Intentional Winning In Life

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Intentional Winning In Life – IWIL is the process of bringing your dreams to life right now by thinking about them differently.

So many of us had dreams when we were younger that for this reason or that, we let go of pursuing. Even as adults, things come up that seem exciting or worthwhile, but we believe we aren’t qualified, don’t have time to learn, don’t have the money, or simply don’t feel we can reach the goal. Whatever you think, you’re right! So if you don’t think you can do it, maybe you could think about it in a way that does seem doable to you. Just maybe, there is another way to bring that dream into reality.

Here’s an example (reference the photo above): Let’s say your dream is to go from San Francisco, CA to New York, NY. Most would agree that the fastest, most direct route would be to travel eastbound on highway 80 in one straight shot – the pink road. You’ll see a little piece of green on the pink route which is a planned detour where there’s a break in highway 80. As we do this, plug in life goals and normal activities that come along the way such as going away to college, getting married, having kids, changing jobs, etc. If you think about each of the events in your life that stop your progress to your dream destination, it’s easy to see how we get stalled and eventually “settle down” in Anytown, USA along the way. If you look closely at a United States map, you will see that there are hundreds of other roads to get you to New York from San Francisco – the orange roads. Will it take longer? Yes. Will it cost more? Possibly. Will the journey be full of surprises? Absolutely! When you realize that all those other roads can get you where you want to go, you can see that not only can you make your dream come true, but you may also find other things that make you happy and bring you joy along the way.

I’m going to define IWIL a whole lot more as we continue through this year. I’m also going to show you many things you can do to restart the engine on your dream and start feeling it’s joy this very minute! Let’s get this show on the road and start discovering what the orange roads have to offer.

Welcome to Fall!

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I love this time of year! The shorter days, crisp cool air, harvest fruits and vegetables, apple butter, I could go on and on! I especially love the way we come together as a family and the go-go-go of summertime is winding down. Those of you who know me, know that the changing colors of this time of year just excite me from my very core.

I love all of the seasons and I am usually ready for them as it is their appropriate time to come, but fall is something special. This time of year is a time of reconnecting, of coming back together.

During the winter months, we all bundle up and keep warm. It’s dark for so many hours of the day, that when spring arrives, we are ready to come out from under the heavy clothes and breathe in the fresh, new air. We watch everything outside come to life and there is a sense that we are arriving again, too. Baby animals are born, flowers are painting primary colors everywhere, and the sun is starting to warm us again.

Not long after spring arrives, along comes summer. Here is the big preparation for what I love about fall. We shed our blankets, open our windows and doors and even take off many of our clothes. We start our days early and use them all the way up until the last ray of sunshine is gone. This usually isn’t until after 9 pm. For my family, we are going, going, going, and going some more, and almost always in different directions!

As summer comes to a close, everyone seems to want to come back home. Not just back into the house, but they want to help cook and eat dinner together, the pace slows as we metaphorically prepare for the long, dark months ahead. In the process of preparing for winter, we get to enjoy warm days and cool nights. There are hints of fragrant fires burning in fireplaces and the scent of autumn that is different for all of us. The colors mother nature uses to redecorate with are spectacular, but the show is for a limited engagement. A big gust of wind or an early rain, will shorten the run of her show. This is where I love to take it all in. Take a moment to notice the way the earlier setting sun lights up the colors of these gorgeous trees. I do, and in doing so, I give my family the gift of taking notice as well.

What do you love about fall? Please, do tell!