Secret to Success: Destination X = Origination Next

Recently, I received a copy of Destination Weddings magazine in my mailbox. Immediately, I chuckled and noted the ultimate paradox. Weddings are hardly destinations. They are beginnings.

The pages were filled with happy couples linking arms on beautiful beaches. In that moment of fairytale romance the possibilities are infinite. The great news is that it is true: The Possibilities are Infinite, for this is just the beginning.

The problem is that fulfilling relationships are a work in progress, a continuous process. After 42 years of marriage, my Dad is the first to say that as soon as the honeymoon is over the real work begins. This is not just true of marriage, but of all relationships including jobs, careers, clients, teachers, students, neighbors and friend.

People put all of their effort into what they are seeking and then stop investing. Think about how much work it takes to land a dream job or any job at this time. Would you put forth all of that effort and then expect to be successful without performing and producing results? This illustrates that although landing the job was the destination, it truly marks the beginning.

Even simpler, your destination may be the shopping mall. When you arrive, you see the sign indicating where all the stores are, along with the X marking your spot. It was a destination and now it is a point of origination. Only now can you begin.

Life and relationships are a constant process of change and transformation. True relationships always change. Love increases when you never take your partner of position for granted. By nature, we must always be growing and doing our work. Continuous effort is required to produce optimal results.

When you land your dream job, dream home, dream bride or groom, take a moment to pull out your measuring stick and celebrate your results. Then, pick your shovel back up and stay busy and engaged in the process of growth and transformation. Every Destination X truly marks Origination Next.

Being Happy Healthy and Fit means believing in infinite possibilities while understanding that reaching your destination is just the beginning, not the end.

10,000 Heartfelt and Humble Thank YOU's

Randi,

"Write it in your own WORDS."

Love Mom (dated 10-10-91) inside my Webster Handy College Dictionary

Words are extremely potent. They contain the force to hurt or the power to heal. Choosing them wisely dictates Happiness.

Yesterday was a special day for me. The Happy Healthy and Fit blog passed 10,000 hits. 10,000 is a significant number in many ways. As a student, practitioner and teacher of the martial arts, I understand that the Truth has 10,000 faces. Also, that it takes 10 times to remember something, 100 times to understand it, 1000 times to know it and 10,000 times to master it.

What have I mastered? Gratitude. I truly have 10,000 thanks you's exploding from my heart. For knowing that even one other person benefits from these teachings, keeps me purposefully inspired.

It is said in the Talmud that Every blade of grass has its angel that bends over it and whispers, "Grow, grow."

I am that blade of grass and you are that angel.

Thank you to everyone who has shown me loving kindness and thank you to everyone who has not. For you are all my teachers. Thank you to those people who believed in me when I did not and thank you to those who never believed in me. You are my teachers. Thank you to my friends who had the courage to challenge me to be happy and to speak the truth. Thank you to every stranger that has become a friend and every friend that has become a stranger. Thank you for every laugh and every tear, for these are the experiences that have inspired me and allowed my heart to 'Grow, grow.'

The Truth is that I wasn't always Happy Healthy and Fit. In fact, when I started to write, I felt none of those things. Perhaps physically fit, but not emotionally and spiritually Happy or Healthy. I started to write as a self-affirmation. You can see the first blog entry below from March 30, 2010.

Something Magical happened when I began to realize that other people were enjoying and sharing the blog. I started to believe in myself and my Happiness. With that I express 10,000 heartfelt and humble thank you' s.

Know that if I can be Happy Healthy and Fit, so can you. Today I can say with complete confidence: I am Happy Healthy and Fit. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

1st Blog Entry below (evidence, we all start somewhere.)

New Beginnings

Today is the first day of the rest of my life. It is not necessary or sensible to hang onto the past. Each morning, we get the choice to be happy or not. Either way, we get the same amount of time. I take today to mourn the closing of a chapter in my life. The best part is that we all write our own scripts and can include tragedy, comedy, love and drama as we wish. Life is like a great book that you cannot put down because you are so excited to see what happens next.

Language of Love Knows No Limits!

Lesson in Badminton and True Love: Swing First, don't think or you will miss every time!

Two people can be in the same room, in the same bed possibly even bound by marriage vows and contracts and yet live worlds apart as two strangers. At the same time, two people can live worlds apart in the physical dimension and share a soul connection unifying them beyond time and space.

True Love is that connection beyond what we can see. It is that vibrational frequency that magnetically attracts more love.

Yesterday I experienced true love, not to be confused with romantic love, lust or a crush. True love is genuine compassion: loving kindness.

When I walked into the hall to with my friend to play badminton, I was immediately intimidated. Badminton is predominately played by Asian men. I am neither. There were eight courts, four deep of birdies whizzing around. My friend, a world-class player handed me a racquet and birdie before he went off to play with others at his level. He was kind enough to find a young girl of perhaps 10 that would stand and hit with me. I am certain her respect for elders is the only thing that kept her there while I lurched and lunged and swatted mostly air.

In the middle of wondering exactly why I agreed to this humiliation, a kind woman came to my aid. Immediately, I realized that her English was as limited as my Chinese. Through gesturing and pointing to body parts she was able to teach me how to hold my racquet, use my hips, wrist and fingers. Through my smile and open heart I was able to express gratitude and appreciation for her patience and persistence. She was willing to teach me.

Most importantly I learned that to be a powerful badminton player, you must swing first and think second. If you think first, you will miss every time. I realized how this applies in expressing true love and helping other people. What would happen if every time we saw someone struggling, we just took a chance, took a swing at helping and not thinking ourselves out of it.

What if we learned to speak only the language of love? What if we looked past skin color, hair color, eye color, religious beliefs and even language barriers to connect with other hearts? What if we removed our own self-inflicted limitations?

Being Happy Healthy and Fit means knowing the Language of Love Knows No Limits!

Healing Hands: Be Mindful of the Magic Touch

Yesterday I attended a Yoga Teacher Training Adjustment workshop. This hands-on workshop was designed to give yoga teachers the confidence to assist students, helping them with proper alignment so they can move deeper into the poses.

It was a great reminder of the energy that runs through us and the power we have to connect to others through touch. It was also a great reminder of the responsibility we have to be mindful of those we touch; mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually.

A warm, gentle touch melts a frozen tundra. It made me laugh when one of the workshop teachers said the first time he received an adjustment, he was sure the attractive female teacher was in love with him. As humans, we crave touch. People spend thousands of dollars every year on massage because they crave touch. Babies develop quicker when they are touched. Love is transferred through touch.

Know that when you have done the work and have the ability to touch hearts and minds, a shift occurs. Love is transferred, not in the romantic sense, but in the vibrational sense. People feel your love and are attracted to you. Know that the untrained person will assume that the love you are giving is personal and in turn they will open and give love back. The risk is the attachment and assumptions that come from those you touch.

It is an amazing gift to have healing hands and a healing heart, but be mindful of the magic. Magic can be used for great creativity or great destruction. Honor yourself and those you touch by being clear with your intentions. Have the courage to speak the truth and guide others deeper past fantasy love and into universal love.

Being Happy Healthy and Fit means honoring your healing hands by being mindful of the magic touch. Namaste.

Wireless Internet: Invisible Chain of Addiction

Yesterday I had a sobering experience. I realized that I am an addict. Like most addicts, I was in denial that I had a problem.

I am addicted to my wireless internet. It took losing it to realize that my habit has spun out of control. I can take my laptop anywhere in my home and see who is doing what on FaceBook, get google alerts and receive emails. Like a baby's blanket, my laptop is always in reach.

When you question a typical addict about their habit, they will most often say they can stop at anytime. Addictions are distractions. When we are distracted, we don't have to focus on the things that matter. We can actually avoid showing up in spirit. Our love of distractions has become obvious by the rise in ADD and ADHD among adults and children.

Interestingly, engaged in a deep conversation yesterday, my friend suggested that I unplug my wireless internet before going to bed. I had not mentioned that my wireless router had crashed and my laptop was now plugged into an ethernet cord and taking permanent residence on my desk. What he said makes sense. Do you really want to be exposed to all those frequencies and waves running through your home, like a microwave on 24 hours a day.

The timing was powerful. I had spent all morning on the phone with the cable company to discover the problem and was ready to run out and replace my wireless router. Instead I decided to challenge myself to go without it. This will force me to be more conscious of the time I spend and waste on the internet.

I must confess I am actually experiencing physical withdrawal from my freedom to move about with my computer. However, I know that true freedom will come when my thoughts are not occupied by looking at my computer. I have greater appreciation for those who struggle with the demons of addiction. For the facts don't change the facts. We know that smoking cigarettes leads to lung cancer, chewing tobacco leads to throat cancer, excessive alcohol poisons the liver and the list goes on and on about the inevitable repercussions of addiction.

If you are constantly checking FaceBook, carrying an iPhone and an iPad, spending more time communicating behind your technology than in person, perhaps you may be a wireless internet addict too.

Being Happy Healthy and Fit means having the courage to face your addictions and breaking the invisible chains that block you from clarity and keep you bound to distraction.

Pen to Paper: Write Your Happy Beginning

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.

~Eleanor Roosevelt

Where did you come from?

Where are you now?

Where are you going?

The future is wide open! Forget the how. Start right now!

At a recent dinner with the Society of Scottsdale Women Writers. The speaker emphasized the importance of answering the question of what do you do with "I'm a writer."

Surprisingly, this created a lot of resistance. Apparently, many people feel you must attach a dollar amount or quantity of published materials to qualify as a writer. I liked it. I have been using it ever since. There is great Power in putting pen to paper, especially when the pen is blue. I'm a writer.

A new feature on FaceBook displays what your status was on this day in 2009 and 2010. I could not help but grin ear to ear when I noticed it this morning. On this day in 2009, I was helping my dear friend MB York demo her make up line on Channel 3 at 8:15a. She was showcasing her infamous Beauty Ammo Kit.

It is no coincidence that we were out sharing laughs just last night. Mary Beth is the kind of person that lights up an entire room. You love her or you hate her. She speaks the Truth. In moments of uncertainty, she has direct connections to the best card readers in Sedona and psychics in the country. After hours, she even acts as the psychic and the card reader always seeing the highest and best.

It has been almost 5 years since we became friends. Most people might pass on a friend who starts the relationship by saying things like: your business is too small for you, get out of it and your husband holds you back. Not exactly music to the ears of someone with 3 years left on a personally guaranteed high-dollar lease and is one year into a marriage contract.

"How?" Was all I could ask. Hearing her words made me feel like a boat moored in a tiny harbor when there is a whole world to explore.

She instructed to me never to ask how, to begin writing my new story and to use blue ink. She assured me The Universe responds faster to blue ink. Although we laugh about consulting tarot cards, angel cards, the I-ching, psychics, healers, energy workers and any other sources of external affirmation, we both know that our hearts and souls know what is best.

If you feel like you are stuck in life, have the courage to write your best life on paper. Start to write down your dreams. Soon the future will be the past. Why wait for a happy ending? Dare to write yourself a Happy Beginning. Forget the how. Start right now. We cannot always see the beauty in our dreams. Be grateful for those friends who see your greatness with no personal agenda.

Being Happy Healthy and Fit means putting pen to paper to write yourself the very best most fulfilling life. Thank you MB! I love you!

Start Winning in Life: Change Your Rules

If you are not winning in life, perhaps it is time to reexamine the rules by which you play the game: your rules.

Winning in life is gauged by results. Pull out your measuring stick. How often are you feeling happy, blissful and ecstatic? How often are you feeling frustrated and stuck?

We expand and contract in direct proportion to the thoughts we foster and the actions we take. When we think only of ourselves, we contract. We limit all the possible happy, blissful and ecstatic results.

Yesterday I received a beautiful card in the mail, it reads: Friendship is when people know all about you but like you anyway. - Anonymous

When I read the heartfelt words of my friend, it brought me to tears. Although, she was bubbling over with kind words, the real joy came in the hope for transformation. I know that I was not always winning in life or even participating for that matter.

I have learned that selfishness turns life into the ultimate spectator sport. You can never win anything from the sidelines. Winning a game requires participation. Winning in life requires selflessly thinking of others - everyday. Friendship is unconditional. It is not about what you have or don't have. It is about being willing to be transparent and authentic.

Every time I open my mailbox and receive a thoughtful card or surprise gift, I know that I am winning in life. Every time I receive an uplifting, thoughtful email, text message or FaceBook post, I know I am winning in life. I also know that there is great hope for all that wish to change their rules. Give first and your harvest will be bountiful.

This week is a powerful week to set the tone for the entire next year. Whether you believe in the energy of the universe or not doesn't change its existence. If you want to grow greener grass in life, plant greener seeds this week. Replace your selfish acts will loving-kind selfless acts and you will soon see abundant greener pastures.

Being Happy Healthy and Fit means changing your rules to begin Winning in Life everyday!

Thank you all for being generous with your love. I appreciate every reader, every comment, every card, every text, email and post. I appreciate your friendship and open heart. Thank you for making me a better friend and person.

Peace in Rejection: Somethings aren't Meant to Be

Don't stress over people in your past, there's a reason why they didn't make it to your future.

~ unknown

The other night, I was walking through a parking garage after a fun night out. Headed toward my car, two men stopped me in my tracks. One said something about yoga, which always gets my attention.

I turned around and looked with what must have been a blank stare. Practicing yoga in the valley since 1997 has afforded me the opportunity to meet lots of great people. Usually, we have shared a story or a laugh, but I truly had no recollection of this man. He proceeded to name off mutual friends and where we used to practice. More blank stares from me, I was dumbfounded.

He went on to describe my convertible BMW Z3 roadster. Clearly, he knew who I was. Finally, I said, "I'm Randi." In my mind, I had to backtrack. I have not had that car since 2003. Embarrassed by my inability to connect this face, I started to make small talk about my current yoga studio.

He finally told me his name and introduced his 'friend.' It hit me in the elevator. My 5-inch heels and pomegranate martinis had dwarfed the once beautifully-sculpted Adonis I used to know. He had atrophied into someone I did not recognize.

After he graciously said it was so nice to see a familiar face, I recalled that we had so many things in common at the time. I never understood why he didn't ask me out. It just became crystal clear. We had one too many things in common: we are both attracted to men.

This is a great reminder that rejection is not personal. When things don't work out, know in your heart that truly there is something higher and better waiting.

Being Happy Healthy and Fit means finding peace in rejection. Somethings simply aren't meant to be.

What if Today was your Last Day?

What if Today was your last day?

My best friend gave me the best advice.

He said each day's a gift and not a given right

Leave no stone unturned, leave your fears behind

And try to take the path less traveled by

That first step you take is the longest stride

~ Nickelback Lyrics

When a song plays over and over in our head, there is a strong message there. It is almost like a message or billboard blaring to dig deeper.

For six months, Nickelback's, If Today was Your Last Day has been playing in my head. Usually, it blares when I am out hiking. Yesterday, I was talking to my mom about life. She shared with me that she thinks due to her recent diagnosis, she needs to get herself a cane. I shared with her that I had an amazing day and the doors opened for me to go to Machu Picchu, Peru.

First, she agreed that it is one of the most beautiful, amazing places in the world. When I told her it was going to cost me $3750 plus airfare, she quickly recanted. I know she is concerned for me and my well being. She is my mother. Then out came my lyrics, I said, "Yes Mom, but what if tomorrow never came? What if today was my last day?"

Then I went to look up the lyrics that have been singing to my soul all year. If today was your last day?

And would you call those friends you never see?

Reminisce old memories?

Would you forgive your enemies?

And would you find that one you're dreaming of

Swear up and down to God above

That you'd finally fall in love if today was your last day?

I love you Mom for caring about my well being. I love you Mom for always believing. I love you Mom for giving me the Courage to climb mountains. I love you Mom for your strength to live every day as if today was your last day! I love you Mom.

Being Happy Healthy and Fit means asking your self what if today was your last day. Leave fear behind. Move fearlessly in the direction of love- that first step you take is the longest stride.

Complete Lyrics are below

My best friend gave me the best advice

He said each day's a gift and not a given right
Leave no stone unturned, leave your fears behind
And try to take the path less traveled by
That first step you take is the longest stride

If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last
Leave old pictures in the past?
Donate every dime you had, if today was your last day?
What if, what if, if today was your last day?

Against the grain should be a way of life
What's worth the price is always worth the fight
Every second counts 'cause there's no second try
So live like you're never living twice
Don't take the free ride in your own life

If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last?
Leave old pictures in the past?
Donate every dime you had?

And would you call those friends you never see?
Reminisce old memories?
[ From : http://www.elyrics.net/read/n/nickelback-lyrics/if-today-was-your-last-day-lyrics.html ]
Would you forgive your enemies?
And would you find that one you're dreaming of?
Swear up and down to God above
That you'd finally fall in love if today was your last day?

If today was your last day
Would you make your mark by mending a broken heart?
You know it's never too late to shoot for the stars
Regardless of who you are

So do whatever it takes
'Cause you can't rewind a moment in this life
Let nothing stand in your way
'Cause the hands of time are never on your side

If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last?
Leave old pictures in the past?
Donate every dime you had?

And would you call those friends you never see?
Reminisce old memories?
Would you forgive your enemies?
And would you find that one you're dreaming of
Swear up and down to God above
That you'd finally fall in love if today was your last day?

Pain is a Stain only Love can Lift

Be kind for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.

~Plato

The feeling of pain is deep and lingering regardless of how it is derived. I am not talking about physical pain, but the deeper cutting pain, the pain that can't always be seen, the pain that stains the heart.

Pain comes from broken dreams and broken promises. It comes from loss of loved ones, loss of faith and loss of love. The pain that stains the heart is so dark, it actually blocks the Light of love from entering. It is like a layer of dirt shoveled on your soul blocking your ability to connect to hope.

Yesterday was one of those days that I feel like I lived 70 years in one day. I had the opportunity to help a friend pack up her life. Her pain was deep; a marriage shattered. She would hold things up as if to ask yes or no. No, I would say. You don't need that. Let it go. A failed marriage isn't a failure unless you allow it to dictate the rest of your life.

Later, all dolled up and out with the girls, it would have been easy to see three attractive women laughing about our lives of leisure. Come closer and you would have seen three hearts connected sharing and spreading love. We were busy laughing our way through our own real-life versions of the Jerry Springer Show. Love lifts.

In someway, everyone we encounter carries their own stains. The deeper the pain the deeper the stain. The great news is that Love purifies even the darkest of hearts. We can purify our hearts by helping other people through their pain. Pain shared with love is pain dissolved.

Being Happy Healthy and Fit means following the words of Plato: Be Kind. Meet everybody and every circumstance on the battlefield of life with the courage of a hero and the smile of a conqueror. Pain may stain your heart, but LOVE can lift even the deepest and darkest spots. With a pure heart, you will see The best is yet to come!

Oil and Water: Two Powerful Teachers

We all know that oil and water do not mix. This does not make one good and one bad. Both are highly sought after and powerful sources of energy.

We can learn a lot from oil and water. Individually, they are whole and complete. Water has the power to carve valleys through the mountains and oil has the capacity to fuel the motors of the world. To force these two elements together is to create resistance and deny each its potential. In relationship they actually lose power instead of gaining it.

The very purpose of relationships is to grow as individuals and then together to bring more love and light into the universe. This is true of all relationships, not just romantic partnerships. If your relationship is requiring so much effort to keep it together, perhaps you are like oil and water. When 1 + 1 = 2, it is very limited. When 1 + 1 = 11, you have the magical formula.

Oil and water both contain unlimited potential and mix swimmingly with so many other things in so many capacities. Why waste all of your time and energy on a limited outcome by forcing your way into resistance. However, water never judges oil and oil never judges water.

Can you learn from oil and water? Can you love and accept what is different without any judgment? Being Happy Healthy and Fit means moving in the direction of love filled relationships that are powerful and create more love and light while releasing those relationships that are taxing thereby allowing them to do the same.

6 Seconds to Strike Gold! Hug with Your Heart!

A hug is the shortest distance between two friends.

~Author Unknown

Happiness is someone asking for a hug. When my friend Sarah asked me for a hug this morning I was elated. Essentially, she was telling me she wanted to connect to my energy, my essence, my spirit and my heart. Does it get any better than that?

Another friend refers to my love to share hugs as Hug Therapy. She hated it at first, but I did overhear her saying that she appreciates my effort and persistence. Learning to appreciate hugs can be kind of like learning to fall in love with broccoli. Often we resist what we need the most. She still resists and I still persist every time I see her. Then, we laugh.

Hugging is something that should be completely natural, yet it has become so unnatural. In order to be birthed, we spend up to 9 months gestating in a completely enveloped state. Newborn babies are said to cry uncontrollably until they are wrapped back up in a blanket like a burrito. They miss the feeling of being hugged. Hugs transfer love.

Great hugs take a complete six seconds for the recipients to receive and experience the benefits. Start to notice hugs. People have forgotten how to hug or perhaps are afraid to hug. They actually keep there bodies disconnected, especially the hips. Then there is the half hug, the patting the back hug, the one arm hug. Disconnected hugs are empty. They are like plugging a coffee pot into outlet without any electricity. Why bother going through the motions effortlessly? Benefits require effort!

Love is electric. It is said that when two hearts connect they become one. This has literally been proven when couples sleep with their hearts touching, the beats begin to synch. Two become one. Learning to give great hugs is like striking gold. It will take some work initially to get past your inhibitions, but once you do, you will be rich beyond measure. When you give great hugs, you get great joy!

Big Hugs and a Big Thank You to all whom I have had the pleasure of sharing a great big 6-second hug! Being Happy Healthy and Fit means giving great hugs by Hugging with your Heart everyday. The best part is that hugs are free. The more you practice the better you get. The more you give, the more you receive. Get out there and start hugging and then count 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

One Kind Word Creates ONE Kind WORLD

"Nothing," wrote Tolstoy, "can make our life, or the lives of other people, more beautiful than perpetual kindness."

The best part is the beauty is already in existence. It is up to us to reveal it.

One of the greatest feelings in the world is when someone says something kind about someone else I know. I love this feeling. The only greater feeling is when I get go back to original person and share the kindness, letting them know the high vibrations and positive impact.

A kind word is the greatest unexpected gift in the world. It feels great to give and great to receive. Get addicted to kindness. There is no greater high. Next time someone tells you that someone else has great energy, a great smile or did them a huge favor, deliver the message.

Over the past several days, I have been blessed with abundant loving kindness. I have received countless emails, text messages, cards and phone calls expressing gratitude in some capacity. All the money in the world cannot buy the fulfillment one feels from knowing you have touched the life of another human being. We should all know in our hearts that we are doing our work and the desire for feedback is pure ego. However, when there is no desire for feedback and it comes as an unexpected gift, it is truly a priceless gem.

A kind word multiplies. Just as in the past, I have shared about the detriment of gossip, a kind word positively affects three people: the one sharing, the one listening and the one it is about. Kindness is free and powerful beyond measure. If you are having a hard time communicating a kind word verbally, know that is just like learning anything new: start small. A smile from your heart is a perfect start.

If you want to change someone's day, give them a kind word. If you want to change the world, give everyone you meet a kind word. As Tolstoy says, nothing can make the world more beautiful than perpetual kindness. Remember, the best part is that the beauty is already in existence. Now it is up to us to reveal it!

Being Happy Healthy and Fit means cashing in on kindness. One Kind Word creates ONE Kind World.

Climb the Stairway to Heaven

I was recently startled when my dear friend Steven suggested he was concerned for me. He was concerned that I was such a giver, I would give the shirt off my back. He must have sensed my confusion, because he went on to suggest that I brought my friend to work at my last job and now she works there and I don't.

This was relevant in that I was about to bring her to my new place of business and he thought it was dangerous. That is fear and scarcity thinking, but I live in an abundant universe. Mostly, I was surprised to hear my name and 'giver' in the same sentence. If I had a dollar for every time I had been called selfish, I probably wouldn't have to work at all. Maybe I am transforming?

As he was talking, I was visualizing a ladder. The whole purpose of our lives is to strive to be better in our spiritual work: to experience heaven on earth.

I have found the stairway to heaven and it is through helping others. Our purpose is to elevate our consciousness to that of pure Love. To me, the job that I gave up represented a lower rung on the ladder. What greater way to elevate your spirit than to give that rung to someone else who needs it more. Should she occupy the space I am in now, it is only because there is a higher and better rung waiting.

True sharing means making a sacrifice. It isn't about giving away what you don't care about. It is about sharing what you selfishly want to keep. Recognizing your selfishness and then choosing to share is where transformation happens. It is the elevation to heaven.

Do not fear losing your job by sharing your work. Do not fear losing your friends by introducing them to each other. Fear only fear itself. Fear is what will leave you static and stuck on the first rung or step as you climb the stairway to heaven. I used to hoard everything. I have never been as happy as I am today, I trust that if someone needs my shirt, I will give it to them. There will be another shirt for me.

Being Happy Healthy and Fit means giving away what you would selfishly like to keep. Since we cannot occupy two places at one time, why not free up the lower rung. Trust in the process of life. After all, you cannot find heaven alone.

True Love Knows No Time and Space

It's not the size of man but the size of his heart that matters.

~Evander Holyfield

When I heard "Long time, no see," it literally dropped me to my knees. Seventeen months is a long time to go without seeing someone who has touched your heart deeply.

When I looked into his eyes, we hugged like old times and my heart melted all over the floor. In that moment, I understood that Love knows no time and space. It was Jack. Jack is the 6 year old child I wrote about in a story titled Dare to Make a Difference that was published in the Power of Persistence, by Justin Sachs in 2009.

Jack is one of my greatest teachers. He has autism. We spent many a Saturday morning together as I taught him balance, strength, stamina, coordination and basic kung fu. In exchange, he taught me: patience, persistence, faith, magic, unconditional love and infinite possibilities.

He stood almost still, which is huge for a child that used to spin in circles like the blades of a helicopter ready for take off. At 8, he is now in the 3rd grade and still in public school with his twin sister. He told me he wants to join the military as part of their secret ops. His zest for life and confidence in his dreams overwhelmed me with pride. Jack is all heart; he's larger than life.

What set out as a casual sushi dinner turned into a reminder that with an open heart and true love and compassion we can make a difference in the lives of others. When he came to me, I had no idea how I was going to teach him. I dared to make a difference and he taught me that by listening to my heart I could connect to his.

When people come into our lives, it is for a reason. We may not always have the answers or understand the why, but people do come together to learn something. Although it has been 17 months since I closed my martial arts school and stopped seeing Jack regularly, hearing that sweet voice echo, 'long time, no see,' was as if there had been no time and no space.

Being Happy Healthy and Fit means elevating to a frequency of true love. A pure heart and true love know no time and space. The great thing about your heart is that the more you open it and use it, the more it grows.

If your life has been touched in some way by Autism and you would like to know more about what you can do to help, please let me know. I will gladly put you in touch with Jack's family, who is an organizer of the annual Walk Now for Autism Speaks fundraiser.

All Laced Up and Ready to LET Go!

Lessons in Non-Attachment in Action

It is understood that to be a good teacher, you must give people what they Want before you can give them what they Need. A teacher teaches and if no one is listening or paying attention, no one is learning.

When I got the call late on Wednesday to teach a private lesson at the Golden Door Spa, I assumed it would be tai chi or yoga. I was surprised when the Spa Director explained that it was for Kung Fu. The guest went through the book of bios page by page and specifically requested me and Kung Fu. She also was clear that she wanted me to bring pads and balls.

Secretly, I cringed. Pads and Balls? I didn't know what she meant by balls. In 14 years, I never used any balls in Kung Fu. Pads were another story. Since applying the gentle powerful tai chi concepts to Kung Fu, I don't use or believe in pads. In fact, everyone I know who loves to hit pads ends up trashing their joints and requiring shoulder surgery.

I observed my doubt. However, in my heart, I knew every time someone chooses me for a private lesson, it is an amazing gift. I dusted off my pads and brought them. Considering she had paid over $200 for a 50 minute lesson, I knew she would be appalled if I showed up without pads. I had to give her what she wanted.

Tana was from England. She was very physically fit and excited to meet me. Although several years my senior, she was bouncing out of her laced up white wrestling boots ready to start boxing. She had a second black pair of boots in her hands. She wanted to know how fast I could move. It was my worst nightmare.

Since we were early, we sat down so I could find out her goal. She wanted to hit the pads, because she had so much energy pent up inside of her. The only way she knew how to release it was to hit the pads.

So the teaching began. I have been where she was. Combatting our inner aggression with more aggression is like meeting anger with anger. Both throw fire into fire and result in only ashes. I talked to her about slowing down and a calm center. We talked about self control and the slow movements of tai chi: mastering oneself and any opponent. In less than two minutes, she was in tears. Her pain was leaving her body. She felt understood.

We spent the time moving slowly and powerfully. She sweat and smiled. She shared stories of angels and healing. We never touched the pads. At the end she smiled from her heart and said she couldn't remember feeling so peacefully calm. This was exactly what she needed. We hugged like the best of friends. My nightmare morphed into a dream come true.

It was a great reminder to LET GO! I Let go and then she Let go. I had to let go of my own expectations of the experience and show up with Confidence. It was an excellent exercise in non-attachment.

This lesson serves very well in business and relationships. The very next day, I had scheduled a long awaited meeting with my best client. When I arrived so did a pair of white lace-up wrestling boots- exactly like Tana's. He was so excited and distracted by what he wanted that I knew I couldn't compete for attention. I kept my calm, peaceful center and grabbed one to lace up. Then, I talked about my project. This in itself may sound like a nightmare, but if we don't give others first what they want, we will never really get what we want.

Next time you feel frustrated and ignored, ask yourself how good of a listener were you. Even if the person talking is as illogical as these wrestling boots, by listening, we create space for them to listen and learn. It is pure ego that wants to talk first.

Being Happy Healthy and Fit means practicing non-attachment every day in every way. We are all teachers. Being a good teacher means letting go first by giving others what they want, so we have their attention to give them what they need.

Sex Sells! Your Body: Your Billboard

You Spot it, You Got it! What are you inadvertently advertising? What does your billboard say?

It takes a lot to embarrass me, but recently I was stopped in my tracks long enough to turn bright red and then purple. It was a moment of enlightenment. We are all so very transparent to the discerning eye.

As a student, practitioner and teacher of martial arts, I have spent time a lot of time working on self mastery. It is a practice of boosting awareness and energy. Mind. Body. Spirit. New students are quickly humbled when they realize they have no idea how their body works and moves. It is just a shell until a connection is made through disciplined practice. The same is true of the mind. It jumps all about like a monkey until it is trained through meditation. A disciplined body and a quieted mind allows you to tap into Spirit: energy, prana, life force or chi.

Being tapped into Spirit is a very powerful, attractable energy. Sexual energy is what people think about and don't talk about. It is primal and powerful. It creates life and destroys empires. It can be focused to manifest or wasted by dilution.

When I went to my local natural food store seeking rose water, the clerk asked me if I had tried Maca; the Peruvian energy supplement. "You have a very high sex drive," he wasn't asking me, he was telling me.

Embarrassed, I inquired if that was his normal pick up line and we laughed. He went on to explain about testosterone and estrogen levels based on muscle and body composition. I had to respect what he was saying. At one time, he was a highly recruited professional athlete. If you knew to look, you could find his picture on a MLB playing card. Before a career-ending injury, his commitment to understanding the body, the mind and the spirit had taken him to the levels of peak performance.

Based on his own training and lifestyle, he could see in others what he could see in himself. In that moment, I realized that we are all living out loud. Our bodies are our billboards. What are you inadvertently advertising? The way you move is the way you live. A high sex drive is a result of being in-spirit.

With a country obsessed with performance enhancing drugs like Viagra, it is easy to ignore your body and all of the messages it is posting on your billboard. It is so easy to take a pill and not do the work. A pill may erect your penis, but it won't erect your spirit. Wouldn't it be nice to be a Warrior, to be in control of yourself, to understand Self Mastery?

Being Happy Healthy and Fit means turning your billboard into an advertisement for peak performance in Mind Body and Spirit.

A Mother's Magic: Pack Lunch. Pack Love.

Make Back to School Magically Delicious! It's not about the food, it's about the Love.

Sunday I overheard one friend tell another friend that Thursday was back to school day. She expressed the stress of 'having' to pack school lunches.

When I hear 'have to' I like to replace it with 'get to.' Gently, I reminded her that she 'gets to' pack school lunches and it is an opportunity to express love to her children. She has children and that in itself is an amazing gift.

Food prepared with Love contains the consciousness of love. You can actually feed your children love. This may seem a bit out there if you have never pondered it, but ponder this: how many times have you made the same dish, the same way and it tastes different. Reflect on your mood at the time of procuring ingredients and preparation. The evidence is undeniable. You can taste Love.

My friend complained that it is stressful and disappointing when she sees the lunches come home uneaten. I shared my mother's magic.

When I gave up my Frankenstein lunch box and shifted to the brown paper bag, I gave my mom another medium to express love. She would draw pictures of hearts, flowers and stick figures doing fun things, she would write small poems or decorate my name. She packed my lunch with love. When I sat in that cafeteria, I could feel a deep connection to my mother's love.

When I shared this story with my mom over the weekend, she was delighted. She remarked that she knew I didn't always eat it either. However, that never stopped her from packing it with love.

If you have been blessed with children and are experiencing the back to school stress of school lunches, consider a shift in consciousness. See it an opportunity to express more love. It is as easy as smiling when you spread peanut butter across the bread.

Being Happy Healthy and Fit means creating a loving relationship with all food. Practice preparing your food with love. Food prepared with Love is magically delicious!

An Open Mind is a Magical Playground

Magic is when something wonderfully amazing happens. Amazing things are always happening. It is up to us tap in and play.

Open mindedness is the ticket to the magic show! It is the oxygen and lifeblood that keeps relationships and dreams alive. It is the single characteristic that determines the depth and breadth of expansion.

Open mindedness is really part of a trilogy which includes open heartedness and open handedness. It is the combination for equanimity toward all. Magic knows no limits. It experiences no walls. A person in this place is completely free and open to do whatever he or she wishes. It is someone with no owner or overseer.

Ask yourself, is this me?

Totally free?

If not, who or what blocks your way?

Does anger still rise and hurt still flow?

Perhaps it's time to let go.

Why waste another day?

It may not be easy, but it is simple.

Cash in your ego and away you go.

You've got permanent tickets to the Magic Show!

With an open mind, heart and hands, the possibilities are infinite,

Welcome to Magical Playground land!

Tune in. Life is a Magical Playground and it's always open for the Open! Being Happy Healthy and Fit means knowing that the fun has just begun!

Do you Share your Bed and Hide your Dreams?

When did you stop dreaming? When did you give up on great romance, love and adventure? When did you begin to share your bed and hide your dreams? Happy Trails are waiting! Real intimacy occurs when you dare to share your dreams.

Yesterday, when a friend texted and asked how I was doing, I responded from my heart that I was right in the middle of the best day of my life. Although, sometimes I say this, in the moment, I really felt it. In fact, I still feel it. I feel total alignment with my truth: mind, body and spirit are in harmony. It is ecstasy.

I also know that I had to stray as far away from this place of connection to appreciate being back at center. Reading a great book, The Dream Manager, by Matthew Kelly has reminded me that secret dreams die.

It takes humility and vulnerability to share your dreams. I wonder just how many people are willing to share their bed and not their dreams...... Perhaps, they fear that if they share their dreams and the dreams aren't shared, they will no longer share their bed. Truth is, it is impossible to have a great relationship without sharing your dreams.

Preparing to replace the carpet under my stairs, I found my heart, my soul and my dreams. My treasure box, none other than a cardboard box that once contained 20 pounds of frozen chicken has been buried since 1999. Reuniting was like reconnecting with my soulmate. Out came my first copy of Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, pictures from Israel, Australia and Morocco, postcards from friends I had made around the globe: Malta, Pakistan, London, photographs of kindred spirits in remote places, they captured signifying they made it to their dream. I found envelopes of artwork from my old dream partners. I found letters of love and invitations to travel and discover the world with those I only shared a conversation with. My soul box radiated so much love, I could not fall asleep. Dreams are best when shared.

Of all the treasures, the two greatest were a letter dated June 12, 1995 (16 years ago and timeless) from a man my mother introduced me certain I would make millions selling phone cards in Ft. Lauderdale. It reads:

Dear Randi

I got your itinerary from your mother. I am pleased you have chosen to sail around the world. Keep a good journal about the places you visit, the people you meet, and the adventures you have. It may one day form the basis of a best selling novel, and if nothing else, an interesting documentary on one of your life's great adventures. I applaud and admire your sense of adventure. I hope your voyage turns out to be all you may have imagined and more. The world is a big place with too much to do and see in one lifetime. Carpe Diem........ Til' Then Happy Trails! Mark

The other great treasure was from my all-time #1 fan and dream partner, my mother. It is a poem from titled Always Believe in Yourself, by Susan Polis Schutz.

My treasure box reminded me of a time when I approached life with a heart wide open, giving and receiving love with reckless abandon: a free and Happy spirit, blazing Happy Trails. Today, I am once again that person. Life has a way of making us forget, but it is time to remember. I bet somewhere buried deep in your home you can find your box of dreams. It may be buried in a closet, but it is within reach.

Make today the best day of your whole life! Follow your heart and share your dreams! The pursuit of dreams creates passion, energy, enthusiasm and vitality. Being Happy Healthy and Fit means embracing true intimacy and dare to share your dreams.

Are you a Thief? Gossip: Ultimate Theft of Reputation

Do not prostitute the earth

Leviticus 19:29

Life is about transactions. Giving and receiving. Cause and Effect. This is most easily understood as: we work, we get paid. We produce results.

A recent interpretation of the line Do not prostitute the earth, really shines the Light on the transaction of gossip. To the unconscious, gossip is fun, harmless and entertaining. It is in fact one of America's favorite past times. It is easy to find people laughing, smiling and snickering like school children while they tell stories about neighbors, family, friends and co-workers. In fact, the love of gossip has grown exponentially, grocery store checkout lines are covered with tabloids.

The problem is that if you have ever been the one being gossiped about, you know that stories are being exchanged based on pure speculation and missing 99% of the Truth. The person listening to the stories is now cahoots with with the gossiper. Together, they are engaging in theft of reputation.

In the spiritual world, speaking maliciously of others is the worst of crimes. It is known that an evil tongue hurts three people: the one who speaks, the one who is spoken of and most of all the one who listens. Speech is a transaction. Decisions are made.

After stumbling upon this nugget, I have made a conscious effort to change what I can change. I can change the listening to gossip simply by being conscious of it. The more I became aware of it, the heavier it made my heart. Many conversations revolve around talking about and judging other people. These are not conversations. These are transactions. I began to see gossip as theft and what comes around goes around.

Gossip can disguise itself in many ways. The challenge is identifying how you are participating in this favorite past time: internet, FaceBook, on the phone or in person. Be mindful of the messages that you send and receive.

Instead of judging the people still engage in gossip, I opted to share my consciousness about the three people effected. I am happier not participating, especially by listening. Surprisingly, everyone I shared this with has come back to tell me that their lives are much happier and healthier, as a result of not participating in gossip. They are producing different results.

Being Happy Healthy and Fit means having the courage you ask yourself: Am I a thief? You can change the world by changing yourself.

Sweet Freedom: Break your 'Sugar' Habit

Today I would like to share one of my all-time favorite stories.

Be The Change You Want To See In This World – Mahatma Gandhi

During 1930′s, a young boy had become obsessed with eating sugar. His mother was very upset with this. But no matter how much she scolded him and tried to break his habit, he continued to satisfy his sweet tooth. Totally frustrated, she decided to take her son to see his idol – Mahatma Gandhi; perhaps her son would listen to him.

She walked miles, for hours under scorching sun to finally reach Gandhi’s ashram. There, she shared with Gandhi her predicament. -
“Bapu, my son eats too much sugar. It is not good for his health. Would you please advise him to stop eating it?”

Gandhi listened to the woman carefully, thought for a while and replied,
“Please come back after two weeks. I will talk to your son.”

The woman looked perplexed and wondered why had he not asked the boy to stop eating sugar right away. She took the boy by the hand and went home.

Two weeks later they revisited Gandhi. Gandhi looked directly at the boy and said,
“Boy, you should stop eating sugar. It is not good for your health.”

The boy nodded and promised he would not continue this habit any longer. The boy’s mother was puzzled. She turned to Gandhi and asked,
“Bapu, Why didn’t you tell him that two weeks ago when I brought him here to see you?”

Gandhi smiled,
“Mother, two weeks ago I was eating a lot of sugar myself.”

Whether you are a fan of Gandhi or not is not important. I love to share this story with anyone who desires to make a change in this world. First, we must be willing to look in the mirror. The mother sees Gandhi as her son's teacher, yet here the son is teaching Gandhi not to eat sugar and the mother is acting as the channel of Light.

If we look deeper into this story, we can see that sugar can easily represent any form of darkness. It can be difficult to cut sugar out, because sugar disguises itself so well. Unless it is screaming at us from the form of a white crystal, we may miss it.

What is your 'sugar' habit? Is it alcohol, drugs, tobacco, pornography, fast food, shopping or the like? Or is it disguised as: chaos, anger, drama, attention, gossip or dysfuncyional relationships? Practice rereading the story and replacing your habit. Smile when you get to the part about two weeks. Although, I have always heard it takes 21 days to break a habit, the great news is change is within reach.

Just as Gandhi had no idea that little boy was so deeply inspired by him, we may never know who is looking up to us for leadership and example. Chances are someone is and through awareness, we have the power to make a difference. We may not even realize we are in darkness, until someone like the boy's mother comes to us. Be open to channels of Light. When we come out of darkness, we too, are a Light.

What is the change you wish to be in the world? Being Happy Healthy and Fit is knowing that Freedom from unhealthy habits is the Sweetest Freedom!

Make Magic! The Keys to Unlock Happiness

Practice Random Acts of Kindness is more than a new age bumper sticker. It's age old truth. Reading the bumper sticker gives you the knowledge. Applying it gives you the wisdom. As every magician knows a little knowledge + wisdom + imagination = Magic!

After dinner at a popular, local pizza bistro, I went to get into my car and noticed a heap of keys on the ground. I recognized the main key to be that of a BMW, but there were no BMWs in sight. From experience, I know the price of replacing the computerized keys and the inconvenience of replacing all the other keys.

As I played detective, I realized that these keys had to have fallen from someone's purse. The easy thing would have been to leave them, but somehow I knew that the car wasn't there and the owner would never locate these keys, because they would have no idea they had been lost.

Parked between two restaurants, I decided to take them to the hostess of the one I left. She looked confused and in my heart I felt like I just hid them further from the owner. I decided I would write a note and leave it on the Range Rover next to me. I struggled with my ego to leave it anonymous and drew a happy face instead explaining the keys and their whereabouts. Then, a man walked to toward the car. I asked him if he owned a BMW. He looked at me like I asked him to take his clothes off. Then I asked about the kids names on the Boys and Girls key fab. He looked at me like I was a creep. I handed him the note and explained about the keys. Then I ran back and got them. With his hands full of leftovers, he stood there dumbfounded.

Oddly, his wife was leaving with friends and wouldn't have gotten back in the passenger side to see the keys. Although, he said thank you. I knew in my heart that he had no idea the magnitude of the blessing. I don't say this to say I am so wonderful, I say this to say that if you have ever lost your keys indefinitely, you too know the magnitude. It may have taken him a minute or an hour or even a week to appreciate his good fortune. That part doesn't matter.

I felt complete joy in my heart. The age old wisdom is a magic formula. Do Good. Feel Good. It is not always easy to practice random acts of kindness. Sometimes it is inconvenient and sometimes the recipient is not receptive and sometimes it is hard not to expect anything immediate in return. The magic in practicing random acts of kindness is that it unlocks the keys to true and lasting happiness. Considering studies show that 90% of our country suffers some form of anxiety, isn't it worth experimenting with a recipe to be in the other 10%?

Abracadabra! Make Happiness Appear. Being Happy Healthy and Fit means following your heart to practice random acts of kindness as often as possible. Happiness is within reach! What random acts of kindness have you practiced today?

Selfish or Selfless? Giving and Receiving

Programming teaches us it is selfless to give and selfish to receive. If you have ever spent anytime consciously giving and receiving, you may discover the opposite to be true. Imagine if the secret was revealed that it actually is selfish to give and selfless to receive?

Discover the amazing truth about giving and receiving.

On the shelf of my favorite things beams a small blue bottle of Crystal infused ABUNDANCE oil. The light shining on it brought it to my attention this morning. Quickly it reminded me that when we joyfully receive something from someone else, both parties receive amazing blessings. When we gratefully receive a gift, we are giving the giver great joy in their heart which quickly spills back over and allows our own heart to grow.

We all know it is nice to receive gifts. It feels good to feel special. When we better understand the joy in giving, it makes receiving all the sweeter.

Spending much time studying the concept of the gift is in giving, I have found great joy in the past year in helping others through giving time, wisdom, friendship, books, thoughtful cards, positive text messages and gifts from the heart. This learned habit of giving feels so good, I had to expand past my own circle of friends and family and find myself giving a kind word to anyone, a premier parking spot to the car behind me, my space in line at the grocery store and other random things from the heart that may take the recipient a while to appreciate. It doesn't matter if they get it right away or not, it matters that I feel great. I listen with my heart and proactively seek opportunities to give a great gift. This is when I realized giving feels so good, it must be selfish.

As for the bottle of essential oil, it was a gift from my friend at the local vitamin shop. Although, he gave it to me opened, it didn't matter. It was from his big heart. He smiled and said, "After I saw you last time, I realized if I could have one wish for you, it would be this: Abundance." It was a heart stopping magical moment: a gift of pure loving kindness.

Gifts from the heart are the best kind. When we joyfully receive whatever someone feels they would like to give us, we are giving them a great gift too. When the giver realizes the feeling of giving is so amazing, they will want to do it all the time. In order to teach giving, we must be good receivers. Receiving with enthusiasm is truly a selfless act.

Although it requires a huge shift in consciousness to think of others as yourself, it is the secret to changing the consciousness of the whole planet. When you know the real joy of giving, it begins to appear selfish. Perhaps receiving is selfless. Since, by nature we are selfish beings, why not practice tapping into giving selfishly today and receiving selflessly?

Being Happy Healthy and Fit means knowing the best gifts don't cost anything. Pick up the phone, send a text or give a gift from from the heart. Be selfish making someone's day!

Self Validation: Addiction Approval Vaccination

We are never truly free until we are free from our addictions. It is said that addicts spend the majority of their day consciously and subconsciously plotting their next high. Essentially acting as a slave, locked up and controlled by the addiction.

It is easy to slough addiction off as someone else's problem. We all know someone with a physical addiction: alcohol, drugs, sex, tobacco, pornography, eating, shopping or gambling. Those addictions are obvious. More dangerous are the below the surface addictions that seep slow poison into the soul.

Needing the Approval of others is one of the most dangerous, hidden addictions destroying the spirit of mankind, thus creating a barrier to Happiness.

When we allow our happiness to become predicated on receiving the approval of someone else, it is impossible to be content. We just gave up control of our own happiness. That need is a lack and someone else's approval serves only as a temporary filler. Ultimately, we will end up with a greater lack, a greater hole. This darkness leads to depression.

Approval Addiction is that seeking of validation from outside. Like a drug or alcohol, what begins as fun and feels good can slowly spin out of control. Without it, we lose the feeling of inspiration.

Caring what other people think do and say is placing your happiness in their hands. The best vaccination against approval addiction is Self Validation. Learn to Love and Approve of Yourself wholly and completely. What you just might find is that the whole world turns to follow you when you stop chasing it.

Being Happy Healthy and Fit means practicing self validation. Get high on Life. Be your own #1 fan.

It's Perfect for Me: Fight for what you LOVE

The universe is full of messages and messengers. It is up to us to be conscious and tapped in to receive them. Last week I was reminded of one of life's most powerful lessons: the power of Confidence.

It takes confidence to climb the mountains of life and then hold your hand up and decide who will no longer drag you down and who will join you. Until we make this conscious choice, we float like drift wood allowing other people's opinions, doubts, fears and judgments to persuade us, disconnect us from spirit and keep us from true Happiness.

After sitting in the Denver airport for nearly 7 hours, I heard my name over the microphone. Being number 15 on the standby list, I was shocked to get a seat on the oversold flight. Scrambling on with cords hanging out of my overstuffed bags, choosing a seat was not an option. There was only one left: mine. I squeezed into the middle, past the quiet guy who kindly helped me with my bags and next to the heavyset, slightly older woman.

Airplane seats are not accidents. Soon, I was engaging my seat mates. Headed back to Phoenix, we all had an amazing time in Colorado. The guy on my right was a MMA fighter (Mixed Martial Arts.) I had to squeeze this out, he was humble. Learning this, the woman on my left turned into a giddy school girl firing off questions: You must be in great shape? That's tough. Then she began to act like a ring girl holding up the numbers. It was cute, she was having fun. I laughed. He smiled politely. Then the bomb dropped. Her body language shifted, the smiles went away and she said, "That's very dangerous, isn't it? You can really get hurt can't you?"

The oxygen left the cabin for a split second. It reminded me how quick people are to unconsciously throw water on other people's fire. To squash the dreams of someone they just met with negative vibrations.

I sunk back into my seat wondering what I started. Leaning forward and past me, she was waiting for an answer. With complete confidence and calmness, he smiled at her and said, "It's Perfect for Me. It's what I love to do."

She fell back into her seat, withdrew and disappeared into her tabloid magazines for the duration of the flight. I met a new teacher and made a new friend. I loved it. A great reminder. Have the confidence to fight for what you love and when you don't allow negative thoughts in, they disappear.

When it comes to choosing a relationship, hobby, career, home or anything else you can think of, there will always be someone waiting to pull you from center. That is, until you have the Confidence in yourself to smile from your heart, hold up your hand and say- It's Perfect for Me.

Being Happy, Healthy and Fit means being Confident in your choices.

Expectations Obstruct Happiness

A bird does not sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.

~Chinese Proverb

Even expecting to hear thank you is a huge source of disappointment and unhappiness for many people. Although, it is easy to say that we enjoy doing things for other people, secretly, we enjoy the appreciation, acceptance and approval. It is human nature.

As a writer, I write to remind myself to be conscious everyday; to keep my own vibrations high and to bring more Light into the world. If I am able to get even one other person thinking and seeing things differently, it is an amazing blessing. However, if I wrote for the feedback alone, I would have stopped writing a long time ago. Sometimes, I wonder if anyone even reads what I write. It may be days, weeks or months this blog goes without comment.

I do not write because I 'expect' praise. I write because it makes me Happy. I write to share and teach what I have experienced and learned. Days like yesterday remind me that we never truly know the impact that we have on others. First, I wrote See It. Be It. Be It. See It. about the Law of Attraction in action and discussed my vision boards. Later, I decided to expose myself and actually post a picture of my vision board.

The response via FaceBook, Twitter and text messaging was really touching. The greatest gift was when a friend sent to my phone a picture of the vision board she created after reading the blog. Her unexpected thank you made my day and took me to tears.

I have come to love and appreciate comments and feedback, in the same way that I love and appreciate when the waiter brings out a complimentary plate of chocolate-covered strawberries or my very favorite petit-fors. It is totally unexpected and makes me deliciously happy.

Being Happy Healthy and Fit means doing what you do because you love to do it. The effort os the reward. Everything else is an amazing gift. Like the bird in the Chinese proverb, sing because you have a song. Let go of all expectations and find the joy in Being and Doing. Expectations obstruct Happiness, release them and know infinite joy in your heart!

Thank you to everyone who enjoys the Happy Healthy and Fit blog. Thank you for reading, pondering, sharing and commenting.