Heart to Heart Transactions

Words...they are pretty powerful and can either build up or tear down a person.  Think about your interactions with people today.  Your significant other, your children, co-workers, the person at the store and so on.  When you spoke to these individuals, where did the words come from?  Were they just noise to fill a space, or did you engage? 

I have come to learn in the past year to make my interactions with others from the heart.  I have a friend that almost everytime we have a conversation be it face to face, text, messaging there is a heart interaction. Not that we are deep and serious all the time as we do like to joke around and have fun, however, when we engage in conversation our hearts engage as well. 

There was a time in my life that my heart did not engage in anything, it was closed off and protected.  As a result of this I distanced myself from others so I would not have to feel, to trust.  I got to the point of pretty much not talking to anybody or letting them in.  At the insistance of a friend I started to see a counselor.  I figured that I would go a few times and hear the same old thing, just a different person...I was wrong!  At the very first meeting there was something different, I did not understand but wanted more.  As the weeks and months went by I discovered what it was, this person was not telling me what to do with head knowledge of what she had learned, but rather was speaking to me from what she knew to be true in her heart.

What an exeperience.  At times it was overwhelming as my heart was scared to engage.  However in time, there was what I call an "infusion of life" a heart to heart transaction that left me full and wanting more. In fact, I would leave each session brimming with life and found myself having heart to heart transactions with those I came in contact with each day.

Now a year later, I have learned to  live and speak to others with what I know to be true in my heart.  I don't just say words with no energy behind them, but rather interact with my heart so that what I say to others infuses life into them.  I engage in conversation versus just having one to fill space.  I am not perfect and am still learning as we all are.  Life is a journey, not a destination and learning and growing each day is part of the journey.

So, how are you engaging others?  When you speak is it from your heart or your head?  I challenge you to listen to your heart, to engage its energy and when you do there will be a heart to heart transaction.  How will you know if this is happening?  Your heart will guide you, listen to it, it will show you the way.

It's All About Perspective

PERSPECTIVE.  This is a word that has been following me the last few weeks.  What does this word really mean?  One of the dictionary definitions is "A mental view or outlook."  It is this definition that has had me thinking about life a great deal lately.

I am a single mom, I work full time, I have two teenagers and I try to take care of myself by exercising regularly...whew!  I could throw in the towel and say I can't do this anymore which is where I was just about a year ago...then I discovered the message of GREATNESS and how perspective plays a part in it.

A friend of my regularly tells me life it what you make it.  Either life can happen to you or you can make it happen.  Many times when things don't go the way we want them to or how we expect we want to look for all the reasons why we should be disappointed, angry, disillusioned, but in reality we have at that very moment a choice to make - will we look at the situation from a positive or negative perspective?

I used to automatically go to the negative and feel sorry for myself and look for ways to "suck" others into my negative party in order to validate what I was feeling.  I found out though in the end, all it left me with was feeling more miserable and still having to deal with the issue.

Over the past month or so I have chosen to go to the positive more times than not.  Yes, this has not been easy and I have more than once gotten "stuck in the mud" and needed help out, but I have noticed than when I make the so called "mud pit" into a "mud spa" incredible things happen.

An example of this is my job.  I have been quite challenged over the last several months as my role at work changed.  At first I chose to look at it as a negative, as a "demotion".  Even though I know in my heart it was not,  I chose not to listen.   As I slowly came around and shut down the voice in my head and listened to my heart my perspective changed.  I started moving in my greatness versus waiting for my greatness to be recognized.  I went to work every day with a positive attitude and decided that I would not allow things to just happen but I would make things happen.  My perspective went from negative to postive.  I had a couple of setbacks and found myself slipping into negative, but the voice of the heart when you are listening is loud and clear and I would reset and be back into the positive.

Amazingly, things started happening.  I was able to do more, communicate better and not fall into the negativity of others.  My manager noticed and started giving me more projects to do and my job is slowly shifting back in many ways to what it was and what I loved doing...or is it just my perspective?

How you choose to live life is contagious be it negative or positive.  I really think that my shift to the positive and moving in my greatness is what has made my job different and has been noticed.  People would much rather be around and trust a positive person than a negative one.  They would rather go with you to the "mud spa" rather than the mud pit!

So, what perspective do you have on life?  Are you living in the negtive or postive?  Are you mired down in the pit or refreshed at the spa?  It really is your choice and the perspective you choose will make all the difference.