Summertime is here and to me, that means – it’s SAILING SEASON!  I simply love being on the water whether it is day or night. I love the sunrise, sunsets, calm seas, big waves, and I love partaking and witnessing in the natural flow of water and life from the perspective on a boat.

For 12 years I raced sailboats competitively on Lake Michigan and loved it. I enjoyed being part of a crew and the camaraderie of accomplishing a common goal – sail the fastest course possible. You sail your best while looking for the marks (goals) around the race course. Depending on the size of the course, you often don’t even see the marks until you are close. Once you have the mark in sight, you still can’t sail directly to it as you need to move angularly toward the mark to catch the wind in your sails. You are constantly trimming (adjusting) your sails as the wind direction and velocity fluctuate. A well sailed race puts you in perfect harmony with the flow of the wind and the water.

Life can be very much like a well sailed race. By keeping sight of your goals while allowing your journey to take different directions to achieve them, you will reach your destination with fun and ease as you sail your course with the flow rather than against it.

Quotes of the day

“If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable.”

~Seneca

“Not to have control over the senses is like sailing in a rudderless ship, bound to break to pieces on coming in contact with the very first rock.”

~Mahatma Gandhi

“Who is staring at the sea is already sailing a little.”

~Paul Carvel

“I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.”

~Jimmy Dean

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

~Mark Twain

This Week’s Affirmation: I smoothly sail through all experiences with infinite love and gratitude.

Soulful Links:

Sailing          

~Rod Stewart

Sailing          

~Christopher Cross

Come Sail Away      

~Styx

Sailing Ships  

~Whitesnake

For the next week, I invite you to smoothly sail through life by:

Knowing you are on the right course for you. Regardless if the goal seems impossible, hold on to knowing you can accomplish anything by adjusting your course as needed.

Appreciating your current course by knowing whether it’s smooth seas or big waves, all experiences are part of your course. See the big waves (contrasting experiences) as simply adjustments towards your end goal of living the highest and happiest version of you.

Loving your journey by getting excited about where you are, where you’ve been, and where you are going.

Mostly, my wish for you is to adjust your sails to journey through life with a calm breeze at your back leading you to the happiest possible life filled with your biggest dreams.

Until next time, who wants to go sailing?

Have you ever listened to a toddler learning their ABCs and how proud they are when they can sing them? You cheer for them and tell them what a good job they’ve done. Everyone is in a place of happiness and joy with this new found talent and their confidence continues to grow. It’s a magical, yet a simple time in their life.

It is possible to live life as simply and magically as knowing your ABCs.

Quotes of the Day:

“Stop acting as if life is a rehearsal. Live this day as if it were your last. The past is over and gone. The future in not guaranteed.”

~Wayne Dyer

“Life’s like a play; it’s not the length but the excellence of the acting that matters.”

~Seneca

“Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.”

~Buddha

“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”

~George Bernard Shaw

“We are creating the future.”

~Gunter Grass

Soulful Links:

ABC             

~Jackson Five

Alphabet Song         

~India Arie

ABC Song     

For the next week, I invite you to live your ABCs by:

Acting as if your life is exactly where you want it to be. Act as if you are so full of love that there is no room for fear.

Being in the now and finding the beauty in your today, appreciating your yesterday, and being excited about your tomorrow.

Creating the life of your dreams by knowing all experiences, even the contrasting ones, are part of your journey. You get to create each moment of your life by choosing what feels right for you. Your choices allow you to create a life of love over fear, hope over despair, happiness over sadness.

Mostly, my wish for you this week is a week filled with happiness, love, and fun! A week filled with the knowledge that your inspired action and being in the now allow you to be the powerful creator you are. I wish you a week of childhood innocence, simplicity, and humming the ABC song.

Until next week, now I said my A-B-Cs, next time, won’t you sing with me?

Hugs,

Carol

With the old saying “April showers bring May flowers,” I planted my flower boxes this weekend. As I looked at my flower boxes, I realized it used to be you would plant seeds, nurture (water and fertilize) them and watch them sprout, grow, and blossom. Now you buy them already blooming and already showing their potential. You know they are going to be beautiful whereas when you placed the seed in the soil, you hoped it would sprout and blossom. Whether a seed or a grown plant, you still water and nurture them as they grow into their full potential. It seems to me that tending to flowers is very similar to tending to our dreams. Plant, nurture, and watch them grow.

When you have a new dream that has yet to materialize (the seed) it requires faith to nurture it along into reality. However, once you’ve had signs that it’s coming true or you see progress towards success (blooming), then it becomes a little easier and even more fun as you know its happening. You get more excited about it and that excitement helps your dream grow bigger and faster.

Nurture your dreams as you would nurture your garden.

Quotes of the week

“Be careful what you water your dreams with. Water them with worry and fear and you will produce weeds that choke the life from your dream. Water them with optimism and solutions and you will cultivate success. Always be on the lookout for ways to turn a problem into an opportunity for success. Always be on the lookout for ways to nurture your dream.”

~Lao Tzu

“Each relationship nurtures a strength or weakness within you.”

~Mike Murdock

“He who nurtures benevolence for all creatures within his heart overcomes all difficulties and will be the recipient of all types of riches at every step.”

~Chanakya

“We’ve got this gift of love, but love is like a precious plant. You can’t just accept it and leave it in the cupboard or just think it’s going to get on by itself. You’ve got to keep watering it. You’ve got to really look after it and nurture it.”

~John Lennon

This Week’s Affirmation: I create my world through infinite love and gratitude.

Soulful Links

Secret Garden                       

~ Bruce Springsteen

Garden Party                         

Ricky Nelson

Rose Garden                         

~ Lynn Anderson

Empty Garden                       

~Elton John

For the next week, I invite you to nurture your dreams by:

Tending to your thoughts: by being positive and knowing you deserve greatness, you allow your dreams fertile space to grow.

Loving the process of creating your dreams: enJOY the journey. Get excited about the process of nurturing your amazing life. Understand weeds (contrasts) have a purpose too and when you realize that, you can easily clear the path for your dreams to unfold and bloom.

Allowing: asking yourself what love would say or do will continue cultivating trust, faith, and knowing, and it will become your protective net keeping pesky insects (fears) out of your garden.

Mostly, my wish for you is to walk with love over fear, hope over despair, happiness over sadness, and simply walk the path of your highest self. Dream big, live big, love big and blossom in everything you do.

Until next time, happy gardening!