Do you ever notice your thoughts?  Do you ever stop to think about what you’re thinking about?  Are the thoughts that you’re thinking doing you more harm than good?

It’s interesting how the thoughts you continue to have actually manifest into your life.  For instance, if you’re always thinking about money, then whatever it is you think about money will manifest itself into your life.  If you are always thinking how you don’t have enough, then that’s what will manifest into your life in some way shape or form.  If you’re looking for a relationship, but think negative thoughts about how you’re never going to find the right guy or girl, then that’s what you’ll get.

The reason why I titled this post mind noise, is because sometimes, my thoughts are not as productive as I’d like for them to be.  I guess because of certain insecurities I may have about one thing or another.  So, I decided to blog about this in an effort to make myself more aware of how the thoughts I have can manifest themselves into my life whether I want them to or not.  I’m sure I’m not the only one out there with mind noise, so I’m sure this will be helpful for you too!

It’s important to get rid of or limit the mind noise so that you can actually attract more of what you WANT into your live versus what you DON’T.  Here are a few tips on getting rid of your mind noise:

1) When you wake up in the morning, be sure to thank GOD for your life today.  This will help you to value yourself.

2) Make a list of the things in your life that you are thankful for and count your blessings.

3) Make a list of the things that you think about that are negative.  When you’re done take a good look at it and then burn it (safely).

4) When you start to have a negative thought enter your mind replace it with one of the things you are thankful for or a song that makes you happy.

5) Surround yourself with positive people on a daily basis even if it’s by phone.

6) Feed your mind with positive information about the good things you are trying to achieve.

Try this for 1 day and see how you do at the end of the day.  Then, do it again and again until you can do it for 30 consecutive days and before you know it, the mind noise will be gone and you will begin to attract the good things you want in your life.

You know you’re a hustler when you have 2 or 3 jobs or businesses and always trying to figure out your next gig.  Well that’s me!  I did the corporate thing and worked for good companies making good money at the time, but I was always an entrepreneur at heart.  Once I left the corporate world, I was looking for ways to make money and be my own boss.  I sold Tupperware, tried medical transcription, cold calling to sell mortgage liens, you name it!

With today’s technology, there is a wealth of opportunity on the internet.  It’s about working smart and not hard to make money.  And it’s not just about making money, it’s about making a residual income.  The goal is to be able to make money even while I sleep.  I’ve got the answer for that.  One of them is teaching other people how to make a residual income part-time getting paid to shop.  That’s right, get paid to shop!   It’s so cool and so easy.  Below is the link where you can find out how you can get up to 35% CASH back when you shop.  Not only that, you can share it with others and make .5% back from everything they buy.  Check it out and get your hustle on!

www.getbusyshopping.com

Man, can you believe it’s almost time for the kids to go back to school??  Here it is August 25 and I am in full “back to school” mode.  Getting ready for the kids to go back to school is serious business.  This is the time when I get my kids’ clothing and school supplies in order.  It’s also a time when I get myself organized as well.  This past weekend, I cleaned out the garage with the help of my boys!  I put the radio on, had a cold drink and it was on and poppin’.   Once I was done and could see empty space around each of the cars, it was a great feeling.

Next, it was time to clean out my younger son’s closets.  He hates this part.  I make him try on all of his clothes to see what still fits and we start to make piles.  Then, we sorted and added the new things we just purchased to update his wardrobe.  I also made him pare down part of his stuffed animal collection.  When we were done, I filled up the back of my car and headed off to Good Will.

Tomorrow, I will get my hair done.  There’s nothing like a fresh hairdo to be ready for back to school, even though I’m not a student any more… it just feels good.

My very good friend Karine’s mom is in a nursing home about 10 minutes from my house.  Karine was on a trip recently and asked if I could stop by and visit her mom while she was out of town. I’ve known Karine for more than 10 years and her mom too!  Her mom (who I call Mommy) lived with Karine, so I saw her anytime I went to the house to hang out.

Now, Mommy is getting up in age and can’t take care of herself and like most aging parents ended up in a nursing home. So, I went to visit with Mommy and when I arrived at the front desk, I signed in and was directed down the hall, had to take two different elevators and they gave me a key fob to let me into one of the doors.  I was glad to see that the place was secure.  When I finally reached Mommy, she was in the dining hall and her back was to me.  One resident there said, “surprise her”.  I didn’t want to surprise her, especially since she was eating and I wasn’t sure what state she was in.

Mommy, was happy to see me and immediately started to speak to me in French (she is Hatian).  I had to gently remind her that I don’t speak french and then she remembered that she should speak to me in English. It really broke my heart to see her sitting and eating in a daze.  This was not the same woman that I remember zipping around the house, doing things for her grand kids, making dinner and giving me a big hug and kiss whenever I would come over.

As I sat and visited with Mommy, I looked around at some of the other residents and they were all in their own world as if whatever they did at one time in their lives meant absolutely nothing.  They were shells of whoever they were before.  As I looked around, I started to think to myself, one day, that could be me.  One day, I will grow old and not be able to take care of myself and may end up in a nursing home.  Before that happens, I want to LIVE my life and be fulfilled.  I want to accomplish so much in such a short period of time and I haven’t even scratched the surface yet.

Visiting with Mommy, really made me see that I want so much and have the world at my fingertips if I only reach out and grab it.

Don’t let time pass you by.  Do the things you want to do and or accomplish.  Life is short.  Make the best of it.

Get busy and make it happen!

I promised my younger son Trevor that I would take him and his friend Yuta to Dave and Busters.  We went to the location at the Palisades Center Mall which is about 25 minutes from our house.  I’ve taken both my kids to D&B many times and they know the rules  – when your chips run out, it’s time to go home!  I set that rule and never ever heard a peep out of them when they ran out.

This can turn out to be a pricey trip especially if they want to eat while they are there.  We left home about 2pm after Trevor’s Orthodontist appointment, so it was just my luck that I would have to feed them when we got to our destination.  When we arrived, we sat down for lunch.   I had them order off of the kids menu (they’re both 12).  I didn’t want them ordering from the regular menu and wasting the food.  The cost of lunch wasn’t bad (about $30.00) and we got free refills on the sodas.  Then, it was time to get their Dave & Busters cards to play the games.  That cost $54.00 for the two cards with 145 chips each.

That place is pretty loud and I had a few phone calls to make. I told them to go and play their games and I will be right outside on the bench making a few calls.  While they played, I went and sat on the bench and called the health insurance company about one of my prescriptions and made some calls for my Real Estate work.  Before I knew it, it was about 40 minutes later… I went inside to check on the boys and they each had about 6 chips left.  Time to go!

They turned in their tickets, bought candy (of course) and we were on our way back home.

Now, this wasn’t an exciting trip out, but it was something to do.  They enjoyed themselves and I enjoyed having lunch with them!

Start every day with a little prayer to ground yourself.  Listen to a positive CD to get in gear for staying positive all day.

Keep all negative thoughts at bay – you are what you think!  So, think positive!

When I was growing up, we were always taught to address an adult by Mr. or Mrs. So and so.  I grew up in the south, where we would address an adult by their first name (i.e. Ms. Carol, or Mr. Gene).

Now that I am a parent myself, I teach my kids the same.  They are to address an adult by Mr. or Mrs. and never by their first name.  This shows a sign of respect.  I will add that I am 45 and still address my elders as Mr. or Mrs. So and so…

We had some friends over recently who haven’t seen our kids in quite some time.  When my friend (we’ll call him John) said hello to my son, my son gave him a handshake and said “hello John”.  I interjected and said, he is Mr. John to you.  Well, John insisted that my son just call him John.

I didn’t want to get into a whole thing and ruin the evening, but I want my kids to address an adult properly.   When kids address adults by their first name, they tend to fall into a habit of being so comfortable with the adult, that they will forget their manners and start treating the adult like one of their peers.

I would love for you to share your thoughts on this topic.  How do you feel about your child addressing an adult by their first name even if the other adult says that it’s ok?

KC

I love to go to Barnes and Noble and scour through books on Entrepreneurship, Spirituality and good old Fiction.  I was in B & N the other day looking for a book on how to choose to be happy.  As I was searching through the books and skimming some, I realized that I didn’t need a book to tell me how to choose, I could just choose!

Like many people, I’ve gone through a lot of trials and tribulations in my life (some of them are recent trials).  I think that we as individuals always want to be happy or successful or in our life time, but we hold on to old thoughts and experiences that were very painful and when we do that, we can’t move forward.

The one book I do read more diligently now is the BIBLE.  You’d be surprised what you’d find in there that is all inspiring, uplifting and better than any self-help, motivational book ever written.

So, if you’re going through a hard time, pick up your BIBLE and find a verse that will comfort you through your trials and hold on to it like your life depends on it.  Then, start to make your choices and don’t let any of the negative thoughts from past experiences get in your way.

Life is what you choose…make the choice to be happy and do it!

KC

Dear Terrie:

Thanks for writing in.  I think you need to have a conversation with your spouse about this without a doubt.  When you do speak with him, please be calm and approach it the subject gently and do not be on the defensive.  Help him to understand how having private conversations with your children and not telling you about it later can only damage the relationship you have with your children and then put them against you later.  I’m sure he would want you to do the same.

As for the tense situation at home that you think will lead to divorce, do some soul searching and see if you can do what you can to save the marriage.  Contact your clergy for help and see if they can recommend some biblical based counseling for you and your husband.

Let me know how you make out.

KC