I  got to the car wash and had 3 one dollar bills tucked away. I scrounged around for another 4 quarters because it costs $4 for me to wash my SUV.  I found the three, then looked and looked and looked for that last blasted quarter. I searched the car, the seats, and the bowels of my purse, to no avail.  I figured, that the good Lord always knows what he’s doing, so I guessed I was going to have to ask someone, and I knew, that because I prayed to find one last quarter and didn’t, that this was supposed to happen that morning.

So, I wandered to the next car over to a man who was starting the process of getting his money out to wash his own car. I said, “Hi, I was wondering, well, I have 3 quarters, and I have two Nickels and a dime, I mean, two dimes, and a Nickel, and I need, ….”   His response was so calm and so focused and so perfect, … he said to me, “Talk to me.”

I looked up at him, now, not flustered whatsoever and I said clearly, “can I exchange what I have for your quarter?”  He did it without even saying another word and I thanked him and walked away.

I was able to clean my car but those simple words just stuck with me.  TALK TO ME.  TALK TO ME.

How I long to talk with someone. Really talk with someone.  I would tell him about the many perils of life right now that I’m challenging or that someone in my life is  facing.  I would dump it all and then wait for the next perfect words in the world, “it’s all going to be okay.”

When I pulled away, I stopped and rolled my window down and told the man, “Your words were brilliant. You just said something that I’m going to share with everyone… you said some very profound and important words, “talk to me.”

He laughed and came over to the car and told me that women can rarely get to the point quickly and he’s found, that if he just cuts to the chase in a calm way, it wakes them up and gets them to just say what they mean.  We both had a good laugh over this, because I have taught that same communication technique to SO many women over the years, but when I’m in my own flustered state, I revert back to communicating like God probably intended.. so we’d drive the men bonkers!

We ended up talking some more and sharing about our lives and I learned about his martial arts which fascinate me and I might try at some point.

But those three very simple and profound words, that he uttered to me in just a quick minute.. will stay with me for ever, and they will be the gift that I give to others, when I know they need it.

Talk to me.

And I will listen…

Talk to me… and I will care.

Talk to me.. and I will let you know, that you will be fine, because God is really there.

Both women looked at me with a little bit of “excuse me?” look, but then I proceeded to tell them how blue green algae is an anti inflammatory and how magnets can be used for pain. I explained how my husband was able to heal his torn rotator cuff by using some energy magnet medicine by Nikken, a company in which I’m representing. I shared that my son sleeps on a magnet mattress and the day after we added the magnet mattress and water filter system, the teacher asked in disbelief, “WHAT HAPPENED?? He was a different child and SO focused!”

By this time, the ladies were asking for specific names and asked for my email and my phone number which I freely gave. I’ve learned that people are incredibly open to receiving help from strangers, even if they didn’t know they really wanted it!

When I listen to myself talk, I have to admit, I’ve finally learned a thing or two about healthy living. I know that I started on this journey several years ago, but am getting more and more serious about it. I’m finding I don’t have the patience for any aches and pains, and realize that there is a cause and effect for every single thing. If my pinky is swollen up, then I realize, I must have eaten too much sugar. If I have a symptom like my arms falling asleep, then I know that I digested gluten somewhere along the way.

I’m starting to recognize the symptoms in others. When someone has dark circles under their eyes, I ask them if they have checked what food sensitivities they have? If someone has eczema, I ask if they’ve heard about how gluten in the diet can cause skin issues? More than once, I’ve gone up to individuals with severe acne and given them my vitamin formula that knocks out even the toughest form of acne!

The interesting and exciting thing is that there is SO much to learn about healthy living. I will never know everything, but I’m learning many things. It’s a fun course of study, and although I’m doing it because I’m a mom and raising a child, it’s something that all of us can do to benefit ourselves.

My family is already gluten free, and mostly dairy free, and moving more towards a plant based diet. It’s hard to eliminate mean 100% of the time now, but we’re cooking more and more fish, and eating more beans and alternative meat products.

It’s exciting, and hopefully as we age, there will be some other rewards, like healthy living, and of course.. looking much younger than I really am!

Do you remember a time when you had a special event to go to, so you spent time pouring through magazines to find the right look, hair style, jewelry and accessories? Then you finally went shopping to find the right dress, the right makeup, the right shoes, and handbag. Finally, you were ready to put the puzzle together. You spend the day getting your hair done, your nails, pedicure.. the works!!! And the night of the event, you step out and there you are.. the beauty you were meant to be!

No wonder most of us don’t look like the Hollywood Glam Girls! Their whole world is dedicated to their looks, but the rest of us know.. IT TAKES TIME!!!

This past weekend I had a ball to attend. I knew that I had a couple of dresses in my closet so I wasn’t overly worried. Yet on the day before the event, I pulled out the dresses and DISASTER STRUCK! Nothing fit! And the one dress that DID fit had a stain on the front of the dress!!! Intuitively, I knew that I was going to have to be creative with my outfits, and figured, “why worry about it.. no one is going to care what I wear!”

But.. next out came the Spanx; and now it was time for a little creativity! I ran to the craft store to see if I could doctor up the dress any way with sequins and finally used the home dry cleaning kit which cleaned up the stain. I jumped in the car and ran up to a store on Park Avenue that sells the most fun “bling” I know, and purchased an enormous ring that says: I’m the QUEEN for the day… and a bracelet that make me feel glamorous. I redid my nails, put on a fake tan, and spent most of the time straightening my now somewhat curly hair.

Finally, the look came completely together when we popped over to some friends’ house and in the closet I spied tome Mink Stoles. I whispered a possible.. “do you think I can wear….” And my friend JUMPED in to offer me the perfect antique shoulder stole. It was beautiful!

Now, with about a half an hour to doll up, I got to work! I already looked different with my hair straightened, so I focused in on making my eyes pop. The fake tan gave me a healthy look.. and before I knew it, I was transformed!!

When I stepped out to see my parents who were there to baby, they were WOWED. The outfit was really spectacular, and most importantly, I felt beautiful!!!

The funny thing is, is that I dress for success every day at work. But I don’t have the time to put into myself that I did for this event. I’m a full time working mom, and don’t have an hour a day to do my fake tan, and all of the extras that it takes to look as good as I can. Yet, I have to admit, it was FUN and I am SO glad I did it!

What it’s given me is the jump start to knowing that how we FEEL is an important component in how we ACT. The night I was made up, I acted like a Queen and was treated like royalty. Its given me confidence to know that even thought I’m not in the shape I want to be, that I’m not that far away.. and I know I can get there.

How many of us miss the opportunities that are presented to us because we don’t FEEL the part? How many times to we give up before we event attempt to try? We know we can’t get to where we want to go, so we just don’t start the process to get there.

I learned this weekend. JUMP IN. Move towards what which what you want… and do what you can within your power and then have faith that God will take care of the other special details along the way.

So go for it, glam up your life, accept that opportunity, and say YES, even though you have nothing to wear and don’t feel prepared! You might just find, your 1940s glam mink stole, just right around the corner!

I’ve been absent for a few months but I’m back! 

I have been transforming.. in nearly EVERY area of my life. As my good friend Giovanni Livera says in his speeches, that we have to RESET our life and goals and expectations occasionally.  That is what I’ve been doing.

I’ve also been READING and STUDYING about health. We’ve adapted the GLUTEN FREE lifestyle as a family and have been studying about nutrition, cooking vegetarian and organic and learning about COOKING and FOOD.

I’m also training for a MARATHON – which is scheduled in January 2010- the Disney Marathon. I’m running with Track Shack in Orlando, and enjoying it a lot. I’m up to 7 miles so far, which is what I did today.

I’ve been landscaping my yard, decorating my home and deciding what to do with my next step professionally. Since I’m a coach and trainer, I’m adding some products to my arsenal and will continue to go down the path of WELLNESS in my career. Coaching is great, but to have products and other associates who can serve my clients… that’s an added bonus. 

Sway, my husband, redid my website as you can see, and I have been working on that and learning how to use it. I’ve written several articles but didn’t post them.. yet. 

I hope to be launching my book soon.. and will share about that later. In the meantime, I hope you’ll come back and read my blogs and updates.. and let me know what’s on your mind!  My clients are re-launching too..and I’m excited to be back in the seat with them as well.

More to come! Mary

So our minds were at rest when we got home on Friday and so we felt rejuvenated to attack the house and clean up the Christmas stuff along with cleaning out closets and drawers and clothes. We’ll be taking a trip to the Good Will this week to make a huge deposit!

My mind now feels fresh with no anxiety to hit the work week. I have administrative things to do, marketing things to do along with sales and customer support, but I am excited to get through these things and have a sense of calm and peace about myself and my work day.

I will keep this in mind when things get overwhelming… and this will be a new habit to integrate this year.

Stop, rest and renew… then get back to work!

Tonight, at my parents house, will be most of my family getting together to celebrate the birth of the Christ Jesus. We’ll eat, drink and pray, and thank God for our health and for our time on this earth.

Among us, are stressed out parents, brothers and sisters, kids, teens, and even a fiancé who will be at the celebration. We all live very, very different lives, but for the first time this year, we’ll come together as a family and enjoy one another.

We will be at my parents house, who are deeply spiritual people, and who live such selfless and dedicated lives to their families.. more than most people I’ve ever met. My dad is not only the head of the house hold, but a spiritual giant among us, and both he and my mom will be celebrating to have their family there, celebrating the Birth of Christ.

The older I get, the more I think about Jesus being born only 2008 years ago. When we view dinosaur remains in museums that were millions of years ago, a couple of thousand doesn’t seem like such a long time ago. And the more I understand the deep importance of being a mother, the more respect I have for Jesus’ mother Mary, who gave birth they say as a young teenager, and watched her son die a tortured death at the young age of 33.

So tonight, my dad will pray a beautiful prayer to Jesus, who we recognize as God the Son, part of God the Father, and the Holy Spirit… three in one. We will thank Him for being born, and for coming into the world to give us a new direction saving us from our sins.

Then we’ll eat, and drink and open gifts, and then we’ll all go home to wait for Santa and his reindeer. Tomorrow, when we awake, Santa will have arrived, we’ll open the gifts and then we’ll go to mass, and then we’ll spend the day playing with the toys he brought!

The rush is almost done.. I have a few things to do before the 7PM arrival time… but the calm before the storm has arrived.

Blessed be to everyone on this Christmas Eve… Bless us everyone!!!

For me, and I think for many people, these challenging and different economic times are forcing me to look at my core and to see what needs change. After evaluation, I realized, “wow.. there is a LOT that needs work in my life.” I guess that I was content with the status quo, and lived as contently as I could.

But now? It’s buck up or shut up time! It’s put the pedal to the medal and get your butt in gear time! It’s the time to take charge, take numbers or whatever else you gotta take to get things rolling forward again in a positive way!

For myself.. I’m considering that I’m doing some transforming. And I’m pretty psyched to say, that as a result of “some” of the transforming.. a LOT of transforming is going on .

Here are a few things that are transforming in my life:1. My business! With several balls in the air and the “go ahead” on several projects, including TV, radio and a book, I’ve had to take a step back and realize that none of them can be completed on my own. I’m now collaborating or looking for partners to collaborate in all of my projects! This takes the burden off of me and can bring my projects to a whole new level!

2. My services! I was doing coaching and TV. Now… all of a sudden, because I have an interest in it and because I write about it for the Orlando Business Journal, I’m working in the area of social media/networking. I love it.. and so much to learn and so much to share!

3. My body! I’m doing the body for life program and it’s easy, a fast transformation in 12 weeks, and I’m not hungry. I’ve been on it a week and my pants are starting to be a bit loser.

4. My habit of drinking a glass of wine daily! The alcohol is now GONE from my diet.. and I feel like I have more energy than ever. I used the excuse that “Oprah and Dr. Oz recommend a glass a day” but truthfully, it did make me relaxed and lazy at the end of the day, not full of energy which is what I need to handle all of the things in our busy life!

5. My family! There were “changes” that needed to happen at home and I forced them to occur. Now, I’m glad I did. Things that had slipped by for a long time are no longer acceptable to me and I’m getting on top of all of these things and with a shift in priorities, we’ll keep these changes in place!

These are just a few but very important changes that I’ve made. I’m upping my game, and I’m moving into a different arena. I’m moving from the minors into the majors and I’m challenging myself to go for the gold.

Okay.. enough of the endless talk. The biggest change is that instead of bragging about all of my changes.. I’m actually implementing them. That is the most exciting part. This time, it’s for real.. and they’re becoming habits instead of dreams!!!

Time to transform???? Get support, learn from the best, and get rid of the distractions. You’ll be glad you did!

There are still times however, that the old high school nerves pop up, and today is one of those days!

Today I’m giving a seminar to 6 lawyers. It’s not like I haven’t done this before. Two weeks ago I spoke before a crowd of 400+ and barely had a second of nerves. But today? Two football player studs from my high school will be in attendance. And it starts in 1 hour!
Can I teach them something valuable? Will they learn something they didn’t know?

And of course the less secure thoughts…

“Will they like me? Will I dazzle them? Will they wonder… “wow.. she’s really come a long way.. or Yah.. I always knew she had pizzazz in high school!”

Okay.. how silly! It’s the content I’m excited about teaching because I’ve learned so much while prepping for it.

Still.. that little insecure side of me that is creeping up… is still there..

Human nature.. such a bizarre thing.

I’ll just chalk it up to.. I’m human!!!

Wish me luck!!!

What was it?

Not a “traditional” type of gift, but the best kind of gift for a mom who has had a child who is a bit high maintenance at school every day!

It was a note from my son’s Language Arts teacher who told me that my son had a really great day the day before, and was focused, attentive, quiet and read his work really well.

We both were ebullient when talking about the change in my son, and she suggested that whatever we had done that morning, was WORKING! It was a Monday morning that he had the great success and I explained to her that on Sunday, we didn’t do ANYTHING all day long. Jeremy never even got dressed and we just laid around the house all day long and built a fire in the fireplace, I cooked from sun up to sun down, had delicious aromas floating through the house, and my husband, me and Jeremy just enjoyed being at home, and relaxed like most of us never get to do. We watched a little TV, but just a movie at night, while my husband went to church for all of us. I felt it best to keep Jeremy home since the day before he went to the beach and crabbing with our friend Bruce and his two kids and came home very, very content, but had a scratchy voice, which because he loved the sound of it, he kept talking more and more and more!

Most of our week is scheduled down to the minute. I pick up Jeremy by bike at school at 3 in the afternoon, then we race home and have a snack and get his homework done. Then we ride our bikes to the YMCA and he has swim practice for an hour and I work out. Then we go home and I cook dinner, then we either do more homework or play a family game like dominos and then we do the bed time routine. That can take a while of course, because he always likes to get another snack and prolong it as much as possible!

When Friday comes, we don’t have swim practice, so we do “Fun Friday”, which means visit friends, go to Disney World, or hang out at the park with other families. Saturday is usually swim meet day, and chores, and then Sunday morning we go to Church and Jeremy has religious education. There aren’t many days where we do absolutely nothing and enjoy it.

Truth be told, I worked my tail off that day, cooking and cleaning and keeping the fire lit and doing laundry, but it was all at home and we weren’t on any schedule and I was able to make a beautiful, restful and peaceful home for my family. … the kind I always loved when I was a kid.

Little did I know how hard my parents were working to give me that amazing and so oh so needed rest!!

Having a “down” day was exactly what we all needed to give us that boost that we needed to start the week. When the body is tired, it doesn’t function well, and the better it’s rested, the more productive we can be.

Perhaps all of us now need to take a pause, and to readjust our schedules. Perhaps rather than running all of our side businesses, keeping up with the Jones, running here and there and everywhere to try to get it all done, perhaps we should all just take a rest every week and do nothing. Put on some classical music, light a fire in the fireplace or put on some candles to set the atmosphere, and break out the family games.

The rest and the comfort of doing nothing, will probably give you the extra strength to manage the stress that comes along whether you want it to or not, and will probably be exactly what you and your family needs, during this difficult and down economy.