Every now and then, I will meet somebody so compelling that I just can’t wait to blog about it.

That happened when I met Mindy Audlin.  For those of you who have never heard of her (I hadn’t), she wrote a book called What If Up.

It has the most beautiful premise I have ever heard.

I’ll summarize:  Think about your dream.  You know, the one thing that you would like to follow that  makes your heart sing?  Now, think about why you haven’t followed it.  Could it be that when you verbalized it to someone else you heard comments like, “What if it doesn’t work out?”  or “What if you don’t have what it takes?”  or “What if you lose all your money while trying to do it?” or the biggie: “What if you fail?”

Get the picture?

The “what if’s” can be sort of strong.  And, those are just the ones from family and friends.  That’s not including the ones you say to yourself.  “What if it’s not a good idea?”  “What if I’m not smart enough?”  “What if it ends up being the biggest mistake I ever made?”

Well, Mindy Audlin’s here to tell you that you are what ifin’ DOWN.  Yep, you are taking yourself right down into the depths of negativity that can stop any creative idea from leaving the nest.

The new plan?

It’s simple.  What if up?  You take your wonderful idea and say, “What if it’s the best idea I’ve ever had?”  or “What if this idea will help millions around the world?”  or “What if this idea is the goldmine I’ve been waiting for?” or “What if everything turns out beautifully?”

Do you see the difference? Already, your whole attitude has changed.  You are in the positive.  And, you are getting on the track to taking action and making that idea take root, taking that idea to the next level, creating a positive environment so it can grow and become something awesome!

Just writing these words puts me into an uplifting mood!  What if this blog becomes a place people congregate for inspiration?  What if one person reading this decides to make a change?  What if there is a bigger purpose for this blog than what I see now?  Holy cow!  I’m on a roll!!

Mindy Audlin is going places.  I feel it.  Her positivity is contagious!  And, I want to help!

She is currently in the running to convince Oprah to let her have her own show on the new OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network).  It is my opinion that Mindy is needed.  For her positive attitude.  For OUR positive attitude.  For the WORLD’s positive attitude!  How’s that for an endorsement?

You can help too.  You can click here and give Mindy a vote to help Oprah make the right choice.  You can also join me and my good friend, Maggie Miller tomorrow afternoon, Friday July 2,  at  1:oo p.m. CST as we interview Mindy about her book, her life, the Oprah audition, and of course a few examples of the “what if up” phenom.  Click here to join us!

Let me know what you think.

What if hearing the interview with Mindy changes your life forever?  What if?

Peace,

-Martha

p.s.  What if you send this blog post to somebody who needs a little positivity in their life?

p.s.s. What if?

Fear of success or fear of failure.

Does it matter?  Either way, you are stopped in your tracks.

By your own self!

There comes a time (or many!) that it happens to all of us.  That fork in the road.  The questions start to loom.  Is this the right direction for me?   Should I stick with the “known”?  What’s wrong with the way things are? Who do I think I am anyway?  And the all time favorite:  What will people think?

The bigger question is always how will it change my LIFE?

Of course, we never really know the answer to that until we go forward.  The only answers we have are the fictional ones that play with our heads.  My thought is that your life will change, no matter what.  If you go forward or not.

Why?  Because that’s the way life is!

It doesn’t matter if you sit still or go forward, changes are coming!  I can assure you, if you don’t persue whatever it is you are contemplating, the “what ifs” will always be talking to you.  What if I had gone another direction?  What if that was my destiny?  What if that really was a golden opportunity?  What if I had only (you fill in the blank)?  Seriously, the “what ifs” can get you.  Right in your gut.

The only thing you really fear is the unknown.

You always have two choices.  To sit on the sidelines, play it safe with what is already known, or to go with your inspiration, reach for the new adventure, and strive to attain a bigger goal. That’s it.

The hesitation comes in the beginning.

Stop it.  Unless you are getting a very REAL feeling that what you are about to do is just simply wrong, wrong, wrong (and I stress, do not ignore this type of feeling!) then step out.  It may seem like a full-fledged leap but in reality, it’s just the next best step.  Ignore the hesitation that says you can’t handle success or you don’t want to fail.  You will never know unless you go for it!

The best part of “going for it?”

You will always know. There will never be any regrets.   Because you tried.  Trying is the mark of confidence.  I know, at the point of hesitation, confidence seems to wain, but in the long run, your confidence will be strengthened because you overcame your fear. And the “what ifs” will go play with someone else!

I still say you don’t have to identify whether it’s fear of success or failure.  It could be both!  No matter.  Walk over  the fear.  You can analyze the “why” later!

Peace,

-Martha

They say it’s your birthday!  Yes, today is mine.

We all have that special day and we should embrace it!

It means we have lived on God’s green earth another wonderful year!

Today, I am giving gratitude for everything that’s happened in my life over the last year.

That probably means YOU!

If you started reading this blog this year, I am grateful.

If I had the opportunity to meet and talk with you during this year, I am grateful.

If you benefited in any way from the words on this blog, I am grateful.

If you enjoy the e-mails I send out, I am grateful.

Because you are fortunate enough to own a computer to read this blog, I am grateful.

For your school teachers that taught you to read, I am grateful.

If your life is different in any way, from the way it was a year ago, I am grateful.

The internet has opened up a world of opportunities.  From online businesses, to blogging, to reconnecting with old friends, to staying connected to loved ones.  For that, I am grateful.

My own life has had a few twists and turns this year (including my last child leaving home!) and has been filled with more opportunities than I could have ever foreseen a year ago.  I have a little philosophy about that.  I spent this last year looking for opportunities.  You think there  might be a connection?

So, in celebration of my birthday, I encourage you to go out and look for opportunities.  And when you receive your good fortune, remember to celebrate!  And be grateful!

Peace,

-Martha

There’s a full moon tonight.

I enjoy that phenomenon  in nature.  The moon lights up the night and is soooo beautiful!

Of course, there’s alot of folklore surrounding the occurance of full moons.  Supposedly there’s more of everything on that night.  More romance, more babies born,  more creativity stirred up. It could all be true.  Of course, let’s not forget to mention Hollywood’s portrayal of werewolves and vampires!  Now, that part is not true!

What I like about it is it just happens. Spontaneously.  A natural event.   The moon just sits there while nature takes its course.  There’s nothing it can do to stop it.  Nor can we.  Nor would we want to.  There’s something about the order of the universe that is beautiful.  And magical.

The full moons appear on schedule.  The earth rotates on schedule.  There is a rhythm to our existence here.  The full moon makes that point loud and clear.

So tonight, while you are enjoying that full moon, remember the order.  Create order in your own life.  Find your own rhythm.  And then, allow it all to play out in it’s own unique way.  Just like the moon.

Peace,

-Martha

What inspires you?

That’s the question being asked daily on the “Get Inspired Project.”

Is a compilation of interviews being conducted over one year’s time of people from all walks of life.  Asking two questions:  What inspires you? and Who do you inspire?

Ever thought about it?  That’s really a pretty thought-provoking question. It’s easy enough to name people that have inspired you along the way but who you inspire?  That’s something different.  We don’t always know.  But we hope! We hope there’s people that we are making an impact on!

The project was the brainstorm of Toni Reece, President of The PEOPLE Academy.  Her success has been remarkable.  Once she put the word out and started the interviews, people have joined in from all over the world to be interviewed for the project.  Who knew there would be so many wonderful and inspiring stories ready to be heard and shared?

The Get Inspired Project is really worth a visit.  It’s a cool, fun site with inspiration pouring out from every direction!

And, who among us doesn’t need a little inspiration today?

Peace,

-Martha

p.s.  Yes, you just might find a familiar face on day 227.  Enjoy

Recently, I was in a group of people and we were listening to a would-be writer lamenting about how she had always loved to write. She felt like it was her passion.  However, she wasn’t  doing it!  At all.

Does that ring true with you?

If you love creating something, what’s stopping you?

Fear?  Frustration?  Anxiety?

Only you can sit down and carve out the time to enjoy your passion.

Here’s the interesting part:

Another person in our party said, “Can you give it 15 minutes a day?”

Yes.  15 minutes.  That’s good advice, any way you slice it.

Everybody has 15 minutes to spare and sometimes all it takes is starting.

You see, in order to achieve our goals, we have to be willing to dedicate the time it takes to get there.  Start small. Be consistent.

15 minutes. . ..

Remember when you were learning how to read?  It started with a few minutes a day.

I’ll bet it’s second nature now.  But, did you start out by reading a novel?  Of course not!

I know this concept is nothing new but it’s a reminder.  If there’s something you really want to do, give yourself permission to do it 15 minutes every day.

See where it leads!

Peace,

-Martha

Happy Earth Day!

Celebrated in over 190 countries, Earth Day is a day to increase our awareness of our environment and celebrate what we can do to make it a better place for all.

No matter if you think global warming is fact or fiction, today think about this planet we call home.

In the real estate business, the owners of a well-groomed, cared-for  home are referred to as having “pride of ownership.”

This means they lovingly and painstakingly took great care of their abode.

Earth is our home.   We need to treat it as such.

Treat our planet home as we would our real home. Take pride of ownership!

We all admire older homes that have stood the test of time, being passed down from generation to generation because each one took a loving interest in the structure.

Earth is no man-made structure.  It is here for the enjoyment of all and was created with abundance for all with a focus on life sustainment. We want a healthy environment with clean air, less trash, and clear water.  We want to cooperate with nature and not interfere with the ebb and flow.  We want our environment to be a safe, healthy, and happy place as it was meant to be.   We want this for ourselves, our children, our children’s children and on and on. . .

The only way is for each one of us  to take “pride of ownership.”

Happy Earth Day!

Peace,

-Martha

In case you’ve wondered where I’ve been, I accepted a 30 day blog challenge and I have been writing away on one of my other blogs! I committed to writing a blog-a-day for 30 days at MarthaGiffen.com Sooo, I have somewhat neglected ThinkandMotivate!

However, today, as I was writing on my other blog, I realized that the blog challenge is exactly the kind of inspiration and motivation that I talk about here. Staying motivated is all about keeping your eye on the goal. But what about the in-between part? Where you are working towards the goal and the motivation wanes?

That’s where discipline comes in. Oh, I know, that’s not a fun word! Discipline conjours up all sorts of not-so-great visuals. But, ultimately, discipline is what gets the job done. Having the discipline to stick with it day in and day out. Putting one foot in front of another when you don’t really feel like it. That’s discipline. Just going ahead and doing it.

I’ve been blogging every day for 12 days. I am almost half way finished. In my mind, I see the end. In the meantime, I am disciplined enough to keep writing every day.

Challenges are good. They create a desire to reach our goals. Onward and upward!

Peace,

-Martha

Remember in the old days, how pregnant Mom’s were said to be “expecting?” It meant they had a baby on the way.

Expecting means a sure thing. Like, pregnancy definitely meant a baby

What are you expecting? What exactly are you looking forward to and just know-without-a-doubt that it’s going to happen?

My hope is that it’s good and positive. However, it’s easy in this day and time, with all the talk about the shrinking, sinking economy for people to expect the worst. They start to expect a job loss. Or expecting not to find another job. Or expecting to fall on hard times.

Any of that sound familiar? It’s easy to get caught up in the mood of the world, but, don’t do it. There’s a reason I say that. If you get caught up in expecting the worst, guess what? That’s exactly what you’ll get!

I didn’t write that universal law, I’m just the messenger. But, you know it’s true.

Today, I want you to think about what it is you truly want in life. And then, expect to get it.

Now, I know that’s alot easier said than done but I never said it was easy. Or wouldn’t be a challenge.

But here’s the thing: You are going to think about what you want and don’t want anyway. Right? I’m just suggesting you train your mind to think about the good and pleasant experiences you want to come your way! Doesn’t that sound like alot more fun anyway?

Go. . . .expect some greatness!

Peace,

-Martha

Did you know that opportunities are coming your way on a consistent basis? 

You may not always recognize this. Opportunities sometimes come disguised as a chance meeting, an unexpected phone call, an unusual offer. And, usually those opportunities are accompanied by questions.  The main one is “will you?”

Whatever the opportunity, there’s always two answers.  You get to choose.

Are you basically skeptical? Don’t be. That’s a great way for life to pass you by.

Say YES!

Yes to opportunities.  Yes to unexpected events or invitations. Yes to life!

That first yes could lead you to yet another opportunity that could be the one chance-of-a-lifetime that you’ve always wanted! 

You will never know if you shut the door and say no. Now, some of you just pull the door shut quietly.  Some swiftly.  Some loud and banging.  But, you do shut the door.  Without finding out if your future, your  destiny, might be lurking outside.

There’s always uncertainty surrounding decisions.  Yes, the unknown is exactly that — unknown! No matter what, you don’t have a clue about the future so don’t second-guess.  Go, say yes, and watch what happens!

Try this: For one week, say yes to everything that comes your way.  (Unless, of course, it’s illegal, immoral, or unethical!) You are really saying yes to yourself and allowing yourself to go down interesting paths.  Letting yourself experience what might be truly fascinating, different, and who knows?  Life changing!

If you have been in the habit of saying no for a long time, I challenge you today to try another way. It might cause a shift in your life that could lead to the fulfillment of your dreams. Look at it this way, the more doors you open by saying yes, the more doors will become available.

Don’t be afraid. Opportunities are knocking. Open the doors.

And say YES!

Peace,

-Martha