Loving what we do.

The first thing to remember is that we must be satisfied with our work, knowing that we've done the best we could do with what we had to work with at the time. Know that, if we're worth our salt, we'll always wish we could do more, improve, become more proficient at our craft or skill.

Those who do good work of any kind always seem to be seeking that next mountain to climb, that next challenge that takes them to another creative level. It is crucial to find satisfaction in our work at this time and at this stage of our development. Be gentle and generous with ourselves. Give credit where credit is due. Do not let that inner voice of censorship overwhelm us with self-defeating criticism.

 Be thankful that a task have been completed and then move on. Let's remember that this is one step in a long process. We do not fall or stand by one project, this is not a "make or break" - this is a signpost, a landmark on a long journey. If we look at successful people, we'll see that the majority work patiently at what they do over the long term. We'll find that everyone has their ups and downs, but it's one who keep going that get somewhere. Trust the process.Loving what we do, giving ourselves permission to do something for the sheer love of it. When love is our motivation, others opinions matter less. The fire is generated from inside, from the center of our hearts.

Love is the compass that guides us across the desert stretches and through the howling wilderness. If we love what we do, we will be able to move beyond our own fears and the negative opinions and actions of others. There is no substitute for passionate and heartfelt belief.

"The best picture has not yet been painted; the greatest poem is still unsung; the mightiest novel remains to be written; the divinest music has not been conceived even by Bach. In science, probably ninety-nine percent of the knowable has not yet been discovered' - L. Steffen

06/04/2010

With the option of Success how come, sometimes, we choose failure?

I woke up this morning and as always even before opening my eyes, just run my plans and thoughts for the day.

I have had so far a very good year and few more closings to happen within the next month. However there is nothing on the pipeline for August and the following months, so my thoughts this morning was "I have to reach out and get my buyers buying". Well long history short , after doing the work that goes into prospecting, here I am, it is almost 9 pm and I got 3 buyers ready to start looking at houses this weekend, planning to buy by August the latest, wow! what a sense of accomplishment!...

I believe that if we have well-defined dreams and goals, then we focus on putting in the work towards them, THEY WILL HAPPEN....

"We must look for ways to be an active force in our own lives. We must take charge of our own destinies, design a life of substance and truly begin to live our dreams." Les Brown

06/03/2010

Surrendering to Resistance

How often have we tried to control and confine life, living according to old rules, ideas, and expectations? I've wasted so much time and energy on proving I was right, on resisting change, and trying to hold onto the past long after it was time to let it go. It took me a long time to become conscious that another way was possible - a more flexible and easy way to approach life. I have learned that there is a great power in living in the flow.

Sometimes we try to force things to happen. Yet our anxiety and urgency block the very flow we desire. The ego loves to control, confine, define. But freedom of the spirit moves according to a deeper wisdom.

'The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.'

Flowing with life is not merely a passive allowing. Just as a farmer prepares the soil, plants the seeds, waters and cultivates the land, and does his daily work, so we do what we can do to create the optimum conditions for what we desire. It is the life force within the seed and the seed's partnership with the elements that create the magic of growth and fruition. The farmer does not have to stand in the field, grunting and groaning, trying to make the seeds grow. He plants the seeds and trust its nature to fulfill its destiny. We too, can plant and cultivate our seeds of faith and watch them grow according to a greater wisdom than we can yet imagine.

The more we resist, the harder life is. If we are willing to be flexible and open, we'll discover a gentle strength greater than we could have imagined in our earlier power struggles. Surrender to resistance. Go with the flow. And let it lead us into a more fulfilling adventures.

'Those who don't feel this life pulling them like a river, those who don't drink dawn like a cup of spring water or take in a sunset like supper, those who don't want to change, let them sleep.' Rumi

 

05/23/2010 

The Art of Simplicity

The art of simplicity is not only about things and experiences, it's about the choices you make and how you cultivate character. The old-fashioned virtues have been neglected, but they are timeless essentials for a fulfilling life.

 

You know how complex life can get when you procrastinate so long that a neglected problem takes on a life of its own. Suddenly the leak has become a flood, the pile of paper, an avalanche inundating your desk, the little white lies turn into a complicated attempt to remember the stories you told. Sometimes the difficult choices turn out to be the simplest choices of all.

The choices and attitudes that make life simpler and easier are ones of character and integrity. One of the easiest ways to cultivate inner simplicity is to practice gratitude. By giving thanks for what we receive, we encourage the universe to shower even more of the good things of life upon us. We come to realize that we are rich in the things that count.

'Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.' - Melody Beattie

'Only one thing is more frightening than speaking the truth. And that is not speaking.' - Naomi Wolf

05/08/2010

Walk the Talk.

Motivational author and speaker Zig Ziglar once said,

"Success means doing the best we can with what we have. Success is the doing, not the getting; in the trying, not the triumph. Success is a personal standard, reaching for the highest that is in us, becoming all that we can be."

Think about words like commitment, honesty, accountability, respect, courage, ethics, and integrity. These are important words when it comes to your success, but these words are meaningless if you don't live by them. After all, if you constantly say one thing and do another, you will lose people's trust. And without the trust of your family, partners, friends, clients, or colleagues, success is impossible. The late Christopher Reeve once said,

"I think we all have a little voice inside that will guide us.... If we shut out all the noise and clutter from our lives and listen to that voice, it will tell us the right thing to do."

Behaving according to our beliefs can be a challenge. But when it comes to earning trust, keeping trust, and therefore maximizing your success, walking your talk is critical.

05/08/2010

Good Morning World....I'm alive!

Welcome every morning with a smile. Take 5 minutes to enjoy your surroundings, take a deep and fresh breath, let the smell of the world run through your veins and enjoy the feel of wonder that comes with the knowledge of how miraculous is to be alive...

If you can,  stop for a couple of minutes or even seconds, close your eyes, open your arms wide and breathe slowly, picture the air getting trough your nostrils and going into your lungs, bringing the vital energy to your body, refreshing every little space of your body, now.... hold it....then slowly let it go through your mouth, until all is empty...taking out all the impurities, bitterness, sadness and leaving a clean slate for a new and great life to start.

Look on the new day as yet another special opportunity ... "Every day is a good day to examine our prime-time priorities.

Positive thoughts make you feel not only happier, but help you to live longer. What we have is a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day, we must look for ways to be an active force in our own lives, we must take charge of our own destinies, design a life of substance and truly begin to live our dreams.

This is the only life we have and we must live it the best we possibly can. Make a difference on yours and someones life today.

Have a Great Day! 09/2010

Finding Balance

 “Balance is the point where the spiritual, physical and emotional aspects of our personalities meet and concur” –Deirdre Lovell

It's funny to realize, every day, how life works. Do you know when you get a car, that you believe to be totally unique, just to realize, after you buy it,that every other person in town has the same model.Or you think about someone you haven't heard or talked to for a while, that person, just out of the blue, send you a note or make a call? Well this happens to me, a lot.

Last week it was one of those weeks, sometimes feeling something out of a 'twilight zone' episode. In almost every conversation I have had, either be with friends, family, colleagues or just complete strangers with whom I stroke a casual conversation while waiting for an appointment or at the market line...in almost every one of them we end up striking one common point, balance. We start with a light and easy chat about the week, work, weather, flowers, the coming summer - which makes most of the New Englanders excited - and then, it shifts into family and how to balance the personal, family, social and professional life in order to be able to do all the things that are important without losing touch with the things that are only ours, without losing ourselves.

How can we still be an individual with ideas, dreams and realizations at the same time as being a 'professional', 'employer', 'employee', 'mothers', 'daughters', 'husbands and wifes', 'partners', 'fathers' and 'sons'. How to be everything else that we are suppose to be and still be the person, that unique and original individual, we all wanted to become? How to create and live a well balanced and satisfying life in the meantime? How to hold the scale in the middle, without shifting too much to one side or the other?

I guess we all have a list of things we want to achieve in life....Finding Balance is the second goal in my life goal list, and I have learned that it is a lifelong process, it's a daily chore and require practice, lots of practice. It's not something you learn today, apply and let it go, counting on 'it' to have a life in its own. It's something that requires daily attention and dedication. You know, almost like educating your children...how many times did you repeat or hear your parents say 'What do you say...?' when you want to your children to learn how to say 'thank you'...balancing life is something like that...it's a everyday, every hour, every minute activity and has more to do with time management than you would like to believe.

Creating order in our daily routines works, and works well. A path is not a path with one stepping stone in the beginning and one in the end. It requires one stone after the other, going somewhere to be an actual path. Order, will allow you to make time for what's important to you. For me, making lists~ which I usually put together at night, after checking the ones I had for the day that is ending ~ works well. It does feel good to see my daily list all checked out and motivates me to keep on doing what I am doing.

My first 2 hours of the day are usually reserved to myself, no cell phone, no computer...it's a time I take to myself, to read, write, meditate, take photos, walk on the beach, enjoy my cup of coffee, do yoga or anything that I have pleasure on doing. This is what is important to me, at this time in my life.

Focus on whatever is that is important to you, work with a good schedule and add them into your to-do list. Seriously, if it's your family, shut off all the external influences and distractions (unless you are a surgeon or an attorney with a client on the death row scheduled to be executed today), really, stay with them and enjoy the time you have together. It's the quality of the moments spent together that create unforgettable memories, not the quantity.

Make those minutes, hours or days worth. It's important to stick to it. I usually say to myself: 'If this was an appointment with a client, I would not miss for the world.' If I am ready to overcome any obstacle to honor an appointment with a client who, sometimes I have yet to meet, why I would not be able to make to the 'appointment' with myself, my family, friends or to what is really important to me? Don't take me wrong, yes my clients are important, they are my livelihood but, if I don't care for myself, I will not have much to offer to then either.

Start right now - make lists, enter on your tablet, iphone, make post its...whatever works for you. Start with tackling just a couple of things on the list so you don’t get overwhelmed at first. Start with baby steps...make a little list and add one thing you want at a time. You don't have to read a whole book in one day...reading one chapter or a page a day is a great way to do. The habit makes the monk isn't that as the saying goes?

A new month starts tomorow, it's a great opportunity to start something new. So start today and enjoy!

Noemi Cardoso 04/30/2012

Honesty: A lost Treasure?

Honesty is one of the greatest signs of a person's character. It is too easy to let slide and avoid saying our truthful thoughts to the people we care about. Not behind their backs, to others in a whisper... but staring at their eyes, in private, in a loving manner.

To say not just the bad, the flaws we see, not to humiliate but to motivate, a 'positive criticism' - if that is at all a possibility, after all criticism has always a bitter taste - (On a side note here, we must also be open-minded to accept the same 'positive criticism' from them). We must also recognize, highlight and applaud their good with the same easy we point fingers at their faults.

It can make you, break you, help you to succeed. It can destroy you, exonerate you and even bury you. BUT the thing that it will guarantee to do is to bring peace, harmony, trust, wealth, friendship, peace of mind, but most of all love and respect.

Honesty is not something you just expect to get from others because you believe to be entitled to it. It is something you give to others at the same proportion you expect to receive. Once honesty it is gone in any type of relationship then trust is wounded, and even tough a relationship can still remain, it will always be like trying to put together the pieces of a broken mirror...it might work still, but the image that reflects from it will always be distorted and imperfect.

Many today, have forgotten the importance of it and the 'few' that still honors this trait of a good character are usually labeled 'idiots'. Most people exercise the current 'what is in for me' mentality. The current society of 'immediate satisfaction at all costs' is transforming characters and relationships into something unnecessary and banal.

You can call me a dreamer, but I rather be an 'idiot' than a lost soul in search of a never-ending fantasy life filled with lies, pumped up by TV reality shows to fulfill the emptiness of my own life. Just because 'everybody does it' it does not make it right. That is where the use of common sense and free will should kick in.

Honesty is what comes out and it is what is expected from others. Without the bad I will never be the great human being I am cut out to be. Without losing I will never savor the taste of a sweet victory, without being discriminated I will never enjoy the pleasure of fitting in, without a tear I will never recognize the thrill of a happy smile.

No matter what the weather is on the outside, it will always be sunny on the inside because I know where the truth comes from and no one has the power to diminish it or try to mold me into something else, so they can feel comfortable on their own skin. Like the song said, “Don’t worry, be happy”.

Smile, regardless the tears streaming down your face, there will always be a sunshine shining after a stormy day.

N. Cardoso 07/26/2012