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BLOG – GIFT DAY 365 :: abundance & what 2013 taught me (3 years blogging!)

31 Dec

Happy New Year!  

Boom!
What a year!
First of all, let me say thank you. If you have been with me this far I am grateful. Today marks 3 full years of blogging EVERY single day. Three years!!!  Just another proof point that you can do anything. Really, you can.

So to The Year of 2013 this is what I have to say to you: 

Thank you for teaching me the true nature of abundance. I had grand visions of uncovering the amazing secrets of abundance when this year began. Would I discover gold? Win the lottery? Both? 

I had a grand scheme to give away a gift a day every single day of 2013. 

Turns out, Ms. Abundance, you had a much bigger lesson in store for me. 
(By the way I believe abundance is female… I don’t know why but let’s go with it.) 

I started the year …giving.

I was inspired by the book 29 Gifts and the promise of abundance by giving something away everyday for a month. Except, in my true Type A personality nature, I vowed to take on 365 days of gifts. (Take that universe!)

Turns out I failed.  

First we had a storm.
Not just any storm — a blizzard + hurricane + nor’easter + snowpocalypse.

We were lucky that our house on the beach was still standing since so many neighbors lost so much. (It was a miracle.)

Then, I begged Justin to go to the Boston Marathon with me and we ended up staying home.  We never could have imagined what would happen that day.

And then, out of nowhere, a lump in my throat appeared.

Then we moved across the country!

And landed in Oregon!

We grew a garden (with a TON of zucchini!!)

The lump in my throat came out and was benign… woo hoo!!

The Red Sox won the World Series.

We fostered a puppy! And passed the Foster 101 test (by finding her a home).

We partied in Seattle (Pearl Jam 2013) with Lightning Bolts!

And then unwrapped the season with family.

Through it all I have learned so much about abundance.

So maybe my gift-giving scheme didn’t work out the way I planned. But in the end I learned so much about abundance.

Health is the greatest wealth.
Family is a precious resource.
Friends are gold!

Abundance comes from so many things.
And there is nothing more powerful than the heart.

So here’s to 2014. May it be a year full of miracles, love, and abundance!
Cheers to you!

More tomorrow.
Lovemore {fearless}
Jamie

{happy new year!}

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BLOG – GIFT DAY 364 :: the abundance quiz

30 Dec

How prosperous are you?  

Since this year was a year of abundance (at least my promise!) it only seems fitting to share a quiz that monitors your prosperity.

Interested?
Check it out here: Prosperity Quiz

The questions are easy and no matter how you score it will help question your thinking.

Do you believe in abundance?
Do you have an abundant mindset?
Take the quiz to find out!

Tomorrow officially ends this promise of abundance for me… but it’s just the beginning really.

I have learned so much over this year and this promise. 
I started out questioning others about what abundance means to them…. and the answer I received over and over again had to do with food and feasting!

But I now know in my heart it means so much more.

So see you here tomorrow where I will share all I learned and we will celebrate and wrap up and most important… kick of 2014!!!

More tomorrow.
Lovemore {fearless}
Jamie

{do you feel prosperous?}
Editorial Note: links from this post were removed as they redirected to the wrong site. If you would like to find the prosperity quiz search for  “Dr. Joe Vitale and Prosperity Quiz” in Google.

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BLOG – GIFT DAY 363 :: isn’t it ironic?

29 Dec

I started out this year making a promise of abundance. 

And now I sit here chuckling at myself because most of my pants don’t fit. I’ve gained so much this year, including a few pounds around the middle, the bottom and the top.

I guess I wasn’t very clear with the “universe” about what kind of “abundance” I wanted.

It’s a good reminder to me.

As I form my promise for next year I will remember the lesson learned: to be clear in what you ask for and to be clear about what you want.

What are you asking for in 2014?

More tomorrow.
Lovemore {fearless}
Jamie

 
{what are you asking for in 2014?}

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BLOG – GIFT DAY 362 :: how to stand out

28 Dec

There’s something very common about standing out. 

It’s all about being different. Unexpected.

Here’s something unexpected…The 14 Habits of Highly Miserable People:
It caught my attention because it’s just the opposite of what I expect to see this time of year: The Official Ramp Up To New Year Resolutions and all the positive goals and ideas that come with it.

Being different is sometimes as easy as giving in wholly and completely to being YOU.  Which completely flies in the face of everything we learn in school — sitting in a row, obeying the rules, sticking to the code, following the pack, standing in line, not rocking the boat.

I know from first hand experience. I followed the rules. I even dealt the rules! I was (full disclosure) a card carrying “patrol” in orange hard hat and sash in grade school. (I know you were too!)

It can be hard to break out when trying to keep up with the pack. 

So tonight, I am inspired by this very unique rendition of  “Shattered” —
I can’t quite explain it, so please watch it for full effect.

All I can say is that it is different. Unexpected.

(Eddie Vedder performing “Shattered” by The Rolling Stones with Jeanne Tripplehorn (as Julie Andrews) at a fundraiser for Heal EB. Donate to Heal EB here: http://bitly.com/Donate_HealEB)

Yes, that’s right — as Julie Andrews.
(Seriously, watch it!)

So, as I was saying…. sometimes it’s hard to stand out.
But I am inspired by those who stand up and say, sing, yell, whisper or boldly go where no one has ever (though to) go before.

Whether it’s channeling Julie Andrews to sing The Rolling Stones or marching to your own beat.

What’s your unique rendition?
How can you share your gifts?
How can you be more YOU?
More tomorrow.
Lovemore {fearless}
Jamie

{how do you stand out?}

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BLOG – GIFT DAY 361 :: got goals?

27 Dec

Here we are almost at the end of 2013.

And now it’s time for the question: Do you have a New Year’s Resolution?

I just finished reading this article:  Forget Setting Goals. Focus on This Instead by James Clear.

Here’s the author’s summation: Goals can provide direction and even push you forward in the short-term, but eventually a well-designed system will always win. Having a system is what matters. Committing to the process is what makes the difference.

As I read this article I had to laugh out loud. I never set out to write a blog post for three year’s straight. That’s 1,095 blog posts (plus one more for leap year!).

My only goal was to write a blog post a day (for one year!). And that turned into two and now almost three years later and well… you know the rest of the story.

My point is this: I have a system.

I sit down every night and I write…. something. Even if what comes out is really not all that exciting or riveting. I write. Even in the middle of snow storms and power outages and cross-country moves, I write. Every night.

The system works. It’s about making a promise to myself and sharing it with the world. The results are not really the point… it’s the process that matters.

But the results pile up. And that’s the long term effect. Each post may not be all that spectacular but it’s the body of work, the whole enchilada that adds up to one big bite of something good.

I’m pretty amazed that I’ve written this blog this long… but then again, I truly and honestly believe you can do anything. We can do anything. With a system.

So…. what do you want to accomplish next year?
What will you create a process around?
What is your system to get to where you want to go?

I would love to hear about your goals for 2014.
And your systems too!

More tomorrow.
Lovemore {fearless}
Jamie

{what is your system?}

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BLOG – GIFT DAY 359 :: your christmas gift

25 Dec

Happy holidays from Mount Vernon, WA.

It was a day full of gifts.
Of the best kind.

Family, food, giggles, squeals, cheers, a lot of “I love it!” and one “Holy Sh*t!” (in the best sort of way possible).

And stories. 

Lots of stories told around the dinner table into the late hours of the night. It may be one of the best moments of Christmas.  Because while holidays helps us gather together, around the table, from near and far, making new memories, it also helps us re-tell the best of times and the best of stories one more time.

It may just be the reason we gather.
To remind each other about where we come from, where we’ve been and the bond that we share.

So here’s to a very Merry Christmas.
And a fabulous 2014!

Here’s to your miracles.
May you have an abundance of love and memories.

More tomorrow.
Lovemore {fearless}
Jamie

{what miracles did you experience this year?}

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BLOG – GIFT DAY 358 :: chestnuts roasting by an open fire

24 Dec

‘Twas the night before Christmas…

And all through the house, two Pup’s were sleeping in front of the fireplace.

But it didn’t start that way.

We arrived for Christmas festivities with both pups in tow. Within the first fifteen minutes of being at “Grandma’s” house I discovered Brady ON the kitchen table.

Not just on a chair at the table.
No, Brady was standing on top of Grandma’s kitchen table (a table that was set with beautiful dishes and glasses).

I. Was. Mortified.
As soon as he saw me he hopped off the table and luckily disturbed not even a fork or a spoon.

I believe if you are a dog, there is no faster way to get on the “Naughty” list than to stand on top of the kitchen table.  It’s a good thing we love him so much…and that he’s so cute.

And I suppose that’s part of the magic of Christmas.
Loving those we call family, even more.

May you be warm, merry and bright.
Merry Christmas, from ours to yours!

More tomorrow.
Lovemore {fearless}
Jamie

P.S. You still have time to join us in The Card Crusade and help spread some cheer this year.You could win a FREE year’s worth of greeting cards from Green Ink Gallery!

{merry christmas!}

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BLOG – GIFT DAY 356 :: and we’re off!

22 Dec

The holidays are here!
Well…. at least our road trip has arrived.

We leave in a few hours for our drive north… not quite to the North Pole. But it will be Christmas where we go. (With two dogs in the car I might add…. oh the joy!)

Wherever you go… Here’s to your happy holiday memories.
The baking, the eating, the gifting, the opening of GIFTS!

“Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! on Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen!”

May gifts of abundance find you wherever you are!

More tomorrow.
Lovemore {fearless}
Jamie

P.S. You still have time to join us in The Card Crusade and help spread some cheer this year.

You could win a FREE year’s worth of greeting cards from Green Ink Gallery!

{what is the best gift at christmastime?}

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BLOG – GIFT DAY 354 :: it’s not always what you think

20 Dec

I love this ad from Apple. 
It reminds me that things are not always what you (initially) think. 

We have experienced a year of miracles around here.

So many miracles!
Even though it hasn’t always felt or seemed that way in the moment.

I found a lump in my throat. (scary!)
After surgery it turned out benign. Miracle!

Brady ran away this summer. (scary!)
Brady returned home safely because a wonderful woman found him and called the local radio station. Miracle!

We lost the bikes off the back of our car during our cross country adventure. (scary!)
Nobody was injured. Miracle!

Brady jumped the fence and went on his own adventure. (scary!)
I luckily saw it happen and knew which direction to send Justin on the chase. We found Brady making friends in the neighborhood and safely brought him home. Miracle!

Miracle are everywhere.

Just goes to show things are not always what you (initially) think.
Sometimes you have to wait around for the rest of the story.
Sometimes you have to wait for the miracle to show up.
And sometimes you have to look at it differently to see the hidden gift.

My gift of the day is this:
I wish you many, many miracles.

Thank you for being here.

More tomorrow.
Lovemore {fearless}
Jamie

P.S. You still have time to join us in The Card Crusade and help spread some cheer this year.You could win a FREE year’s worth of greeting cards from Green Ink Gallery!

{what miracles did you have this year?}

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BLOG – GIFT DAY 353 :: christmas kisses

19 Dec

There’s nothing like a wet, slobbery kiss.

From your dog.
While you’re trying to write holiday cards.

Pup wouldn’t stop bothering me at my desk tonight, so I caught him in the action.

At first I just wanted him to stop begging. So I placed the Santa hat on his head.
He thought it was a toy. And who could blame him with that big ball of fuzzy white stuff hanging on the tippy top of the hat?

Then he thought it was an invitation to kiss me.

It reminds me that, sometimes, when we think someone is “BOTHERING” us they are really just trying to share their love. And gifts.

And really wet, slobbery kisses.
MMMMwha.

More tomorrow.
Lovemore {fearless}
Jamie

P.S. You still have time to join us in The Card Crusade and help spread some cheer this year.You could win a FREE year’s worth of greeting cards from Green Ink Gallery!

{have you sent holiday cards yet?}

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