Deborah Price: July 2009 Archives

Lessons for life
People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centered.
Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.
The biggest person with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest person with the smallest mind.
Think big anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.
People really need help but may attack if you help them.
Help people anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you might get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you've got anyway.

-- Dr. Kent M. Keith

May God bless you with a restless discomfort
about easy answers, half-truths and superficial relationships,
so that you may seek truth boldly and love deep within your heart.

May God bless you with holy anger at injustice, oppression,
and exploitation of people, so that you may tirelessly work for
justice, freedom, and peace among all people.

May God bless you with the gift of tears to shed with those who suffer
from pain, rejection, starvation, or the loss of all that they cherish, so that you may
reach out your hand to comfort them and transform their pain into joy.

May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that
you really CAN make a difference in this world, so that you are able,
with God's grace, to do what others claim cannot be done.

And the blessing of God the Supreme Majesty and our Creator,
Jesus Christ the Incarnate Word who is our brother and Saviour,
and the Holy Spirit, our Advocate and Guide, be with you
and remain with you, this day and forever more.

AMEN.

~ A Four-Fold Franciscan Blessing

In times like this recession, it can be difficult to see and hear the good that is happening all around us. One great new movement that's taking place and worthy of paying attention to is called the "People's Stimulus Package." 

Inspired by Danny Cottrell, the owner of a Brewton, Alabama pharmacy, the "People's Stimulus Package" is one man's attempt to make a difference in these financially challenging times. Wanting to do something to support his community that has been hit hard by the recession, Danny divided $16,000 amongst his 24 employees ($700 for each full-time employee and $300 for each part-time employee) in two dollar bills and gave them a mission: Give 15% to a charity or someone that needs it more than you do and spend the rest by shopping locally to support your community.

This simple "pay it forward" act of generosity not only powerfully impacted the lives of his employees and their community, but also inspired many others to follow his lead. As of my last look at the "People's Stimulus" website, which tracks the story and participants nationwide, nearly $100,000 has been contributed by over 40 different businesses to help their employees and stimulate their local economies.

I love that this is happening. It demonstrates what is possible to create when we are willing to be expansive rather than contracted and shows us how generosity breeds more generosity and that we can make a difference...$2 at a time.

I invite you, our readers, to go to your own bank and cash a check for any amount you feel  you can afford and request $2 bills. Since these bills are not heavily circulated, they are easy to identify with this movement. I believe that we each have the capacity to become "recession angels" in our own right, whether you have one $2 bill, two hundred or two thousand $2 bills to contribute to supporting someone in need, a struggling business, or a cause in your local community.

The message of this movement is far greater than the money and good-will it is spreading. It's showing us another option. So I encourage you to heed the message:

Be grateful.
Practice generosity.
Strive to stay positive.
Focus on the good that exists when we remain open to seeing.
Reach....beyond the fear, where hope and all things remain possible.    

I don't know about you, but I'll never see a $2 bill again without wondering who the "recession angel" was that released that gift to the world.

Peace and Blessings! 

It's not uncommon when you are unemployed to experience a drop in self-esteem, which can cause you to become disconnected from your gifts. This can be problematic because if you are not connected to your abilities, then how can you speak clearly about your strengths in an interview with a potential employer?

If you are currently unemployed or considering a career transition, I recommend doing an exercise I call the "Life Inventory Process." While resumes are important and good to have updated regularly, it is equally important to get clear about what your skills, talents and abilities are which is not always reflected in the typical resume. In fact, most resumes look more like a chronological fact sheet about our job history than a true representation of your full potential.


The "Life Inventory Process" is designed to help you to become clear about what I call "Your Unique Offering." Doing this process will allow you to gain clarity about all that you have to offer a potential employer which, unfortunately, a simple resume seldom does completely.
The "Life Inventory Process" is a good way to address this issue. Here's how it works:

1.Make a list of your life's "Highlights and Achievements" beginning with grammar school to present day. Include areas of your life where you shined when you were a child such as sports, art, school etc... Remember even little successes help you to reconnect to your gifts and achievements. The purpose of this exercise is to help you connect with aspects of yourself that you may have forgotten by helping you recall the successes in your life.

When you are done, hang this up somewhere in your house as a reminder of what you've done well in your life and to boost your self esteem.  Note: This is a self-esteem building exercise, don't give this to a potential employer. 

2. Now make a list of your "Personal Assets" which should include all of your skills, talents and abilities that you've acquired during your lifetime through education, life experience and work experience. These "Personal Assets" are your gifts and they are an integral part of who you are. You own these gifts outright and the knowledge of them can never be taken from you. Now, review your list to see if there are possible job opportunities that you've overlooked. Ask yourself, what other options might be a good utilization of some of your experience and gifts?


In addition, try these Seven Great Affirmations for the Unemployed, a gallery by Paul and Tracy McManus. Doing daily affirmations are a great way to stay focused on what you do want and to staying positive.

Here's a prayer for the unemployed:

Dear God,
I ask for your love, light and guidance
in my search for employment. Please release me
from my fears, doubts and limiting thoughts so I may be
a clear instrument to receiving new ideas and opportunities.
Help me to manifest employment that best utilizes the gifts
and abilities you have blessed me with. Help me to have the
courage and faith to stay strong, open and vigilant in my all
my actions to manifest my perfect job without delay.
And so it is.
Amen.

Peace & Blessings!

One of the qualities that sets humans apart from other species is our ability to remember the past and make future decisions based upon our experiences. Humans are naturally planners and builders, drawing from our personal and collective knowledge.

This capacity to remember the past doesn't always serve us, however. We can continue to suffer from traumas and losses long after the original events have passed.

Because we draw so many of our present and future conclusions based upon the past, we can inadvertently become drawn into to believing that we are our past selves. This is, of course, not true. You are not presently the "you" that existed when you were five years old.

You are not even the same "you" that you were a year ago. 

With respect to money, being stuck in the past can prevent you from being able to adapt and experience your life and potential that exists now. In every economic climate there are always challenges and opportunities. If you only see yourself in relationship to your past, and as the mistakes and missteps, you may miss out on real opportunities to improve your life and circumstances now. Your are not the sum total of your past...the past is history. Be done with it.

Try this exercise: Imagine yourself to be a completely new person right now. You have stepped into the shoes of your former self, with all of the resources and responsibilities. But, you are not that person that you were a moment ago. Look around yourself. Free from the burdens of past concepts and self-images, what possibilities could you imagine for yourself? What would you choose to do if you were renewed in this moment?

Dear God,

You renew the world and all of your creation in every moment

Breathing life into all of us in each instant of time;

Help me to know that with every breath I am a new person

That I am reborn with the freedom to make a new choice,

A new beginning,

A new decision,

RIGHT NOW.

And so it is.

Amen.

Peace and Blessings!

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