Today was our first 100 Day Challenge Chicago meeting with the intention of streaming live online. Well, that part didn’t take place as we had Internet connectivity issues, but the rest of the meeting was quite powerful. And we still video taped it, so Lilou will be putting it online (YouTube and Ning) soon.

There were 45 people in attendance and it was a great blend of people wanting to know more about the challenge and those of us who are already involved. It was day 90 for the Ladies Lovin’ Life and four of us attended.

My favorite part of the event was getting to put faces to names within the Positive Focus community. I was so grateful to those of you who came up and introduced yourselves and I look forward to seeing you at meetings soon.

We held our second COW on Friday and this one was regarding Abundance. There were 12 of us discussing what abundance means in general, what it means to us personally, and where we would like to see more abundance in our lives. We had great discussions and great energy and I’m so grateful for everyone’s participation.

Kai sent everyone home with an assignment to allow abundance to physically manifest and I’m interested to see if everyone follows through. I have an assignment too and I look forward to it!

Event sharing:

“The “Abundance” workshop was inspiring, positive, informative and AWESOME! It’s a gift that I fought thru traffic to attend!! To connect with other likeminded people who are striving to be their higher self for the upliftment of others is liberating and complete love… tdb” ~ Tiffany

Our third free hug event was absolutely perfect! It amazes me that each time, I’m a bit nervous — will the huggers show up? will people want to be hugged? Will it turn out to be private property and we will be asked to move? All those organizer fears and I just tell myself it will turn out perfect however it turns out. We were at the corner of Michigan Ave. and Pearson St. — we couldn’t have asked for a better corner!

My niece Cassie and I were first and followed shortly by Michelle.

Then Amanda came, Justen came, Danya and Josh came, and Judy. The hugs were abundant and people laughed, smiled, and were truly enjoying the feeling of a good hug.

Pictured from left: Amanda, Justen, Cassie, Carol (back Josh, Danya), Judy, and Michelle

Our attempt at a group hug was challenging with so many people walking by and getting hugs.

Some of the unique stories were:

Toni — a little girl who couldn’t have been much more than 6 joined us in line and gave out three hugs until it was time to go and catch the American Girl show — she was quite adamant about not missing it and was so cute!

Two backpackers had walked from Hope, IL to Chicago (www.iliveinspired.com) and little did we know at the time, that when we got home, there would be an email from Geri telling us about these guys and that they were on their way to Chicago!! They were coming to meet Oprah — 7 days, 7 nights, and then hoping for 7 minutes with Oprah. They walked from Hope, IN to Bloomington, IN to meet the Dahlia Lama and spoke with him for 7 minutes.

A dancer being photographed around Chicago for her portfolio joined us and standing to her right is a woman from France. This woman and her friend joined our hugging line for quite some time. We had six or more people come stand in line with us and one time had 13 people giving out hugs!

You can see more pictures in the photo gallery.

Event Sharings:
“Far surpassed my expectations. I could try and explain it in words but there are none for it. Thank you so very much for getting us together to do this amazing event. I look forward too the next one! ::hugs::”  ~ Justen

“This was SUPER awesome!!! I was afraid to try it out but I’ve been needing to take a risk and get out of my comfort zone. Turns out it wasn’t scary at all. It was fun and people responded so well and hugged a lot and were really nice! It sent a lot of love to the world! It felt good to have a nice sized group of huggers as well.” ~ Michelle

“Amazing!!!” ~ Danya
It was a day I will treasure for a long time and I can’t wait for the April event.

Much Love,
Carol

Quotes of the day:

 ”The silence that accepts merit as the most natural thing in the world is the highest applause.”   ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

“When you know you are doing your very best within the circumstances of your existence, applaud yourself!”   ~ Rusty Berkus

Do you remember those commercials for a product that made turning on lights as easy as clapping? It was a commercial that would play through your head over and over - clap on, clap off. I’m pretty sure even Saturday Night Live did a skit about these lights. As I was driving to visit my mom last weekend, the clap on lights came to mind and gave me an ‘aha’ moment of the power of that product. The product was to turn on and off your light energy source.

How about using clap on and clap off as a source to turn your personal energy around? Use it as a source to redirect your thoughts? Use it as a source that through repetition (as the commercial replayed in my mind well after it was over) it becomes instinctual to use to shift your thoughts? Clap on to positive feelings and clap off the negative ones.

For the next week, I invite you to truly applaud yourself:

Clap on and celebrate you! Applaud your joy, your peace, your health, and your unconditional love.

Clap on when you are feeling your absolute best and having a great day.

Clap on when someone gives you a compliment and you personally feel the truth in their seeing your truth.

Clap off the negative energy that may cross your path on lack, greed, victimization, and hatred, or however it appears to you.

Clap loud and celebrate when you’ve caught yourself heading down a path of lack as that awareness turned it around right in that moment.

Mostly I invite you to clap loud and proud as you create your best life knowing that as you become aware of your energy level you can easily shift it for your best good. 

You might want to invest in some good hand cream, as I’m sure your hands are going to be a bit sore from all the clapping. I expect standing ovations to celebrate the unique qualities you share with the world. I know I certainly applaud you!

Have a fantastic week until next time.

~Carol

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.

We are down to one more session on ‘The Success Principles’ by Jack Canfield. It’s truly been a great book filled with lots of suggestions, exercises, and examples of living a successful life. I can easily see this book being a good resource moving forward and reviewing it from time to time.

We discussed what will be our next book option and everyone wrote down their top three on what they’d like to see next. I’ve added a poll to the meetup site as well and a book will be chosen in the next week in order to give people a chance to pick it up and start reading. Since we’re still reading Tolle and Canfield had a lot of exercises to do, some suggestions were to go a little lighter and perhaps a quicker ready before we delve into something such as ‘Power versus Force’.

Here are the results of tonight’s survey:

 5 votes: Let Your Life Speak - Palmer

5 votes: Soul of Money - Twist

4 votes: Happier Than God - Walsh

4 votes: How to Win Friends and Influence People - Carnagie

4 votes: Your Hearts Desire - Choquette

4 votes: Road Less Travelled - Peck

2. Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life - Dyer 

2 Power of Now - Tolle

1. Power Versus Force - Hawkins

Happy Wednesday!  

Listen to your mother as she knows best.

She knows that even in your darkest moments, there is light.

Listen to your mother as she knows best.

She knows that when you feel truly alone, that when you open your eyes (awareness) to see, there will be love to greet you.

Listen to your mother as she knows best.

She knows that contrast is an opportunity for great growth, great compassion, and great love.

Listen to your mother as she knows best.

She knows how loving and loved you truly are.

Listen to your mother as she knows best.

She knows the cycle of life as she is Mother Nature.

April showers bring May flowers

It’s always darkest before dawn

Mother Nature creates an amazing symphony of all life having its position in the orchestra; each playing an individual piece, yet all are in harmony in the grand scale of life. Nature knows its role in the world. Nature knows when to plant seeds, sprout, bloom, and return to the earth. Nature doesn’t question the beautiful flower, nor does it question a flood. Nature celebrates darkness and light equally. It celebrates rain and sun. It celebrates spring, summer, fall, and winter. Nature simply is.

If we would start listening to mom, we would know that life is grand. Whether it is a great or contrasting experience, they are a part of our life’s path. We get to choose how to interpret those experiences, or perhaps be more like Mother Nature and just observe those experiences rather than react to them.  Each experience is a chance to expand our consciousness. 

  If we listen to mom we would know to live in this moment and breathe in peace. Soak in the vast experiences of  goodness, and play in the puddles of your life. Mom would be sure to tell you that love is all around you from the grains of sand beneath your feet, to the highest cloud casting a shadow.

  I invite you for the next week to:

Plant your seeds of desires and dreams and love them on the rainy and sunny days as with your ability to know all is well, your droughts will lessen, and your bright days will be abundant.

Observe your contrasting experiences rather than react to them from a place of knowing this is an opportunity to grow.

If you find the storm has engulfed you, stop, breathe deep, and quiet your mind. With practice of quieting your fear, the sun will shine again.

Mostly I invite you to enjoy life. Breathe, relax, and observe any of your limiting thoughts. Appreciate you! Celebrate your goodness. Love unconditionally as we are all on our own path, yet can still play in harmony if we simply allow love to shine through.

Mom’s calling you, did you listen?

Have a fantastic week and until next time. ~Carol  

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.

Keep checking in as we’ll keep you updated about the building process is going.  We’ve built a great leadership team and will continue to grow the vision, the mission, and simply being examples of living life fulfilled.

Quotes of the day:

“There are some people, who live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into the other. ” -By Douglas Everett “I have learned that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

“Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.” ~ Michael Jordan

Your Dream Team:

Welcome to March Madness for you basketball fans out there. I love sports, although I don’t follow basketball closely, heading out to a sports bar with friends to watch the ‘big’ game is always fun. When I think of basketball, my mind wanders back to 1992 and “The Dream Team” which is considered one of the best sports teams ever assembled. Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, David Robinson, Karl Malone, Patrick Ewing, Scottie Pippen, Chris Mullen, Clyde Drexler, John Stockton, and college standout Christian Laettner. The dream was big and the success was immense.

The starting five consisted of a center, two guards, and two forwards. Then you have your coaching staff and don’t forget the importance of the fans cheering them on to success. Working in unison, each role aligned itself to perfection and the “dream” became reality.

I invite you to create your own dream team. Have I confused you yet? No, you don’t need to go find five 6′+++ men that have amazing basketball skills as that team was already built. Your dream team will be created from your own dream life. Take a moment to think about your hopes, desires, and dreams in all areas of your life: relationships, financial freedom, physical and emotional wellness, and whatever else you desire. Once you’ve got a list of dreams (and know this will grow and evolve), start to create your dream team! Your team can be anyone your want it to be, but the starring role is YOU!

So be like Mike!

Introducing your dream team:

Center: Center and ground yourself into a peaceful space that allows dreams to be planted, nurtured, and grown.

Guard: As you dream big, obstacles may occur from your own doubts to allowing what others believe (you can’t do that etc.) to creep into your mind. The guard’s role is to be alert for those shifts in consciousness and get you back in the game. The guard is to alert you when these negative thoughts are taking up quality dream time. Whether it’s using affirmations, saying the word shift, singing an inspiring song, calling the coach, get off the negative bench and return to your stardom.

Forward: The forward is focused on the dreams and keeps the momentum going by getting into the feeling of already living that dream life. The forward FEELS it, SEES it, SMELLS it, SENSES it, TALKS about it, and fully knows the game plan.

Coach: The coach keeps the game plan on track and reminds the center, guard, and forward if any position is out of alignment. This role can be an internal guide, a trusted friend, or a hired life coach. Even the most talented athletes have coaches to help them hone in on their talents and tweak anything that is out of alignment.

Cheer leaders/fans: This group can be just you, one person, or 50 people. The importance of the cheer leaders and fans in your life is they ‘SEE” your dreams for you. We all have people in our lives that we love very much and they love us too, but due to their own fears, they aren’t able to dream big for us. So choose your cheer leaders and fans as people to share aha moments. Choose people to share victories with and even people to share perceived set-backs with as they are there to cheer you on your journey.

Mascot: Personally I recommend a team mascot too as I appreciate Mika’s role in my dream team!

For the next week, I invite you to:

Center yourself in a loving, harmonious, peaceful state knowing all is well in your world

Guard your negative thoughts from taking over and replacing them with “I (insert your name) love you”.

Forward dream your way into reality by remembering thoughts become things. So think/feel good thoughts.

Coach yourself in a manner of living life fulfilled.

Become your biggest fan knowing that you are an amazingly unique gift to the world

And cherish the mascots in your life.

I can hear the crowds cheering - can you?

Have a fantastic week and until next time.

~Carol

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.

I absolutely love this movie and was happy to share it with 14 others on February 28th. I love it so much, that I’ll be showing it again on a March weekend. If you don’t have the ability to come watch it with us, I highly recommend seeing it somewhere.

Sharings:

“The movie was great and very insightful. Carol is a awesome host. The group has such great energy. Ask, Believe, Receive!” ~ Daryl

Our first Free Hug event took place on January 26th and we had 10 huggers at Navy Pier spreading the love.

The afternoon started out cold and snowy with me thinking ‘What were you thinking to have an event by the lake in January! :)’.

We had a lot of fun and went inside Navy Pier to warm up and get some hot chocolate. We didn’t count how many hugs that were given out, but the response was great and some even came back for second hugs!

You can take a peak into our day by visiting YouTube on Free Hugs.

Sharing:

“It was blast! I loved seeing the smiles on passer-by’s and huggee’s faces. I’m looking forward to the next one!” ~ Lena