Try and Trying Again

Setbacks and delays cannot detour the focused pursuit of a great goal. You go!

Hold the vision

"People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self centered.
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies.
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere, people my deceive you.
Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.
Create anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, will often be forgotten.
Do good anyway.

Give the best you have, and it will never be enough.
Give you best anyway.

In final analysis, it is between you and God.
It was never between you and them anyway."

~~Kent Keith~~

Shine on!

Don't let words and opinions limit your dream. I like this from Mark Twain:

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great." ~Mark Twain

I guess what I'm saying this morning is, get rid of limits imposed by yourself, as well as others. You have dreams, ideas, goals. Don't look for the ways you can't, look for the ways you can!

Shine On!

Image Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/alexandrasnowdon/

Peace is always beautiful

"This is what you shall do; Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to everyone that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul, and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body." ~Walt Whitman

You've got to start somewhere!

"Starting something is not an event; it’s a series of events. You decide to walk to Cleveland. So you take a first step in the right direction. That’s starting. You spend the rest of the day walking toward Cleveland, one step at a time, picking your feet up and putting them down. At the end of the day, twenty miles later, you stop at a hotel. And what happens the next morning? Either you quit the project or you start again, walking to Cleveland. In fact, every step is a new beginning. Sure, you’re closer than you were yesterday or last week..." ~Seth Godin (Poke the Box)

Image Credit: Amplified, the Illustrated Life

Today is ready cash, spend it wisely!

Yesterday is a cancelled check. Tomorrow is a Promissory note. Today is ready cash. Spend it wisely.

How often do we say "I used to be a big manager in a company, I used to be rich, I used to be thin, I used to be great at golf, I used to this, I used to that!" Cancelled! How many of you say, "when I'm not so busy, when I catch a break, when I loose 20 pounds, when I get 10 more sales, when I this, when I that." Is it just wishful thinking?

There is nothing wrong with reminiscing and reviewing the past. The past is where all the big and little choices we have made are. It's the context of today. However, getting one's identity or reality from what has been is looking backwards. How can progress be made while always bringing up what was?

Looking into the future, making plans, setting goals, and having a clear direction where you are going is very powerful. The danger is to defer what can be done now because you are waiting for the "right" conditions. Banking on what "will be" is giving away the building blocks of that future.

Today is where the cash is. Right now! The choices you make, the actions you take, the thoughts in your head, the dreams you have, all are for today. Spend today wisely and cash in big time!

Do you need help with maximizing your use of today? Shine Consulting works one-on-one with business owners, managers, and supervisors to help them understand and excel in their role. We provide tools for time management, clear communications, critical thinking, decision making, and conflict management. Contact SHINE Consulting today Because...

Today is ready cash! 

What small effort are you making today?

"What we call little things are merely the causes of great things; they are the beginning, the embryo, and it is the point of departure which, generally speaking, decides the whole future of an existence. One single black speck may be the beginning of a gangrene, of a storm, of a revolution." ~Henri Frederic Amiel

Some days you just gotta jump

"Mama exhorted her children at every opportunity to 'jump at the sun.' We might not land on the sun, but at least we would get off the ground." ~Zora Neale Hurston

Waiting for perfect conditions to take flight? Sure, once in a while the absolute perfect day happens. However, most are just average days with average conditions. Go ahead, take a leap, make things happen on this Monday. Who knows what you'll encounter! 

Push through adversity

It takes a determined person to hold on to their vision. Push through adversity, it's a sign that things are gonna change!

Need help working through chaos and confusion? SHINE has compassion and enthusiasm for your process and is ready to equip you with tools to manage transition. Connect with us at sahepler@gmail.com.

Loving your gifts and talents

Lately, I've been reading and hearing so much talk about loving yourself -- that it's the first step to loving others, it's the only way to truly be happy in life, and, our success in our jobs and relationships depends on it.

But, what does it mean to love one's self? Some of us have so much bad that's been piled on us from broken childhoods, toxic marriages, demeaning work experiences, and a host of other damaging experiences, that the concept of loving our self seems crazy!

Greedy people suck, literally

First of all, let's say what loving one's self is not. It's not about putting yourself and your needs above or at the expense of another. That isn't love. That's selfishness. Having a greedy attitude with money, attention, power, or any other resource comes from a sense of neediness. And, neediness is not self-loving. Sucking the life out of others is most assuredly not loving others or oneself.

The martyr gives it all away

Also, playing the sacrificial lamb is not self love. Giving away your dreams, position, opinions or any other personal expression is denying yourself of joy and accomplishment. You wouldn't do this to your best friend or someone you cherish. Why would you think to do this to yourself? Never give your life force away without giving to yourself at the same time.

Loving your gifts and talents

Loving yourself, right this very moment, means celebrating the very essence of who you are. The God-created spirit who moves on the earth, who has been formed with gifts and talents built into your very DNA. It's pretty amazing when we think about it; we have ideas, inspirations, dreams, and adventures embedded in us. They are unique, too! Every single one of us has something to offer mankind that only we can deliver.

How does that translate to loving ourselves? 

When you have an innovative approach to how you or your employer does work, finding a way to honor that is loving yourself. When you speak your truth about a subject you know well, you love yourself. When you celebrate your ability to delegate, organize, inspire, envision, nurture or create, you love yourself. Hopefully, you get the picture here -- honoring your uniqueness, acknowledging your gifts and talents, all equate to loving yourself.

What if you don't know those good things

Some of us have been so busy with our noses to the grindstone doing the job or taking care of others, that we have lost the connection to who we are, what our gifts and talents are, and how to live our purpose. You might say that you don't have time for all of this esoteric, touchy-feely stuff. Okay. But, what if I told you by getting to know and love your core self you'd be a more productive business owner/parent/spouse, that you would have more energy, and people would respond to you differently, you probably would take the time, wouldn't you?

Most of us don't do this kind of work well on our own. Some of you think you do, however our blind spots, hurts, and beliefs almost always get in our way. I suggest that you invest in yourself by taking some time with a counselor, coach or consultant. These are professionals trained to help you mine the nuggets of gold deep inside of you.

And, once you know and own those nuggets, you can begin to love your gifts and talents!

Faith vs. Fear - The Show Down

Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.
~Mark Twain

What do you fear the most?
Not being respected... not having love... not being listened to... not having financial success...? The list of things people fear is endless, as the things we fear are personal and unique.


The dream thief
I do know that fear is a dream thief. It keeps us shackled and imprisoned in worry, doubt, shame, and a host of nastiness. Fear is real, it is dark, and it is immobilizing. What's the solution? How does one get rid of this evil called fear? How do we get our dreams and joy back? 


It ain't easy!
Believe me, I know it's not as easy as flipping a switch! I've heard those pie-in-the-sky types that claim it's easy to just throw off fear. I say it's not easy at all! It takes courage and resolve to acknowledge one's fear, look it straight in the eye, and say "you will not overcome!" 


Opportunity is knocking
I know that where there is fear there is opportunity. What? Yes! Opportunity to change a situation, change your life, change the world! In each of us we have gifts and a calling to make change for good. Our Creator equipped us individually with qualities and talents specifically for the challenges we face. Fear is the resistance to the glorious humans we were intended to be. 


The power of prayer
When faced with fear, God asks that we call in the big guns. He's there to shed light on His plans for us, to equip us anew with the tools and determination we need to fully and dynamically create the relationships, businesses, missions, and much more, that He planned for us. Know that He won't just step in without permission, you must ask for His powerful and amazing assistance.


Take fear head on 
Look at fear for what it is: an evil dream stealer. When you are equipped with courage and resolve, when you have faith that God is using you for powerful and good, fear recoils and slithers away. 

Let your faith be bigger than your fear! 

Making Your Wish a Goal!

Do you make lists of the things you want? Do you ever journal the dreams you have for a new or better life? Writing out what you intend is a powerful step to moving a thought into reality, be it the day-to-day achievements in the work place or when and when your want to retires.


You say you don't have time to journal or write out goals? Thinking in ink is a way to set where you want to go and to realistically track where you are in your progression. It's a powerful planning tool.


Need some help with this? SHINE is here to get you started. Drop me a note and together we'll set you on the way to making those wishes a reality! 

When you settle, nobody wins

When you settle, nobody wins

What have you settled for because the economy seems to hold you back, your important people have expectations for you, or because your dream seems too big? 

Pay attention to how you feel come Sunday evening. Do you look forward to the new week with all of it's possibilities? Or, do you dread Sunday even coming because it means work the next day!

It's time to put a little thought and energy into what brings you joy. Take time this weekend to journal, discuss with your spouse or friends, or take it to your knees. Then... let's look for ways to make it happen.

Send me an email message with your thoughts and together we can work out a plan to make you SHINE!