Volume 24

July 24, 2009

Welcome to "Karen's Korner!"

• Make That Change

Recently there have been a number of famous people who have made their transition – Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Billy Mays, and Michael Jackson. Why is it as humans we seem to need death to remind us to be a beacon of light, love, and possibilities in the world?

In the case of Michael Jackson, many aspects of his life – and passing – have been topics of debatable discussions. Whatever your view of him and his life, the fact remains he was a human being. In that capacity he was somebody’s father, somebody’s son, somebody’s brother and somebody’s friend. And since grief knows NO boundaries once again it is proven we are all ONE.

What caught me quite by surprise however was how much Michael Jackson’s death impacted me. Why? I never met him personally. Was it because we’re around the same age? Was it because I grew up enjoying his music and amazing dance moves? Was it because of the theme “Gone Too Soon” that reminded me of my brother, Rob; who you may recall past away at only forty-three, one year ago this month?

I’m still not sure. One thing for certain, there are some empowering lyrics in a song he performed – Man in the Mirror. The chorus . . .

I’m starting with the man in the mirror,
I’m asking him to change his ways,
And no message could have been any clearer,
If you wanna make the world a better place,
Take a look at yourself and then make a change

Taken to heart these are incredibly powerful words and reflect truth. We unequivocally know the only person we can change is ourselves. Yet we continue to justify, blame, and rationalize our behavior and sometimes shame ourselves. It’s as if we’re content with what isn’t working in our life; with the excuses that block the very success we claim to desire.

Imagine moving beyond your excuses and achieving your innermost desires. What would your life look like? Feel like?

In order for that to happen we need to make changes. We know this, and often claim to be willing; provided we don’t have to let go of beliefs meaningfully passed on to us that no longer serve us well; or we may have to change people, places, and things we surround ourselves with; or we may have to let go of a grudge/resentment we hold toward someone; or we may have to hold our tongue when we’d prefer to spew our thoughts; or we may have to courageously swallow our pride to demonstrate good character etc.

A common response to the necessary changes we face is, “You don’t understand”. This stems from the inability; at the moment; to see beyond our challenge. We must instead shift the focus, our attention, to the best solution at the time (which may not be ideal).

Other lyrics of the song I find significant:

If you wanna make the world a better place,
Take a look at yourself and then make a change,
You gotta get it right, while you got the time,
‘Cause when you close your heart
Then you close your mind

In our humanness we can be discouraged and question, “What’s the use?” I’ve experienced this many times myself, however what I know is when we close our hearts our minds aren’t open to possibilities, solutions that can move us forward. This may be regarding our own personal world or on a global level. What is overlooked is when we make any improvement in ourselves we’re on the path to enhancing our life. Most people however dismiss the change as trivial and fall off the path. We need to build upon insignificant in order to achieve significant. Changing our life we actually contribute to changing the world. Just because it doesn’t make the news doesn’t mean it isn’t newsworthy!

How can you, will you, contribute to making your personal world a little bit better? What if you committed to one – no matter how seemingly insignificant – change to improve your life today? Then another one tomorrow? And the next day, and the day after that? Imagine the ripple affect we could create in the world. Visibility will not be apparent until multiple seemingly insignificant changes are stacked up.

What if each of us; daily; simply acted on the last words of Man in the Mirror?

Make that change . . .

 

• Inspiring Quotes

Whatever you do may seem insignificant, but it is most important that you do it.

- Gandhi

When you’re through changing, you’re through.

- Bruce Barton

Everybody thinks of changing humanity and nobody thinks of changing himself.

- Leo Tolstoy
 

• Bonus Offer

Ever find yourself wondering what word to use? My friend and editor Barbara McNichol specializes in helping people find the perfect words and avoid mistakes in everything they write. She has now made it easy to find the exact right word when it really matters through her ebook, WORD TRIPPERS. This easy-to-search guide includes 300+ everyday word pairings that cause confusion (e.g., further vs. farther or except vs. accept) with examples that make selecting the right word fast and easy. Follow this link  to purchase WORD TRIPPERS.

• Want to move forward with the dreams of your life?

Click here and include contact info and best times to reach you.

“With the coaching you have provided me you helped me to realize that I have to understand and empower myself before I can motivate anyone else . . .that it was me that had to change first [instead] of trying to fix everyone else.”

Brenda Parsons
State Farm Agent

• Special Offer

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