In a world driven by data, where technology seemingly trumps all topics, I’ve been feeling the call of the simple things that touch our lives. The immeasurable things that touch our body, mind and soul. The feeling we get when someone just says,” Hi, how are you today?” with that sparkle in their eyes and a genuine smile upon their face. When that person stops and pauses to actually listen to our answer(without looking at their cell phone), it’s a delight. The rush of emotions in motion when I hug my mom tightly. It fills me with an unexplainable joy and sadness at the same time. Joy that I can feel such warmth and connectedness to her through such a simple gesture. Sadness for the loss of my dad, and left wondering when the last time my mom has felt the loving touch of a kiss, a hug, or the warmth of a hand. I love the way great music can make our spirits take flight, transporting us right out of our bodies. It lifts the emotions. The intoxicating rhythm of the instruments. The soaring sounds of a soulful singer. It can set our heart and imagination on fire. Spirits fly on….. We touch each others lives in so many immeasurable ways. It is such a blessing to recognize the “little” things that happen. The holding hands. The inspiration we feel after a great speech. The voice that says “I care” just by it’s tone. The kind deed. The philanthropists gifts that touch our communities. The passion found in people’s eyes. The warmth of the breeze blowing by. Moments that make you stop, and sigh. The times we have to say goodbye. The beauty of tears when we cry The immeasurable dynamics between…. you and I.

Self awareness is the art of knowing who you are and understanding how your actions and words affect other people.  In “Baby Steps”  we discussed the need for time and practice.  Understanding who we are is the fundamental key to our lives.  It is how we look at life, at ourselves, and the world around us.  We need to know what are the keys we hold. The keys that have the power to unlock doors.   Doors to our future.  A future that has the potential to be fulfilling and successful.

Begin to look around  at your life as an observer would, without judgement.  Witness the people, the conversations, the choices you make, and how you spend your time.  Do you love the people in your daily life?  If so, do you communicate that love, honor and respect to them?  Are your conversations about positive things or do they tend to be focused on the retelling of negative garbage?  Have you chosen work and activities that make you feel good about yourself?  Can you find purpose in what you do with your time each day?  Are you setting aside time to plan your future?

Everyday we have 24 hours to spend.  How are you spending yours?

Did you know that tomorrow is the future..it’s always a day away.

The same recipe yields the same results.  Let’s start changing our game…

Starting now…let’s tell the people that are important to us exactly how we feel. Let’s share our dreams, goals and fears, with them.  Everyday take time to work on  goals.  We put them into action step by step, on after another, like going up a ladder.  Recognize the writers, speakers, performers, leaders, and anyone who leave a strong positive impression.  Follow them in their books.  Find them online.  Read their blogs, leaving comments to them.  Reach out to them in social media…go see them speak at a live event!  Allow them into your life!!

We all have a heart with an unlimited capacity for love.  We have a brain capable of great intelligence.  Eliminate the poison from the past….leave it there!  Spend your time, effort, and energy on where your going…to the place of your dreams.  Acquire the skills and knowledge necessary  to achieve your goals.   Remember goals are dreams with a deadline.

No one defines who we are more then us.  We each have the power to rise above our pasts.  The power to create a life filled with the people we want to have in it.  A life lived to it’s potential…

…a life that leaves the world just a little bit better.

A life that leaves the legacy of who you are!

(come back for part 3)  “Inside Out”

With this one last pinch of seasoning my soup recipe is complete.  It is with absolute zeal that I have explored myself and my journey in life, thus far, in creation of my personal soup recipe.  My determination and eagerness to create this series has brought great joy to me over the many hours of contemplating words choices, selecting the precise word, and then expressing how it fit into my life.

I have great zeal about touching people’s lives.  Motivating people to create the life they only dream of living.  Sharing the way I have transformed my life from a childhood dream into a grown up reality.  Step by step we can change.  I want to be part of that change.

When I began writing “Alphabet Soup” I was a new blogger starting his first series.  I was zealous, filled with a burning to desire create a blog that had “fresh ingredients.” My goal was to create content that was meaningful.  Words that would represent who I am.  Words to make you think.  Words to inspire you to look inside your heart.  Ideas to challenge your intellect.  A gentle appeal to your spirit.

Each day some new ingredient comes into our lives.  The challenge of incorporating it into my recipe fills me with excitement……with joy!

The same recipe yields the same results.  What is your recipe for success? For happiness? For fulfillment?

It is time for you to “make your own soup.”

One hint: start with a pinch of zeal!!

While we are busy planning and going about our lives, unknown factors, seemingly out of nowhere, come into the picture.  There are circumstances, both good and bad, that we cannot foresee nor predict….the x factor.

In business, as in life, people’s lives are influenced by occurrences that were NOT part of the plan. Things we can neither explain or know of in advance.   A sudden health crisis.  Winning the lottery.  An opportunity never seen that suddenly shifts a company into the spotlight.  Even the flavors of food are said to have qualities that encompass more than our sense of taste, called the X Factor, according to “The Flavor Bible.”

It is probably due to our desire to control so much of our lives and businesses,  that the x factor is not always welcome.  Most people fear the unknown.  Why I even had some anxiety as to how I would handle writing an entry about the letter x given it’s  limited word choices. 

There are so many cases where if we take a really close look at the situation, we will find that the x factor, while unknown, has  played an important role.  How did Oprah rise to such fame from her humble beginnings?  What explains the “Miracle on Ice,” experienced by the 1980 Olympic gold medal winning hockey team?  How did the plane, piloted by Captain Sully,  land so perfectly on the Hudson River last year when the engines ceased?  How did Lance Armstrong beat his devastating cancer and still go on to be the most decorated bicyclist ever?

So many unexplainable things happen everyday…

We must learn to adapt to these unplanned occurrences.

Though hard to define…

The X factor is a powerful game changer!

We have all heard the expression, “there is more than meets the eye.”  That’s because vision, unlike sight, involves not only the use of our eyes, but our other senses as well.  The mental images created by our imaginations goes well beyond our ability to see.  It is perception and insight. 

At times in our lives we are looking around the world everywhere.  We are looking for a direction.  We are trying to figure out what to do and where we should go.  Where is the door to our futures?  What will we become?  And who will we share our lives with?

We are just so busy looking that we really cannot see……that ……..which we already have before us!  For it is not the door to our future we should be searching.  It is the keys!  Keys unlock doors…..

Stop…look around….and listen!  Learn…take the time to grow.  Experience each day with newness and excitement…    See the possibilities, taking it all in!

We all hold the keys to our lives.  The visions imagined in our heads should be processed.  Consider, at least, acting upon one of them……for once in your life.  You are the one who knows better than anyone what you can be.  Everything we experience in life started in some one’s head…as a vision!

See it….feel it!

Dream it…do it!!

Keys……….open doors!

…to your future.

Imagine!?!