“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”

-Albert Schweitzer

So today I write about finding and doing what I love to do…

You see it’s really stressful on your family when you realize you’re unhappy and you want to change because it requires an adjustment for everyone in the family…

It’s worse when you know you are due for a career change… all signs lead to a change in career… yet you haven’t found what it is you are supposed to be doing…

So what do you do… you explore…

Now exploring has it’s challenges because sometimes you explore outside the conventional… socially and family-wise…

Those challenges cause some stress which is difficult to deal with when your supporters love stability, security, and the conventional…

You’ve basically destroyed the stability and security of your family and your marriage by initiating a change which is absolutely necessary in order to continue on in your marriage and your family…

It’s hard to face the facts and it’s hard to do what you need to do for you…

So I guess the point is that…

I know that I want to continue my life in a new career…

I know that, if I continue with my current career, the hole that I’ve been climbing out of is going to swallow me back in… and I will drown…

So how do you explain that to someone who is so fearful and knows not how to look outside the box…

The bottom line is that I don’t want to continue doing what I am doing and if that ends up in a new career so be it… if it ends up that I stop working… so be it…

How do I find what I love to do?  So that I can stop doing something that pushes me back into the hole that I’ve worked really hard to climb out of?

If I have that thing I love before I stop the other, the transition will be much easier for the rest of the family.

Then again I am thinking of everyone else… right?  and this isn’t about everyone else…

It is about me.

Here are some strategies for language development between the ages of 3-5 years.

Remember that in typically developing children, 80% of your child’s language has been developed by age 3. This means that from age 3 through adulthood your child is refining their language skills and learning higher level language concepts.

Some of these strategies may overlap with the 0-3 Strategies and others are new.

1. Create a necesity for your child to communicate.

2. Expand your child’s phrases by adding 1 word to what he/she says.

3. Provide choices or ask open ended questions rather than asking yes/no questions.

4. Decrease use of non-specific language (i.e it).

5. Talk to your child about their day.  Ask questions.

6. Dedicate time to playing with your child.

7. Create opportunities for socializing with other children and adults.

8. Encourage your child to use words in his repertoire.

9. Allow your child to do things for himself that he knows how to do. (i.e putting on shoes)

10.  Read books, talk about the pictures, and ask questions about the books.

The more you talk to your child; the more your child will pick up on language.  Children imitate their parents/caregivers.  Make sure to include them in on family conversations (during dinner and other times) in your daily routines.

I think it’s a wonderful idea… You see I am just realizing how so many companies out there promote their products by supporting good causes!

It’s wonderful… It makes me feel good to know that I am doing a good deed just by buying from Fair Indigo.  We support organic clothing and a fair trade!  I get what I want at a decent price and know that I am doing something good for someone else…

You don’t even have to do anything extra!  TOMS shoes is another business where you buy a pair of  shoes and another pair is given to a child in need…  It’s a great concept…  You give  back just buying a pair of shoes!!!

You can support small business by avoiding big companies such as Home Depot and Lowes for home projects… even landscaping!  Many of workers are looking for work and extra money!

If they can bring home food and pay for shelter, it helps keep people of the streets!  Even their kids are in better shape because they don’t feel responsible for the families economic difficulty or even the tension that economic stresses bring into the home.

Generally, many small businesses are willing to give back even if they aren’t recognized for their efforts.  Small businesses don’t give back to get attention from the media.  They do it because they care.

Most small businesses enjoy what they do.  They are small enough that they still care about their work and their efforts.  Small businesses are still sensitive to the difficulties of life.  They have not been desensitized due to their growth or from their successes.

So the next time you’re out shopping around or need to buy a gift… Why not try giving a gift and giving back all at the same time?  Look for the those businesses who are willing to do something for a good cause!

“When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears.”

-Anthony Robbins

Here I am thinking about how my life has changed in the past year!   One year… that’s such a short time for such big changes occurred in my life and my wellbeing!

I feel great!  I feel happy!  I feel in control!  I feel like I am creating the life I desire to live!  I am on the path to my true heart’s desire!

How wonderful is that?

I can honestly say that I am grateful for everything and everyone I encounter in my life at this time.  I have been grateful for the rain, my family, my home, and my teachers!

Looking back and reflecting I’ve come to realize that changing your attitude about life and your experiences really does make a difference in the unfolding of your life!

The more grateful you become through your journey of self discovery; the more comfortable you feel in your own skin!
The more affirmations you give yourself; the more wonderful things begin to happen!  All you have to do is ask, intend, or wish!

You see last year I was very unhappy.  I was sad.  I cried uncontrollably with strangers I didn’t even know.  I was out of my element.  I was out of control.  All this made the rest of my family unstable and unhappy as well.

I began seeing a therapist who helped me through a crisis of depression and supported me through my self discovery and exploration.  She helped me realize that some of my emotions weren’t really my emotions.  They were emotions that were handed down to me from others.

As I began to re-learn how to say no and honor my desires, I began to grow in all areas of my life.  I began to understand where these emotions were from and how to deal with them on a level I was comfortable.

My attitude began to change.  My life began to change.  Miracles, blessings, desires, and wishes have all begun to come true.

It took hard work and determination.  I had to go against the grain; against my habits.  It was well worth it!

Some things I have done to help myself along:

1. Pray everyday (not just sometimes)

2. Be grateful everday (not just when I remember to)

3. Say “Thank you” (even if its to my husband for taking out the trash or to my son for following directions)

4. Meditation

5. Time for nuturing myself (a SELF playdate: no friends or loved ones invited)

6. I engaged in DEEP LISTENING (really concentrate on the conversations I have with others)

7. I practice loving speech (work in progress!)

8.  Avoid negative energy, triangulation (in other words: gossip)

9.  Remove my self from uncomfortable situations or places.

10. Eat healthy and exercise (increase veggies, decrease meats, increase organic and natural foods)

11. Practice yoga, Reiki, and other forms of relaxation, stress-reduction, and natural healing!

I am grateful to all my teachers, guides, angels, and supportive high energy people who have cheered me along.  I am able to really listen to my higher self and trust in my higher self to guide me to my true heart’s desire.

It’s a blessing to have experienced such pain; without that experience I would not have known what happiness is!
Love and Light… Peace and Love…

Positive Energy sent to all those who read my blog!

So through Facebook someone made a comment about how irritated they were because a commercial switched from English to Spanish with English Subtitles…

And then of course someone writes that this is USA and people should be talking English, etc etc…

Well… if you must know the number 1 second language most spoken in the United States is Spanish at 80% followed by Vietnamese at 2%.

The two languages are not shocking… what is shocking is the difference between the two languages… woow… that’s crazy…

I think it’s great the media is finally focusing on a positive!!!    Multilingualism and diversity are such good things.  They help us understand others and give us a greater variety of opportunities.

So here’s thing… In most other countries, it is favored for a person to be bilingual or multilingual including Latin America.  The USA is one of the only countries who hasn’t figured that out yet.

And now that they are finally trying to change for good, people are resisting.  It’s sad that people are in so much pain that they cannot see how great it is that the media is supporting cultural diversity and multilingualism.

If one was wise as an American, they would learn a second language… which of course should be Spanish due to the high percentage of Spanish speaking individuals in the United States…

Spanish is becoming a necessity for those who live in the United States.  A third language would be a bonus!

I love that we are moving towards tolerance, acceptance, and openness… at least it’s begun by showing bilingual commercials on the television!!!

There’s nothing more wonderful than finding a community where you fit in… Where others have interests similar to yourself.
Through my  journey to rediscover myself, I realized that I started doing things that brought me joy as a child.  It just seemed natural to want to find that Happy Place in myself…

So I went in search of all the things that brought me joy.  The interesting thing is that many of the things that brought me joy were not really my interests in other words  they really didn’t bring me joy.

What brought me joy was making others happy, specifically my mom.  So even though I enjoyed doing some of the things I did, it wasn’t really an interest of mine.  I pursued them for my mom.

I felt I was responsible for my mom’s happiness.  So if it made mom happy, then I did my best to do it and enjoy it.  You see I discounted my own feelings and desires to make sure that She was happy or that there was some harmony in my home.

Don’t get me wrong there were plenty a time when I rebelled and worked hard to go against what everyone else wanted me to do or rather, thought I should do.  Everyone was working in my best interest and because they cared.

They never realized that they cared so much, I got confused and started doing things because that’s what I should do not what I want to do.

Now, by going back and experiencing activities which I thought brought me joy, I realize some of those activities brought me joy because they brought others joy.

The other day I chose to go to a yoga class at a studio close to my home.  I had experienced different types of yoga in different environments but never really found a studio that made me feel good.

I practiced off and on out of my home throughout the last 5+ years.  Since I went to the class on Friday, I now realize that a yoga studio is where I belong.  There are people with similar interests that I can talk to.  I can feel comfortable in my own skin.

I plan to discontinue my aerobics classes and focus my energy on yoga and finding a community where I belong and can talk to people about my interests.

It took hard work to find out that I tend to ignore my feelings and my desires and focus on what I should do and what other people would like to see me do.

I am determined to create a life full of peace and happiness.  I will live for me.  The rest will come along including supportive friends and family and communities.

It takes courage, hard work, and determination to find the real you and to choose to live by your standards!

There’s very few people in this world that you can truly be yourself in front of them…

That amount of comfort can only come with special people you connect with… Not every one of your friends understands you in way where you feel “this is me and you tolerate even the worst in me… “

These friends appreciate you at your best, at your worst, and everything in between…

These people are few and far between…

But once you’ve found someone you can trust your true self with you can’t get enough of them…

so I went out with single women this weekend and we talked about the Oprah show where two 14 year olds stated they were ready to have sex…

As you can imagine, there were many different opinions and some who preferred to stay quiet…

The questions Dr. Laura was asking the teens were amazing… I definitely thought it was a good way to talk about sex…

I don’t know that I would go as far as to buy condoms for my son… but I would give him the money and maybe even take him to a store once and show him where he could buy them… Although, in this day in age kids probably know where to get them…

I definitely agreed that the kids should be empowered by having all the information without encouraging them to have sex.

Sex has been such taboo for so long… I think it would help to talk about sex in as a positive expression of oneself… It’s another way to express ourselves to our loved one…

It might help to talk about sex as a normal and healthy action. It is a gift we give to others with whom we feel we want to share it.

Teenage girls need to understand that they have not committed a sin just because they gave in to temptation… They should be taught to feel it is ok for them to explore their bodies with or without someone…

We need to educate our girls about how to decide when they are ready to explore their bodies with someone else and how to choose the right person to share their bodies with…

Just like we need to teach our teenage boys to be respectful of teenage girls…

It shouldn’t be okay for the teenage boys to score and taboo for the teenage girls to score…

There is definitely an unbalance among the boys and girls… which is the same as the unbalance seen between men and women…

Give everyone options and the whole story, good and bad, about having sex. I think it will help us out in the long run…