332 Happy New Days!

Happy 2013!!!

Happy 332 Days of 2013! Given the fact that the average case of the flu is lasting 18 days this season, I am right on time in sending my New Year’s greeting.

I have taken a few weeks off from blogging for holiday travel, attention to the flu season and 2013 firsts (first workshops, first Meetup) and business planning for the year (Destiny Rising and Apriori Beauty Team Building strategy).  Today is the day that I return to the topic of “Building A Powerful…2013”. As I write, I am sitting in a pub that I used to frequent after acting classes when I lived on Chicago’s North Side in the late 80’s.

 

It’s time to find your voice for 2013!  Something to think about when you envision what Building A Powerful 2013 will look like for you is the face that you are breathing the very same air that your heroes and mentors are breathing. You are likely just a few steps removed from leading the life you’d like to live.

I would like to introduce a method of visualizing that will help strengthen your resolve to build the life you want to live.

1: Reflect and Write: Spend about 15 minutes limitless thinking about and what you want to change, do and have in life (or in 2013). Using a blank piece of paper at least 8.5 x 11, write those things down.

2:  Elaborate (The 3^rd Degree): Interview yourself about your list. If someone handed your list to you, you would probably be asked to elaborate on his or her ideas. As you take on the interviewer’s perspective, you might ask, “Who will benefit? Why do you want to do that? What will it mean to have that in your life?”

3: Declare Your Intention (Campaign Promises): Announce what you intend to accomplish or attract into your reality. You have done the visioning work- you’ve created an elaborate word picture in the previous two steps.  Now, you can claim it.  Turn your list into a paragraph that announces your intention. Once you have done this, you’re ready to put some incremental goals in place. Post this intention. Keep it nearby. Consider want to making a vision board (www.buildingapowerfulvisionboard.com) or typing up a clean copy of your statement, framing it or using it as the background on your computer or your phone.

4: List some specific goals for the journey to your intended outcome. For example, if your goal is to add $75,000 to your retirement by 2016, now would be a good time to describe the amount you intend to add by 2014, 2015 and 2015. Plan the work and work the plan.

5: Map your journey: Describe how you will get there. List the types of actions and activities you’ll  GET to do (not HAVE to do. Have to do sounds like work. Get to do means learning and expanding) to reach your intended outcome at each phase of your journey.

6:  Hitch up the wagon… we’re heading out! Decide how the first leg of your journey is going to play out. What are the few first steps that you will take and celebrate? Select some steps you can complete this week, and then get out there!

Best of luck with your plan. As always, I welcome your comments, and make it a great week.

A Guide to Staying Positive and Hopeful – A MUST READ!!!

Let The Sun Shine!

Some information that I encounter is simply outstanding. Today, I was looking for some inspiration for helping others maintain or recapture a sense of optimism and “positivity” following the period of challenge, chaos and negativity that has been flooding the airwaves, Facebook and such. I’ve been waiting for a message and method of reclaiming hope and possibility that is useful and that I could share with readers. I think I’ve found it in a post on the website Advanced Life Skills. I hope that you enjoy the link to the following article, “Stay Positive Even When You’re Surrounded by Bad News”.

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Enjoy!

As always, I welcome your comments and make it a great week 🙂

~ Tess

Copyright 2012,

Destiny Rising, LLC

Holiday Success Tools: Giving Thanks and Preparing For What’s Next

Make This Holiday Season Special

It is very easy, as the Holiday Season gets underway, to get pulled into the tide of wanting and waiting. We focus on the want list: a new dryer, new boots, a Bullet blender or an I-Pad and we write-off the month of December to holiday preparations, kids’ school programs and year-end parties.

If I may, I’d like to make a few suggestions that may help you stay productive, balanced and in a place of appreciation for the next 40 days (today through January 1, 2013).

1. Build an Appreciation Board: Keep a running list posted of things for which you can give thanks this year. Add to it every day. Invite your family and friends to add to the list. This is intended to help you keep your focus on appreciation and gratitude rather than “gratitude” – the next shiny object  to buy. Start today, and keep the list going until New Year’s Eve*. It will impact your goals for the New Year. If you still have kids at home, this could be the start of a new family tradition. On New Year’s Eve, celebrate your blessings with a chili supper, a cup of apple cider or a sparkling beverage.

*As a bonus idea, begin by decorating a blank board so that it looks inviting, and take photos of the completed board so that you have a record of what is great in your life.

2. Keep a “Things I Want To Do and Ways 2013 Can Be Different” Journal for the month of December.  Why wait until New Year’s Eve to compile your list of resolutions for the coming year? Proper and Prosperous Planning takes time, and you’ll be well prepared to head into the New Year. Where can you find 5 to 10 minutes every day to slip in some “all about me” time? Here’s the idea… Sneak away from the kitchen after doing the dinner dishes, step away from watching TV,  or arrive at your coffee or lunch get-together ten minutes early so that you have a few minutes alone. Pull our your journal, and begin a new page of ideas about how 2013 can be a year of transition and transformation. This journal is yours and yours alone. Be honest and be bold in what you write.

The time you spend with your journal is not designed for hard-core planning. That comes next. Your job is to stay focused on possibilities.  On January 1st, I’ll be publishing a blog post with links to some prosperity planning tools that you can use to make 2013 a year of progress.

If you are looking for a gift for friends and family this holiday season, consider buying them a copy of my new book, Building A Powerful Vision Board. It’s a great and unique gift under $20.

As always, make it a great week, and I welcome your comments!

~ Tess

Copyright 2012

Destiny Rising, LLC

Living In Possibility Opens Your Energy

“Energy”

Today, I am writing from a national business conference where more than 100 women have come together to share their visions, expertise and intentions for their company. There is something particularly positive and stimulating about being in a space where like-minded people come together. Each time this group comes together, the opportunity for a fresh start, to begin again and to work toward dreams and goals comes alive.

As each person arrives at this conference the energy in the room picks up just a bit more. In three days’ time, the goal is for everyone to have rekindled her passion and to be able to sustain her momentum for another year.

What’s happening in your world that is rekindling your momentum? If you can’t find a specific answer to that question, I have two recommendations for you:

1: It may be time to take a trip to Barnes & Noble,  browse the aisles and see what books about inspiration call to you. If you’re like me, a trip to the bookstore is refreshing, and I tend to select the perfect book for my life at the time. Whether you buy the book or just make a note of its title, then head home and purchase a Nook or Kindle version of it, you’ll have shifted your energy to Possibility.

2: Find out what you can do to spread hope and joy to someone who has been affected by Hurricane Sandy. Participate in a local relief effort or find a group that is providing a personal touch to and hope to storm ravaged residents on the East Coast.

Either way, you may come away with a sense of momentum and possibility. I find that it’s always best to look outside myself when I want to be inspired.

As always, make it a great week and I welcome your comments and recommendations for additional ways to Build a Powerful Vision for Possibility. Link to my Pinterest site for some ideas and inspiration.

Change and Transformation: Great Change Leads to Great Results!

I came across two very powerful phrases while at a business retreat last week: Change is doing things differently. Transformation is being differently.

The “change” statement  refers to activity or behavior and is something that can generally be outwardly measured.  The “transformation” statement refers to an internal shift and may not be visible to the naked eye, yet it is palpable – not only to the individual is being different, but to those around them.

Have you ever seen someone after weeks or months of being separated, and notice they are somehow different when next you meet?  In trying to pinpoint he change, we tend to work from the outside in. We begin by taking note of possible changes in surface elements, such as appearance. We slowly work our way inside – to the essence  or the aura, or the way the individual carries herself. While changes to our shell, our appearance are most evident, change in our attitude and demeanor are equally noticeable.

There are three key types of change:

• Developmental Change
• Transitional Change
• Transformational Change

Developmental changes are those you make to improve procedures or activities that will complement your current lifestyle. Think of your exercise program. If you want to improve your upper body muscle tone, you add weight conditioning to your workout. Simple examples: If you think about diet, if you want change the percentage of your diet that is made up of an additional 25% raw foods, add a salad at two meals daily. Development changes generally cause little stress and distress.  In professional settings: Learning new skills that will improve your performance or prepare you for promotion are good examples of developmental change.

Transitional changes are those you make to replace existing approaches or activities with new ones. A replacement example: use olive oil rather than butter in cooking. Eat celery and carrots rather than potato chips. You’ll retain the enjoyment of something crunchy, but it will be a healthy change.   Instead of sitting down and eating ice cream each evening right after dinner, take a twenty-minute walk and reward yourself with a cup of tea.  You’ll be changing you diet and your lifestyle.  In professional settings: If your company has become part of another organization, learning a new software system or learning how a new supervisor wants reports and information communicated are examples of transitional change.

Transformational changes are those you make to completely reshape your life. It is this level of change in which we create sustainable momentum toward getting the life we want. When you’ve achieved transformational change, you have grown, you have stretched, and you will not be reverting to your former way of looking at or approaching life. It is at this level that people often develop the ability to take the long view on life and business, on action and consequence.

Many people arrive at the threshold of transformational change after attempts to transform their lives through changes in surroundings, friends and activities, with little significant result. They discover that a quick fix will not fundamentally change your life. They discover that  transformational change is a journey, not an activity.

Awakening to your transformational journey is refreshing. It’s like opening the windows and doors to let the fresh air circulate through your house after a long winter.

I am in the midst of some self-reflection and examination. I’ve spent the past year and a half “reinventing” my professional focus. I can tell you what I’m doing differently, but that is all information about what has changed on two levels: My business activities and my lifestyle activities (travel, workout, diet). It’s time for me to pinpoint fundamental changes in my way of being to determine whether I’ve just been on a whirlwind trip or if I am on a journey – a path toward transformational change.

If you are asking yourself similar questions, I have three books I’d like to recommend. The first two were published a number of years ago. The books are: The Four Agreements (Don Miguel Ruiz), Women Who Run with the Wolves (Clarissa Pinkola Estes) [2 of my sisters just returned from a 5-day retreat with Clarissa and simply raved about her insight and authenticity), and my own book Building A Powerful Vision Board: A Path To Achieving Your Goals and What You Want In Life [This book leads you through a process of clarification, creation and action to advance on your path to fulfilling your personal/professional goals].

I’m enjoying my journey and making plans to focus on the transformation and not just the action elements of my life in 2013.

As always, I welcome your comments, and make it a great week.

~ Tess

Copyright 2012, Destiny Rising, LLC.

“Pause and Be” so that you CAN Be Joyful and Productive

Experience Joy

The time I take every morning to just BE, to be fully present, is the key to the JOY I feel every day, the secret to my awesome productivity, and the sense of adventure I feel every day.   ~ Rich German

I’m always on the lookout for good ideas and great advice. I found it in an e-mail from Rick German, and I chose it as the quote for this post. Rich’s e-mail was expertly timed.

It was still dark outside when I woke up this morning. Everything was very quiet as I slipped out from under the blankets to enjoy some precious quiet time before the busy-ness of the day took hold. In my quiet time, the tick-tock of the antique clock and the coffee brewing provided lovely background sounds. I simply sat and enjoyed my surroundings and took the time to appreciate the cozyness of my home in autumn on this final morning before a busy 7-day  work trip. This morning was my relaxed version of “Pause and Be”.

My active version of “Pause and Be” is that I jump out of bed and immediately get ready for a morning 3-mile walk with a co-worker or my dog.This version is  refreshing, I soak in the beauty of nature and I am refreshed and invigorated for a productive day.

One of the joys of my life is that I make appreciation and simple routine a part of my life. It took time to learn the importance of slowing down. I have learned to pause at various times of the day – and to recognize that this 24-hour period, will only come around once – for better or for worse. Since I was a teenager, I’ve had a tendency to g0-g0-g0 (as my mom often reminded  me) in a blitz of activity. Adding some pauses in the day has multiplied my appreciation for ease and it leaves room for plenty of accomplishment.

My recommendation this week – Ask the people in your life who are happiest and most productive (you may be one of them) about their formula presence and productivity. Adopting their practice may enhance your success and add some punch to your day!

As always, I welcome your comments – and make it a great day!

~ Tess

Copyright 2012, Destiny Rising, LLC

A Business Fairy Tale For A Modern Girl

“It shall be Yours!”

This is an update on “when you wish upon a star…”

Let’s just start with the fact that we don’t perceive doors as “closed” when we’re young. When you’re 18, almost nothing seems unimaginable. The story in the link below is the stuff that business dreams are made of…. in a remarkably updated 21st Century scenario. You’ll notice that the “fairy godmother” is Sir Richard Branson, and the fair maiden is a tech savvy young woman. All of the other qualities we love – inquisitive, smart, creative and industrious – are part and parcel of the young heroine we’ve known in tales for centuries. Our heroines are rarely faint of heart, shy, retiring and helpless. The same is true of our heroine Ferreira. This young woman is brilliant!

I hope you find this story inspiring and a testament to the fact that “anything is possible”. Click here to be transported to the story .

As always, I welcome your comments, and make it a great week!

~ Tess

Copyright 2012

Destiny Rising, LLC

This week: What inspires you and moves you?

This is the Optimist’s Creed

A Blogger’s call to action… “Energy Response System” – Pinterest

On an amazingly perfect late summer Saturday, I am indulging in some time on Pinterest. On my boards, I am asking questions: “What Makes You Happy?”, “What’s Your Picture of Success?”, “What does HOPE look like to you?”, and other such questions. I notice that I my blog posts receive a comment here and there. I want more! Specifically,  I’d like to get a dialogue started with a broader audience. So, I am performing a test of my own”Energy Broadcast System” – Pinterest. If you are signed up for Pinterest, this call to action is is especially for you. Head to my Pinterest site, browse my boards and comment on boards, quotes, thoughts and questions. This is a new experiment. I want to see if Pinterest is a good forum for dialogue. If you like what you see, please share this post or my site with your friends.

Here you go! Tess’ Pinterest site:  https://pinterest.com/DRTessDenton/

Make it a great week!

~ Tess

Copyright 2012

Destiny Rising, LLC

http://www.tessdenton.com

http://www.destinyrising.com

Empty Nesters Delight!

My Baby Left Me and I’m Singing The Blues

I am happy to share my recent article about New Empty Nesters. Gain perspective and direction by  Building a Powerful Vision for your future. It’s an investment in yourself and a gift to your kids.

Click here to enjoy.
Have a great week, and as always, I welcome your comments.
~ Tess

Copyright2012

Destiny Rising, LLC

Change and Growth

Growing and Changing

My blog, “Your Destiny Rising” is growing and changing. Click here to see where we’re headed!

Copyright 2012

Destiny Rising, LLC

Author, “Building A Powerful Vision Board: A Path To Achieving Your Goals and What You Want in Life”

https://yourdestinyrising.wordpress.com

http://buildingapowerfulvision.wordpress.com