1.) No matter how many calendars you keep for your schedule, none of them will do you any good if you don’t look (listen) at them!

2.) You really can start your day over, start your life over, get on back with your plan at any moment in your life.

3.) It takes more energy for you to push away good things coming your way then to open up, let-go and receive.

4.) You really do have ideas and wisdom inside of you to help you answer your prayers if you will only stop and listen.

5.) When two different people begin talking with you about the same subject matter—listen, when a third person begins talking with you on that same subject–pay attention, it may be a test question! If more people start talking about the same subject as everyone else—you can laugh and know that the Divine has a great sense of humor.

6.) It is possible to be in better shape in your Fifties than you were in your Twenties.

7.) If you have a product or service that you believe in and want other people to purchase from you, keep finding ways to get the word out about it and don’t give up.  People are listening and seeing, you just need to keep going and know that your “tipping point” is not far away.

8.) There are more people who want to help you accomplish your heart’s desire than those who do not.  Focus on those who do.

9.) It is also very generous to be a good receiver of love, gifts, wisdom, hugs.  Help others feel the joy in giving by how well you receive.

10.) A butterfly cannot crawl back into it’s cocoon even if the wind is blowing hard and the rain is mighty. It has been given everything it needs to be able to fly to freedom, nutrition and love all it has to do is jump off and fly.

What? Money isn’t everything?!?  “How could you say that?!”, you may be thinking. But it’s true, Money is not everything. In fact it’s really usually only some kind of metal, fabric or paper (which is certainly not “everything”)!

Thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of books have been written about what money is and in my not so humble opinion, not enough has been written about what money is not.

In all the cultures who use money, the metal, fabric or paper is an agreed upon symbol for mutual exchange.  We use it to communicate an agreed upon thought such as you make me this and then I pay you what you and  I feel it is worth with our agreed upon symbol.  Isn’t it interesting how much time most of us spend on wanting to and/or acquiring money and how little time we spend on the actual communication and cultivation of relationships with other people? Money is a symbol used for communication but it is not actual communication.

Before I list the top ten things that money is not, please know that I am acutely aware that for many of us we have a lot of needs (much less wants) that (in our cultures at least) cannot be met without money.  I know that I need a roof over my head, food in my belly and clothes on my back just like you do, so maybe this top ten list will help you to put your idea of what money is in your life back into its rightful place in balance with everything that is available to you that won’t cost you a cent:

1.) Money is not the warm feeling you get when someone is unexpectedly kind to you.

2.) Money can’t buy you that look that your loved one/dog/cat/horse,bird gives you straight into your eyes that let’s you know you are loved and respected.

3.) All the money in the world won’t buy you true friendship with someone who would give you the shirt off their backs if you needed it and really be happy to do so.

4.) Money won’t fill that empty hole in your gut that only spiritual and emotional healing and time can fill.

5.) Money will not make you important.  Look at Bernie Madoff, how important is he now?

6.) Money won’t buy you the experience of laughing so hard with someone you care about that you run out of breath.

7.) Money will not make you a better person.  You can be a good person and do really nice things with money for others but that doesn’t mean you’re better.

8.) Money is not the answer to all your problems.  If you have a problem right now that you believe money would get rid of, then think again…you may be able to come up with a creative solution to help you get your problem(s) cared for in another way.

9.) Money is not approval.  If you have lot’s of money it does not mean that the world approves of you and if you have no money it does not mean that the world disapproves of you—money is a material thing—it does not have feelings.

10.) Money is not love. Money is not love.  Money is not love.  Yes, if you are a loving person with money you can buy many loving things with money but the actual money itself is not love.  Money is a material thing-it does not have feelings.

It has been my experience that I always learn something about myself, other people, ideas, facts etc. from every person I come across when I choose to keep my mind and heart open to receiving the learning. I hope the following can get you to thinking about all that you’ve learned this week too.

This is a list of ten things that I learned from clients as well as some  people who I mentored  this week (just to name a few!):

1.) Even if you’ve been chewing on the same problem for years and years, when you decide to let yourself have a break-through, you can change the pattern in an instant.

2.) If you keep having the same situation happen over and over again, but your life is too busy to stop and review what’s not working….therein  lies the clue.

3.) We all have our own unique calling, finding your own is a real blessing. Allowing others to find theirs when you allow them help you is even bigger.

4.) No matter how many bells and whistles you have after your name, we all thirst for someone to see and hear us for who we are.

5.) Believing in someone and helping them to see how you see them is a magic elixer for potential.

6.) When you are helping others, most people hear what you are saying even though they may not acknowledge it at the time. The seed is always planted.

7.) Most people will let you know what their strengths and weaknesses are, respect them both and address them accordingly.  Even the most competent of people, needs a gentle handl holding now and then.

8.) There really is a very thin line between excitement and fear. Following your breath and breathing from your core helps disseminate the highs and lows into a frequency that allows divine guidance in. Striking a yoga pose and holding it to the count of ten can also help shift you out of fear and into the light.

9.) Human beings really are amazingly resilient and magnificent when we reach for the gold bar of life no matter what our trials and tribulations.

10.) The difference between a higher self inkling and your ego can be felt by where it “hits” you in your body when you become aware of the thought.  Inklings usually come very softly but clearly and ego is more loud and discordant. Listen for the soft quiet voice just below the din in your mind, it will never lead you astray.

Peter Shankman wrote a great blog recently entitled, “Why I’m Not Going to SXSW This Year – A Brutally Honest Post”.   For those of you who may not have heard of Peter Shankman yet, he is known as a social entrepreneur, angel investor, CEO, Speaker and Adventurist.  Here’s a little blurb from his website:

Peter is perhaps best known for founding Help A Reporter Out, (HARO) which in under a year has become the de-facto standard for thousands of journalists looking for sources on deadline, offering them more than 125,000 sources around the world looking to be quoted in the media. HARO is currently the largest free source repository in the world, sending out over 1,200 queries from worldwide media each week. HARO’s tagline, “Everyone is an Expert at Something”, proves over and over again to be true, as thousands of new members join at helpareporter.com each week.

I bring his blog to your attention because I believe it takes a lot of courage to do something different (and for sure to send it out to the world at large!), like not attend SXSW because you want to take care of yourself  (South By Southwest which is a huge music/technology conference that takes place in Austin, Texas during spring break week in March when all kinds of people from all corners of the globe descend to our little paradise in the hill country.  Peter tells us that he doesn’t believe he is an alcoholic, but rather that he tends to drink very fast (like he lives his life) and finds himself in situations as a result that he would rather not find himself (verbally, physically, etc.) Whatever the case, I’m glad Peter spoke up.  There are a whole lot of people who will listen to him who may be feeling the same way or at least sitting on the fence.

SXSW does not have to a scene from “Party Down“, in fact it is really possible to have a whole lot of fun and get a lot of “work” done in the process via connecting and interacting.  I’ve been alcohol-free for 20+ years and yet when my husband and I get together with six of our favorite scuba diving friends for rest and relaxation swimming and diving in various blue waters in the world, you’d never know it! I get in there and laugh and have fun with the best of them.  Actually, I think I’m a lot more fun then when I was drinking because I can stay awake a whole lot longer!

I wanted to bring Peter’s honest blog to your attention to jog your thoughts just in case there might be something that you would like to do differently this year, may this give you the shot of courage you need!