All of the great masters counsel that we need time daily for solitude. And if we want our journey in life to be meaningful, then surely we need some free time each day to explore our inner landscapes and uncover our passions. What activities can you cut out of your life to give you more growing room?

Such were the pensive words written today by Higher Awareness.

Time? What is time, and why is there never enough of it?

“Why has time disappeared in our culture? How is it that after decades of inventions and new technologies devoted to saving time and labor, the result is that there is no time left? We are a time-poor society; we are temporally impoverished. And there is no issue, no aspect of human life, that exceeds this in importance. The destruction of time is literally the destruction of life.” ~ Jacob Needleman

And who holds the secrets to where our day flows, our love, our life? Only time, says Enya…

Who can say where the road goes,
Where the day flows? Only time…
And who can say if your love grows,
As your heart chose? Only time…

Who can say why your heart sighs,
As your love flies? Only time…
And who can say why your heart cries
when your love lies? Only time…

Who can say when the roads meet,
That love might be in your heart?
And who can say when the day sleeps,
that the night keeps all your heart?

Night keeps all your heart…..

Who can say if your love grows,
As your heart chose? Only time…
And who can say where the road goes,
Where the day flows? Only time…

Who knows? Only time.
Who knows? Only time.

Oh time, you are my friend. Come sit with me a while. Let me tell you my deepest, darkest secrets. Help me know what I am to pursue, where I am to cast my heart.

Who can say where the road goes, where the day flows? Only time. Time, let me sit with you a while. Help me to see where my love gowns, what my heart chose. Who can help me? Only time.

Last night I laid out my plans for today. By golly, I was determined that it would be a productive day. I simply have lots to get accomplished, and today was going to be it.

The plan: get up at 5:10 am, go to 5:30 Jazzercise, eat a healthy breakfast, and then get going!

Why then do these voices in my head talk to me about my friend’s assessment of me, “You are always in such a frenzy. You don’t allow. You don’t allow things to happen.”

And why do these voices in my head remind me of last week’s message from www.tut.com?

“Rosie, I think you’re amazing. I think your approach to life is dead-on. And I can’t think of anything you’ve ever done that I wouldn’t have done had I been in your shoes.

Hey, it’s my life too.

Tallyho,
The Universe

Yeah, Rosie, nothing you’ve ever done….”

Why is it that when I looked at the tut.com message for this morning, I get the following message?

“Of all the things that matter, Rosie, that really and truly matter, working more efficiently and getting more done is not among them.

Chill,
The Universe

And, quite accidentally, Rosie, such an appreciation leads to greater efficiency and more productivity. Not that that really matters.”

Pushing, pushing, pushing to get things accomplished. Maybe that’s not the answer? And what are you pushing? Are you doing what you truly love? Or are you focused on making a living, paying the bills?

Is fear pushing you forward, driving you toward more efficiency? Are you loving the living you are creating? Do you love what you are working on, working on so efficiently, getting more done? If not, what would it look like to do what you love?

Is it time to pause the frenzy train long enough to catch a glimpse of what allowing might bring?

Are you sucked up into the wild and crazy days of December, when everything everywhere seems out of control?  

Scanning through the piles of messages in my inbox in the wee hours this morning, I collected a few quotes that might provide some solace during the hustle and bustle of the season:

1) “You never will be the person you can be if pressure, tension and discipline are taken out of your life.” – James G. Bilkey  

6) The average American is now 10 pounds overweight, which translates into $250 billion in added yearly health care costs, not to mention a shorter lifespan.

7) “You can take no credit for beauty at sixteen. But if you are beautiful at sixty, it will be your own soul’s doing.”  — Marie Stopes

“The difference between try and triumph is a little umph.” — Unknown Author

9) “Perhaps the very best question that you can memorize and repeat, over and over, is, ‘what is the most valuable use of my time right now?’” — Brian Tracy

How about we trust the magic and have a terrific Tuesday?  :  )

A couple messages this morning, one from Jack Canfield, the other from Dr. Mercola, communicated a similar message: PLAN.  Interesting that this afternoon I heard still yet a contrasting message: ALLOW. Which is it? Plan or allow?

  “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail” communicates a strong message. If you fail to plan enough time, you may miss the most important meal of the day – breakfast. Dr. Mercola teaches that it is best to exercise in the morning. Again, if you don’t plan to set the alarm and lay out your exercise clothes the night before, you set into motion a plan to miss the exercise that your body needs.

If you fail to get to bed at a reasonable hour, not only do you suffer physically and mentally all day long, you simply do not have the zest to incorporate that needed exercise and breakfast into the hour before you head off to work.

More and more the experts tell us that food is medicine. If you do not plan for a healthy lunch, or if you do not pack one, a greasy burger and fries may sabotage your health and well being when the ravages of hunger strike at noon.

Many experts teach a system of using some sort of day planner. Years ago I learned the “Six Item Priority List” system. Every night before going to bed, make a list of the six most important items you need to do tomorrow. In the morning, review the list. Prioritize the list and tackle the biggest item first. Don’t forget to put you and your family on that priority list. Then in a year, look at all the priority items that you accomplished.

What then do you do when you have your list all prioritized, and nothing goes according to plan? So much for planning. What about allowing?

Abraham’s message this morning said, “In your action, you lose sight of the vision, you lose sight of your trust in the process, and you just bang around in a sense of futility. Hold the vision and trust that the Universe will acclimate to your vision. Hold the vision and trust the process. “

Hold the vision…don’t get buried in the action. Trust the process. Tough to do. How easy is it to slip into despair that your day is not going according to plan, that you haven’t been as productive as you’d planned?

A friend this afternoon shared with me he had no plan when he woke this morning. No alarm and no plan. Yet, by afternoon he recited some incredible feats that he had accomplished.

I, on the other hand, busily lamented that it was now 2:30 pm and I had “nothing to show for it.” He turned to me and said, “You need to learn to allow. Just allow it.”

While on the subject of allowing, it seems that gratitude also needs to be mentioned. Every single thing that happens in your day, the good, the bad, and the ugly, are really all good things. Gratitude for all that is weaves magic in your day and subsequently your life – when you can remember and when you can discipline yourself to be grateful for every single thing.

Plan or allow? Maybe it is some sort of healthy combination…with a sprinkling of gratitude for all that is.

Last night a wise friend shared some observations with me. I was venting about how overwhelmed I felt at having an almost impossible number of things undone on my to-do list. His suggestion was to go for a drive and watch the sunset.

What? How does “wasting time” like that compute?

His advice was simply this, “You are so busy doing, that you don’t allow things to get done. Just allow it.  If you will get quieter, you will see that more will get done.” Interesting.

Still reflecting on the advice from the previous evening, this morning I was intrigued by the confirming daily message of Abraham:

“All is well, and you will never get it done. Life is supposed to be fun. No one is taking score of any kind, and if you will stop taking score so much, you will feel a whole lot better — and as you feel a whole lot better, more of the things that you want right now will flow to you.

You will never be in a place where all of the things that you are wanting will be satisfied right now, or then you could be complete — and you never can be. This incomplete place that you stand is the best place that you could be. You are right on track, right on schedule. Everything is unfolding perfectly. All is really well. Have fun. Have fun. Have fun!”

Against my better judgment, I elected for the drive to watch the sunset. Since I was already “wasting time,” I elected to explore the country back roads, lined with majestic trees bursting in splendid multi-colored brilliance against the backdrop of a bright blue sky.

There in the middle of nowhere appeared a natural springs waterfall, the water cascading from the top of the hillside, babbling over huge rocks as it made its way to its descent down the hill. The sound of the water flowing over the rocks was simply arresting. What a spectacular display of peace and tranquility.

Driving back to start on my to-do list, it occurred to me that I nearly missed the opportunity to become re-energized by Mother Nature’s gifts, free to the person who is willing to “waste time.”

I was just on the phone with my friend, giving her a rundown of my day. At the tail end of the list, I mentioned I had not yet written my blog article for the day, but I am working to stay calm in the midst of chaos. She said, “Well, there it is! That’s your article!”

Sure enough, I guess it is! What a day – what a week! My books are printing on the presses in Utah today. It seems surreal. All the edits were finished as of late last night. 1,000 copies of Stop the Needless Suffering, The Complete Woman’s Guide to Balancing Your Hormones are due to be on my doorstep on Monday, October 12. My first book signing is scheduled for Tuesday, October 13 – before and after a seminar I am giving titled, “Stop the Needless Suffering!” Nevermind that the PowerPoint still has to be created!  :  )

 I told my friend that another friend is in process of arranging a book signing at our local Barnes and Noble. The gentleman asked her if my book was in the “Bookmasters System” (a cataloging system they use). She sent me this message: “And guess what??  It IS!!  He told me the title, print date of Oct, etc.  How ’bout that Rosie!” My friend replied, “Rosie, you are an author!”

 An author? Me? That sounds so very weird! It seems that I have been laboring endlessly with no end in sight for forever. In reality, it was only a year ago that I started on it, but I took writing classes several hours per week for 6 months prior to beginning the project.

 For the past year and a half I have been hearing and commiserating over “foreign” terms like Aweber, autoresponders, clickbank, Paypal, sales pages, news releases, ebooks, blogs, Facebook, Twitter, APS, Sales Sheet, LLC, SEO, web site creation, 800#s, taking credit/debit card sales “at the back of the room” – till I thought I would go mad! And now, guess what? Each one of these entities must be in place by October 13. I feel like I am caught in a spiraling vortex!

 On top of all this, I am OOT and away from computers for 5 of the 12 remaining days till October 13. I don’t want to calculate what percentage that is. Yikes! What do you do when chaos is spiraling all around you? Here are some of the techniques I am employing to help see me through…

1)       I meditate once in the morning and once in the evening, irregardless of how much time I think I don’t have to do it. Miracles happen when one slows the mind and connects with the flow of life.

2)      I work to make myself take a 10 minute break every two hours. To keep pushing ruthlessly is to usurp one’s energy till there is nothing left. I have to force myself to do this. Some people recommend setting a timer.

3)      Exercise must be included. For me, that is setting the alarm for the 5:30 am Jazzercise class – and squeezing in a walk out in nature with my two golden retrievers every few days. The air and blue sky is gorgeous this time of the year. If we don’t pause to notice, the crisp beauty of the fall will pass us by.

4)      Three nutritious meals a day are a requirement. The body can’t keep up its strength and energy without the proper ingredients to provide the fuel. A car won’t run if the gas tank is empty.

5)      Soft, relaxing music playing in the background provides a calming effect and subtly allows us to be more productive. Try it. It is amazing how soothing it can be.

6)      Working from a clear area, one thing at a time, keeps the mind quiet and not overwhelmed with a pile of uncompleted tasks. This is the hardest task for moi to master!

7)      Keeping a prioritized, organized list to work from is a must. There may be 40 things on the list, but each time I can check one off, I get such a sense of accomplishment. Plus, if it’s on the list, I can forget about it and not carry all the items in my head all at once. At the end of the day, it is far more productive to look over the list of checkmarks vs the list of uncompleted items. That’s what tomorrow is for.

8)      I plan a reward every week. For me, that is margarita night on Friday night. That’s my night to ingest toxins, if I need them or not.

9)      Plan something fun. I need help with this one. Last week my friend suggested we take a mental health break tomorrow and go to Nashville. It sounded good at the time. Now that it is tomorrow, and I have this huge list of uncompleted tasks, it sounds like a dumbass attack to me. BUT, I am going, and I am sure I will be better off for it.

10)   Just say “No!” This one is tough – but you simply cannot do everything. Take care of you first, and you and the whole world around you will be better off for it.

 Oh my goodness – I just checked the word count on this article…888 words. Time to stop and move to the next item on the list before my two hours are up!  <grin>

 But before I do, I am curious as to the meaning of “888.” Per Doreen Virtue, “888: This is a very auspicious sign of complete financial support from the Universe. Money is flowing in your direction!”

 Wow! Maybe I better add visualization and affirmations to the list!  :  )

Last evening I listened to a most interesting webcast given by Kevin Wilke from Nitro Marketing.  He began the call speaking about his own humble beginnings and failures…and his persistence which has led to a life of wonderful abundance.   Everyone on the call absolutely had to be drooling after listening to his story, filled with a renewed faith, hope, and belief that their dreams are possible too.   So are yours!

We so often hear of the importance and success accompanying the creation of vision boards.  Something magical happens when we visualize what it is that we want and then feel the outcome of our desires.  Somehow, as if by magic, we propel that outcome to us. 

Today I am reflecting on those two ends of the sandwich cookie.  One end of the cookie is the visualization of our desire and the other end is the manifested outcome of our desire.  What is the stuff in the middle?  How do we get from one end of the cookie to the other?  Might the cream stuffing be the “obvious” and “inspired” action that Jack Canfield speaks of?  He says there are two kinds of actions you can take. “Obvious actions” are things like, if you want to learn how to snow ski, go to ski school.  He calls “inspired actions” the action that follows once you begin the obvious actions. “The universe will start responding by sending people, resources and opportunities you need to manifest your desired result.”

The cream stuffing is meant to be yummy.  We are meant to enjoy it thoroughly.  However, even though we may be passionate about that stuffing, we can easily become totally overwhelmed.  The desired outcome can seem so large, almost impossible.  When we stop and realize what all needs to happen in order for us to realize our dream, we become paralyzed and do nothing. 

Kevin Wilke did a great job on his call helping his audience to break down the overwhelming into small pieces or “milestones.”  He suggests to take the big end result and break it down into little bites, the “munchies.”  Create a checklist so that you can check off and celebrate the accomplishment of each little step along the way, each little munchie.  Before you know it, each little step will deliver you to that dream on your vision board. 

The “munchies” also give us an opportunity to celebrate the successes along the way. My motivational quote from Nightingale-Conant and John Powers this morning said, “Celebration of your achievement is as important as your achievement because success builds on success.” Powers explains, “All it takes is a little success to get the snowball rolling down the hill, gathering achievements and accomplishments along the way.”

Kevin also spoke about the importance of incorporating “Mini Blasts.”  In other words, take some concentrated time away from the phone and the email to really dig into your project, uninterrupted.  Your mini blast might consist of several hours or a couple of days.  His description of the munchies and the mini blast reminded me of the two quality improvement techniques…”Kaizen” which stands for slow, steady, incremental improvement and “Breakthrough” which stands for a huge leap in positive progress.   Both are necessary to transform our  desired dream into reality.

Kevin also shared three terrific “powerful perfectionism busting techniques” that help us to break through the perfectionism that tends to hold us back:

1)      Good enough

2)      Something is better than nothing

3)      Action attracts opportunity

Everything doesn’t have to be “perfect.”  Once you determine that something is “good enough,” go ahead and put it out there and move on.  There is plenty time to improve upon it later.

Kevin inspired me to commit to paper today a checklist of all the little steps leading to the outcome that I have in my mind and on my vision board.   I encourage you to commit to do the same.  If you don’t have a vision board, start there.  What is your vision for your future?  What does your dream look like?  What will your life be like once you have manifested your dream?  Once you have this vision firmly in your mind, get a poster board, tear out and paste pictures, or draw your desired dream.  If you prefer to create a vision board online, go to www.catalogofdreams.com and create one there.  Take a few minutes every day from this day forward to feel that dream become your reality…and then follow Kevin’s advice and add the cream filling.  Create that checklist today to get started on those obvious and inspired actions that will make your dream come true!

I am writing today’s article because I need to hear the message again myself…even though I just heard it on Sunday. The minister’s topic at our church service was “The Time of Your Life.” The following are insights that he shared with us.

“Do not squander your time, for time is the stuff that life is made of.” ~ Benjamin Franklin.

There’s lots of things we can do with time. We can spend it, save it, take time, make up time, manage time, kill and waste time, we can have free time, extra time, too much time, lose time, gain time, prime time, then there’s doing time, hard times. At some point each of us will run out of time. Time is the raw material of life. The way you spend your time is the way you spend your life. If you master your time, you master your life. We each get the same amount.

Time doesn’t need managing. What we need to manage is ourselves. Our body has a limited shelf life. What am I doing with my opportunity of a lifetime?

The minister gave three suggestions to better enjoy life:

        1) Take time to become clear on what is important to you. Wasting time is a clear sign that you don’t know what’s important to you. Identifying what is important to you forces you to make some choices. Decide how you want to spend your time while you are here. Where are you seeking? Socrates once said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Why are you here? Think of a time 3 years from now. It is your funeral. What will your family, friends, co-workers, members of your church community say about you? What would you like people to say about you? At the end of your life, what would you like to say about you and how you lived your life? Listen to what your soul is calling you to experience.

        2) Take time to heal the things that need to be healed within you. What is frustrating you, broken, damaged, holding you back? Take time to fix or heal it. Quit complaining and take time to fix it. Go in and do the healing work. You don’t think you are worthy of something that great.

        3) Life is now. Time is now. Take time to live now. It is all you have. There is nothing stopping you from feeling joy now but you. An old Buddhist saying is “Take care of this moment and you take care of all life.”

Take time to become clear on what is important to you. Listen to what your soul is calling.

WOW, now I need to print this out, keep it where I can see it, and pay attention to his wise words. How about you?