Mari Suggs's Blog, page 20

Are you a projector?

Are you a projector?


Well not in the way shown above, I mean in the way of projecting your issues onto others? I am so guilty of this. 
People. Please. Don't. Do. This. The other day I noticed I was a big offender of this behavior. Something pretty awesome happened; I got really good news from someone and then I started giving them irrelevant life advice.
Let me give you an example.  Let's say... you're single and hating it and a friend of yours (also single, but happy) comes to you and say's guess what friend? I just got a great job that pays a lot of money, I will be traveling and I will finally be doing just what I've always wanted to do. The correct response from you should be, Oh My God Becky I'm so happy for you, congratulations  (valley-girl voice). The INCORRECT response would be. Becky that's great BUT, what about a relationship, I mean you know you have to think about what's really important in life, and that's love.
Ugh, that's projecting people!!! I tend to do that a lot. So, to all those who have been a victim of my madness I apologize. My issues are not yours. 


If I want to get healthy, I assume everyone wants to too and  I shove health literature down their throat. If I want to be all spiritual, I assume everyone must have a need for it too.And one that I've done often...just because I was unhappy with my job, didn't mean everyone in the world was too. 

So remember to just be a good friend and a good listener. 

Start Living Your Life Fearlessly

Hello there, it's been a couple weeks since my last post, but it was due to an awesome transition in my life.  I moved from South Florida to Central Florida and I was getting settled-in. This change has meant the world to me.  Let me start at the beginning. On June 1, 2012, I had enough. Although I was happy with my home life and by all accounts should have been happy with the rest of my life, I wasn't. I was consumed by the thought of having no control over the outcome of my life. I didn't like thinking I was on autopilot. So that day, I decided to change. 
I started with something I heard about years ago, I purchased the audio book version of "The Secret" and just like that my life was transformed. 
I didn't stop there though, I couldn't stop listening to inspiring, motivating books and/or speakers. Soon I started to understand exactly how life worked. I realized that I HAD control over my life just by controlling my thought process. I realized I AM what I THINK about. (Also supported by Joel Osteen- for my Christian friends). Joel Osteen - Remove Bad Thoughts Sermon
Due to this change I got the courage to do many things. In the interest of time, I’ll only mention a few.
First and most important I started to see the world differently and started to see the good in everything and everyone. My entire outlook on life changed. I eliminated complaining from my life and focused only on the good in every situation. 
Secondly, I was able to make a life changing move. I am very close to my family, and although part of me always longed to travel or perhaps live in a different State, I never thought I could do it. I couldn't imagine living far away from my family; just the thought of it created deep guilt.

Finally, I had a stable job, with a good income and for me that was huge. And, although I wasn't happy at my job I couldn't leave because of the fear I felt of losing something so secure. 
BUT, with a lot of faith AND action I was able to do just what I thought I could never do. Three weeks ago I quit my job and relocated to Orlando. Although it's not my ideal location, it's a start in my endeavor to doing the things I want without feeling guilty. 
I encourage you to take chances and to not let fear hold you back. You never know what’s waiting for you when you go for it.

I am enjoying my new city immensely and to my surprise losing my income--that I thought I couldn’t do without--hasn't been so bad, in fact it’s been just fine. I’m taking some time off and it’s been great. I am spending lots of time focusing on my writing and spending time with my husband and kids, while getting to know my new city. I love it.   

 

Run! Even if Your Life Depends on It!

Imagine this. Imagine for one second that experts are telling you that what you want is IMPOSSIBLE, CAN’T BE DONE; you might even DIE if you do it.   This is just what was told to the world once upon a time when it came to running a “certain” distance in a “certain” amount of time. Prior to 1954 the world was made to believe that if you ran 1 mile in less than 4 minutes you would die. They said it was physically impossible to do so, and because this information came from the experts, everyone believed it and obliged.That is, until a brave soul refused to believe in the limits the world had set for him. I’m speaking of Sir. Roger Bannister.  He did what they said couldn’t be done.  He ran one mile in 3 minutes 59.4 seconds.

His record only lasted 46 days.  Once they saw how this barrier was only an illusion brought on by others it became an achievable goal.I bring this to your attention because like many of us, there’s possibly something holding you back from achieving your most desired goals. What are those obstacles that you or your inner circle has created for you? Break free!  Be like Roger Bannister, keep your eye on the ball and don’t sway for a minute from what you want. I’d like to ask that if you have an experience like this to let me know. If you had a moment in your life where all the odds were against you, and everyone around you said it couldn’t be done but you did it anyway AND you came out on top, PLEASE share your story here. We all love hearing of others' success stories because it reminds us of how ours is just as achievable. Help in my journey to inspiring others.Till next time.  And Remember....
Below are a few links for you to read about this incredible story.
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Roger_Bannister.aspxhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Bannisterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four-minute_mile

Lacking motivation? Look no further than YouTube!

So I realized something today. I noticed that whenever I’m lacking motivation I can simply turn things around my listening to something on YouTube that relates to whatever topic I’m struggling with. (I love YouTube BTW). For example, I really want to eat healthy, I have finally come to a place in my life where it’s not really about a diet or just losing weight, but rather about feeling the best I can. It’s not about what NOT to eat but instead of what to eat that’s good for my body.  If you’ve been following my blog you know that I recently decided to participate in the Disney Princess Half Marathon, well, let me tell you this is hard! But I think I’m psyching myself out. Every time I take a step my knee starts really hurting. I truly believe that eating the right foods will contribute immensely to my efforts in running this race. Including, fixing my knee problem.Needless to say I was feeling really crappy about having Startbucks at lunch time and pasta with battered chicken last night for dinner.  My body is yelling “WHY WOMAN? WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO US WHEN YOU KNOW IT DOESN’T MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD”. So because I’m not very savvy in the kitchen department (which is why I always end up eating bad stuff) I turned to my reliable friend YouTube. And there I found a lot of great tips on eating the right foods. But it is much more than that for me. Frankly you can go to any book store and look through any healthy cook book and you will probably find the same or better info. For me, listening to things on YouTube pumps me up, (NOT in the voice of Arnold Schwarzenegger). It’s like something stirs in me that is dormant and then suddenly I’m awake again. Here are other things I listen to, Bio’s on writers and film makers. I listen to audio books on finances such as Rich Dad Poor Dad (Great Book).  Experts speaking about healthy eating/living and/or exercising; practically anything that interests. Anything you need some extra encouragement on. So I very much recommend that the next time you’re lacking motivation turn to a free site to lift you up.

Successful and Unsuccessful People!

I heard something pretty cool today from Brian Tracy, he said one of the most important things you must have in order to get what you want is to have CLARITY…. He said and I quote, “If you don’t have clear specific goals, you are doomed to work for people that do”. Amazing right!  So simple, but yet so complicated. I know that deciding what you want is hard, because I was there. For years I was focused on the past and on all the things I didn’t do, AND blaming those events for the things I didn’t currently have.  Imagine this for a moment. Imagine you’re hungry, but you don’t know what to eat, well you can go to a restaurant and mull over the options a thousand times, but this won’t bring the food to you any sooner. It’s not until you decide on what you want to eat that it eventually comes to you. 
The same is true of anything and everything in your life. But I will speak from a career perspective only since this has been MY struggle, therefore, I can only speak of such.
Brian Tracy also said that he’s studied thousands of successful and unsuccessful people, and he found the following in common.  All SUCCESSFUL people know what they wantand ALL UNSUCCESSFUL people are just wandering through life.  Deciding what you want is one of the most important things you can do. So think about it…. It’s really not that hard once you’ve set aside all the obstacles that you’ve created, I’m too old, I need stability, it’s too hard, it’s too far! If you don’t allow any of those thoughts to creep in, if you could just do what you want without any “BUT’S” what would you do… easier now right.  And there it is! Do that! I’ll leave you with another amazing quote, but this one’s from Tony Robbins, “The only thing that prevents you from getting what you want, is the story that you tell about why you can’t get it”.
Go live!

Disney Half Marathon!

Wow, I don't like that it has been over two weeks since my last post. Commit woman! (little voice yelling). For my own gratification I must blog at least once a week.

Ok, so I've entered into another adventure, still going on the "radical change" blog entry.  

Ready for it....

I am running the Disney Half Marathon in February!  (Applause)



I know, it's a huge deal and challenge but I'm up for it. I started training already. I downloaded a great app, C25K app (couch to 5k app) and it's awesome.

But not gonna lie, this is hard!


Right now, I'm only walking, my knees hurt when I run to the point of not being able to walk. But still I will conquer this.


I know it's weird how something that so many people do without giving it a second thought has become this radical life changing goal for me, but it has. Every time I see people running/jogging I long to be like them. Observing from a distance as if that was something only others could have but not me. So silly right!

So yeah, I know it’s a challenge to go from never running to running a half marathon, but I know that when I accomplish this, it will feel amazing knowing that the sky is the limit. (I kinda already know this but still, you get the point)

So what will you do? What is that one thing that you see others do while you sit back wishing you could do it? Wishing you had the courage to do it?

You got it? Ok. Now go do it. Go get it.



Again, since I'm trying new and different things, here's a pic of me on my first day of training. Hope I'm just as a happy in a month. Till next time :)

Eating lunch alone woohoo!

Talk about a radical change...

Ever since I was little I've never been able to do things by myself. I guess it's because I've never really been alone. I've always had someone with me.

This has created problems for me when it comes down to doing things alone. For example, in high school when my friends wouldn't go to school, at lunch time, I would just skip lunch all together. I would not dare sit alone.

This carried on into adult hood, literally yesterday!

So yesterday, at work, I had to take lunch on my own without my 5 close friends.  Typically, in the past when I've had to do this, I would simply go through drive-thru, sit in my car and listen to the radio. But not yesterday, no sir ree bob.


Yesterday  I went to subway, I love subway...


and instead of taking my food to the car, like am I accustomed to, I sat outside and ate all by myself, woohoo!


I know, I know, you may be thinking what's the big deal. The big deal is that these things are all new to me, and even as small a change as they may seem, it's still a change, and therefore a different outcome is inevitable.

Not only did I sit by myself, which is huge in itself, but because I knew I had to blog about the experience, I wanted to take pictures.

So there I was, surrounded by people, and I started to take pictures of myself, and I didn't care what they thought about me. I didn't care if they thought I was weird. In fact, I kept thinking, they are probably intrigued by me, they must be wondering what are all the pics for (more than likely no one noticed lol). But that's what's great, no one cares! People are too self absorbed in their own insecurities to be worrying about yours. And when you realize this, you will have freedom!


Needless to say, on my way back to work, I felt amazing because I had accomplished something huge for me.


So here are a couple of pics from my adventure, eating lunch alone.

Imagine how amazing your life could be if you just did whatever it is that you've been wanting to do. How would this change impact your life and the lives of others.  In the words of John Lennon, Imagine.. Take a listen to this rendition by ACE..Imagine

Radical Change!

I’ve heard itsaid a hundred times, “if you want to see different results in your life, thenyou must change the things that you do.” The kicker is that every time I hear this message, I sit by,  agreeing with these powerful words.

But I've been fooling myself by thinking that just because I “hear it” I’m making the change they speak of.
So it finallyhit me, if I WANT TO SEE A CHANGE, I mean a REALLY BIG CHANGE IN MY LIFE,THEN I MUST MAKE A RADICAL CHANGE IN MY LIFE….And the same goes for you!
I suggest you startoff by doing something completely out of your comfort zone. For example, I’ve said in the pasthow I had a fear of speaking in public or that I didn’t like being in front of a camera (I’m not that person anymore, hencethe past tense). But these thoughts didn’t align with the things I wanted in life.  I’m a writer, I want people to read my books,I want to make movies, I want to win awards… how could I possibly do thesethings if I continued staying in my shell. My life was not going to change bywatching others do the very thing I wanted to do. Ugh, so much time wasted.

That’s whyI’m coming to you, so that you don’t waste another minute. I don’t care what itis… If you want a new job, then looking through the classifieds, but notapplying won’t get you hired. If you want to get in shape but all you’re doingis “watching” the weight loss shows on TV (guilty) then your body won’t change.
So Iencourage you to do 7 new things each day, something that’s going to get youcloser to your goal. And out of the 7, make one of them a RADICAL change something completely out of the norm. Foryou, the person who’s dying to be in shape, you may want to skip your favoriteTV show and go for a walk instead of sitting on the couch. Just by doingthis you’re making something shift in yourself. And before you know it, thiswill be the new you.  

I started outwith something that “made me” totally uncomfortable (again I’m using past tense because I am not thatperson anymore). So, I did a PHOTO SHOOT!!! I know. Some ofyou may think What?? That’s not hard!!!But I promise you, it was for me.  And that’sthe beauty of being a human being; we are all unique, with different fears, wants anddesires.
So are youready?? Or rather, am I ready to share with the world; to put myself out thereregardless of others thoughts about me? The answer is yes!  Because I want my career, more than I want tobe worried about others opinions of me. So here are a few pics from my photo shoot. :)
     

My nextRADICAL change will be video taping myself reading my novel More Than WordsCan Say. Till next time :)

Say yes!

So I love that when I'm having a bad day, I am somehow, magically guided to listen to something that completely turns my mood around. 

Thank God! It feels yucky to be in a bad mood.


Anyway, so I was introduced to Les Brown today (via YouTube lol) and he said so many amazing things that I am basically going to kinda-sorta quote, but if you want, you can can listen for yourself.Les Brown- you Deserve The Best In Life! I enjoyed his message very much and I hope you listen to it too, or at least be inspired in some way by this post. 
Ok, so first he said that the majority of heart attacks happen on Monday mornings between the hours of 8am and 9am.  What!!! These heart attacks are happening when people are getting ready for work. This blows my mind! Like seriously!! This is terrible.  He said that when you don't do what you were meant to do, and/or love, you are committing spiritual suicide... Then he said something that I absolutely loved but made me sad. He said the riches place in the world is at a graveyard.
Why you ask? Let me tell you. Most people die with never living their dream. So it is there, in a graveyard, where you will find inventions that were never told to the world. 
And I will add... There you will find a song that was never written, and the words that were never spoken that could have CHANGED the world. 

Please, please, please don't let your dreams--your desires live only in a graveyard. 
Live your life to your fullest potential. Live, live, live!!! Remember that you can really do anything you want. Say yes to every opportunity that presents itself to you because you never know where it will lead you. So open that store! Get that degree! Go for that job you've always wanted! Say yes!
Love ya'll. Have a great life! 
Here's a great song.... Mariah Carey ft Whitney Houston When You Believe 

Memories!

I had a really great weekend, but I really didn't realize how great of a weekend I had until it was over. Let me explain...

I had my parents over for the weekend, and although I had a good time with them, they do tend to drive me a little crazy. And by crazy I mean, she's almost 80 and he's 87 years old so they tend to talk over each and they don't understand half the things I'm saying. But man are they AWESOME. I am truly blessed by having these two as my mommy and daddy.




Anyways, I gladly gave up our bed for them to sleep on, but for hours they insisted that we take our bed and that they would sleep on the floor--as if!



Anyhow, I wanted them to sleep on new bed sheets, so before they came over I went and bought some. And tonight, when I was getting ready for bed I looked at the sheets and I smiled thinking back to last night when they were getting ready for bed. They were so cute looking through their bags for a change of clothes and their toothbrush and doing their normal routine!



That's when I realized what a special memory I had just created. I realized how special this precious time with my parents was and how I was always going to remember this weekend.

So it got me thinking


What if we all lived our lives this way? Realizing how special EACH and EVERY moment we have is. Instead of realizing it after it's happened and gone. How much better would our days be, really appreciating the little things as much as big things. Because truly you never really know which are the things that are going to turn into the big events of your lives.

How many times have you started your day thinking it was just an ordinary day, and then days, months, or even years later that day is permanently fixed in your brain as either the best or worse day of your life.

My wish for all of us is that we take everyday we have on this earth as if it were our first or our last, whichever works for you. Enjoy every single minute, live IN THE MOMENT, not the past or the future.


Go create awesome memories my friends. Til next time. and of course here's a song!
My Wish- Rascal Flatts