March 2017 - Meet Me At The Barn

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The Top 10 Things People Want ‘More Of’ In Life

What Do People Want ‘More Of’ In Their Lives? I was at my barn, one of my favorite spots to “be” the other day, surrounded by my two horses and my sweet Australian Shepherd, Twosocks. The horses were contently eating and Twosocks was busy appreciating the smells of the early morning. I was scooping horse shit into my Gator and carting it off to the compost pile; it’s one of my favorite things to “do”. Why? Because I am outside in nature doing a chore that doesn’t require much talent and it is when I have some of my best thoughts. I stood there for a minute and I pinched myself, literally as I often do and said out loud, “I am so grateful to be here and have this wonderful property.” And then I thought, I wonder what most people want out of their life. Later that day I did what I always do when I am curious about something, I Googled it. The first thing that popped up was an article by Kathy Caprino titled, The Top 10 Things People Want In Life But Can’t Seem To Get. It was the “can’t seem to get” part that caught my attention. Caprino surveyed 700 people. The key question the survey probed was: If you could say in one word what you want more of in life, what would it be? What intrigued the author most is that it is becoming more and more obvious that the things we

By Annie| March 30th, 2017|Categories: Lines In The Sand, Thoughts from the Barn|0 Comments

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Learn Why Handwritten Letters Make A Powerful Impact

Handwritten Letters Get Opened First How long has it been since you wrote handwritten letters to someone you know? Not an email, not a text, and not a 140 character tweet that rarely, if ever holds context as a respected consideration. I can't think of anyone who doesn't love to receive a handwritten letter in the mail. Admit it, when you receive a hand-addressed envelope in the mail with a real stamp in the upper right-hand corner a sense of intrigue, wonder and surprise come over you. It is the first piece of mail in the pile that you open, excited to discover its contents. Joy fills your heart and a smile finds its way to your face. You read it over and over and appreciate that someone took the time and made the effort to connect with you in such a special way. There is magic in those words written in longhand. Who doesn’t wish to receive a handwritten note in the mail? This is exactly why one of the exercises in the Lines In The Sand Class I teach is to write four different letters. Over the next few weeks, I will share the kind of letters that the participants in the course write and I invite you to join us on this journey. The first letter is a Thank You note. Think of someone who you would like to get in touch with and express your appreciation to them. It might be one of your teachers

By Annie| March 28th, 2017|Categories: Relationships, Thoughts from the Barn|0 Comments

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Why Invest in a Life of Struggle? Discover 8 Amazing Tips to Thrive Instead

What is the source of your struggle? I did a struggle survey with several people over the past few days. What does that mean? I asked them what the stressors were in their life. “Work-life balance” came up as one of the top three things mentioned. Out of curiosity I Googled the term and in .62 seconds, 114,000,000 results popped up and that didn’t include the related searches. The result that came up from my Google search was this Fast Company article titled Arianna Huffington On The Struggle To Find Work-Life Balance. The piece was written by Rachel Gillett almost two years ago. Generally, I like to offer more recent commentary on subjects, however this one roped me in as I read the third paragraph. Gillett explains that Huffington, who founded The Huffington Post, a 24/7 media company woke up in a pool of her own blood with a broken cheekbone and a nasty gash above her eye. What happened? She collapsed in her home hitting her head on the way to the floor. Why? After undergoing multiple tests to determine the reason for her fall, the conclusion was sheer exhaustion. This is what two years of 18-hour work days will do for you. In Huffington’s own words she explains, “By professional definitions of success, I was successful. By any sane definition of success, if you are lying in a pool of your own blood on the floor of your office, you are not successful.” Four Essential Tips to

By Annie| March 23rd, 2017|Categories: Thoughts from the Barn|0 Comments

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Building a Strong Foundation To Create A Life You Love

Patience While Building And Growing Although I had never considered building a home from the ground up, I was given the opportunity to do just that when my home burned to the ground. There were many intriguing steps and processes that I witnessed during the construction of my new house. One thing that I recall is the amount of site preparation that took place prior to pouring the foundation on which the house would be built. I learned that soil compaction is a vital part of the construction process. I also learned that this is a protracted process that takes time, patience, precision and the watchful eye of geotechnical engineers. In my case, I watched as giant excavators moved big mouthfuls of soil around and a D-9 caterpillar methodically crawled back and forth over the ground to ensure the proper level of compaction. During the five months that it took to complete this stage of the construction process, I noticed myself experiencing a range of emotions from impatience to fascination. I liken it to the seven stages of death and dying; one finally gets acceptance. For me, I finally got to fascination. Once I embraced the fact that there would be a house on what, at the time, appeared to be a big pile of dirt I settled into a state of curiosity, knowing that the next twelve months could be as frustrating or as fascinating as I was willing to let them be. Build Upon a Strong Foundation

By Annie| March 21st, 2017|Categories: Lines In The Sand, Thoughts from the Barn|0 Comments

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Are You Going to Be Angry or a Force For Good? Learn To Focus Your Attention on Positivity.

What You Focus On, Flourishes I tell the participants in the Lines In The Sand course, “what you focus on, flourishes.” And, the great news is you get to decide on where you are going to direct your attention. If you choose to put up with people, things or events that don’t make you feel good, then you are NOT going to feel good. It is my observation that a good number of people are unhappy and angry these days and they are letting the news set the tone for their moods which only serves to keep them miserable and dissatisfied. My coaching is first, to quit watching the news, and then look for what is right in the world instead of what you view as wrong. Look at all you have in your life versus focusing on what you don’t have. Surround yourself with people who are aligned with your values and get grateful. You cannot have the emotion of gratitude and lacking at the same time. Gratitude wins every time. Look For Positive News & Stories I make it a point to go looking for good news and inspiring stories. Today I came across a story on the GoodNewsNetwork about how high school students in Boca Raton, Florida started a Lunch Club so no one would eat alone. This is a wonderful account of how a young student (who had immigrated to the United States during his first-grade year) found adjusting to school and a new

By Annie| March 16th, 2017|Categories: Thoughts from the Barn|0 Comments

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I Want To Know What Love Is: How to Develop Self-Respect and Self-Love

One of the topics that we discuss in the Lines In The Sand course is the importance of self-respect and self-love. I have come to know that the best way to honor and love others is to honor and love yourself first. This weekend as I was at the barn pulling weeds and raking leaves, (yes, a girl has to keep her land in good order) a song that I haven’t heard in years came on the radio. You know the song, it is I Want To Know What Love Is by Foreigner. It was the band's all-time mega hit written by the guitarist, Mick Jones. Something Bigger Than Myself I have always liked the song and since it hadn't come across my music listening plate for so long I heeded the words with precise attention. There is something about the rugged grittiness of the lyrics that appeal to my earthy appreciation of something bigger than myself. As I listened to the song I noticed that I was hearing the words with a new perspective. I heard it as a conversation with myself — regarding self-love, or my own love for me. These are the course lyrics: “Let’s talk about love. I wanna know what love is, the love that you feel inside. I want you to show me, and I’m feeling so much love. I wanna feel what love is, no, you can’t just hide. I know you can show me.” For me, epiphanies have always been striking

By Annie| March 14th, 2017|Categories: Lines In The Sand, Relationships, Thoughts from the Barn|0 Comments

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Tony Robbins and Living in a Beautiful State of Mind

My life changed the day that I made FEAR my friend. My biggest fear has always been related to money, you know the ugly and nagging monster of not enough. I grew up on a farm in Northeastern Colorado, an upbringing that I will always treasure. We were poor, (yet rich in so many ways) so poor that I can still remember days when my parents would not eat so that my brothers and I could have something to eat. When I reflect back on those days I realize that my young head didn’t know we were poor, but my young heart did. I did not want to fall prey to the human conditioning of not enough, but I didn’t know how to NOT be poor. Over time I have managed to create and keep my financial world in good order, but fear does raise its ugly head now and then. In the Lines In The Sand class that I teach, I share a philosophy that I have developed over the years. I call it “keep your ass in the saddle”. This means to stay present and not focus on the past or the future. The only power you have is in the now, right here, right now. Wandering off into the weeds of your past or future oftentimes gives rise to havoc and poor choices. Dwelling in the past keeps you stuck on thoughts and emotions that do not serve you. Getting too far out in front of

By Annie| March 10th, 2017|Categories: Thoughts from the Barn|Tags: beautiful, conquer fear, feel joy, state of mind|0 Comments

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Take a Moment for Self Assessment to Create a Life You Love

Regular self assessment can lead to a life you love I often hear people say that they are frustrated and unfulfilled with some aspect of their life. And, although they know they feel like this, very few of them know where to start in order to turn their annoyance and displeasure into a life that they love. One thing that I have found useful over the years is to step back and take inventory through self assessment of my life to help me to identify where the frustration and lack of fulfillment are coming from. At least once a year I sit down and look at nine domains of my life and note my level of satisfaction in each area. The next thing I do is write down at least one thing that I can do in each of these areas to increase my quality of happiness and fulfillment. This exercise helps me to pinpoint exactly where I want to focus my time and attention in order to continue to thrive in my life. I have found this so useful that I have created a Self-Assessment Tool that will assist you in determining what areas of your life could use some sprucing up. Get yourself on track with free tools Do yourself a favor and complete this five-minute free Self-Assessment Tool. Not only will you learn where your opportunities for enhancement are, you will gain access to frequent life tips, coaching, and inspiration to help you create a life

By Annie| March 7th, 2017|Categories: Belief Systems, Lines In The Sand, Thoughts from the Barn|Tags: focus, frustration, fulfillment, happiness, self assessment|0 Comments

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Four Things You Can Do For Yourself to Increase Your Happiness

Earlier this week and article in the U.K.’s Daily Mail caught my attention. The article is titled, The Key to Happiness? Self Esteem. Psychologists at the University of Missouri-Columbia interviewed 700 students in the United States and Korea. The students were asked what their most satisfying experiences were and to explain why these experiences made them happy. Here is what they said: Being true to themselves, being competent at activities, having close bonds with other people, and feeling respect for themselves topped the list. The article did not offer any tips or suggestions on how to accomplish these desires, so I will put forward a few of my own. Here are Four Simple Ways to Increase Your Happiness: Being true to yourself: The best way to do this is to be your authentic self. Being authentic and living an authentic life is a choice. It means wholeheartedly recognizing and accepting your worthiness. One way to self-test if you are living authentically is to list and prioritize what you value most. Once you have done this you can compare your values to how you are actually living your life each day. Are the activities that you participate in and the choices you make each day aligned with your values? If so, good for you, keep up the good behavior. If not, what changes and different choices do you need to make in order to be true to yourself and others? Being competent in activities: The first thing I recommend that you do

By Annie| March 2nd, 2017|Categories: Lines In The Sand, Thoughts from the Barn|Tags: happiness, tips|0 Comments

Monthly Archives: March 2017