How to Communicate with Zombies

Rented World War Z last night and realized two things

1) the only thing I actually knew prior to renting this movie was that it starred Brad Pitt and things blowing up
2) my 14 year old is the one person you want with you during a Zombie Apocalypse- he literally knows everything...seriously-EVERYTHING...
TIP: head for the ocean, they can't swim
 
Besides freaking me out a bit the movie did get me thinking about going through life in a functioning vegetative state; see the Zombies were only active when stimulated- with no stimulation they wandered around aimlessly, moaned, laid around, walked in patterns, no direction, no focus....and it got me thinking about the sad fact that there are way too many people living that way right now. I'm not saying these people are going to up and start eating each other by any means, but I also wouldn't be handing out bath salts at Christmas...just sayin!

So if we live in a world where we have the ability to communicate with virtually anyone, anytime, anywhere- why are people feeling lost and alone more than ever? I feel that what we are missing right now isn't communication, it's CONNECTION. The ability to connect with another human being on a level that supersedes reading. We have eyes, ears, touch, speech, smell and even hearts to feel emotion and our relationships are becoming flat, empty words, carefully chosen by how we feel  "the world" will perceive them. Sounds super special right?

 

A short year ago I was actually one of these very same people- going through life on auto-pilot. Checking off my adult to-do list; college- check, marriage-check-check-ch..(okay, still working on getting that one right-no judging here), kids-check, dog-check, house-check, job-check- my list is getting you all fired up to take on the world and make a difference right? I think my biggest "dream" a year ago was to hopefully have money someday to be able to invest...(someday...like before I die)- THIS is what creates Zombies- LAME LISTS!

 

My list was awesome when I was a kid- I was going to write books, publish poetry, write songs, be on Broadway, and in movies, and invent some crazy contraption that would change the world- I was SUPPOSED to BE Taylor Swift- WHAT THE CRAP happened to THAT list? ...side note- I was also supposed to marry Tom Cruise (BEFORE Nicole Kidman), so I probably dodged a bullet on that one...cause seriously, that got weird...

 

Love life aside I really do think we have the greatest idea of what we are naturally good at back when we didn't know any better. We were all designed for a specific purpose while here- we all have a special gift or talent that world needs and I think the reason we have so many people going through life as Zombies, or worse- filling that emptiness with addictions is directly due to the fact they are living a life void of purpose. So we disconnect, wander aimlessly, and finally put our heads in the sand coming up only for primetime and cheezy poofs.

 

So how do we fix it?

 

Step 1) Locate the person nearest to you, achieve eye contact and smile

Step 2) Turn off your mobile device, put it away and state the following...

 

"When I was a kid I was going to  ______________________, what about you?"

 

 

Stimulation-check!

 

 

 



The Fear Trap

They say a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step...the part they don't mention is that first step is generally on the other side of something resembling this...



...so the tragic part is most people (myself included for many years) are immobilized by the enormous wall of FEAR that we must pass through to even take that first step.


Let me put you at ease right now....

FEAR IS FAKE.

 

The FEELING of being fearful is very REAL, but the voices in your head telling you a million reasons why doing what your heart is leading to you do is wrong- THOSE voices are FAKE.

 

"...the voices of fear and doubt, and they are governed by a simple truth: they only get loud when you do work that matters." -Jon Acuff

 

 

As a Believer that can only lead me to think that perhaps THOSE voices are ones the fallen one uses to lead us astray. We were all given a great purpose in life, and far too few tap into their potential for so many reasons but my guess would be the number one reason is FEAR. That voice of fear in our heads is fueled mostly by our own device but also by the value we put on everything from the opinion of others to what we are spoon fed by mainstream media. If I sit and think about times (daily) those voices creep into my thoughts and decisions I cannot recall one time they thought anything was a GOOD idea- even charitable actions, and if I am correct in my assumption it becomes of the upmost importance to question those voices and fight through the wall.

 

Once you really come to the realization what fear is, you realize what it is not. It is NOT an actual wall that you have to bust through in an armored tank- it's actually a HOLOGRAM. A figment of your imagination created by FEAR to immobilize you into an invisible prison.

 

WHY?

So you don't create that thing you've been dreaming about that may change a life...

So you don't write that book that may change a life...

So you don't start that charity that may change lives...

So you don't do that thing that you know will make a difference...

So you don't take that step that changes the direction of your life which in turn inspires others...

ARE YOU CATCHING ONTO A THEME HERE?

 

The God I know would want all of the above to happen; he designed us with great purpose and fire in our hearts to be difference makers- all that remains for us is to decide which one we will allow to govern our direction...

Will you

Chose FEAR or Chose CHANGE?

EMPOWERED

Earlier in the month while at Success School I saw one of the leaders wearing a big white wristband with writing on it. Not even know what it said I made a mental note to find out when I saw her next, as for some reason I was drawn to it in a way that I HAD to have one. Which I didn't even understand at the time as it wasn't pink, didn't have bling, and I had no idea what it even said! Fast forward later in the weekend it was announced that they were part of a giveaway and the bracelet said
EMPOWER..."HAD" just got escalated to a code red...NOW! Needless to say, Melanie got herself a bracelet by the nights end.

EMPOWERED- even saying the word makes you feel like you can take on the world in high heels, with a baby on the hip, in between loads of laundry, all the while looking movie star Fab- yep, I got this! It is my new favorite word, but what does it mean exactly?

The definition that most matches my vision of the word came from The World Bank website which they define EMPOWERMENT as:

"...the process of increasing the capacity of individuals or groups to make choices and to transform those choices into desired actions and outcomes"- The World Bank

So good I have to repeat it...Increasing capacity to transform CHOICES into ACTION and OUTCOMES! Is that not one of the most powerful definitions of a word you've ever read? It's not a "feeling" of being empowered, it's fueled by CHOICE, by living with INTENTION, by getting in action by DOING something purposeful.

Are you living an EMPOWERED life? Do you wake up to the same routine different day or are you going to do something today that scares you just a little but puts you one step closer to your goals? Do you "hope" for things to get better or are you making different choices for today that will ensure things DO get better? Do you have a wish list of things that would be nice "someday" or do you have your dream board front and center with target dates so you stay focused on where you are going?

If you don't like the answers to the questions above than make different choices today- it's that easy and if you DO than get our there and help someone close to you live an empowered life because it's a gift that changes lives- but only if you give it away!

The word of the day is "EMPOWERED", who's brave enough to use it in a sentence

in the comments below?

Wake Up, Get Up, and Don't EVER Give Up!

If you would have told the girl in this picture that someday in the future she would wake up and wonder who the heck she was anymore- she would have laughed in your face. Fast forward 18 years and that day not only came but hit with the weight of two divorces, three kids, and losing her job.

 

 

Hello rock bottom-goodbye rose colored glasses.

 

I couldn’t even tell you when the scenery changed, but day after day life just started taking over until I realized that not only was I living on autopilot- I was lost…and even though every ounce of my worn out body wanted to stay on my comfy path to nowhere, my last thread of sanity was screaming at me that my kids deserved better than that.

 

So with one, brave, committed, decision to become healthier in hopes to gain the energy to deal with the rest- I literally changed the direction of my life. What started as a 24 Day Challenge quickly evolved into believing in myself again. To participating in social events and allowing my picture to be taken again. To meeting new people and making new friends, joining clubs, networking groups, and volunteering time in a community that I’ve lived in for over 8 years. Most importantly it evolved into me becoming the Mommy those three little blessings deserve. The craziest part is that even though I lost 23 lbs, 23 inches, and started making an extra $1000/month in my spare time, it became LESS about me and ALL about whom else I could help step out of quiet desperation and embrace LIFE.

 

I’ve learned a lot over the past 6 months of my journey with AdvoCare, but the one thing that sticks out most was from our VP of Sales Mrs. Debra Fisser at the Seattle Ladies Night Out last month.

“Life’s game has a beginning and an end, stop living like it doesn’t.” 

Our time here is too precious to spend it being anything less than everything we were created to be- sometimes all it takes is someone else believing in you just long enough for you to believe in yourself.

**Article above published in Power Ranch Living Magazine July 2013 Issue by Melanie Morton**