Music has always been a big part of my life since I can remember. I remember making up dances to songs with my cousin Sarah to perform when my grandma would come to town and those dance numbers continued through much of my childhood and even young adulthood by making up a dance routine with my niece.

I’ve attended hundreds of concerts throughout the years from John Denver, Barry Manilow to Def Leppard and Ozfest. Favorite concerts I must say (were) John Denver, and are Jason Mraz, Bon Jovi, and Meatloaf.

So I often turn to music to elevate my mood – which frankly is often good anyway, but just better with the right tunes playing in the background. I have a play-list on my iPod called Live Love Laugh Hug filled with and continue to be added to songs that inspire me to be my best…to be happy.

I thought I’d share the songs of my play-list and possibly inspire someone to turn to music for a pick-me-up. And if there are songs that inspire you, please share with us….I’m always looking for new songs to add.

LIVE     LOVE     LAUGH     HUG

Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In – Forrest Gump Soundtrack

The Best Thing About Me is You – Ricky Martin featuring Josh Stone

Breakaway – Kelly Clarkson

Change – Tracy Chapman

The Climb – Miley Cyrus

Dog Days Are Over – Florence & The Machine

Don’t Stop Believin’ – Journey

Feeling Good – Michael Buble

Firework – Katy Perry

Heal The World – Michael Jackson

Here Comes The Sun – George Harrison

I’m Moving On – Rascal Flatts

I’m Yours – Jason Mraz

I Gotta Feeling – Black Eyed Peas

Imagine – John Lennon

Jai Ho – Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack

Jesus Take The Wheel – Carrie Underwood

Just the Way You Are – Bruno Mars

Let it Be – The Beatles

Live High – Jason Mraz

Man in the Mirror – Michael Jackson

My Wish – Rascal Flatts

Never Alone – Jim Brickmann featuring Hilary Scott

Never Surrender – Corey Hart

No One – Alicia Keys

One Day – Matisyahu featuring Akon

Peace Train – Cat Stevens

Pocketful of Sunshine – Natasha Bedingfield

Say Hey (I Love You) – Michael Franti

Somewhere over the Rainbow – Israel Kamakawiwo’ole

Sunshine Song – Jason Mraz

Sweet Serendipity – Lee DeWyze

Three Little Birds – Bob Marley

Unwritten – Natasha Bedingfield

Walking on Sunshine – Katrina & the Wave

What the World Needs Now – Four Weddings and a Funeral soundtrack

Will You Be There – Michael Jackson

With A Little Help From My Friends – Joe Cocker

With Arms Wide Open Creed

Here is to wishing you the perfect soundtrack for your life allowing you to dance in even the muddiest of puddles.

Big hugs and mucho love,

Carol

One of my favorite words, which is highly overused by me is awesome. I catch myself saying it all the time and I’ve even tried to come up with another word to replace it, but it’s reliable, it’s always there, it’s simply awesome. I finally realized why it resonates with me almost to the point of it losing its value. I find something to be in awe of every day. I’m in awe of visionaries who choose to follow their passion even when the majority can’t see it as a reality. The many things we take for granted today were a yesterday vision filled with people saying – that isn’t possible, it can’t be done, etc. Tons of steel fly through the air carrying hundreds of people safely to their destination- now that’s awesome. Worldwide travel used to be done by ships. Traffic is routed through overpasses and underpasses intertwined and I’m in awe of how that was designed. Do you think people on horses and buggy’s thought that was possible? And let’s not even discuss the visionaries of the pyramids!  I’m in awe of the fact, that when I finish today’s message and hit the send button, in an instant it’s sent to Australia. I’m in awe of people facing seemingly insurmountable challenges, yet they surpass them. I’m in awe of people who choose love even if fear is a predominate theme of those around them. I’m in awe of you every time you say yes to your dreams and desires.

Perhaps your dreams and desires seem too big to accomplish, but know you aren’t alone. Every visionary before you had some doubt that they could make it happen. However, their passion and belief was stronger than that fear. Watch your dreams grow as you nurture them with hope, faith, belief, and love.

Affirmation: I live from a space of awe and wonder allowing the very best to unfold.

(S)he said:

“The possibilities of creative effort connected with the subconscious mind are stupendous and imponderable. They inspire one with awe.” ~ Napoleon Hill

“You will make a lousy anybody else, but you are the best you in existence. You are the only one who can use your ability. It is an awesome responsibility.”  ~ Zig Ziglar

“The moment one gives close attention to any thing, even a blade of grass it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.”  ~ Henry Miller

“Beliefs have the power to create and the power to destroy. Human beings have the awesome ability to take any experience of their lives and create a meaning that disempowers them or one that can literally save their lives.”  ~ Anthony Robbins

Soulful Links:

Life is Wonderful ~Jason Mraz

Wonderful ~Everclear

Wonderful ~ Adam Ant

For the next week, I  invite you to see the awesomeness in your life by:

Being aware of life. As you head to work, pay attention to your surroundings. Appreciate the traffic lights as a gift to keep things in a safe and reasonable flow. When you become aware of your surroundings, I promise you that you will find many things to be in awe of.

Listening to you. Often it’s not fear of our dreams, but fear of not knowing what we want to be when we grow up. We want to be happy, healthy, and safe. So listen to you on what makes you the happiest and follow that dream.

Serving others in need. Go to a soup kitchen, volunteer, etc. If you are finding your personal life filled with challenges, there is little more rewarding then helping another. You will be in awe of the human spirit witnessing people doing their best.

Mostly, my wish for you is to see how awesome you truly are. There is only one of you in this world, so share your uniqueness by being your best self. Choose love over fear. Choose happiness over sadness. Choose health over illness. Choose abundance over lack. Choose to be gentle with yourself and others along life’s journey.

Until next time, have a week filled with the most awesome experiences ever! Now – that’s awesome!

Keep living big, loving big, and laughing along the journey.

~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.

What did you say? What words do you use when you talk about yourself, about others, about life in general? Do you choose words that excite you, encourage you, inspire and empower you? Or do you choose words filled with fear of the unknown that make you nervous, or fuel your frustration, and disempower you?

As a writer, I love words! I love to listen to how people use them. I love being aware of what words I use as it allows me to decide if I need to reframe my internal dialogue or if I’m talking in a manner that empowers me to live my highest self. We all want a life filled with love, health, peace, and abundance, yet we often choose words that conflict with our desire. We want love, yet we choose to talk about relationships in our life that don’t work whether it’s personal or professional relationships. We want health, yet we choose to talk about ravaging diseases and fighting (fill in the blank) disease. We want peace, yet we choose to talk about the horrors of conflict and war. We want prosperity, yet we choose to talk about the failing economy, job loss, etc.

When you speak of love, fill yourself with words that encourage you to live your life through love. Speak of kindness, compassion, service, joy, passion, trust, and words that allow you to feel love. When you speak of health, fill yourself with words and phrases that make you feel healthy. When you speak of peace, choose stories of people and movements who are making changes in the world through peaceful actions of support, love, understanding, and positive action. When you speak of prosperity, speak of all the things you do have in your life. What you think, what you speak, and what you feel, expands, so choose words that feed your soul and allow you to live your highest self.

Affirmation: I choose words that inspire and empower me and others.

(S)he Said:

“When words are scarce they are seldom spent in vain” ~ Shakespeare

“Words are the voice of the heart.” ~ Confucius

“Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with shades of deeper meaning.” ~ Maya Angelou

“A bad word whispered will echo a hundred miles.” ~ Chinese Proverbs

Soulful Links:

Word Play ~ Jason Mraz

Words ~ Bee Gees

More Than Words ~ Extreme

You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth ~ Meatloaf

For the next week I invite you to play with words by:

Being aware of your words as through awareness is where change can take place. Listen to see if you are using words of inspiration or empowerment or possibly words of fear and limits.

Scrambling your words up and using the ones that make you feel good such as love, happy, fun, laughter, peace, healthy, and prosperity.

Writing down words that empower and inspire you. Then post them on your bathroom mirror to empower you to start your day off right. Or post them on the inside of your front door as a reminder to live by those words as you leave for the day

Choosing to reframe contrasting experiences with positive words, such as rather than not liking the weather, focus your attention on what that weather brings to the world – I am grateful that the rain nourishes the earth, rather than I hate rainy days.

Mostly, my wish for you is days filled with words that allow you to soar. Words that bring a smile to your face. Words that inspire and empower you to live your highest self. Words that show your inner being which is a person filled with love, laughter, health, compassion, abundance, kindness, and pure joy.

Until next time, choose words that reflect how you want your world to be, and I promise you, it will become that!

Keep living big, loving big, and laughing along the journey.

~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.