Riding in a Whirlwinds!

Have you ever experienced a whirlwind?  That great gush of wind comes along and carries you off balance for just a bit?  As it meets you, it brings along leaves that found their place on the ground underneath their home trees, and maybe a small scrap of paper that someone lost along their way. 

On a hot summer day, the whirlwind's breeze is a welcome treat!  It cools you off and brings a smile to your face, as you enjoy the sudden coolness, as it squeezes your face, which was crackling from the heat.  The people who were inside, miss nature's attempt to bring them the simple joy of a summer's day wind.  Those who don't have modernized cooling mechanisms to keep them airy, must settle more rudimentary methods to bring their skin the breeze it needs to settle down.

Imagine the breezes of life as being the same as nature's world wind.  Swift and cool...Blowing through with the opportunity of a life time. Blessings that have been hidden sometimes- wrapped in the debris that the gush has accumulated on its travels.  When it passes by you, the whirlwind swoops you up too.  And a magnetic object passes by you.  You grab hold to it and land where it lands.  As you remove the dust from the object, you realize that the ball like object is your potential.  It has a place for a lock, but the area is broken and the lock is missing.  Once you open it, you realized that it has inside a seed of opportunity- that is waiting for you to nourish it until its reality.

I found my seed of opportunity this same way, you know.  I nourished it, and loved it.  Labored for it, with no complaint.  That seed has grown into God's greatest gift for me.  Its brought more to me than I ever would have had, if I had not looked for it in the whirlwind that picked me up! 

Let's Make Being Nice the way to be....AGAIN!

My sister and I were traveling to our local fitness club to work out.  We were making a right hand turn, but had to stop at the red light in front of us, as there was traffic zooming through the intersection during the mad evening dash home from work that so many Memphians participate in.  While we were sitting and waiting, another driver, a woman talking on her wireless phone decided that she was going to go around us and she almost hit us!  Instead of her apologizing to us for almost damaging our car, she instead yelled at us, calling us every obscene name that she could think of.  She was so busy yelling at us, that she ran  the red light that we were sitting at and almost hit another car.

I immediately pondered the question, "Why did the woman act that way toward us?"  We were following all the traffic rules and we were not being nasty towards her.  I thought to myself, maybe the woman was upset about something else and took it out on her.  Maybe she hadn't learned any manners growing up.  I was always raised to be polite to others and in my adult life I have been really focused on how I treat other people.  I try to go out of my way to be good to people and to help them out.  I thought, if the woman had simply honked and asked if we could let her by, then I would have happily obliged her and there would not have been an issue.

In contemporary society, where there is already so much negativity, it would be great to see more people be nice.  There are so many perks to having  a positive and pleasant attitude towards others.  Most people never get what they want in life because they don't want to ask for it.  Many young people that I have these pleasure of speaking with, say that being nice can get them accosted by their peers.  I am now asking the question, "When did it become taboo to show courtesy and respect towards another human being?"  When did we start allowing it to be okay for bullies to hurt people and get away with it?  At what point is it okay to spread rumors and lies about celebrities (without even considering how it will affect their children) for the sake of making a buck?  

Even though, there are some who don't think that being nice will take you far in this life, I am a firm believer that it can take you very far.  After all, employers are not going to hire an unpleasant person.  Unpleasant people can be arrested if they are less than cordial to the police.  Being mean spirited can make you lose your friends and loved ones very quickly as well.  We have all seen it happen, and we wish that we didn't have to deal with unpleasant people, regardless of the circumstances.  I call upon all of you to help me to make being nice hot again!  By being nice to someone you don't know, you could very well change their perspective on life.  Our being nice to someone, just may give them the will to keep on living.  But we will never know unless we try.  With that being said, I am going to set out tomorrow, being even more passionate about being even nicer to people.  As I do so, I hope to inspire you to do the same thing.  

The American Dream

Good afternoon readers,

I started this Saturday out as I usually have for the past few months, and that is by spending quality time with my daughter.  She's at that age now where she's learning how to drive, look for a part time job, and she's starting to think about what she wants her future to be like.  For some time now, I have been telling her that she can do anything that she wants to do in life, as long as she is not hurting herself or anyone else.  I also ask that she not break the law and to be a good person.  

My sweet daughter does not know exactly what she wants to do as of yet, but she does have many great talents and character traits.  She's musically and artistically inclined, athletic, intelligent, sensible, and honest (sometimes brutally)!  She also wants to enjoy being a kid as long as she can.  She sometimes feel caught in a tight spot when she discusses her future with her dad's side of the family.  They are all accomplished in what I like to call "typical" high-yield occupations.  There's a risk manager, a doctor, and a few federal workers.  They try to convince her that the only way to be happy in this life is to play it safe.  Get a "good paying job" with "benefits" and conform to the standard of living that was once thought to be the way to get the American dream.

I teach her differently, because I see differently.  If my daughter's dream is to become a pop sensation, why is that wrong?  If she dreams of being the best high school janitor she can be, why is that wrong?  Who did the original idea for what many believe is the American dream come from?  Who's ever really described what it is supposed to be?

I went to college and earned a masters degree.  I thought that getting a great job with "benefits" was going to help me fulfill the whole in my heart where happiness was supposed to be.  I worked so hard to get those pieces of paper, and I even found a few good  jobs.  I still was not happy and feeling like I had found my true purpose in life.  I have sense come to believe that I can be successful and filled fulfilled, by sharing a positive attitude and outlook in the world by sharing good information, my skills, and my life in hopes that it will inspire someone else to be the best that they can be.  In my quest to do that, I will in turn receive the best things that are needed for me in my life abundantly.  I will do that by blogging, writing, and using video to practice and perfect my craft, hoping that the world will enjoy my gift to them.  That is my American dream.  And I hope ultimately my daughter and all of you decide that by giving the best of yourself to the world is the only way that you will get the best from it.

Love,

Kaye

Giving in Order to Receive

Most of the time when we think about our life, we think of it in terms of what we do not have.  We consider things such as not having enough money to buy certain things.  Next, we may consider that we don't have the time to make a commitment to giving of ourselves in one way or another.  Well, I have been using myself as a guinea pig for quite a while now with regards to giving.  I was in a very bad place mentally a few years back.  It seemed that I had the problems that I previously mentioned, I didn't have enough time to do anything, let alone any extra cash to buy anything or support a cause, regardless of how important it was.  I was introduced to a video, that talked about how the universe works and how we can make it work for us. 

At first, I thought the information found on the video was just a bunch of hogwash.  So jokingly (but seriously at the same time), I asked the Universe to make it possible for me to give more....give more of my time and money to support worthy causes. And BOY did the universe respond!  It gave me all kinds of crazy time to lend myself to supporting charities (I did so much charitable work that I decided to start my own non profit organization)!  It also started sending a steady flow of extra cash my way, and of course I supported various charities and other notable causes.  It was very much an exhilarating and surprising experience.

But what was more surprising and inspiring was how the universe responded to my "giving"- I began to feel uplifted and joyous all the time.  I also began to receive "gifts" of great magnitude from the most unexpected people and at just the right time!  It excited me so much that I wanted to utilize all my skills, talents, and resources to keep on giving!  And the more I gave of myself to the world around me, the more the universe responded.  It responded with not just material resources but spiritual ones too.  I have a keener sense of discernment and loyalty.  I am more conscious about how I relate to others and how I make them feel.  I am more conscious about how I treat myself.  I thought it would be hard to change, but I realized that it wasn't hard to change my way of thinking, the hard part was keeping my changed mindset.  Even though I backslide here and there, it still makes me happy to know that in the morning, I have the chance to do it right again!  I take that chance seriously, and in return the Universe (or GOD as I so love to refer to it as) takes me seriously.

Why don't you try it today!?  You don't have to be rich or in a position of stature to give, and everyone doesn't need money.  Some people just need a smile, so that they have a reason to smile back.  Some people need a shoulder to cry on- some people may need some advice on something you know a lot about.  Some people just need a peson to sit quietly with.  Be on purpose about your giving to others, so that the universe can be on purpose about giving back to you!

Making Your Greatest Mark on the World Comes by Being Yourself

For the past few years, I have been on a quest to find out what makes some people successful in this country we call the United States of America and why some people never find their reason for standing up and becoming the unique and individual beings that God intended us to be.  I have read many self help books on varying subjects relating to living a whole life and even did what most kids are raised to believe they should do:  Go to college and then look for a stable and secure position within a large, reputable company. 

My studies have helped me to discover many truths and falsehoods about how one should go about develping themselves into the great people they wish to become.  Of all of the things that I discovered, it turns out that the constant thing that most people who develop sustained financial wealth, balance of life and work, a well-rounded family, and great spiritual connection with the higher source is that most of them are not afraid to dig inside themselves through prayer and meditation to find who they are truly supposed to be and what their purpose is.  These great people then act immediately upon those ideals that feel right to them at their core, and I've learned that with practice you can always get the result that you focus on!

In the beginning, I didn't believe this theory, so I started testing it.  I started out with small things, like knowing that "at this moment" I will drive 20 miles without being stopped by a red light.  In the beginning my belief worked for me for maybe 3 or 4 lights, then 5-8 lights, and before long, I was driving miles "knowing that at that moment" the lights would all be green for me--and you know what, they were! 

There are a lot of very influential people whom have written books on the subject and I have read them.  I have also read some great biographies about influential people proceeding on with becoming who they are supposed to be, regardless of what anyone else thought of their decisions.  I intend to join their ranks.  I have been inspired by people from all walks of life who have made indeliable marks on the world to make my mark as well.  Lately, no one has inspired me more than the hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons.  In his book, "Do You!" with Chris Morrow, Simmons shares the "12 laws that he uses to access the power within you to acheive happiness and success". 

While the book is a very easy read and quite entertaining, the true message of the book is so crystal clear that it takes the stage in the lead role- and speaks to anyone and everyone about what they can do to lead their best life ever.  While everything worth having takes effort to get, reading this book helped me to rekindle the faith I once had in myself (which actually was wavering just a little while ago), and gave me the energy and the courage to press forward with being myself!  And I realized that if I love who I am and put the "best me" on display at every opportunity, while giving God the glory for my very existence, and finally giving to others in a way that enables them to be better and lifted up, then I am creating a great brand...one for God that will last till the end of time but will also be loved by many mere mortals residing here on earth!

So, if you are looking for a powerful read, then check the book out...and if I inspired you with this post, then get started right now on becoming who you are meant to be- you will find yourself being so happy that you took the leap!

Love,

Kaye Thompson