears rolled down your cheeks?  When was the last time your stomach muscles felt like they had a workout just because you laughed so hard?  If you can't remember when, well it's time to change that!  Laughter is important and you should be finding something in each and every single day that makes you LOL.  There are many serious things going on in your life BUT there are also a ton of funny situations that you just need to stop and chuckle about.  Isn't it about time you found something to laugh about!

Never Too Late

It is never too late to have a happy childhood.  

~Tom Robbins

Never Too Late
It's never too late to change your life, make a new decision, forge a new path or turn a dream into reality.  Sometimes we feel that we have gone too far to either take a u-turn or or just change directions.  The truth is that we are the only ones that limit ourselves.  If something in your life does not feel quite right, make the necessary changes so that it does.  Remember, it's never too late to create a beautiful life.

Desires

If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow, 

why oh why can't I?  

~E.Y. Harburg

Desire
That in which you desire seems to be out of your grasp.  Well maybe more so just slightly out of reach.  You try and grab a hold of it but it tends to move further away when you do this.  Why does this happen?  Why does the thing you want most always just an arms length away?  Well, it's simple really.  You are trying to hard to control the situation, to manipulate it to meet your current desires.  You are totally standing in the way of the universe coming in to help you make your dreams come true.  By blocking the momentum of change either by holding on too tightly or only trying to do it your way, you are missing out on the simplest piece to peace, love and harmony ~ letting go and being ok with who you are and where you are right now.  Once you do that, everything will start to shift, change, come to you and conspire to make your world even better.  Anger and frustration do no attract love and opportunity.  They only attract more anger and frustration!  Whereas love, peace and true harmony attract more of the same.  So understand that you can't beat your desires or goals into submission, you must be willing to step aside far enough that change can swoop in and let you soar.

I Heart You

Love is, above all, the gift of oneself.  

~Jean Anouilh

I Heart You
Today is a day to celebrate love.  When we break down all the emotions we can feel, we basically can narrow them down to two.  Yes, only two!  Those emotions are Love and Fear.  Everything stems from those two feelings be it happiness, joy, hurt, anger, etc.  Love and Fear ~ that's it.  So why not celebrate Love!  Why not look at all of the things that bring you joy in your life for they are also bringing you love.  Don't try and fit love into a heart shaped candy box or a stuffed animal for it is so much deeper than that.  Love is all around you.  Connecting to other people is a form of love.  Playing with your pets is a form of love.  Laughing with your co-workers is a form of love.  Our culture has tried to wrap love up and present it in a pretty red bow for us but that's not fair to that emotion.  Today of all days, let us stop and take inventory of the love we all can experience from all areas of our lives if we just let it in.  Let go of expectations and don't run and hide from the expressions of love all around you.  Feel it, take it all in.  You just might find this Valentine's Day is the best one yet if you finally allow love in from many different angles and always remember, I HEART YOU!

Time

You can clutch the past so tightly to your chest 

that it leaves your arms too full to embrace the present.  

~Jan Glidewell

Time
Most of us spend our days wasting precious time.  Time that could be used to help us further our careers, to be waking up next to the ones we love or just to be living each moment with such joy and passion.  But instead, most of the time we spend in our heads thinking about what has occurred in the past or creating daydreaming about our possible future instead of actually living in the present.  It usually takes a tragedy to knock us back into reality to truly understand what's important to us.  Let's not wait for that to happen. Start living your life for now and only now.  Make the necessary changes in your life to find peace within your soul sooner rather than later.  It's time to live your life for today!

Marathon

 The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking places.

 ~Author Unknown

This Daily Pearl is dedicated to my sister Karen, Joe, Tess & Sandy who are about to run the half marathon. 

Marathon

Life is quite the journey isn't it!  There are so many choices to make along the way and some are more difficult than others like moving to another state, starting a new job, or even choosing to run a half marathon.  Sometimes our heart says yes and so we take on what seems to be an insurmountable challenge.  We ask ourselves, can I really do that?  Will I be okay?  Can my body and soul handle what I'm about to do to it?  Will I be able to finish?  The resounding answer is simple...yes.  Like anything in life, you start out on a path feeling great about what lies ahead.  You go along for a while enjoying the "scenery" as it goes by and receive encouragement from those we pass.  Then there comes the time when the path you are on starts to feel a little rough.  It's not as easy to traverse and you might even find yourself stumbling a bit.  Your focus looses its sharpness and doubt and fear are starting to creep in.  Just at that moment when you feel you might not make it, something stirs within your soul whispering to you that it's not over, that you have more to give.  The journey you are on and the lessons you must learn along the way will not happen if you stop in mid stride.  The fire within your soul gets greater and you feel a renewed sense of determination to push through and keep going ~ for there is a goal not to far ahead that's worth getting to.  You take energy from those you meet and focus only on the supportive words you here while pushing ahead.  Then you finally see it, the finish line.  In those moments right before you achieve it, your whole journey on this path flashes before you.  You understand know why you kept going.  You feel the unquenchable thirst that you can take on anything.  You feel more connected to life and to yourself then you ever have before.  That's what life is truly about.  Know that in the marathon of life, you can choose at any moment, how and what you are going to do.  Are you going to push the limits and see how far you can go or are you going to pull of to the side and stay there?  May you always stay in forward motion.

Boundaries

Ain't no man can avoid being average,

but there ain't no man got to be common.

~Satchel Paige

Boundaries
We can truly set your body, mind and soul to do anything we want it to do.  Most of us  though, do not believe in the absolute truth of this statement.  We think to ourselves, "I really have no business pursuing a further degree" or "There is no way I can finish a half marathon".  That's what our minds say even when our hearts feels something different.  Too often we listen to our minds and not go with our gut feelings. 

There are certain goals or visions that you have right now that you are feeling apprehensive about achieving.  You are starting to doubt your own abilities.  Understand that this is just your mind becoming a road block to your own personal truth ~ that you can accomplish ANYTHING you desire to.  The only person that ever stops you, well is YOU.  So don't let that happen anymore.  There are too many important things to discover and achieve.  Let yourself bust through those boundaries that you alone have created and start living the life you have been feeling in your soul all along.  What you are waiting for?

Champion

I always turn to the sports section first.

The sports page records people's accomplishments;

the front page has nothing but man's failures.

~Earl Warren

Champion
Each one of us is a champion in our own right.  We have all overcome adversity, we have all struggled through challenges and remained undaunted despite some failures along the way and we have all made it through the fire at one time or another in our lives.  Everything we have gone through has made us what we are and that is a true Champion.  You do not have to win a Superbowl in order to feel like a winner, you just need to recognize the obstacles you have overcome in your life which has made you a fighter. 

Going the Extra Mile

(my fun, crazy and great students)

A smile confuses an approaching frown.

~Author Unknown

Going the Extra Mile

It's not difficult to extend ourselves a little bit more than we do.  It's not hard to infuse some love, hope and enthusiasm in our work.  It's really pretty easy to go that extra inch or even mile for someone in need.  You never know when that little gesture can mean the world to another person.  There is no reason that today can't be a wonderful day where you connect with everyone around you in a positive way.  It's all about your perception.  Try seeing everything from a place of love and you just might have a fantastic day!