What Is The Meaning Of Life?

by @elioverbey

I am a normal teenager. I love music, socializing at school and I want my classmates to like me.

 

It is May 10th, this day is going to change my life forever, I don’t know it yet.

I am 16 years old, sitting in math class, watching the clock. Tick, tick, tick. The second-hand makes a jerking motion as it jumps ahead.

I don’t like math.

I am not sure how it relates to my life. I guess you can say I am bored.

The classroom phone rings, startling the teacher. He glances at the phone and rushes over to it. He is eager to get back to that lesson.

“Yes, she is here. Okay, I will send her up” he said. I secretly hoped it was a request for me.

“Nancy, go to the office, your counselor wants to see you.”

I happily gather my books, all the while thrilled to escape the math prison.

On the way to the office I feel like skipping, I am so happy. My chance to talk to my counselor about college.

I walk into the office and my mother is standing there. She looks awful., I am confused, this is not making sense. Why is she standing here? Where is my counselor? She takes my arm and guides me into the principal’s office.

I see two men in navy blue suits. Who are these guys? They look like FBI agents standing there. Blank faces with no expression. I look around, the principal is not here. Why am I in his office? What the heck is going on here?

My mother looks at me and tries to speak “Nancy, your father had a heart attack and died”. Whoa, I could take in the heart attack part but not the died part. “I just had breakfast with him this morning, this can’t be true?” I scream.

My eyes dart from the navy-blue suit guys to my mom. Her shoulders are falling forward as if she is collapsing in on herself.  She is talking to me, but I can’t hear anything she says.

I think “what am I supposed to do? my mom does not look like she is going to make it. She is shrinking. How can I help her, oh my God, what is going to happen to us? My body is numb, I am in shock.

At that moment I decided to “soldier up”. I guess it is time for me to take care of my family now.  I am the oldest and they need me to be strong. It is time for me to be tough and responsible.

We drove up in front of my brother’s middle school. My mom looks at me “I can’t do this, you have to go into the office, get him and tell him.” My mom is falling apart fast. I do not question her request. I get out of the car and don’t look back.  I just do it. Go in, get him and tell him. His eyes fill with tears. I put my arm around him, and we walk back to the car.

Later, we are home. I can’t believe it is true. I keep looking out the front window expecting to see my dad on the porch.

The Italian relatives arrive with casseroles and tears.

A wailing fest begins. My grandmother keeps calling out my father’s name. My mom is sobbing. My aunts try to console everyone. There is no consoling of my mother or my grandmother. The wailing and sobbing continue.

I just want to hide in my room. I do not want to see anyone. Everything is out of control and I am scared. I do not know what to do to help my mom. I have never seen her like this.

A few weeks later I am in church, by myself, looking for answers. “What is the meaning of life?  What really happens to us when we die?  And the big one, why am I here?”

Have you ever asked yourself questions about the meaning of your life or why you are here? The journey is rich with experiences and expansion.

This led me on a life long quest to create a life with meaning, to explore many religions, metaphysics, and consciousness. I see everything is connected and I know the loss of my father motivated me to live a life with purpose and intention.

 

Mindset Secret #2 – Develop A Growth Mindset

by @elioverbey

Michelle was in her forties when she felt like she was missing something and realized she was unhappy with her life. She was living the life she dreamed of when she was twenty, and she was disappointed. Michelle had:

  • beautiful home on a lot surrounded by nature with a gourmet kitchen and a view of the valley below
  • a fulfilling marriage to a man that was her best friend and lover
  • two busy teenage children active in sports and school activities. She adored them
  • a dog named Barney that ran to greet her every time she came through the front door

But what Michelle didn’t know was that she was stuck in a rut.

Each day was the routine that never varied, she drove the same route to work, ate the same quick meals, and went home to have the same evening schedules and conversations with her family.

She was going through the motions of what she thought was a happy life.

When she overheard someone at work talking about a “growth mindset”, she did a Google search and realized that’s what she’d been missing.

“I was being so careful to do everything right, to color inside the lines. But when I heard about growth mindset, I knew that’s what my life was lacking—growth.

I had stopped trying new things and experimenting.” “My life had become predictable nothing new, no challenges, no expansion, and no passion.

What Is a Growth Mindset?

A growth mindset is the belief that even though you may not have certain qualities, you can develop them through learning and practice. It is seeing your possibilities from a positive perspective.

If you have a growth mindset, you might think things like, “If I practice my painting skills, I can get better at creating art.” Or you might say, “I can learn to meditate if I take a class about it.” Or you sign up for the belly dancing class you always thought about taking.

The beauty of a growth mindset is that it gives you freedom.

You’re free to try new things, experiment, and study the results.

With a growth mindset, the outcome of a situation doesn’t become your identity.

How Can You Lean into a Growth Mindset?

Developing a growth mindset doesn’t mean that you must do something radical like sell all your possessions and move halfway across the world.

A growth mindset is more about staying open to new experiences and new people.

It can be as simple as a willingness to try a hip-hop dance class at your local gym, change your comfortable routines, and seek out new relationships with people who are different from you.

 

What If You Surprised Yourself?

Michelle surprised herself by signing up for acting classes. She’d always loved musicals and she liked the idea of performing in front of a crowd. So, she gave it a try and found it uplifting.

The classes had a benefit she hadn’t counted on either—increased confidence. She felt bold and empowered again.

This helped her lead more effective presentations at work and within a few months, her boss promoted her.

Of course, not every surprise has been wonderful. Michelle also signed up for a knitting group. “I loved the people there, but I quickly discovered that knitting wasn’t my thing. Still, I’m glad I was willing to give the experience a try.”

How open are you to new experiences and people? Here is something I do each month. Give it a try.:

  • get a blank 8 1/2 x 11-inch piece of paper
  • place it in front of you in the horizontal position
  • make 3 equal columns
  • at the top of the first column write What I am Doing
  • in the middle column write What I should be Doing
  • in the last column write What I want to be Doing

Give yourself some quiet time to write in each column. You will be surprised as you find clarity and awareness about your growth mindset.

A growth mindset is a wonderful way to go through life. It means embracing the unknown and being willing to take risks, even when it feels a little bit scary (and fun!).

You can read Mindset Secret #1 Here

You may also be interested in What Are You Saying Yes To?

If you know someone that would benefit from this article, please forward it to them.

Nancy Dadami is a Flow Specialist, Creatively Fit Coach, and Intuitive, teaching you how to get Better Flow Faster so you can live a life you love.

Help For Cravings – It Is Easier Than You Think

by @elioverbey

Do you ever have cravings? You know those thoughts that keep nagging you about something that will not go away until you give in. It happens to all of us, so you are not alone. Where does that craving come from?

Your words, whether thoughts or spoken are like magnets attracting those very words to you. Watch the video and see if you get insights to help you quiet or stop your cravings. Your words matter.

Get Your Manifesting Kit Here

3 Ways Feng Shui Helps You Say Yes To What You Want

by @elioverbey

What are you saying yes to? Growing your business, building wealth, creating more fulfilling relationships, living a healthy lifestyle, focusing on personal growth, peace of mind, or living a life with meaning.

You can have whatever you say yes to. But there is a secret and that is what I want to share with you here. I discovered the secret on my way to opening to my yes.

This is the thing we trick ourselves into thinking we are creating a healthy lifestyle, growing our business, or creating more fulfilling relationships.

But what is really happening is, we are saying yes to whatever we are doing.

Your Yes is what you do, not what you think you do or what you imagine you do.

For example, I said I wanted a healthier lifestyle, yet instead of meditating I turned on my computer to check social media first thing in the morning. Instead of exercising I would get involved writing an article, calling clients or creating products. I often chose (notice past tense) chocolate, cookies or potato chips for a snack instead of fruit or nuts.  By doing those activities before my most important Yes, which is me, I forgot to take care of me. All that other “stuff” became my yes.

My awareness led me to realize I was not living the healthy lifestyle I wanted.

What you are doing is your yes. You are doing your yes.

Right now, my most important Yes, is to live a healthy life. There are choices to make that align with that desire.

For me a healthy lifestyle includes meditating, exercising and eating healthy foods. It also includes writing because when I write I get thoughts from my chattering mind onto paper where I learn more about myself.

I am saying yes to painting because when I paint I shift my vibration into a higher place. I enter the quiet place of my Soul self and become one with the paint and canvas. It is as if I show up at the front of the canvas and my Soul shows up at the back of the canvas where a dance begins.

I am also saying yes to creativity because that is where the yes lives. In the stillness where we connect with our intuition and guidance. The place where creative solutions are born. Where we release limiting beliefs and say yes to what it is we want

What is it that you are saying yes to? Not sure, look at what you are doing and your yes will be revealed to you.

You are in charge of your yes.

You get to decide what you want and what you do.

Your thoughts and beliefs are a part of your choices. Sometimes your thoughts limit your potential and possibilities.

Your thoughts are either positive and uplifting or they are negative and draining to you. Those thoughts live within you and are also present in your surroundings.

Just as a picture is drawn by an artist, surroundings are created by the activities of the mind…. Buddha

3 Ways Feng Shui Can Help

Here are 3 ways to open to your yes and create the life you want using Feng Shui Principles.

#1 – Energy space clearing which uplifts the energy in your surroundings and fills your space with light, positivity and possibilities.

The clearing releases the energy of all the people that have lived, worked or visited your space, their fears, anger, depression or communication problems.  It also releases spirits there that may feel stuck between heaven and earth, and energies in your surroundings that may be holding you back. You will be able to feel the difference; your space will be peaceful. One client said she felt like she had been on a wonderful vacation after an energy space clearing. She was happy, relaxed and more confident

#2 – Feng Shui consultation which aligns your surroundings with your intentions. Boosts your confidence, clarity and courage to go for what you want. Creates more ease and flow in your life. A floor plan reading reveals where energy is not flowing, causing you to struggle. You receive Feng Shui adjustments personalized for your situation. Your surroundings are infused with your deepest desires.

#3 – Combination of both an Energy Space Clearing and a Feng Shui Consultation which clears negative energy and spirits from your home and fills it with light, love and peace. Add a Feng Shui Consultation and you align your space with your intentions and fill your surroundings with your sincere dreams and desires.

How are you planning to open to your yes? Awareness is the first step. The next step is to take positive action to manage the energy of your surroundings to free you up to go for your dreams and desires.

Nancy Dadami is a Feng Shui Specialist, Creatively Fit Coach, and Artist. She teaches artists, writers, coaches and healers to arrange their surroundings to support their vision, so they live in “the flow”  and manifest their intentions.