Tag Archives for " empowerment "

2 A Brown Bird Sang

I meant to have a post for day 9 on time, however, so many things happened today that required so much time that I never had a chance to think about what to write let alone write it.

That reminds me of a poem I learned in school a long time ago. The first verse reads,

I meant to do my work today,
But a brown bird sang in the apple tree,
And a butterfly flitted across the field,
And all the leaves were calling me.

The name of the poet escapes me right now, and there is another verse, that I do recall but it isn’t relevant to my day.  If only my afternoon was that lovely.

I started a new course today called Navigator with Adam Urbanski and our very own awesome Michelle Shaeffer.  There was so much packed into this one call that it felt like months worth of training.  I was so busy being in action after the call that the rest of the morning flew by as if I had found a time warp.

Then the outside world found it’s way in.  My elderly dad had a geriatric assessment today and I had to be interviewed to fill in the blanks.  He lives in a facility for dementia patients and I manage his life.  It isn’t that I mind having to pay his bills, confirm his appointments, provide stuff that he requires and so forth, however, I am still finding a way to not let it take so many hours out of the days that someone decides I need to handle things.

In spite of this rather lengthy interruption, I got a lot done and made a lot of phone calls to invite people to participate in a telesummit I’m putting together for people who work with teens and young adults, teaching them independent living skills.  The positive responses were gratifying and helped to keep my spirits up.

Hopefully I will be able to get back on track on Day 10 of the blog challenge. 

How do you cope with interruptions and distractions in your day that interfere with the work you need to do?

Do you have a clear picture of the areas of your life and business where change is required?  It might be time for a reality check so you can discover those areas where you are incomplete or could improve.  If you are subscribed to my blog, then you already have Julia Neiman’s 2 Step Reality Check to Discover and Overcome the Hurdles That Stand Between You and Your Dreams.  If you don’t have a copy of the Reality Check, simply enter your name and email in the box at the top right side of the page and it will be on it’s way to your inbox in seconds.

25 Tap Dance your Dream into Reality

Okay, I admit it, I watch Dancing With the Stars.  That’s where I got the idea for this blog post.

They featured a young man named Joshua Johnson, a 20-year old from Harlem, New York who is financing his future by tap dancing on the subway.  Joshua’s story is a real inspiration.  This is a young man who had a dream to be the first in his family to attend college.  He believed in his dream enough to put himself out there in the subways of New York using a skill he started to develop when he was 15 years old – tap dancing.

Joshua soon learned he could make money, enough money to pay his tuition.  He was determined, persistent, tenacious and committed to making this work.  He caught someone’s attention at the New York Times where he was featured in an article which caught the attention of someone at the Ellen Show who arranged for him to be a guest.  This guest spot on Ellen drew the attention of Dancing With the Stars which garnered Joshua a real performance on the dancing show supported by professional dances.

The following is an excerpt from the Huffington Post which reports this about Joshua:

The New York City native has been tap dancing on the subway to pay for his education at Penn State. And his talent has helped him raise the $6,000 he needs to pay for school each year.

On weekends, Johnson makes the trek from Pennsylvania to New York to perform in subway stations, where he says he can make about $200, The New York Times reports.

But in high school, a university education wasn’t always on the agenda.

“I didn’t really think college was an option for me; I was never really an ‘A’ student. But at the same time, I didn’t want to look back on life and say to myself, ‘I didn’t go, because I didn’t apply,'” Johnson said on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”

However, even with grants, loans and scholarships, Johnson still came up short on tuition, and he had to figure out a way to pay the difference.

“I didn’t have money, and I didn’t have resources, but what I did have was talent,”the student said on “Ellen.”

Although Johnson is determined to be the first college graduate in his family, he admits the journey hasn’t been easy.

“When I got [into Penn State], it was a challenge — and a challenge I took head on. I am still sticking to it until I graduate,” he told Campus Progress.

In addition to studying and subway dancing, Johnson also holds a part-time job at a clothing store. And although times are rough, he’s keeping his eyes on the future.

“I’m in this situation for now, just now, but I know I’m not going to be here for long,” Johnson told The New York Times.

Inspired by his story, Ellen DeGeneres aimed to fix the situation.

She invited Johnson to appear on her show and presented him with new tap shoes and a $35,000 check on behalf of Chegg, a student network.

You can see clips of Joshua’s appearance on the Ellen Show on YouTube.

The takeaway from Joshua’s story is that if your belief is stronger than your doubts, if your commitment to your dream is strong, you can accomplish anything your heart desires.

Are you committed to your dream that strongly?  Do you believe with all your heart that you can accomplish your goals?

You’ll never know if you don’t go for it.

18 Top 3 Tips to Cultivate Gratitude

by Alexandria Barker

Gratitude. It’s been called the most spiritual of all the emotions. It’s also one of the most powerful habits you can cultivate to help create a prosperous fulfilling life! When you feel gratitude, you can’t be angry or afraid. These emotions simply cannot inhabit your body at the same time. Feeling gratitude and appreciation puts you in a high-flying vibration that draws other wonderful things to you to be grateful for!
Cultivating an attitude of gratitude is as simple and basic as counting your blessings. There are many ways to incorporate this beautiful, powerful feeling into your life – here are some of my favorites:

1)  Gratitude Lists

Writing gratitude lists is simply counting your blessings and writing them down! It’s great to have a special journal for this, then whenever you need a lift, you need only review your book to be reminded of all the good things in your life! I recommend you write 5 items before bed. This sets you up for success, because your sub-conscious will keep processing these thoughts as you sleep, and you’ll wake up in a more positive state of mind.
Then, in the morning, write 5 more things you’re grateful for. Spend a moment thinking about each one, dwell in those beautiful feelings. This sets a powerfully positive tone for your day, and because you know you’ll need 5 more positive things to write that night, you’ll subconsciously be on the look-out for more things to be grateful for all day.

2) Gratitude Walks

As you begin your day, say “thank” with one foot and “you” with the other. Thank you is a beautiful powerful mantra! And by actively choosing this as your ‘go to” thought, you’re taking control of your thought processes, leaving less room for negative habitual thoughts.

Taking a walk in nature is the perfect time and place for a gratitude walk, which is also like a moving meditation. Simply focus on gratitude, either repeating the thank-you mantra, or by focusing on things you’re grateful for, like green grass, sunshine, birds singing, and being able to walk. Not only will you be burning calories and building muscle, you’ll be developing your gratitude muscle, paving the way for even better things to come your way!

3) Speaking Gratitude

It’s all to easy to do these practices, then slip back into familiar internal and external dialogue about things you don’t like — about the government, neighbors, your body, your boss. With a little practice you’ll find it easy to turn that around. Just say the opposite, find something good in all situations. It’s always there, though you may have to dig a bit. The more you make the effort, the easier it gets to be positive even if those around you are not.

Put these principles into practice, and you’ll see your life get better and better. Try and see!

Today’s guest poster is Alexandria Barker.  For more practical stress solutions, please visit her Wishful Thanking page.

Alexandria is an author, speaker, Life coach, and creator of the Wishful Thanking Manifestation System. As a Reiki Master/Teacher, Crystal Therapist, Akashic Records reader and Yoga teacher, she specializes in teaching the Law of Attraction and energy work.

Alexandria is happily married, has 4 children and 5 grand-children, and can honestly say she loves her life! Her goal is for you to be able to say the same!

14 Life Fulfillment Reality Check

Part two of our reality check exercises includes examining the following 11 categories in your life.  Rate yourself from 1 – 10 in each of the categories listed on the chart below.  1 is low – it couldn’t be any worse than this.  10 is high – it couldn’t get any better than this.  Don’t overanalyze your response.  The right score is what pops into your head first.  Next, choose a higher number for a 6-month goal.  If you choose a “10” it may be a sign that you are in denial.  It’s difficult for anything to be perfect.  Big goals are good, but they must be based in reality.

My Overall Satisfaction.  What does satisfaction mean?  Do you enjoy getting up in the morning?  Do you enjoy your life?  Do you feel satisfied?  Do you think you deserve to be happy?

My Energy Level.  Are you naturally energetic?  Do you get enough sleep at night?  Do you stay up too late or all night then drink coffee, soda pop, or energy drinks to stay awake?  Do you get high to get through the day?

My Spiritual Connection.  Do you feel connected to a higher power in whatever way you define it (God, Universe, Trusted Source, Spirit)?  Do you have activities in your life that help you stay connected?  What do you do to nurture this connection — hike, spend time in nature, meditate, participate in religious activities, and so on?

My Health.  Are you healthy in mind, body, and spirit or are you ignoring your health?  Do you see a doctor and a dentist when you need to?  And what about your mental health?  Are you feeling good or are you depressed?  Are you angry all of the time?  Do you ask for help when you are feeling depressed or angry or do you just suffer?

My Nutrition.  Do you eat healthy foods or do you stop at the gas station to get junk food?  Do you drink lots of soda pop and eat at fast food restaurants or do you eat real food like meat, vegetables, and fruits?

My Exercise.  Do you take the time to exercise on a regular basis or are you more of a couch potato gaming, watching TV, or texting your friends all day and/or all night long?

My Connection to Family.  What is your relationship with your family?  Do you feel connected to them?  Do you love your family?  Do you feel that your family loves you?

My Connection to Friends.  Do you feel connected to your friends?  Do you love and respect your friends?  Do you feel that your friends love and respect you?

My Integrity.  Integrity means you follow through with what you say you will do with others and with yourself.  Do you keep your agreements with yourself and with others or do you make commitments and not follow through?

My Finances.  Do you save your money and spend it wisely or do you buy things on a whim?  Do you waste money on things you don’t need?  Do you have a bank account?  If you have a bank account, do you know how to manage it?

My Contribution to the World.  Are you helping others or are you only out for yourself?

Directions:   For each category in the “My Life Fulfillment Reality Check”    chart, rate each category on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being “I really need to improve a lot.” and 10 being “I’m doing fantastic!”  Total the columns and answer the questions below.

Now, add up the scores for your current reality and your 6-month goal to get a clear picture of how much work you have to do.  Having a realistic picture of what your life is like and how you feel about it can be very empowering if you use the knowledge gained to make some positive changes.

Did anything about this exercise surprise you?

Can you identify any areas that you can begin making improvements in right now?

What steps are you willing to take to make these improvements?

23 Become An Inspiring Leader

Can you explain to people WHY you do what you do? What moved you to start your business? What makes you get out of bed in the morning?

Author Simon Sinek describes what he calls the Golden Circle of Communication. According to Sinek, communicating the why first is communicating from the inside out and “people don’t buy what you do, they buy WHY you do it.”

He presents this key to becoming an inspiring leader in a Ted Talk which you should listen to, it’s brilliant.

Sinek explains that your best customers and clients buy from you or hire you because they believe what you believe. He reminds us that Martin Luther King didn’t give an “I have a plan speech,” he gave an “I have a dream speech” and within that speech he talked about what he believed.

People didn’t necessarily connect with Martin Luther King the man, they connected with what he believed because it was the same thing that they believed. He believed that people should be treated equally under the law and that was his why.

The why that drives me forward is that I believe that all teens and young adults should have the opportunity to have the life of their dreams regardless of their life experience or current circumstances, and in light of the current economic situation, I believe we need to help them find alternatives to jobs.

Why do you do what you do?

2 Appreciate Failure: It Can Be Your Salvation

I’m taking a break from the Empowering Young Entrepreneurs Series for today to post something that I wrote for myself in November 2009 about a devastating failure I had experienced.  It’s a summary really of the lessons I learned from that experience.  Since I wrote this I gained clarity on my mission and what I really want to do to make a change in the world,  so necessarily the focus of my business changed from what is written here. 

As you know by now, I help teenagers and young adults to identify their passions and dreams and learn to build a business based on those passions and dreams.  When my new logo is ready and I get new business cards, I’m going to list my title as Change Agent.  The change I want to see in the world is a major reduction in teen/young adult unemployment and homelessness.

I hope my story speaks to you in some way.  Posting it here is the final closure in that chapter of my life.

I think I found my silver lining to that dark cloud that parked itself over my head that dreadful day the funder announced they had been hit hard by the drop in the economy and could no longer consider funding our project.  That devastating failure may have led me to a brand new future, free from that overwhelming stress that I felt on my previous job, one that will lead to a happy, productive retirement in the next ten years or sooner.  I am happier than I ever imagined I would be at this time.  I encourage everyone to consider that failure may actually be in your best interest and present other opportunities that you may not have thought about.  Failure is a great teacher and mentor and I will never again be devastated by it, but will look for the opportunity that is coming next.

If you’d like to see some of the gardening project I’ve posted photos on the Nonprofit page.  Scroll to the middle of the page.

12 7 Inspirational Quotes From Walt Disney About Entrepreneurship: Lesson 18 in the Empowering Young Entrepreneurs Series

Whew, we’ve reached day 18 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge.  We’ve considered skills, qualities and tools that young entrepreneurs need to develop an entrepreneur mindset.  I thought for today it would be nice to have a little inspiration before we transition into talking about building a dream business.

I turned to Walt Disney to provide that inspiration today.  Walt Disney has always been a role model for me; he helped me learn that I should dream big and have confidence in my dreams.

Here are 7 statements that he has made based upon his own experience in making his dreams come true with the Walt Disney empire.

“Somehow I can’t believe there are any heights that can’t be scaled by a man who knows the secret of making dreams come true. This special secret, it seems to me, can be summarized in four C’s. They are Curiosity, Confidence, Courage, and Constancy and the greatest of these is Confidence. When you believe a thing, believe it all the way, implicitly and unquestionably.”

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“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”

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“All the adversity I’ve had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me… You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.”

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“You reach a point where you don’t work for money.”

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“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”

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“Of all the things I’ve done, the most vital is coordinating those who work with me and aiming their efforts at a certain goal.”

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“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”

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I hope you are feeling inspired by Walt Disney’s words.

9 Empowering Young Entrepreneurs to Be Self Empowered

In the first five lessons we’ve focused on empowering teens to develop an entrepreneur mindset.  This seems like a good time to take a look at encouraging young entrepreneurs to focus on being self empowered.  After all, we can only empower them for so long before they need to take responsibility for their own motivation and development.

In his Ebook, The Self Empowerment Guidebook, Chris Cade (http://www.chriscade.com), provides some tips for empowering yourself for success.  Share these tips with your young entrepreneur:

Stop thinking and feeling as if you’re a failure, because you’re not.

How can others accept you if YOU can’t accept YOU?

When you see others who you envy for any reason (beauty, wealth,etc), focus on your own self empowerment and not on self pitying.

Self-acceptance is not about how you fit into other peoples’ idea of the world, it is about accepting yourself in the world regardless of how others view you.

When people feel down and low about themselves, help them up.

Rather than join others in feeling low, choose to help them out through leading by example.  The more you radiate confidence, the more others will also feel and start to absorb that confidence themselves.

The world is your classroom.

Don’t feel stupid or doomed forever just because you made a mistake or “failed” at something. See how your experience is a lesson to learn from.

Everything has a silver lining—no exceptions!

Take things one step at a time.

Don’t expect massive changes overnight. Self empowerment is a process of taking lots of small steps that ultimately add up to something amazingly beautiful and profound.

Self empowerment results in inner stability, personality development and SUCCESS.

It comes from self awareness, self appreciation and self confidence.

Set meaningful and achievable goals.

Self empowerment doesn’t try to make you an exact replica of your idols or role models.  Self empowerment is the process by which you dissolve all of the false ideas you’ve adopted over the years, and you learn to see yourself for the amazing person you already are.

Little things mean a LOT to other people.

Sometimes, we don’t realize that the little things that we do like a pat on the back, saying “Hi” or asking somebody “How are you?” are simple things that mean so much to other people. When we are appreciative and grateful of all that is around us, it eventually reflects back inwardly and we become more  appreciative and grateful for who we are and our experience here on Earth.

Even though you’re willing to accept change and go through the process of self empowerment, it doesn’t mean that everyone else is.

The world is a place where people of different values and attitudes hang out. Sometimes, even if you think you and your best friend always like to do the same thing together at the same time, be aware that not everybody realizes the value of a path of self empowerment.

We should always remember that there’s no such thing as “overnight success.”  Be grateful for every moment of your life which has brought you to this moment here and now.

We are all here to learn our lessons. Our parents, school teachers, friends, colleagues, office mates, neighbors… they are our teachers. When we open our heart and mind to a path of self empowerment, we increase our chances of happiness, success, and lasting inner peace.

I hope you find these tips to self empowerment useful.  Tomorrow I’ll be posting about coping with rejection.  Having strategies in place to be able to keep ourselves motivated and not lose confidence in the face of rejection is a very important skill that entrepreneurs must have.

While you’re here, please take a minute to to ENTER TO WIN the Calm Parenting Program.   There are only 9 days left to become a winner!  Take a look at that opportunity on http://www.julianeiman.com/the-contest page.  Just enter your name and email for a chance to be the winner.  The drawing will close on July 15 at midnight and the winner will be notified by email on the 16^th.