Saw this posted on a friends Facebook page and thought to myself, those are words to live by!

“Never make someone a PRIORITY if they only make you an OPTION!”

What Great advise!

Can you list 5 things you can be happy about right now? If we each sat and thought about it, we could probably come up with more than 5. Here are a few things I am happy about this minute.

A wonderful husband.
Amazing children that teach me something every day.
The beautiful colors of Fall.
Hitting all green lights this morning.
A lunch date with friends.
Warm water. (Not something you usually think about, but you really miss it when it’s gone!)

Its easy to focus on the things that go wrong but we often forget to take notice of the things that go right. So, what about you? What are you happy about today?

“When things calm down, I will have time for…”

Have you ever said this, or maybe thought it?  I hear it commonly, and I will admit to occasionally pushing things off because I feel too busy.  However, the real truth is things are probably always going to be busy.  My kids and husband need things from me, there is always “work” to do, and something is always going to be happening that is outside of my control. 

If we are too busy right now to meet a friend for lunch, go on a family picnic, or visit our parents; when will we have time?  And, when we do have time, will it be too late to do the things we want?  The fact is, our kids will grow up, our friends sometimes move away, and we do not know how long we have before the people we love are taken from us.  

It’s been said that when people look back on their lives they don’t remember work or social obligations; but instead, the memories they made with family and friends.  If work, or other social obligations you have committed yourself to, are keeping you from spending time on the more important things in life , maybe it’s time to reassess whether or not you really need your hands in so many different baskets.  That way if a friend suggests lunch, you can meet at your favorite restaurant!  Oh, when your mom calls next, don’t try to get off the phone so quickly!

Yep, I spelt it correctly.  Zubbles are a new died bubble.  Creator Tim Kehoe spent 15 years figuring out how to create a bubble with a single color that won’t stain when it pops.  15 years!!  Goes to show you should never give up on your goals and dreams.  It’s an amazing story. 

Read about Zubbles and Kehoe.
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/07/10/colored-bubbles.html

Nothing is more important than today…

We all know this; unfortunately a reminder is sometimes appropriate.  Especially for us “planners” (you know who you are). While planning is necessary for a lot of things in life, enjoying the simple, day-by-day moments is just as important (or more).  Have you ever spent hours, days, or weeks planning something then forgot to enjoy yourself at the event?  Try for just an hour today to be present in what you are doing.  You can work your way up to a full day, or week… there I go getting ahead of myself! :) 

For those of you linking to this on Facebook, let me know what simple moments you enjoyed today.

Recently I saw a 1 year old bust a move to the Black Eyed Peas new song “Boom Boom Pow.”  He was thoroughly enjoying himself.  Did not realize anyone was watching him.  If he did, he didn’t seem to care.  I couldn’t help but wonder when I last danced.  Dancing helps us smile, makes us feel good.  Why don’t we do it more often?  I got up and danced with the little boy.  We both laughed and had a great time.  It was a blast!  We all need to remember to let go sometimes.  Try it today.  Turn up the tunes (whatever makes you feel good) and bust some moves of your own.  

This is a guest post by Katie Wallace.

It was the last place I expected to find enlightenment.  However, stuck in traffic I found calm.  Today I enjoyed summer in the most unlikely way as I sat frozen on I-26 right outside of Columbia, SC. 
I was in no hurry. I could have been, but realized I had no control over the situation.  I put the car in park, opened the sun roof, turned up the radio, rolled down the windows, reclined my chair, and hung my feet out the window. I resigned myself to the fact that I would arrive later than expected.  It’s amazing how blue the sky was, how fluffy the clouds, and how magnificent the trees as they swayed with the breeze.  All things I had not really taken note of until I stopped. 
Now, I would like to believe that I was not the only person enjoying my unexpected break as I sat in the long line of traffic, but from observing the others around me it would be safe to say I was definitely in the minority. Some were getting out of their cars to get a better look at what was happening, trying to understand the problem.  Some were running late and now visibly angry.  Others fly by on the right side (in the emergency lane) impatient and unwilling to stop.  It occurred to me that there were most likely many people sitting in the long line of cars that wished they had taken the time to stop at the last exit.  Someone was probably hungry, had to use the restroom, or was running low on gas.
As for me, I enjoyed my 45 minutes of forced immobilization.  I had no place to be, and even if I did, on I-26 is where I sat.  Instead of creating chaos around the situation, I enjoyed the calm… and the breeze!
Have you stopped today?  Try it.  Look around and see what you’re missing!

P.S. There did not seem to be anyone hurt in the accident when I finally passed by the motor home that had somehow fell on its side.

Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify.- Henry David Thoreau
With Thoreau’s words in mind Julie Cubino and Kevin Grosselfinger, owners of Harmony At Last, set about designing an application for the iPhone and iPod touch. The goal was to help people free themselves from being overworked, overburdened, and overtired and find energy, enthusiasm, and ease instead. We are excited to announce that this application finally launched!

The application has two main features.The first is inspiration and motivation in the areas of: productivity, time management, work/life balance, space organizing, success principles, and simplifying life. The second is the ability to define your personal “Simplify” goals and track progress along the way.

Simplify can be found on the Apple iTunes Store now for only 99¢. It’s in the lifestyle section. You’ll need either an iPhone or iPod touch to make use of the program. (Please note that the link found in this announcement requires that you have the itunes software installed on your computer.)

We’d like to extend special thanks to fellow WBON member, Michelle Hobbs, owner of Blue Sky Creative for the design of the amazing graphics used in this application.

A spider built a web outside my kitchen window last night.  This afternoon I watched with utter curiosity as a beetle made the mistake of flying into the web.  The spider sprang into action and furiously began working to wrap the beetle up.  I looked on in amazement, not at how quick and agile the spider was, but at the beetle.  He was squirming around, moving all of his legs, trying to flap his wings, making it as difficult as possible for the spider.  I kept thinking, does he know the spider is wrapping him up?  Does he know the spider will win?  The beetle did not seem to feel he had lost anything yet; he kept fighting. 

The beetle did eventually win, at least in my mind.  He fought so hard, the spider could not make the web strong enough, fast enough, and the beetle fell to the ground.  He scurried off as quickly as he could while trying to rub off the sticky web.  It really made me wonder how many times in life I have given up because of a presumed inferiority.  I like to think I am more like the beetle; a fighter.  However, I know there are times when all of us see something as too difficult and give up without a fight.  It’s a good thing that beetle did not share my misconceptions about the spider, he may have been dinner!

Whether you answer yes or no, check out this video!  It’s bound to brighten your day!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP2SXfdJs5w