Rich German launched his new book, Monetize Your Passion on Wednesday and he’s already raised over $4000 for Generation Why, supporting homeless children! I’ve been waiting not so patiently for this since I was so thrilled with the first chapter he gave away. You can download the whole book FREE while supporting Generation Why, hoping to raise over $100,000 for them. I suggest you check it (and him) out! Sooooo excited for him! He’s such a giving guy with a huge heart!

Monetize Your Passion FREE Book Giveaway

Who doesn’t have a dream?

A dream is a simple desire of your heart. We’re all born with them.

My generation spent our time as children, dreaming of what we wanted to be when we grew up, making up imaginary worlds and molding our reality with Play Dough, Tinker Toys and Lincoln Logs.

Today’s generation is so different, with video games, texting, and Facebook being the norm.

What ever happened to dreaming?

We lose a little more of our hopes and dreams as we get molded into the societal norm our school system this country implements. There’s a reason, of course; however we tend to lose more of ourselves year by year, until we find our dreams a distant, fading memory…

Color inside the lines to get an A.
Draw your picture according to the teacher’s instructions, not according to your expression.
Your answer to the question must be what the textbook has written, not your interpretation of it.

Says who???

We grow great by dreams. All big men are dreamers. They see things in the soft haze of a spring day or in the red fire of a long winter’s evening. Some of us let these great dreams die, but others nourish and protect them; nurse them through bad days till they bring them to the sunshine and light which comes always to those who sincerely hope that their dreams will come true.

~ Woodrow Wilson

The picture at the top is one of those wall stickers I have over my closet. It’s the first thing I see when I wake up and it serves as a daily reminder to keep working toward my dreams!

photo credit: rosmary

Without further ado, here are my top 5 ways to move closer to your dreams:

Remember what you loved to do as a child and find a way to do it. This one is so much fun! Blow bubbles, swing on a swing, spin around in circles until you’re dizzy, whatever used to make your heart sing. You’ll find this fires up your imagination, makes you smile, and simply feels good. Think back. What made you smile as a kid? What did you spend your time doing? What did you want to be when you grew up? Think back, pick something, and just do it (or something similar, if that’s more appropriate.) It’s a wonderful place to start!

Do something daily to move you a little closer. This may seem obvious, but even if it’s just a simple task, it helps build momentum. Couple that momentum with the feeling from the first step, since the “feel good” coupled with action, however small, can really add up over time. I call this “Inspired Action” because it’s got the feel good factor. When you do something with that good feeling, that action becomes much more than a simple action. It tends to invite more of the same, and that momentum really can propel you forward much more quickly. When you take inspired action, you get so much more done, and the tasks become a pleasure, as opposed to a chore that the mere tasks would be without the feel good factor.

Give yourself permission to dream. We are taught to get your head out of the clouds, face reality, get real, and come back down to Earth. Wow… Think about it. If you listen to that, you’re allowing someone else to tell you who you are and who you can be. That’s not their decision to make. Your dream is YOUR business. Important business. One of my favorite quotes is this: What you think of me is none of my business. I’m not sure who originally said it, but I’ve heard it many times in talks by Wayne Dyer. I love it! Realize not only is it okay to dream, it’s your right and it is no one’s business but your own! So, fire up that dream, and let it fly!

Turning dreams into reality involves taking some risks. Following your dreams isn’t always easy. No one ever said anything about easy. There are risks involved. Stepping out of your comfort zone, into uncharted territory, can be darn scary. This can involve learning to think differently, do things in a different way that can sometimes open you up to criticism which is never easy, but oh, so worth it once you start to do it. Learning to view the world according to your rules, as opposed to others’ rules can be so enlightening and fulfilling. The first time you develop your I don’t give a squat attitude is so empowering!

Learn to live a life of gratitude. You should KNOW I couldn’t leave this out! Becoming grateful for the ability to dream, the dream itself, and the tools you’ve found to get there is a good place to start. Appreciate the reality you already have. Once you appreciate what you have already, and realize how truly blessed you already are, you open yourself up to getting a little closer to making your dream into your reality. Realize that if someone can do it, especially if someone is already doing it, that there is no reason why you can’t do it. Be grateful, and develop a “why NOT me” attitude. You are an individual expression of the Creative Force (God,Universe, Source, whatever YOU call your higher self) and deserve everything your heart desires.

My daughter said something funny the other day: Just make what your heart desires but it won’t desire my heart.

It may sound funny, but there’s a LOT of wisdom in that statement. She was so right. What my heart desires isn’t going to be what HER heart desires. So find what YOUR heart desires, take these 5 steps and move your dreams from just a dream to YOUR reality.

YOU are worth it!

Recently I saw a blog post from Scott Ginsberg, (you know, that rockin’ Nametag Guy) promoting his new book, -ABLE: 35 Strategies for Increasing the Probability of Success in Business and in Life

Let me take a moment to say that Scott is hands down, my all time favorite writer. I faithfully check out his articles, and his blog updates have never been introduced to my spam filter. He, like his writing, is a keeper. Check out his blog and see for yourself why he’s so highly recommended by yours truly!

Scott issues a challenge, asking for our “-able” words, and how ours would apply to success. I immediately thought, “Easy peasy, Aunt Louisy” and then took it upon myself to smack myself upside the head for that bit of over the top cheesiness.

Once I recovered from the blow, this became a no-brainer for me.

What do I always talk about?

What always creeps into my posts, conversations, and just life in general?

Ding, ding, ding!!!

You hit the nail on the head, you lucky winner, you…

My best friend and constant companion…Gratitude.

And since “gratitudeable” just didn’t have “that ring” to it, I opted to go with…

Gratefulable!

Not only was it a great word, but I love the “full o’ bull” ending to it that makes me giggle like a school girl every time I hear it…

But then again, with my sense of humor (pretty much like you’d see from a prepubescent teenage boy… Chalk it up to growing up with older brothers…) you would expect nothing less from me, now would you?

Gratefulable: One who is capable of gratitude.

ex: She felt very grateful for her life.

A person who seeks out the feeling of gratitude in all situations.

ex: He found the hidden meaning in the issue he was going through and felt much thanks.

(also see “thankfulable” which has equally that full o’ bull goodness!)

Being grateful in all situations can help you tremendously in your life.

Success is born of the grateful heart. – ABL (Hey, that’s me!)

When you find yourself feeling grateful for what you currently have, be it a tremendous amount or a tiny smidgen, you’ll find that more “to be grateful fors” come your way.

It’s a tried and true rule of thumb.

One thing I know to be true – If you’re not grateful for what you have when you’re in “smidgen mode” you’ll not be grateful if you ever get to the good stuff.

I speak gratitude.

I see gratitude.

I LIVE gratitude.

I’m “WIGgin’ out” (living With Inspired Gratitude) with gratitude.

And I’m extra gratefulable that I’ve BECOME gratitude.

How about you?

What successes do YOU think you could come up with once YOU become gratefulable?

With Inspired Gratitude,

I felt like doing something a bit different today. When I saw the angel in the picture I took, it reminded me of the poem I wrote for Dad when he died and I thought I’d share:

Let me know if my poetry is something you’d like to see more of, or if it’s not your cup of tea and I’ll respond accordingly. I’ve got tons to share if there is interest.

Here’s my poem that helped me get through an incredibly tough time when dad died:

Heaven’s Newest Angel

From this life, he now is gone
Onto the next he’ll go,
Though for ourselves, we are oh, so sad,
There’s one thing we all know…

He’s Heaven’s newest angel,
With his newfound wings he flies,
Watching over all of us
With his smile and sparkling eyes…

He’s taken the Heavens quite by storm,
And is welcomed with open arms,
He’s exactly like a breath of fresh air,
Now it’s elsewhere he’ll spread his charms…

He’s brightened up the Heavens,
A star that shines so bright,
Never will we be alone,
He’s here, just out of sight…

For he’s Heaven’s newest angel,
With his harp, he sweetly plays
A song of hope for the eternity
He’s earned in so many ways…

©Angela L. Ziegler 2000 (my former name)

A Penny From Heaven

When darkness is upon us
And nothing is going right,
It’s at those very times
That something brings us light…

These signs come in many forms,
Shapes, sizes, colors and ways,
The subtle little reminders
That there will be better days…

If we’re not careful, we’ll miss them
So we must keep a watchful eye,
No matter how hard it may seem
We have to really try…

I was reminded of this very thing
When my life seemed incredibly low,
And now my life has so much meaning,
More than anyone could know…

A penny tossed from Heaven,
Such a small but powerful sign,
A reminder of who’s watching over me
Guardian angels’ light doth shine…

So remember this when you’re feeling low,
A better day you will receive,
So many wonderful things can come your way
If only you believe…

©Angela L. Ziegler 2003 (my former name)

And another:

Life Lessons

Life has a funny way
of bringing us what we need
at the times we are at the end of our rope,
when nothing makes sense…
sanity questioned…
our emotions on autopilot…
hiding behind the facade
others know as a smile…

Life also has a way of giving us
a wake up call when the time is right,
sometimes at a great cost…
recognizable only to us…
hitting us like a ton of bricks…
guiding us in the direction
we were meant to take…

Life has an interesting way
of putting earthly angels
right in our path…
waiting with open arms…
a tender heart…
a permanent invitation engraved
on their shoulders…
healing the pain that others
can only pacify with a bandage…

Life has a mysterious way
of enlightening us when we’re ready,
using pain to strengthen us…
joy to warm our hearts…
peace arrives in its own time…
making us realize we aren’t supposed
to understand it all – just live it…

© Angela L. Ziegler 2004 (my former name)

With Inspired Gratitude,

I went out with my friend, Tim, yesterday and we were going to a park to take photos. On the way, there was great scenery, so I was taking pictures, and this is one I took. I didn’t see it at the time, but when I uploaded it, there it was!

With Inspired Gratitude,