Tag: Goal setting

The first P to formulating my plan

“Plans are nothing, planning is everything”
-Dwight D. Eisenhower

The first P in formulating my plan is the plan

Have you ever had a plan but didn’t know you had a plan? Well what is a plan anyway? Specifically, the dictionary defines a plan as a detailed proposal of doing or achieving something. The next question I typically ask is what do I want to do or achieve? A logical question, I suppose. To me, I believe that you have to want to achieve something. Did you evaluate your current situation and say to yourself, their must be something better than what I’m doing or where I am at? Furthermore, we can look at this another way and say, I like where I am at but I feel that I could do better at what I am doing now. So what’s the first p in formulating my plan? Great questions!

“Without deep reflection one knows from daily life that one exists for other people”

-Albert Einstein

Reflecting on a moment to help formulate my plan

Now that you have answered a few questions about your current situation, you can proceed to start brainstorming ideas. For instance, what do you have access to and what do you feel you are good at? The reason I ask the question this way is because sometimes the individual you are speaking to may not know that they have a talent or skill that they are good at. Like you may not realize a trait you have until someone points it out and tells you what they see in you. For example, someone told me I have a contagious smile. I know it’s not a skill or a talent or is it? I laugh and smile of course, but I don’t look too much into it when someone says that to me and I feel they are just being nice. It didn’t really click in my head until recently when I was reflecting on my past and it made me think of a friend of mine who passed away. Specifically, his mother came up to me and said that when she sees my smile, she remembers the good times with her son, she continued and told me “to never stop smiling”.

“Use your smile to change the world, but no matter what happens, do not let the world change your smile”

-Riya Sarkar

What is the moral of this story?

The moral of the story is that I could not see how my smile and demeanor could impact someone else. It actually made me feel good to help heal another human being who was grieving in such pain. I can’t even imagine losing a child and my heart broke for her. This event happened 25 years ago at her son’s funeral. The reality is that I never understood what she meant until just recently. As in illustration, I was standing in a very long line to pay my respects to my dear friend, her son who was laying in a casket. She left her post where she greeted everyone that came to hug her and she surpassed every single person in the line and walked straight over to me just to tell me what my smile meant to her. As a result of her action toward me, it made me think about how my smile touched her so deeply.

“Your current situation is giving you an opportunity to re-evaluate what you want”

-tashabee

Reevaluating myself to help formulate my plan

I continued to reevaluate myself. I wondered, how could my smile help someone? Do I over analyze it? Do I accept it for what it is? If I could help one person with my contagious smile heal what else could I do to help another person? Is this part of the plan? I already established the fact that I felt good knowing that I helped someone else. So how else and what else could I do to help someone? I have envisioned a dream and I will take my skills, experience and knowledge to formulate a plan of action to help me achieve that vision.

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”

-maya angelou

The truth is, she is the one who made an impact on me. Crying as I write this blog because of my vivid memory of the event. Who knew, years later I would remember how she made me feel and what it meant to her to see me smile.

never stop smiling
Never stop smiling

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Opinion Disclaimer-This is a personal blog. Any views or opinions represented in this blog are personal and belong solely to the owner and do not represent those of people, institutions or organizations that the owner may or may not be associated with in professional or personal capacity, unless explicitly stated. Any views or opinions are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company or individual

Let’s Focus on Stability for Further Growth

January seems to always be a time for new goals and new changes to lifestyles. What better way to reevaluate what is working in your life and what is not working. The goal is to focus on stability for further growth. I am working on making a lot of new changes in my life and so I thought I would share with you some of the necessities I myself evaluate. I like structure and for me I tend to examine the Maslow Hierarchy of Needs to see what I might be missing in order for me to move forward in my journey.

Basic Human Needs
Focusing on the bottom level of Basic Human Needs

Basic Needs to be met for stability

What are basic needs and how do they help us grow? Basic needs are also considered Physiological Needs based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. This is the first level of need that needs to be examined. We can not climb the ladder of success until we meet the first criteria.

  • Food
  • Water
  • Warmth
  • Rest

Food for Nutrients to help us focus on stability

Obtaining life and growth thru nutritional substances like protein, calcium, vitamins, etc are what we call food. We need to have the right nutrients to sufficiently help our inner body towards wellness. So basically we need food to survive? Right? Exactly. However, we need to know how to plant seeds, grow these seeds, weed when necessary and pick when ripe. Maybe this is the year you learn how to build and grow a garden. Self-sufficient and less costly.

Water for health
How much water is enough water for my body?

Water is Life

If water is life than it would make sense that we need water to survive. Our bodies are made up of about 60% of water. The brain and heart are composed of about 73-80% of water and the lungs about 80-83% says the USGS Science for a changing world. It is a known fact that the body needs both food and water to survive. Not to mention that water is needed to help our plants grow. And what do plants provide? Nutrients or for a more simpler term food. So then the reason why plants rely on the rain is to receive the water it needs. We will not be focusing on droughts in this blog, but I am aware of the ecosystem and I hope you are getting my point here.

Sunlight for warmth
Sunlight Peaking Thru so soak up the sun

Warmth from Sunlight

A human needs warmth. Some might say warmth comes from being nurtured thru kindness and love. Warmth also helps to keep the body from freezing to death. We can also say that warmth stands for shelter. It is interesting when you compare the human basic needs to that of a plant isn’t it? In order for a seed to grow it needs sunlight so that it can produce it’s own food. Plants do this by combining air and the water from the soil, but to ignite the combustion, it needs the energy source from the sunlight. This process is called Carbon Dioxide. Sometimes plants are grown in greenhouses so they can grow and survive thru the colder months.

Well-Rested can maintain our stability

And wouldn’t ya know it, our bodies need rest. What happens when we get the right amount of sleep? As a matter of fact, we function so much better. Specifically, we are more focused and alert. Moreover, we don’t feel like we are dragging our feet. As a result, we actually feel less stressed over all. Furthermore, I could go a lot deeper into stresses and all but for this blog, I am keeping it simple. In conclusion, our bodies need time to rest to rejuvenate and plants need time to grow properly.

Natures Beauty to restore health
Natures Beauty to restore our health

If you enjoyed reading Focus on Stability subscribe to our e-mail list at Sheri’s Dream Catcher to stay updated with new blog posts.

Opinion Disclaimer-This is a personal blog. Any views or opinions represented in this blog are personal and belong solely to the owner and do not represent those of people, institutions or organizations that the owner may or may not be associated with in professional or personal capacity, unless explicitly stated. Any views or opinions are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company or individual.

Distractions Holding You Back

Distractions holding you back
Distractions are everywhere and can smother your mind at times.

Are distractions holding you back from going after your goals? A distraction is a process that will block or prohibit an individual from remaining focused on a desired outcome or goal. This definitely happens to the best of us. We have individual dreams and goals and most of the time we get stuck or blocked from being able to accomplish these dreams. I sometimes question myself and ask why?

Have you thought about some distractions that have been or could be blocking your Desired Goals?

  • Television
  • Cell phones
  • Other People’s Opinions
  • Your Family
  • Bills/Money
  • Chores/Responsibilities
  • Social Activities
  • Work/Career

What are some ways to handle distractions that are holding you back?

  • Take a break
  • Meditation
  • Exercise
  • Watch the sun rise and or set
  • Listen to music
  • Take a hike in the woods
  • Try something new
  • Read a book

Take A Break from Distractions that might be holding you back

Distractions holding you back
Relaxing from distractions in a hotel room on the Waterfront in downtown Baltimore, MD.

When I say take a break from distractions that might be holding you back, I am saying that sometimes we need to step out of the confusion in order to ground or regroup ourselves. For example, I like to take mini vacations to regroup. Specifically, I will go stay in a hotel for a night or two completely by myself. Some may call it solitude. To me, I get the rest I need. I am able to think about me as an individual and it allows me to figure out what I need to do in order to continue going after my goals. In addition to the rest, I am able to gain the energy that is needed to stay focused with the constant waves of everyday life challenges.

How can meditation help you from getting distracted?

Distractions holding you back
Yoga Muriel at RI Yoga Center in Kingston, RI when I took my first Hot Power Yoga Class to help with my breathing and meditation techniques

Meditation is a technique used to help us as individuals to focus on mental clarity and awareness. If our minds are filled with other people’s opinions than maybe that means we are focused on other’s goals and not necessarily our own goals. However, I do feel that it is always good to listen to other people’s opinions but being able to decipher what will help guide you and what will hinder you are two different things. It has taken me a long time to learn from trials and errors thru life experiences that have gotten me to a place where I will listen to what other’s have to say, but in reality I will try my best to remain focused on me, the individual.

Dream Catcher Yoga Mat with Towel Combo. Great for Hot Power Yoga

Is exercise a good way to handle distractions that may hold you back?

Exercise in itself is a must for a healthy and well balanced lifestyle. For instance, not only does exercise help with oxygen and blood flow through our veins and muscles to keep our blood pumping, it also helps to release negative toxins that may be trapped in our minds and bodies. For example, running can build your inner core strength, as well as, get rid of stomach fat and release endorphins that make you a happy person.

distractions holding you back
elevate barre and cycle studio has been a life savor for allowing me to exercise at my own pace. Personal Trainer, owner and my sister Sara Loretta has encouraged me to follow my dreams and become healthy at the same time. We both enjoy a variety of music which makes it fun.

I am not an expert on exercise and yes I need to get into a routine of finding an exercise that I enjoy doing. However, I do believe in the benefits for exercising. So the question you might have for me that I have for myself, is what is holding Sheri back from doing exercise if she knows she needs to and it will benefit her? I too am working on my own distractions. Handling one distraction at a time.

I’m a sucker for big old fashioned head phones. My favorite part is that they are Noise Canceling. Even better when you wear them, everyone still thinks you are listening to them and really you are drowning them out. My little secret. Beats Studio3

Listening to Music to distract my mind from distractions

First and foremost, music is one of the biggest forms of salvation for me. No matter what I am feeling or doing, music has an effect on me. Second, music is a very powerful tool that I use in many forms. For instance, I listen to music when I am happy, mad and sad. However, I enjoy all kinds of music. Third, I like to feel the music move through my body and feed into my soul. It can capture the pure essence of my being. Fourth, I enjoy listening to music to help me meditate. Specifically, it gets me in a zone to release anger or sadness that has been suppressed deep down inside. Fifth, music can be used as a form of expression. For example, when I try to sing like the artist or if I am dancing to the beat.

Distractions holding you back
Singing and acting a fool to release my stress is one way I clear my mind from distractions. When the right beat hits my soul, forget about it. I don’t care who is around, I get lost in my own world. You know the saying “Dance as if no one is Watching”. I live that to my greatest potential.

Moreover, I drive with music, clean with music, exercise with music, sleep with music, socialize with music and I am sure you are getting the idea of the benefits of music with me. How does music have an affect on your own life and well being?

What about trying something new to help with distractions

Trying something new can also be a distraction, however for this blog we are looking at the benefits of trying something new to help with handling our distractions. For instance, if we never try something we have never done before, than how are we going to expand our minds that will help us reach our dreams and goals? For example, if you are open to learning a new culture or craft, you are now stimulating your brain cells.

Distractions holding you back
Wine and Paint Night. My mom, big sis and my only daughter had a great night out, spending time together and trying something new.

Specifically, let’s look at paint and wine nights, that is one of the new craves going around. I could be behind on craves, but you get the idea. People are gathering together with old friends and meeting new friends while they are in a class learning how to paint a picture. As a result of an event like this, most people who finish this class are usually leaving with a smile on their faces. Specifically, they are feeling good about what they were able to learn on their own, amazed that they had the ability to create something of their own and they connected with someone new. I am sure the wine helped them to relax and open up a little bit. Hopefully you get the point.

In Conclusion Have You Thought About The Distractions in Your Own Life?

I know that we sometimes don’t want to look at reality and what is holding us back from truly going after our own dreams and goals. I do this all the time. Its called denial and we will distract ourselves and continue to distract ourselves until we are forced to look at the situation.

Distractions holding you back
This picture is dark and gloomy, but isn’t that what a distraction can look like to someone who is confused? No soul, no direction, no reason for motivation.

What happens when we are in denial of many different situations? That’s a great question and it is a hard one to learn. I personally am working on figuring out what my own dreams and goals are. Specifically, taking the time in solitude to really focus on what I want for my life. In addition to this time for solitude, I continue to focus on handling my personal situations head on since they will not resolve themselves on their own. As a result to this understanding, I have learned that I am sensitive to some distractions and completely cold to other distractions.

Read a book about: The Distraction Addiction: Getting the Information You Need and the Communication You Want, Without Enraging Your Family, Annoying Your Colleagues, and Destroying Your Soul 

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Opinion Disclaimer-This is a personal blog. Any views or opinions represented in this blog are personal and belong solely to the owner and do not represent those of people, institutions or organizations that the owner may or may not be associated with in professional or personal capacity, unless explicitly stated. Any views or opinions are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company or individual

Technical Difficulty With My Mind?

Having technical difficulty with my mind as I take on a new endeavor. Specifically, starting a new entrepreneur business on my own started to leave me feeling discouraged at first. However, the more I educate and train myself the more I am learning I never knew, I never knew.

technical difficulty with my mind
What will I do? Technical difficulty with my mind

Starting a new endeavor can leave you feeling technically lost at first.

For instance, I had decided to start my own blog this past summer. At first, I was so discouraged because their was a lot I needed to learn with starting a blog on the internet. In general, just starting my own blog whether it is for personal journal entries or a new business takes a lot of time to configure your own website. It was my own personal preference to creating my own website. Of course you can hire a professional to do it for you. However for me, that will just add to the start up cost.

Saving up for Rose Gold Dell XLP 9370 Laptop-working my way up from a smart phone to a blogging travel computer

Dell XPS 9370 Laptop, 13.3″ UHD (3840 x 2160) InfinityEdge Touch Display, 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8550U, 8GB RAM, 256 GB SSD, Fingerprint Reader, Windows 10, Rose Gold

How do I start my own blog website on a low budget?

I am not a professional blogger and I am just beginning my new endeavor so why would I just jump into putting a ton of money into something I don’t know works yet. On the other hand, it takes money to make money they say. However, if I am just beginning, I believe that over time and as my knowledge and experience grows, I will be able to add more features into my blogging website. Specifically, I really feel that if I am going to put my best foot forward with creating my own Brand, it is best that I learn how to create my own website. This is just a personal preference.

I first started taking videos and pictures for my blogging website with an android and then upgraded to the the Google Pixel 3
Google – Pixel 3 XL with 64GB Memory Cell Phone (Unlocked) – Just Black

Working with the technical difficulty of my mind.

Whenever I am contemplating an idea, I tend to talk to myself. For instance I said to myself, “the more I learn how to do on my own, the less money I will have to pay out of pocket down the road”. Again, this is personal preference. On the contrary, my sister likes to pay all the upfront costs and just get it over with so her website would be up and running in no time. As a result, this option allows her more time to just focus on creating and maintaining her brand. I recommend that an individual has the right to pick the option that is best for them and hopefully it won’t break the bank either.

Technical difficulty with my mind
Traveling to the Unknown Destination-Technical Difficulty with my mind

Reflecting on technical difficulties with my mind

In the above photo I took, I was on an airplane on my way to Hawaii for the very first time in my life. Hawaii was a place I have always wanted to travel to since I was a kid. I worked really hard to make my dream come true. However, as I was sitting there pondering over and over again in my head, I started thinking and thinking. Specifically, I was reflecting on my life at that moment.

You might need some Sunglasses for your airplane ride, how about protecting them in a Dream Catcher hard shell case. Remember those dreams
Hard Shell Glasses Protective Case with Cleaning Cloth for Eyeglasses and Sunglasses – Dream Catcher Twigs Twine

Critical questions that I asked myself

  • Their has to be more?
  • What am I not doing that I could be doing?
  • What am I good at?
  • What are my skills?
  • What are my talents?
  • What do I enjoy doing?
  • Where do I see myself in 5 years or 10 years from now?
  • What is holding me back?

Committing to one direction or the other

It’s like having one foot in the sand and one foot in the water at the same time. To me this means that you are not fully in the water or fully on the warm sand with both feet or your whole body. A lot of times we go back and forth with our decisions. Specifically we ask ourselves, Do I do this? Do I not do this? What happens if I jump right into the water/project? What happens if I stay on the beach and not go into the water at all? Decisions, Decisions, Decisions! I believe it’s normal to have these conflicting thoughts with yourself. Sooner or later we need to commit to one direction or the other. This is something you need to figure out for yourself. No one knows you better than you.

Technical Difficulty with my mind
The Sunlight is still peaking thru as it sets-Clearing the technical difficulty with my mind

Do you have trouble deciding what you want to do? Do you agree that you get stuck sometimes? Got to start somewhere! Why not start now?

Stay Connected

If you enjoyed reading Technical Difficulty With My Mind subscribe to our e-mail list https://sherisdreamcatcher.com/ to stay updated with new blog posts.

Opinion Disclaimer-This is a personal blog. Any views or opinions represented in this blog are personal and belong solely to the owner and do not represent those of people, institutions or organizations that the owner may or may not be associated with in professional or personal capacity, unless explicitly stated. Any views or opinions are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company or individual.

Why My Fascination with Dream Catchers

Why dream catchers
The Legend of the Dream Catcher

What is the purpose of a Dream Catcher?

Let’s start with the traditional meaning of what is a dream catcher and what does it mean to catch dreams? Specifically, the meaning of dream catchers comes from the Original Natives or in my knowledge Indigenous People of this land we call America.

In addition, each tribe or tribal nation have a different cultural meaning and they also have their own legend of the dream catcher’s purpose. Above all, it is believed that when you hang a dream catcher over your bed it will catch the bad dreams and let the good dreams pass thru.

Obviously for this purpose, bad dreams not knowing their way, are caught in the web and melt away in the first light of morning. In this case, the first light of morning represents the sun’s light.

Specifically, the sun’s light will burn away the bad dreams that are caught in the web. As a result of getting caught in the web, the bad dreams will be no more. Where as, the good dreams will slip thru the web and slide down the feathers. Finally, flowing down into the dreamer.

I’m a firm believer in following your dreams so let’s make sure they are good dreams

Why Dream Catchers
My very first dream catcher made of twigs

My fascination with dream catchers began at a young age. Specifically, I would and still do collect them from different places. Firstly, they came from Native American Indian Pow Wows. As well as, visits to Indian Reservations from Rhode Island, Connecticut, Arizona, Massachusetts, New York, Florida and Hawaii. Such as, the one in the picture above is made out of sticks and twigs. It was the first dream catcher I ever bought myself.

Needless to say, I was working with family tribal members of the Narragansett Indian Tribe at the International Indian Pow Wow in Connecticut on the Mashantucket Pequot Reservation. Ultimately, this dream catcher caught my eye because it was different and it was made from nature. Additionally, over the years friends and family members would give them to me as gifts.

Catching Dreams is part of my fascination with dream catchers

I remember one day, I walked into the house and saw an orchid plant on the kitchen table along with a card nestled up against the pot. Clearly, I opened the card and started to read. At that specific moment my eyes began to fill up with water. At this point, I could feel the tears start to fall down my face. As I read, the words “my dream catcher, always catching dreams and making mine and everyone else’s dreams come true”, it took me a minute to take it all in. At an instant 40 years of my life flashed back and forth before my very soul.

Clearly, I love to help people catch their dreams and make them come true. Of course, their is no guarantee, but when someone let’s me help them, it is possible to make those dreams a reality. It should be noted that the big catcher is, you just don’t know when.

What does dream catching mean to me?

why dream catchers
The Girl Behind catching her dreams

I have always believed in the legend of the dream catcher. Every dream I have ever wished has come true. Don’t get me wrong, I have put in a lot of sweat and tears to get to where I am today. It all started with a dream and a girl behind the dream.

Could you believe in the legend of the dream catcher? Would you believe in your dreams? Do you believe in yourself?

Envision Dream Yoga Pants
www.envision-dream.com

If you enjoyed reading Why My Fascination with Dream Catchers subscribe to our e-mail list at Sheri’s Dream Catcher to stay updated with new blog posts

Opinion Disclaimer-This is a personal blog. Any views or opinions represented in this blog are personal and belong solely to the owner and do not represent those of people, institutions or organizations that the owner may or may not be associated with in professional or personal capacity, unless explicitly stated. Any views or opinions are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company or individual