Aged Cheese and Found Money

Have you ever reached into the pocket of a coat that you haven’t worn since last year, and found a $20 bill? Great feeling isn’t it? Found money. It’s even sweeter than it was when you first put it away. It might have been set aside, but it was there all along waiting to be rediscovered.

When looking for new cheese- or a new life, business, career (fill in the blanks)- you might just find that there is a nugget of perfectly aged cheese right there in the pocket of your heart and mind.

Take a look. Is there something -some talent, passion or gift- that you’ve kept hidden from yourself, or tucked aside because of fear? Maybe it’s been a fear of failure. Maybe you lack confidence. Perhaps, just perhaps, you really fear the possibility of your own success. Sometimes when we trot off looking for new cheese, we find that it’s been tucked away in our pockets all along. We are just too afraid to reach in there and get it.

If you can relate to what I’m saying, then get that hunk of cheese on out here! The world needs your brand of cheese! You never know who you will touch, how many lives you will change because you had the courage to step out and take that chance. Do it!

When You’re “New Cheese Idea” seems to stink…

When making a new kind of cheese, -one that no one has ever heard of, or is different from the rest, you will face criticism. Here’s what Seth Godin has to say about that… http://tiny.cc/gbind

Where’s Your Head?

I’m curious…am I the only person who has so much going on in my head that I don’t even notice that there is no music playing in the car, the TV is not on, and not a man-made sound can be heard, but the noise is still deafening? Does anyone else stand in the shower and think, “Did I even wash my hair?” and then go ahead wash it anyway just in case (for probably the second time)? I wonder to myself, “Where is my head?”….

That was the question I asked myself aloud the other day (chuckling) when I looked in the mirror about 4 hours after my morning shower to discover that, no, I had not rinsed the conditioner out of my hair. And it got me thinking… lol, yes, still inside my head….

What goes on in our minds is powerful. Very powerful. The messages we play over and over again, either positive or negative have a huge impact on our success or (perceived) failures. What goes on in our heads can be the difference between feeling empowered and full of exhilarating energy, or feeling as powerless as if the wind has been taken out of our sails, neither moving forward nor back. When experiencing the latter, we become stagnant in our own mind-prison of fear and anxiety.

You may think that sounds a little dramatic, but it is a truth that I think we can all identify with. I know I can. So let’s throw off those destructive, over-played messages. Let’s band together, knowing that negative reinforcement has never motivated a single person toward their best self. New cheese- your dreams, YOUR POTENTIAL- is beckoning. Mine too! I’ll write more on that later. Until then remember this, “You don’t have to be great to get started. You have to get started to be great.”

It’s All in Your Head…

“I can’t believe it.” (Luke Skywalker) …… “That is why you fail.” (Yoda)

Over the past 11 months, I have lost 95 lbs. When I think about it, it is hard to imagine that this has been accomplished by me of all people. I still have a little bit farther to go to make it to my goal of 106 lbs in one year, but that is really not my point here. Let me back up just a little bit.

During the coarse of about 15 years, I have struggled with losing 15 lbs, then gaining 30 right back. Then losing 30, gaining 60. After a while, I just didn’t believe it could be done. I’ve got a genetic predisposition for being overweight, and began to be resolved to it (or perhaps more accurately, used that as a built in cop-out).

So what happened to change that? I found myself in a desperate position, that’s what happened. It came down, very seriously, to my health. It was no longer a matter of could I do it (lose weight), but that I had to in order to maintain health. With that mindset firmly and finally in place, I set myself to the task of becoming healthy again. For me that meant losing a tremendous amount of weight. I got started in mid-September 2009 with a starting weight of 236 lbs. and a BMI of 43. (Today, 141 and 26.)

Here’s what I learned on my journey, which is still ongoing: It is all in our heads. That sounds very simple, and it is. At the same time, it is oh-so-complex. Not only that, but this issue of mastering our own minds proves to be (oft times) painfully difficult.

Another thing I discovered. With enough determination and a mindset that there is no alternative but to keep pushing through the pain of doing the thing we resist most- doing that which will bring us the most success- it (whatever it is) CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED. It can! I am my own proof of that fact. That is the gold nugget that I cling to in taking the next step forward in my life.

Change your mindset and you can change everything. I not only believe it, I know it. I have the proof staring right back at me in the mirror. Of course, I have to remind myself of it daily, still. Now, I’m off to slay more dragons. As before, it comes down to the have to. That’s where I am. I simply have to make it. My life depends on it.

Here’s another quote for you that I always liked: “What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?” ….That’s not to say that a healthy amount of failure isn’t necessary for ultimate success. But then that’s for another post. I’ll address failure another time…

Until then, much success! Lori A Moore, CTACC

Who or What Inspires You?

Throughout life, I’ve heard many people talk about their heroes, those they’ve put on a pedestal, someone who inspires them. I’ve never been able to relate to that. All my life, I’ve not been able to think of one person who I admire enough to think, “Wow, I am in the presence of someone who is simply amazing!” That is until the past few years. I can think of only two. I’d like to introduce you to one of them…

Daniel Waldschmidt is my genius-muse. He is much younger than I am, and most certainly wiser, more driven, and so on fire and on-target he will revolutionize the world around him. I believe that. A super hero, no. An amazingly talented, brilliant motivator- yes. Hands down the most influentially positive voice in my head.

Here’s one of his Edgy Conversations about getting out of our own way…

So who or what inspires you? Have you stopped to think about that? What have you done with the message they bring? Or are you too much in the shadows of your own head, your own pain? Getting in your own way…. Is it time for you to let go of disappointments, betrayals, and the biggest hindrance of all, fear? Go ahead, engage with yourself in this Edgy Conversation. I dare you!

What is “New Cheese” and Why Am I Looking For It?