My Six Word Story Placed in a Contest

The six word story is a story style that originated with Ernest Hemingway. In the 1920s he bet his friends that he could write a complete story in just six words. He won the bet with this story: "For sale: Baby shoes, Never worn."

Yes we can! A Story by Dianne

My Vision for the Zero to $100 Million Challenge

For two and a half years now my partner, Paul, and I have been fighting a major legal battle. We have spent nearly $1,000,000.00 just on legal fees. We used to have no personal debt, our mortgage was paid off and we bought 3 new vehicles paying cash. Now we are on the edge of bankruptcy.

Some tell us we need to get real, drop the law suit and move on with life. I refuse to let an unprincipled realtor, with a history of victimizing first time investors get away with it.

Two years ago if you had asked me if I could come up with this much money I would have said no way in hell, but we did. I don’t know how we will continue to get the money we need to pay off our bills and continue the suit; I only know that we will. I think this challenge/contest is one of the ways. I have been visualizing our success and prosperity and I believe that is why I came to find out about this challenge.

In my vision Paul is driving a new Corvette. He bought his first one for cash in 2000 and has put over 170,000 miles on it since them. It is his commute car and he loves it. I have been visioning giving him a new one for about a year now as his is getting old and worn. That is one of the funniest things about this contest. I imagined giving Paul a new Corvette and here is a contest that is offering one to the winner. Wow!

For myself I envision owning a holistic ranch that raises endangered livestock breeds. I have even been collecting up pictures and articles on the breeds that I start with. I can hardly wait to be living in a more countrified setting. The suburbs are nice, but I really love the land and working with animals. This is also a perfect setting for me to do more writing and an internet business is an ideal way to make it all happen.

In addition to the vision work and following the lessons provided with this challenge, I will be doing more writing for a book that tells my story of the lessons I am learning. I also just wrote a short report for a friend on how to deal with credit emergencies. I will be finishing that up and marketing it to others. I know that in this economy he is not the only one who could use this advice and help.

DOG as Metaphor

Most people get up in the morning and decide to spend some time with Dog and so they decide to take a walk with Dog. They put on the leash and then they let Dog take them for a walk. Dog pulls this way and they follow, Dog heads off that way and again they fallow. Dog is clearly the one in control. Where ever Dog leads they follow. At the end of the walk they wonder why they didn’t get to see what they wanted, they didn’t get to do what they wanted, they are tired and unhappy and they complain that Dog just doesn’t listen to them. They put Dog away for the day and hope that tomorrow will be better. Surely Dog must have a different plan for their life and they must learn to surrender to Dog’s will.

The experienced dog person goes about it differently. They get up in the morning and decide to spend the day with Dog. They take a few minutes to decided where they want to go today and what they want to see and do. Then they call Dog over tell him where they are going and set out in that direction. They know that Dog has many more senses then they do and will smell and hear things of interest that they might miss, but they also know that it is really their decision as to where they will go. Will they stay on their chosen path or will they decide that Dog has found something even more interesting? At the end of the day they know that every where they went and every thing they did was by their own choice. They were in charge even when they chose to follow what Dog turned up. It was always their choice and they have had a wonderful and productive day. They have improved their relationship with Dog and are excited about walking with Dog again tomorrow.

Dog wants you to have fun, Dog wants you to do what gives you joy, but until you clearly direct Dog as to what brings you joy, fulfillment and happiness, Dog has no choice but to drag you all around waiting for you to decide to take charge. Dog is happiest when you are happy and he is fulfilling your requests. Try taking God for a walk today.

Have a magical day,

Dianne

Magical YOU!

Follow your bliss!

Well, I just finnished watching one of my favorite movies, The Secret. If you haven't seen it I highly recommend it as it truly contains The Secret to getting everything you want in life. Follow your bliss!

I've kind of forgotten to do that lately. I've allowed myself to get so caught up in day to day stuff that I haven't taken time to do the things I love most. So, I've just started some sourdough. "What?!" Yep, sourdough! I truly do love making bread and then eating it too! It's been ages since I've made any and I decided that today is the day. Well this weekend actually since I have to start a new sponge. It has been that long since I've made any. Lucky for me I live where it's easy to get new San Francisco starter, which is my favorite. I can hardly wait 'till Sunday when the first loaf is ready. Hot from the oven, melting butter all over it, yah! I'll have a bite for you too.

YOU are magical,
Dianne

The power of meditation

Paul and I went kyaking yesterday on the delta. This is the first time we've gone to the delta. We set off from Brannan Is. and went nearly 4 miles, at least that's what it looks like we did from looking at the map after we got back home.

It was very windy! It took us about an hour going out. On the way back the tide changed and it took us 4 1/2 hours to get back. The tide and the wind were incredible. No stopping for a rest or taking a break either. It was all we could do with both of us paddling to make any headway against the combined tide and wind.

We have never paddled that long without a break before. But this time we couldn't take a break or we would have been sweept back out on the tide. For me I used this as an opportunity to meditate. I focused on finding the saddles in the waves, kind of like looking for mountain passes. The waves were up to 4 feet high and our kyak is only 22 inches tall. I also imagined that every time I dipped my paddle into the water that the current was helping to push it back and there by speed us onward. As long as I held my meditation I didn't tire. When my meditation was finally broken I went into muscle spasms in my right arm and shoulder and I stopped having fun.

It is amazing to me how much work we did, how much effort we put into getting back to the marina, how sustained an effort we made, and yet how much energy I have today. I do feel as though I went kyaking yesterday, my arms and shoulders and back are tired, but I don't feel as tired as I would have expected after the massive effort I put into it. It just goes to show that strugle is opptional. I didn't strugle I just put energy into getting where I wanted to be. I stayed focused on my goal and maintained a constant effort towards achieving it.

Hmmm, guess I need to put that lesson to work in other areas of my life.

YOU are magical,
Dianne

Magical YOU!

Spinning as meditation

Not the Whirling Dervish kind but the Gandhi kind, you know, fiber into yarn. Gandhi was of the belief that if every one in India would devote just a half an hour per day to spinning, that the country’s poverty would be alleviated and her people would be spiritually uplifted.

While I don’t use my spinning time exclusively for meditation, I have found that it does make for a wonderful meditation experience. When I meditate at the spinning wheel, I direct my mind prayerfully towards my friends, family and neighbors or world situations and send them love, peace and light.

I don’t know if it helps those I direct my thoughts to or not, but I have found that it makes a huge difference in me. When I get up from one of those spinning meditations I am calm, relaxed and filled with joy. My body and my mind are both at peace and ready for new activities. I am more creative and stronger.

I still enjoy spinning with a group or chatting with Paul while I spin, but when I spin alone I find more and more that I go into the meditative spinning. It just plain feels good. And, I can see the difference in the quality of the yarn I produce while meditating.

YOU are magical,
Dianne

Magical YOU!
You can have every thing you want.

Spiritual transformation…

Heal my self, heal my world. The world out there is a creation/reflection of the world inside me. So when I want the world I’ve created to change, I must change me. Change happens from inside of me.

I just learned a wonderful new technique for changing those things in my world that I do not like. It starts off with the realization that I am fully responsible for everything in my world, not just the usual things that it looks like I have control over, but all aspects of my world. If there is war in my world then it is my responsibility, if there is terrorism in my world then it is my responsibility, if my health is poor it is my responsibility, if I don’t like my looks it is my responsibility and if I don’t get along with my boss, spouse, parents or children it is my responsibility. I created my world and I can change it.

The Hawaiian method of changing each and every one of these things and any others that I can find is to forgive and love. That’s it! While focusing on the things I don’t like I say to my self “I’m sorry. Please forgive me for what ever is going on inside of me that is manifesting as this problem. I forgive you, I love you.” I just take the time to do this regularly every time I become aware of something in my world that I do not want here. “I forgive you, I love you.” I also spend some time each day focusing on one or two things in particular and repeating those statements to my self until I have released them from my creation. “I am sorry. I forgive you. I love you.”

YOU are magical,
Dianne

Magical YOU!