The table is set, turkey is in the oven,  Emma’s “World Famous” stuffing ingredients are chopped up, Cranberry Orange Relish is simmering, and everything is a go with my Baked Yam, Green Bean Casserole, Creamed Corn and bottles of wine and champagne is chilling nicely.

It’s my 22nd Thanksgiving in the US… Funny, there were times when people greeted me with:
“Happy Thanksgiving to your family in the Philippines!”  I remember being a smarty pants, responding to them, “Thanks… but the Pilgrims didn’t really make it to the Philippines!”

As clever as that may seem, we don’t really need to have a pilgrim experience to be grateful.  I believe that while Thanksgiving Day is truly special and means so much to so many, I also believe:

GRATITUDE should be part of our daily life – we don’t need to wait for a special occasion to be grateful…

It’s truly sad when I hear some people who are bitter and just have the hardest time finding something to be grateful for.   Yes, just like a New Year’s resolution,  gratitude somehow finds a way during some of the main seasons in their lives – their birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year, etc.

Gratitude is not as easy as it seems.  In my experience, I had to train myself to be grateful.  I had to make a constant decision to look at a situation and find something to be grateful for in that very moment.

Gratitude is not simple.  It’s much easier to find the bad, to complain and invite people to our pity parties.  The truth is, no matter how we think our friends will come to our pity parties, they really don’t care and don’t want to hear it.  Most of them are just being polite as they too might decide to have a pity party one day and would want to invite you too!

Today, I am thankful for GRATITUDE.  I am grateful for gratitude.  For the ability to really find the good in a seemingly bad situation and be able to “pivot” or train my mind and heart to find some sense in what’s going on around me, good or bad, and for the most part really digging for the good… digging for the golden lesson.

Without the ability to be grateful or to even be aware that gratitude exists is equivalent to having no faith and purpose.

Gratitude opens up doors that no one can shut…

Gratitude is your invitation to the banquet table of abundance…

Gratitude enables you to receive so much more of what it is that you’re grateful for…

Gratitude elevates you to a position in your life you never thought possible.

So, on this Thanksgiving Day, I just want to say I am grateful for you my dearest friends, readers and subscribers and I am grateful for the opportunity to serve, inspire and equip you with my life’s experiences that is predominantly borne out of gratitude.

So as you enjoy your festivities and precious time with friends, remember to be GRATEFUL FOR GRATITUDE itself because to have that grateful heart, 24 in 7, 7 days a week is really a gift we must train ourselves to receive and put into use.

What will you commit to doing from now on to be sure that you remain in the state of gratitude?

Would love to hear your Comment and please Share this post and connect with me on Facebook.  You can also join our Relational Marketers Community.

Cheering You On To Your Success!

Emma

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I am so excited about my upcoming S.O.A.R. Secrets of Astounding Results- LIVE Event with my dear friend, Kathy Eppley on October 8, 2011 at the JW Marriott in Santa Monica, CA.

However, this past week truly has been one of the busiest weeks I’ve had as an entrepreneur.

I had to make so many choices and I mean it seems like everyday, I was carrying a weighing scale on the pros and cons of each decision.

I mean, how do you balance being a Solopreneur, a Parentpreneur, a Consultant, a Coach, a Brand and Marketing Strategist, a Wife, a Homeschool Teacher, Financial Planner, Corporate CEO/CFO, a Mastermind Member and still have time to plan live events, Meetups, webinars, maintain an active Facebook Group, create marketing campaigns and still look semi-decent on videos that I put out online?

If you’re reading this, you know what I’m talking about as chances are, you too are juggling your time and everyday, you’re making decisions and find yourself always prioritizing.

Forget the fact that I am an introvert functioning in a more extrovert world.  Yes, interesting, isn’t it? I started reading this book “The Introvert Advantage” last night and it was quite fascinating!  I will share more about that on another post.

My point for this post is this.  We will constantly and consistently encounter forks in the road… we will always be faced with decisions to make and the fact is:

NO ONE CAN MAKE A MORE EFFECTIVE DECISION THAT YOU!

Period, end of story.

Sometimes, we are afraid to take full responsibility for our decision that we delegate, even our decisions.

Don’t believe me?

When you’re out with family and friends and they ask you:  “Where do you want to eat?”  What’s your immediate response?

“You pick… I eat anything except __________”

Why can’t we just say:  “Well, right now I am craving Sushi or Italian or French or Chinese…”

I think I know why… it’s either we don’t want to make the wrong choice or we simply want to be respectful or please our friends.  That’s perfectly fine but when the decision of where to eat becomes like a tennis match, not only does it become annoying, it clearly shows that no one can make a decision.

I have an amazingly brilliant Coach and his name is Mark Rabbitt… He used to be a Drill Instructor for the U.S. Marines so you can only imagine how he truly helps me commit to things and get things done!

Emma Tiebens and Coach Mark Rabbitt

In the beginning, I had qualms in being coached by such a structured coach.  I am rather a “softie” and even if I already know how to commit and get things done,  Mark adds that element of enabling me to make a more serious commitment in a very loving yet very stern way that really helps me take action especially when I am faced with “forks in the road”.

Last week, he shared with me this profound statement that is now etched in my heart and I now want to share with you:

“When you’re faced with a fork in the road, just decide on which path you feel is best in the moment and BELIEVE that you will be fully SUPPORTED.  People and ideas will MANIFEST along the way….”

Decisions will always be a part of our life.  The more we get better at deciding which road to take and believing that no matter which road we take we will be fully supported, the closer we’ll be to living our life’s purpose.

The good news is that we are ALWAYS free to choose and the more comfortable and confident we get with our choices, the more “unstuck” you become.  A stalemate is caused by indecision and indecision is making a decision to not decide.

From this point forward, decide that when you’re faced with a fork in the road and have to make a decision, just decide and move forward.  You just might discover some pleasant surprises you’ve never even expected along the way…

As always, your Comments are appreciated and please visit us on Facebook and “Like” our Page… And if you’re looking for a very supportive group, visit us at The Relational Marketers Group.  We have a phenomenal group of Spirit Driven Entrepreneurs who are Go-Givers waiting to empower you!

Cheering You On To Your Success!

Emma

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At 5:30 am on September 11, 2001 I was in a very deep sleep when our home phone rang. It was my husband’s friend, Tim calling us looking for Gary, hoping that he hasn’t left for work just yet. I remember feeling exceptionally tired that morning… Perhaps it’s because at that time, I was 5 months pregnant with our “miracle son” Garrett.

Tim was so distraught and he said: “Turn on the news! There was a major explosion in New York and the Twin Towers were bombed!”

I sat in bed in shock and I wept as I witnessed a plane crash into one of the Twin Towers. At first, I was on denial. I thought to myself, this has got to be the biggest prank ever puled off my the media, and this can’t be happening. It was simply incomprehensible that something like this could happen to the US… the strongest and most loved nation in the world! Well, at least that’s what I thought then….

As the events about the flights unfolded, I then realized that a plane was actually flown right into the building and shortly I found out there were 2 United Airlines Flights involved in the planned attack that morning – UA Flight 175 and UA Flight 93. As soon as I heard that, my entire body froze.  Why were these flights relevant to me that day?

It’s because these flights were part of my regular flight assignments a few months back, just before I got pregnant.

Being quite familiar with those routes hit me hard when I heard of what happened to those flights. I vividly remembered the exact layout of both the 767 and 757 and was mortified as the news speculated on what could have happened to the passengers and crew of those flights. I broke down with emotion as I couldn’t bear to imagine how horrifying those last few minutes were for the Flight Attendants and passengers on board.

My brain couldn’t process what was going on… I thought about how all of those people on the flight, left their homes, drove their cars or had shuttle pick up or friends drop them off that morning to the airport, eagerly waited for their flights, boarded the plane and were greeted and welcomed by the Flight Attendants.

I thought about those Flight Attendants and Pilots who said good-bye to their families that morning, to go to work, check in at their Inflight Offices, did their briefings, boarded the plane, did their pre-flight safety check, prepared the Galley and welcomed the passengers with a smile.

What seemed to be a typical day of work turned into the nightmares or nightmares!

I got on my hands and knees, thanking God that I wasn’t working that flight, as I could have easily been one of the Flight Attendants working that trip that day!  At the same time, I felt horrible and sick to my stomach to even begin to imagine of what really happened to the flight crew and their passengers.

I didn’t know how to feel… On one hand, I was saying, “Thank you God, for saving my life….”

Yet I was sad, confused and wondered, “Why them and not me?”

I did my best to function that day.  I remember I jumped out of bed, went to the bank, took $3,000 in cash, then went grocery shopping for canned goods and food.  In my mind I was thinking of The Port of Los Angeles could be the next target.  I felt as tough we actually lost a huge part of our freedom.

Much has happened since 9/11/01.  Our Garrett is now almost 10 years old and while he was in Mommy’s tummy on 9/11/01, he has an understanding of what went on during that day and the critical role it played in our history.

Just the other day, I was with him at the grocery store and I saw this cover of People Magazine:

The image of this girl on the front cover, holding a photo of her father on a necklace that she wears, was a painful yet inspiring reminder of that day.  I showed Garrett photos of more children in the magazine who have truly never seen their parents who were killed from the senseless acts of 9/11.

There was a big shift in his demeanor that morning.  We paged through the magazine together, we looked at the photos and as we read more about how these children have to grow up missing one or both parents, he asked me:  “Mom, I feel so sorry for them… why would people do such a bad thing?”

I had to think long and hard before I answered that.  I wanted to make sure that commemorate this day with respect, reverence and gratitude.  I want to make sure that this day will have a positive meaning for him so that it will count for something and not just be another day in history.

To Garrett’s question, I simply answered:

“People do things – bad or good – for different motivation and while we can’t control the outcome, there is one thing we always have control of, and that is what lesson or story we choose to get out of everything happens in our lives, knowing that how we need deal with such circumstances is what truly shapes our character.”

Sure I could have instigated anger, hate and disappointment but I wanted the sacrifices of our esteemed men and women from 9/11 to count for something.

I chose to have 9/11 mean something more than just being a conspiracy theory or a result of a religious war or simply the inability of government to protect us.

I chose to honor this day as something that has reshaped and strengthened America and her people and not focus on the vulnerability and the weakening of a great nation.

I believe that if we all do our best to never forget and make 9/11 count for something and teach the generations after us that this day is when Americans showed the world that in diversity, we showed strength, that in our weakest days, even for one brief moment, we stood firm and once again put the word “UNITED” back in the United States.

Let’s make 9/11 count for something by not forgetting and by making something out of ourselves and collectively making a difference.  Yes, I am a naturalized citizen of the United States but I LOVE AMERICA, probably more than some people who have been given the privilege to be born here yet take that for granted.  If they only knew how millions of people all over the world would do whatever it takes to have the opportunity to come here, there might be more of an appreciation for that blessing of being born here.

In the words of my favorite song:

“I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m FREE

And I won’t forget the men who died who gave that right to me,
And I’d gladly stand up, next to him and defend her still today

Coz there ain’t no doubt I LOVE THIS LAND

God Bless the USA…”

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As I sit here in bed enjoying a peaceful sunrise from my bedroom window (after supervising a sleep over last night),  I reviewed past entries from my journal and came across a time when I wrote about the Lessons from a Chinese Bamboo Tree…

I remember about 3 years ago, as I wondered why things weren’t happening as fast as I would like in my business,  a good friend of mine shared with me this story.

To plant a Chinese Bamboo tree,   you prepare the soil, pick the right spot, then plant the seed. You water it and wait… and wait… and wait…  You continue to water it for  an entire year and nothing appears. No bud, no sprout, nothing.   So you keep watering and diligently mark the area taking care of a plant that should be there but you just couldn’t see.  Oh sure, people told you it’s going to take a while for it to sprout and you’re okay with that because you believe that if you nurture it, someday, you’ll have this beautiful tree.

Year 2, you continue to care for the  plant, and you wait some more. You wait another year and nothing still happens. Okay, you are a persistent person not prone to giving up, but to see no results is making you doubt if there truly is growth happening underneath that soil… However, you have heard many success stories of other people around you who have planted the same seed.  You are deeply inspired by their story so you continue to water, nurture the soil and perhaps even talking to the ground and begging for the seeds to start showing some growth!

Now, it has been three years. You started doubting and waivering, saying to yourself, am I a special kind of fool, believing in something that was too far fetched?  Then you start checking out other seeds of plants that don’t take that long to grow.  You thought to yourself, what if there was a similar plant out there that will give you better results for less effort?  Why not just plant a dandelion  where you see immediate signs of growth in days?  You wonder why you had to pick a Chinese Bamboo.  You start losing sight of your purpose and your faith starts to diminish…You decided to re-commit yourself for the entire third year.

Now you’re going on four years and your becoming more disillusioned and are experiencing a deeper sense of  doubt, frustration, anger.  You started wondering,

“Is it how I water that’s causing the seed not to grow?”

“Perhaps, my faith isn’t strong enough for the tree to grow.”

“I should probably raise my energy vibration to the seed will feel it.”

“Could it be that I am hanging out with crazy gardeners who are lying to me?”

“Am I just too proud to accept defeat and nothing is really going to come out from this?”

“This couldn’t be my fault… my family should have supported me more.

You were short of going crazy but you decided that you’ve already spend time and lots of dedication and effort toward this plant and that you will continue to give it your best care for another year.  In fact, you told yourself, this is the year when you will think only positive thoughts and will focus on seeing the bamboo as if it was already grown, providing you with such beautiful and refreshing shade and symbolic of something which seemed unattainable yet now in your possession.  You started truly experiencing the bamboo as it it was already there!

Year five, the magic year.  People said you’ll see growth for sure.  So now, you’re confident.  You can proudly say that if you don’t see results this year, you’ll stop watering, confidently give up on the idea, knowing that you did your best and just write off the experience as a time to strengthen and test your faith and perseverance.  You begin year number five with the same passion as day number one. You water, you wait. You keep watering and keep waiting. You water some more and then…

Could it be?

Is it really?

Am I seeing what I’m seeing?

Yes!!!  There it is, something sticking out of the dirt. It’s a tiny green stub!  You started doing the happy dance!  You wanted to spend the night there and spend each and every moment with your bamboo! You were so excited to finally see results, no matter how small it was… As excited as you were about seeing results, you wondered if it’s going to take you another 4 years to see the bamboo grow to at least 4 feet.

You come back the next day and WOW it has really grown! It seemed like it grew by 2 feet overnight!  In fact you come back each day for about six weeks and it kept on growing and growing and each time you see it grow, you are moved to tears because you are absolutely blown away by how fast it grows.  It’s short of magical and miraculous to see a tree do that!

Finally after 6 weeks, the  Chinese Bamboo tree stops growing— you measure and now, it is over 80 feet tall! Yes, 80 feet in six weeks!

Really? Did it really grow 80 feet in 6 weeks?

No… it grew 80 feet in five years!

As business owners, we are all nurturing our own Chinese Bamboo seeds and our desired outcome is for them them to grow into the majestic, awe-inspiring, empowering and mighty Chinese Bamboo Tree.

I continue to see major sprouts in my own Chinese Bamboo Tree… the specialized education, relationships and success stories I continue to create with happy and successful clients gives me that excitement and anticipation for the 80 ft. growth ahead through my VIP Programs and Offerings as well as speaking on Relationship Marketing, globally.

If you’re looking for a Success, Accountability and Results Driven Coach and Consultant, I can help you.  Click on the tab above Work With Emma, and I look forward to helping you nurture your own Chinese Bamboo within!

Cheering You On To Your Success!

Emma

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