The Soft, The Hard and The Unknown..

Never judge a book by it's cover.

When I was in fourth grade, we had this group of recruiters come into our class. They pulled some of us out and gave us relatively odd projects to do. Build a weight bearing structure out of straw, playdoh and a dixie cup; here's how to do an origami ball, now do it. Several activities that seem to have no purpose. This was Odyssey of the Mind, and I was accepted. Think Brain Olympics for kids.

Part of OM was building these structures out of balsa wood. A baby could break this stuff in half and we were to build a structure (no more then 7oz in weight if I recall correctly) that should hold weight, the team that had the sturdiest structure won. I am still amazed to this day that we could do this, as kids. KIDS! We took flimsy wood and glue and turned it into something pretty amazing.

I also recall as a kid these rocks near a creek at my Grandma's place. They looked like rocks, they smelled like rocks, they tasted like dirt, but other then that they seemed like perfectly good rocks... until you picked them up. I could crush them with my hands, and I did. Over and over again, I felt like David. It was very cool.

Laying in bed last night got me thinking about these two stories. Something soft, made into something strong: something seemingly hard made actually fragile. It's like people. Some of the sweetest, most sensitive people I know, you would probably cross the street if you saw them walking towards you. On the flip side, some of the meanest things I have ever heard or seen done has come out of innocent, sweet looking people. We really shouldn't judge.

Not that if you see a mean looking person coming your way you shouldn't be a little weary, but in a social situation try meeting with people you don't usually go up to. You may be surprised. I'm trying. Remember when you interact with people that they are going through life's pile of dung heap too. That waitress you yelled at because of poor service? How do you know that her mother didn't just pass. That guy who cut you off? Maybe his wife is in labor. There's a million ways to be mean and hateful. Let's all try a few ways to be nice, loving and more accommodating to our fellow humans... no matter how much we want to ram our car into theirs and flip them the bird.

Have a Blessed Day,

Brandy Deming

CelticBlessings4U@Gmail.com
http://www.facebook.com/brandy.deming

Rabbit Food

If I liked eating rabbit food, I would look like someone who ate rabbit food.  ~Moi


It is no real secret that I don't like salad, or raw carrots for that matter. To me those things taste like cardboard. Not that I don't like my veggies and fruits, I just like them cooked... and covered in butter. The true reality is that I like, no LOVE food. All kinds. I can't even pick a favorite, because I'm afraid one of the others might get jealous and stop agreeing with my taste buds, or even worse, my digestive system.

You may be thinking, "What [TF] does this have to do with  positive choices or success?", well... lots. You see, there's a lot of us out there who have to make daily and hourly decisions based on what we like and what we have to do. Just the facts of life.

There is a dreamland that I like to visit where eating red meat, smoking and drinking are not only acceptable behaviors, but healthy. As a matter of fact last night I had a dream about eating a HUGE plate of fluffy white cake with butter cream frosting while having the best chilled mocha and a tasty smoke. Sounds sad, but true. I also looked great. The reality is, if I eat what I want, when I want, do what I want when I want, the next 10 years of my life will definitely be the last and I'll spend them lounging around on the couch looking like the sexiest Jaba you've ever seen.

We all have to make choices, some are easy, some are hard. I'm trying to be here for you to help you make them match the goals that you have set for yourself. I bounce around a bit, because everyone has different goals, but the desire to build will power and instincts are all the same.

So, sit back, pretend that the rice cakes are the best smoked ribs EVER and hopefully you learn something... or at least get a good laugh out of it.

Have a Blessed Day,

Brandy Deming

CelticBlessings4U@Gmail.com
http://www.facebook.com/brandy.deming

Happy 4th of July!

Today is such a wonderful day, July 4th, the birthday of our country. I hear lots of whining and complaints about how this country is run, but that is one of the beauties of this fine country. We CAN complain about how this country is managed, we CAN say that our politicians are morons, and, if we are so inclined, we CAN run for office.

We must stop and think about what the founding of the U.S. did for the world. As peasants and mid-classmen, we rose up to show that we can run a country. We did not need to be born to a certain family or be ordained by God. We opened up a lifetime of opportunity for generations of Americans and led the way so other countries could do the same. Lots of lives were lost, lots of blood was shed and more tears then we can ever imagine. But we did it. We founded a country based on essential freedoms.

Right now things may not be going as well as we may want, but there is hope. Where there is freedom, there is always hope. Let's try to not disparage today, let celebrate the hope and opportunity that others have passed down to us. Remember that they fought for our rights, let’s celebrate them today and use them tomorrow.

Happy 4th of July!

Have a Blessed Day,

Brandy Deming
CelticBlessings4U@Gmail.com
http://www.womenswealthandwellness.com/celticblessings
http://www.twitter.com/brandysbiz

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy.

"It's a heck of a start, being able to recognize what makes you happy."

-Lucille Ball


Over the last year my son has be increasingly obsessed with stuff. He always wants to get stuff, anything: toys, mail, candy, etc. He will explain to you in great detail how happy it makes him to be on the receiving end of gifts. He likes to get stuff to give stuff away. And it worries me.

It worries me because he is not happy without it. It worries me that when he is not happy, he doesn't know why. It worries me because I was the same way when I was his age, though mine was not the getting stuff, it was just a general unhappiness.

I've spent years and years trying to fill that void where happiness should be. I went through my teen years feeling hopeless and terrible unhappy, I had The Void. I've tried filling it with food, drinks, relationships, you name it, I tried it. None of it every worked, I'd get a temporary relieve from The Void, but over time The Void always came back. All I was doing was avoiding the what and why of happiness.

There is no certainty that you or I will ever find what truly makes us happy, but a little inner searching can help you distinguish why we do what we do.

Does money make me happy? No. Some people really love money, I don't. It pisses me off. I have to dedicate so much of my time to earning it, managing it and spending it, that it takes away from all the stuff I really want to be doing. I want it, lots of it, just so that I can go about my daily life without the money questions lingering in the back of my mind.

Does food make me happy? Kinda. Food is an odd sort of fellow. I love the fact that you can take all these seemingly unrelated items and create a fabulous experience of the senses. I like the fact that several times a day I can pull off a creation. The question is does food itself make me happy or is it the joy I get from the experience of working with it? I'll have to think about that question for a few more years.

I can go on and on with habits that are both good and bad and the 'Does it make me happy?' question. What I do know is I have a list of things that I know I get a kick out of: I like experiencing new things, I like creating things and I love learning something new. If I am doing any of those things, I fell happy and fulfilled, at least for a little while.

We all are different and our ability to acquire happiness is as varying as our personalities. You just have to ask yourself if what you are doing is making you happy. Long term success is based on how happy and content you are with your daily actions. If you continue to do things that go against your happiness, you will stop doing them or turn into a bitter and often angry person.

So, lighten up. Let some joy in. Who cares if you are 55 and still finger painting and playing with dolls. If it makes you happy, then do it!



Have a Blessed Day,


Brandy
CelticBlessings4U@Gmail.com
http://www.womenswealthandwellness.com/celticblessings
http://www.twitter.com/brandysbiz

Like sand through the hour glass...

"Men are afraid to rock the boat in which they hope to drift safely through life's currents, when, actually, the boat is stuck on a sandbar. They would be better off to rock the boat and try to shake it loose."
-Thomas Szasz

Having had a particularly rough week (yes it happens to EVERYONE), I was thinking about how wonderful the ocean is. How soothing the ocean sounds, the smell, the sand between the toes and how much better it seemed when I was little. I can go out for hours now, but back then we could spend day after day on the beach and it never, ever got old.

The sadness of this though got me to wondering where our sense of playing goes as adults. Is it something we lose as teenagers, when we are trying to be cool? Do we really outgrow playing? I think it's a damndable shame that we have such difficulty having a good time. How expensive we think it is to enjoy ourselves, when we used to just need a backyard. No frills, no equipment, just you and your imagination station.

One of the things I have always wanted to learn was to build a sandcastle. When we first set out to build one, we think of this beautiful castle that we can somehow just magically create in the sand. We get out there with our little plastic molds (or measuring cups, whatever) and start packing sand. Usually we start with dry sand and we get nothing, then we learn to do it with wet sand. I used to try and try and try, I have never been able to build that big beautiful sand castle. But I think I'll go back this year and keep trying.

The sand castle reminds me of the lives we all try to build. When we are young we have this great idea of what we want. Big house, cars, kids, pets, etc. Then we set out to build that life we dream. Not enough water, not the right kind of sand, tide comes up before we can finish, etc., etc. So many things get in the way of making our sand castle, but we can't build it if we never go back and try.

Have a Blessed Day,


Brandy Deming
CelticBlessings4U@Gmail.com
http://www.womenswealthandwellness.com/celticblessings

Jim Rohn - Rich Vs. Poor

The philosophy of the rich versus the poor is:

The rich invest their money and spend what is left;

The poor spend their money and invest what is left.
-Jim Rohn

Good investment habits are right up their with good eating habits, good business habits and good exercise habits. Knowing that you have it reduces stress and can ease the day to day grind.

Many who read this blog are thinking, "THAT'S BS!!, If you don't have money, you can't invest any money!". But it's all a matter of perspective.

I like to think of it as percentages. If you invest 1% of your income (before spending any of it), every 100 paychecks, you have one spent. If you only make $1,000 a month, that's only $10 that you have to put away. If you can invest a little bit more, say %5, then every 20 paychecks you have one month stashed away. It may not seem like much, but it will add up.

Save your change, save rebates, use coupons and save the difference. Just like any other improvement on yourself, work on it, practice and you will get better at it each time.


Have a Blessed Day,

Brandy Deming

CelticBlessings4U@Gmail.com
http://www.womenswealthandwellness.com/celticblessings
http://www.twitter.com/brandysbiz

Jim Rohn - All About The Plan

I had always mistakenly believed that if I had more money. I would have a better plan for creating wealth. The truth is that if I had a better plan, I would have more money.

You see, it's not the amount that counts; it's the plan that counts. It's not how much you allocate but how you allocate it.
-Jim Rohn


I have to say that of all the plans I have had to get more money, I had never really had a plan to build wealth. Nest eggs, college funds, retirement plans and rainy day funds I have, but never really put much though into a wealth plan. It is now on my 'To-Do' list.

Just in case you are wondering what the difference between having lots of money and having wealth is, here's a quick explanation. Money is simply the cash that you have coming in or stashed. You can have a ton of money and have no wealth (I know a person who has an income of over 2.7 million dollars a year and their net worth is -1.2 million, oi!), the money just goes as fast as it comes in. To have wealth you must have significant assets (cash reserves, property, investments, etc) over any debt you may have (also know someone who only made 37k a year, but has a net worth of approx. 800 thousand). So it's not how much you make, it's how it gets spent.

Ever know someone who is very successful, without having to spend 100 hours a week on work? Those people have a plan. If you know how to work smart and efficiently, then you get way more done in less time. It takes a plan. You must think out what you are doing for today, this week, this month and this year. You must see how actions you do during that 1 year plan affect your 5 year plan. What's that? You don't have a 5 year plan? Well then it is really time to sit down and think about what you want your life to look like in 5 years. Build a plan.

Life can either be what happens to you, or it can be what you make happen. Some people are happy with letting life happen to them, or they are just not unhappy enough to do something about it. It's their choice, and no one can change it but themselves. But if you are a person who wants to make life happen, you must have a plan. Without plans, who knows what you're going to end up with?



Have a Blessed Day,

Brandy Deming

CelticBlessings4U@Gmail.com
http://www.womenswealthandwellness.com/celticblessings
http://www.twitter.com/brandysbiz