September 16th, 2008
Moments
By Lori Brower
In April 2007, our son was diagnosed with cancer. “Yes, it’s confirmed. It is alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, although your son is a little old to have this particular childhood cancer…,” the doctor said. What?!?! Nick? He is only 18! He graduates from high school next month. I stuttered, “Are you sure?”
“Yes, it’s stage 4.” The words took a few seconds to register. Stages of cancer are ranked from stage 1 as the least dangerous to stage 4, the highest – and deadliest – level. Then a glass of water spilled and my hands shook as I tried to clean it up and listen to the procedures that needed to be done before hospital admission.
“He only has a 10% chance of survival.” How can I gather myself before going back into his hospital room? How can moments of disbelief turn to fear so quickly?
During Nick’s first round of chemo, a very wise nurse told me on the first day, “Our doctors and nurses are excellent. The hospital is excellent. However, he is YOUR son, YOUR responsibility – so know what is going on – always. Ask questions; get copies of everything; research the chemo drugs; keep notes on what pain medications work or don’t work. I’ll help you learn what numbers to be concerned with on the lab results.” She made a difference in helping me regain moments of clarity and confidence. (Continues)
April 18th, 2008
What’s Your Vision?
Lee Brower was recently interviewed for Change Nation, a guest interview series produced by The First 30 Days, Inc., a New York City-based organization helping people worldwide capitalize on change. During the interview, Ariane de Bonvoisin, CEO of The First 30 Days, asked Lee how people can accurately create a vision regarding wealth. Lee said:
“Your key to everything is to say, ‘Here is my vision.’ Once [you’re] in motion, [figure out how to] sustain it. ….You just keep moving until your vision gets very clear and you say at the end of each day, ‘What did I do right today that moved me closer to my vision and how can I do more of that?’”
Sounds simple, right? Well, in the years Lee has helped people optimize their true assets, he has found that for many people, maintaining that vision and staying in motion can be challenging.
He has often encouraged people to create a vision board – something like a bulletin board with photos, quotes, and key words that represent the ways in which they want to make changes in their lives.
With better technology often comes better solutions, and now Quadrant Living is pleased to introduce a more powerful, more convenient way to shape your vision. The VisionBridge™ Software tool enables you to create your own “virtual bulletin board” that you can view on your screensaver, desktop wallpaper, or even your cell phone or iPod. You can customize it and change it as often as you’d like, including your own photos, affirmations, power words, and more.
Keep your mental pictures in front of you, literally, and see how much easier it is to reflect on your gratitude, focus on your vision, and accelerate your motion.
Learn more about the VisionBridge™ Software
Listen to Lee’s interview on Change Nation
December 10th, 2007
A Time to Give Thanks…and Carry Two Rocks
It’s been a few weeks since we gathered around the table and enjoyed Thanksgiving in America with family and friends. It seems that the moment we’re digging into leftovers, however, the idea of “giving thanks” is long past and consumerism has set in (think holiday shopping, talk about gift lists, and so on). I know a lot of people who would choose Thanksgiving as their favorite holiday and Christmas as their least favorite holiday. And I can see why: Thanksgiving bears little expectations; it’s a truly authentic holiday that includes every American. As soon as Santa makes his entrance on storefronts and the retailers start the heavy seasonal advertising, though, I sense a shift in the cultural tone.
I’m a big fan of the holidays—don’t get me wrong. But I think it’s important to keep in mind what lies at the core of the holiday spirit: a semblance of gratitude. Physical gifts and Christmas decorations aside, the holidays should be a time when we offer up our most authentic selves to our loved ones. There is no need to spend money, either. Looking for a the perfect gift may be as easy as offering up your time. It might help to keep two Gratitude Rocks in your pocket or purse throughout the holidays. Let one remind you to be grateful of general for all the things in your life—your family, your friends, your experiences, and so on. Then let the other rock represent a specific act that shows your gratefulness to another person or group of people. For example, if a special friend has fallen ill, “pay back” your appreciation for having them in your life by taking over or sharing the role of caretaking. This will ultimately reward you in ways you never could have imagined.
Got a story about holiday gratitude you want to share? Write to me and I’ll post the best ones!
November 3rd, 2007
Are You a Manager or a Leader in Your Family?
I always get a rise in people when I share with them the following: paying for a college tuition is like robbing your child. I call it parental theft.
Managers are not the same as leaders, and when it comes to family dynamics this cannot be more true. And critical to the lifeblood of your family’s future success…(continued on next page)
When Cancer Strikes,
Is the Law of Attraction Dead?
Last week several Ask Lee e-mails came in from people wondering how to apply the lessons from The Secret to bad things that happen in life like illness and disease. After all, if the Law of Attraction is so powerful and true, then how does one explain the “attraction” to terrible times when someone we love gets sick?
First, let me start by stating plainly that the Law of Attraction isn’t the only law. The Law of Attraction works in conjunction with other laws. Laws do not bend or adjust to fit individual circumstances. Some laws are natural laws, associated with nature. We know that when certain elements combine we get a hurricane. We also know that if we jump off a building we will engage the law of gravity and go splat. Then there are those laws that have less to do with physical nature, such as the laws of choice and consequences. We have control over our choices, but we may not have control over the outcomes from our choices. If the outcomes appear negative and we dwell on all of the negativity, we will attract more negativity. One way to overcome this is to focus on the learning aspect. Ask yourself, “What am I supposed to be learning from this experience?” That question can help you to move out of being a victim and move into that space of being a grateful learner. (continues)
A reminder.
A keepsake.
A touchstone.
Brower Gratitude Rocks™ are a simple, powerful system for practicing one of the most important habits we can have: experiencing, capturing, and showing gratitude.
