Happy Friday!

I recently went and saw the movie “August Rush” in which I truly enjoyed. If you aren’t familiar with this movie, it’s about an eleven year old boy who is trying to reconnect with parents after living in foster care all his life. The story is told through music. No, it’s not a musical, but rather told in the manner of the importance of music to this family and how music speaks to us all. After seeing it, I started thinking about music soundtracks in general and how they set the tone for the next 90 minutes or so of the story you are about to watch. When you hear the music from ‘Jaws’, you are immediately placed in a place where fear is lurking just beneath the surface. When you hear the theme from ‘Titanic’ you feel the story of a great love that is timeless.

Just as movies rely on the music to set the tone, I too often rely on that for my daily life. So I came up with my own soundtrack – a set of songs I rely on to set my tone. I listen to a huge variety of music and I often look up the lyrics to truly soak in the vibe. When I’m in a great mood (which is the majority of the time) nearly any song will do but my theme song just keeps me flying high. When I have challenging moments, my theme song helps lift me back up again as it truly expresses how I feel about my life. My theme song is ‘Feeling Good’ by Michael Buble.
Birds flying high
You know how I feel
Sun in the sky
You know how I feel
Reeds driftin’ on by
You know how I feel
It’s a new dawn
It’s a new day
It’s a new life
For me
And I’m feeling good
Fish in the sea
You know how I feel
River running free
You know how I feel
Blossom in the tree
You know how I feel
It’s a new dawn
It’s a new day
It’s a new life
For me
And I’m feeling good
Dragonfly out in the sun you know what I mean, don’t you know
Butterflies all havin’ fun you know what I mean
Sleep in peace when the day is done
And this old world is a new world
And a bold world
For me
Stars when you shine
You know how I feel
Scent of the pine
You know how I feel
Yeah freedom is mine
And I know how I feel
It’s a new dawn
It’s a new day
It’s a new life
For me
And I’m feeling good
Quote of the days:
“Music and rhythm find their way into the secret places of the soul” ~ Plato

“If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

I invite you for the next week to come up with a theme song for your life. A lyric or a musical piece that truly resonates with you and lifts you up, inspires you, and simply makes you want to laugh and sing. I would love to hear what songs you feel capture your essence, so feel free to post them on the meetup board, blog, or feel free to email them to me. Once you’ve come up with the song, sit with it for awhile and truly let it soak in.

Let that song set the tone for your week when you:

Begin your day, hear your THEME SONG playing as if it were the start of your movie and vision the opening credits as you want to see your day play out. You are the star of your day, your song is playing, and it’s now up to you to create that day.Are in a fantastic mood, THEME SONG TIME, will keep you in tune with that feeling of gratitude, appreciation, and love.Are in a challenging moment and rather than spiraling further down, THEME SONG TIME, and get yourself back into the rhythm of your desires and dreams. Simply play your theme song as much as you feel like. It can be rock, country, opera, jazz, hip hop, or even a song you loved as a child. The important piece is it’s a song that makes you FEEL GOOD.Looking for a way to stay focused on Living Life Fulfilled? Make sure to surround yourself with people who lift you up, inspire you, support you, and simply love to laugh and have fun.Have a fantastic week and until next time.Love All Ways,Carol

Happy Friday (a few days delayed)!
I trust that everyone had a Thanksgiving filled with fantastic company, great food, and a wealth of gratitude for having such a great day. We are now officially in holiday season.During the Holiday Season we tend to:Open our hearts more See good more Laugh more Enjoy more Love more My Holiday wish for you is: Whether it is December February August That…………………… Each day you have holiday spirit, Each day is filled with love, joy, and laughter Each day is the best day of your life! And Every tomorrow tops the day before! HAPPY EVERYDAY!Quotes of the days:“Truth is a deep kindness that teaches us to be content in our everyday life and share with the people the same happiness.” ~ Kahlil Gibran“Do something for somebody everyday for which you do not get paid.” ~ Albert SchweitzerI invite you to go through the next week by:Truly appreciating each day whether it’s cold, snowy, sunny, or dark.To connect with new people even if it’s just a quick chat on the bus to work, a smile as you hold the door open for them or they for you, or giving well wishes to those you are standing in line with for that great treasure you are about to purchase for someone you love.Appreciating YOU for the amazing person you are and treat yourself to a gift of love whether it’s a pat on the back, a massage, a cup of hot chocolate, or whatever a treat is for you.Realizing that you get the opportunity to create your everyday and if you do so from a place of love, it is bound to be an amazing journey.Wishing those you encounter a Happy Everyday.Looking for a way to stay focused on Living Life Fulfilled? Make sure to surround yourself with people who lift you up, inspire you, support you, and simply love to laugh and have fun.Love All Ways,
Carol

Happy Friday,

I never saw the Dirty Harry movies with the famous line of “Make My Day,” but I’ve certainly heard of them. I believe he said it in a confrontational fashion – someone had done him or others wrong, and he challenged them to ‘Make his day’ so he could finish it off.

When I think of ‘Make My Day’, I think of happy things, smiles, laughter, hugs, silliness, and simply enJOYing life. I LOVE making peoples day such as bringing a smile to someone’s face, saying a kind word, thanking them for a great job. When I find myself getting into a rushed mode of do, do, do, I step back and truly appreciate the simple pleasure of life and I show that gratitude to those who have been involved in being a part of my great day.

Quote of the day: “Make it a habit to tell people thank you. To express your appreciation, sincerely and without the expectation of anything in return. Truly appreciate those around you, and you’ll soon find many others around you. Truly appreciate life, and you’ll find that you have more of it.” ~ Ralph Marston

With Thanksgiving upon us, what better way to start the next week then in a mode of thankfulness? In the upcoming week, I challenge you to THANK everyone who is involved in making your day a good one and see how it enhances your own feelings of gratitude. Please keep in mind the importance of appreciation and gratitude is coming from a feeling of sincerity and truly feeling that appreciation and gratitude or they simply just become empty words. So whether it’s a loved one, or a stranger on the street – if they have made your day better – say THANK YOU.

Thank the:

Public transportation driver who gets you home, to work, to the store, to wherever you are going safely.

Check out clerk at your favorite grocery store for assisting you in providing food for you and your family.

Store attendant who helps you find that particular food item located in aisle 5 as you walked past it in a hurry.

Waiter/waitress for serving you a good meal.

Person who holds the door open for you.

Traffic for flowing at the right speed to get you to your destination safely.

Car for starting up first thing in the morning.

Alarm clock for waking you up and helping start your day.

Telemarketer even if you aren’t interested in their product as someone just trying to do their job rather than viewing it as an invasion of our time.

Yourself for choosing to live in a space of appreciation and gratitude and knowing your contrasting experiences help show you the way to what you do want in your life.

Looking for a way to stay focused on Living Life Fulfilled? Make sure to surround yourself with people who lift you up, inspire you, support you, and simply love to laugh and have fun.