Goodbye 2013

For a variety of reasons this is the first blog I've done since May!!

I won't bother trying to recap all the exciting, troubling, exasperating, challenging and humbling events that have unfolded..  let me just say a fond, farewell ~ to the year 2013.

Now on to 2014!!!!!

tribes

i've mentioned before in a previous blog about Coffee Shake, a local network like no other i'm blessed to have in my area. One of the founders is Christine, a Social Media savant, who offers to share her knowledge and wisdom on all things Net for the price of a Vente Hot Latte.

Even though i was one of the founding members almost 2 years ago, only recently did we finally sit down together.

We started from the beginning: internet 101.  i always take notes whatever i'm doing and found that i was familiar with most of what she shared.  Later on reflection came the realization that what i thought i understood was just the faint outlines, like in a coloring book and Christine was filling in all the colors!  

She asked why i think people use the internet?

Two reasons: for social needs and to find information.  The Net is a huge pond of fish, and if we want to connect, we need the "right' bait.

She says the two best "worms" are: connecting on a personal level and providing useful information.

She pointed out the need, the necessity, of treating our interactions with respect. (would you go into a room of people you hardly know and just start talking about controversial subjects like abortion? or politics?) It's not appropriate.

Part of the respect is creating friendships first.

She then gave the example of a professional that after investing 6 long years to build her clientele, found that when she changed business' they were not transferable and would have to start all over again. Daunting!

But when we meet on sites like LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook, we are creating connections on a much more personal level. When you are connected to a brand only, it limits our relatablity.  In Social Networking she used the analogy of Tribes. We connect with others based on our role within the particular site (be it hunter, gatherer, warrior, chief, medicine man- or woman, etc).

She added: I wouldn't go as far as to say that everyone has a particular "role" in today's tribe ~ it's evolved into more of a connectivity of everyone being "valuable" and offering value of their knowledge, skills, talents and love 
~ In the tribes I'm creating, no one is "categorized" into a specific role

People take on different roles in each of their many tribes.
And each of these tribes connect us to other tribes- endlessly.

How many sites and groups are you a member of?

Are you perceived differently on each?


We are blessed to live in a time and place that allows us to utilize the benefits of modern society AND embrace simplicity.

Knowing who each member of our extended tribes are, being able to express ourselves in many different roles and...

Having the freedom to find our True Best Selves.

your money or your life part II

So it's been a few months now of tracking my daily spending *every dollar* and    it has shown a few benefits already.

WE are amazed at how much we spend on eating out! It takes up 40% of our meal budget. Not that we are extravagant, and we do on a daily basis cook dinner at home, eat our leftovers, bring sack lunches to work, etc. 
We do eat healthy and enjoy it.

But there is value in eating out- we support our local economy- keeping restaurants and their many employees working and paying taxes. Not that my wife thinks about that- she just knows that after a hard week in the office, she DESERVES an enjoyable meal experience. So I guess a way to look at it is that by being so frugal the rest of the week, we subsidize doing something we enjoy that makes us happy.

And in the end, isn't that just as important? 



more to follow...

are you ready...

Recently the importance of listening to and acting on the flashes of insight, creativity and new ideas that come ( and go ) so fast was vividly exampled to me. 

I was vacuuming my carpet on Sunday April 28th. Minding my own business, no particular thoughts in mind when a song came into my head. I started singing along with it. 

It felt good.

High energy and very catchy, it's rhythm drove my as I finished my task.  Finished, I started to put the vacuum away. I was thinking of what had popped into my head. Because I have been so open and in tune with Our Source more than ever lately, I decided to pursue it. It had a catchy chorus, but nothing else. I had written a song for the Romney campaign last summer and got it into the campaigns hands,  but nothing came of it, 
except I learned I could do it. 

So I grabbed a pad of paper and mused... some words came to me that seemed to fit together well. I checked the net to see if there were any lyrics remotely near to mine.  There weren't.

The theme was love. Not the romantic, sexual love the world is immersed in today, but rather, true Godly Love.  It's been said that the astrolabe of God is Love. Charitable love.
The real, forgotten definition of Charity - people and things are to be loved 
for Gods sake.

So here it is, with no music noted because I don't read or write it... yet.

Are You Ready ( for love, love, love )

      Music & Lyrics
         by Lawrence M. Ruotolo © copyright2013 MROllc

( to a high energy tempo)

Are you ready… ready for love, love, love...

Repeat

Its coming right at you

At the speed of sound
You better get ready

Cuz it’s commi’n round


Love is the answer

What your searching for

It starts inside - so

Just open the door

Are you ready… ready for love
Love, love, love…..



Just imagine

All your dreams come true

Release the love

  That’s inside of you

It flows like a river

Taking you home

To the Deepest Sea, 

Where you belong…

Are you ready… ready for love
Love, love, love…..

Yes I’m ready… ready for love
Love, love, love…..



(instrumental)

Love is the answer

What its all about

Let it grow inside

then  Let  it  out…

It flows like a river

Taking us home

To the Deepest Blue Sea 

Where   we    belong...



Yes I’m ready… ready for love
Love, love, love…..


Yes I’m ready… ready for love
Love, love, love…..


you learn to love by lovin, you learn to love by lovin...

I'm ready to love, ready to love, ready to love....

I have a new friend that has connections to the recording industry. 

I'm taking my simple recording to him and...

your money or your life

Following a thread on a REI blog, I came across a reference to a book -                " Your Money or Your Life". In a previous post I mentioned working  on a book of my experiences the last few years and my resulting growth. One of the areas focused on is how I think ( and feel) about money.  I belong to a writers club (Coffee House Writers Group) and I got a strong response to a section I shared that talked honestly about some of my financial mistakes.

I checked online and found a blog,
https://ymoyl.wordpress.com/summary-of-your-money-or-your-life/
that gave a very good synopsis and some tools to put it to use.
A key tool is to keep track of EVERY CENT I SPEND with a Daily Money Log.
Because it’s the best way to become conscious of how much money

actually comes and goes in your life as opposed to how you think it comes and goes.

I started in February and halfway through March here's what I've found so far.


It's amazing how easy it is to spend and keep track. Every evening and morning I review my receipts and any notes I write to make sure it goes on my daily log.  There are signs by my computer to remind me because if a few days go by, chances are I'll miss something.  Having a monthly budget is good and I adjust it at the start of the year to keep it accurate, but  KNOWING that I am going to write down every cent spent, more thought goes into each purchase.

The next step is to determine the real value you got for your money.

I will talk about that next month.

new years resolutions...or Intentions?

It may seem strange to do a post on New Years Resolutions in February
- but that's the point.

The whole idea that you "have to" start of the year with new resolutions
is anachronistic.
Not that making goals and plans are bad,
but rather they are part of a bigger question:

-  Who Do You Want To Be?

With so many experts and gurus advising us to do this and start doing that - NOW,  we often take action without having clearly defined the results we desire or whether we are willing to pay the price to become the person we have to be
in order to have lasting results?

 In a word- change or better yet- growth.

That being said there are practical steps you can take once
you are ready to commit.

To achieve our desired outcome,

  we must first decide on what our goals are

        then make a yearly plan on how to meet them.

Lesson 1

Break down the plan into twelve monthly goals

      We will always have a second chance the next month.

Lesson 2

Based on the Monthly plan, make daily action steps

     Focus on what should I do Today, and do it

         Review Tomorrow’s list, and repeat- every day.

Lesson 3

Faith without action is futile

   So we have to walk first, Providence will help us

       but we must be actively working towards our goals.

      So, what will 2013 bring us?

                           It depends on what we make of it

“The pessimist complains about the wind;

                  the optimist expects it to change;

                             the realist adjusts the sails.”

William Arthur Ward

Lets all look forward in the next 365 days, one day at a time