stuck – Page 6 – Success Strategies

The Dreams That Tug…

We all have dreams, goals and aspirations that consistently tug at our hearts. Some annoyingly, some quietly. We sleep, gaze, visualize, but the ideas just won’t go away. Most often we are stuck….afraid to take the leap. Here I share the story of how one dreamer who made the move that impacted generations. May it inspire you to never ever give up.

The cheesecake Factory story begins in Detroit, Michigan in the 1940’s. Evelyn Overton found a recipe in the local newspaper that would inspire her “Original” Cheesecake. Everyone loved her recipe so much that she decided to open a small Cheesecake shop, but eventually gave up her dream of owning her own business in order to raise her two small children, David and Renee. She moved her baking equipment to a kitchen in her basement and continued to supply cakes to several of the best restaurants in town while raising her family.

In 1972, with her children grown, Evelyn and her husband Oscar decided to pack up all of her belongings and move to Los Angeles to make one last attempt at owning her own business. With the last of their savings, they opened “The Cheesecake Factory Bakery” and began selling Evelyn’s cheesecakes to restaurants throughout Los Angeles.

Through hard work and determination their business grew to a modest size and Evelyn was soon baking more than 20 varieties of cheesecakes and other desserts.

With a great foresight and intuition, their son David decided to open a restaurant to showcase his mother’s selection of cheesecakes. Somehow he just knew that guests would enjoy a restaurant with an extensive dessert menu. It was 1978 and he opened the first The Cheesecake Factory restaurant in Beverly Hills, California. The restaurant was an immediate success and today there are nearly 200 The Cheesecake Factory restaurants around the world that share the Overton’s commitment to quality and spirit of innovation and hard work.

May the delicious delicacy of the Cheesecake’s story ignite your passion to step out, go after your dream, and do what you have always wanted to do.

Have a dream? It’s never too late. Go get it.

Need help? Let’s connect.

Cheers!

The Hikes of Success

Hiking is like life. The Journey requires you to put one foot in front of the other …again and again. And if you allow yourself to be present throughout the entirety of the trek, you will witness beauty every step of the way, not only at the summit. ~Unknown

Success Strategies

Traveling in the slow lane, I get angry. I get upset. Forgetting that I’m traveling in the slow lane. My progress is slowed. My destination eludes me and seem to get further away. My anger grows. My frustration… like a fuse lights up, ready to explode!

But that’s how it is with life. Missed steps, missed deadlines, procrastination. Failed business, exams, twisted careers, and more cause us to feel like we are driving in the slow lane. Our goals, dreams, aspirations seems unreachable. We get angry, frustrated, feel punished. But that’s because we have gone off course. We fail to plan. We fail to focus. We fail to keep our eyes on the goal. Milestones recede…ebbs away in the distance. One by one. We procrastinate saying I’ll get it done tomorrow…, but tomorrow never comes.

But all is not lost. Achieving our goal is like a Hike. If carefully planned our long…

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17 Ways To Inspire Creativity…

Write. Create. Inspire to achieve.

Success Strategies

Who would have thought a flock of birds would create such havoc? Yes indeed. Though extremely rare as one in a billion, it happens. The movie Sully shared the real life story of the pilot whose quick decision saved passengers on an aircraft he was flying. He landed in the Hudson River, and Miraculously saved over 150 lives. It’s a story of humility, bravery, admiration, fear, teamwork, leadership, and most of all calm in the midst of tragic circumstances. Doesn’t this story inspire you?

Who Inspires You?

Brian Tracy asked his audience “Who inspires you?” Many responded giving answers such as God, family including mom, dad, spouse, as well as leaders like Brian Tracy, Oprah, John Maxwell, mentor, teacher, coach, political leaders, and more. But surprisingly, one response stood out when a male said that he was not inspired by anyone or anything. Bewildered? Should this be reason for…

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I Hate My Life. I Hate My Life…

I hate my life. I hate my life. I hate my life. That’s the chant I heard her saying as I approached her. Why would anyone say that? Such negative thought.

She had lost her husband. Her job. Her house. Her children. Her sense of independence. She felt she had nothing to live for. Beautiful. Smart. Educated professional she was, life had handed her difficulties. She thought she could never overcome life’s storms.

What were the right words to say to someone such as this?

There’s Hope

When life throws you lemons, make lemonade.
Only the strong survive.
Hold on, never give up.
The tide will change. Keep going.
Stay positive.
Meditate. Pray.
While there’s life there’s hope.

Will she find solace in any of these? I’m sure. Your thoughts? Do share. We would love to hear.

Cheers!

Read. Write. 27 Things I Like…

As I look over the circus of things I like, I realize that though I enjoy them and they bring me satisfaction, I find myself not doing them as much and in some cases at all. For over two decades I have been caught up in work, work, work. So this prompt helped me pull away and ponder the things I once enjoyed, or get to enjoy on a rare occasion.

But even as I finalize the list I realize that life’s not promised, so I intend to start doing the things I like and stop leaving them for …one day soon.

Watch The Waves By The Sea

That said, the things I like are:

1. People watch
2. Explore the world
3. Simple things
4. Enjoy a good laugh
5. Acting | Participating in drama presentations
6. Wearing a smile
7. See people mentored achieve their best potential
8. Watch movies
9. Write, ponder, reflect
10. Decorate the house
11. Go shopping
12. Watch HGTV | Travel channel
13. Learn new things
14. Read
15. Cook
16. Enjoy the company of my two young adult kids
17. Dream of Venice | Alaska
18. People watch in downtown Disney, Washington DC Parks
19. Watch the waves by the beach
20. Nature – stare at birds, squirrels, and circus of trees
21. Christmas Lights
22. Look out at the horizon from a hill or mountain
23. Capturing candid photos (new experience)
24. Finding a new route after getting lost in a new place (yikes!)
25. Quiet time
26. Solving a mystery or a problem
27. New baby hugs
28. Listening to that Still Small Voice Of Faith

Any of the above resonate. Do share. We would love to hear.

Cheers!

The Thing About Depression And Suicide: The 10 Signs…

When all seems hopeless

In their careers my friend and her hubby deal with fatalities everyday. She shared an incident of a woman whose car was severely damaged when it crashed into a Guard rail. The woman reported that she was trying to commit Suicide. She survived.

On the other hand my friend’s hubby who is in law enforcement shared reports about a man who after investigation, authorities discovered it was attempted Suicide. He succumbed to his injuries and died.

A Pastor in his message recently shared statistics of the number of police officers who have committed suicide since 2019, in New York. An unbelievable rate of 24% as at mid-year.

Those Who Smile

I share this to ask prayers for those who SMILE or laugh out loud with us outwardly but deep down inside are hurting or depressed due to finances, job loss, relationships, or for one reason or another. Comedian Robin Williams is an example. Anthony Bourdain, celebrity author and travel documentarian is another. Not to mention the silent ones who go crazy with mass shootings of the innocent. All suicides. Sad indeed.

The Signs

WebMD shared these Behavioral warning signs. Read their complete article for further details.

Excessive sadness or moodiness
Hopelessness
Sleep problems
Sudden calmness
Withdrawal
Change in personality or appearance
Dangerous or self harmful behavior
Recent trauma
Making preparations
Threatening suicide

If you are among the depressed, please seek help. Using wisdom, if you recognize the signs in a Friend, relative, or co-worker, don’t wait. Do something. Get the person the professional help they need. Usually they can’t think clearly. Call 911 or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number 1-800-273-TALK

When All Seems Helpless, Pray

And while you’re doing all of the above Pray. Pray, and pray even more. Prayer changes things. There’s no doubt about that.

Let’s together do what we can in our small corner. But above all, Keep the Faith.

For God has not given us a spirit of Fear but of Power, Love and a sound mind.

When It’s Time For Something New… You Will Feel It.

When it’s time for something new, you will feel it. You will feel a desire to let go, to shed layers, to move, to re-create. You will know because there will be subtle shifts all around you. You will release the old because you are really clearing the path for what’s ahead. Trust the process. Know that life does not take from us anything unless there is something else imminently awaiting its replacement. ~Brianna Wiest

The 10 Key Tips To Beat Workplace Woes…

Some days are just a mess. It’s even worse during prolonged Quarter or month-end report preparations or during times of change. It’s at those times that anything we can do to lessen the stress is welcomed. I fell aghast when I bumped into Amy Jackson’s 10 tips to beat workplace woes repeated by writer Ariana Huffington. Read the full piece here. For those who gotta have a quick peek, here I share the abbreviated list.

Brighten up your Desk (make it personal)
Do Something you enjoy during your Lunch Break (not errands)
Plan things to look forward to (weekend getaways, vacations)
Eat & Drink to boost your mood (water is good)
Meditate (breathe)
Make use of Perks (if you’re lucky to get them…check HR to see what exists)
Chat to your Colleagues
Laugh (look at memes or YouTube video)
Look at your work life balance
Identify if there’s an underlying problem

I found this list interesting to beat the workplace woes and I hope you will too. Any burning tip missing? Do share! We would love to hear.

Cheers!

5 Things To Do When Rejection Shatters Your Dream Opportunity…

Years ago I stepped out of my comfort zone. Having not been in the job market for a long time I began my search for a new and meaningful opportunity. With great elation a dream company reached out to me. It was always a goal to work with them. It had great salary, great benefits, and most important – meaningful work. But I would have had to relocate. No problem for me as I didn’t have a chick nor child (as the saying goes…hint kid in college). I could hardly wait to get started.

A senior level position, I had to go through a 5-level-interview process with different senior level teams. Nailed the toughest two. Then the onto the third. Nailed it! Or so I thought. The interviewer thought otherwise. They replied thanking me for my time but they decided to move on. This after being interviewed for almost a month. I was confident that with my qualifications and experience I was sure to get the job. I didn’t. Though an interviewer myself, I was very disappointed. I questioned myself… what did I do wrong? How could I have done better?

Not Every Opportunity Is For You

Then came the reassurance from a quiet inner voice. Not every opportunity is for you. What seems ideal may not be for you. Keep looking. The right change is in store. Learn to wait. And while you’re waiting, keep strong.

Here I share things to do to bounce back after any kind of rejection, be it job, entrepreneurship or relationship.

5 Things To Do To Overcome Rejection

Learn from the Experience
Talk to a trusted mentor, coach, or friend. Share your disappointment.
Don’t dwell on the situation. Affirm it. Accept it and move on.
Acknowledge it as evidence that you’re trying. You are pushing your limit.
Keep going

Have you had a disappointing experience during a job hunt, or a key contract for your entrepreneurship endeavor? Do share. We would love to hear.

Cheers!

Busy Is Good…

Busy is good. That’s my favorite response to entrepreneurs who express that they are busy.

You see, we have all been there when there is nothing to do. No job. No contract. No financial inflow. What frequently follows is sadness, apathy, boredom, inability to meet financial obligations and the list goes on. For sure that ain’t good for our mental state and wellbeing.

Among Others

An 80-year-old grandmother was busy going to the gym, church, shopping, Medical visits to the doctor. Those activities kept her busy. It made her feel alive. Then suddenly her husband also retired. Now they both sit at home watching golf, tennis, jeopardy and wheel of fortune on TV. This past weekend she spent time in the hospital. Latency had stepped in.

The Deal

That’s what happens when we are not busy. It happens to entrepreneurs, workers, student or retirees. There’s no respect of persons.

For entrepreneurs, being busy means there’s signed contract for work to be done. There’s opportunity to give work to job seekers on the hunt. There’s also productivity.

Find The Balance

So each time you find yourself complaining about being busy, I implore you to find the balance …but most of all give Thanks. Busy is a blessing because it means you’re doing something good.

So go ahead…get busy.

Cheers!

How Can You Know What Your True Dreams Are?

A dream is a cherished aspiration, ambition, or ideal.

How can you know what your true dreams are? That was the question a 22-year-old asked. An interesting question that has troubled hearts for centuries.

How Can You Know It’s a Dream?

It never goes away. It stays with you. You go to the left…it’s there. You go to the right…. it’s there. It never leaves until you confront it. Until you come face to face with it. Sometimes our dreams are so big they scare us. But that’s when we need to take a step back.

Let’s think of Steve Jobs. Everything we do now can be done through a little device – the cellphone. Be it text, talk, scroll, have sleepless nights because we’re too connected; talk with a doctor; device-in-hand, head down… we walk around as if in a trance. It all became a reality because of Job’s resilience. Steve’s dream was big! But he couldn’t accomplish it without taking a step back. That opportunity came when he was fired from the very company that he started. Depressed at first… he didn’t let it last long. He examined his dream….closer. Then voila! Things changed!

Same too with the biblical Joseph. He had a dream but it wasn’t clear. Then years later the vision became real. He was able to connect the dots. Later he was then able to walk in his purpose.

What To Do When You’re Not Sure About Your Dream

Meditate.
Pray.
Seek clarity in your quiet time.
Talk to a mentor, coach or friend who’s got your best interest at heart.
Be aware…track it

Some dreams are clear and concrete as in a career as a physician. There’s nothing to do but enroll on a course of studies. Follow the path; invest the time, study, graduate and start your practice. It’s the dreams like what Dr. Martin Luther King envisioned that baffles. It creates sleepless nights and can prove harmful. But still…it is a dream. A divine intent that only you can accomplish.

The Lesson

We all have dreams. But dreams take time. They should never be rushed. They need to be examined, nurtured, watered, then they will grow. Just like a new born. Growth takes time. Listen carefully. Go; follow your dream by taking it a-step-at-a-time.

Dreams will come through if we let them.

Need help? Lets connect.

Cheers!

The Stops…

The Stops

Stop worrying about what was.

Stop wishing

Stop living in a wish list ….

Wish I was this, wish I was that

Wish I could do this

Wish I could that

Stop wishing and just do it

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Who Inspires You?

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There’s Hope

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Watch The Waves By The Sea

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Those Who Smile

The Signs

When All Seems Helpless, Pray

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Not Every Opportunity Is For You

5 Things To Do To Overcome Rejection

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Among Others

The Deal

Find The Balance

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How Can You Know It’s a Dream?

What To Do When You’re Not Sure About Your Dream

The Lesson

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The Stops

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