The room was warm and dark, lit only by the fading sun outside from a long window on the far wall. There were yoga mats and  hardwood floors that were creaky, yet polished. The room had a peaceful vibe- one wall was orange and the other one was covered in mirrors. We had all gathered here for one reason- Reiki. Some of us had prior experience, and others had never been in such a setting. It was an eclectic group, and we were being taught by a woman who reminded me of milk and warm cookies.

This wasn’t really the first time I’d been in such a group, but it was the first time I’d been to one in Dallas, and I really wasn’t disappointed at all. There was the smell of incense as we went through a guided meditation, and then we learned the basic history of Reiki and received  our first of four levels. That first night I really walked out of there feeling changed, like something deep inside of me had moved.

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I am an only child, so growing up I was used to being spoiled, having my way, and not particularly caring about anyone other than myself. My room was littered with toys and other material things, and I never wanted to give anything away to charity. My things were exactly that, my things.

Every time one of those Christian Life commercials showing children and families from Third-World countries came on the television, I would grab the remote and change the channel. “If they know they are so poor, and can’t afford to eat, why do they keep having children?” I would always say to my mother. She would just shake her head at me and tell me I had no compassion, and I would agree with her.

Up until a few years ago, I was still acting like a spoiled little brat. I had no sympathy or compassion towards anyone, and often times, I would turn my nose up at less fortunate people and charities. While browsing in The Body Shop, I came across a bracelet the store was selling where 100 percent of the proceeds went to researching AIDS. I don’t know anyone with AIDS or HIV, but something inside of me went on like a light switch, and in that moment, I felt like the Grinch, my heart grew.

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Someone told me the other day that I should act my age to which I responded "What does that even mean?" Honestly, how exactly is someone pushing 30 supposed to behave?Should I be reading the New York Timers, discussing the economy while checking stock trades on my iphone? Well I'm not, and frankly I'm okay with that.

I enjoy being an easily amused individual who doesn't "act her age". Not only do Ienjoy it, I embrace the level of maturity I lack in everyday life. What is so fun about being "mature" anyway? Mature people pay bills, have responsibility, hate their jobs, cuss in traffic and look forward to 5 o'clock; I do all of that because it's part of being an adult.

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Popularity: 11% [?]

This has been on my mind for some time now. It is said that as you age, your taste buds change. As they change, we start to enjoy other foods and dislike ones that previously we had loved. There have been scientific studies conducted that support this and we, as a society, have accepted this. In addition to the change in my taste buds, other things have changed. When I was a young boy, my hair was almost white and now it is a very dark blonde. Some might even say it is light brown. I’m not so much concerned with the physical changes I have undergone over the past decade or two as I am with the mental changes.

The most notable mental alteration is the metamorphosis in my preferences of the opposite sex. I can remember when I was a senior in high school (RHS  ‘96….whoo whoo Go Raiders!) and in a moment of pure enlightenment, I realized that every girlfriend I had ever had was blonde-haired and blue eyed. Many would write this off as a classic case of the Oedipus complex. Sure, I hated my father, who didn’t. And yes, I loved my mother, but not in *that* way. I think that it stems more from lack of exposure to other sects of our culture. I ended up forcing myself to date brunettes, Asians, redheads, and all sorts of other women. It worked.

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If you're like me, you have moments when anxiety creeps up on you, jumps on your back, and tries to wrestle you to the ground. Moments when employers are evaluating the quality of your work, when you're interviewing for a job and you have to find out who thinks you are valuable and who doesn't and why. Not to mention relational mishaps and various other life situations. 

How do you handle anxiety? Everyone's different. Me? I have a very hard time shifting gears once anxiety has set in. I don't do pills or professional therapy, so that leaves me with more natural / do it yourself types of coping. Let's take a quick look at some ways I overcome anxiety:

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I’m totally conflicted. I just turned 30 last week (January 30th). [Thank you, all of you that didn’t remember. And thank you, all of you that reminded me every day for the last 6+ weeks. I appreciate both of those groups in my own *special* way.] My conflict comes from all of the statements that friends, family, and completely random strangers (wtf?) offered up to me. I am not kidding when I say that I was told the following statements:

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A new year to make things happen, to start over, to make your life shine. A
new beginning all over again. Now is your time to start a new. Start off
strong, be aggressive in achieving your goals and making your aspirations a
reality. Leave procrastination in 07 and be great in 08! No excuses, no
reasons why you can’t do this or do that. Be determined to keep your spirit
of completion alive and healthy.

A new year, new time, A new you? Who knows? Only you, I suppose. Your actions and your way of thinking that will determine weather or not you are the renewed you or the regular old you! If you are happy with the old you then DON’T CHANGE A THING! If you're not, now is the time to make those adjustments

For many of us, the new year is a clean slate. We are invigorated by what the future holds if we just follow through with our plans. HMMMMMM! Follow
through, starting something and finishing it, going all the way, completion.
How easily completion eludes us, when we get tired or bored or the task
becomes too difficult.

So some advice, start off small, complete small tasks set for yourself and
build your way to bigger and bolder endeavors. As the tasks become easier to
complete, gradually escalate your level of difficulty to challenge yourself
however not so much to become discouraged. Set short term, achievable goals
and then move forward. Completion and feelings of achievement not only feel
good but build stamina and confidence. You will accomplish more if you feel
good about yourself and you know that you have completed projects that you
have started in the past.

Whatever it is that you want to achieve, YOU CAN ACHIEVE IT! YOU CAN HAVE
IT! YOU CAN DO IT! This is not about anyone but you! Encourage yourself,
become self determined, self motivated, self sufficient. You are the only
one that can make the decision for you to be the you that you have always
wanted to be. Why not be that you now?

This is your year and your time to shine. What are you waiting for? Go out
there and make it happen.

2008 is Great because this is your year!

Happy Thursday!

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I hear people say all of the time, "I need to go to the gym. I’m getting fat. I need to stop smoking. I need to eat better. I need to be more efficient with my money. I need, I need, I need." STOP TALKING ABOUT IT AND DO IT!

No one wants to hear you wine and complain about what you ought to do or what you want to do and then watch you do nothing about it. You are wasting oxygen. If you actually want to do something, you will act on it. If you’re hungry, you’ll eat. If you’re thirsty, you will drink.  Why must you talk all of the time and do nothing you ever talk about?  It is so very annoying, and no one respects what you say because they know you will never take action.

The time is now to make change! The time is now to make a decision to move, to make your mark, become a new person by coordinating your thoughts with actions… by giving your words meaning. James Brown said it best in song when he said, “Talkin loud and sayin nothing!" Is that you?

All I am saying is this: we all talk about things - changes that we want to make in life. Why not do more than talk? Make it happen, take the step, and make the change. Go to the gym, invest that money, ask her to marry you, make thefirst move, learn how to play an instrument. Whatever it is, do it. There is more to life than wanting to do something. There is …….actually doing something. If you are not going to do anything, then do those around you a favor and keep quiet until you’re ready to act.

Talk without action is useless talk. Useful or useless… which one are you?

Happy Thursday!

Popularity: 6% [?]