G.P.S. - Are You Going Where You Want To Go?

A 6 Week Road-Mapping Series

Getting started:  It's easy.  Simply join a group of like-minded folks who are wanting to fine-tune their navigational bearings ... to align the who-they-are with the where-they-are-going in life.  The group will meet once a week for 6 weeks.  Meetings will be 1 hour.  There will be lots of interaction ... and a little homework ... and accountability.

Each week there will be exercises to help identify destinations, road blocks, detours & maybe even a total re-route.

Assignments will involve people who are currently journeying with you ... and identifying others you might like to journey with as well.

Brainstorming ... ideas ... will result in personal game plans being mapped out and shared with each other.
A network of encouragement & support will be created within the group.

Realistic, achievable goals will be set each week ... and built upon over the course of the series. A course will be charted ... and progress will be tracked for each adventurer.

There will be 2 meeting times & locations each week to accommodate everyone's busy schedules. Locations will be based on group composition.  The first session will be the week of August 5, 2013.

It is not necessary to attend both meetings ... the material will be exactly the same. And if you can't get to one of the meetings in a particular week, the information can be shared via email so you don't lag behind the others.

The group interaction is going to be lively & spirited.  You won't want to miss out on those discussions!

The cost is $30 for 6 weeks of motivation & directional positioning. Payment can be made directly to
MaryJane Sawyer or via paypal.

Reserve your spot TODAY!  And share with anyone else who might need their battery re-charged!

Smile!

MaryJane

MaryJane Sawyer
Positivity & Possibility Consultant
501-319-3436
maryjsawyer@gmail.com

UNLEASH THE POWER OF GRATITUDE!

 Did you know that simply thanking the people you are grateful for can make a BIG difference in your life?

It's true.  And here's just a few reasons why ....

It reminds you of the positive things in your life.  Focusing on the positive things that come your way each day makes you happy about yourself ... and the other people in your life. ... whether they are loved ones, friends or just a stranger you meet along the way.

It turns bad things into good things.  Being grateful for your challenges ... and the lessons you can learn from those challenges ... reminds you of the people who are there for you when you need a word of encouragement ... or a helping hand.

It reminds you of what's important. By turning your attention each day to the things that happened that were good & positive, you are able pass along a little bit of light to others no matter what the circumstances.  It's hard to complain about things when you are giving thanks.

It reminds you to thank others.  Saying "thank you" to someone may seem like a small thing ... but it can make a difference in the other person's life.  Just taking a few minutes to tell them you are grateful toward them ... that they have touched your life in some special way ... will make them feel appreciated ... and happy.

Making someone else happy will make you happy, too.

For the next few months, I will be sharing the 30 Day Gratitude Challenge with people in a variety of ways.  I will be speaking to groups ... I will be conducting Gratitude parties ... and I will be spending time one-on-one with people who are interested in unleashing the power of gratitude into their lives.

My goal is to find 100 people who are willing to take the Gratitude Challenge with me.  Each one will be a ripple of positive energy ... and collectively, it will be a tidal wave of gratitude.

Just think ... if my 100 people ... reach out and touch 30 people ... that's 3000 gifts of gratitude.  And if each of those 30 people were to be inspired to say thank you themselves ... the impact will go on and on and on!

To take the Gratitude Challenge is simple.  All you have to do is agree to send a card with a heartfelt message ... every day for 30 days ... telling someone why they are special to you.

Then go to www.socgratitude.com/mjsawyer and open your free SendOutCards account. Choose the $31 Preferred Customer Option to purchase 100 pts which is enough to make 30 or so cards ... put some postage in your expense account ... and start spreading the good feelings!  If you want to come to a Gratitude Party ... or sit down and have a heart-to-heart talk about the power of Gratitude ... just say the word and I will make it happen! Click here if you would like to know more about how SendOutCards is changing lives ... one card at a time!

SendOutCards allows you to choose from one of the thousands of cards already created in the online catalog ... or create very personal cards using your own pictures and graphics.  Just type in your message of gratitude ... and click send.  A real-live card will be commercially printed and mailed within 24 hours ... via the US Postal Service ... to your recipient.

The card?  About $1.  The stamp?  45 cents.  The happiness?  Priceless.
That's PRICELESS x 2!!! 

When you make someone happy, you make you happy, too ... remember?!?

Of course, you can choose to take the 30 Day Gratitude Challenge without using the SendOutCards system.  And that's perfectly fine with me.

My guess is that I will be receiving ... running across ... or finding an abundance of good stuff about the power of gratitude as I go along.  If you would like for me to share the articles, songs, links and ideas with you ... simply click here to join my
Power of Gratitude email list.  You don't have to take the challenge to be on the list.

Let me know if you'd like to host a Gratitude party.  It's fun.  Just invite a few friends over and have some refreshments.  I will be happy to come talk to them about the impact embracing gratitude will have on their lives.  It won't be a sales-pitch, I promise.  And each of your guests will receive a free SendOutCards account ... just for  being there ... even if they don't choose to take the Gratitude Challenge.

I am also looking for opportunities to talk to groups such as Rotary, Kiwanis, or others who believe in a life of service & giving.  The 30 Day Gratitude Challenge is a natural for them!  Please let me know if you can help me get in touch with some of those folks!

Will you be one of my 100?  Will you take the 30 Day Gratitude Challenge?  Would you be interested in sharing the 30 Day Gratitude Challenge with others?

Three Peas

Passion. Purpose. Possibilities.

Three peas.  In a pod.

It's an idea ... germinating.  And ideas are worth something!

Want to be a part of something  bigger than yourself?  Would you like to tag along on an interesting adventure ... MJ-style?  How about a FREE sample of synchronicity?!?

Here's the formula:

3 people who will serve as my brainstorming, accountability sounding boards for 6-8 weeks.  Must be motivated, creative and available for random conversations of varying lengths.  Long distance is ok.

6-9 people who are willing to hop off their hamster wheels ... who have a sincere desire to change something about themselves and their lives.  Must be open, honest & have a genuine desire to do something new ... or different.  A commitment of 1-2 hours per week for 6-8 weeks ... and there will be exercises & things you will have to do on your own.  Again, long distance won't be a problem.

It's going to be fun & interesting. I promise!

This is not something random.  It's important to me.  I am taking bold steps ... now ... towards the life I want to be living.

And I need the help & support of my friends & peers.

To be a part of my pilot program, simply send me an email (maryjsawyer@gmail.com) and tell me what intrigued you about this post ... about the changes you would like to be making ... and why you think being involved in this endeavor with me might make a difference in your life.

There is a deadline ... June 10.  I will be making my selections based on real & genuine responses.

When it's all said & done, I will have the flexible blueprint for the work I am going to be doing ... as I move towards what's coming next ... in my life.

Passion. Purpose. Possibilities.

www.dynamicpossibilities.blogspot.com
(c) May 2012

Show Me The Money!

"You are really good at what you do, MaryJane ... and you've certainly had a lot of successes" ... that's how the conversation started. It was with someone that is going to be working with me on a project that involves business development, customer base expansion, new revenue streams .... and most likely, lucrative commissions.

"So what motivates you?" he asked.  "It's obviously not the money."

"You're right," I said.  "It's really never about the money to me."

I had to smile because pretty much everyone who knows me knows that even though I make a livelihood out of helping businesses make money ... nonprofits raise money ... and individuals find ways to maximize their potential often resulting in increased earnings ... I am truly not ever ... in it ... for the money.

"Then it must be ego," he said.  Yep.  That's what he said. 
Obviously he doesn't know me ...

I laughed.  Out loud.  I couldn't help myself. 

"Wrong again," I said. "It's definitely NOT ego!"

Baffled, he turned to me with questioning eyes, "If it's not money ... and it's not ego ... then what else is there?"

"Touching lives ... and making a difference,"  I responded. 
"That's what motivates me."

"Oh."  He seemed disappointed somehow.

I did go on to tell him about my challenge-driven nature ... how I like to do things that have never been done before ... or at least do them in an innovative,
out-of-the-box way ... and how I get really fired up when someone tells me that something can't be done ... when in fact the problem is
they don't know how to do it.

His next response had to do with ... money.

It's going to be an interesting project. And I am pretty sure that some significant money is going to be made. 

Success to me is going to be measured on a different scale, however. 
It's going to far outweigh ... the money!

www.dynamicpossibilities.blogspot.com
(February 2012)

Start Something ... Today ...

Been cleaning out the clutter in my house ... and my life.  Trying to organize some motivational materials that I've collected over a lot of years, too.  I ran across this story earlier in the week ... and it really struck me ... so I wanted to share it ...

... it was forwarded to me by a friend in January of 2007 ... it was written by Julie Ostrowski of Daily Bread Ministries.  I tried to find the website listed under her name in the email ... but the error message said it was no longer available.  And then I googled her ... and Daily Bread Ministries ...  didn't readily find anything that looked like a blog or other website to link to where this might be posted ... did find several references to a dynamic woman with her name ... guessing it might be her ... but I'm not sure. 

Always like to give credit where credit is due ... so thanks Julie ... for this story ... I am going to put it here ... in her own words ... so the "I" references are Julie ... not me ...

Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, "Mother, you must come see the daffodils before they are over."  I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead. 

"I will come next Tuesday," I promised a little reluctantly on her third call.

Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy.  Still, I had promised, and reluctantly I drove there.  When I finally walked into her house I was welcomed by the joyful sounds of happy children.  I delightedly hugged and greeted my grandchildren.

"Forget the daffodils!  The road is invisible in these clouds and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these children that I want to see badly enough to drive another inch!"

My daughter smiled calmly and said, "We drive in this all the time, Mother."

"Well, you won't get me back on the road until it clears, and then I'm heading home!"  I assured her.

"But first we're going to see the daffodils.  It's just a few blocks," she said.  "I'll drive.  I'm used to this."

"Please turn around," I said sternly. 

"It's all right, Mother, I promise.  You will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience."

After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small gravel road and I saw a small church.  On the far side of the church, I saw a hand lettered sign with an arrow that read, "Daffodil Garden".  We got out of the car, each took a child's hand, and I followed them down the path.  Then, as we turned a corner, I looked up and gasped.  Before me lay the most glorious sight.

It looked as though someone had taken a great vat of gold and poured it over the mountain peak and its surrounding slopes.  The flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns, great ribbons and swaths of deep orange, creamy white, lemon yellow, salmon pink, and saffron and butter yellow.  Each different colored variety was planted in large groups so that it swirled and flowed like its own river with its own unique hue.  There were five acres of flowers.

"Who did this?" I asked.  "Just one woman", she answered.  "She lives on the property.  That's her home."  She pointed to a well-kept A-frame house, small and modestly sitting in the midst of all that glory.  We walked up to the house.

On the patio, we saw a poster.  "Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking", was the headline.  The first answer was a simple one.

"50,000 bulbs"

The second answer was, "One at a time, by one woman.  Two hands, two feet, and one brain."

The third answer .... "Began in 1958"

For me, that moment was a life-changing experience.

I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than 40 years before, had begun, one bulb at a time, to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure mountaintop.  Planting on bulb at a time, year after year, this unknown woman had forever changed the world in which she lived.  One day at a time, she had created something of extraordinary magnificence, beauty, and inspiration.  The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest principles of celebration.

That is, learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at a time ... often just one baby-step at a time ... and learning to love the doing, learning to use the accumulation of time.  When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things.  We can change the world ...

"It makes me sad in a way," I admitted.  "What might I have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal 35 or 40 years ago and had worked away at it 'one bulb at a time' through all those years?  Just think what I might have been able to achieve!"

My daughter summed up the message of the day in her usual direct way. 

"Start tomorrow"

Yes, indeed.  This story could easily be about me ... and my daughter.  On Wye Mountain.  Right here in Arkansas.  That's the cool thing about things that are true ... real ... genuine.  It could be any of us ... on any given day ... whereever we are.

There is no better time than right now to be happy.  Choose happy.  That's what I've been doing for a few years now.  And it's working.  I promise!

Take a few minutes.  Dream BIG!  Start something ... today!

... and don't be afraid that your life will end ... be afraid that it never begins!



www.dynamicpossibilities.blogspot.com
(C) September 2011

Mr. Postman ... Look & See ...

Everyone loves to receive things ... in the mail. 

An email ... a text message ... a tweet ... not even a phone call has the same impact as finding a simple envelope in the mail with your name on it.  It means someone was thinking about you ... a couple of days ago ... enough to stop what they were doing &; send a special little something on to you.

Of course, I am not talking about junk mail or bills.  They, too, have your name on them.  Those are different.

I am talking about personal mail.  From friends.  Or lovers.  Maybe even from imaginary friends.  There's just something about receiving things in the mail.  The sentiment is far more memorable when received in a card or letter.   And sometimes, those treasures are tucked away and savored ...over & over again ... year after year.

This week I had the opportunity to send something to a bunch of people.  Actually, it was two bunches of people.  In both cases, they were invitations.
Of sorts.

Sending bunches of mail these days might seem overwhelming. 

You know, you have to prepare what you're going to send ... which usually involves at least one trip to a store somewhere ...

And you have to make sure you have all of the addresses ... then you have to put 'em together ... and seal 'em ...and stamp 'em ... ending with a trip to the Post Office for mailing.

Just a few years ago ... it didn't seem like such a big deal.  I guess each new-fangled technology just makes us more impatient, impersonal and immediate. 

Lucky for me, I have the best of both worlds.  The old-fashion ability to create special pieces of mail ... invitations, cards, letters ... with my very own pictures ... one-at-time or in bunches for groups of folks  PLUS technology that allows me to do it online quickly & efficiently.

So on Monday, I sat down to my two invitation projects. 

First was an invitation to a baby shower for some very special friends.  They had put together a pretty good list of invitees in multiple states ... and emailed it to me.  So it was a piece of cake to take the list ... format it in excel ... and upload it into my card-sending contact list.  Took about 10 minutes, I think.

Then I made the cute invitation.  Over the weekend I had sent my friend into the online card catalog to pick out something that she liked and together we had decided exactly what we wanted to say ... it was basic invitation stuff ... where & when & the like. 

The special thing was being invited to share in this occasion ... the preparation for the arrival of a sweet little girl early in 2011.

Upload.  Design.  Click. Click. Click. Send.

That was it.  Personally addressed. Stuffed. Stamped.  In the mail.  Done.

Took 20 minutes ... tops!

Second was my annual reminder invitation to parents who send Letters From Santa to their children as part of their holiday tradition.  Each year I send them a cute little card asking for an update on the activities of each child so that ole Santa can write very personal letters to them.

This went a little quicker because the reminder card really doesn't change from year-to-year.  It's always right there in the "My Cards" folder when I am ready to mail it.  So again, a quick upload of last year's mailing list followed by a few clicks ... and hundreds of invitations were on their way.

And the only time I got up from my chair was to get another cup of coffee!

How did I do that?!?!  It's a nifty program called SendOutCards.  It's fun & creative.  Some of the individual cards I have made for friends & family have been ... well ... priceless!

Cards full of pictures from an event or gathering.  Invitations to weddings, parties &other such occasions.  Thank-yous to clients.  Intros to prospects.  And there's even a font created from my handwriting to satisfy the old-fashion notewriter in me. 

Emily Post would be so proud of me ... for finding a way to carry such a timeless, proper tradition into the frantic life of the 21st Century ...

... and pretty much everyone who knows me knows I love traditions!

Holday card sending is just a week or so away.  I am looking forward to that, too. 

I don't send out as many Christmas cards as I used to before all of the connectivity of the internet.  Still there are people & friends that I will be sharing some memories with during the season.  Each will be custom-designed ... with them specifically in mind ... very special messages ... & a few fun pictures, too. 

The value of each card will be high ... the actual cost will be somewhere around $1.50 including postage ... even if you add the price of my good coffee, it will be less than a typical off-the-rack greeting card.

It's not too late to create the coolest holiday cards ... ever ... for individuals, small groups of friends or bunches of people.  SendOutCards. Just let me know if you are interested & I will tell you how to get started .

It's really not magic ... but it sure does make someone special feel like it is ... from time-to-time.

http://www.dynamicpossibilities.blogspot.com/
(c) November 2010

Ho, Ho, Ho!

"He sees you when you're sleeping ... he knows when you're awake ... he knows if you've been bad or good ... so be good for goodness sake!"

That popular holiday song is talking about Santa Claus, of course!

Each year ... about this time ... I start thinking about how I can help Santa out.  That's right.  It's a family secret that I "work" for the jolly ole elf.  I am one of Santa's original "letter writers".

For over 20 years, I have been penning clever little notes to children of all ages .... reminding them of the accomplishments of the past year ... and at times, reminders of the popular fads & trends as well.  Each  letter shares tidbits of the milestones or unique experieneces of the seasons just past ... as well as a promise that if good behavior prevails ... something special will be waiting under the tree!

I started the tradition when my daughters were very small.  It has been fun ... every single year ... to see the awe & wonder on their faces when the mail arrives with a REAL letter ... with a stamp and a postmark from the North Pole ... and loving words from Santa Claus.

When Abbi was in middle school, she caught on. 

In her precocious style, she confronted me with the TRUTH about "those Santa letters".  An elaborate explanation of Santa's workforce followed along with the promise to "show" her the paycheck from Santa when it arrived.  That cute little check ... so carefully crafted by a friend at the bank ... is part of collage of our Outer Banks years hanging in my kitchen. 

I have told the story of Abbi and the paycheck from Santa several times over this past weekend.  I was participating in a Holiday Sale where I was introducing new families to a unique holiday tradition --- a personal letter from Santa.

Each letter is as special as the child that receives it.  Loved ones share the stories & memories and they are woven into the fabric of the letter.  No two are alike ... just like no two children are alike.

Over the years, many families have collected the letters.  Saving them in scrapbooks or maybe in a bundle to be read and re-read each year as the children become adults.  Together, the letters become short chapters ... reminders of where your children came from as they travel down the road to where they are going!

Grown-ups like the letters, too. 

There was a loving man in North Carolina who sent a letter to Santa to his wife ... faithfully ... every year for 15 years.  They were middle-aged when he began the tradition.  They had no children of their own ... only each other.  Each year he shared little stories of their life together ... and Santa always smiled at the love that was found in their home.  Last year, I received a letter from this kind man telling me that his beautiful wife would be spending Christmas in heaven from now on.  He shared with me the story of the year just past ... of her strength and courage ... of his broken heart ... and how those letters each year had become a special expression of love between him & his beloved.

I had no idea ... that something so fun & whimsical to me ... could have such an impact in someone else's life!

Even though Abbi & Jessi are grown now ... they still look forward to their annual letters.  It's one more way that I tell them that I love them ... year-after-year ... the little girls who are now amazing young women!

If you want to add a little magic to some special child's Christmas this year ... why not send them a personal letter from Santa!  Click on the tab on this page and fill out the simple form. Or SantaWritesLetters 

It only takes a few minutes ... and it's not very expensive.

Oohs... aahs ... wonder ... smiles - priceless!

http://www.dynamicpossibilities.blogspot.com/
(c) November, 2010