Pumpkins, Transitions, and Opportunities Shine!

Smiling Pumkins to YOU!
FALL IS HERE and Winter is not far behind! Time is racing fast in our neck of the woods and transitions and opportunities surround us!

Our children are shining brightly, and as I think about their transitions, I feel joy and delight. They are like the pumpkins in the picture.

Our youngest, Robert, turned 18 last week, got his driver's permit two weeks ago and is so happy. This was quite an accomplishment for him and my heart swells when I think of the obstacles he has overcome! Our daughter, Sandra, is happy with her new found freedom and is enjoying her first year of college in a dorm 7 hours from home. Our oldest, Greg, continues to enjoy his life in Blacksburg, loves his job and is self-sufficient. I say hip, hip, hooray!!

My Transition:

The leaves are changing and becoming more vibrant every day, and Transition continues to be front and center in my life. As you may know, I have been planning for my own transition for the last year and have been taking deliberate steps forward toward my vision.

Looking back, I have accomplished much already:

• Established my niche (Visioning for for Those Living with or Working with Special Needs),


• Identified my target audience (Parents and Educators),


• Created and offered Transition Boot Camp to multiple audiences, and


• Established my Blog, my Website and my LLC.
  

Despite my steps forward, I still find a large gap between my reality and my vision and until recently was not sure how I would make the leap from full time employment to my post-retirement livelihood.

With my retirement in sight, I have been searching for a way to bridge that gap. I have been trying to find a way to replace my income, trying to regain my vigor while determining my own schedule and hoping to shed unneeded pounds. I have been looking for answers and as the saying goes when the student is ready, the teacher arrives.

Just last week, that special educator arrived, as I was contemplating next steps. Heather, my long term friend and trusted confidante, who has counseled and guided our family through many difficult challenges, came forward and shared her own vision with me. I found that our reality and vision paralleled in many ways. This is what I discovered:

My Reality:

• We are both tired of working hard to earn money and not having the time to enjoy it;
• My weight is increasing and I rarely make time for exercise or wellness routines;
• More and more people are losing their jobs, many young people in our lives are struggling and all the talk of recession wears us down; and
• My savings in my 401K plan have shrunk, my doubts and fears have surfaced and my retirement plans are becoming iffy, at best.

My Vision:

• I am my own boss, plan family fun and beach time along with my own goals into my schedule. I am physically fit, visioning with my family and others and witnessing amazing results;
• I am full of energy, people around me are optimistic, competent, and supportive and we live the American Dream; and
• I retire; my income continues to increase and soars exponentially with deliberate intent and my joy is abundant.

New Opportunity:

If you share my reality, and can envision greater health, wealth and energy in your life, and believe that the time is right to take action to make it happen, I want to tell you more. Heather told me that she had taken the last several months to align herself and her vision with those of other winners. Needless, to say, I wanted to learn more!

Heather explained that I could earn significant residual income while setting my own pace and being my own boss. I suddenly realized that this was the bridge I had been looking for.

As time goes on, I will be inviting those who enroll in the proven program with me to a special beach retreat. Together, we will engage in visioning at our beach house in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We will Dream Big, walk along the seashore, rest, set goals and return refreshed and reinvigorated!

If you don't think you are interested right now, but are inclined to pass this info on to someone who might be, I would be delighted and will find a way to show you my appreciation.

Join Me!

I see us growing wise together and working together in one way or another. Please know, that you can count on me for support. I hope that you will call or email me soon.

With Appreciation for All You Do and Hope to Do,

Doreen

Doreen@believeinarayofhope.com - email
http://believeinarayofhope.com/- website

703-371-5682

Call me Today! I would love to hear from YOU!

In Every Crisis, See Promises of Hope and Expect Pleasant Surprises!

As a mom, I want my children to listen to me, to learn from my mistakes, to make good choices and to sail smoothly into adulthood. I am sure my parents wanted the same for me. Unfortunately, or fortunately, life is never smooth and we can expect to meet with obstacles and challenges, failures, successes, and lots of zigs and zags in between.

My desires and my life experience have not always been in sync. Despite my best efforts, I have failed, been misunderstood, and made mistakes. At such times I have wailed, lamented and grieved.

When given time and support to regroup, I have managed to stand back up and to renew my efforts and to move forward. With greater knowledge and empathy, I have experienced many blessings and have had delightful experiences. I nonetheless, have much to learn and I continue to encounter opportunities for growth. While I would prefer to sail easily myself, I must admit that my failures, more than my successes have made me who I am today.

I sometimes forget that my children must make their own mistakes and face the consequences of their own actions. I sometimes forget that personal experience is the best teacher and that every crisis is a blessing in disguise. When we are negatively impacted, the lessons learned stick with us and we are less likely to make the same mistake again.

In my 56 years on this earth, I have experienced my share of disappointment, loss, failure and despair. I have been terminated, passed over for promotion, have lost loved ones and cried out for understanding. In the past, I have pointed fingers, blamed others for their mistakes and became angry and bitter.

Looking back, I see that fault finding and name calling kept me stuck in a very uncomfortable position. I was no better off and in fact I made more enemies in the process.

Somewhere on the road, I realized that my journey was easier when I traveled with friends. When I reached out to another in kindness, my own worries disappeared and my mood improved. I learned that I could sleep easier, feel better, and be at greater peace when I actively sought to make the lives of others better.

Going forward, I will make a renewed effort to remember that my children are here to live their own lives, to make their own mistakes and to learn their own lessons. I am a fellow traveler and a work in progress myself. If I can be there to encourage them to try again, to remind them of past successess and love them unconditionally, I serve my highest purpose as a parent.

What mistakes have you made? What lessons have you learned? What pleasant surprises have surfaced in your times of crisis?