Free Apps

There is an app for almost everything today.  Technology advances have transformed the way we live, work, and play.  How often do you hear the phrase, "there's an app for that"?  Applications, or apps, can be downloaded on computers, tablets, and smartphones.  You have access to multiple programs at your fingertips.  However, there are certain free apps that do not require technology.  They are activated by how you perceive certain situations.  Your feelings determine if you demonstrate approval, appreciation, appeasement, apprehension, or appetite.

• Approval encourages the recipient of it and engages the provider of it.  Do not give it lightly or take it for granted when you get it.  It bridges the gap between trying and succeeding.  Knowing that someone supports what you are doing energizes you. 

• Appreciation is a building block for learning and development.  It casts a reflection that allows you to be noticed.  When you recognize the efforts, skills, and strength of others, you are often inspired to work on things to make you better.

• Appeasement involves temporary strategic compromise.  It is not total surrender.  Keep the big picture in mind.  Weigh the way.  In other words, consider the consequences of getting your way in the moment.  Is it worth it in the long run?  

•  Apprehension can be a useful tool for decision making.  Don't let fear stop you from taking calculated risks.  However, it is okay to proceed with caution when you are unsure about something.  Concern makes you more observant and sharpens your focus.

•  Appetite is an indication that you require something to satisfy a desire, or dream, that you have.  Identify what you need to do to meet the need in a timely, organized manner.  Once you achieve an objective, make sure you have a plan to repeat the process.

Leave a comment and share which app you will use this week. 

Wind Chimes

How fast are you moving to pursue your goals?  Your pace will dictate the sounds that you hear when you reach certain milestones.  Think of wind chimes as a way to measure your progress.  The harder the wind blows, the louder the chimes will sound.  Is your effort comparable to a soft breeze, a mild gust, or a strong gale?  There is a time and place for each level of intensity. 

A gentle breeze will cause the chimes to sway slightly and provide a harmonious tone.  There is no significant disturbance to cause a lot of noise.  It is important to know when to move in the background as opposed to out front.  Sometimes you can have a greater impact by treading lightly and not disrupting the environment. 

A mild gust blows hard enough to move the chimes in a steady, rhythmic motion.  The pipes collide with one another and produce a continuous clang.  The contact is hard and is about maneuvering for position.  Do not let people run over you or push you around.  Your thoughts, words, and actions have value.  Focus on the self worth that you determine, not the conditional affirmation from others.  

Strong gale force winds are normally present in damaging storm systems.  In those situations, the chimes are whipped around so forcefully that they may break apart or blow away.  Extreme pressure can cause things or people to behave in a destructive manner.  Don't let the chaos of outside conditions drown out the voice of your wisdom and common sense.

Leave a comment and share your thoughts on this week's post.

Clearance Rack

When you are shopping, do you check the clearance rack?  That is where you will find the discounted items that the store is trying to move.  They need to get rid of the merchandise on the clearance rack in order to make room for new inventory.  You can apply the same principle to your plans, habits, and choices.  Are there certain things that you would like to decrease in your life?  Some common candidates for reduction include procrastination, clutter, debt, assumptions, and limits.



10% Off (Procrastination) - Continued delay of the start of a task can drain your energy.  It requires effort to repeatedly find a reason to keep pushing something that could be done now to later.  If you anticipate that something will be difficult or unpleasant, don't avoid it.  Give yourself a pep talk and take action.  Decreasing procrastination by 10% can move you forward quicker and more confidently.


20% Off (Clutter) - You need space in order to be productive.  Clear your mind, home, car, office, and other areas of piles of unnecessary stuff.  Don't let sentimental value prevent you from recognizing the value of organization and efficiency.  Sometimes you aren't able to see all of your assets clearly because they are being blocked by things that are no longer useful to you.  Dispose of 20% of the clutter in your life to make room for the building blocks of your success.


30% Off (Debt) - Reducing your debt may not be easy.  However, it can be done.  It takes discipline to stick to the plan, evaluation of progress, breaking bad habits, and telling the truth about your spending.  There are numerous books and tools to help you manage your debt better.  What could you do if you decreased your debt by 30%?

40% Off (Assumptions) - Be careful about making snap judgements.  Broad generalizations are not necessarily true.  Objectivity will help your decision making and interaction with others.  The next time that you make an assumption, stop and ask yourself why you feel that way.  When you make less assumptions, you are better equipped to recognize the facts.   Try a 40% reduction and see how your outlook shifts.

50% Off (Limits) - Expand your horizon.  Open your mind.  Look for opportunities.  Set stretch goals to do new things.  Dream bigger.  Speak affirmations to remind yourself of what you can do.  Expect to do great things.  Reach higher and believe in yourself.  How often do you say "I can't"?  Keep track of it and cut the number in half.

Leave a comment and share what you will put on your clearance rack this week. 

Loose Change

Sometimes loose change is hidden from view.  It may be under the seat cushions on the sofa or under the seat in the car.  You might discover the change by accident when looking for something else.  However, if someone has loose change in their pockets or in the bottom of their purse, you often hear it moving around.  Whether you come upon it unexpectedly or get alerted that it is there, change can work in your favor.  Use these quotations about change to learn how to embrace it.

You cannot expect to achieve new goals or move beyond your present circumstances unless you change.
Les Brown 

All personal breakthroughs begin with a change in beliefs
Anthony Robbins

All meaningful and lasting change starts first in your imagination and then works its way out. Imagination is more important than knowledge.
Albert Einstein

Any change, even for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts.
Arnold Bennett

Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.
James Baldwin

People do no change with the times, they change the times.
P.K. Shaw

The first step toward change is awareness. The second step is acceptance.
Nathaniel Branden

To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly.  Henri Bergson

Those who expect moments of change to be comfortable and free of conflict have not learned their history. 
Joan Wallach Scott

Continuity gives us roots; change gives us branches, letting us stretch and grow and reach new heights. 
Pauline R. Kezer

Leave a comment and share which of these quotes about change will be most useful to you this week.