Clarity is not what matters most – here’s what does…

By Gina Calvano | Leave a Comment

In follow up to my last blog I thought I would dive deeper into the concept of DECISION.

Although clarity of what we want in life is often a hearty challenge for many (I have been there myself and I have built an entire practice around helping people to get clarity), it is often not enough to get us what we want.  I know this statement is counter to The Law of Attraction – but it is true.

Foolish people are people who are always getting ready to live, but never living.  I see so many people who are really into learning more and more about themselves and who come to conclusions or “decisions” about what to do with their life, but often it just doesn’t seem to come together.  The reason is common among many.

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Not getting what you want out of life? Here’s why…

By Gina Calvano | Leave a Comment

I have a few pet peeves in life – don’t we all?  Like yours, mine are quite simple and quirky – but they are mine.

For instance, I cannot stand it when my kids and dogs step on my feet – they do it chronically and it drives me nuts!  I also can’t stand it when guests plop their butt in a head seat at the dining room table in someone else’s home.  Another favorite peeve of mine is when people don’t RSVP to invitations and then they show up to the event (and sometimes they bring their own guests.  I once saw a picture in someone’s beach home that had a saying on it “Guests of guests may not bring guests” I loved that one).  So you get the point – my peeves (and these are just a few) are stupid – the are little things that are ultimately harmless in the grand scheme of things but they carry big power to “get my goat”.

Well one more of my favorite peeves is that anytime I go out to eat I always ask for lemon with my glass of water or iced tea.  About 75-80% of the time, I don’t get them lemon (at least it seems that way).  When this happens I would usually let it go – until recently…

Let me share with you what happened one innocent Friday afternoon at lunch with my 3 year old daughter.

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Want to feel more well-rested? Spend more time awake!

By Gina Calvano | Leave a Comment

When I decided to write a book I was really confused about what I could do to prepare for this creative process to happen.

Although I have written lots of content, training programs, policies, letters, processes – blah, blah, blah… writing a book was definitely something different.  I felt that I needed to create a space for “creativity” to flow through me.  I am much more used to welcoming “analysis” to come through me.

I decided I would invite meditation into my life to quiet my mind in a way that would allow for inspiration and messages to come through me.  I knew that meditation was a process that would have to evolve organically for me – I could never pressure myself into a process of quieting my mind – not easy for me!  So I decided that I was going to allow my meditation process to unfold in its own way.

I knew that in making a big decision – like to write a book – I would needed to examine the incongruencies I had in my life – the kind that would work counter-productively to writing a book.  Of course, there would be habits I could give up in order to make the book happen more easily.  For one thing, I committed to giving up my love for completing one thing before starting another.  

I did this to allow inspirational disruptions throughout my day which I would stop what I was doing to capture any thoughts that came to me – I would record messages on my phone while shampoo was in my hair, I would pull the car over to write things down on a napkin or piece of paper – whatever it took.  I decided that the book was really about what I would get from these moments of inspiration vs. a message that I wanted to get out there.  I would allow what I want to say to be shared in my blog series and what I got from my meditations and inspiration received during daily mundane events in life to be shared in my book.

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…know what you want – part 3

By Gina Calvano | Leave a Comment

The great thing about getting clear about something you what and making a decision to have it is that you immediately get it. I never used to get that until I realized that taking chronic action on opportunities that bring you closer to what you want just deepens the experience of having what you want.  The more clear (and sure) you are of what you want, the more confidence and conviction you enjoy in the process.  

That feeling is reward enough – wouldn’t you agree?  

Doesn’t it always feels good to know you are getting something you want?  Doesn’t it also feel good to enjoy confidence and feel excited about the actions you take in life?  I know it does for me.  I sometimes get so caught up in this part of the process alone (because it is soooo sweet all by itself), that I often forget the best part of the manifestation process, and that is that you often get more than you ever imagined to be possible.  That is what I love the most about making clear choices – the only thing unforeseen is the magnitude of the gain.  What I didn’t know is that  I could experience emotional overwhelm (in a good way!) because of it.

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5 Tips for Cultivating a Connection to Purpose in Your Teen

By Gina Calvano | Leave a Comment

The vast majority of us begin to face pressure to decide what to do with our lives when we are around age 15 or 16 in anticipation of graduating high school around age 18.  Most of us aren’t even allowed to decide what time to come home from hanging out with our friends at 15 no less to decide the way we plan to contribute to solving the world’s problems.  Isn’t it just so crazy that this is the way of our world?

Although as parents we can (or at least try), to guide our children in this decision, often it produces anxiety because we too are emotionally involved in this decision.  We want our kids to secure a profession where they can be safe and healthy, pay their bills, move out on their own, start a family – be successful!  We want all these things for them AND, most importantly, we want them to be happy!

Action for happiness featured an article about the keys to happiness in living and at work. 

The article reported that what helps to make people happy includes:

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A useful purpose for doubt, worry, guilt or fear

By Gina Calvano | Leave a Comment

Sometimes I cloud my decisions with judgments, worry or justifications that mask my guilt.

Actually, I have a long history of judging, analyzing and worrying over my thoughts – and doing it a lot – actually – to DEATH.  It was a fearful way of life for me for a very long time – just ask anyone in my family or any of my friends – just don’t ask my husband because he will tell you that I still do it.  ;-)

See that’s the thing about who we are, no matter what we learn or where we go or who we interact with – THERE WE ARE.  My tendency to make decisions and then analyze them or plan for how I would deal with anything that could go wrong (which is then what I would bring into my life – a lot of “things going wrong” – was a time in my life I now affectionately refer to as “the hard way years”).

This tendency will never go away – it has diminished, but it will never completely vanish – but I love this “bad” habit and here is why …

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…know what you want – part 2

By Gina Calvano | 1 Comment

So how has the past week been going for you?

Last week I invited you to think about something you want for yourself and to ask the Universe for it.  Perhaps you wrote about it in a journal, or you meditated on it, maybe you prayed or maybe you took a more direct route – you shouted it out loud from a rooftop or an open window.  Maybe it wasn’t quite that dramatic at all.  Perhaps you just thought of something after reading my blog and then forgot all about it.  All you actually needed to do was to decide on something you wanted and own that decision.   Whatever method you chose to own that decision doesn’t matter – just know that it worked just fine…

unless …

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A lot can change in a matter of days if you know what you want

By Gina Calvano | Leave a Comment

Late last year I made a decision that I was going to write a book.  At the time, I was writing 2 things – 1 was my group Success Readiness Bootcamp TM and Workbook for Students (and another track for Adults) and the other was Powerful Connections Made Easy TM – a tele-training course and workbook that will be released later this year.

The Bootcamp I wrote on my own and the Powerful Connections Made Easy tele-training course and workbook was co-authored with a partner Aprille Trupiano, International Expert on Leadership, who is in St. Louis, MO.  

I completed the first draft of both by Christmas of 2011 (with just enough time to pull a holiday together for my 2 young children).  As soon as I put my first drafts of both projects to rest, I blinked my eyes and found the holidays were over and I was about 10 pounds heavier.

Writing can be lonely business – good thing I like to be alone!  But when I work I go into a trance-like state and don’t come up for air (or obviously exercise – thus the 10 pound gain!), until I feel that my message is out and that the work to make it understandable is done.  I did this about 3 nano-seconds before Christmas and I was so happy – I felt such a sense of accomplishment and I was looking forward to running with my two new “babies” in January (I haven’t lost all the “baby weight” just yet – but I am a better and wiser woman because of it  ;-).

So you can imagine how surprised I was when in the final days of 2011 the notion hit me to write a book.  My keypad wasn’t even cold yet!

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10 No Cost Ways to Present Yourself at Your Best – #2 & #1

By Gina Calvano | Leave a Comment

So I hope you have gotten some easy ideas this past month for presenting yourself at your best.  Even better, I hope you realize how easy it can be to treat yourself well and to reinforce to yourself, others and the Universe, that you deserve to let others see you at your best and to be treated well – especially by yourself.

You simply don’t need ANY money to begin this process.  Starting out with the “little” things (“little” things that really are “big” things), changes your energy vibration and it enables you to attract a different level of attention to yourself.  Attention that says “Wow – look at you!”  vs. “Ugh, look at you”.  Sloppy appearance is a way to keep attention off of ourselves – it allows us to divert attention onto things that don’t work to enhance who we are or allow others to see us without distraction.  That behavior does not enable powerful connections between us and others.

Powerful connections are initiated by attracting harmonious attention to yourself and then exchanging positive regard with another.  Once this is achieved, you will attract more harmonious attention and more positive regard into your career and life.  Can you smell that?  Yes, it is a whiff of The Law of Attraction.

This week I offer to you 2 final no cost tips that can set the ball rolling of attracting harmonious attention and positive regard into your life.

#2.  Wear clothes that are clean and in good condition

“Hole”-y Cow! Stains, holes, worn-out material that has lost it’s shape – get rid of it.  Yes – throw it away.  This stuff is not fit for you or for charity.  “Why not give it to charity” you may be wondering?  Because we don’t rehabilitate someone (restore them to balance and feeling good about themselves), by dressing them in dirty, old worn-out clothes.

Ask yourself this question…

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10 No Cost Ways to Present Yourself at Your Best – #4 & #3

By Gina Calvano | Leave a Comment

So here we are in week 4 of a 5 week series dedicated to no cost things you can do to treat yourself well and demonstrate that you value yourself.  Can you hear the drum roll as we get closer we get to #1?

I hope you get that treating yourself well doesn’t have to mean having money.  Custom suits are nice, but nothing replaces a general regard for yourself and how you allow yourself to be presented to others – especially those you are servicing or helping – which is what your job ultimately enables you to do!  When you are helping others – offer them the best you have to offer – this includes the best YOU you can offer.

Here are 2 additional tips for you.

#4.  Take on a “signature something”

You are no doubt wondering what the heck is a “signature something”?  It is something that makes you  memorable – something that definitely tells others something about you.  Maybe it is a piece of jewelry, a certain color you wear often, or a just anything that makes you MEMORABLE.  Let me give you an example.

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