Subject: Top Ten Tips and Tools for Having the Life You REALLY Want
Welcome to Celebrating the Journey!
Wednesday, July 18, 2001
Issue #61
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Welcome Notes
2. Top Ten Tips and Tools for Having the Life You
REALLY Want
3. Coaching: Ask Yourself the Questions
4. Quotes for the Top Ten Tips
5. Celebrating Out Loud!
6. Reading for the Journey
7. Resources for the Journey
8. Humor: More Reasons Why English Is Difficult
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1. Welcome Notes
There is a magnificent sunrise happening outside my
office window: pale blue sky with peach blessed clouds
wearing brighter orange highlights in the folds of their
garments. It takes my breath away. What a welcome to the
day!
And I welcome you to your day. I was reminded by a close
friend yesterday that how a day goes is determined by our
attitude toward it rather than by what the day contains.
No matter what today brings you, you can choose how
you respond to it and whether it’s a great day or a lousy
one. May you choose to see the beauty of a sunrise in all
that life gives you today.
Our subscriber number has settled in to 1337. What a
family we are! Welcome to all who are new this week
and welcome back to you who have been with us for a
while now. I love making this connection each
Wednesday morning.
It is my goal to allow CTJ to evolve more and more into
what you, our family members, want. Please let me know
what you like – and what you don’t like – about CTJ: the
format, the content, the humor, what’s missing, what’s
too much. Your feedback is most welcome at
mailto:CTJ@tothesummit.com.
I created our Celebrating Out Loud section as much for
myself as for our readers. It is the place for us to celebrate
with one another about events in our lives – big and small
– that give us joy. Joy grows when it’s shared, and there’s
never too much of it around. Send your celebrations to
mailto:celebration@tothesummit.com, and we’ll share
your joy and multiple it a thousand fold. It’s a gift for you
and all our readers. Birthdays, anniversaries, births, a
sunrise, a fox on the lawn, a degree, a summit. Let us
know what you’re celebrating this week.
Hint: Celebrating is like gratitude in that the more we
practice it, the easier and more fun and fulfilling it gets!
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2. Top Ten Tips and Tools for Having the Life You
REALLY Want!
In one of the last issues of CTJ before the hiatus this past
spring, I shared with you a Top Ten List that I had
created several years ago as the outline for a presentation*
to a women’s business organization. It was to be the
beginning of an 11 issue series which never happened. So
I’m presenting it now.
Today’s subject is the list itself. Over the next 10 weeks, I
will write about each of the Ten Tips, going into more
detail about how they can assist you in having the life you
REALLY want.
What follows are ten tips and tools which are the
foundation for my journey from bulimic, alcoholic, drug
addict to a woman who lives an extraordinary life from
the truth of who I am. They can serve as a foundation for
you to have freedom, joy and success in all areas of your
life. You don’t have to hit bottom in your life to rebound
to the top.
You CAN have more of what you want in your life and
less of what you don’t want. You CAN have a life lived
from your heart. You CAN follow your dreams. It is
possible for all of us. These tips and tools will help.
Top Ten Tips and Tools for Having the Life You REALLY
Want!
1. Live from your values and follow your dreams.
What do you dream of being or accomplishing in your
life? What rationalization is blocking you from living
your dream? What step can you take to let that
rationalization go?
2. Dream big! The heights you can reach are not limited
by how “low” you may begin.
What first step can you take in the direction of your
dream?
3. Live YOUR dreams, not someone else’s.
What are you doing in your life that is someone else’s
dream, not yours?
4. Create a support system for your journey.
Who do you know who supports you unconditionally?
How can they support you in going for your dreams?
5. The victory is in the process.
What result are you so focused on that you are missing
what is happening right now?
6. Show up. Put one foot in front of the other.
What “one step” can you take toward a goal or dream that
seems impossible if you look at the whole journey?
7. Expand your limits.
What limits or beliefs do you hold about yourself that
create a barrier between you and living your dreams?
8. Trust your inkles*.
What inkle have you ignored lately?
* An inkle is an intuitive sense about something. It’s that
feeling in your stomach that says, “Do this! Do this!” or
“No, no, don’t do that!”
9. The present is perfect. Even if you don’t think so.
What is now perfect about your life that didn’t seem
perfect at an earlier time?
10. Life doesn’t have to be hard.
What part of your life do you make harder than it needs
to be?
Anything you dream is possible, it happens one small step
at a time, and the journey is far more important than the
result. Join me for the next 10 weeks to begin or extend
your journey to having the life you dream of.
To receive a formatted, color hard copy of these Top Ten
Tips and Tools, with their accompanying questions and
quotes, send an e-mail to TopTenTips@tothesummit.com
with your snail mail address included.
*For more information about having Margo speak to your
business or organization, send an e-mail to
mailto:speaking@tothesummit.com.
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3. Coaching:
Answer the question for each tip this week. Don’t think
about your answer. Instead let your intuition answer the
question. Don’t worry if your answers don’t seem to make
sense. Go with your first instinct.
As we examine each Tip over the next 10 weeks, these
answers will serve as the foundation for clearing away the
obstacles to having the life you REALLY want.
I know many of you did this last March when this issue
was first published. Do it again. Are your answers the
same or different? How has your life grown since you
answered the questions the first time?
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4. Quotes for the Top Ten Tips
1. Nothing happens unless first a dream.
Carl Sandburg
2. Everyone who got where he is had to begin where he
was.
R.L. Evans
3. There is no greater privilege in life than being yourself.
Joseph Campbell
4. The one who says it cannot be done should never
interrupt the one who is doing it.
Unknown
5. It’s good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the
journey that matters in the end.
Ursula K. Leguin
6. I always feel better after I get out of bed.
Margo Chisholm in “To The Summit”
7. Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you
can do.
John Wooden
8. Let your heart guide you. It whispers, so listen
carefully.
from the movie, “The Land Before Time”
9. Today, this hour, this minute is the day, the hour, the
minute for each of us to sense the fact that life is good,
with all its trials and troubles, and perhaps more
interesting because of them.
Robert Updegraff
10. One way to get high blood pressure is to go mountain
climbing over molehills.
Earl Wilson
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5. Celebrating Out Loud
The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more
there is in life to celebrate.
Oprah Winfrey
I celebrate a quiet evening of connection with my close
friend Deborah, and the opportunity to simply glory in the
beauty of a sunset and close friendship.
Know someone who’s celebrating a great occasion? Or a
small one? What better gift than to forward them a copy
of Celebrating the Journey with a celebratory wish in it.
Let’s spread the joy!
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6. Reading for the Journey
The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz.
Don Miguel Ruiz offers a simple and powerful code of
conduct that can rapidly transform our lives to a new
level of freedom, true happiness, and love. The
agreements are not new. You have probably heard them
before. This little book talks about them in a new way,
with a clarity that invites the reader to say, “Oh, now I
see,” and to take that clarity into action in his or her life.
Deepak Chopra calls this book, “a roadmap to
enlightenment and freedom.” I call it a key to the cell of
self-limiting beliefs in which so many of us lock
ourselves. This is one of those books that can truly change
your life. It’s available for $7.77 by clicking here:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1878424319/tothesummit
To the Summit: A Woman’s Journey into the Mountains
to Find Her Soul by Margo Chisholm
This is the story of my own journey from alcoholic, obese,
bulimic, drug addicted couch potato to climbing 23
mountains in five years including two attempts on Mt.
Everest. It’s the beginning of the celebration. Here’s what
some readers had to say:
“I am 35 years old and had begun feeling very cynical
about life — how nothing ever turns out as I expect, I’m a
failure, why even try, blah blah blah. Your story
reminded me that I am NOT too old to start making my
dreams come true, that I am NOT a failure just because
things have turned out different than I expected, that
CAN expect miracles!!!” L.N.
“I am grateful to you. I picked up your book at a time
when I felt lower than the Dead Sea and about as alive as
its name implies. But knowing someone had been where
I was gave me hope. Even today, when I see your picture
on the Web, my spirit is elevated.” S.M.
“I read your book a few months ago… I finally realized I
wasn’t alone… It gave me the hope I needed to continue
on my life’s journey.” Sarah
“I picked up your book and didn’t put it down until I had
read it cover to cover… You have just saved one more
life.” S.P.
The book is out of print except for a few hard back copies
which I have for sale. You may order a signed hard copy
version for $20 plus $3 shipping and handling by sending
a check for $23 to:
Margo Chisholm
37 Dakota Meadows Dr.
Carbondale, CO 81623
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7. Resources for the Journey
Everyone’s a Coach. This is the motto for CoachVille.com
the website and program developed by Thomas Leonard,
one of the founding leaders of the coaching business. It is
what I have believed for a long time. We all have the
opportunity to be a coach each time we interact with
family or co-workers or friends – or look in the mirror.
CoachVille offers a large and ever-growing supply of
resources for developing ourselves as a coach and as a
person.
And a lifetime membership is only $79!!
This is the best personal development deal I know. AND a
membership in CoachVille.com includes a free lifetime
membership in LifeVille.com as well. This site is all about
Personal Development and will be up and running in
early fall.
This opportunity to have access to an enormous wealth of
information, checklists, e-zines, programs, teleclasses, chat
rooms, and the wisdom of a fabulous coach is unbeatable.
Find out what it’s all about at:
http://www.thomasleonard.com/coachville/default.lasso?id=607394
Am I raving about this? You bet I am. I don’t often
recommend anything this strongly in this forum. And
this truly is the deal of the year. If you have questions that
aren’t answered on the CoachVille site, please feel free to
write me at mailto:CV@tothesummit.com.
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8. Humor: More Reasons Why English Is Difficult
When I played tag, it got so rough my jacket’s tag got torn
off, so when my friends leave, I’ll just tag along.
I was a hit when I scored the winning hit, but got hit with
a big bill when the ball hit a neighbor’s window.
I can’t find the right tool to tinker with my car, so I’ll start
‘er up and just tool around.
I took a drive on Riverside Drive to pick up a new disk
drive but realized I didn’t have enough drive to battle
rush-hour traffic.
The late Mr. Smith was even late for his own funeral.
We gotta mouth off about pollution at the mouth of the
East River – – even if we only mouth the words.
I found eight pieces of eight.
I had to deftly zero in on the concept of zero gravity, but
one of my students turned out to be a real zero, except
when discussing the vintage Japanese Zero.
I munched a date with my date on this very date last year,
but she wasn’t my honey after I spilled honey on her.
When I wear my shades, all I see are shades of green.
And perhaps the best example of all is ghoti. Pronounce
‘gh’ as in ‘enough’, ‘o’ as in ‘women’, and ‘ti’ as in
‘celebration’, and you have…fish.
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Margo has a few slots open for motivated clients who
want to create a successful life and have the time to enjoy
it. Every dedicated athlete has a coach. Why not
have a coach for the most important game of all: the
game of life. Visit our website at
https://www.tothesummit.com for additional resources
and tools. To schedule a consultation, send an email to
mailto:margo@tothesummit.com
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Give yourself the gift of celebration this week.
Namaste, Margo
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If you received this copy of Celebrating the Journey from
a friend and would like to subscribe, visit
https://www.tothesummit.com or send an e-mail to
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My purpose in publishing Celebrating the Journey is to
provide you with resources, motivation, inspiration and
energy for YOUR journey of creating success and freedom
in all areas of your life. CTJ will use stories from my life
and others, coaching tips and resources, quotes and
humor to deliver a learning experience that can enhance
your life. I am always looking for comments, ideas and
ways to improve CTJ. I welcome your e-mails at
mailto:margo@tothesummit.com.
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Copyright © 2001, all rights reserved, by Margo
Chisholm
I invite you to share Celebrating the Journey with your
mailing list, friends, and associates. We ask only that the
entire e-mail with copyright and credits be included. The
author of this article is Margo Chisholm. You may contact
her at (970) 704-9336 or at mailto:margo@tothesummit.com.
—
“At every moment of our life we have an
opportunity to choose joy.”
Henri J. M. Nouwen
Margo Chisholm
Coach, Speaker, Author, Therapist
Partnering you in having success,
freedom and joy in all areas of your life
970-704-9336 fax 970-704-9346
margo@tothesummit.com
Celebrating The Journey is a free, weekly
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quotes, humor and coaching to support you
in having the life you REALLY want. Visit
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