New Year's Resolutions Resource Center

It's that time of year, isn't it? I don't know about my buddies in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the UK, but I know that right now in America, most of us are beginning to think about our New Year's Resolutions.

As you may have heard me say in the past, I'm not much of a fan for setting a resolution or three that will be a distant memory by Valentine's Day.

I'd much prefer to hear about a powerful goal that maintains it's "oomph" all the way through to completion.

That's why I've put together something special for you -- at no charge.

I've created a New Year's Resolutions Resource Center for you and you can check it out here.

When you go there, you'll find some audio training from me (Amy Scott Grant) as well as an informative/instructional article or mini-report that you can download or read online, and some related links that I know you will find useful.

I want us all to put our very best foot forward at this time of year when we're thinking about what we've created in the past, and what we'd love to create going forward.

So enjoy it, share it with your friends and family, and get some powerful goals down on paper for 2008.

Let's rock it -- RESONATE in 2008 and I'll seeya on the flip side.

--Amy

Revelation in the (almost) Dark

I'm sitting here in a nearly dark room, waxing philosophical.

I can't help but think that I put myself in the dark here. Apparently Money isn't the only think that loves speed.

Hang on, let me back up a bit.

You've probably heard me talk about this before: Money loves speed. When you get a fabulous idea or a delicious opportunity comes your way, the time to take action is RIGHT NOW -- when you snooze, you lose. And next thing you know, you see a commercial for YOUR idea (that someone else is now selling and profiting from -- someone who took action immediately!) or you find yourself stuck in the place 1, 2 or 10 years later, when the SAME delicious opportunity comes knocking again. Either way, you're kicking yourself for not taking action in the first place.

OK, so that's my money-loves-speed speech in a nutshell. But that's not what I want to talk about today -- today I'm talking about what's got me sitting in the near-dark here.

The Universe loves speed. Which is exactly why I'm sitting in the dark.

A few weeks ago, one of the light bulbs in my home office overhead ceiling fan/light burned out. I was busy at the time, so I didn't change it. I mentioned it to my husband, and he hunted down a spare bulb, but never got the ladder that's required to actually change out the bulb.

Today, I walked into my office to do some work and oh, look -- it's DARK in here, and the light switch is already on. Which means the other bulb has also burned out.

Bummer. So now I'm only using the light from my corner torchiere lamp, which isn't nearly enough for my tastes.

But what does this have to do with the "Universe loves speed"? So glad you asked.

It's all about what my friend Jeannette Maw likes to call "tolerations." See, I tolerated the partial light I received when the first bulb burned out. And I didn't take immediate action to rectify it. Now, I've got to replace the bulbs, because if I don't, and the corner torchiere lamp decides to burn out or stop working, I'm S.O.L. I'll be in the pitch dark and unable to work in this room except during daylight hours (which is when I'm usually out playing).

How quickly do you repair or replace something that's broken? It's really not a question of time -- it's a question of discipline and tolerance -- how long are you willing to tolerate that sticky door or the squeaky chair or the eyeglasses with the lens that keeps popping out?

How long have you had that neckache? That foot pain? Wrist soreness?

How long has that favorite shirt been sitting in your closet because it's missing a button?

These are very simple, everyday examples of things that we tolerate.

Right now, I have a broken fountain sitting on my foyer table. It stopped working about a month ago, and I haven't replaced it yet.

Yesterday, I got a message that it's time to replace the fountain. I went shopping today, but didn't shop for fountains, and so I got a second nudge: no light in my office.

My environment is trying to tell me that I need to pay attention and take care of it.

I happen to beleive that when we take care of our environment, it will take care of us. My home cannot support me fully, because I am willing to tolerate all sorts of little irritations like a fountain that doesn't work, a working room that is dark, and oh by the way, I haven't cut the pad to fit under that new throw rug I bought the other day, so it's a bit slippery in the meantime.

Does someone have to fall and get injured to get your attention? Let's hope not.

I know I'm sitting up and listening now, and I hope you are too. Now I gotta go -- there are light bulbs that need a-changin'

QoD: What tolerations or irritations are you neglecting right now? How long would it take you right now to go take care of them and get it handled? What exactly are you waiting for?

Oh, just go do it already! You'll thank me later.

This Christmas Was Different

This Christmas was dramatically different than most Christmases I've experienced.

It started long before Christmas, actually.

In the past, I've always strived to finish my shopping prior to Thanksgiving, mainly to avoid the craziness of traffic and crowded shopping centers.

This year, we traveled to New Orleans for a week and a half at Thanksgiving time, so I was focused on that experience, not thinking about Christmas shopping. In fact, I did quite a bit of last-minute shopping, and I was still finishing up even on Christmas Eve.

In the past, I'd spend months Christmas shopping, catching sales and looking for deals. On my side of the family, we have a $10-15 limit per person, and I would scour the bargains, trying to get each person the most possible gift while staying within the limit

This year, since I had waiting until pretty much the last minute to shop, I allowed inspiration to guide me (much like Fluent Writing) in selecting a gift for each person, and then shopping online or allowing myself to be guided to a particular store or website to make purchases. And I didn't much bother with the $15 limit -- I just bought what I knew the person would love, without worrying about the price. (Have you ever shopped without looking at prices? It's very liberating!!)

In the past, I stood in line forever with all the other schmucks at the post office, waiting to mail my out of town gifts.

This year, hubby bought all our postage online and we walked into the post office, walked right past the long line, handed the packages to the clerk at the counter, and walked right out. Hooray! Definitely the way to go.

In the past, we considered ourselves 'lucky' if it was cold enough on Christmas to wear a sweater -- in New Orleans, the temperature rarely drops below freezing, and most Christmas days are cool and sunny.

This year, we had our first White Christmas, with about a foot of snow. Fortunately, we had nowhere to go, so we sang "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!"

In the past, I've always (with the exception of last year, with newborn Sydney on our hands) spent Christmas with my family in New Orleans.

This year, we enjoyed the jubliation of our 4 year old and 1 year old opening presents from Santa, Mom & Dad, and our out of town relatives. Then we had some friends over (good thing they are also neighbors -- they had only 2 blocks to travel in all this snow) for games, movies, and food, food, food.

Was it all this that helped me stay in the Christmas spirit all season? Or was it something else?

Hard to say, with as much work as I've done on myself this past year.

But perhaps the most impactful thing I experienced about this year's Christmas was something I didn't notice until today -- the day after Christmas.

I didn't experience a big let-down.

In the past, once Christmas was "over" -- once we had left my parent's house, or the family and friends had all gone home, all the presents opened, no more "Christmas Story" running on TNT, and all the radio stations had returned to their regularly scheduled programming, I used to feel a little sad. A little disappointed that after all the hype, Christmas had come and gone.

This year, there was none of that. Just a mellow easy feeling, a deep satisfaction that seemed to have nothing to do with Christmas at all.

Mmmmmmm, now THAT's what I call a holiday to remember.

QoD: Did you feel a let-down after Christmas ended? What do you think is at the cause of that? What would have to shift for you to avoid that kind of experience next year, to create a more sustained contentment?

Whatever it is, go for it.

We'll be talking about goals and resolutions in the next week or two -- stay tuned!

A Christmas Wish for You

If you're signed up for my SuccessSecretsRevealed newsletter, you already received a copy of my Christmas wish for you, but in case you haven't, here it is:

My Christmas wish for you is a holiday that's
filled with gratitude and peace.

Where every moment is a blessing,
every smile is a joy to see,
every gift is dripping with generosity and forethought,
every encounter is authentic and kind,
every invitation is extended from the heart,
every 'thank you' is an expression of deep appreciation,
every light and bell brings a smile to your face,
every person you meet seems filled with grace.

May your Christmas be spent with those of your
own choosing,
with warm and toasty snuggles by the fire (or by the
swimming pool if you happen to live in Australia or NZ).

May you have as much time off from work as you like,
and may you dine on only the best selection of your
very favorite foods.

May you create a new tradition,
may you release any sense of obligation,
and may you give freely from the spirit of your Highest Good.

May you feel a deep sense of satisfaction when
Christmas day has passed, and a sense of renewal and
rejuvenation, ready for what is to come.

May your 2007 Christmas be the best Christmas yet,
and may your every wish come true.

This is my Christmas wish for you, dear friend.

Merry Christmas.

from Amy Scott Grant


BTW, I wrote this using the Fluent Writing method. There's still time to sign up for the full 7-week teleclass if you haven't already done so. Just click here: Fluent Writing Signup.

Finally! A Virtual Assistant Service that ROCKS!

OK, after much griping and moaning about crappy VA (Virtual Assistant) services overseas and goodness knows where else, I have **FINALLY** found a U.S.-based service that delivers on its promises, and costs about the same as a decent evening out each month.

Oh yes my entrepreneurial friends -- I'm talking about a little thing called Zirga.

Zirga is ROCKING my world, and I am loving it!!

Here's how it works:

You go sign up. You pay a ridiculously low fee per month. You get 35 tasks per month. You start using it.

There's no 12-page application, you don't have to give anyone your credit card to keep "on file" and it doesn't take 3 days to get started. Sign up today and start delegating tasks today. Timothy Ferriss definitely has the right idea.

So what kind of stuff can you delegate to Zirga?
Excellent question. Some suggestions are made on the Zirga website, but here's some examples of tasks I've assigned to them:

1. Gave me gift ideas for some of my hard-to-buy-for relatives. (Christmas, housewarming, etc.)

2. Wrote a letter for me. I was very dissatisfied with a vendor I recently did business with, and I wasn't getting anywhere with my sales person/customer service rep, so I decided to write a letter to the president of the company. Unfortunately, my frustration prevented me from writing a coherent letter that wasn't bitchy. Thank you Zirga, mission accomplished.

3. Screened my responses to a craigslist posting. Saved me a TON of time and headaches with that one.

4. Found an obscure object for me on the internet (cinnamon toothpicks that my brother and I used to chew as kids. Shhhhh, don't tell him it's his Christmas present. Ha! He's gonna love it.)

5. Gathered info from local shops (called to get quotes from 10 vendors in town)

6. Turned a couple of my blog posts into articles

7. Found specialty shops in my area

8. Collected info about periodicals I wanted to advertise in (rates, contact info, deadlines for advertising, etc.)

9. Data entry -- took some business cards I've collected and entered the contact info into an excel spreadsheet so I could import it into my contact database easily.

And some other stuff -- Zirga doesn't care if you need help with personal tasks or business tasks, they are extremely versatile.

I don't know about you, but whenever I have to research something on the internet, even something simple can take me an hour because I'm so easily distracted. Now I can just delegate it to Zirga (they get most tasks done within just a couple of hours) and I'm not wasting all that extra time cruising around online, getting lost in the black hole -- now I am more focused on necessary business tasks, giving me more time for my family and fun.

I just love this Zirga thing!

BTW, I don't get any kind of commission or anything if you sign up -- I'm only telling you about this because:

1 - I can get you a better deal if you sign up now

and

2 - It will make your life easier, so why wouldn't I share? You wouldn't hold out on me if you had access to something this juicy, would you? I didn't think so! I can sleep better at night knowing I'm doing you a service by sharing this info with you.

If you are ready to roll, go sign up at http://Zirga.com and submit a task telling Sam that "Amy Scott Grant sent me." If you do this before the end of this year, Sam will give you a sweet rate of $80 a month.

OK, this is the no-brainer part:

You pay $80 a month, and potentially save up to 40 hours of your own manpower. Impressive.

And of course, there's no commitment, you can cancel at any time, you can carry over 10 unused tasks at the end of the month, etc etc. I can't say enough about it -- I love this service.

If you have EVER complained about not having enough time, or having to do some tedious task you didn't want to do -- or forgetting to do something -- then Zirga is for you.

Go for it!

Taking Gratitude One Step Farther

Those of us in the realm of personal growth seem to talk about gratitude all the time, don't we?

But sometimes we only think to be grateful to God or the Universe, or to the people in our lives.

When was the last time you thanked your dog for always being so happy to see you? Thanked your fish lately for being so pretty and easy to care for?

How about your "stuff"? Have you thanked that lately?

Have you...
Thanked your bed for providing you with a warm and restful place to sleep?
Thanked your house for supporting you every single day?
Thanked your toilet for working properly? Taking care of all the nasty stuff you don't want to think about or have to dispose of, each and every day?
Thanked your stove, oven and refrigerator for helping you create nourishment for yourself and your family?
Thanked your car for getting you where you want to go?
Thanked your computer for ALL the stuff it does for you, with a few keystrokes and the click of a mouse?

Thanked your kitty cat for being there to comfort you the last time you got some bad news?
Thanked your sofa for giving you a nice cushy place to rest when you were sick?
Thanked your telephone for connecting you with the people you love, across hundreds or thousands of miles?
Thanked your hands for typing an email to a friend?

Oh sure, we're quick to raise a stink when something doesn't work, but what about everything around you RIGHT NOW that is doing its job and making sure YOU are fully supported, right now, as you read this?

Go thank your stuff. It's been working for you since you got it, and all it wants is to be acknowledged.

Does this seem silly to you? If so, perhaps you don't believe that we are all connected in a very intimate way. We are all made of the same stuff. And by loving and thanking your "stuff" who are you really loving and thanking?

Yep, that's right. YOU.

So if you want more good stuff in your life, don't just thank God for the good stuff you already have -- thank the STUFF, too.

Trust me, you might feel silly at first, but soon enough you'll feel amazing. And so will your stuff. You'll actually create a loving environment around you just by loving and thanking everything in it.

But hey, don't take my word for it -- give it a week and see what YOU notice.

QoD:
Would you feel differently about your home if you know that it (and everything in it) only wanted to support you fully? What if you were to believe that, or even pretend it was true for a few weeks, what would change?

What would happen if you began to thank everything around you for what it gives to you? Why not start right now? Look at what is supporting you right now and just take a moment to thank it silently.

Right now, I'm grateful for you. And for your screen or monitor, which allows you to read my messages. I'm grateful for your keyboard, which allows you to post a comment, and for the chair that is making you comfortable at this very moment. I'm grateful for your vision, so that you can see this now, and I'm grateful for the pleasing sound of the tik-tik-tikking of the keyboard as I write this.

See? It's easy. Now that's what I call a massive attitude of gratitude.

A Random Example of Fluent Writing Found Me Today

OK today I was sitting with my family at my Unity Church, and the most extraordinary thing happened.

The woman in front of me (whom I haven't met before) turns around and hands me a bright green note. I open it and begin reading, and can you guess what it was?

A poem about my darling baby, Sydney! (Sally was downstairs with the other kids, and I usually put Sydney down there too, but she is teething right now and wanted extra lovin' from Mama today)

Just read what Lisa wrote:

A child made manifest from a holy dream,
Each child a dream guided in holy spirit a moment received through divine lowly listening.

To walk the holy path,
A waking dream,
A child manifested.

A child not yet able to speak,
Listens, looks, responds,
Smiles, laughs, and radiates divine light.

She is able to hum and sing with glee,
A divine vessel of holy spirit.

Sweet angel goddess.
Love manifested.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I leaned in to the woman, and asked a question to which I already knew the answer. "Did you just write this now?" She had turned and looked at Sydney no more than 5 minutes before she handed me the note.

She nodded yes.

My goodness, I thought. She's a fluent writer.

I talked to her after the service (and guess who else happened to be there? My Fluent Writing teleclass co-creator Ann Strong) and I introduced her to Ann.

Turns out, she has been writing lyrics with ease her whole life, and is now gathering a band who will write and perform songs to her lyrics.

I was mystified. So was she, actually -- she admitted to me that she writes lyrics all the time, but has never before been moved to GIVE someone a poem she had just written for them.

Well, it was pretty clear to me that I was attracting signs of fluent writers -- just the Universe's little way of letting me know I'm on track and headed in the right direction.

I love those little love notes, don't you?

What's so interesting is that Sydney's conception was planned out -- right down to the date. Her birth was planned as well -- after having a c-section with Sally I was not about to attempt a VBAC.

And her nickname is "Angel Baby"

And I could point out at least 3 other references in the poem that are strikingly familiar -- and far too intimate for a stranger to notice at first glance.

Each and every day, I am reminded that our surroundings -- OUR ENTIRE SURROUNDINGS -- are wanting to support us. And to be acknowledged for the support they provide.

QoD:
What can YOU include your gratitude list today? Why not think of something you've never been thankful for until now.

Go for it!

You Can Please Some of the People...

Have you ever heard that old saying, "You can please some of the people some of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time?"

I was reminded of that statement earlier today when something interesting happened. (I was also thinking that the belief I mentioned above is less than empowering, and I deserve to replace it with something else entirely!)

You know, I've written about this before, but I'm always amazed by the way individual people can have very different perspectives about the same incident.

This is what happened.

I sent out an email recently and it was in my typical no-holds-barred style. Within minutes, I received an email from someone who was praising my style and my message, telling me how much she loves to get my emails.

I won't lie -- it always feels pretty good when I get emails like that. Certainly beats the alternative!

Then, several hours later, I received a different email from another person who informed me that she didn't like my style and message, and she had unsubscribed.

Which didn't really bother me. I mean, come on -- if you've followed my work for any period of time, you know I'm bound to say something that offends you. And if you're easily offended, you're just not going to resonate with me. Which means you're probably better off unsubscribing NOW rather than getting ticked off every time I show up in your in-box, right?

Well, that's the way I saw it anyway. I mean, whenever I've REALLY been out of line, I always apologize. In fact, there are postings of THAT nature in this very blog!

But I wasn't out of line in this email. I'm certain of that. This was more of a personal preference issue.

And if I went around trying to please everyone, I wouldn't be serving anyone, do you get my drift?

So how is this relevant to you? Well, it's EXTREMELY relevant!

See, most people don't ever get off their butts and DO anything because they're afraid everyone won't like it! They won't say what's on their mind because they're afraid of offending someone. They're afraid people won't like them.

This is all perfectly normal, by the way. I certainly wasn't jumping up and down when I received the email from the 2nd person -- I wasn't thinking "Woo-hoo! Someone doesn't like me! Yeah!" Everyone wants to be liked, that's all perfectly human.

But to withhold showing your true colors -- to hold back on being who you TRULY are to avoid bothering or offending anyone -- well, this may be the greatest evidence in the world of missing the mark.

Because I am all about taking a stand for you -- I will call you on your crap for as long as I can talk, and as long as you'll listen.

Because we both know it's what you really, really want. You have enough people in your life who will ask how's it going and actually believe you when you rattle off an absent-minded "fine."

We all have too many of those, don't we?

What we really want is someone who will push our buttons -- who will FORCE us to see that we are far too magnificent to settle for mediocre. Yeah! That's what I want.

I just hired a new business coach, and I will tell you straight up: she kicks ASS. And she will NOT stand for any of my crap. She cares too much about me and my business to listen to any of my sorry excuses. She pushes me to reach further, and she is a stand for my greatness and THAT is how I know she cares about me and my success.

Everyone deserves to have someone like THAT in their lives. And I know, no kidding, I KNOW that not everyone can afford someone of her (or my) caliber.

That's why I spend so much time posting what I consider to be valuable info on this very blog -- and I make it available to the world. FOR FREE.

Because if you ask me, the world could use a little ass-kicking.

So forgive me if anything I say offends you, or if you don't like my style.

But I can only be me, and me, and nothing else but ME.

And I sure as heck expect the same from you.

Rock on, my friend. Now get out there and go be YOU. The world is waiting for it.

QoD: Where in your life are you most likely to hold back and pretend to be something other than your truest, most authentic YOU? What is the worst that would happen if you were to take your foot off the brake in this regard? What are you waiting for?

If you are waiting for permission, listen up:

By the power vested in me, by the Internet, I hereby grant you full, no-holds-barred permission to be YOU.

Now go for it, you beautiful thing you.