Category Archives: empty-nester

SOAPBOX of the week: refresh your formula

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“The chief obstacle to the progress of the human race is the human race.”     ~ Don Marquis, American humorist & journalist

     When asked for the proverbial “recipe for success” most folks ramble off a regurgitated list of requisites, like hard work, networking, tenacity; perhaps a gameplan and willingness to make sacrifices….and toss in a pinch of faith.  Yup, a practical concoction of generic brand components that makes for a yet pathetically tasteless formula.  Like Aunt Marva’s annual casserole that no one has the heart to tell ain’t worth the reused take-out tin that it’s in.  But, dare I say, I think what’s infinitely more important is identifying which ingredients should be eighty-sixed from your pantry indefinitely.  I mean, how long have you been trying to concoct a killer soufflé of success with a grocery list of a sedentary lifestyle, ex-spouse issues, fear of failure and lack of accountability?  Do you really think combining poor organization, procrastination, and no rewards or relaxation will fluff up into a batch of mouth-watering, enviable delectables?  So stop tossing the same crap in your cart!  You don’t have to be Martha or Emeril to realize the results you seek.  Clean out the cluttered cupboards and coolers and start from scratch, folks!  A fresh, bold, more vivid perspective will open up a whole new world and empower you to cook up a truly fulfilling, flavorful life. 

Copyright 2000-2010 by Kimberlie Dykeman. SUBSCRIBE to FREE feed/email  HERE!
“Pure Soapbox” available nationwide & audiobook available on iTUNES & Audible.com!  A portion of the proceeds of all book sales is donated to LIVESTRONG.

Get it in gear and  BOOK KIMBERLIE TO MOTIVATE   your peeps! info@puresoapbox.com

SOAPBOX of the week: the 4-letter word

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“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”  Franklin Delano Roosevelt, US President

Manischewitz, that’s it!  THE big idea of the 20th century that allowed an entire population to see the proverbial light and follow a leader to the mountain!  Through one of the darkest times of American history, one mantra may have indeed helped hope float, creating a life preserver to carry a nation to the next decade.  A trite, seemingly simplistic statement, it stands without need for correction, for it upholds an inherent truth ad infinitum.   Life will always present us with obstacles, dangerous situations, threats, nightmares, heart-wrenching decisions, upsetting results, and yes, the realization of our own mortality.  And, no doubt, the relentless realist in you may crave to discredit this famous assertion, arguing the endless list of potential problems and negative possibilities should warrant panic and protection.  But you won’t get an email headlining just when all hell will break loose… let alone, if at all, folks!  So call it what you will: terror, dread, worry, anxiety, alarm, apprehension, reverence, or utter petrification –the shadow FEAR casts has the undeserved power to ruin so many magical moments life is indeed also readying to deliver with dawn’s beaming light.  Choose to deny it such debilitating control and allow your eternal optimist to unabashedly embrace this leader’s plausible, though perhaps fairytale-like enlightenment.  Forever choose faith over fear and you reinforce your own authority of leading a life of memorable “aha’s!” versus “ut-oh’s!” 

Copyright 2000-2010 by Kimberlie Dykeman. SUBSCRIBE to FREE feed/email  HERE!
“Pure Soapbox“ available nationwide & audiobook available on iTUNES & Audible.com!  A portion of the proceeds of all book sales is donated to LIVESTRONG.

BOOK KIMBERLIE TO MOTIVATE your peeps! info@puresoapbox.com

SOAPBOX of the week: refuse to repeat

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“Movement in a new direction helps you find new cheese.”    –  Haw from Who Moved My Cheese? by Dr. Spencer Johnson

Make today the day that you plunge into uncharted territory. Purposefully cross paths with some of the sharpest strangers you will ever meet in your life. Throw a proverbial curve ball at your comfort zones and associate yourself with people from whom you can continuously learn about life on a daily basis. Scroll your picture show as ever changing and ever expanding.

No doubt, any and all of this sounds a little scary, like being strapped into a 24/7 roller coaster. But given a choice, I think you’d rather take that over Groundhog Day any day. The world offers so much out there for you to experience. You only need to open your minds. And, those of you who know of this quoted book are probably smiling right now, having another “a-ha!” or two. Just, think back to when peanut butter and jelly became old news. You have so very much to gain from even entertaining the idea of change, but trust me, it’s even better when you let osmosis get the best of you. Choose to diligently and actively lay out a fabulous future. Choose to make each day’s closing scroll of credits one that Spielberg would envy. And understand that with change comes adventure and unpredictability with absolutely priceless rewards.

This is an excerpt from “Pure Soapbox“  by Kimberlie Dykeman. Copyright 2008 by Kimberlie Dykeman.        SUBSCRIBE to FREE feed/email  HERE!
“Pure Soapbox“ available nationwide & audiobook available on iTUNES & Audible.com!  A portion of the proceeds of all book sales is donated to LIVESTRONG. 

BOOK KIMBERLIE TO MOTIVATE  your peeps!  info@puresoapbox.com / 310- 500- 9587

SOAPBOX of the week: break the holding pattern

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“The future has no lobby.”     –  Peter G. Peterson, banker, author, and politician

Let me say that again.  The future HAS NO LOBBY.  Period.  There are only two rooms, in the biosphere of life: A, the present and B, the past.  That’s it.  No need for a hallway to connect them, since everyone ultimately passes from A to B.  And certainly no warmly-lit foyer sprinkled with comfy loveseats, droning Muzak, and artificial arrangements.  So, look around. Is your current reality room housing countless anxious awaiters sporting falsely-at-ease facades? Are your relationships revolving around the collective glorious plans yet to be?  Are you stuck in unresolved, record-skipping conversations while sipping free crappy, no-name coffee and banking that the next someone who enters will indeed ignite your future now?  Sorry to be the kill-joy, but there’s a reason why all the People magazines are nine months old.  You’ve parked yourself in the past, where a pie-in-the-sky future-perfect will never manifest.  See, opportunities and potential blessings can only be seen clearly through the windows of the present.  …and that drive-through is always open!  So, stop idling in your own history.  Leave the lobby-in-your-mind and truly experience a here-and-now worthwhile…that you didn’t grow old waiting for.

Copyright 2000-2010 by Kimberlie Dykeman.        SUBSCRIBE to FREE feed/email  HERE!
“Pure Soapbox“ available nationwide & audiobook available on iTUNES & Audible.com!  A portion of the proceeds of all book sales is donated to LIVESTRONG. 

BOOK KIMBERLIE TO MOTIVATE  your peeps!  info@puresoapbox.com / 310- 500- 9587

SOAPBOX of the week: proclamation of emancipation

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“Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.”    – Janis Joplin, singer- songwriter

Are you living cage-free?  Sounds like a silly question, right?  But think about it.  After all, we are all divinely blessed with sovereignty over our choices.  And yet, so very many of us invest out time, energy, efforts, and emotions in obsolete, inconsequential “things” and, unknowingly, impound and chain ourselves to their immovable, valueless positions.   SO I ask you: 

If you are not free of debt, have you lost your priorities?

If you are not free of pride, have you lost your place in society?

If you are not free of distractions, have you lost your discipline? 

If you are not free of conflict, have you lost your communication?

If you are not free of guilt, have you lost your value system?

If you are not free of fear, have you lost your ability to love?

If you are not free of worry, have you lost your faith? 

If you are not free to speak the truth, have you lost your voice?

A “yes” to any of these doesn’t forever fence you in.  Heck, if anything, a confession of self-containment might just smack you upside the head and prompt you to fly the coop without hesitation.  And in acknowledging what indeed needs to be shed, you’ll understand just how to swaddle yourself in what is worth becoming your second skin…and immediately notice how much “lighter” living can feel.  So, start sloughing, bust through the barricades and embrace the vitality of emancipation.

 

Copyright 2000-2010 by Kimberlie Dykeman.        SUBSCRIBE to FREE feed/email  HERE!
“Pure Soapbox“ available nationwide & audiobook available on iTUNES & Audible.com!  A portion of the proceeds of all book sales is donated to LIVESTRONG. 

BOOK KIMBERLIE TO MOTIVATE  your peeps!  info@puresoapbox.com / 310- 500- 9587

SOAPBOX of the week: brutal truth of brilliance

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“Don’t worry about people stealing an idea. If it’s original, you will have to ram it down their throats.”     ~ Howard Aiken, physicist and computing pioneer

A lightbulb flickers on and its monumental “a-ha moment” sparks a Fourth of July display in your mind, lighting a future glistening with influence, income and an influx of opportunities your opponents will soon envy.  We’re talking an idea worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize, Top Invention of the Decade, or at least a key to the city and a park in your name.  And with life-and-death urgency you ready to share it with the world… or at least your nosy neighbor, seeking wonder-filled ooh’s and aah’s.  Oh, but then the bulb dims when you realize revealing your “golden idea” to give it a pulse and bring it to the masses one day… means letting the BIG SECRET out!  So you cower and cover the brilliance of your brainstorm for fear of another pilfering its power.  Sound familiar?  The good news is, if it’s not just another regurgitated, so-called revolutionary way to slice bread, the boxed-in thinkers won’t want to touch it with a 10-foot pole.  It’s ALL you, baby!  The bad news is (as seasoned entrepreneurs will attest)…it’s ONLY you.  Like the painstakingly clichéd process of feeding veggies to a defiant kiddo, you’d better ready for a battle with equally the belligerent naysayers.  But… if you stay passionate and true to your revelation and its reach, reinforcements will eventually rally your cause and illuminate the path to your success.  So, if you’re willing to roll up your sleeves, my friend, go ahead and clear space on the shelves for those awards!

Copyright 2000-2010 by Kimberlie Dykeman.        SUBSCRIBE to FREE feed/email  HERE!
“Pure Soapbox“ available nationwide & audiobook available on iTUNES & Audible.com!  A portion of the proceeds of all book sales is donated to LIVESTRONG. 

BOOK KIMBERLIE TO MOTIVATE  your peeps!  info@puresoapbox.com / 310- 500- 9587