A Clean Start and A Fine Finish to 2014

Spruce Up Your Point of Attraction!

I’ve been away for business travel, paired with some personal fun. Destination – France. Now I’m back, and I’ve returned just in time for autumn, one of my favorite seasons of the year. This is often my most productive and creative season.  It’s taking a few days to adjust to the time zone, so I am up and running at 4AM.  This gives me time to reconnect with my blog and business.

If you’re feeling stalled out or disconnected, relax. As I often say, every day offers a chance to begin again. I recieved this “Abraham” quote over the weekend and I have been reflecting on it since it arrived in my Inbox. If you need a clean start, this concept may click for you: “Your deliberate effort to tell a new story will establish a new pattern of thought, providing you with a new point of attraction from your present, about your past, and into your future. The simple effort of looking for positive aspects will set a new vibrational tone that will begin the immediate attraction of thoughts, people, circumstances, and things that are pleasing to you.” —Abraham (Excerpted from the workshop: Money and the Law of Attraction on August 31, 2008).

With two productive months ahead of you to gain traction on personal or professional goals, perhaps it’s time for you to  create a Vision Board, It will help you tell a new story. As Abraham notes, it will provide a new point of attraction for you.

Knowing that holidays are approaching and that the days are getting shorter if you live in the northern hemisphere, focus on creating a Vision Board that can serve as a fine finish to 2014,  and serve as a springboard into 2015.

• List three changes you can make in 60 days.Keep the list simple. Ideas for success:
  • An 80/20 diet (80% healthy foods – allowing for 20% indulgence for the holidays).
  • Clean out an area of your home, set it up as your serenity space and begin a 20 minute per day practice of centeredness
  • Walk 3 miles four days a week
  • Create a budget outline for 2015
  • Begin a composting or recycling regimen
• Using a picture frame, cut a piece of foam board to a size that fits into the frame. Then, select pictures, phrases, cartoons and textiles that relate to your list of changes. Paste them on your board, and place it in a frame. Your vision is now a piece of art. It’s an external expression of what you want to attract into your life through the end of the year.

This is a simple process, but it can serve as a powerful catalyst and motivator for you to have a fine finish to 2014.

If you like these concepts, visit tessdenton.com. This is a great time of year to begin your planning for 2015. Here you’ll find both my book, “Building A Powerful Vision Board” and my 2015 Planner, which will take you on a one year journey to creating a life you love!

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

 

~ Tess

Copyright 2014, Destiny Rising and tessdenton.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Change versus Transformation….. Make a Choice and Make a Plan!

Here – Let Me Help You!

Happy Fall! These are what I love to call “the productive months” – if you’re considering a major change or you wish to transofrm your life, you might enjoy this short post:

Change is doing things differently. Change is something that can be measured. Change is behavioral. Transformation lies beneath the surface. Looking at what happens in one’s life with greater awareness and curiosity. It means responding in new ways to opportunities and challenges.

It means being conscious and aware of your thoughts, reactions and actions. It means keeping your end goal and your vision in mind when you make choices as you work, play, invest, make career choices and spend time with people. It means keeping your end goal and your vision in mind when you experience success, disappointment, obstacles, uphill battles and incremental wins.

So, what will be your first step or your next step on the journey?

Being with a plan! Of course, creating a plan of action around a vision is not something that you are born knowing how to do. I designed and published a planner Building A Powerful Vision Planner: A One Year Guide To Creating A Life You Love. Your Building A Powerful Vision Planner will guide you every step of the way. This planning tool is designed to help you stay creative, achieve focus and engaged.

Stay awake, alert, and inspired on your journey. Whether you choose my planning tool or you find another that floats your boat,  PLAN!

As Always, I welcome your comments and wish you a great week.

~ Tess

Copyright 2014

Tess Denton – Building A Powerful Vision

www.tessdenton.com

 

 

Three Good Reasons To Lead a Life of Positive Anticipation

Expect Good Things!

… And the three good reasons are:

1. You will ease up on negativity. Media and Social Media are dripping with stories of all that’s wrong in the world today. Stop the insanity!

2. You will begin focusing on possibilities, which improves the probability of good things happening in your life. As Esther Hicks (Abraham- Hicks) says, ” The better it gets, the better it gets!”

3. You will appreciate what’s right in your life, right now. There’s no need to wait for some day to be happy.

I hold a very strong belief that every day is a chance to begin anew – that today may be a day when something great happens. The origin of this belief goes back to a time somewhere around age 12. It was at this age that the words “try-out” and “audition” entered my vocabulary.  My success rate in being selected for red-rover, softball and cheerleading teams was abysmal. In fact, I think that I’m 0 for 20 in that category. Although I was tall, lean and coordinated, I was not athletic. I was more of a song and dance girl.  Once I turned my attention to contests related to the performing arts, my world opened up. Finding a niche suited to my strengths was key to building confidence in my abilities. Along the way, I’ve learned that in order to have great things happen, you have to be brave enough to show up and risk rejection – again and again.

I learned, when working in theater and in sales, that beyond skill and talent, success is “a numbers game”. I have a success niche, and that great things tend to happen more when I’m playing in that zone of strength, than when I am out of my zone. The same is probably true for you. A friend of mine is a casting director in Chicago.  She once explained that in casting a commercial or film, the casting director has a “type” in mind for most roles. They call a talent agency, and ask that actors with a certain look (age, physical features, frame, etc.) and talent be invited to audition.  When you attend enough auditions, you notice that you compete against the same set of actors, over and over again. You show up at each audition, in anticipation that this is the day that something great may happen – you’ll be cast, and your destiny will change. You audition for more roles than you get, but you must show up in anticipation of something great happening each time you’re called.

Regardless of the role in which you are cast, there is the opportunity of something great happening in your life on most days. The definition of GREAT changes over time, just as you do. Great today may mean that you got to spend four hours with your teenage son, and you discovered that the wisdom you’ve been sharing with him for the past sixteen years is taking root. Great today may mean that you found parking spot 50-fee from the train station, allowing you to get to work on time, which rarely happens. Great today may mean that you have been invited to interview for a job you’ve always wanted, and your financial situation is about to change for the better. Great today may mean that you left the dentist without a follow-up appointment to have a tooth filled. Great is anything that takes you to a happy place.

I challenge you to one week of waking up each morning, in anticipation of something great happening in your life. It will inform and transform your day.  Send comments, send feedback. I’d love to hear what unfolds for you.

As always, I welcome your comments. Make it a great week!

~ Tess

Copyright 2014

Destiny Rising

 

Tune In To Women Enjoying Success

Listen In!

I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed on “Entrepreneurial Women Radio”, Sharon Michaels’ radio program. Sharon is an entrepreneur, business coach, columnist and author whose business acumen and wisdom draws a worldwide audience each week.

Sharon’s interviews and topics are diverse, timely and insightful.

Click here to listen to the interview.

I hope that you enjoy the interview and gather some ideas to help you Build A Powerful Vision for your life or business.

 

As always, make it a great week!

~Tess

Copyright 2014

Destiny Rising, LLC

tessdenton.com

buildingapowerfulvisionboard.com

 

 

Whatever Happened To Endless August?

 

August Aaaaaah!

As a kid, I savored August. Friends’ families would be away on vacation, the month was dry and hot and sunny, locusts sang all day, and crickets sang all night (Click here to hear to  yourself!). Summer school was behind me and I got to go to the pool every day and night. Back to school happened on the Monday after Labor day. August was pure, uninterrupted summer!

As I got older, there was much anticipation associated with August. In high school, I’d look forward to going  back to school toward the month’s end, having arrived at some new level — one year, I returned without braces on my teeth. Another, year, I proudly drove back to school, having gotten my driver’s license. Come the college years, I was itching to get back to school by mid-August. I’d been away from friends all summer, and my social life was waiting for me.

Fast forward thirty years. I look at the calendar, and mid-August is rapidly approaching. I accidentally boarded the busy train again. You know the ride – you’re on the go, and you’ve got really tight connections between obligations. Before life spins out of control, I must find a way to get my bearings. Whatever happened to Endless august?

If you feel as I do, perhaps we can go at this problem together! Here’s my vision for bringing more summer back into my life:

I’m going to put strong boundaries between work time and play time.

I’m going to get up early and get my alone time or workout time in before I go to work.

I’m going to give myself a “hard” stopping time at work for the rest of August. I am going to turn off my computer and not check my work e-mail in the evening.

I’m going to plan a one to two-hour activity each weeknight. That can be riding my bike, going for a swim, meeting a friend for a cool drink or making a plan to sit on someone’s front porch and visit.

I’m going to pop my own popcorn and sneak it into the movies. The movie I got see will be a teen movie.

I’m going to pack a picnic basket and meet friends at a park shelter for a picnic night.

I’m going to put up my screened in canopy and sit outside listening to the sounds of the night and read a good book.

I’m going to walk to town for ice cream.

I’m going to stay up way too late watching old movies for one night.

One of the most important elements of Building a Powerful Vision is achieving Happiness. Being content to just “be” is a simple and energizing type of happiness.  Cooler months and wintertime will be here before you know it. I hope you’ll join me in my quest to reclaim one of the most precious months of the year! Maybe we can learn how to capture more of our personal time and put it to good use daydreaming and coming up with new ways to change our worlds :).

 

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

~ Tess

Copyright 2014

Destiny Rising, LLC

www.tessdenton.com

www.buildingapowerfulvisionboard.com

 

 

 

A Fresh Half-Year Can Yield A Bounty Of Success!

Make This A Juicy Summer!

 

Imagine the moment when you slice an ice-cold watermelon in half. You can hear it crack open once you’re at the halfway point. As you gaze at the melon on the cutting board, you appreciate the perfection of its shape. and the scent of its rind and juice fill the air. In that moment, don’t you want to claim the juiciest center slice for yourself?

July is the juicy middle of the year. Back in January, the days were cold and short and the nights were loooooooong. As we work our way toward the middle of the year, things really heat up – literally and figuratively.

June, July and August are the growing season – for crops and for ideas. What are you growing this season? Summer is a time of transition for many people. As school ends, families think about moving or growing before school starts again. Many of us decide to look for and be settled into a  new job by summer’s end. Our dreams seeds have been planted, and we are hoping that this year will have a high yield.

Sometimes, our dreams and ideas stagnate a bit. If we aren’t careful, they can dry up and wither. Tend to your Vision. Making life juicy requires planning, nurturing and a framework. Toward that end, I’ve got an idea for you. Create a virtual garden for your ideas and goals for the second half of the year.

Here’s how it works:

1. Decide if this project is just for you or for you and some others in your life (at home or at work).

2. Make a list of 5 to 7 ideas and goals you’d like to harvest this year. Set it aside.

2. Get a piece of foam board at a local office store/drugstore/grocery store (These run from $1 – $4). Buy a glue stick while you’re at it. Grab a pair of scissors out of your kitchen drawer – they’re probably not in the silverware drawer. They’re in the messy drawer next to your silverware.

3. Flip through magazines or browse the internet. Look for pictures of produce – lettuces, tomatoes, squashes, melons, beans, herbs, fruits, etc. Cut out pictures of those that appeal most to you.

4. Arrange these pictures on your foam board so that they look like a garden you’re growing. Glue them onto the foam board.

5. Grab your list of ideas and goals. match each idea or goal with a crop in your virtual garden. Label each crop with the matching goal.

6. Consider how much you will need to feed each goal in order for it to come to harvest, and make a note of this.

7. Look at your calendar and decide what sort of schedule you need to create to tend to your garden of ideas and goals. The care and feeding of ideas and goals is what will determine your harvest.

8. Tend your garden. Keep a journal of your activities and results. It can become your almanac for future goal setting.

9. At least once a month, prepare a harvest dinner with fresh fruit and veggies, and gather with friends to talk about your successes and challenges in tending to your goals. You’ll likely reap some great advice and encouragement about your goals.

10. When each of your goals is ripe, enjoy its juicy reward!

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

~Tess

Copyright 2014

Destiny Rising, LLC

Make Your Summer Sizzle! Enjoy The Long Days And Lazy Nights

 

Summer’s Here!

 

It’s officially summer – I saw my first lightning bug and the ceiling fans are on 24/7. My mind is turning to thoughts of fireworks, bike rides to the pool and Coppertone.

What are you summer signals, and how are you spending your summer?

This year, summer is particularly precious to me. The past winter in the Midwest (and worldwide, I think) was brutal. I made a promise to myself that once the winter chill was but a distant memory, that I would engage all of my senses and dive into summer.

I am doing all I can to keep to this promise. In the past week….

I have purchased two boxes of Popsicles – all red. I just finished one. I have the stained lips and popsicle stick to prove it.

I have enjoyed a bonfire in my fire pit. It lasted for 30 minutes, because a terrific summer storm came through.

I took a 15 mile bike ride and had a roadside picnic yesterday.

I went for a 2-hour scooter ride (with helmet), and stopped at the farmers’ market.

I gave up on growing my hair and cut it short, because it’s too humid.

I have compiled a “mix tape” of summer songs. I will now share them with you!

1. Beach Baby

2. Summer Breeze (this one goes out to my sister Ann for the 6,000 times I listened to this while she was in college).

3. Lovely Day

4. Groovin’

5. Stayin’ Alive

6. Summer Nights

7. Footloose

8. Sergio Mendes and Brasil ’66 – Mas que Nada

9. Here Comes The Sun

10. Girl from Impanema

There’s one more really important thing on my list… I’m about to begin my summer program, Building A Powerful Vision’s “Summer School For Your Hopes and Dreams”.  It’s a chance to do some creative and strategic thinking about creating a life you love. If you would like to learn more, visit: http://tessdenton.com/summer_school.php.  There’s room for one or two more in the class, if this is your summer to focus on you! We begin on 6/25, and I’m thinking of adding a second start date, so come on by and check it out!

However you make your summer sizzle, and enj0y the long days and lazy nights…

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

~ Tess

Copyright 2014

Destiny Rising, LLC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Go from Ho-Hum to Happy with help from Melanie Duncan!

Increase Your Happiness!!

Go from Ho-Hum to Happy with help from Melanie Duncan!

I read Melanie’s articles and blogs, because she is a Pinterest guru. I loved her post today and thought that you might, too.

June’s theme for Building A Powerful Vision is “Happiness”, so this is a perfect day for this post.

Enjoy!

~ Tess

Imagine Yourself Unstoppable!

I Am Invincible!!!

As I look out the window this moment, and as I walked down a tree-lined street this morning, I noticed a breeze and a cloudless sky. Jerry Seinfeld summed it up well, when he described a day like today as “good cape weather”. When I think of capes, I think of confidence and invincibility and the ability to leap tall buildings (and obstacles) in a single bound.

If you were to design a cape that would help you accomplish more, to gain momentum, what letter or phrase would you put on your cape? I challenge you, this week, to design a cape for yourself. Choose a color and a logo or phrase that speaks to your fearless, courageous and confident self. Once it’s finished, hang it in a place where it can be your “Thinking Cape“, rather than your thinking cap. Put it on from time to time to summon your courage and banish your doubts and fears as you work to change your world or change the world.

This is a wonderful activity to build confidence in children, as well.

Captain America, Wonderwoman, Spiderman, and Isis will be glad to see that you are a superhero in your own right!

Make it a great week. As always, I welcome your comments…

~Tess

Copyright 2014

Destiny Rising, LLC

Visit me at http://www.tessdenton.com

Tapping: Life Themes and Where to Begin

Tapping – EFT

Today’s guest blog post is by Cathy Huffman (@tranquilsoul):

 Last Sunday, Tess and I introduced you to the wonderful world of tapping (EFT – Emotional Freedom Technique).  We discussed some of the ways tapping can be used to reduce discomfort or nervousness, eliminate limiting beliefs, or prepare you for an upcoming event. Tapping works by activating the end points of our body’s meridian system similar to the techniques used in acupuncture and acupressure.  But, tapping does something different. It allows you to think about a situation, a memory, an upset, and say words about the situation.  Saying these words and feeling the emotions along with the tapping is what allows your body to clear the emotional charge. Completing a quick round of tapping to center yourself and find a more peaceful perspective is perfectly OK. However, it is also very important to make sure you aren’t ignoring deeper feelings or limiting beliefs that are really holding you back. A very common and effective way to utilize tapping is to clear a limiting belief that you have carried from childhood. This kind of tapping may require more time, a little more deep honesty, and perhaps even, an EFT practitioner or tapping coach to help you hone in on the beliefs that are impacting your life.  Here are a few tips to help you get started:

1. What’s a theme that keeps getting in your way? If you have changed jobs, changed relationships, even moved cross country, and the same problems come back, it is time to look within.  This inner work allows you to get very clear on the patterns that are repeating in your life.  Do people question your authority? Do you feel invisible in meetings or social interactions? Have you been betrayed more than once? Do you feel like you just don’t belong? Be as specific as you can, try to focus on one theme for now.
2. Do you remember the first time something like this happened? Some people can draw a parallel between this pattern and an early memory or experience pretty quickly.  Some of us don’t right away, and that’s OK.  Consider journaling your thoughts.  Try answering these questions.  What could this be about? Where did this come from?  What is this pattern trying to tell me?  Take your time over the course of a few days, and let your mind wander – take a walk, go for a swim, connect with nature, meditate.
3. How did this earlier memory make you feel? Once you have found an early memory that you think may be related, it’s time to get in touch with those feelings. Does this memory bring you sadness, anger, shame, guilt? Now you have identified a core feeling that is likely contributing to your own limiting beliefs.
4. How emotionally charged is this feeling?  Rate your level of discomfort on a scale of 0 – 10. Once you have that number, you can measure any relief you feel after several rounds of tapping.  This is where you can begin to tap.

Follow me on Twitter @tranquilsoul where you will see tapping phrases just right for this area of clearing.   As always – Make it a great week! Copyright 2014 Destiny Rising, LLC