Selfishness: How We Love to Death

A thing of beauty is a joy forever.

~Keats

How we destroy what we love.

Man walks into the forest seeking firewood. Today something catches his eye. He doubles back around and sees a beautiful, delicate flower. He wonders if this was always there. He has never noticed the speckle of color before. After a moment, with a pitter patter in his chest, he smiles and retrieves his firewood. Today it seems there is an abundance of perfect pieces.

Unable to stop thinking about the little flower and the feelings of joy, he returns to the forest several more times to see it. There it is living in perfect harmony with roots connected to below and receiving sunlight from above. Eventually, he decides that he wants to feel this feeling always and needs to bring the flower home where it will bring him endless joy.

Unconsciously he plucks the delicate flower and carries it home with the best intentions of bringing himself happiness. He places it in a vase on the mantle where he can see it always. Soon, the flower begins to wilt and no longer is the source of beauty it once was. No longer does it bring great joy. Inevitability the relationship is now over. The flower no longer serves its purpose. Soon it will be relegated to trash, compost, garbage.

The man completely disregards how this sad story could have played out differently. He fails to see his duplicity in cutting off his own source of joy by cutting off the flowers connection to source. Had he been a little more conscious and mindful, he would have realized that if he truly respected and honored the flower, he could have transported it lovingly; roots and all to a nurturing environment. A little more patience and a glance into the future would have inspired a better plan. Not only would the flower have blossomed at his home, it may very well have produced more beautiful, delicate flowers creating more beauty in the world.

Selfish love destroys. True Love grows. Next time you feel that pitter patter in your chest, embrace it. Lasting fulfillment is the result of continuous work. Impatience and selfishness will always destroy your source of joy. Being Happy, Healthy and Fit means honoring, loving and respecting that delicate flower that resides inside each one of us.

Dance with the Stars! The Muppets is for Puppets

The puppet master ceases to be the puppet master when the puppet decides to get up and dance.

Often times we feel like we are being controlled by someone else: a boss, parent, child, husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, teacher, neighbor, friend or even an organization, group or institution. Anytime we experience ups and down based on something outside of ourself, we have essentially relinquished control of our destiny and dance.

The highs are high when we receive acceptance, approval and gold stars. The lows are low when we are feeling denied the attention that flows through our veins like a drug. Like a puppet we are elevated by hope and sunk by fear. Inevitably, one day the puppet master will lose interest in manipulating our strings and move onto a shiny new puppet. Not only will there be no more highs, but the collapsed strings will be the lowest of lows and depression sinks in.

Do you feel like certain areas of your life are being controlled by a puppet master? Areas of love, money, marriage or affiliation are often subject to this. Promises. Carrots and sticks. Who gave this person the right to control you? YOU did.

When you realize that someone seems to be controlling you, don't hate them and sever the strings that move you up and down. This will only lead to a fast collapse until someone else picks up those strings and the puppet show begins again. Feel gratitude and love toward your puppet master. At one time, they were trying to help you dance. Notice which strings lift your spirit and which ones sink it.

Begin to lift your own limbs. Awkward at first, you may stumble about. Give YOURSELF a Gold star for each glorious movement you make on your own. Practice makes perfect. Soon you will be dancing with stars, the gold ones in your heart. For you have learned to love, accept and approve of yourself wholly and completely. From here you can make every encounter throughout every day a dance with others. Sometimes you will lead graciously and sometimes you will follow gracefully.

Being Happy Healthy and Fit means knowing that Life is a Dance with the Stars in your heart!

Compassion: Direct Connect to Heaven

Any place of complete bliss and delight and peace.

~ Heaven defined

Any place of pain and turmoil.

~ Hell defined

We get two choices in how we can approach life. We can approach each day in a place of heaven or a place of hell. The best part is that we get to choose every day: bliss, delight and peace or pain and turmoil.

It doesn't matter where we live, what we wear, drive or do for work. Skin color, gender, nationality, education and upbringing are all irrelevant when it comes to procuring the ticket to heaven. We all have the magic wand. The question is how will we use it. Both heaven and hell have lots of room.

Regardless of any spiritual or religious beliefs, it can universally be agreed that heaven is a place of complete bliss and delight and peace, while hell is any place of pain and turmoil. Delicious ice cream or a beautiful beach is often described as heaven, while something less desirable like work or telling the truth may be described as hell.

I often used to beg for a 'bus ticket to anywhere.' My heart was in pain; I was in hell. A bus ticket would have landed me exactly where I was, because wherever you go: there you are. A lifetime pass to hell. Although, only a thought away, I couldn't even see the line selling tickets to heaven. Heaven is a choice.

We can choose wand A: to 'love who we love and hate who we hate' or we can choose wand B: to 'love your friend as yourself.' One is the path to hell and one is the path to heaven. True compassion is about loving kindness. Learning to love 'your friend' as yourself means loving all of your friends, including the ones you haven't met and may never meet, as well as, the ones who have lied to you, stolen from you, abused your trust and slandered you . Love with out judgment. Sometimes, this is difficult because, friends act unconsciously and the results can be painful. Be compassionate; they are in hell.

When we can truly feel compassion for those who have hurt us the most, in essence love those whom we hate, we will never wait in line for a ticket to heaven again. Compassion is your direct connect to complete bliss and delight and peace.

Spend today in a place of heaven. Love your friends as yourself. Being Happy, Healthy and Fit means experiencing bliss and a peaceful heart and leading others out of pain and turmoil.

Stop Internet Blight: Find the Stairway to Heaven

With so many natural disasters, must we devastate one another?

Upon great reflection and conversation, I owe the whole universe an apology for delivering a sellout message. Last week, in my blog titled Be SomeONE. Be YOUrself, I said that cover bands are sellouts. Although, I was only delivering this message and not the creator, it's the spreading bad information creates an epidemic. If you are carrying disease, it doesn't really matter where it originated. That one blog has the potential to create doubt and kill inspiration in every aspiring musician; thereby wiping out the next generation of great joy.

The internet is an amazing medium for connecting people and information: the information superhighway. However, recognize the speed with which messages get sent out and spread that can create massive destruction in a matter of moments. As March comes to an end, it is a great time to appreciate the Irish and learn something from their suffering of blight. Blight, a potato fungus, was a huge contributor to the devastation in Ireland, wiping out close to one million people. In a single night this disease can travel up to 10 miles and destroy 40-50 acres.

Recently, a friend shared that a 15-year old girl took her own life as the result of cyber bullying. My heart sank. Having watched my neighbor, a popular high school student and football hero, take his own life when I was young, I understand the devastation this brings to the family and entire community.

With all of the natural disasters going on and things we cannot control: tsunamis, earthquakes and potato blight, it's time we stop killing each other with verbal venom and judgement. The tongue is just as powerful as those forces. It can be used for great good or to spew and spread poison.

It takes great guts to apologize and even greater guts to stand up on stage and play someone else's music. Every musician and every great artist draws inspiration from somewhere. Every preacher has a teacher. So my hat is off to you and my heart sings to all who have the courage to stand on stage and play an amazing classic like Stairway to Heaven, KNOW that you will be judged and that it doesn't matter. Play with all of you heart, for you have just found the stairway to heaven.

Be extra mindful before you use social media to deliver a message. The internet is a superhighway. Like blight, one message can instantly wipe out so much potential.

Being Happy, Healthy and Fit means recognizing that words are powerful, choose them wisely.

Celebration of Elevation: The Sky is the Limit!

Never let your dreams die.

I love this picture. More than defying gravity, it defies all logic. Not only, am I elevated above the clouds, but also above all doubt. The Sky is the Limit!

When I was struck with the inspiration to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, I was lacking a few critical things. I didn't even know which continent housed this mountain. My personal relationship was in shambles, my income was sporadic and inconsistent, bills were piling up. I had no boots, sleeping bag, back pack or plan. I didn't have anyone prepared to take this adventure with me and I didn't have a budget, travel savings account or ounce of support from my closest friends and family.

What I did know was that one of my greatest sources of inspiration for defying logic in the business world, CEO of Zappos.com and author of Delivering Happiness, Tony Hsieh, had climbed this mountain in the midst of his own transition.

After hearing from my tribe that the timing was wrong, it was dangerous, expensive and ridiculous, I noticed that the flame was still burning inside me. I stated out loud that it was my next adventure in the office to a celebrity chef friend of mine. He looked at me and said, "Randi, every oak tree starts out as an acorn."

This is the very line I had told him when we met on an airplane the year before and the same line I had used in my contribution 'Dare to Make a Difference' to the Power of Persistence, by Justin Sachs. I actually tell a story of Tony Hsieh building the greatest online shoe store against all odds to a billion dollar business. The sky is the limit.

My friend believed in me. There is Magic in Believing. It was October 1, when I decided to go. By November 1, I had attracted a great cause, a huge fan club of believers, an itinerary and a deep knowing. I even met Tony Hsieh at a small book signing party and told him that he inspired me and I was going. He signed my book and drew a picture of me on the top of Mt. Kili. He believed I was going.

When I humbled myself and sent out a fundraising letter by email, I had powerful responses within 3 minutes. A conversation that will stay with me always, was with a fan that I didn't even know was a fan. Feeling I had sunk to new all-time personal lows, I was sitting outside my hourly job with tears streaming down my face as I listened into my cell phone and he said, "Randi, you are doing what most people are afraid to do. They would rather sit on the couch and read travel magazines about places where they will Never go. You are doing it. Go. Never let your dreams die. Keep Believing. Keep bringing color to the world. Come see me this afternoon, I have a check for you."

He believed in me. The more he believed in me, the more I restored belief in myself. All you really need in this world is one friend. It may not be who you think. Let go of your limitations. Today, we are great friends.

As I shared my belief and knowing, it picked up great momentum. It became even bigger than I imagined. I was part of a team. When I stepped on the plane on February 2, only 4 months after manifesting this wild dream, I knew that I was supported and anything is possible. Enough money had been raised to cover all of the expenses and build a classroom in Tanzania to educate the next generation and spread love around the globe. I had acquired not only my gear, but love and support and fans were cheering for me to make it to the top of that mountain fearlessly.

This picture was taken just after descending a few minutes from the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak. The sun was shining, the ice frozen. The goal accomplished. With commitment and belief in your heart. The sky is the Limit. Next time your dreams seems lofty and impossible based on your current life situation, ignore the doubt and doubters. Believe it with all of your heart, with belief anything is possible. Elevate your Spirit. When you get there celebrate your elevation.

Faith moves mountains. Believe. Strengthen your belief in yourself by believing in other people and sharing your belief with them. You just may shift their whole life out of darkness and into Light!

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you to everyone who believed in me!

There is only One thing I KNOW for Sure

Life Lesson from a Sandwich Making Truth Teller

Life's greatest teachers won't be found in a classroom reading from books. Great teachers teach the Truth and the Truth cannot be found in a book. Do not look at the container, but what is within.

When I met John, I could see the mysticism in his eyes and the magic in his smile. He was a conundrum, 10 years in a job I took in transition. Occasionally, our paths will cross on a Monday between 11am and 2pm. We wear matching red shirts and name tags. It is as unglamorous as it gets. He has coached me. My job is to stand in the window and flirt with the customers, and he stays in the back and makes all of the food. We split the tips.

Over the past few months, we have exchanged many stories and laughs. I have learned that John has a past that would make Jerry Springer blush at first and then create an entire season around the levels of craziness and chaos. He has experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. I admit, his stories make my checkered life seem like a nursery rhyme. He only openly speaks about his days of dysfunction, when he believes he can help someone else. In fact, I have yet to meet anyone who lives more fully in the present. He has accepted his past and had the courage to change.

John speaks of great love and adventure. He is madly in love with his girlfriend of 15 years and tells true tales of shared motorcycle rides, camping in Alaska and hiking into remote canyons to see a beautiful waterfall. Even in the absence of a marriage contract, he has known no greater love. When he speaks of her, his eyes light up. He is so grateful. Over 12 years of clean living has taught him he can control the outcome of his decisions and live a life of great love.

On Monday, I asked John if he thought the Universe gave us tests. He replied simply by saying, "Randi, I don't know about that. There is only one thing I know for sure."

Between selling beer and stuffing hot dogs into buns, I finally managed to get the Truth, the teaching, the lesson. You can take the 365 days we get in a year and multiply that times 75, the amount of years we get. Then go ahead and subtract the age you are today and that is what you have left. This much I know is true. In his case, he 51 and so knows he gets 24 more years.

"You better believe I am going to make them the best years of my life, because that is all I get."

You better believe he was telling the Truth. Life is short. Anything after 75 is a gift. If you are struggling with any part of that, I encourage you to do as I have done and take a conscious stroll through a local cemetery. If you live in Scottsdale, there is a very nice one on the northeast corner of 92nd Street and Shea.

Just because they aren't in a classroom, don't insist on being called Professor or have a lot of letters after their name, don't pass up life's great teachers. Next time you see that sparkle in someone's eye, you better believe they have something to teach. Look inside the container. You just might find the Truth.

The Blame Game: Easy to Play, Impossible to Win!

The only way to win the blame game is to stop playing.

The problem with the blame game is that it is so easy to play, it is almost irresistible. It goes like this:

• I am overweight, because my mother was overweight.
• My business failed because I had a bad partner.
• I am in debt because I needed to help my family.
• My relationship didn't work out, because my husband didn't want to work.
• I didn't get the promotion because my boss likes the other guy better.
• I didn't finish school, because no one in my family finished school.
• I need to take pills to go to sleep, because stress keeps me awake.
• I don't have time to exercise because I work too much.

These are just a few examples of how we subtly play the blame game. Essentially, it is a failure to take personal responsibility for your life situation. It is what is known as victim consciousness or the belief that life is happening to you. You are just an innocent bystander in your own life and subject to circumstances. Some people have an excuse for everything.

When you stop playing the blame game, you shift your consciousness and take ownership over yesterday, today and tomorrow. It can be difficult at first to admit that you have been lazy, irresponsible or reckless in your decision making. As long as you continue to blame, you will always remain the same. When you can show up and look at your finances, health, relationships and level of happiness with a discerning eye and admit your duplicity in the outcome, you can begin to win.

All of your dreams are within reach. The body, the home, the car, the career, the business, the vacation and even the relationship are accessible and attainable when you stop pointing fingers and making excuses. As the old saying goes- point one finger at me and it still leaves three pointing back at you.

Start winning in life by telling the Truth. It goes something like this:

• I am overweight because I make poor food choices and lack self discipline.
• My business failed because I lost my passion for what I was doing.
• I am in debt because I spend more than I make and feel guilty saying 'No.'
• My relationship didn't work out because I quit showing up with my heart.
• I didn't get the promotion because I wasn't the best candidate.
• I didn't finish school, because I didn't want to do the work.
• I take sleeping pills because I am afraid to tell people how I really feel and it keeps me up.
• I don't have time to exercise because I don't make time.

Only once you are willing to hold yourself accountable can you experience transformation. If you don't like a certain aspect of your life situation, consider noticing if you are passing blame and then recognize that change is within reach. Learn to seek and tell the Truth.

Being Happy Healthy and Fit means acknowledging that every result in your life is simply the effect of an earlier cause. Stop playing the blame game and begin to cause the effects that you desire. Make it possible to win!

Train for Life: Big Event is NOW!

Always Do Your Best

~ The Fourth Agreement by Don Miguel Ruiz

Returning from Mt. Kilimanjaro, it would have been easy to sink into a state of depression. We see this everyday in Hollywood and the professional sport's world. Those who are on top of the world one day and then turning to drugs, alcohol and self-sabotaging behaviors the next day. Falling from grace.

Goals are wonderful things. They are dreams with deadlines. Getting in great shape for your wedding, studying hard for a big test, training for a marathon or to climb a mountain, filming a movie or training to win a championship sport's event are all wonderful goals. Having goals is an indication of a wonderful thing, at least you are awake and participating in your own life.

The downside of a goal is that it has a deadline. Then what? When I returned from Africa and realized the goal had been reached, the money raised, the mountain climbed and my Saturday mornings were no longer structured with 4:30a wake up calls and 6-7 hour treks with a heavy pack, I felt a bit empty.

Fortunately, I realized that I was standing in my own way. I jumped out of bed, threw on my 30 pound weight vest and headed out to hike. As I came off the mountain, sweat dripping and heart smiling, a woman stopped to ask me what I was training for. Without thinking, I told her I was training for Life!

I explained that I had just returned from hiking Mt. Kilimanjaro and had the time of my life and felt like I was strong, powerful, light and free and I wanted to maintain that. Since that morning, I make it out 3-4 times a week. Although big events are nice measuring points, the Biggest Event is happening right now. Life. This is my life and my choice to always feel my best.

If you want to feel whole and complete, stop looking outside yourself for fulfillment. Don't wait to for a wedding date to get in great shape, a big test to focus your studies or any other event to push your limits. Shift your consciousness from outside to inside

Being Happy, Healthy and Fit means Always do your Best, not for the headlines, plaques, trophies, awards and paycheck, but simply for you. Start winning in Life everyday. Bring your heart and Show up to the Big Event. It's Happening right Now!

Chart Your Life: Out of the Darkness into the Light

Growing up with parents passionate about sailing taught me a lot about charting and logging your course. The sea is vast and wide and begins to look the same after a while, especially during those times when there are no visual landmarks. These are the times when you must take readings, log them diligently pick your next marker and chart your course.

The thing about sailing is that you really must trust the process and believe. Seeing is not believing when you are on the open water. Believing is Seeing. You also learn that a set charted course is ideal, but not to be met with out obstacles requiring diversions and resetting. Wind, rough seas, gravitational force and high and low tides will affect a captain's ability to reach his destination. An experienced captain knows this is part of the process and it doesn't make sense to rush.

We are truly the captain of our own ship called Life. Without a destination, how can you chart your course? How will you ever get there? Just as important, if you don't log where you have been, you risk circling the same seas over and over.

Today is significant for a couple of reasons. I woke up this morning to an email congratulating me on my 1-year anniversary at Urban Yoga in Phoenix. I was only there one time and clearly it was one year ago. However, I was there with intention to do 108 sun salutations as part of a manifestation ritual to plant seeds of change in my own life. It was also one year ago today that I started to write the Happy, Healthy and Fit blog. My first entry is titled New Beginning. I had just closed a business and was looking out into the vast sea contemplating my next destination.

Writing a journal is a great way to document your life's course and make changes and create new adventures. In this month's issue of O The Oprah Magazine, Oprah shares some of her entries from as early as 1979. She shares how in her early years she wrote about boys and then began to write about gratitude and watched her blessings multiply.

The anniversary email and article in O triggered the desire to look back into my own personal journal and see where I had been. I went back to May 14, 2009, and realized this is too personal, intimate and horrifying to share at this time, but I will share May 15, 2009. I write:

"Not a good morning. Today I am empty and closed. I have no feelings. I do not even feel hate. I feel empty."

Like Oprah, today I write about gratitude and being thankful. I am so thankful that I recorded this very dark time, because as Captain of the Randi ship, I know there is no reason to go back to that Port of Darkness, I have already seen it. Moving forward my sights are clearly set on only the highest and best. I have come out the darkness and into the Light. I think I will rename my ship the Love Boat.

If you are circling in a sea of darkness and cannot seem to find a way out, start to journal. Just write down your feelings. No thinking is required, just write. You are simply keeping your Captain's Log. You not even be able to see the smallest lighthouse in the distance yet, but that doesn't mean it is not there. Remember our 'seeing' is limited. Believing is Seeing. Write the Truth. Being Happy, Healthy and Fit means learning to tell the Truth. It may be painful, but it is the most practical way toward a vast new world. It is the path to Love.

Power and Joy of a Steadfast Coffee Bean

"A woman is like a tea bag~ you never know how strong she is until she gets into hot water."

~ Eleanor Roosevelt

This quote is not reserved specifically for women. Consider hot water to be a life situation creating a life condition. We have come to know 'hot water' as an indication of pressure. It is. Water heated to its capacity ceases to be water and transforms into gas.

How do you respond to heat. Inspirational writer, Wayne Dyer, tells a story of a mother explaining the options we get when faced with adversity, pressure and/or heat. She places three pots of water on the stove. Raw carrots go in the first pot. Raw eggs are placed in the second pot and coffee beans in the third pot. She turns all the burners on and allows the water to boil.

After a short time, she removes the contents of each pot and shows her child that under hot water conditions, the carrots go from hard to mush. The same conditions transformed the eggs from fragile to hard. The coffee beans, however, remained steadfast. Not only were they still coffee beans, but they actually transformed the water.

Each morning we rise from bed to experience a new day, we know 'hot water' is inevitable. The choice we get is how to respond. Will you be a carrot? Will you be an egg? Or do you possess the strength in your convictions and beliefs to be a coffee bean? You can create your life condition with your consciousness. Don't judge in the moments that you go to mush or the ones when you stiffen. Embrace the moments, when you affect the world around you for the greater good.

Being Happy Healthy and Fit means being a steadfast magical coffee bean. Turn your 'hot water' into a vast opportunity to make delicious coffee without every changing your own consistency. Coffee creates smiles. Coffee gives people a boost. Coffee is enjoyed around the globe. Coffee creates an aroma of joy. Create more coffee!

Divine Revelation: Patience Cultivation to Manifestation

To the untrained eye, it may appear that I am wasting my time and my life working in an accounting office. On the surface level, it would appear that I am not maximizing my talents, gifts and skills.

Greatness requires patience. There are no overnight successes in life. It just appears that way. Just because you do not see the strong roots developing underneath the ground to create the necessary support system for a tree to expand toward the sky, doesn't mean that they are not there.

For years or maybe even a lifetime, my mother used to wish patience on me. I had none. Life was a rush to the finish line. I bought my first car nearly a year before I could legally drive it, graduated from college as others were graduating from high school. Took a day ferry from Gibraltar to Morocco just to be on two continents in two hours. I possessed an insatiable desire to do more, have more and be more. The problem with racing to the finish line, is just that: it's the Finish Line.

To develop patience, I have studied and taught Kung Fu, studied and taught Tai Chi, studied and taught yoga, read countless books, meditated, chanted, climbed mountains, hiked canyons, weeded gardens, planted seeds and drawn pictures to name a few recommended exercises.

Just this morning, it hit me. Copying and scanning endless receipts and tax documents in the back server room of an accounting office is giving me the skillful means to manifest what I have spent a lifetime cultivating. It would appear to the untrained eye as a picture of hell: no windows, chaos, boxes strewn about, fluorescent lighting, spilling cabinets and a phone extension that reads '121 storage.' It is a cocoon.

It is my cocoon. I have grown to love and appreciate the moment I am in. Just as a caterpillar must enter its cocoon and completely dissolve itself before it can morph into a beautiful butterfly, I know that in this back storage room, I am dissolving my lower self completely. Today, I know that I am exactly where I am supposed to be and out of the greatest darkness comes the greatest light when you trust in the process of growth and transformation.

Be grateful for where you are today. Take a moment to understand the process and lesson. Being Happy, Healthy and Fit mean you must Keep on Keeping on and before you know it, you will have wings to fly high like as a beautiful butterfly!

No Pill for ATTITUDE Sickness

Life is a classroom. The more we experience the more we learn. Traveling halfway around the world to to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa and the world's highest freestanding mountain proved to be a crash course in learning and applying all of the Laws of the Universe.

Not everyone that sets out to summit takes the same path up the mountain. Not everyone that sets out to summit makes it to the summit. On the night before we set out to begin our climb, we ran into a group at the lodge complaining of freezing temperatures, wind and altitude sickness. Their group didn't make it to the top.

On the 5th evening, after climbing up rocks, watching a porter lose his bag over the edge, another porter having to be escorted down the mountain due to altitude sickness and overall fatigue from days of carrying a heavy pack, strange food, freezing temperatures and rugged sleeping conditions, we decided to pull out the book on Mt. Kilimanjaro and read about where we had been and where we were going.

Up to this point, our guide refused to discuss 'summit night.' Each night, he would speak only of the next day. The book clearly talked about the biggest obstacle to reaching the top. It said there is Altitude sickness and there is Attitude Sickness. Yes, the altitude makes it so you cannot breathe, your head is pounding, diarrhea may be present along with flu-like symptoms. All what they refer to as 'normal conditions.' We all had the Diamox pills, Pepto pills, Tums and Excedrin to name a few altitude sickness remedies.

Nowhere in anyone's bag was the Attitude Sickness pill.

On very little sleep and in the dark, we set out on an 8 hour trek up hill only able to see the stars and one foot in front of us. It was obvious why there had been no discussion of this last night. After 5 days and a lot of hard work, it would be easy to self-sabotage, let fear and doubt creep in and keep us from our goal.

Equipped with the knowledge that Attitude Sickness would be the only obstacle, we all pushed forward and reached the summit cheerfully. The only remedy known to mankind for attitude sickness is to change his thoughts to "I can." As you think, so shall you be! With the right attitude, every mountain's summit is within reach! Being Happy, Healthy and Fit means approaching every mountain before you with an attitude of "I can!"

Love Powers Success

We have all heard that 80% of success comes from showing up. Anyone who has made it through the 1st grade also knows that 80% means you produced a barely average result: B work.

A lamp placed near an electrical outlet or even a beautiful 12-cylindar car with an empty gas tank are the equivalent of showing up 80%. Both are void of their potential. Showing up is not enough. Just as the lamp requires plugging into electricity and the car demands fuel to perform; we need heart to succeed.

Successful relationships, careers, businesses, friendships and hobbies require more than just showing up in form. Success requires showing up with Love and fearlessly pouring your heart into the Now. Leave the distractions of the past in the past and the future in the future. Courageously show up with your heart fully exposed. Fear not the bumps, bruises and scars of past failures. A healed heart is stronger than one that never dared to play in the game of life.

Excellent Results require Excellent Effort. The X-factor to Success is showing up whole and complete: Mind, Body and Spirit. Bring your heart into the game of life. Love is the electricity. Love is the Fuel. Being Happy, Healthy and Fit means showing up 100%. Show up Fearlessly. Love Powers Success.

Nature Destroys a Lazy Bee

A busy bee is a thriving bee. Mother Nature has zero tolerance for a lazy bee. Truly it is marched outside and politely stung to death.

The Laws of Nature apply to all of us whether we choose to acknowledge them and live in accordance or not.

Our work is every day. Just as bees don't get days off, conscious thinking is everyday. Thoughts are seeds. One seed contains a garden of infinite prosperity or a garden of infinite weeds. The mind is a fertile garden. With proper care anything imaginable will grow. With neglect, all gardens will sprout weeds and they will take over spreading rapidly until it is barely recognizable as a garden.

A lazy gardener will produce a garden full of weeds. The picture of an abundant garden will become incomprehensible and overwhelming. Nature has destroyed the lazy bee.

Your mind is your garden. Keep it free and clear everyday. Make conscious decisions to take the high road. It is no secret that gardening is hard work. Weeds or negative thoughts and actions must be pulled everyday. Occasionally storms or frosts come out of seemingly nowhere and demand even more attention. Shift your consciousness for even a moment and an animal can come in and destroy a year's worth of effort.

Ignoring the Laws of Nature does not mean that they do not exist. Today, notice if you are a busy bee or a lazy bee with regard to your health, happiness, relationships, finances, career, home and materials. Notice the results you have produced. Nature destroys a lazy bee. Consciousness is the only way to enjoy an abundant harvest. Consciousness is a full time job. Being Happy, Healthy and Fit means living consciously every day!

Live, Laugh and Love Fearlessly Everyday

As we stood in line waiting to board the plane from Amsterdam to Mt. Kilimanjaro, up came the uncomfortable subject of "what if" letters left behind. One of my team members expressed that she had left a heartfelt letter behind and given some directions to a friend as to its whereabouts.

Suddenly, I realized that I hadn't left any letters behind expressing all the things I wished I had said, just in case I didn't make it back. With complete clarity, I looked at her and said, "I have lived. I have laughed. I have loved." In my heart I knew that before I left, I had righted my wrongs and expressed love and gratitude to all in my world. I truly felt at peace with my life situation. My backpack would be heavy enough, I would not be carrying a heavy heart up that mountain.

As midnight arrived on summit night and we headed out in the black of night, in temperatures of 5 degrees Fahrenheit, wind blowing and gasping for air, we labored to place one foot in front of the other and climb 4000 more feet in what is known as the "death march." I knew this was the time when most people would be filled with regret and thinking about all the things they wished they had told people.

Upon arriving in Tanzania, we learned that we were just in the wake of gunfire and riots. Only today, did I learn that a terrible storm blew in to Mt. Kilimanjaro just after we descended; so powerful two professional guides perished. What a Miracle that we would arrive after the riots and before the storm. With this knowledge, I know that each day is truly a gift and gifts are best when shared.

As for letters to be read by those left behind in life, that is tragic. Have the courage to get your feelings off your chest everyday. If you love someone, tell them. If you have been hurt deeply by someone, tell them. If someone has touched your heart and soul, tell them. If someone has changed the direction of your life for the better, express appreciation. It doesn't matter what you get in return or if the feelings are reciprocal. What matters is that you have opened your own heart. The more you get things off your chest, the Lighter you will feel.

Stop writing letters and hiding them. Being Happy, Healthy and Fit means having the courage to Live, Laugh and Love Fearlessly Everyday!

Unconditional LOVE: Is there any other?

An important lesson taught to every journalism student at the University of Florida is to eliminate redundant words. A common mistake in trying to clarify actually produces the opposite result and blurs the meaning. The hardest part of being a great writer is learning to leave out the extra flowery words.

This morning I was thinking about the term "unconditional love." Then it hit me. Is there any other kind of Love? When we add conditions, it is no longer Love. Not just in the romantic sense of Love, but in the higher vibrational realm of Love and Light. Love does not know good and bad, right and wrong.

Love is the power inside each of us that has the ability to ignite Light inside the spirit of those around us. Like a candle, when we share our Love and Light, we do not lose anything, in fact we do the opposite and create more Love and Light. Yes, the wax may begin to melt away, but the Light shines forever bright and even brighter when shared. Imagine the Light of one candle and then one thousand candles.

Adding conditions to Love is like putting a lid over the candle. Eventually, it will not get enough oxygen and blow out diminishing all of its potential. Loving unconditionally is the only way to Love. Remove judgement and expectations from all of your relationships: past, present and future. Give and receive Love. Drop the conditional and 'unconditional.'

Be Happy, Healthy and Fit. Be LOVE.

Unify the World One Smile from the Heart at a Time

"Ah Yes! Smiling from the Heart. I like it," said Beltram, our Mt. Kilimanjaro guide in his deep Swahili accent as he snapped yet another picture.

After a week in Tanzania, Africa and still a good 3 days from summit along the Machame Route, I have never felt so dirty outside and so pure inside. Looking down at my hands, I didn't even recognize them. There was so much black dirt under my fingernails, I could have passed for a mechanic. My tent mate and friend Cammy asked me if I had any intention of changing my clothes after hiking and sleeping in the same thing day after day after day. Nothing in the material world mattered.

From the time we landed in Kilimanjaro, make up, hair dryers and fashion became insignificant things of the past. Yet, I never felt more radiant in my life. We were on a fundraising mission team that raised over $50,000 to build a classroom in the Village of Mairowa. Every ounce of this trip represented hope to the people of this 3rd World country of Tanzania.

When I set out on this journey to raise money and climb the world's highest freestanding mountain, I knew that I wanted to change the world by unifying it through Love. I had no idea how easy it would be to give and receive love in a nation suffering from poverty and disease. The people were beautiful. Men, women and children shared shaved heads. There is no water to keep clean. With boys in pink princess shirts and girls in boy's clothes, there is no judgement, only gratitude and appreciation for clothes in general. They have no idea that they have so little and maybe that is because they have so much.

As we never know where our future leaders will come from, it is so important to recognize the power of a smile from the heart. Put away your eyes that may only see differences in race, gender, class, beliefs and exteriors. See through your heart into that pureness in others.

A smile from the Heart translates into Love in any language. Go ahead and have the courage to make your heart smile. See what gets reflected back at you. Being Happy, Healthy and Fit means Spreading Love everyday, in every way. Inside each one of us is the Power to Change the world one heart smile at a time.