Winter Solstice

Well, ladies & gentleman.

Today is the Winter Solstice.

I was instructed back in the summer that a solstice is the perfect day to take out paper & pen & write down exactly what you want for your future!

So I am now instructing you do the same.

Get paper & a pen.

Sit down & really think it through.

What do you want from life?

Do you want a better relationship?

Do you want a better job?

Do you want more money?

Write it down!!

Concentrate on it. Focus, focus, focus!

If you believe in what you want & that just by simply putting it out there, it will happen....guess what! It will!!

That's right.

What you want will happen if your thoughts & beliefs are in alignment.

No negative thinking. Absolutely not allowed.

It will happen, it will.

Just because.

Don't forget about my free coaching offer. Will end soon.

This is the perfect time to hire your own personal life coach!

your_girl_amy@yahoo.com

Naughty or Nice??

he's making a list....checking it twice....gonna find out if you're naughty or nice...

Ok, I am not talking about truly being naughty here....Just breaking a few rules in order for YOU to get ahead in life.

Not to hurt anyone or harm anyone.

It's a dicey business to tamper with convention, but if you want to wish, dream, & do, consider becoming comfortable with bending, redefining, & otherwise breaking a few rules.

How do we become rule breakers, you ask?

In some cases, it's sort of a seat of the pants kind of deal. Perhaps you weren't planning on making an exception but you just couldn't help yourself or maybe you knew from the start that you & a particularly menacing rule were never going to see eye-to-eye. You might even have been told to wing it.

Ultimately, I believe that is why we break the rules. We need to get things done & the only way to make that happen is to turn our backs on the rules.

Like I stated earlier, you do not want to step outside the law or intentionally harm or hurt another human being.

Breaking the rules is about asserting your independence & becoming the person you are meant to be.

Each time you break a tradition in order to live your life with more truth & validity, you become a bit of a revolutionary.

Most people confine themselves to doing things the way they've always been done.

It's the risk takers, mistake makes, & rule breakers who wish, dream, & do with verve & conviction.

I believe it was Marilyn Monroe who said "well behaved women rarely make history."

I am here for you.

your_girl_amy@yahoo.com

tis the season to be giving

Giving creates space for more to come in.

Some form of giving is an integral part of prosperity. Most people who are blessed with wealth feel a desire to give back in some way.

Take a moment and think of someone who is blessed in this way. Do they give back?

When you give you embody this important aspect of wealth & place yourself in the company of millionaires & billionaires around the globe.

Giving is the natural counterpart to receiving.

In order for you to fully experience abundance, money needs to flow through, not just into, your life.

The only one who puts limits on how much you can receive is you.

If you cannot give money, perhaps you can be generous with your time, skills, or compassion.

The more consistently you give, the more you will benefit from the energy of giving. How much & where you give is less important than the giving itself.

Giving should be done as a gesture of gratitude, not obligation.

Give away a little bit of money everyday. A penny is enough. Drop it in a collection jar, give a tip at your coffee shop, or leave a quarter on a shelf at your grocery store for someone to find.

Give something each time you are asked instead of saying not today.

If your career provides regular cash income such as tips, choose a percentage between 1% & 5% to give away over the next 30 days. Each day count the appropriate portion of what you have received & give that away within 24 hours.

If you absolutely can't give money at this time, donate at least 1 hour a week to a worthy cause or organization.

I am giving away FREE feng shui tips. What would you like to attract into your life? Wealth? Love? Weight loss?

Email me your_girl_amy@yahoo.com

It can be done.

an Attitude of Gratitude

Twas the day before Thanksgiving.....what are you grateful for?

How often do you truly express gratitude for everything you have in your life?

The sheer act of expressing gratitude sends out a signal to the Universe to send you more things to be grateful for.

Embracing gratitude not only helps you focus on the here & now, but it also makes you appreciative of all you do have in your life right now.

We spend so much time wanting & wishing.
Well, how about just being thankful & grateful for today & what was in our life today.

Instead of wasting energy complaining about what you do not have, spend that exact same energy on what is currently in your life that you are appreciative for.
If you have a thought that is leading to lackful thinking or a complaint, stop yourself in your tracks & replace it with a thought that is appreciative, grateful, or thankful.

The more appreciative you are, the more you attract that positive flow into your life.

If you don't believe me, just try it for a couple of days.
I guarantee you will at least feel a little lighter, less weighed down by all those negative thoughts.

Here is something else you can try.
Keep a gratitude journal. I do this myself. I write 10 things in mine each night before bed. Then I write out some affirmations. I essentially fill up the whole page each night. Sometimes I have to scribble in the sides to have room for everything I want to say to myself.
If 10 things seem like too many, write 5 things you are grateful for. Try to list different things each day.
The point is you are acknowledging these things you are grateful for each day.

You do not have to do it at night like I do. You can do it whenever you want.

This helps develop your awareness for being in the moment.

Take a moment every day, to stop & smell the roses. Look for simple things each day that put a smile on your face. Then hold on to that feeling.

Here are some affirmations about being grateful that you can use:

I am grateful that I'm attracting positive & enriching people into my life.

I am grateful that people are coming into my life to help me on my journey.

I am grateful that I have the tools & insight to live the best life possible.

I am grateful for the many opportunities the Universe has sent to me during my life.

If you like my style & think you may enjoy my coaching, please feel free to email me.

Many different options are now available.

your_girl_amy@yahoo.com

Meet Christina Long

Christina was 13 years old. She could be just like the 13 year old sitting in your house right now.

Christina Long was pretty and popular.

She was in the 6th grade at a Catholic school in Connecticut.

She was co-caption of the cheerleading squad.

She was a member of the National Honor Society.

And yes, she is now dead.

Killed by an internet sexual predator.

But not exactly how you think.

You see Christina doesn't exactly fit the mold that I have previously described. There is always the other end of the extreme. The kids who seek out these predators. The kids who think they are tough and can handle it. Who are looking for a "good time" so to say.

Christina was being raised by her aunt. They were extremely close. Chrissy & her aunt, Shelley talked about the risks online openly & frequently. Shelley kept close tabs on Christina's online profile, urged her to use a less provocative screen name even. When asked to change things, Christina complied.

However, what Christina's aunt did not realize was that Christina had 1 profile she showed her & 1 she did not.

Christina was going out of her way to meet guys online for sex.

Because of this, she was found murdered on May 20, 2002.

Her alter ego profile stated she was "up for anything."

The only time Christina was left unsupervised was Friday nights. On May 17 when her aunt came to pick her up at the mall, Christina was not there. She called the police & when they turned to Christina's computer for clues they discovered she had changed her password.

What they discovered after AOL granted them access was shocking to her aunt.

One boy was saying 'I'm sorry, I'm glad you got your period. I will wear a condom next time.'

Christina's aunt finally realized she was talking to strangers and not school kids.

Police discovered Christina had had a sexual encounter with a 24 yr old, Saul Dos Reis a week earlier & was planning on meeting him again that night.

When questioned Saul, led police to Christina's body.

Saul claims Christina approached him online & not the other way around.

Christina's aunt did everything right. Talked to her about the dangers of the online world & meeting people online & chat rooms. Popped in on her unexpectedly to check on her online doings. So where did it go wrong?

Maybe you should sit your child down & have a talk with them. Show them the information about this girl. What happened to her. That she thought she was above what had happened to others. That she was just having a little fun....yea a little fun that ended up getting her killed.

It's a scary world out there.

Sometimes it's a scary world in here.

Are we putting our kids in danger??

We may actually be putting our kids in danger by the contradicting messages we send.

We tell them not to trust strangers, yet

-we drop them off at ball practice with coaches we may never have met

-we allow them to stay after school because they will be with their teacher

-we send them to dance lessons

-scout meetings

-play groups

-daycare centers

-friends' homes

-malls

-movie theaters

-parks

-parties

-beaches

-even to the doctors office

without making sure that they are able to recognize when they are in danger

All of these places and circumstances are full of people they do not know & we do not know. Full of possible child predators.

We teach our kids not to take candy from strangers, but on Halloween, we often make exceptions, especially if it's in our own neighborhood, where sexual predators may lurk or reside.

And while we tell them not to even talk to strangers, we make an exception there too for police officers or other representatives of authority.

However, sexual predators have jobs in every profession.

There are no exceptions; they are white collar professionals, blue collar worker, & unemployed individuals.

It's impossible to tell sexual predators from the rest of the population. They are everywhere.

Instead of picking out a group of people to whom our kids can turn to when they are in trouble, such as police officers, we need to simply & openly teach children how to know where to turn.

They have to be trained to use their own intuition about people & use it in conjunction with the information that we have provided to them.

Predators can easily gain the trust of a child, instill in them a feeling of security, & often lead them astray by convincing them that they are mature enough to make their own decisions.

That is why we need to teach children, starting from a very early age, the vitally important information to help them take the power away from the predator.

*Children need to be aware that predators can & will approach them in broad daylight, & on the internet, anywhere at anytime.

If we can instill in our children the need to be completely aware of their surroundings on a much higher level than we generally do, then it's a start.

If we let children know at a young age that people older than them cannot always be trusted, that someone may try to talk to them about things like secrets & special friendships & that children need to tell on them, then we are making some progress. If we explain openly & honestly that there is nobody that can be crossed off the list of people to follow the rules about, then we might just get through to them.

Kids are resilient. They are smarter than we think. Giving them the tools to protect themselves at an early age is wise because it will come naturally to them as just another lesson in life.

I want to help you, as parents, educate yourselves & your children about these predators.

Without education, we will fail our children.

your_girl_amy@yahoo.com

Protecting your kids online

1. Limit the amount of time children have interactive access to the internet to 2 hours a day. This is after homework. According to research, the risk of a child being exposed to predators, pornography, or cyber-bullying goes up dramatically beyond that daily exposure. The more time a kid has to roam around cyberspace, the more trouble they can get into. If a kid knows they only have 2 hours, then they are going to get down to business & do what is high on their priority list(downloading music, chatting with friends, etc) instead of chatting with strangers.

A note to the wise also, experts say that if a child sees mom & dad spending excessive amounts of time online & meeting other people in chat or in person, they will do the same.

2. Computers with internet access should always be in an open area of the house. You should be able to look in from time to time & see what your child is doing, what they are looking at, & know who they are talking to. It's good for them to know you are paying attention.

3. Remind children that online people are not always who they say they are & that there are real-life consequences should they give out personal information that could allow a predator to find them & take advantage of them.

4. What you post online stays online forever. Don't post anything online that you wouldn't want to be seen by your parents, a principal, police, or predators.

5. Beware of the cell phone, digital camera, or web came showing up that you as a parent did not purchase. If you see one of these items, it could mean your child purchased it without your permission or that someone else, possibly a predator, provided it to ensure he will get photos from your child.

6. Guard your passwords. Nothing good can come from fellow students being able to access your child's personal information or their social networking site. A person who may be your friend today may not be next month. That is how it works in today's adolescent world. Better yet, change your passwords regularly.

7.Set up any social networking site so that only people you invite & approve can enter.

8. Know the chat rooms your child is visiting.

9. There is a fine line between spying and respecting your child's privacy, but it's okay to take a look at their computer every once in awhile. Ask them to show you their friend list. Just as you should know the first & last names of the friends they hang out with, you should know the identities of those they are talking to online.

10. Is your child forming an addiction or obsession to the internet? You can check the archive of who your child has been talking to. If there is an unusual amount of time with one person, especially one you do not know, you need to pursue this.

11. Develop trust. Your child needs to know that if they are approached online by anyone who makes them feel uncomfortable that they can come to you openly & honestly & you will not overreact. They need to know they will not be punished. Remember, the child is always the victim.

12. Know where to go if a predator has approached your child online. You should never be shy about calling an internet provider to report something. Many police departments have youth officers who specialize in this area.

13. Do not delay reporting a predator incident. It probably isn't the first time the guy has tried to solicit a teen. If you do not do anything, you are only giving him the opportunity to do it again.

14. Interactive games like World of Warcraft, Xbox 360 Live, etc allow players to communicate with each other in real time, without a reliable way of logging these conversations. This creates the potential for predators to use these games to groom or meet teens. If your child is staying up all hours playing he could be exposed to conversations with people from all over the world.

15. Do not ever allow your child to use their real name as a screen name in a chat room.