Friday, September 28, 2018

Make it a Beautiful Day

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We haven't had a song for a few weeks, have we? 


I love using music as a way to combat negativity, so please enjoy Beautiful Day by U2





According to Wikipedia, Bono has said that this song is about "a man who has lost everything, but finds joy in what he still has." I guess I heard the lyrics similarly, but this was my take: that life is beautiful regardless of material things. I guess that's basically the same thing, just coming from another angle.

This song has so much going on within it, musically, that I love to sit back and close my eyes while listening. My brain can almost visualize the sound waves as the harmonies and guitars wash over me. 

How does this song, or music in general, affect you? Whatever your take on it, I hope today's music choice brings some happiness to your week! 💛🐝

 ~positively b.e.e. is on FacebookInstagramTwitter, and Pinterest. Follow me there!~


Friday, September 21, 2018

Fortune Cookie Friday: Clarification

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Hello everyone! I hope you have had an amazing week!

I opened a new fortune cookie this week, and this is what it said: 


Owl-themed knitting done by me.
It's up to you to clarify.

Have you ever had a situation where it seemed like you were being misunderstood or that people were talking at cross-purposes? I know I have. Let me share a humorous example:

My husband and I have been together for 11 years, now, but we still occasionally get our signals crossed when it is time to go out together. For some reason, we don't manage to sync up, so we delay leaving the house. 

Let's say he's ready before I am, so he'll sit at the computer to do something while he waits. Then I'll finish getting ready, but see he's working on something, so I'll fold some laundry or do another chore while I wait for him. Meanwhile, he'll finish up what he was doing and observe that I'm folding laundry, so he'll start doing yet something else to pass the time until I'm ready. 

Do you see the major problem, here? Each of us was ready to go, but never actually communicated that to the other, so we just dragged it out! 🤣 

It's a crazy but cogent example of how we could have just clarified our intent. Saying "I am ready to leave now. Please let me know when you are ready," would have solved that problem easily, right?

There are other ways in which we can clarify, too. For example, if the words we are choosing are a) causing confusion or pain, or b) not being heard in the way that we intended, ~OR~ if we're on the receiving end of words that confuse or hurt us, let's make an effort to clarify. Communication is a two-way street, so if you're not sure what's being said, ask for clarification, and if you're not sure you were heard the way you'd intended, offer clarification. 

Sometimes, it's too late to do anything about it once words are spoken, and then you're stuck apologizing and explaining instead of having a productive interaction, so hopefully this can help avoid that whole mess to begin with. 

Finally, perhaps this fortune is advising us to seek clarity in all ways, right? Clarity of purpose; clarity of thought; clarity of intent; clarity of speech—if we set ourselves up with the right intent, have the thoughts clear in our minds, and know the purpose of what we're saying—THEN we speak—the better our chances of success, not just in communication, but in life. 

What are your thoughts about this? How else should we be clarifying? Let me know in the comments below! 👇

Hope you have a great weekend! 🐝

 ~positively b.e.e. is on FacebookInstagramTwitter, and Pinterest. Follow me there!~


Friday, September 14, 2018

Tenacity Through Trying Times

This post may contain affiliate links, by which I may be financially compensated. See Disclosures


I hope you'll forgive the alliterative title, but I couldn't resist when I read the story of Walter Carr, the subject of today's inspiring story.

Walter Carr is college student based in Birmingham, Alabama, who recently went viral when a story came out about his tenacity in a trying time.

Walter had just gotten a brand new job when his car broke down the day before his first day of work. He had just been hired by Bellhops moving company and was supposed to report for his first day at the home of a client 20 miles away from him by 8 a.m. the next morning. It must have been so stressful to get a brand new job and then find himself in that position!

He had called a friend of his to get a ride to work the next morning, and that friend initially agreed, so Walter put the phone down and took a nap, but when he woke up a few hours later, that friend had left him a voicemail saying he couldn't take him to work the next day, after all.

What a disappointment!

Walter then called around to everyone he knew. NO ONE, not even his girlfriend, could give him a ride to get him to his first day of work.

At this point, I want to know: what would you do?

Would you look at Google Maps and navigate a route to walk 20 miles to work, then calculate what time you'd have to leave home in order to make it to your job shortly before 8 a.m., because you wanted to get there early to make a good impression?

I'm not sure I have that in me, but I guess I'd find out if I'm ever in that situation. 

And that is why I have so much admiration for Walter's tenacity, which was the key to his triumphing over a seemingly insurmountable problem. 

After looking at his phone, Walter realized he'd have to get hopping if he would make it to work the next day. His phone said it would take him 7 hours to walk 20 miles, so he set off a little before midnight on Sunday night. By 2 a.m., he'd made it to the town of Hoover and took a break, then kept walking.

Can you imagine walking all night? My brain immediately goes to all the potential for danger, injury, exhaustion, dehydration ... but this guy just DID IT.

I can't imagine walking all night to work, can you? Photo by Robin Pierre on Unsplash

By 4 a.m., Walter had made it as far as Pelham when a passing cop car stopped to ask where he was headed. He said, "It’s hard to believe, it’s going to sound real crazy, but I’m actually headed to work." He then explained his situation. The cops gave him a ride to a local Whataburger, bought him breakfast and a lunch to go for later, then dropped him off at a local church—the safest place for him to be at 4 a.m.—so he could get a little rest before continuing on his way.

Photo by Matt Popovich on Unsplash
After resting a little while, Walter set off on foot again towards his final destination: the home of the Lameys in Pelham, Alabama. As he was walking, another cop drove by him and stopped, saying, "Get in the car. I got you." Apparently when the cops changed shifts, the former shift informed the new shift to check on Walter and make sure he got to work that day.

So they drove him the rest of the way to his destination, rang the client's doorbell, and explained who Walter is and why they were dropping him off. Jenny Hayden Lamey was so touched by his story that she posted about it on Facebook, and then it came to the attention of the CEO of Bellhops, Luke Marklin.

Marklin surprised Walter with a Ford Escape. But not just ANY Ford Escape. He gave him his own, personal car! In the meantime, Jenny Hayden Lamey started a GoFundMe campaign for Walter that far exceeded the $2,000 asked for. Indeed, he decided to use some of the funds to help others by donating to a nonprofit focused on increasing the number of students in Birmingham City Schools who meet their college, life, and career goals.

As to what he thinks of his walk?  He's quoted as saying: "'I couldn't believe it. I didn’t think that 20-mile walk would mean anything to anybody,' he said. I’m really thankful for it, the car, for everything.'" There he was, just thinking he had to get the job done, but the rewards for his tenacity went so much farther.

In terms of rewards, I'm not just talking about the car or the media attention. I'm talking about creating ripples in his community, tying people together from different walks of life or different places in their careers, simply by his humble actions. In one moment, a college student, a CEO, several cops, and a family all became players in this inspiring story. Since then, the story has made its way around the world inspiring others, and he's developed a friendship with the Lamey family that includes shooting hoops with their kids.

So what did you get out of Walter's tale? Did it make you smile? It made me smile, but it did more than that: it made me realize that tenacity is worth the effort, no matter the rewards. The rewards won't always be something huge like going viral, getting a car and making some money, but they will still be great, simply because I put in the effort to meet my goal. Anything worth having is worth working for, in my own mind. I'm curious as to what your thoughts are?

I have a bunch of additional reading for you, below, if you want to get the story from a variety of sources. But I'd like to close with Carr's own words, which are powerful: "'I've never been that person that gives up,' said Carr, 20. 'I've just never seen myself doing that. I can only be defeated if I allow myself do [sic] be defeated.'"

Thanks again for reading this week's post, and I very much hope it added some joy to your week! Have a wonderful weekend! 🐝


Sources quoted are linked inline. Here they are in full:
USA Today / Washington Post / AL.com / Fox News / CBS News / CNN

 ~positively b.e.e. is on FacebookInstagramTwitter, and Pinterest. Follow me there!~


Friday, September 7, 2018

Fortune Cookie Friday: Listen to Everyone

This post may contain affiliate links, by which I may be financially compensated. See Disclosures


Happy Friday everyone! I hope you have had an AMAZING week! This week is a Fortune Cookie Friday week, so let's get right down to it!



Listen to everyone. Ideas come from everywhere.

When I gave a talk in Tennessee this summer about finding my voice, I discussed developing some listening skills as a route to finding our voices. I've found that if I'm just talking without really listening, whether it be in conversation with a family member or in a business meeting, my voice really isn't going to get me very far. Communication is a two-way street.

I see this fortune as encouraging us to keep an open mind and open ears! It seems that nowadays, if you express an opinion that differs from someone else's, a fight can ensue. (At least, this is what I see online.) Tempers flare and friendships end—over what, exactly? It's okay if someone has different thoughts or opinions than you do, and if we all remember the rules of civil discourse, we have so much to learn from each other! Ideas DO come from everywhere!

But just because I think one thing about this fortune doesn't mean it's the only way to think about it. I'd love to know what YOU think, too, because I really enjoy hearing what others think about the world, and feel I can get to know people better by simply listening to them. So leave me a comment below or on any of the social media venues listed at the bottom of this post and let me know what you think, okay?

While I'm at it, I just had another thought, so I'm going to follow it: this fortune can also tie in to something going on in my own life that I'd love to share with you. You see, at that same talk in Tennessee, I also discussed listening with our intuition as a way to guide us in our communications. Indeed, intuition is what guided me in my talk.

My intuition can often be a source of great comfort, especially when navigating any tricky waters with conversations or if I have a big decision to make. It never steers me wrong when I'm in tune with it. But when I'm not in tune with it: DISASTER. I say the wrong thing, make the wrong move...you name it. I am not a happy camper when I'm not listening intuitively.

Can you relate at all?

Being in tune with your intuition takes practice. Just as developing active listening skills takes practice, so does listening with your intuitive "ears."

Would you like to find out how to connect to your own intuition more readily and learn to listen to it?

Best-selling author and intuition expert Kim Chestney is offering her first online Intuition Masterclass starting in October. I've had the pleasure of working with Kim in person, and now anyone in the world can work with her online!

The details for the masterclass are below. Let me know if I'll see you there! (I'll be there as a co-coach!) Register for the waiting list here. Registration opens on September 12th.

October 1 - November 10, 2018 
Take the Ultimate Step Towards Your Enlightenment
THE INTUITION MASTERCLASS 
Presented by Internationally-Published Best-Selling Author and Intuition Expert, Kim Chestney

An Immersive, Six-Week Online Intuition Mastery Training with Live Teaching, Interactive Group Workshops, Special Guests + Certification

JOIN THE THOUSANDS OF OTHERS WHO HAVE TRANSFORMED THEIR LIVES BY MASTERING THEIR INNER GUIDANCE:

Own Your Personal Power When you know your Intuition has your back, you can live your life with confidence and inner strength. Learn how to trust your instincts and live your truth!

Make Better Choices (big and small!) Your Intuition is there for you every choice of the way. Learn how to understand your personal intuitive language to discern truths and align with your purpose!

Activate Your Psychic Abilities Intuitive development is a by-product of our spiritual evolution. Learn how to awaken your latent psychic ability and align with the unfolding of life.

Open to Spiritual Enlightenment The end result of all Intuitive development is our spiritual enlightenment. Learn how to connect to higher consciousness and the supreme Source through your Intuition.

Heal Physical & Psychological Pain Your Intuition is key to actualizing physical health and inner balance. Learn how to intuitively identify the life issues that are leading to imbalance, pain and ongoing health problems.

Ignite Your Creativity & Business Acumen A healthy Intuition marks the difference between the good and the great. Learn how to tap into the flow to just 'know' what others struggle to learn.

Kim Chestney has helped over 25,000 people just like you to ignite and empower their Intuition. A 20-year Intuition expert, her internationally best-selling book, The Psychic Workshop: A Complete Program for Fulfilling Your Spiritual Potential has been published around the world and translated into multiple languages.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE AND GET ON THE PRIORITY LIST FOR ENROLLMENT

FB:  @kimchestney   @kimchestney.mysticstudios
Insta: @kim.chestney

MASTERCLASS URL: http://kimchestney.online/masterclass


I hope this fortune cookie has been enlightening. Until next week! 🐝

 ~positively b.e.e. is on FacebookInstagramTwitter, and Pinterest. Follow me there!~

Want to read Kim's first book? You can find it here.


Reflections on 2020

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, by which I may be financially compensated. See  Disclosures  for more info.  It’s finally...