Dare to Dream by PeggySue Wells

Are You Stuck?

By PeggySue Wells

What’s holding you back from pursuing your dreams?         

Interviewing people for my books, talking with them at events, or interacting through one-on-one life coaching, I’ve found that many yearn to take their lives to the next level. To move the ‘someday’ list into the today category.

How can you make that happen? Can you make it happen?

My husband of over 20 years decided to leave. My seven children and I were devastated. Where was God? What do I do now? There were days I couldn’t get out of bed because of the weight of despair. Trying to cope and parent, the turning point came when I applied five simple steps that took me forward. These steps and the checkpoints that kept, and still keep me on track are given in my speaking events and my new book, Rediscovering Your Happily Ever After.

Slight modifications can produce boundless results. These simple acts I could incorporate by noon. Each one was a shift in my outlook and a simple attitude adjustment that is reaping a lifetime of benefits for me and my loved ones. Surprisingly, these steps helped me look more beautiful—inside and out. Even my posture improved.

If you could do anything, no matter how zany, unrealistic, or expensive, what would that be? What desire burns in your heart? What do you yearn to do and be?

Are you at a crossroad? Slight changes can make it easy for you and me to tweak our course and aim for a more satisfying today.

What are you resisting? A crisis can destroy us or it can make us stronger. Deeper. The turning point comes in how we face the crisis.

What are your excuses? Our excuses usually illuminate what we are supposed to do but are too scared to pursue and achieve. The only person who believes an excuse is the one serving it up. No one else is buying the bologna we are selling any more than we believe the excuses others dish out to us. An excuse is nothing more than a well-crafted lie that no one believes except the person making it.

How we keep our word, our commitments, reveals if we are people of integrity. Keeping my word to myself is as important as keeping my word to others.

Our lives are to be spent. Not to be saved. How we invest our life is one of the most important decisions we make. Are you living full out? Each of us decides how we will invest our time. Today is an opportune moment to invest your life in pursuits that will outlive you.

Go ahead. Dare to dream. Dream big. Then take the next step to make your dream reality. Invest the first five minutes and celebrate the progress. No excuses.

We all need an extra large scoop of hope, no matter where we are on our life’s journey. Whether you are stymied at a life-changing crossroad or eager to create an energetic tomorrow, you can affect the outcome of your life. Today.

PeggySue Wells is a dynamic and interactive speaker specializing in enabling others to reach for and achieve their dreams. She is the author of a dozen books including the What to Do series and Rediscovering Your Happily Ever After. Contact her at www.PeggySueWells.com.

This article is provided free of charge by the author through Kathy Carlton Willis Communications. You are welcome to place this article on your site or in your publication as long as 1) it’s used in its entirety, 2) the full bio is also used, and 3) you previously request permission through KCWC at russ@kathycarltonwillis.com. All other standard copyrights apply.

Ready to move your life forward?

Live Full Blast, Full Out

By PeggySue Wells

Ready to move your life forward? Want to make a positive change by noon? Here is a

step that guarantees positive results.

Stop blaming.

Certainly there are things on our life script we would not have put there. And blame is a

mechanism to discharge pain and discomfort. However, whether I blamed my husband,

parents, boss, or myself, blame kept me cemented in the same spot. Stuck.

Blame cripples only one person. Me. Freedom comes when I acknowledge people made

choices. I made choices. Some choices made a Grand Canyon–sized impact on my life.

A friend that allows me to vent, is a gift. But camping there, the pain becomes my

identity.

It happened.

So what?

Now what?

Checkpoint

further time by blaming your lateness on the kids, the dog, or the traffic, you are playing

the blame game. You are blaming someone or something for your situation.

The only person who believes your excuse is you. When you are late, it is apparent that

you did not plan your time to arrive at least 15 minutes early in case you were delayed by

life.

In the military, fifteen minutes early is on time. On time is late. Soldiers quickly learn

that there are only four acceptable responses—yes, sir; no, sir; I don’t understand, sir; and

no excuse, sir.

When I dropped making excuses, my days and relationships streamlined. Free from

cumbersome excuses, my conversations improved. People are attracted to those who fully

live life without excuses. That’s living full blast, full out.

: Do you regularly offer excuses? If you show up late at a place and waste

- PeggySue Wells is a speaker and the author of a dozen books including

Ever After.

This article is provided free of charge by the author through Kathy Carlton Willis Communications.

You are welcome to place this article on your site or in your publication as long as 1) it’s used in its

entirety, 2) the full bio is also used, and 3) you previously request permission through KCWC at

Rediscovering Your HappilyContact her at www.PeggySueWells.com.

russ@kathycarltonwillis.com

. All other standard copyrights apply.

50-50 Journaling

Starting a 50/50 Journal

By Kathi Lipp

I am a serial journaler. In my years walking on this planet, I have left an impressive number of

three page-filled journals in the wake of my path. I am a sucker for a cute journal—something

romantic about a private place to keep my thoughts and dreams. Each time I’m at a bookstore I

can’t help but peruse the journal section, dreaming about the beautiful things I’d write in that

gorgeous black leather bound book—or maybe the bright orange and green floral journal with

the matching pen. Oh—the possibilities.

That is how it went on the day that I met my new journal. With its dark red cover and Irish

proverb on the front, it not only matched my mood, it matched my hair color and heritage at the

same time. Love at first sight.

After purchasing the journal and a hazelnut latte, I curled up in one of the bookstore chairs to …

what I didn’t know.

I didn’t want this to just be another started and abandoned journal. I wanted this journal to be

different. I spent almost half an hour staring at a blank page.

If I knew I was going to live another 50 years, what would I want those fifty years to look like—

what would I like to say I had done with that time?

So, I started to write everything down. I figured that if I was healthy and stayed out of the way of

people talking on cell phones while driving, it was conceivable that I

years on this planet. I wrote down fifty things I wanted to accomplish in the next fifty years.

Somehow, this new journal seemed different than the ones I’d started before. This was not a

daily recitation of deep thoughts that I had while walking on the beach. This felt big, important,

and all for me.

I felt silly writing some of those goals down—getting my nails done once a week—that seemed

less like a goal and more like self-indulgence. “Take a gourmet cooking class” seemed a little

frivolous as well. But one of the things I promised myself was that I was going to be very free in

what I wrote down—I would not censor myself because it seemed silly or trivial. I trusted that

these goals were between me and God, and asked Him to bless me in the goals that were within

His will, and to take away the desire for the ones that may not be from Him.

It has been fascinating to see God working in my 50/50 journal. About once a month, I update

any progress made towards the goal. It can be as simple as buying a book on cross-country

travel; I make a note of it on the page that has “Travel around the United States for a month

without a schedule” as the goal. Any progress is noted and celebrated.

In my 50/50 journal, every small step is recorded and celebrated—my own personal record of

how deeply interested God is in delighting me by first putting desires in my heart, and then

blessing me by giving me the desires of my heart.

We all have these nebulous goals in our lives that we want to accomplish, someday. If you have

never taken the time to commit them to paper, do it today. There is power in writing your goals

down. They become concrete and tangible. The goals are easier to break down into smaller

steps—giving you a real chance at seeing those dreams become a reality.

could have another fifty

- Article adapted from a chapter in

through Kathy Carlton Willis Communications. You are welcome to place this article on your site or in

your publication as long as 1) it’s used in its entirety, 2) the full bio is also used, and 3) you previously

request permission through KCWC at

 The Me Project by Kathi Lipp. It is provided free of charge by the authorruss@kathycarltonwillis.com. All other standard copyrights apply.

New from Splashdown Books

I'm learning to love this newer down under indie press, and hope you will find some gems to read too.

Today it is my great pleasure to announce to you our first title from Splashdown Darkwater. Drumrolls please!

Winter
by Keven Newsome


Winter Maessen didn't ask for the gift of prophecy. She's happy being a freak - but now everyone thinks she's crazy. Or evil.
Goths aren't all the same, you know. Some are Christians.
...Christians to whom God sends visions.

Students at her university are being attacked, and Winter knows there's more than flesh and blood at work.
Her gift means she's the only one who can stop it - but at what price?


MUST SEE video trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=It8aP6speuo

... or view it in its natural environment at http://darkwater.splashdownbooks.com/

Winter is now available for pre-order at http://www.splashdownbooks.com/winter.html


Are you ready for the chill?

June 1, 2011

Microbusiness for Teen Tips with Carol Topp - enter the drawing

Starting a Micro Business for Teens
By Carol Topp
c. 2010
Ambassador Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-09829245-0-1
Retail price: $9.95

This nifty little book sets out to make a big difference in encouraging families with teens who are interested in more than setting up a lemonade stand or playing around with real dollars. Topp's reason for adding this book to her collection of teen helps is that she wanted to create a useful and practical guide for teens, written by a mom who had teens, and include the inspiration reasons behind stewardship.

Each chapter, from the introduction of "What is a Micro Business" through the practical steps of figuring out suitable ideas to making them work and how to establish realistic goals, is filled with brief paragraphs of advice in easy-to-understand and follow tips, and ends with bullet-pointed Important Points. I loved her sample Business Plan, her encouragement, even the word-for-word advice for shy teens when they are encouraged to seek advice over the phone or in person from help desks or professionals.

Topp doesn't stop when the micro business is set up; she makes sure all accountable areas are covered, particularly with licensing and the all-important responsible government cut. Kudos to Topp for this wonderful and practical guide.

Carol Topp is a CPA who advises teenage business owners. Visit her web site: microbusinessforteens.com/

GRAND PRIZE!

The Complete Set of Carol Topp's Micro Business for Teens Series

(Winner will receive the four books shown below)

Starting a Micro Business

ISBN: 978-0-09829245-0-1
Retail price: $9.95

Running a Micro Business

ISBN: 978-0-09829245-1-8
Retail price: $9.95

Money and Taxes in a Micro Business

ISBN: 978-0-09829245-3-2
Retail price: $9.95

The Micro Business for Teens Workbook

ISBN: 978-0-09829245-2-5
Retail price: $14.95

New from Dan Walsh - The Deepest Waters

The Deepest Waters

By Dan Walsh

ISBN: 978-0-8007-1980-7

April 2011

$14.99

Revell

Ship wrecks, dysfunctional families, theft, and slavery come together in Dan Walsh's third novel, The Deepest Waters. The story takes place over the course of four days in 1857. A couple on their honeymoon travel by sea from San Francisco to New York City to meet his family and encounter tragedy. Walsh bases his book on a true event. A paddlewheel steamship went down off the eastern US coast, and some of the reported human interest stories, such as a bride packing along her wedding gifts, add poignancy to this work of fiction.

The reality of being adrift both on land on sea was well-described; the characters each drawn lovingly. The California Gold Rush is downplayed to the point that Walsh doesn't reveal the reason a single woman, Laura, apparently doing nothing, was far from her family home until well into the novel, or the business John had been engaged in until nearly the end. Walsh succeeds in portraying a devastating shipwreck and strong characters who survive because of their hope and faith, not necessarily that the other lives through the ordeal, but that no matter what happens, God will take care of them.

How to tell this story, to keep up the drama of the sinking ship, the angst of parting so soon as the wedding, rescue, being set adrift at sea, family issues, multiple cases of shipboard dynamics, even the undercurrents of slavery, is a challenge. The beginning of John and Laura's relationship might have been considered too slow but I would have preferred that to the flashbacks and constant interruption in place and time and narrator. There is a lot of activity going on from at least three scenarios during the same time period over four days, which may appeal to some readers but I like to read quickly, so I had to backtrack several times.

Although there is plenty of excitement, there are also many convenient happy coincidences. The cover is beautiful; the book easily readable for distracted moms and business people who snatch moments for a good story at lunch and toddler naptimes. However, Walsh's style and description is engaging and maturing, and that's what we reader fans like to see in authors we follow.

Available April 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Andy Andrews' The Final Summit

The Final Summit: the quest to find the one principle that will save humanity

By Andy Andrews

Thomas Nelson Book Publishers

ISBN: 978-0849948664

c. 2010

Releases April 12

My review:

David Ponder from The Traveler's Gift returns. He's 74-year-old wealthy man, built and lost fortunes, widower who loved his late wife; created loyalty by advising and rewarding on the way up. The story begins with the results of his success: a 55-story office building with park-like atrium, security, penthouse with all conveniences and the people who care about him.

The story quickly shifts to Ponder, and those of us who did not yet read The Traveler's Gift are caught up by the revelation of the Seven Decisions for Success. From Gabriel's advice to King Solomon to Anne Frank, to Presidents Lincoln and Truman, to Governor Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain and Christopher Columbus: sentiments of lifestyle choices come together in a great work reminiscent of great epics.

Andrews' works always have a punch. Reminiscent of CS Lewis, Plato, Shakespeare and Gene Roddenberry, Andy Andrews' latest tale sets in motion the quest for the redemption of humanity.

The archangel Gabriel arrives in the moment of David's deepest despair to conduct him to a supernatural summit of travelers. God is not pleased, again, and is deciding whether or not to start over. "Humanity is sinking of its own accord," Gabriel says. As the auditorium fills, Ponder and his sidekick Winston Churchill, along with the others, learn the question: "What does humanity need to do, individually and collectively, to restore itself to the pathway toward successful civilization?"

They have five chances to get it right; Gabriel is the arbiter, who says the answer is two words; Ponder can summon five pre-selected advisers.  In order, they appear and discuss possible answers.

Joan of Arc: "Everything we do while we are alive—everything we say is important. And though sometimes difficult, death is part of living." Restore Hope

Abraham Lincoln: "I believe that wisdom, when harnessed over time, leads ordinary people in incredible directions." Seek Wisdom

Eric Erickson of WWII-era spy fame: "It is at that moment [when we need courage] when we take risks that are unimaginable in any other context." Show Courage

King David: "If we do not discipline ourselves, the world will be allowed to do it for us." Exhibit Self-Discipline

George Washington Carver, who changed the world. Building Character

Even though Gabriel has denied them five times, the group decides to fight on, even when everything looks hopeless…they discover that time ebbs and flows through the hourglass timepiece Gabriel has left them, and they work together to come up with the answer that pleases Gabriel.

I admire, as always, Andrews' research, his ability to pull up from the dustiest corners the slightest bits of long-hidden information and tie things together so neatly. I'm probably not alone in thinking I knew an answer after the first conversation. I read more or less patiently while answers were offered and denied. When my choice was not even considered anywhere in the discussion, I really had to think about the one the author presented as the true answer. I liked the answer, I liked the book. My answer always leaves too much to interpretation, so I applaud Andrews.

Readers of short philosophical ponderings the likes of Andrews' other works, George MacDonald and world-wide historical figures, will be delighted by this discussion.

I received this book from the publisher for review purposes.