Music soothes the savage beast; Music is the bridge to your soul; Music has proven to improve a child’s ability to learn. Yes, we all have heard these explanations and facts about the power of music, so I wanted to talk to you about adding more music to your life. Music indeed does have incredible and amazing healing powers.

•It can help you to relax, on days when you seriously need to unwind, clear your head, or get some new thoughts!

• It can get you energized when you need an extra boost, or pure motivation to get through the next event, day, or week!

• It can help you to reminisce and rejoice your greatest moments and achievements.

• It can help someone to grieve and release built up emotion, when they find it difficult to do so.

• It can help you get to sleep… or wake up in time!

• It can help you to realize how important family and friends are.

• It can help you mark the most memorable moments in your life, like your wedding day, or first dance, or first love.

• It can remind you of what is truly important in your life.

Keep some of these things in mind as you move through your day to day, and see if adding music can help you to enhance the moments and events in your life. Think about using a compilation of your favorite songs to wake up to, or drive to work to. Play a memorable song for a loved one, and reminisce about “the days.” Make music a part of your life, and see how much more enjoyable your life can become. “The Power of Music can be a positive attribute on the road of life…” (That one is mine!).

It’s human nature to focus on the negative as opposed to the positive. When we are upset, unhappy, and sad, we love to bask and mull over our depressive state, but how come we can’t do that when something good happens! I bet you can remember the last thing that went wrong for you faster than you can remember the last thing that went right for you. How long we decide to stay in an emotional state determines which emotional state we will favor. Therefore, if you are one of those people who are always disappointed, always down about what you don’t have or didn’t get, or always feel you are being treated unfairly, here is what you do. From now on, every day, once a day… you are going to spend a full 5 minutes thinking about anything (and I mean anything) that goes right throughout your day. Did you get out of work a little early? Bask your thoughts in the happiness of your freedom! Your son or daughter get an “A” on a test today? Take 5 minutes and appreciate your child’s persistence and ability to achieve! Taking a few moments to “live in that happy moment,” serves a few purposes.

It gets you in the habit of “living your thoughts” in the more positive events of your life.

It gets you to look at a possible method you used to making that something go right; therefore, you may be able to use that method again and again.

The more you mull over the happy and positive things, the more these moments and thoughts will outweigh the negative ones.

So bottom line… Proud of yourself for finally taking the time to get the brakes on your car done? Enjoy that moment for a few moments and celebrate your ability to “get things done!” It may sound trivial, but you will be glad that you did… UH, OHHH, your gonna be a generally happier person because of this? What a concept!!

What a wonderful time of year… the roses will be in bloom, weather is warming up; it is as if the world is being reborn. With this feeling of “newness” affecting everyone’s moods, I thought it be necessary to talk a little about getting rid of the old, to make way for the new. A few pointers to starting this spring off refreshed and renewed is definitely in order, so let’s get to it with “The Spring Cleaning System”:

•If you want to clear things out, but are having sentimental issues getting rid of things, consider how long it has been since you paid attention to those particular things. You will split these things into 3 piles; The “Keepin’ It” pile, the “Questionable” pile, and the “Trash It” pile.

• Is it something you only use once or twice a year? Is it of high sentimental value or a family air loom? If so, you might lean towards keeping it. Remember that keeping it means you are going to KEEP IT! If you are not 100% sure, put it in the “Questionable” pile.

• Is it something you haven’t thought about or used in 1½ to 2 years? Does it come in handy in a very rare instance? Then you might want to put it into the “Questionable” pile. Keep in mind that you will only be able to keep ½ of what is in the “Questionable” pile. The other ½ must go!!

•Is it something, you totally forgot you had? Is it something that has tagged along all of this time, yet you never had a use for it? You guessed it… “Trash” pile. This pile is a pile you will get rid of indefinitely!

That’s it! Follow this simple and easy formula and watch the clutter melt away until you have a more open, spacious, and cleansed environment. And for those of you who are too sentimental to get rid of anything… try enlisting a friend who you will designate to actually throw everything away without you “seeing it” being done. Also know that the object is to clean and de-clutter! You just have to learn to let go of some things… it unfortunately is one of the laws of life. Happy Cleansing!!

Here is my definition of Reality…

REALITY: Our current perception and analysis of that perception

What are we talking about reality for? Well, whenever we are presented with a task, decision, challenge, or any situation, we tend to base how we will proceed on our perception of the situation. We analyze that perception and base our reaction to it. For example; let’s say that you are driving and some maniac decides to cut you off and speed like a demon out of hell! You are probably telling yourself, (from your perceptions or reality), that he or she is an inconsiderate *&^%$ (that’s putting it lightly!) But what if that “crazy driver” just found out that someone close to them was just admitted into the hospital because of a fatal car accident? Does that change your perception (your perceived reality)? It sure does.

Well this same “perceived reality” also can effect any and all important decisions in your life. For example, let’s say you see the perfect job in the paper; “looking for Financial Executive Officer Assistant, must have Masters in related field.” Perhaps you are working on your Masters and don’t quite have it yet, and even though everything else about the job is perfect for you, you turn away from it without giving it a second glance. But what if the reality of it was that the employer actually runs a very small business, and is really just looking for someone who could do the job? The employer probably just put that in there because someone told them it would bring more qualified applicants, but all the while the employer really doesn’t care. You see what I am getting at? Sometimes when we really want something, we have to actively practice challenging our reality (our perceptions of reality). Challenging your reality requires you to challenge your beliefs and your (perceived) limitations. Practice this from now on when you set out to accomplish something; challenge your reality. You will be amazed at how much more opportunity shows up, and just how much more real… your dreams are to achieve!

Ahh… the single scene. A love-hate predicament. Love the freedom and the right to pick and choose, although choosing is also a tricky process, like opening up a Crackerjack box; never know what you’re going to find! But some of us have been doing this long enough, and now want to go to the other side. So for those of us looking to embark on serious relationships with serious people… looking for Mr. or Mrs. Right… These tips should start you off in the right direction.

•First thing you might consider is examining your previous relationships, and considering what you liked, and didn’t like. Make a list of what you want and don’t want your potential partner to be. Think about the things you liked in any of your previous significant others, and what you feel you could do without. Perhaps you are looking for someone who is caring and sensitive, but you appreciate your independence, so your potential partner shouldn’t be too clingy. Maybe you want someone “outdoorsy”, or perhaps a “home body” will suite you just fine. Consider what you want and don’t want your relationship to be… and your partner to be for that matter.

•From this list you have created, put things in a category of importance, “1” being the most necessary, and “3” being the least necessary. In other words, maybe your potential partner doesn’t have to be an avid chess player (a “3”), but maybe they have to be an animal lover. Prioritize what you list, and it will make it easier for you to narrow in on what you’re looking for, and how to choose.

•Now that you have your list, and it is prioritized, you have a solid idea of what you’re looking for. Look this list over, make sure it is right, and try to have the list ingrained in your mind. This way, while you’re out with a potential someone, you can subconsciously compare them to your list. Now it may take a couple of dates to determine how they measure up to the list, so don’t be in a rush. Although it may take just one date to see an absolute no-no (disaster dates!)

Last but not least… be who you are! There is nothing worse than falsely representing yourself! Be yourself, relax, and enjoy your life. Whether your single or in a relationship, enjoy your life! If you would like more information on finding Mr. or Mrs. Right, feel free to contact me with any questions. Good luck…. Now get out there!!

How many of us get trapped in buying coffee every morning on the way to work? Making an impulse purchase on the internet or at the mall? Buying fast food at least once a week despite having food at home? How about spending 1 dollar at the vending machine at the job every day? I wanted to write this quick little article to shed some light on what we could potentially be saving by cutting out these few bad spending habits a majority of us have.

•The morning coffee we purchase every day can add up to quite an amount! We have our latte and specialty coffee drinkers that spend approximately 3.00 dollars (and that’s being generous) a day… and then you have your average Joes (no pun intended!) who purchase from the deli and spend approximately 1.50 for coffee. Do you know that the latte lover who spends the 3.00 dollars a day is spending $720.00 dollars a year!! The average Joe who spends $1.50… Well, he is still spending about $360.00 a year! That is a lot of spare change!

• Making an impulse purchase at the mall or on the internet is another money drain. There are those who purchase about $60 a month, and those that use approximately $200.00 dollars a month on impulse purchases. These heavy shoppers sometimes will actually set aside a budget for this! But let’s look at the damage…. The $60 a month buyer is realistically spending $720 dollars a year (pretty bad paper cut!), where the Big $200.00 spender is spending $2400 a year!! That hurts!

• The old fast food curse. Most of us do it. The “once a weekers” are dishing out $6.00 a week, and the fast food experts are purchasing fast food three times a week for a grand total of $18.00 a week. The “once a weekers” aren’t looking so bad, with $312.00 a year, but the “fast food experts” are emptying there wallets by $936.00 a year. YIKES!

•Our “wandering vending machine buyers” are buying on an average of 2 times a week (roughly $3.20 for snack and drink total), while the “vending machine hoarders” are buying at least 4 times a week ($6.40 total). “Not so bad,” you say, but look at what they are spending a year. The “wandering vending machine buyers” are dishing out $166.4 (not devastating), but our “vending machine hoarders can spend up to $332.8 a year! Again, a lot of spare change.

So how much would someone be spending if they had all four of these little bad spending habits? A WHOPPING $4,388.80 A YEAR!!! The moral is this… take a note of all of your little bad spending habits you have, and calculate what you spend approximately a year fulfilling these bad habits. I guarantee you once you see the damage, you will re-think those spending habits altogether. And what does it take? Bringing in a bagged lunch? Bringing in your coffee from home? Cooking more meals at home, and storing left over’s in your fridge? Think about it!