Can to much planning destroy the event?

I read a quote today from Jane Austen that said:

"Why not seize the pleasure at once? How often is happiness destroyed by preparation, foolish preparation!"

This coming from one a highly acclaimed novelist, but how true?

How many of us sit and plan out all the details of an event or a day just to get so frustrated and overwhelmed that we actually plan ourselves right out of happiness?

I am a planner, an organizer, a list maker. I love to plan and organize and organize and plan. It is in my blood. This weekend we had a plan for delivering some treats to all of our friends and it took a little planning to organize all the stops. It worked out well but we didn't get everything done. My first thought was "darn, we didn't do what we had planned to do!" My mind quickly went to "But wait, we did exactly what we could do and in the mean time we connected with friends we hadn't for a long time!"

Had we stuck to the plan of 'drop and go' we wouldn't have share some laughs with our friends. We wouldn't have had a cup of coffee and caught up a little. We wouldn't have experienced a little Christmas cheer along the way. Yes we could have gotten everything done, but at what expense?

Sometime I think planning can really destroy the event, especially around this time of the year when everyone seems to want to get here or there and get things done. What about enjoying the adventure - the journey?

I was sitting "planning" out a vacation last night and as I did the voice said "wait, vacations are to experience not plan"! Now I know what some of you are thinking and yes I will plan some parts of the vacation, but seriously do I need to know right now what we will do every minute of every day? No! What happens if we want to experience something for longer then planned?

I know it is a busy week for everyone and my challenge is to plan cautiously and allow for the experience to happen. Don't worry about spending a little more time or energy doing the unplanned happiness times. Be okay and actually celebrate the event!

Here is to a carefully yet openly planned week!

It's beginning to Feel a lot like Christmas!

What a wonderful day! Santa and her Head Elf headed out around 7am and delivered homemade treats to a number of homes around the area. After 120 miles of traveling we headed home to relax. I don't know how Santa does it all in one night, but I bet the time differences really help.

 When we got home the kids were enjoying the scenes of Christmas around the house. It is so nice when you see them enjoying all there is to see as well. So tonight, due to Head Elf being really tired, you get pictures of the day!

So after enjoying the sounds and sites of your holiday, sing a little Carol, find a cozy place to rest and hang our with your friends!

When the lights shine bright!

It is quiet in the house tonight. Cats are all sleeping and dog is as well. As I look out the window I see the Christmas lights that line the garage and am amazed as how bright they seem tonight. Maybe it's because it is so dark out or the snow is covering any other light out there, but the red, green, blue, orange, and white lights look like they are floating in line.

I love this time of year because of all of lights. The lights shine so bright in the dark winter nights.
Driving around it seems there are fewer and fewer people putting up lights this year, but I enjoy those that have.

There is something calming about seeing lights at Christmas time. It is like it brings you back to a time when life was slower, maybe a little more innocent. I wonder if the kids this day and age stop and enjoy the lights?

I remember in college when a large group of us would go out every weekend and walk around neighborhood to look at the lights. It was a wonderful time. We would crunch through the snow and at every house we would stop and enjoy. I don't know that this happens anymore, people seem to be in to much of a hurry.

Well, here is my personal reminder to slow down and go and see lights shining bright. They are still out there. We may need to just remember how it felt to be still and calm.

So, this weekend I will be going out and enjoying the lights. Enjoying the crunching of snow and seeing the lights shine bright.

I am Purple

Many of you probably have a favorite color or two. If you looked at my life I have two: Blue and Red. Most of my clothes are blue and all of my toys are red. I buy red toys – Harley's, Cars, Snow blowers, Ice Augers, Lawn Mowers, and such are red. Walls in our house are red; color on the dog is red and even my toothbrush sways to the red side. I buy blue clothes – jackets, sweaters, pants, t-shirts and such are mostly blue. I also like blue and red foods – blue berries, strawberries, tomatoes, red velvet cake…all very much good spiritual food for me!
The past few weeks I have been reading about colors and the impact they have on us. It is interesting that you can tell a lot about a person by their favorite colors. So what does it all mean and how can we use it to help understand ourselves?
First is to look at some common words around different colors:
Red: confidence, vitality, action, courage, enthusiasm, energy, protection, strong

Pink: love, calming, acceptance, contentment, relaxing

Brown: order, convention, wholesome, natural, stable, approachable

Orange: endurance, involved, creative, relief, bold, adventuresome, brilliant

Gold: wealth, wisdom, success, power

Yellow: wisdom, joy, happiness, clarity, uplifting, optimistic

Green: balance, change, freedom, new ideas, tranquil, secure, soothing

Blue: youth, truth, peace, calm, new, solitude, trusting, dependable

Purple: royal, balance, centered, innovative, uplifting, spiritual, respectful, humble

White: purity, cleanliness, fresh, clarity

Black: authoritative, earth, stability, mysterious, powerful, dignified

Gray: security, maturity, isolated, neutral
So my favorite colors of red and blue tell something about me: I am confident, I like to take action, I have energy, I am a protector, I believe in truth, I strive for peace, I am trusting and dependable. I would hope that is how others would describe me as well.
What is interesting about colors is that most of us aren’t just one; we usually are a combination of two or more. For me I gravitate to the mixing of my colors. Red and Blue make purple. My true color is purple.
So what does that say about me? Well, I do believe in balance, I like to be innovative, I thrive to uplift others, I am very spiritual and I feel I am a humble person. Now hopefully more people would agree with this color for me.
I gave each of you a chance to take this assessment early in 2010 but wanted to give you the link again to go and revisit your colors! What does it mean? Does it still stand true?

http://www.primarycolorassessment.com/test.php
There are many colors in our lives and we all mix and match, but I do believe we always center ourselves with our true colors. I don’t know if you need to complete a personality test on this, just take a look at the world around you? What colors do you wear? What color are your walls? What colors excite you? From there see if their meaning is you or if you mix them together is that more you?

Just another tool in gaining a better understanding of who you are and why you are who you are.
Yes, I am Purple!

The power of inspiration

I wonder if anyone knows the power of inspiration? How much energy is generated when you become inspired? Positive energy that gets your heart pumping, you mind working, and you soul believing. How much energy is gained?

I was thinking about this today when I was giving my year end presentation about celebrating the past while we look towards the future. It was inspiring for me to speak about the greatness of others and the dedication to work through issues and change. It was inspiring to see the look on peoples faces as the words hit a place in their mind, heart and souls. I was inspired and I felt my energy rise.

I found today that the one thing I have a passion for, inspiration, is something I forget to do every day. I forgot how wonderful it feels to get positive feedback on a vision, a thought, a focus and a mission. I dedicated 2011 to becoming and being inspired. I feel again like i did the first day of writing this blog...I feel inspired to do more, to be more, and to give more.

Be inspired, you will love the energy in you!

Giving to Others

I have been reminded a number of times this past week of how important it is for me to give to others and how wonderful it is when others are reminded of this as well.

I know that it is the season to give and the causes are out there to give too. I wrote a block a week or so about these opportunities, but do you know that every day we are reminded about little ways to give?

We had our neighbor want to give us a pan of baked goodies (we were going to give her the same) and we decided rather than giving to each other we would give to someone different that maybe won't 'get' anything.

At work today I was reminded that giving isn't just of material gifts but your thoughts, views, and ideas. You have a gift in being uniquely you and sharing your action and voice can be incredible gifts. It was a gift for me today to hear the views of others. I heard people talk about how they inspire others and how they make a difference. That in turn made me think about how I can inspire others and make a difference every day.

It was like a huge pay it forward day. I heard and was impacted and spoke and got others inspired. Hopefully they went on and did the same. One small gathering of idea giving lead to a days worth of giving of myself in a number of ways.

Yes, it is easy to give to charities and it is good to do so, but every day giving of yourself in action and words can have an amazing impact! Go forth and be giving!

It was a quiet Baking Party!

Well, all the pre baking was done on Friday and by 11pm the snow started flying. By 6am the snow was 6 inches deep so we cancelled people coming over to help out. Safety First is my motto! By 3pm the snow was drifted 3 to 4 feet so the snow blower had to come out to play. It was a different baking party, but one to remember.

We still baked all the recipes and filled boxes for everyone that usually comes to help and we will deliver next weekend, but the house was really quiet!

So why tell you all this? Well, as I thought about what to write this morning I thought the baking party and all that happened this weekend is a lot like life! You have unexpected events that happen and it isn't the event that matters as much as how you react to the event that really matters.

We could have cancelled and did nothing. We could have cancelled and been upset that no one showed up or we could have baked!

I choose to bake so that we could still share the treats of the season with others. You see it isn't the event or the getting people over that mattered to me. It was preparing special treats that we can give to others to enjoy. No strings attached, no work needed, no payment received...just a simple box of cookies for others.

Every event and every day you have a choice to be positive or negative, to give or complain, to move forward or look behind. We had a choice yesterday and the choice was to give to others!