Take ChargeTuesdays, by Gina Meyers

Take Charge Tuesdays

New Year, New You!

By, Gina Meyers

Start your new year 2016 off right with small, manageable changes to your lifestyle. This is your year to lose those extra pounds, get that promotion at work and find the one! 85% of us will fail at our New Year’s resolutions, but it’s possible to succeed if we make small manageable steps towards change.

Step One

Write it down!

 A new year often evokes the desire to work out more, lose weight, eat right. While those are great goals, sometimes we are too hard on ourselves. Allow yourself a cheat day. A day where you can have the See’s candy or that extra helping of mashed potatoes and gravy. Keep a food journal as well as an exercise journal. In your exercise journal write down your goals for the week, the month and the year. Write down encouraging statements and paste pictures of people that you want to look like in your exercise journal. In your food journal, print recipes found off the internet that appeal to you, make a list of foods that are healthy to keep on hand when you get really hungry, even a pantry list of food(s) that you know are good for you. Create your own good for you recipes and try something new, like Brussel sprouts.  

Step Two

Be Kind To Yourself

Each year brings about new hopes, and dreams, but it also brings about unexpected changes and even disappointments. Don’t beat yourself up over the setbacks and disappointments. Often times unexpected changes can really be blessings in disguise. Keep your chin up and roll with the punches.

Step Three

Make a Dreamboard

A Dreamboard is a visualization tool of pictures and inspirational phrases on a board to focus on your dreams and hopes for your future. The board activates the subconscious mind and the universal law of attraction to begin manifesting your dreams into reality. Dreamboards are effective because they are constant reminders of what you want and keep your mind focused on your goals for the future.

Gather Materials:

You can either use magazines or images found on websites. If you choose to use magazines, gather different types of magazines, so you can cover all the topics that you are interested in. For instance, if you are interested in traveling, visiting a local travel agency and requesting brochures on the countries you would like to visit. If you are interested in Yoga for instance, purchasing a magazine devoted to Yoga, health and wellness would be appropriate.  You can also use documents you collect or bulletins, found at your local church or university. You want to find images that remind you of your goals and ambitions, hopes, dreams for your future. These images are meant to motivate.

Cut out images:

Go through each magazine and cut out any pictures, inspirational words that appeal to you. Allow your mind to wander and follow your instinct. Find bright, colorful images that make you feel ambitious, motivated, exhilarated, fantastic. Ideas are: nice houses, cars, flowers, landmarks, fitness goals, pictures of families, and powerful words such as  (love, hope, joy).

Purchase a board:

A large blank poster board, inexpensive and available at a local art store or dollar store, discount drug store/pharmacy. You can also invest in a canvas or a magnet board.

Cut and paste pictures:

Cut and paste pictures on your dreamboard. You can use glue sticks, or Elmer’s glue.

Place the dream board:

Put it beside your bed, or in your office, or in your workspace. If you don’t have a lot of room, take a picture of your dreamboard and look at it on your phone or print out a photograph of your dreamboard. It will be a smaller version, so good for handy reference to keep in your glove box of your car.

Over the course of a year, you will notice that you will start to achieve some of your dreams that you have placed on your board.

These three steps will increase your odds of sticking to your resolutions, have a great year!

     

                           

About the Author

Author, Publisher, Gina Meyers

Gina Meyers is best known for her popular culture television trivia and cooking expertise books related to the Twilight Saga and the iconic television show Bewitched and is the proud winner of the prestigious Gourmand International Cookbook Award for Best Charity Cookbook, Hope For Haiti. Gina is also the author of The Dorm Room Essentials Cookbook, Cook Like a Native Italian, and has co-authored Manifesting Magnificence: A Personal Growth Workbook.

Make a Difference Mondays, by, Gina Meyers

 

 

 

Make a difference Mondays

Meet Avi Gardner

 

 

By, Gina Meyers

 

 

In our new format, Serendipity Press will be introducing you to people and concepts that “Make a Difference”, each Monday. In Avi Gardner’s first book, From Darkness To Light: A Fight for my Life and Light, ( Copyright © 2016 by, Avi Gardner, Serendipity Media, 978-0692450390) Avi tackles many difficult subjects. She poses many important questions in her book,  one of which, “how do we have the courage to forgive ourselves when unforgivable things have happened to our spirits?” She answers this and many other questions with a positive and upbeat attitude, taking into account you must acknowledge and not ignore what has transpired and you must give yourself time to “heal and to feel”. She has done an exceptional job at providing resources and thoughts on what has helped her through what many term, “ritual abuse”. She has become a singer and a song writer and has written not only a comprehensive guide on putting God first, but her message also is shown in poetry and prose. Read in her own words, Chapter 29, Courage.

 

 

 

 

Chapter 29 - Courage

William Shakespeare wrote, “Our fears are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt.”

 

Fear is the opposite of faith. Just as we are commanded to love, we are commanded to “Fear not.” Courage is a choice. It is faith in action.

 

As Peter Hill founder of World Tai Chi, G.E.T.I.T., and author of G.E.T.I.T. Together teaches, courage is not the absence of fear. It is the ability to move forward even when we feel it. We do not need to wait for fear to go away before taking action. In fact, we do just the opposite. By moving forward through our fear, we gain more courage to take the next action. When we, as Peter Hill says, “…have a clear goal with pure intent,” we can move past any fear. As Anthony Robbins said, a clear enough why overcomes any how. Susan Jeffers, author of, Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway, says that fear does not go away. The more we exercise our muscles, our ability to move through fear strengthens.

 

Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is the ability to keep moving forward even when we feel afraid, unless of course, a bus is coming our way.

 

It takes courage to keep looking and moving forward when we don’t see where we are going. We can pray for this courage and keep looking toward our dreams knowing that they will come to pass, taking one step at a time.

 

When I have something big enough to believe in, faith replaces fear. Whenever I feel afraid, I choose to replace this fear by believing in the atonement of Jesus Christ, by loving God with all of my heart, all of my might, all of my mind, and all of my soul. When I believe that He is taking care of things for me, while I work super hard, I am filled with His Light, and His perfect Love casts out all fear.

 

 

Before publishing this book, I knew I would be facing a lot of fears, so I bought a surfboard. I figured having enough faith to feel safe in the ocean would help me to have enough faith to publish the book.

 

When I was a kid, I used to surround myself with stuffed animals at night. I imagined myself submerged deep in the ocean, with sharks swimming around me. It was always light, and I could see. I knew my numerous stuffed animals would keep me safe. They would stop the sharks from hurting me.

 

The same faith that I used as a child is true for me today. This time, instead of stuffed animals around me, my Heavenly Father has my back. He won’t let anything hurt me. I am safe. Perfect love casts out all fear.

 

We may still fear at times.  God does not expect us to be perfect. We can pray to be filled with perfect love every day! Eventually, faith replaces this fear. 

 

When I went to the Mormon temple again after a seventeen-year absence, I felt at home. As my friends and I drove over the bridge, light from the sunrise illuminated the bay. I knew I was coming home. It had been a long journey.

 

Inside the temple, many things were on my mind. As I mentioned earlier, I had this big test to pass in order to keep my credentials in California. In order to keep my current position until the end of the year, I had one shot. I also knew I needed to write my book, and at the same time, still felt really scared about doing it.

 

While I sat with my friends inside the temple, two very clear thoughts came to my head. I had thoughts like this before during very important times in my life, and they were always right. To me, these thoughts were direct inspiration, things I needed to know. The first thought was very clear. “You will pass the test.” The second thought came just as clearly. “Publish the book. You will be safe. Build my kingdom, and you will be safe.”

 

The inspiration gave me motivation to keep studying. I spent hours and days and received several priesthood blessings. Knowing I would pass brought so much peace that I had the power to study even harder.  Sure enough, I passed the test.

 

When fears regarding my own safety came up about publishing the book, I kept remembering what God said, “Publish the book, and you will be safe. Build my kingdom, and you will be safe.”

 

~

It has been said that courage is the testing point of all virtues. When we are at a place where every virtue is tested, and we still choose the right thing, that is courage.

 

According to Joseph Fielding Smith, there is a difference between those who are, “brave at heart,” and those who have “the courage of faith.” The brave at heart fight for a cause and often give up when they see the battle as hopeless, or when they feel despair. Courage of faith comes when we believe in something much bigger than ourselves to make things happen. Those with courage of faith never give up.

 

Fielding goes on, “He (Paul) labored fearlessly, he had delivered a divine message, he had resisted the enemy, and they apparently triumphed over him. He was taken prisoner and subjected to humiliating treatment by the administrators of the law. He was in bonds, and death awaited him, but he was still courageous. His was the courage of faith. While he was in prison and awaiting death, when most people would have thought “Their cause lost,” Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” Imagine how much courage that takes!

He was awaiting death, and still he said to protect himself with the armor of God.

 

Fielding continues, “ After we have done all we could do for the cause of truth, and withstood the evil that men have brought upon us, and we have been overwhelmed by their wrongs, it is still our duty to stand. We cannot give up; we must not lie down. Great causes are not won in a single generation. To stand firm in the face of overwhelming opposition, when you have done all you can, is the courage of faith. The courage of faith is the courage of progress. Men who possess that divine quality go on; they are not permitted to stand still if they would. They are not simply creatures of their own power and wisdom; they are instrumentalities of a higher law and a divine purpose.

 

Others would quit; they would avoid trouble.  Such men read history, if at all, only as they make it; they cannot see the hand of God in the affairs of men, because they see only with the eye of man and not with the eye of faith. All resistance is gone out of them – they have left God out of the question. They have not put on his whole armor. Without it, they are loaded down with fear and apprehension, and they sink. To such men everything that brings trouble seems necessary. As Saints of God, it is our duty “to stand,” even when we are overwhelmed by evil.

 

He states, “One of the highest qualities of all true leadership is a high standard of courage.”

 

As we move forward, we can have something else to look forward to. 

As much as I say it is not what we experience but the meaning we give to it that matters, I wonder how much of my identity comes from what I went through. I wonder if some of my perceived self-worth comes from surviving something big.

 

What will I do next?

 

It takes courage as we move forward living a life based on new beliefs. With courage, we create new situations where we know these new beliefs are possible. Really, there is no reason to fear because God is in charge. We are always safe.

 

 

 

God is in Charge

God is in charge,

There is nothing to fear

God is in charge

There is no need to fear

 

His perfect Love

Casts out all fear

‘Cause God is in charge,

There’s no need to fear

 

For He knows

What we want

Before we even ask.

He gives us what we need.

There’s no need to look back.

 

God is in Charge

God is in charge,

There is nothing to fear

God is in charge

There is no need to fear

 

His perfect Love

Casts out all fear

‘Cause God is in charge,

There’s no need to fear

                   -Avi Gardner

Author, Guest Speaker, Singer, Avi Gardner

Buy the book

Author, Publisher, Gina Meyers

Book Description: From Darkness To Light: A Fight For My Light and Life

Serendipity provides a tradition of success. Whether you chose the road less traveled or the path most traveled, rest assured that your needs are our top priority. From Darkness To Light: A Fight For My Light and Life, by, Avi Gardner.

From Darkness to Light

by, Avi Gardner

How many of us are dealing with major changes? How many of us want tools for surviving divorce, death, war, assault, and other major traumas?  How many of us desperately need tools for moving forward and living our dreams?

Losing almost everything she owned and nearly all she was as a person, Avi Gardner found the courage to begin again and rebuild her life from the ashes. Ever since her early teens, Avi’s motto to others has been: “Live your dreams.” Although she tried time and time again to live her instead, she lived out unconscious beliefs formed during a traumatic childhood.

 

Like many World War II and Vietnam veterans, Avi relived early events as if they were happening in the present. As she tried to put the pieces together, her whole life seemed to fall apart. Until one morning she stepped out in front of a bus.

 

This book is her story. It is about the Light that gets us through the darkest times. Let it guide you with tools to help you heal from trauma, PTSD or any major life change. Let it help you truly live your dreams and reach your full potential. Let it be your first step toward the Light.

 Preorder your e book today!

Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake

½ cup of butter, softened

1 cup of granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

2 cups of all-purpose flour, divided use

1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder

½ teaspoon of baking soda

½ teaspoon of salt

1 cup of buttermilk

2 cups of finely peeled apples

1 ¼ cups of packed organic brown sugar

½ cup of chopped nuts

1 to 2 Tablespoons of cinnamon

1/3 cup of melted butter

Drizzle topping: (optional)

½ cup of semisweet chocolate chips

1 teaspoon of shortening

 

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat together ½ cup of softened butter, and sugar until well-combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

Combine 2 2/3rds cups of flour, the baking powder, soda and salt; add alternately to beaten mixture with buttermilk, beating until combined. Fold in apples.

While cake is cooling, combine chocolate pieces and shortening in a small saucepan or micro-safe bowl. Melt over very low heat, stirring until blended, or microwave on low power until melted, stirring to blend. Before serving, drizzle topping over cake. Makes 12 to 16 servings.

Homemade Pumpkin Pie

Homemade Pumpkin Pie

By, Chef Gina Meyers

1 Pumpkin (small, Trade Joes sells pumpkins for pies)

3 eggs

1 cup of Evaporated Milk, Vitamin D Added

1 stick of butter (melted)

Dash of salt

¾ cup of Organic Brown Sugar

1 Tablespoon of vanilla extract

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg

1 ready to eat Graham Cracker Crust

Directions: Wash pumpkin, cut in half, remove stem and scoop out seeds and remove strings. Place cut side down on a baking sheet and bake until tender, about one hour at 350 degrees.

Once cooled, peel, smash, and mix pumpkin until smooth. In a large bowl, add milk, melted butter, pumpkin puree, eggs, dash of salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla extra and blend with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour into crust and bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

Pumpkin Pomegranate Bread

 

 

 

Pumpkin Pomegranate Bread

By, Gina Meyers

1 (15 ounce) canned pumpkin puree (spiced)

1 ½ cups of granulated sugar

½ cup of vegetable or coconut oil

¼ cup of water

2 eggs

2 ¼ cups of all-purpose flour (if you are gluten-free, substitute Nu Flour)

½ Tablespoon of ground cinnamon

½ Tablespoon of ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of salt

¼ cup of pomegranate kernels (arils)

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray with either extra virgin olive oil or canola non-stick cooking spray three 9x5 inch loaf pans. In a large bowl, combine sugar, pumpkin puree, oil, water, and eggs. Beat until smooth. Blend in flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. If using the spice pumpkin puree, no need for additional spices. Fold in pomegranate arils. Bake for one hour or until toothpick comes out clean from the center of the bread.

 

Pomegranate Icing

1 cup of powdered sugar

2 1/2 Tablespoons of POM (Pomegranate Juice)

Mix in a bowl with  a spoon, add more powdered sugar if needed or a 1/2 Tablespoon at a time of pomegranate juice if mixture needs it. Drizzle mixture over your baked and cooled Pumpkin Pomegranate Bread.

Gina's Cookbooks Buy Here

Whole Grain Pomegranate Sangria Bread

Whole Grain Pomegranate Sangria Bread

By, Chef Gina Meyers

The Twin Pomegranate Wine Cookbook Book Trailer

 Purchase the Pomegranate Cookbook

1 Tablespoon of Cornmeal

1 cup of quick-cooking rolled oats

1 cup of buttermilk, divided

½ cup of True Temptation Pomegranate Sangria

2 cups of all-purpose flour

1 cup of whole wheat flour

2 Tablespoons of packed light brown sugar

1 Tablespoon of baking powder

1 ½ teaspoons of caraway seeds

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of salt

6 tablespoons of butter or margarine, chilled, cut into pieces.

2 eggs, lightly beaten, divided

½ cup of currants

½ cup of pomegranate seeds

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle large baking sheet with cornmeal. In a bowl, combine oats with ½ cup of buttermilk; ¼ cup of pomegranate sangria let stand ten minutes. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine all-purpose and whole wheat flour(s), sugar, baking powder, caraway seeds, baking soda and salt. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs: set aside. Reserve 1 Tablespoon of egg; combine remaining egg with remaining buttermilk (1/2 cup), plus ¼ cup of Pomegranate Sangria. Stir into oat mixture; stir in currants and pomegranate seeds. Stir buttermilk mixture into flour mixture until stiff dough forms. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Knead dough until smooth, 1-2 minutes. Shape dough into round loaf; place on baking sheet. Brush top of dough with remaining egg. With serrated knife, cut an “X” in top of bread, extending cut over sides of loaf down to baking sheet. Let stand in warm place for fifteen minutes. Bake 40-45 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped on bottom. Cool slightly on pan on wire rack before serving.

 

Buy The Twin Pomegranate Wine Cookbook

The Ghost Town, by, Alan R. Hill

The Ghost Town

By, Alan R. Hill

http://www.serendipitymediagroup.com

We stood on the cold corner across the street from our high school, huddled together against the wind. The news was beyond our comprehension. It took our breath away. What could we do? It was November 22, 1963.  I left for the Marine Corps in the beginning of March and my friend shortly after.

Four years later we were both back home, safe and somewhat sound. In late May we departed for a trip across the United States, to the East Coast and beyond.

We crested the ridge and the vista of the valley lay open before us. A ribbon of road as far as the eye could see. The rolling yellows and greens held in place by a powder blue sky, all around and above. One glance at my friend’s appreciative face and flashing brown eyes told me he saw what I did.  

It was the Wyoming prairie lands we were entering. We rolled over the top and the weight of gravity propelled us downward. We fell quietly, in tandem with the pristine landscape, part and parcel of it, like a hawk sweeping down from on high.

 As the road leveled and straightened we saw some movement in the sage brush to our right. Two wild horses, a white stallion and his roan mare. Shiney coats all. They ran along side us, we slowed and stopped. They continued on ahead of us and they stopped. They started a kind of dance on the edge of the roadway while tossing their heads to and fro. Then committed, they ran, hooves ringing hallow on the asphalt, across the road, off and into the prairie and away.

We gasped for breath, the sight was so beautiful, the experience so elemental.  They disappeared into the depths of the prairie, eventually merging with the variegated yellows and greens. Apparently swallowed by that expanse. Or perhaps re-entering a portal into another time from which they had only momentarily appeared. A loud “clunk”, broke the silence, transmission in gear we continued on our way. A wary eye on the gas gauge, it was getting low. There was a turn up ahead and it looked like the only one we might see for days. We took it.

There was a one pump gas station on the way into town. Relieved we pulled in, but it was deserted. We got out of the car and looked around. The back door on the second story of the worn house that fronted the property, opened. An old man stepped out and came down the rickety flight of stairs. His hair was white, eyes sky blue, he was tall and there was a calmness, and a dignity about him.

He came over to us standing by the pump. “Where you young fellas headed?” he asked stopping to talk to us, rather than going directly to the pump. We explained we were headed out across country, “going to New York and the World’s Fair in Canada.” We continued to talk as he approached the pump.

“If I was a little younger, I’d throw my knapsack in the back there and come along with you,” he said simply, while removing the pump. There was a stillness and quietness in his motion.

At his words I could see a lanky youth with a full head of thick brown curly hair, slinging his knapsack in the backseat of the car, decidedly; as if the direction of time was no object.

He filled our tank with gas, we talked a bit more, paid, wished each other well, and leaving him there, drove into town.

It looked like an old cowboy town. The street was unpaved and the stores and shops which were all closed were bordered by a wooden platform that ran in front of them along both sides of the street. Any paint long ago faded revealing a uniform grayness. Where once their sprouted a rich and vibrant oiled wood, pungent and resounding from the heels of passersby, the boards now complained and ached, and fairly groaned with their history. But it may have been the wind I heard.

When the storefront street came to an end, there were homes. But they also were closed. Made mere houses by boards nailed to windows and doors, signaling absence and barring entrance to their worlds. The wind made a circle of dust that ran up and down the street. Like mini tornadoes in a fast food world, impatient and unable to commit to a full run, hither and yon, starting, stopping, appearing, now gone. From whence does the wind come?

Retracing our steps we were surprised to find an open restaurant. The one shop on the street that was open appeared closed by virtue of its proximity to the others. We looked in, there were people inside. We stepped across the threshold, and back in time. All eyes turned to look at us. We strode to the counter, and sat on the unstable stools effortlessly maintaining center stage. Exchanging the temptation for a mad spin on the stools, to slow half revolutions for the sake of decorum, the seats themselves protesting their years of service loudly with each screeching turn.

 “Where you young fellas headed?” we were asked.

 “Where’re ya from?” another shouted.

 “Headed to New York and up from San Francisco,” we explained.

“What are you “sour dough’s” going to be doing in these parts?” we were asked, amid a round of laughter.

What’s a “sour dough” I thought? Later, I realized it was a reference to the long gone gold rush days of San Francisco and our famous sour dough bread.

 “We were running out of gas,” we answered. “What happened here?” we asked.

“Well, used to be a river there,” said one of the men as he pointed out the window of the small old restaurant. We followed his finger to a red gorge, like a scar in the earth, which must have been the river.

 “What happened?” we asked.

 “Dried up” we were told.

 “Used to do some mining too”, said another.

 “Mostly everyone gone now though,” added a third.

We ate and conversed with the remaining citizens of the town, after which we again said our farewells. Then we walked about the town a bit and took a few photographs. The empty houses with barred doors, the empty wind swept streets.

We passed the one pump gas station on the way out of town. I caught the blue eyes of the old man as we drove past and waved. He returned the salutation.

When our eyes met, an instant before our arms moved, there was eternity unbidden. It was like coming upon a deer in a meadow. You can glimpse it but can’t hold it.  I think the old man knew it, too.

As we drove on I had a feeling he was in the back seat traveling with us, eager for life and alert, running his fingers through his long curly hair as he leaned forward to say something to us, his enthusiasm making us laugh.

It was the summer of 1968. In less than a week we were in New York City. 

We heard the news on the radio. On June 6th we had our suits pressed.  The Chinese Laundry storefront looked harmless enough, and very small. We were a step behind Napoleon Solo as in the Man From UNCLE. We were led behind the counter through the curtain into a cavernous labyrinth of the bowels of some huge hotel. We left our suits, and waited feeling naked and vulnerable.

Next day we joined the solemn procession at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. Walking silently sadly, down the aisle and around the closed casket.  What could we do? We paid our respects along with the others. It didn’t seem enough. Both brothers gone, first John now Bobby.

The channel of time carried us on, and swept us away. The Saint Lawrence River was beautiful. We arrived in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. We were surprised they spoke French? The World Fair had ended in October 1967, it was now an expo. Most of the pavilions lived on, what we saw there was an exhibit called “Man and his World.”

Alan Hill (Alanrhill2015@gmail.com 559449-1970 © July 12, 2015.

The Mind, Body, and Spirit: The Balancing Act, by Marie Lavin, MSW, LCSW

The Mind Body and Spirit

 

 

In honor of the passing of Dr. Wayne Dyer, I am sharing my personal growth workbook, Manifesting Magnificence for free on kindle (till September 5th, 2015) . Dr. Dyer's publisher is offering his movie, The Shift for free too Serendipity Presents: Manifesting Magnificence . Please enjoy an excerpt from Manifesting Magnificence: A Personal Growth Workbook, by

Marie Lavin, MSW, LCSW.

Marie Lavin MSW,LCSW

Edited by: Susan Bierzychudek

© Divine Healing Energy 2015

Contributor to Manifesting Magnificence: A Personal Growth Workbook

© Serendipity Press, all rights reserved, 2015

 

 

 

The Balancing Act

The mind, body and spirit, in their perfect state, act to support one another. But in our stressed and scattered lives, that perfect state is not always the norm. Attaining a perfect harmony of these three will lead us to a peaceful inner balance, allowing us to open to opportunities that are presented, and to be our very best selves.

 

It is important to identify ways in which we can change our thoughts and behavioral patterns to bring our mind, body and spirit into balance. Recognizing patterns that may once have served, but no longer work for us, is a critical part of this work.

 

First let’s address how the mind, body, and spirit fall out of perfect balance. When we are not taking care of ourselves—not paying attention, not listening to our basic needs of hunger and sleep, or becoming overwhelmed by our everyday lives—we tilt off kilter. We lose our balance when we are involved with addictions to alcohol, drugs, food, shopping, gossiping or working, for example. When we are in those addicted states, we become distracted and lose our focus on balance. We may use those addictions because they feel comfortable, often because we’ve been that way so long that we simply don’t know another way to be. It’s like wearing old comfortable shoes that may be held together by threads, barely giving us the support we need. We may think those tattered shoes are better than a new pair of shoes that feel stiff and need breaking in. Old patterns feel comfortable and predictable, despite the fact that they’re no longer useful. New patterns of thinking or behaving may need the same gradual breaking in before they feel natural and right. But the result is worth the work, many times over.

 

One common example of a behavior pattern that may no longer serve us is avoidance. We may not want to examine our tendency to procrastinate. It may feel like too much work to change that pattern, in which we conveniently back-burner issues we’d rather avoid. Our old pattern allows us to think that we’ll deal with the issue or task tomorrow. But when tomorrow comes we feel disappointed in ourselves, often opting to do something that will distract us from that feeling—perhaps focusing on an addiction to gossip or alcohol or food. That distraction is just another pattern that is not serving us.

 

It takes work to balance our mind, body and spirit. It takes time and patience, and the desire to move to a more peaceful inner harmony. It also helps to identify what behavior and thought patterns need to change. At its foundation, this work is about self-love. But how do we begin to work on our issues? The first step is to recognize that our behavior and thought patterns are interfering with a healthy, balanced lifestyle. Then we need to take small, manageable steps to find ways to make the changes. Part of your success will be in discovering which healing modality works most effectively for you.

 

Looking at my own journey towards greater balance, it was energy work that allowed me to release the blocks of thought and behavior patterns that were not serving me. That modality was such a perfect fit for me that I found myself compelled to become a practitioner, helping to teach others how to become their best selves. Energy work may also be your key to a better balance of mind, body and spirit.

 

 

Buy Manifesting Magnificence: A Personal Growth Workbook

7 Steps To My Writing Process, Why I Write, by, Carrie Smith

Carrie Smith, a fellow Bewitched Television fan and friend, shares her thoughts on the writing process and candidly shares, "why and how she writes."

7 Steps To My Writing Process, Why I Write
By, Carrie Smith

1. I've always subscribed to the theory that anyone can write--and write well. What matters most is the idea; syntax and grammar is secondary. In that light, a vivid imagination is paramount and style will develop over time. When I write, I start by jotting down ideas first and worry about structure later. I have volumes of titles and opening sentences which I look back through for inspiration.

2. I give awesome feedback when asked to critique/edit someone else's work but I am my own worst enemy. I have a very hard time deciding when something I write is "done."
3. Learning other languages has helped tremendously with learning grammar.
4. I'm most comfortable writing creative nonfiction/memoir. Taking creative license with events from my own life is therapeutic and helps to give closure. Putting something funny or troublesome onto paper forces me to examine all the details and think about them from other perspectives.
5. I have a hard time sharing my work. I'm very protective of it because in my eyes, it's never good enough.
6. I wish I was better at writing fiction. I'm too consumed by the actions taking place and too often skip over smaller details which would help the reader understand why they're happening.
7. My first publication was a in 2004 in a local writers column in the Gannett News syndicate. It led to proceedings to appear on a talk show for public television. Unfortunately, the host died before my episode could be filmed...

Serendipity Media Group

Manifesting Magnificence: A Personal Growth Workbook, 21st of the month exercise, by, Linda Ferrari

 

The 21^st of Every Month: A Plan for Keeping Your Life in Balance

(excerpt from Manifesting Magnificence: A Personal Growth Workbook, Serendipity Press, all rights reserved, copyright 2015)

By Linda Ferrari

Ever make a New Year’s Resolution and then three weeks later you realize you haven’t “kept” your resolution? Me too. Or, perhaps worse, you can’t remember what your resolution was? Or, perhaps worst, you decide to simply not even make a New Year’s Resolution?

For me, a New Year’s Resolution is a metaphor for positive change—changes—big and small. And I believe change is inevitable. So why not plan for change? Why not make a “New Year’s Resolution” once a month? That’s what this plan does—help plan for change on a monthly basis.

Another advantage of the plan is that it helps keep your life in balance. Have you ever found that when you concentrate on improving one area of your life (such as finding a new job) that another area of your life starts to suffer (such as then getting less exercise)? Me too.

So here is a plan that helps manage change while helping to maintain a balance in your life at the same time. I have practiced this plan myself and have shared it with a few others who have also found it useful. I hope you will find it beneficial to your life.

Here is how it works. I check in with myself once a month and see if I am keeping my life in balance while meeting goals I have set for myself, and then setting new goals as needed. It’s, therefore, a time for personal reflection.

I chose the 21^st of each month because the shortest day of the year (Dec. 21^st) is on the 21^st of the month and the longest day of the year is on the 21^st (June 21^st) and the seasons traditionally change on the 21^st (Sept.—autumn), (Dec.—winter), (Mar.—spring), (June—summer) but any day of the month will do. The main point is to choose one day a month and have it be the same day each month. I mark the day on my calendar so I will not forget.

This is what I do. I bought a pretty notebook with blank pages, and I write in the notebook on the 21^st of each month. I evaluate my life in nine areas and then sometimes add goals that seem especially important, or just notes or random thoughts or an overall evaluation of my life.

Here are the areas: Spiritual, Work/Career/Vocation, Family, Financial,  Physical, Mental/Education, Love, and Friendships. (You may add Social and Emotional to your workbook). Directions, print out the below wheel. Give yourself a rating for each area of your life and place a dot with pencil or pen on one of the three lines in each category. The line closest to the center is (below expectations), middle line is (needs improvement), top line is (pleased/satisfied with expectation). Once you do this for each area of your life, connect the lines and then ask yourself, "will it roll?" View this as a bicycle tire or a car wheel, is this stable or are one of the spokes in need of repair?

 

 

 

 

 

Manifesting Magnificence is a personal growth workbook with a series of exercises to promote positive benefits in the areas of mind, body and spirit. How would it feel if I took a hike to Yosemite one day and met a woman named Cecelia? It would feel exciting and serendipitous. While on that hike, I discovered that Cecelia is a Drama Therapist who has shared for this workbook her tips. How would it feel to have a book signing in Manteca and be seated next to a man named Richard? It would feel fun, energizing. While at that book signing, I found out that Richard is a Yoga Master and he has shared his meditation techniques in this book. How would it feel if I was looking for an online Dreamboard and met a woman named Anita? It would feel enlightening and wonderful. Anita is the Co-Founder of Dreamitalive.com and she has shared her Law of Attraction tips in this workbook. The stories behind the collaborators in this personal growth workbook are stories in themselves. Enjoy a bounty of rich information intended to uplift your mind, body, and spirit.

Buy here: http://www.serendipitymediagroup.com

 

Manifesting Magnificence: A Personal Growth Workbook, in the news, Directions on how to create an online dreamboard

If you haven't heard yet, Manifesting Magnificence: A Personal Growth Workbook has sold 17 copies since it was published, just three weeks ago. To keep the momentum going, I have asked Dreamitalive.com Co- Founder and Visionary, Anita Rani to share our book with her friend and colleague, John Gray. I have requested he write the Foreword to Manifesting!

John Gray is the foremost authority on relationships. His best-selling book, Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus, has changed for the better the way men and women relate to one another.

Anita recently interviewed John for the Dreamitalive.com website. Anita writes about why she started an online Vision and Dreamboard Company in Manifesting and I have contributed How To Create  A Dreamboard Section in Manifesting as well.

Dr. Allan Hedberg is going on TV today to discuss his collaboration and his Self-Esteem techniques found in Manifesting. For those that don't know, Dr. Allan Hedberg is  a Clinical Psychologist practicing in Fresno, California.

I went on Central Valley Talk TV last Wednesday, and had Manifesting Magnificence on the coffee table as Mike Scott was interviewing me about this book as well as my cookbooks.

Yoga Master and Author of Emotional Sobriety, Richard Parenti is teaching a Meditation Course at Modesto Community College and has shared similar meditation techniques in Manifesting.

Manifesting Magnificence: A Personal Growth Workbook has something for everyone. If you are teaching a course, the perfect accompaniment to your lesson plan. If you are a stay at home mom struggling to find your life purpose, and need a new fresh perspective, Manifesting offers it. If you are a college student, in need of some easy and healthy recipes, (dorm room friendly even), Manifesting has that too.

If you would just like to show your support for someone who has contributed to Manifesting, that would be wonderful as well.

Each author in Manifesting Magnificence would enjoy an opportunity to teach a workshop or share his/her passion for a cause.

My two causes that I support are NAMI Fresno and The Madonna De Lume Society.

I have a request: In the next couple of weeks I will be a guest speaker at a renowned university--would you consider ordering two copies?

http://www.serendipitymediagroup.com/buy-books-here.html

Let's start a change reaction. Thank you for supporting Serendipity Media Group and authors who need a voice.

Anita Rani, Co-Founder of Dreamitalive.com

Dreamboard Exercise:

You are responsible for your life. The way you think creates your life.

We are giving you multiple tools to create your own Dreamboard online as well as in this workbook. Go to Dreamitalive.com to create your profile.

Manifesting Magnificence: A New Year, A New You, by, Serendipity Author Liz Longo

Liz is change agent. A native New Yorker, Liz knows how to multitask. In her commentary, “Relation Ships”, she sails you in a new direction by working in a healthy current of progressive thoughts. Relation Ships Relationships - it’s a compound word with a complex problem. It kind of depends on where you split the word but even then there are issues. Nevertheless it ain’t easy either way. What do I mean? You jest... Scenario 1. First word - relation. Second word - ship. Relation, a noun, per Dictionary.Com is: “an existing connection; a significant association between or among things: “the relation between cause and effect.” Tie that one onto a ship, a sailing vessel (the heart) square-rigged (non-flexible, though portable) on all of three or more masts (possibilities), stay sails (more considerations), and a spanker (uh...no thank you) on the after-most mast (structure that holds the sails) (the relentless disposition of one party of a relation-ship that cause the effect of morning sickness without any relaxing fetus making a chaise lounge out of your cushy womb wall at all, or - if you are a man, the lifelong dent in your wallet and social life as well. The way I view it is the ship sails, relations go adrift until they reach so far enough way to a far, far, far off shore that you can finally wave painlessly. List the people in your life that have set sail? How did it make you feel when they left? How do you feel about it today?