One of my favorite summer flowers is the garden geranium, with its beautiful, summer-long color. It is the type of flower that you can count on, week after week, month after month. With only a bit of watering, and some essential pruning, they will continue to make your life brighter.

Growing up, our family hung white pails of red geraniums from the trees along our laneway. They were a cheerful sight for guests and part of the colorful backdrop for my early years.

What I didn't know then is that it is the pruning of geraniums that keeps them looking so wonderful. Yes, they'll survive if you just water them, but after a month they'll have a browning collection of old flower clusters — masses of former glory — that stifles the growth of the new blossoms.

On a geranium, removing the old flowers is easy. There's a single stem that holds each cluster, and you can quickly break off the old bits with your fingers.

But unlike flowers, when it comes to people's lives, former glories can be hard to prune away and leave behind.

Each of us has memories of great moments in our lives — our successes and our achievements. They were the times when we came out on top, either on our own or as part of a team. By the time we are adults, there can be all sorts of glory days to remember: Sports victories, school successes, business coups, art show ribbons, as well as outrageous but successful exploits of all types.

Memories of our past victories can be great fuel for our lives, giving us confidence, and reminding us that we can do it if we really try. They can boost our reputation, and help us reach new and better goals.

The problem with glory days is that they can become less of a trophy and more of an anchor, dragging us into the past. The change occurs when we stop using our previous successes as fuel for our future, and start thinking that either our best days are behind us, or that we can rest on our laurels.

A big part of moving forward with our lives is changing our focus from me to us — from our own victories to shared successes — from "I can do it" to "we can do it together." 

Life's best moments, for people of all ages, are usually the times we share. They are the times we are together, helping each other, and bringing our personal strengths, feelings and knowlege into play. Life's great times are when we are sharing the task and the fun. Sure we want to get things done, but it is the sharing of community that makes life special.

For many people, the years of competitive school, sports and work environments have left them thinking that their contribution time is over — that they haven't got what it takes anymore. But while youth does give an advantage when it comes to running a touchdown, people of every age can be a part of important projects, including social and community efforts.

And while it is true that it takes money to live, there is much more to life than money — and almost all of the really good things in life start with a smile and an offer to spend time with someone, helping.  Which would you prefer to say: "When I was 20 I won a football trophy" or "Later today a bunch of us will be helping fix up the community centre"?

Whatever your age there are opportunities for you to help make our world better, and for you to become happier.

Our glory days are still ahead — and we are going to share them.

Bruce Springsteen, in his song, Glory Days, talks about the problem of living in the past: Now I think I'm going down to the well tonight and I'm going to drink till I get my fill. And I hope when I get old I don't sit around thinking about it but I probably will. Yeah, just sitting back trying to recapture a little of the glory of.  Well time slips away and leaves you with nothing, mister, but boring stories of glory days.

Be a part of your community. Find ways to share your strengths and time on projects that matter to people.
You will find there is great joy in helping others, and that our glory days are still ahead.

[Return to the home page of MakingMoreOfToday.com.]

"It takes as much work to climb the wrong mountain as it does the right mountain," says Brian Warren, the Founder of KidsFest. In the same way that KidsFest helps low-income children achieve their full potential, each of us needs a reawakening, and a fresh commitment to truly living our lives.

In our busy world there is always a lot going on — not all of it good for us or in line with our personal goals and values. Living in a culture of plenty can open a lot of doors for exploration and personal fulfillment, but it can also be a source of distractions and confusion. Up close, as we scramble over boulders, different mountains can look a lot alike.

When in your day do you have a time for calm and quiet introspection? When is that "me time" for restful musing, when you can turn down the external and get in touch with your own thoughts and feelings?

Think of it as Purposeful Pausing.

Only three generations ago there was no TV and only one generation ago there was no Internet. More people lived outside of cities, and could easily connect with both nature and quiet moments. Grandma's rocking chair wasn't just for knitting — it was a place for understanding, planning and wisdom.

Nowadays, people rarely spend time sitting quietly. There is always a screen to look at, and a buzzing deluge of semi-interesting "other news", telling us things we rarely need to know, and trying to convince us to buy things we rarely need to have. While our global awareness has brought both benefits and obligations, the paths we each walk and the mountains we each climb still need to be the right ones.

It has almost become alien for us to sit quietly — to take the time to just be us, and to know our own thoughts.

One of the biggest problems with TV and the Internet is that they never let us get bored — we can hover just a breath above boredom, flipping the screen and chewing through our time.

Contrary to belief, It is actually good to experience boredom, because boredom is a powerful motivator. People don't stay bored very long — they find things to do, and thoughts to think.

The next time you are by yourself, alone with your TV or screen, try turning it off. Get comfortable and take some deep breaths. Relax and let your own thoughts reign. Just "be".

See what some quiet contemplation can do for you.  You'll be surprised what a bit of "me time" can bring.

When we pause and look around, life can come into perspective.
When we pause and know ourselves, we can distinguish our dreams from those around us.
When we pause and focus on the value of life, love and compassion come more easily.
When we pause and remember important moments, our goals become clearer.
When we pause and recognize the help we have received, we want to help others.
When we pause and are honest with ourselves, we can be more appreciative and forgiving.
When we pause and reflect, our time is better spent.

There is a lot of hard work required for life.  But there are friends, family and people to help.

Just make sure that you know your own goals — that you are climbing the right mountain.

[Return to the home page of MakingMoreOfToday.com.]

We will give these awesome prizes to 3 winners:

1st prize
E30R Tunturi Recumbent Bike (Retails for $1,399):
http://www.efitology.com/bikes/tunturi-e30r-exercise-bike.html

 
2nd prize
E30 Upright Bike (Retails for $1,299):
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3rd prize
Power Blocks Classic 5-45lbs Adjustable Dumbbell Set (Retails for $379):
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Good Luck!    Take the quiz below …

1. Winners will be chosen randomly from players who received a 100% on their quiz.
2. One entry per user.
3. Please enter your preferred contact method in order to be notified of winning (email or phone number).
4. Contest expires March 10th, 2010

essensu … We Bring The Garden To Skincare

One of the most wonderful highlights of my life has been the two months I spent working in Japan.

Now mind you, Japan was not a place I thought I would ever visit or even enjoy. However, I was delightfully surprised at how much I felt connected to this country.

And what amazed me the most was the fact that for as hard as the Japanese people work, they know how to balance their lives with fun and relaxation.

And let me tell you….the Japanese know how to PARTY.

Another thing that impressed me was how much spirituality plays a part of their everyday lives, because it’s obvious in how they live confidently, yet quietly from their souls.

I never felt more peaceful and calm than the time I lived there.

I would like to share with you some of the things that Japan has taught me…

Service

 So there’s a new site in town, Shop Pulse. Shop Pulse is the ultimate online portal for fast-fashion. The site delivers live updates of the newest products to hit a huge range of designer and high street stores. To be honest, I’ve been waiting for something like this. Trawling every store you like for the newest products takes time and if someone is going to do it for me, now that can’t be a bad thing.

If you don’t have much time for shopping then this site is definitely for you. The ‘Gotta have it’ pick of the five hottest items to hit stores each day is available as an RSS feed so you can get notifications direct to your desktop or even on your blackberry. I’ll be adding it to my iGoogle page.

I’m also glad to see that Shop Pulse menswear will be coming in early 2010.

For the latest news, you can follow Shop Pulse on Twitter or become a fan of Shop Pulse on Facebook