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		<title>This Life On Earth</title>
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		<title>Up</title>
		<link>http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/2011/12/27/up/</link>
		<comments>http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/2011/12/27/up/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 28 Dec 2011 00:18:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Amy Larrimore</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Intuition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[airlines]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[benedictine monks of santo domingo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[international transit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nomad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[travel]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/?p=518</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[And the stewardesses - gosh I remember how classy that used to be - yes I know it was sexist, but they were so beautiful and exotic and unruffled. Now they remind me of diner waitresses - they have to push those carts so quickly - I assume they have time incentives like Walmart cashiers. And they expect the clients to be displeased - lots of apologizing and rule citing. I feel the airline squeeze when I give the woman a dollar tip for my paid drink and she is for a minute surprised, then conflicted - visibly, as to whether I misunderstood the price and then finally grateful as she hurries it into her apron pocket. <img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=thislifeonearth.wordpress.com&amp;blog=6606032&amp;post=518&amp;subd=thislifeonearth&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Certain things are familiar as I&#8217;m back in the saddle of international transit. The gentleman across the aisle got stuck with the chatty Cathy &#8211; the one who thinks a seven hour flight is just enough time to tell a whole life story. The industrial chemical smell &#8211; slightly sweet and sickening &#8211; but I&#8217;m glad to know the airline made an effort at cleanliness.</p>
<p>There are many things new or notable &#8211; the no smoking sign has been replaced with a warning about using electronic devices. I was asked to remove my headphones for takeoff &#8211; really? I promise, if we&#8217;re crashing and I can help, I&#8217;ll silence the Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo&#8230; and no, they probably wouldn&#8217;t drown it out. And the flight attendants &#8211; gosh, I remember how classy that used to be &#8211; yes I know it was sexist, but they were so beautiful and exotic and unruffled. Now they remind me of diner waitresses &#8211; they have to push those carts so quickly &#8211; I assume they have time incentives like Wal-Mart cashiers. They expect the clients to be displeased &#8211; lots of apologizing and rule citing. I feel the airline squeeze when I give the woman a dollar tip for my paid drink and she is for a minute surprised, then conflicted &#8211; visibly, as to whether I misunderstood the price and then finally grateful as she hurries it into her apron pocket. The other woman does not know what she is serving for dinner &#8211; she greets me with an apology, thrusting it at me &#8211; <em>&#8216;I&#8217;m sorry, this is all I have&#8217;</em>, to which I respond, <em>&#8216;that&#8217;s fine &#8211; does it contain fruit?&#8217;</em> she looks at it hopelessly &#8211; <em>&#8216;I don&#8217;t know she says, I&#8217;m sorry &#8211; are you allergic?&#8217;</em> I say <em>&#8216;yes, but it&#8217;s fine, thank you&#8217;</em>. I smile warmly.</p>
<p><a href="http://thislifeonearth.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/aircraft.jpg"><img src="http://thislifeonearth.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/aircraft.jpg?w=150&#038;h=100" alt="" title="AIRCRAFT" width="150" height="100" class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-521" /></a>The seats are smaller, of course, and finally, <strong>finally</strong> the airlines have caught up and each seat has a screen. The irony is that it doesn&#8217;t matter now &#8211; I have two iPads and an iPhone &#8211; I have enough screens &#8211; I only wish for wifi. And this is the story of late innovation &#8211; but this is the story of the airline industry. </p>
<p>The things that are surprising &#8211; the flight attendant is fastidiously collecting pop tabs as she serves drinks &#8211; I soon realize she has an ornate bracelet of them. She beams when I notice and boasts she makes bracelets too. And then the signs that I am older &#8211; my widening bottom doesn&#8217;t  fit the seat the way it used to and I&#8217;m pleased they have Glenlivet.  And after the meticulous wrangling that involved leaving both sunscreen and body wash behind (in favor of bar soap), I fit my 3oz-ers in the baggie, only to realize the miniature whiskey bottle is made of glass. I&#8217;m tweezerless but could easily impale anyone on the plane with a homemade glass shank. The comic relief continues when I buy a duty-free cologne and they literally encase it in a huge bio hazard bag &#8211; red |do not tamper| foil so that I can get through security with it. It is clear that governmental policy is as fragmented as corporate life &#8211; and by the time it reaches the minutia of execution &#8211; it is senseless and penal.</p>
<p>But I&#8217;m happy to be here &#8211; the brilliance of airline flying is that it is a very present experience. There are distractions of entertainment but being confined to the seat so close to the people around and the presence of morality in the entire exercise forces presence. I feel naughty because my new book is boring, save one page, so I may tear that one out and toss the rest of it in the back of the overhead bin. I already know this will shock the mild-mannered new wife passenger next to me. She is fascinated and uncomfortable with me all at the same time &#8211; it makes me feel like I have arrived &#8211; this vision of being the jet setting troubadour with the big framed sunglasses. Here I am in this little girl fantasy. I am centered with the feeling that I am exactly where I belong in this moment.</p>
<br />Filed under: <a href='http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/category/intuition/'>Intuition</a> Tagged: <a href='http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/tag/airlines/'>airlines</a>, <a href='http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/tag/benedictine-monks-of-santo-domingo/'>benedictine monks of santo domingo</a>, <a href='http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/tag/international-transit/'>international transit</a>, <a href='http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/tag/nomad/'>nomad</a>, <a href='http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/tag/travel/'>travel</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gocomments/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/518/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/comments/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/518/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godelicious/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/518/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/delicious/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/518/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gofacebook/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/518/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/facebook/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/518/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gotwitter/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/518/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/twitter/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/518/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gostumble/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/518/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/stumble/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/518/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godigg/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/518/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/digg/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/518/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/goreddit/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/518/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/reddit/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/518/" /></a> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=thislifeonearth.wordpress.com&amp;blog=6606032&amp;post=518&amp;subd=thislifeonearth&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></content:encoded>
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			<media:title type="html">Amytastic</media:title>
		</media:content>

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			<media:title type="html">AIRCRAFT</media:title>
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		<title>When I Grow Up, I Want to be Fabulous with Big Sunglasses</title>
		<link>http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/2011/09/14/when-i-grow-up-i-want-to-be-fabulous-with-big-sunglasses/</link>
		<comments>http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/2011/09/14/when-i-grow-up-i-want-to-be-fabulous-with-big-sunglasses/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 14 Sep 2011 20:24:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Amy Larrimore</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Intuition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Joy]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/?p=507</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When I was a little girl I couldn&#8217;t decide if I wanted to be a librarian or &#8220;a fabulous lady with big sunglasses that rode on airplanes&#8221;. At the ripe age of 12, I added a third option of &#8220;work at Taco Bell&#8221; (more on my obsession with process based jobs in my talk show [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=thislifeonearth.wordpress.com&amp;blog=6606032&amp;post=507&amp;subd=thislifeonearth&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>When I was a little girl I couldn&#8217;t decide if I wanted to be a librarian or &#8220;a fabulous lady with big sunglasses that rode on airplanes&#8221;. At the ripe age of 12, I added a third option of &#8220;work at Taco Bell&#8221; (<a href="http://amylarrimore.com.s132249.gridserver.com/who/press-and-publications/" target="_blank">more on my obsession with process based jobs in my talk show spot</a>).</p>
<p><a href="http://thislifeonearth.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/sexyschoolteacher.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-510" title="sexyschoolteacher" src="http://thislifeonearth.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/sexyschoolteacher.jpg?w=76&#038;h=150" alt="" width="76" height="150" /></a><a href="http://thislifeonearth.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/jet.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-508" title="jet" src="http://thislifeonearth.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/jet.jpg?w=150&#038;h=147" alt="" width="150" height="147" /></a> <a href="http://thislifeonearth.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/tacobell.jpg"><img class="alignlrft size-thumbnail wp-image-509" title="tacobell" src="http://thislifeonearth.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/tacobell.jpg?w=126&#038;h=147" alt="" width="126" height="147" /></a></p>
<p>Now that being a grown up has caught up to me, I will tell you that I did have it all. My first job ever was at Taco Bell, I do work at the library&#8230; as a volunteer&#8230; and I have been known to spend some time on planes with big sunglasses.</p>
<p>Whoo wee! It should be so exciting to have achieved my dreams &#8211; the glitter unicorns, rainbow confetti and swirling pink clouds should be upon me. I&#8217;m sorry to report that was not the case. Instead, I&#8217;ve come to realize that I feel unfulfilled in my life.</p>
<p>In doing the work to understand how I arrived here, I was challenged to come up with: <strong>what character do I play in the movie of my life?</strong> It was an easy answer, almost instantaneous. <em>I&#8217;m Katherine Banning from <a title="The Thomas Crown Affair" href="http://astore.amazon.com/thi0a-20/detail/6305657947">The Thomas Crown Affair</a>.</em> I remember seeing the movie in 1999, in the movie theater, and deciding, then and there, that this was my fabulous in big sunglasses muse and I was going to grow up to BE this character.</p>
<p>I haven&#8217;t seen the movie since, but it made such an emotional impact on me that I can still quote lines from it -<em> &#8220;Damn, I hate being a foregone conclusion.&#8221; </em> This was something of a joke to my friends because I can&#8217;t quote any movies so they bought me a copy of it for my 30th birthday. It sat in the cabinet in the wrapper and I planned on getting around to watch it. I never did.</p>
<span class='embed-youtube' style='text-align:center; display: block;'><iframe class='youtube-player' type='text/html' width='640' height='390' src='http://www.youtube.com/embed/3lJ4GwHXagY?version=3&amp;rel=1&amp;fs=1&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;wmode=transparent' frameborder='0'></iframe></span>
<p>So when challenged to identify the character of my life, I fished it out, dusted it off and popped it in. <strong>I was aghast to learn that 1) I did an excellent job of growing up to be just what I wished for and 2) what a sad, unfulfilled life this character lives.</strong>  It&#8217;s an excellent foil &#8211; this woman is:</p>
<p><em>~smart, cosmopolitan, disengaged, homegrown, sexy, posh, sarcastic, arrogant, narcissistic, multilingual, showy, likes to win, grandiose, fills a room, a worthy adversary, tactless, manipulative, workaholic, emotionally distant &#8211; &#8220;men make women messy&#8221;, self made, temporary, driven, goal oriented, resourceful , insatiable, committed to looking good, witty, terse, wild, doubts in a happily ever after, distrustful, fabulous, intuitive of others, proud, lonely, gorgeous, distrustful, clever, well dressed and has an excellent strategic mind~</em></p>
<p>Oh crap.</p>
<p>Well, now I know what I&#8217;ve gone and built.</p>
<p>The time in my life has arrived when the fabulous woman in the big sunglasses no longer serves me.<strong> In an odd twist of fate, I have realized that I am happiest when I am of service.</strong> And service can exist in many forms &#8211; serving an idea, serving the poor, serving a company I care about, being of service in an emotional relationship (hint &#8211; this creates intimacy and emotional connection!). The new possibility I bring to my life is creating a space for others, not filling it and using my charisma to make an emotional connection with others so they can see where THEY are fabulous. It is these things that bring joy.</p>
<p>So I am pleased to report that, like Katherine Banning, I was not left at the end of the pier with a painting I chose on a whim. I did make it to the plane and got to finish the game knowing that winning isn&#8217;t the prize. Whoo hoo! I see the unicorns on this one!!!</p>
<p><strong>Roll credits.</strong></p>
<p>Here in the dark, I&#8217;m left to wonder &#8211; what character will I be next?</p>
<br />Filed under: <a href='http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/category/intuition/'>Intuition</a>, <a href='http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/category/joy/'>Joy</a>  <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gocomments/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/507/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/comments/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/507/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godelicious/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/507/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/delicious/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/507/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gofacebook/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/507/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/facebook/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/507/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gotwitter/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/507/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/twitter/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/507/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gostumble/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/507/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/stumble/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/507/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godigg/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/507/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/digg/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/507/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/goreddit/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/507/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/reddit/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/507/" /></a> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=thislifeonearth.wordpress.com&amp;blog=6606032&amp;post=507&amp;subd=thislifeonearth&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Thriving on Happiness</title>
		<link>http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/2011/08/08/thrivingonhappiness/</link>
		<comments>http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/2011/08/08/thrivingonhappiness/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 08 Aug 2011 16:03:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Amy Larrimore</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Foundation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[financial advice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[financial security]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[life advice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Maslow]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[needs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[retail]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[shoppers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wants]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/?p=21</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I know this can be rationalized ad nauseum (that's how we arrived at this situation in the first place) but it is a great example of how we trade true happiness for momentary pleasure. People are deathly afraid of finances  so instead of aggressively planning to arrive at security, they can't live without cable because it provides an ESCAPE from life issues. Make no mistake, escape is fundamentally different from happiness or contentment. <img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=thislifeonearth.wordpress.com&amp;blog=6606032&amp;post=21&amp;subd=thislifeonearth&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The <a title="NRF Home" href="http://www.nrf.com" target="_blank">national retail federation </a>reports that the economy is forcing 72% of women to focus on what they need over what they want. They also report that 61% of shoppers consider <strong>basic cable</strong> an untouchable necessity.</p>
<p>Er?</p>
<p>Juxtaposing the two above statistics demonstrates the how warped we have become in defining &#8220;NEED&#8221;. <a href="http://thislifeonearth.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/thriving_pyramid_17.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-498" title="thriving_pyramid_17" src="http://thislifeonearth.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/thriving_pyramid_17.jpg?w=300&#038;h=254" alt="" width="300" height="254" /></a></p>
<p>So let&#8217;s apply <a title="Owners Manual: What You Really Need to Thrive" href="http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/2009/03/23/owners-manual-what-you-really-need-to-thrive/">Maslow&#8217;s theory</a> back to NEEDING cable television during a financial crisis.</p>
<p>At publish date, <a title="npr home" href="http://www.npr.com">NPR</a> was reporting 6.5 million people are jobless. AND despite Obama legislating help for 9 million foreclosed homes, <a title="Realtytrac foreclosure data jan 2009" href="http://www.realtytrac.com">roughly 60,000 more are being added to the list monthly</a>. I think this qualifies as an upset in financial security &#8211; threatening need #2.</p>
<p><strong>Let&#8217;s get this straight &#8211; the majority of people are affected enough by the crisis to modify their behavior, close to 10% have no job to secure it, but more than half consider cable a non-negotiable necessity.</strong></p>
<p>Cable seems to fit into need #21 &#8211; Fun and Play.</p>
<p>I know this can be rationalized ad nauseum (that&#8217;s how we arrived at this situation in the first place) but it is a great example of how we trade true happiness for momentary pleasure. People are deathly afraid of finances  so instead of aggressively planning to arrive at security, they can&#8217;t live without cable because it provides an ESCAPE from life issues. Make no mistake, escape is fundamentally different from happiness or contentment.</p>
<p>I&#8217;m not picking on cable or the financially insecure,  I am instead demonstrating how incorrect prioritization of needs disrupts the path to happiness. The theory works on any two needs prioritized out of sequence.</p>
<p>Return to the idea of becoming happy by reorienting your priorities to your needs. Take the <a title="Owners Manual: What You Really Need to Thrive" href="http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/2009/03/23/owners-manual-what-you-really-need-to-thrive/">needs list,</a> start at #1 and write how you are ensuring each of these needs are being met now.  The results will surprise you and reorient you to what&#8217;s most important to build your path to happiness.</p>
<br />Filed under: <a href='http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/category/foundation/'>Foundation</a> Tagged: <a href='http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/tag/financial-advice/'>financial advice</a>, <a href='http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/tag/financial-security/'>financial security</a>, <a href='http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/tag/life-advice/'>life advice</a>, <a href='http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/tag/maslow/'>Maslow</a>, <a href='http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/tag/needs/'>needs</a>, <a href='http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/tag/retail/'>retail</a>, <a href='http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/tag/shoppers/'>shoppers</a>, <a href='http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/tag/wants/'>wants</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gocomments/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/21/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/comments/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/21/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godelicious/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/21/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/delicious/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/21/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gofacebook/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/21/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/facebook/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/21/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gotwitter/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/21/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/twitter/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/21/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gostumble/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/21/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/stumble/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/21/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godigg/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/21/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/digg/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/21/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/goreddit/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/21/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/reddit/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/21/" /></a> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=thislifeonearth.wordpress.com&amp;blog=6606032&amp;post=21&amp;subd=thislifeonearth&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></content:encoded>
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			<media:title type="html">Amytastic</media:title>
		</media:content>

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		<title>My Successful Exit: The Drama of Online Dating</title>
		<link>http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/2010/12/30/my-successful-exit-the-drama-of-online-dating/</link>
		<comments>http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/2010/12/30/my-successful-exit-the-drama-of-online-dating/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 30 Dec 2010 21:14:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Amy Larrimore</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Love]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Barry Groves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Match.com]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Dating]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Penn Grad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[University of Pennsylvania]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wharton]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/?p=464</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I think, well, give the guy a chance - I mean, maybe he did make it all the way through Penn three times and still didn't learn basic marketing/advertising 101. Until I get this crazy talk voicemail... oh my goodness...<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=thislifeonearth.wordpress.com&amp;blog=6606032&amp;post=464&amp;subd=thislifeonearth&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Being a Tech Babe, I knew my life wouldn&#8217;t be complete until I dove in and tried the online dating thing &#8211; because while I meet lots of people in real life, it&#8217;s always good to have the robots working for you too (or so I thought&#8230;)</p>
<p>So <strong>Barry</strong> -winks- at me on <a href="http://www.match.com" target="_blank">match.com</a>. I read his profile:</p>
<hr width="75%" />
<h2>Barry&#8217;s MATCH Profile </h2>
<p>~reprinted verbatim~<br />
<div id="attachment_465" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 222px"><a href="http://thislifeonearth.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/bgrove.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-465" style="border:5px solid black;" title="Barry Grove, Professor Extraordinaire!" src="http://thislifeonearth.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/bgrove.jpeg?w=212&#038;h=235" alt="" width="212" height="235" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Barry Grove, Did I mention he&#039;s a Penn Guy?</p></div><br />
<strong>In my own words:</strong> I consider myself to be intelligent, attractive, etc., and am looking for someone who is also intelligent and good-looking. I am a lecturer at Penn, and hold three degrees from Penn as well. I am looking for someone who shares at least some interest in art, history, science, or politics.<br />
<strong>for fun:</strong> Visiting museums and historical sites, taking walks, spending time w/ family<br />
<strong>my job:</strong> Ivy League College Professor ; Private Tutor, Former Lawyer<br />
<strong>my ethnicity:</strong> Go white boy, go white boy, go!<br />
<strong>favorite hot spots:</strong> Philly Art Museum, The Franklin, Valley Forge Park, Lancaster, England, to name a few&#8230;<br />
<strong>favorite things:</strong> Golf, Food Network, WaWa DragonFruit Iced Tea &#8211; which has recently been discontinued and I&#8217;m not too happy! Learning &amp; teaching, spending time w/ family, visiting new places, etc..<br />
<strong>my pets:</strong> I don&#8217;t have any pets, but I&#8217;m fond of my cat nephew, Rudy!</p>
<hr width="75%" />
<p>I think, well, give the guy a chance &#8211; I mean, maybe he did make it all the way through Penn three times and still didn&#8217;t learn basic marketing/advertising 101.</p>
<p>So I -wink- back. He emails me to ask for my number. I give him my <a href="http://www.google.com/voice" target="_blank">google voice</a> number. He calls me at 10:03pm the following day. We talk for about 30 minutes. I mean, <strong>he talks for 30 minutes</strong>. He tells me all about how he&#8217;s a lecturer at Penn and has three degrees from Penn, he&#8217;s an accountant and a lawyer and now teaches entrepreneurship.</p>
<p><a href="http://thislifeonearth.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/mathequation.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-477" style="border:5px solid black;" title="Math" src="http://thislifeonearth.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/mathequation.jpg?w=300&#038;h=225" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a>&#8220;Wow,&#8221; I say, &#8220;how many exits have you had?&#8221; (This is entrepreneur speak for: how many businesses have you run and then sold successfully?) He says &#8211; &#8220;I don&#8217;t know what you mean?&#8221; Now, I&#8217;m annoyed. Because if you&#8217;re going to beat me over the head with your credentials, you better be able to converse intelligently about it. I explain myself and he says <strong>- oh, well none. I&#8217;ve never owned a business.</strong></p>
<p>I&#8217;m shocked into dead silence, speechless that Wharton allows someone who knows nothing about business to teach in their entrepreneurship program. So I guess he reads my silence and says &#8211; &#8220;I have a tutoring business, and it&#8217;s a little business where people give me money to tutor them and it makes me happy.&#8221; I say, &#8220;Oh, that&#8217;s good.&#8221; So he says, &#8220;Well, come on, I have three degrees with Penn, it&#8217;s not like I can&#8217;t do anything I want &#8211; who would tell me I couldn&#8217;t teach there with those credentials?&#8221;</p>
<p>Then he says, &#8220;Do you want to go out for dinner or something next Wednesday?&#8221; So I say (not wanting to go out with him at all), &#8220;Give me a call next week and we&#8217;ll see what works best, I think Monday is actually better for me, but we&#8217;ll see. I really have to run and get these gifts wrapped.&#8221;</p>
<p><a href="http://thislifeonearth.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/ann-taylor.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-469" style="border:5px solid black;" title="ann taylor" src="http://thislifeonearth.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/ann-taylor.jpg?w=300&#038;h=225" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a>Wednesday at 2pm, I&#8217;m partaking in the Ann Taylor 40% off sale in the dressing room. My phone starts blowing up. Barry calls me <strong>FIVE times in succession.</strong> On the fifth time, <a title="The Pleasant Voicemail" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tyBD5lqV0Q" target="_blank">he leaves this rather pleasant voicemail. </a></p>
<p>I get back to the office and I call him back. I explain that I&#8217;ve been really busy and that I apologize he booked a slot for me in his calendar but that I won&#8217;t be able to make it. I do also mention that I received his six calls but sometimes I&#8217;m not available to answer the phone. He says, &#8220;Okay, maybe some other time then.&#8221; I wish him a happy new year and we get off the phone.</p>
<p>And then the phone rings. He&#8217;s calling me back. I let it go to voice mail and he leaves <strong><a title="The Angry Voicemail" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDf6fqea7jU" target="_blank"> THIS MESSAGE. </a></strong></p>
<p>I can&#8217;t help it &#8211; I bust out laughing. It&#8217;s <strong>my fault</strong> he had to be so inappropriate with the calling and hanging up &#8211; AND <strong>I&#8217;m not even apologetic </strong>that he had to go to so much trouble to abuse me.</p>
<p>The saving grace is, that he&#8217;ll never call me again (hopefully?), and I think I&#8217;ll take his advice&#8230;</p>
<p>I&#8217;ll NEVER bother to call back and explain myself to anyone I&#8217;ve never met&#8230;.. even if he does remind me a bit of <a title="Mel " href="http://audioo.com/voicemail/mel-gibson--blow-me-first-/ac59df2544f9c8f/">Mel Gibson.</a></p>
<p>I believe that is what I&#8217;ll call <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;source=web&amp;cd=1&amp;ved=0CBYQFjAA&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.entrepreneur.com%2Fmanagement%2Foperations%2Farticle205816.html&amp;rct=j&amp;q=successful%20exit&amp;ei=cOwcTbPyGIKglAe2kdXUCw&amp;usg=AFQjCNG-kXVFytd6_HDWWNNtFJXctpvK1g&amp;sig2=_Jz2zTnU2diKBWU-qodWzg&amp;cad=rja" target="_blank">a successful exit</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://thislifeonearth.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/dollarsigns.png"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-479" title="dollar+signs" src="http://thislifeonearth.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/dollarsigns.png?w=280&#038;h=300" alt="" width="280" height="300" /></a></p>
<br />Filed under: <a href='http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/category/love/'>Love</a> Tagged: <a href='http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/tag/barry-groves/'>Barry Groves</a>, <a href='http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/tag/match-com/'>Match.com</a>, <a href='http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/tag/online-dating/'>Online Dating</a>, <a href='http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/tag/penn-grad/'>Penn Grad</a>, <a href='http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/tag/university-of-pennsylvania/'>University of Pennsylvania</a>, <a href='http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/tag/wharton/'>Wharton</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gocomments/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/464/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/comments/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/464/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godelicious/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/464/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/delicious/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/464/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gofacebook/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/464/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/facebook/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/464/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gotwitter/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/464/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/twitter/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/464/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gostumble/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/464/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/stumble/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/464/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godigg/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/464/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/digg/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/464/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/goreddit/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/464/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/reddit/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/464/" /></a> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=thislifeonearth.wordpress.com&amp;blog=6606032&amp;post=464&amp;subd=thislifeonearth&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></content:encoded>
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			<media:title type="html">Amytastic</media:title>
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		<media:content url="http://thislifeonearth.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/bgrove.jpeg?w=266" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Barry Grove, Professor Extraordinaire!</media:title>
		</media:content>

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			<media:title type="html">Math</media:title>
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			<media:title type="html">ann taylor</media:title>
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			<media:title type="html">dollar+signs</media:title>
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		<title>Be the Change You Wish to See in the World</title>
		<link>http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/2010/04/16/be-the-change-you-wish-to-see-in-the-world/</link>
		<comments>http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/2010/04/16/be-the-change-you-wish-to-see-in-the-world/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 16 Apr 2010 14:40:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Amy Larrimore</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Love]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Power]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[angel investing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[change the world]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[charity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[donation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[entreprenuers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[giving back]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gratitude]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[international business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[kiva]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[loans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[microfunding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[microloan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[small business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[startups]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/?p=454</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I am creating a lending group, This Life on Earth, to help small businesses get started across the world. I am inviting you to join me in this lender group to fund these small businesses. You, personally, will get to choose how much you want to commit and who you want lend to - whether a baker in Afghanistan, a goat herder in Uganda, a farmer in Peru, a restaurateur in Cambodia, or a tailor in Iraq - and as they repay the loan, you get your money back. <img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=thislifeonearth.wordpress.com&amp;blog=6606032&amp;post=454&amp;subd=thislifeonearth&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>What are you doing to today to change the world?</p>
<p>It&#8217;s a high hurdle and one that many of us abandon because it&#8217;s difficult.</p>
<p>I personally believe entrepreneurs will change the world, one successful business at a time. That&#8217;s why I dedicate as much of my life to helping them as I do to being one.</p>
<p>Most people know that an entrepreneurs&#8217; biggest hurdle is startup funding. I can&#8217;t help this in a big impact way just yet, but I can make a small impact with micro-funding.</p>
<p>I am creating a lending group, <a href="http://www.kiva.org/team/tloe" target="_blank">This Life on Earth</a>, to help small businesses get starte<a href="http://thislifeonearth.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/globe_bank.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-455 alignright" title="CHANGE [for] the world" src="http://thislifeonearth.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/globe_bank.jpg?w=300&#038;h=256" alt="" width="300" height="256" /></a>d across the world. I am inviting <strong>you</strong> to join me in this lender group to fund these small businesses. You, personally, will get to choose how much you want to commit and who you want lend to &#8211; whether a baker in Afghanistan, a goat herder in Uganda, a farmer in Peru, a restaurateur in Cambodia, or a tailor in Iraq &#8211; and as they repay the loan, you get your money back.</p>
<p>How micro-funding works is that you lend a little bit of money (you can start with $25) to a specific low-income entrepreneur across the globe. They work hard to get their business started and successful. As they repay the loan, you get your money back. Yes, it’s not a donation – it’s a loan and they are obliged to pay it back. The tool I&#8217;m using is a world-recognized, reputable non-profit website called <a href="http://www.kiva.org">Kiva.org</a>. It links to your PayPal account to make the process simple for you.</p>
<p>Some of us may have the opportunity to visit these places someday and meet these successful entrepreneurs we helped fund. Some of us will be happy to know we are impacting the global supply chain in a meaningful way. Some of us realize that occasional donations to non-profits are helpful but are glad to find a way to use that money as an investment to be far more effective over time. Together, our individual activity will collect on our lender page on Kiva and we can see our combined impact. The loan is still yours, and the repayments still come to you, but together we can help each other make a big difference in a small way.</p>
<p>I hope you will join me in improving This Life on Earth.</p>
<p>Visit <a href="http://www.kiva.org/team/tloe" target="_blank">the homepage for our lending group.</a></p>
<p>With gratitude,</p>
<p>Amy</p>
<br />Filed under: <a href='http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/category/love/'>Love</a>, <a href='http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/category/power/'>Power</a> Tagged: <a href='http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/tag/angel-investing/'>angel investing</a>, <a href='http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/tag/change-the-world/'>change the world</a>, <a href='http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/tag/charity/'>charity</a>, <a href='http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/tag/donation/'>donation</a>, <a href='http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/tag/entreprenuers/'>entreprenuers</a>, <a href='http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/tag/giving-back/'>giving back</a>, <a href='http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/tag/gratitude/'>gratitude</a>, <a href='http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/tag/international-business/'>international business</a>, <a href='http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/tag/kiva/'>kiva</a>, <a href='http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/tag/loans/'>loans</a>, <a href='http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/tag/microfunding/'>microfunding</a>, <a href='http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/tag/microloan/'>microloan</a>, <a href='http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/tag/small-business/'>small business</a>, <a href='http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/tag/startups/'>startups</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gocomments/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/454/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/comments/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/454/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godelicious/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/454/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/delicious/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/454/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gofacebook/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/454/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/facebook/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/454/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gotwitter/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/454/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/twitter/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/454/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gostumble/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/454/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/stumble/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/454/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godigg/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/454/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/digg/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/454/" /></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/goreddit/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/454/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/reddit/thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/454/" /></a> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=thislifeonearth.wordpress.com&amp;blog=6606032&amp;post=454&amp;subd=thislifeonearth&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></content:encoded>
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			<media:title type="html">Amytastic</media:title>
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			<media:title type="html">CHANGE [for] the world</media:title>
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		<title>An Icy Lesson &#8211; Reblog from SpiritLibrary</title>
		<link>http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/2010/01/04/an-icy-lesson-reblog-from-spiritlibrary/</link>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 04 Jan 2010 21:36:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sarah Bell</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Intuition]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[This is a lesson I need to be reminded of often&#8230; This week I had an auto accident and although I was unhurt, my car was badly damaged. One moment I was driving down the freeway, and then I hit an icy patch that sent my car spinning out of control. Luckily I was able [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=thislifeonearth.wordpress.com&amp;blog=6606032&amp;post=452&amp;subd=thislifeonearth&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This is a lesson I need to be reminded of often&#8230;</p>
<p>This week I had an auto accident and although I was unhurt, my car was badly damaged. One moment I was driving down the freeway, and then I hit an icy patch that sent my car spinning out of control. Luckily I was able to steer away from the other cars on the highway and finally ended up in a deep snowdrift and crashed against a concrete barrier. While I was upset about the accident, I quickly recognized the lesson that I was being shown, which was the string of decisions I had made that put me on that icy road, to attend an event I did not want to go to, in response to someone&#8217;s request and an obligation that I felt compelled to meet because I had agreed to do something that I did not want to do or have time for. As I was sitting in my car waiting for the police and tow truck to come, I saw the core karmic issue presented to me in a way that I could not miss. Fifteen minutes before my accident I thought about turning back because the road conditions were so bad. But when I called to suggest that alternative, the resistance I met with triggered an interesting reaction &#8211; I went ahead anyway. After all, I was not the only person driving and I had not passed any car accidents. How bad could it be? I was going to find out. The karmic activation process starts with something simple like a request, favor, question or comment. How we respond determines what happens next. A response as simple as a &#8216;sure, I&#8217;ll do that&#8217; begins the string of events whose purpose is to show us how the karmic cycle plays out in our life. How do we know we are being triggered? A twinge of regret, resentment, anger, a sudden desire to say &#8216;no&#8217;, whispered messages from our guides that say &#8216;caution&#8217; are all warning signs that we are in &#8216;activation mode&#8217; and this is a time to choose our options carefully. This is a time to be aware that we are in control and need to be aware of what is happening. Uriel reminded me that the final days of 2009 will be powerful and the learning will continue until the final moment of this year. It is so important that we release, remember our power, discover every subtle way that we manipulate energy or are manipulated by others. We have to constantly ask whether we are doing what we want to do, is it right for us, can we say &#8216;no&#8217; and be secure in our power, no matter what others do or think? That is our core issue and we all experience one of its many variations in our struggle to be in our power. And with each realization we are one step closer to knowing our truth and finding a place for it in our life. Then we can have karmic closure and be open to new possibilities to manifest our life in new and powerful ways.</p>
<p><a href="http://spiritlibrary.com/uriel-heals/an-icy-lesson" target="_blank">Reblogged from Jennifer Hoffman</a>: Copyright ©2010 by Jennifer Hoffman and Enlightening Life OmniMedia, Inc. This material is protected by US and international copyright now and may be distributed freely in its entirety as long as the author’s name and website, <a href="http://www.urielheals.com/">www.urielheals.com</a> are included.</p>
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			<media:title type="html">Sarah Bell</media:title>
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		<title>Owners&#8217; Manual: Languages of Love</title>
		<link>http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/2009/12/21/owners-manual-languages-of-love/</link>
		<comments>http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/2009/12/21/owners-manual-languages-of-love/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 21 Dec 2009 05:14:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Amy Larrimore</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Communication]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Love]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[The premise is that each person expresses their love for other people in different ways. The feeling of loneliness appears when we expect love to be expressed exactly how we express it or exactly how we need it without understanding what that means.<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=thislifeonearth.wordpress.com&amp;blog=6606032&amp;post=264&amp;subd=thislifeonearth&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Did you ever feel like you were speaking a different language than your mate, your family, your friends? It&#8217;s one of the reasons humans can feel lonely even when there are people who love them all around them.</p>
<p>As the holidays come around, I am doing my standard year end reflecting and my standard run from house to house to house for festivities. I realized (and have written in journals) that it upsets me when people do not bring a gift/dish/bottle when they go to someone else&#8217;s house for dinner or to a party. And no, I don&#8217;t mean that every time my mom stops in for a cup of tea or my best friend comes to lounge on my couch on Saturday night that they should bring me a bottle of champagne. I mean that when someone has put some effort into treating you, you should express your gratitude. I personally keep an eye out for inexpensive hostess gifts because I find they are far more valued and memorable to the host/hostess &#8211; they feel special that I&#8217;ve taken some time and selected something nice for THEM (that they don&#8217;t even have to share with their party guests). The point of this behavior is to acknowledge the work the host/hostess has put into creating the evening. It&#8217;s important to me because I put a lot of work into making guests feel special in my home.</p>
<p>For me, this extends beyond superficial social courtesy &#8211; in many ways I use it as a barometer for acknowledgment in life. I thought about my past suitors. I gave much more leeway to those who brought flowers, a bottle of wine, a gift when they came to eat or stay at my house. In fact, one guy I dated (hands down the worst boyfriend candidate ever) never walked into my home without SOMETHING for me &#8211; be it a slinky, a light up pen, mentos &#8211; and god, did I give him ridiculous chances that I shouldn&#8217;t have. It&#8217;s because I never felt that he was taking advantage.</p>
<p>On the flip side, I dated a guy I absolutely adored but finally felt that he wasn&#8217;t contributing what was necessary to create a relationship. It was then that I realized in physical actuality, I had nothing to show for our time together &#8211; he had never once brought me ANYTHING. Wow. That was my -proof- that I was right in this feeling all along.</p>
<p>Luckily, Gary Chapman has put some sense into this incompatibility of human relationships. He has developed an entire series of books on the languages of love.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/thi0a-20/detail/1881273156" target="_blank"><img class="size-full wp-image-447  aligncenter" title="lovelanguagesoriginal" src="http://thislifeonearth.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/lovelanguagesoriginal.jpg?w=692" alt=""   /></a></p>
<p>The premise is that each person expresses their love for other people in different ways. The feeling of loneliness appears when we expect love to be expressed exactly how we express it or exactly how we need it without understanding what that means. Gary believes we love in these five languages:</p>
<ul>
<li>Quality Time</li>
<li>Words of Affection/Communication</li>
<li>Gifts</li>
<li>Acts of Service</li>
<li>Physical Touch</li>
</ul>
<p>Obviously, I love in gifts. Someone else may find the friend who shows up an hour early to help put together the food far more loving than the one who brings a bottle of nice wine. That would be -acts of service-. We can be a hybrid of many of the languages. We have needs related to all of them, the quantity and importance vary from person to person.  The point is to classify how we and the people around us are expressing their emotions so that we recognize the expression is still there, just in a language we didn&#8217;t understand at first.</p>
<p>So back to the slinky guy. I always felt appreciated because he expressed himself in my primary love language of gifts but someone else may have felt very unappreciated because he was never around (quality time) and he surely wasn&#8217;t walking the dog on a snowy night for me (acts of service).</p>
<p>And adored guy? He wanted to spend copious amounts of time with me (quality time) and had no problem pouring his heart out to me (communication). So the fact that he didn&#8217;t bring me flowers didn&#8217;t mean that he didn&#8217;t love me any less than slinky guy, it was just a different language of expression.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/thi0a-20/detail/1881273873" target="_blank"><img class="size-full wp-image-445  aligncenter" title="love languages singles" src="http://thislifeonearth.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/love-languages-singles.jpg?w=692" alt=""   /></a></p>
<p>So thanks to Gary and his Languages of Love, we can recognize when someone is loving in a language that isn&#8217;t our primary language. We can also recognize the loving languages that people around us respond to best and try to use that language with that person as much as possible. It also provides a fact based center ground to acknowledge what someone is doing for you and start the conversation on how to have other needs met too.</p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/thi0a-20/detail/1881273652" target="_blank"><img class="size-full wp-image-446  aligncenter" title="love languages children" src="http://thislifeonearth.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/love-languages-children.jpg?w=692" alt=""   /></a></p>
<p style="text-align:left;">What is your primary love language? The secondary? Which language do you need expressed to you? Which language do you most express to others? What do you think the primary languages are of those closest to you? Do you already see there could be something lost in translation when you are expressing emotion with that person? This book is a great start to feel more appreciated and doing your best to appreciate others in ways they can easily understand.</p>
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		<title>Drops in My Bucket</title>
		<link>http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/2009/11/20/drops-in-my-bucket/</link>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:58:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Vicki</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Spirituality]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[After staring down my mortality at the age of twenty six, I became the poster girl for women who thought they were living life until a health scare sucker punched them in their faces and told them that they weren’t. <img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=thislifeonearth.wordpress.com&amp;blog=6606032&amp;post=436&amp;subd=thislifeonearth&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Three years ago I became a cliché.</p>
<p>After staring down my mortality at the age of twenty six, I became the poster girl for women who thought they were living life until a health scare sucker punched them in their faces and told them that they weren’t.  As I recovered and my life (thankfully) continued, my quarterlife crisis began.  Like every good crisis, the question at the center of mine was “How different is the life I have (or thought I should have) than the one I really want?”  Like any good crisis victim, I set about making important changes: reducing my hours at work, taking time for myself, doing things that really made me happy.  As I began living what was left of my (hopefully long) life to its fullest, I determined that it was about time to get serious about my Bucket List.</p>
<p>I decided that I needed to take the list in my head and commit it to paper, because when you lay out your goals in front of you, you are more likely to get them accomplished.  I had found that when you put your desires out there for the universe to see and hear, the universe will help you actualize them, often in strange, unforeseen ways.  <em>You’ve experienced this, haven’t you?</em>  I also decided that as much as I like lists, I didn’t want to just cross these things off my Bucket List and forget about them.  Instead, in my mind, I envisioned placing them in an actual bucket, where I could collect them, hold onto them, and cherish them like treasures I collected after a day at the beach.</p>
<p>I spent the next few years filling up my bucket with all sorts of things, placing precious items in it that I had already collected that had been sitting on shelves in my memory and tossing in shiny new items to add to the colorful collection.  <em>What have you collected?</em></p>
<p>I now find myself becoming a very different, yet again all-too-common cliché:  The Successful Yet Single Twenty-Nine Year-Old.  As I hurdle toward thirty I start thinking about everything I’ve put in my bucket, and perhaps more importantly, what I haven’t.  Does the fact that some of the “biggest” items on my list, like “get married,” “start a family,” haven’t made it into the bucket yet devalue all the things that are already there: the visit to my dad’s birthplace in the Dominican Republic, traveling to Ireland to see where my mother’s ancestors came from, conquering my fear of heights by scaling pyramids in Central America?  Do some items have more weight than others?  Is the lack of certain items wearing a hole in the bottom of my bucket?  <em>How often have you questioned the value of your choices?</em></p>
<p>I decided that maybe it was time to dump my bucket out and take a look at its contents, to remind myself of all the wonderful things that I had put in there and to assure myself that I had time to collect those things that were “missing.”  Fortunately, I had been documenting the items in my bucket even before I had realized I was collecting anything.  I had photos of many of my adventures and accomplishments to remind myself of what I had achieved: pictures of myself grinning in front of my first home, waving from the bottom of the ocean, skiing down a mountain.  I created a photo album on Facebook to remind myself and the universe of my desire to live a rich, full, colorful life.  After all, what better way to release something into the universe than to put it on the internet?</p>
<p>As I got ready to ”publish” the album, the fourteen year-old girl in me freaked out a little.  What will other people think of what I had collected?  Undoubtedly, some people would think it was stupid and a majority of my five hundred plus Facebook friends probably wouldn’t even view it, or care.  Some would probably think it was bragging or shameless self promotion.    Once I clicked that button I was opening myself up to worlds of ridicule in a place that has no takebacks, that doesn’t forget.</p>
<p>At that moment my twenty-nine year –old self spoke up.  Of course my bucket would be self-indulgent.  That’s the point: to fill your bucket with the things that fulfill and enliven <em>you</em>.   Who cares what anyone thinks about the contents of my bucket?  It’s <em>mine.  </em>They can put whatever they want in their bucket.  Your secret dream is to scale like Eiffel Tower like Spiderman?  Good for you.  All you want in life is to see an ocean, any ocean?  Get after it.  Like my friend Amy says, “Live your truth.”  After all, that’s what makes you, <em>you</em>.   <em>What’s your truth?</em> </p>
<p>Within half an hour of dumping my bucket out into cyberspace the “likes” and the comments started pouring in.  One of my high school friends said he shared my dream of visiting every major league ballpark and another admitted that she was also afraid of being eaten by sea creatures.   My family was touched by how much our ancestry meant to me.  But my favorite comment of all was simply “love this album…so you.”  Both of my selves were vindicated.</p>
<p>Last week after a barrage of tests, my doctor called to tell me that I am completely, spectacularly healthy.  With a tear in my eye I reveled in the fact that I am going to be collecting treasures in my bucket for many years to come.</p>
<p>I think I’m going to need a bigger bucket.</p>
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			<media:title type="html">Vicki</media:title>
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		<title>My New View</title>
		<link>http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/2009/11/20/my-new-view/</link>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:20:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Vicki</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Joy]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[I got exactly what I wanted, just a little out of order. <img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=thislifeonearth.wordpress.com&amp;blog=6606032&amp;post=429&amp;subd=thislifeonearth&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I got exactly what I wanted, just a little out of order.</p>
<p>I had spent most of October agonizing over how to ask my boss for recommendations for new jobs and give my notice.  I stayed up at night worrying about hurting his feelings and disappointing my superiors, even though my job was both unfulfilling and not making ends meet.  The last week of the month my boss walked into my office and before he even said the words I knew what he was there to do.</p>
<p>He was visibly upset as he explained that even though I was the top performer, I also had the least amount of service and that the market hadn’t improved…and on and on.  He said he thought I would be very successful and would happy to give me a gIowing recommendation.  I could see that he felt guilty and sad while all I felt was…relief.</p>
<p>I also felt powerful.  After all, didn’t I manifest this?  Up until then, my manifesting skills were most effective at securing parking spots in Center City Philadelphia, but this was huge.  While my coworkers were baffled by the company’s decision, to me it made perfect sense.  It was exactly what I wanted.</p>
<p>Ok, so maybe I had really wanted to have another job secured before leaving this one, but in one fell swoop the universe had solved my problem for me.  No longer would I have to do a half-ass job search while I rotted away behind a desk that was holding me prisoner, keeping me from my true purpose.  <em>What’s keeping you from your true purpose? </em></p>
<p>Being the overachiever that I am, I made two lists the second I got home that night.  One was a financial “to do list,” that included filing for unemployment and refilling all of my prescriptions, and the other was a household to do list.  Not one to sit idle, I attacked them with fervor, crossing each item off triumphantly during that first week of freedom, confident that my hiatus would be very brief and I needed to get all of it done before work once again consumed my days.   I wanted to make sure that I fixed what needed repairing and cleared away the clutter to make room for the new opportunities to come.  <em>What do you need to clear out to make room for your new opportunities? </em></p>
<p>New opportunities did come.  I was offered leads and referrals for various jobs.  I diligently filled out applications, answered inquiries, and wrote cover letters.  Everything was in process and a new job was on its way.  But not nearly quickly enough.  My self-imposed deadline of November 24th for securing a job was approaching more quickly than I would have liked; I wanted to have a job lined up for when I returned from a trip to India December 1st.  My finances and my sanity depended on it.</p>
<p>After expressing my job frustrations to one of my best friends, he sent me this text reply, “I’ll help you manifest one.”  We devised a plan to get me a new job.  Every morning I would wake up early, get dressed as if I was going to work, and actually leave the house.  Scott would check in on me and see how my day was going and how my latest project was shaping up, just like he did when we were coworkers years ago.</p>
<p>“You’re new job isn’t on the way,” he said. “You already have it.”</p>
<p>The next day I woke up and pressed snooze on my alarm twice.  Don’t worry, it’s exactly what I did every morning before getting ready for my last job.  I took a shower and put on a suit (which was nicer than I dressed most days at my previous job) and got in my car and drove off.  I went about my errands, depositing my unemployment check (which I pretended was a paycheck from someone other than the government), donated some stuff to charity, and put air in my tires (dirtying my suit up just a bit). </p>
<p>I returned to my home office victorious.  I made myself a list of tasks to accomplish for the day, which included cleaning out my office and making sure it was feng shui, creating a spreadsheet of vendors and tasks for my cousin’s wedding, updating my Linkedin profile, and applying for new jobs.  I also made sure to text Scott to bitch about my morning commute.</p>
<p>By the five o’clock I felt great.  I had accomplished nine out of ten items on my to-do list and had been sent two leads for jobs, one from my best friend from college and another from a former VP of mine.  All in all, a great first day on the job.  As I changed out of my suit into my typical after-work attire, I felt at peace.</p>
<p>Tomorrow I’m going to take it up a notch.  After all, I don’t want to recreate my routine from my old job, I am manifesting a new one.   So no snooze button, there will be more open projects in my work bag when I Ieave the house and more items on my to-do-list.  I have already identified the first order of business for tomorrow: fill out a vacation request form for my trip to India.  By next week, I will surely deserve this vacation.</p>
<p>The view from my office is spectacular, how is yours?</p>
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			<media:title type="html">Vicki</media:title>
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		<title>Put your head in a bucket</title>
		<link>http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/2009/09/08/put-your-head-in-a-bucket/</link>
		<comments>http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/2009/09/08/put-your-head-in-a-bucket/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 08 Sep 2009 16:33:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Amy Larrimore</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Foundation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Power]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[amends]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[inspiration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mortality]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[regret]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Bucket List]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thislifeonearth.wordpress.com/?p=114</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[If your dream in life is to be wildly wealthy, what are the tactical steps you are taking to get there? Going to work every day and buying lottery tickets is hoping - and hope is not a strategy.<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=thislifeonearth.wordpress.com&amp;blog=6606032&amp;post=114&amp;subd=thislifeonearth&amp;ref=&amp;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align:left;">If tomorrow you knew the exact date that you would leave your form in this  existence, what would you feel like you ABSOLUTELY had to accomplish?</p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><img class="size-medium wp-image-418 alignright" title="bucket" src="http://thislifeonearth.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/bucket2.jpg?w=205&#038;h=210" alt="bucket" width="205" height="210" /></p>
<p style="text-align:left;">What would you want to make darn sure you had a good chance of doing?</p>
<p style="text-align:left;">What would you STOP doing?</p>
<p style="text-align:left;">What naughty or irresponsible or reckless things would you do?</p>
<p style="text-align:left;">Which would you add if you didn&#8217;t have to consider the risk of shortening your life span limiting your resources?</p>
<p style="text-align:left;">Who would you make amends to? Who would you purge from your circle?</p>
<p style="text-align:left;">Where would you go? With whom?</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>Write it all down.</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:center;">Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson made this idea famous with the movie <a title="The Bucket List Movie" href="http://astore.amazon.com/thi0a-20/detail/B000YAF4MA" target="_blank">&#8220;&#8221;The Bucket List&#8221; </a>and it&#8217;s a great story to show what happens when mortality catches up to the daily grind.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;">After you have a good list of the things you need to do before you kick the bucket &#8211; measure it up to your life today. What you are CURRENTLY doing today, this week, this month, this year to get yourself there? The answers will give you a good indicator of how close you live to your ideal.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;">If your dream in life is to be wildly wealthy, what are the tactical steps you are taking to get there? Going to work every day and buying lottery tickets is hoping &#8211; and hope is not a strategy.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;">What are some of the things on your list?</p>
<p style="text-align:center;">
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			<media:title type="html">Amytastic</media:title>
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			<media:title type="html">bucket</media:title>
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