Gumption

gumption |ˈgəmpSHən| shrewd or spirited initiative and resourcefulness
What does gumption mean to you?Where do you get it?How do you keep it?
My husband, Dennis turns 60 today.  He is retired and loving his new life.  We don't have a honey do list, we have a GUMPTION list.  He tells me WORK is a four letter word that cannot be used in his presence.  Every now and then I mention a project and he says "sure, when I find the gumption."  I want to know where to buy some gumption.  
Yesterday I was going to Target for an 8 cubby shelving unit and asked him if he needed anything at Target.  He wanted cashews and in exchange I asked him to put the shelving unit together. He took the deal and I was glad we didn't have to wait for gumption to show up.  
Dennis does a lot of nice things for our family:

•   Has smoothies ready when Kelly and I return from the gym
•   Walks the dog and picks up the poop
•   He is a master chef who keeps us fed and we really appreciate it a lot!
•   He does laundry and dishes when needed.
•   And many more....

Gumption is a state of mind at our house. 

I had a very busy, physically demanding day and I really just wanted to lay on my bed, beneath the fan but I found the gumption to walk to my desk and start writing.  I felt my imagination soaring.

Kelly had three weeks of clean laundry to put away.  She didn't want to do it but found the gumption and now feels resourceful and mom won't be nagging her this week.

Lexy came over the other day to clean her room that she recently moved out of and it was a mess.  You know the stuff left after you take what you need and actually use?  She used initiative, offered to do it, found the gumption and we did it together.  We were both winners.

You maybe call gumption by another name:

• get-up-and-go
• spunk
• oomph
• spirit
• enterprise

But really all the words mean doing the thing that needs to be done.

When we find gumption we feel good about it.  

There are only 3 things that can make your dreams come true; 

your thoughts, your words, and your actions.  

-Mike Dooley

Find your gumption so your dreams will come true.

Happy Birthday 

Dennis!

Purpose, Passion and Other Motivations

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Have you figured out your burning desire?

What's your purpose in life, your passion for living?

The subjects of money, love and fame usually always come to mind as people answer these life changing questions, feeling confused and empty.

 I say ENOUGH!

So what if we all just choose to be happy?

  

Then you would have to figure out what it means for you to be happy. 

Is there an easy way to do that?

How do you start?

What are the steps?

The answer is in feelings. 

How do you want to feel?  

There is a simplicity in figuring out what being happy means to you.  

It circles back around to how you want to feel.  

• Peaceful
• Fit
• Vibrant
• Excited
• Kind
• Content
• Artistic
• Alive
• Meaningful
• Comfortable
• Joyful
• Light

And the beat goes on.....you fill in the blank, brainstorm.

Look up words in a Dictionary or Thesaurus for ideas.

Bounce ideas off of friends, co-workers, family even enemies.

Leave a comment below if you want to know what my 5 feelings are.....

When you know how you want to feel you can figure out what action plan you need to get those feelings.  And when you are living the feelings then you are happy.  Easy, right?  No more stressing about what to be when you grow up, just living the truth of who you are!  But society demands different definitions of success for different stages of life.  So as you grow and change make your feelings fit YOUR world not society.  Only you and your soul know what you need and when or how you will get there.  

Close your eyes.

Visualize your very best life.

See the day to day doings.

Live the feelings.

Create the mental image first.

Then...what do you have to do to make that vision come true?

Maybe the action plan includes a big shuffle in your life, or you are close to where you want to be or maybe you have not even started yet.  Searching.

Don't squander your time on earth searching so hard for a purpose 

that you don't spend your time on earth living and just enjoying being alive. 

~Karen Burch, from WayPoints

Pick one feeling that jumps out at you.

Live with the feeling.

Pay attention.

Make changes.

Enjoy being alive.

That is your purpose.

Before you can do it, you have to believe that you can.

Start there.

Believe. 

“You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. 

You will never truly live if you are forever looking for the meaning of life.”
―Albert Camus

   

Clutter

clutter |ˈklətər|nouna collection of things lying about in an untidy mass
    When the new school year starts, I get the urge to sort my belongings into neat stacks and clear piles of chaos into bags for give away.  Eliminating the unnecessary so the necessary may shine.  Clearing clutter is leaving behind only what is useful and needed, which of course is an objective exercise in decision making skills.  It is about way more than objects that are sharing our space around us.  It makes us look at needs vs. wants.  It questions our past record of obtaining new items.  Why did I absolutely "need" to have that thing-a-ma-jig or even like it?  What was I thinking?  
Mess.  Jumble.  Litter.  Heap.  Tangle.  Hodge-podge.  Disorder.  Chaos.  Disarray.  Untidiness.  Rubbish.  Junk.  And don't forget the memories that go along with that clutter too.  Good and bad memories with some guilt mixed in.Hurt and upset could be peeking out from under the pile. 
Now is the time to clear out the clutter.  Change the record.  The results are instantaneous.  You get rid of mental dust and dirt.  You throw away regret, shame and anger.  
What is the result of making those hard decisions about what stays and what goes?

•     You are processing thoughts about life. 
•     Filing away those lessons for another day. 
•     Learning to forgive yourself for the "mistakes".  
•     And helping others who have less but need more. 

If you only have what you love in your home there is a lot less. There is more room for treasures like breathing space, relaxation and love.  
Clutter is like a loud noise inside my head.  Buzzing interference between thoughts... pushing dreams aside to quiet places I cannot seem to find in the mess.
When the clutter is gone, the treasures remain.  We like the empty spaces, the clean look.  But it creeps back slowly.  And then we do it all again.  Because clutter is never ending. 
Stop holding onto what was, so you can enjoy what is beginning now.      

To Be Better, pt 2

Do your little bit of good where you are; 

its those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.

-Desmond Tutu

My mission in life is:

Spreading happiness, making a difference, changing the world, one person at a time.

To be better.

What is your mission, calling or passion?

Creating solutions and solving problems is a start to being a better person. 
The news is full of devastation and heartache.   
Help is needed.  
To be better starts with you.  
How can you impact your own life so you can be the best version of yourself? 

Maybe it is clearing clutter from your home (and donating it to others).
Maybe it is running a sponsored 5K (and donating money to their cause).
Maybe it is entertaining or performing in a play (and bringing smiles to others).
Maybe it is studying hard at school (and someday soon finding a cure for cancer).
Maybe it is learning how to be happy (and you. happier then spreads to others).

What spark is inside you, waiting to flame?  

To be better should be everyone's goal, mission, or mantra for their own lives.  
Imagine if we all did one thing today.
How would that domino? 
And then impact so many others.

To be better.

Today, I am impacted by the Rim Fire.  It has burned over 220,000 acres (340 square miles).  There are over 5,000 firefighters risking their lives and battling the wildfire.  Some of my friends have been evacuated and are in fear of losing their homes and all belongings.  Massive destruction is left behind.  Kudos to the person in Manteca that is gathering much needed items to send to the area.  This is a great example of using our time wisely.

To be better.

We have the answers.

We have the big ideas.

We are all the solution.

Share your gift.

To be better.

Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love,

 a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.

-Mother Teresa