Imagining that Future Keeps You Going, But will You Make It Happen?

Imagining that Future Keeps You Going, But will You Make It Happen? “You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you’ll escape one day, and how awesome it will be, and imagining that future keeps you going, but you never do it. You just use the future to escape the present.” -John Green, Looking for Alaska

I love this quote because it rings so true for me. I find myself putting things off that I’d *really* like to do because I think it will be better when I have have more time, more money, when the kids are older, etc.

But, I’ve learned life’s not about the future. It’s about being in the present moment and taking action for our happiness now. Each day. We all know that we’re never promised tomorrow.  I invite you to always live for today.

For example, I always knew from a young age I wanted to have a horse but I repeatedly kept tucking that thought in my back pocket. Always wondering is the time right? Am I going to have enough time? I’ll have to plant a pasture and buy hay and build stalls. Say what? Do I have enough experience to care for a horse and the list went on and on. After all, they are a lot of work. 🙂   

Then, I realized that if I didn’t start to take action, that goal would easily slip by as time does. So, I created a plan of how to make it happen. In 2011 it all started with turning a cornfield into a pasture. Now it’s seven years later and I have two horses, a three-acre pasture, a seven-acre hay field, a barn just for my horses, an office in the barn and time to enjoy their awesomeness. It all started with saying yes to what I wanted rather than continuing to put it off.  

I’m so glad I didn’t let it pass me by.

What’s one thing you’ve been putting off doing because you’re waiting for something to happen before you take that action? Let me know in the comments.

With much love and gratitude,

Gretchen

 

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Success: What’s Your Definition?

Success: What’s Your Definition?Do you ever get caught up in the thought that you could be more successful? Like you should be doing more?

You see your friends curating the heck out of their life to make it look always amazing on social media. You hear about co-workers being offered a great new position. You see your neighbor driving a new car.

Ugg! It’s a sure way to make a person feel less than successful that’s for sure.

But, in what ways can you see success in yourself?

What one person sees as success is failure for another, right? Or it very likely could be.

Working a corporate job, 40 hrs/week and dressed in heels might sound great to a lot of people. Just like going for an 8am run, working in your comfy clothes, and calling it quits at 4:30 pm each day (except Friday because that’s your day off) is success to others.

And, of course both of these scenarios can seem like sparkles and unicorns to someone from the outside when in fact they’re nothing like that in reality. Thinking of success in this way makes it way too easy, way too black and white. So I’m asking. Can you dig deeper to decide what success really means to you?

How is your definition of success different from your BFF’s? Your parents? Your significant other’s or sibling’s? Go ahead and ask them what success means or looks like to them. Can you see the subtle differences there?

Maybe it’s your salary or how much you volunteer at your kid’s school that equates with success. What are your personal benchmarks for success?

It can be helpful to think about success in a very fundamental way first. Are your basic needs met? —Food, clothing, shelter, etc?

Then ask what have you done in life that you’re proud of?

I know you may be humble, and this may be hard to remember. And if you’re having a particularly rough day, it might be even harder to remember. If this is the case, go ask your friends or significant other as they may surprise you with what they remember (and were impressed with).

Maybe it was saving to buy a car, paying off your school loans, or graduating from college. Maybe it was that time you decided to take a leap of faith and start your own business.  

This all brings it into focus. Success is subjective. The cool part is that YOU get to decide what it means.What are your personal measures of success? How do you define success for you?

The clearer you get on this definition of success, the easier it is to know when you’ve achieved it.

I’d love to hear what you define as success. Would you please share with me here?

With much love and gratitude,

Gretchen

 

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Want to Feel Rich? Track Your Abundance

Want to Feel Rich? Track Your AbundanceDo you ever feel like you’re constantly being nickeled and dimed? Another bill or an unexpected expense can really leave you feeling like you’re dwindling down to your last penny. Not much fun to sit in that state, right?

Maybe money IS kind of hard to come by right now. You could be between jobs or considering leaving a job. Maybe you’ve had medical expenses that have left you feeling like your finances are a little tight.

Isn’t it strange that when finances feel strained, everything else starts to feel stressful, too?

That’s why when my friend told me about a process that helps you to see how much you’ve earned, saved and the value that’s existing in your world, I thought it was a great way to really take stock in how much you REALLY have in your life.

It helps you to see and feel the abundance that surrounds you but that you might be missing.

It lets you track how much you have in a totally new way that you’ve probably never considered.

This process for tracking your abundance really supports the quote I shared last week: “Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into.” by Wayne Dyer.

This handy tracking process makes it possible to tune into your abundance which allows you to feel confident in your decision making, un-stressed when things don’t go as you planned and more like life is going the way you want.

It was created by Denise Duffield-Thomas. I’m not an affiliate of hers but I love her idea for this so much that I had to share it with you. Especially if it helps you to feel a little more abundant in life.

The Idea Behind It

You track the pennies you found on the ground, the dinner someone prepared for you, the coupon you used at the store, the change you found in the sofa cushions, the $10 your friend handed you to help cover gas costs, the kind person driving in front of you who paid your bridge toll and all kinds of other kismet kindness that comes your way.

A cool part of this is that not only are you counting money, you’re also counting anything that has value to it like maybe you bought something that turned out to be an unexpected two for one deal.

How To Track Your Abundance

Grab your phone or a notepad and every day for a week write down all the money and value that comes your way. Yes, this includes your paycheck, birthday gifts, and change found in your coat pocket that you haven’t worn in a while.

If you want, Denise Duffield-Thomas has a PDF, a Google doc and an iPhone app that you can download to make it easier.

Check out her process for tracking abundance and let me know what you think about the idea in the comments. And, if you want to download one of her tracking devices, there’s a link to them at the end of that article.

Here’s to your tracking all the things that you see and can count as abundance coming your way!

With much love and gratitude,

Gretchen

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Thoughts Become Things

Thoughts Become ThingsI don’t know where I originally heard this quote, “Thoughts become things” but it’s always stuck with me. And, I know it’s true.

I always try to focus on positive results since I’ve seen how it affects me in a negative way when I don’t. AND, because I’ve seen firsthand how it impacts me for the better when I maintain a positive mindset.

For example, this farm I live on wouldn’t have been possible if I hadn’t gotten on board with my husband’s proactive and positive thinking about it. He’s quite the visionary and big picture thinker. 😉

It was a big leap for us to try to buy the farm. Eight years ago, we didn’t know if we’d get approved loan-wise. Afterall, it was a huge investment and we currently already had a mortgage. And because we kept our thoughts focused in the right direction, our loan was approved and this place became our reality despite it not seeming logical or possible for that matter.

We’ve now got a modern barn, new Equus Coaching office, two horses, chickens, dogs and fields of produce on our dream property that has that beautiful tree-lined pond you see in the image (yes, that’s really my farm!).

I encourage you to hold this quote with you and have your thoughts say yes to some of the things you’ve been wanting. It allows for more, so many more possibilities to become real. Many that you wouldn’t even know are possible.

Let me know in the comments what thoughts of yours have become things.

With much love and gratitude,

Gretchen

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