What Price Tag Are You Wearing?

If you are not being treated with love and respect, check your price tag. Perhaps you have marked yourself down. Learn to value yourself. If you don’t, no one else will! Jump off the clearance rack and get behind the glass where the valuables are kept. Author Unknown.  Today I look in the mirror, take my lipstick and write “Priceless” above my head. Take a picture and look at it daily from now on!

Maybe you grew up in a home or school where you weren’t valued, causing those old tapes of rejection to keep playing in your mind. Or you were in a relationship where you experienced physical or emotional abuse and now need to rebuild your life, seeing yourself as God sees you. You establish your worth by what you accept!

You DO have the power to reinvent your life! How? People tend to treat us the way we treat ourselves, or by what we allow. Those who do not treat you with love and respect must no longer be allowed to do so. Make healthy choices, seek out new friends, and read or watch anything that inspires or lifts your spirit. Look deep in your eyes in the mirror and speak kind, uplifting and encouraging words and affirmations to yourself! What is your value? God says “you are a pearl of great price.” That’s pretty awesome!

Start living and dreaming like the King of the universe is your Dad and wants you to be happy and fulfilled! Because He is and He does!

 Rita Rocker

 

What’s In Your Shopping Cart of Life?

What Are You Putting in Your Shopping Cart of Life? Are they healthy lifestyle choices that are good for you or unhealthy friends and habits? Today I assess where I am in life, what is good for me and what is a hindrance. I choose taking whatever steps necessary to fill my cart to overflowing with joy and abundance.

Just like reading labels can help steer you away from of unhealthy food and drink, putting clear labels on habits and relationships can also steer you to choices that nourish you and give you the strength and endurance to rise and thrive!

Ask yourself these questions. Do the feelings and habits I am hanging on to:

  • Serve any worthwhile purpose for me? For my family? For my career?
  • Help me move forward with my goals? Hold me back in an unhappy comfort zone?
  • Work in my favor in any way? Why or why not?

If your emotions, thoughts, self-talk, life choices (relationships, jobs, activities) do not help you transform and move forward, move them to the dumpster and reach for the “good stuff” you truly deserve. What step can you focus on next to improve your life? Begin the process with small steps, one at a time, to get your mind moving in a new direction.

Let’s sing, dance and ride the roller coaster of life in high gear. Choose to live life to the fullest. Start now, right where you are, and make a brand new ending to the story of your life!

 

Rita Rocker

 

Driving Down the Road Marked “Beautiful”

No one can look backwards and make a brand new start; however, anyone can start now and make a brand new ending!!!! (author unknown) Today I sever the ties to the past and, with great anticipation, steer myself down the road marked “beautiful.”

God is not hindered by our past, lack of education, age, financial situation, or any circumstance that we might use as an excuse to continue floundering in disappointments and frustration. Remember all the experiences that have prepared you for your destiny. Preparations for fulfilling your purpose are not just through higher education, building a hefty retirement, or amassing more worldly experiences. Some of life’s most difficult lessons hold the most life-transforming value. They may be the ones you hated the most but hold dearest to your heart for how you grew and your life changed.

Think of what burns passionately within you. What puts a smile on your face when you think about it? What hopes and feelings, even when they were put back on the shelf for a season, never really went away? Could that be your passion? Is your life’s purpose hanging on to you, maintaining a powerful grip, even if you don’t see how it could ever come to pass?

Take the broken pieces of your life, mix them with your unfulfilled dreams, and use them to create a beautiful new mosaic! You can create a new beginning, one step at a time. Go!

 Rita Rocker

Content Where You Are While Heading Towards Where You Want

Be happy for what you have while working for what you want. Helen Keller. In the midst of any thorns in my life’s garden, I choose to dance when it rains and remove all but the beautiful fruit I can grow.

 You truly are the only one who is in control. You choose which path you will walk along by the choices you make and how you respond to people and situations. Examine the beauty of a magnificent pearl. It is actually created because of the injury done to the oyster that contains it. The constant irritation of a sharp piece of sand causes the oyster to excrete a white pearly liquid to coat the sand and stop the pain. It is the gnawing pain that eventually prods the oyster to change its situation. The end result is a pearl of great beauty and value. You are just like that pearl, able to make something beautiful out of your experiences, if you let yourself.

However, releasing the pearl’s beauty to the world requires the oyster to be opened. Despite the hardness of the shell, it can be opened with ease. The shells are held closed by a single muscle called the adductor, and oysters are opened using a thin knife to cut that muscle. Once the adductor is cut, the shell easily falls open and a beautiful treasure emerges.

Sometimes our “releasing process” feels equally difficult, frightening and may be even painful, but the end result makes it all worth it! Step out, open up, and let your true beauty shine!

 

Rita Rocker

Whose Flower Bed Are You Nourishing?

A flower does not think of competing against the flower next to it. It just blooms! Today I make a list of all of my abilities, accomplishments and qualities. These are what I will nourish and see them grow strong!

Who isn’t delighted by a gorgeous rose, a beautiful symbol of love, romance, and life itself? It didn’t start out that way though. Nature’s storms pelt the little seed in similar fashion to what we experience in life. However, the turbulent moments in life are where roots grow deep and the seed starts to take the shape of a lovely flower IF, as the gardener, you nourish your seed (life) properly. In spite of the thorns (trials of life), the transformation has brought you from a tightly closed bud to a magnificent bloom.

When shopping for the flowers, you look at the photographs on the seed packages. They do not show you a picture of what the seeds look like in their current state, as dark, tiny, ugly seeds that do not showcase their true beauty and potential. The package shows the magnificent end result. Given the right nutrients and care, it will blossom into a vibrant and delightful creation. Likewise, when you look in the mirror, never see yourself as inferior, unlovely or defective–but as you truly are–a child of God’s magnificence!

Allow the seed inside you to grow, and only focus on the lovely picture of what you can become!

Rita Rocker

 

 

You’ve Had the Power All Along!

You’ve always had the power, even when you don’t feel powerful. You just had to learn it for yourself.  Glinda, Wizard of Oz. Today, I focus on looking within, allowing God’s abilities and strength to begin pouring out of me!

Do you feel like you have you lost your power physically and mentally? It is still within you! You’ve already been equipped with all you need to accomplish your calling. Determine if any self-limiting beliefs (can’t, won’t, afraid, broke) have hindered your success.

Here’s a good life lesson from the buzzard. In a pen that is 6’ x 8’ and entirely open at the top, the buzzard, in spite of its ability to fly, will remain an absolute captive of its circumstances. Why? A buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of 10-12 feet. Without space to run, it will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small cage even though the top is open for it to fly away.  How sad that its misbeliefs about its own abilities will keep it stuck! The buzzard was free to soar but did not even try!

Look at your life. Like the buzzard, are limiting thoughts and viewpoints keeping you bound even though the door is wide open for takeoff? If you’re stuck, change your approach and remember… “I get up, I walk, I fall down—meanwhile, I keep dancing!”  (author unknown).

Rita Rocker

 

Need to head the other direction?

Even if I’ve traveled in the wrong direction most of my life, it is NEVER too late to turn around! I start composing my life’s new chapter today!

As you stand at the crossroads of life, what is the most important area that you want to change?

  • Feeling more peace, energy, happiness in life? Becoming physically and emotionally healthier by more exercise and the right food choices?  Feeling better about yourself through positive thoughts and positive self- talk?  Having more fulfillment in a career or relationships?
  • Making simple changes in your demeanor and body language such as a more confident handshake, erect posture and good eye contact, and remembering to smile more?
  • What would make you “feel” more confident in your newly transformed life? Will a class in public speaking, a makeover, enjoying a hobby, or joining an organization, committee or any kind of a fun association or service group where you will make new friends and gain new skills? Today, begin exploring experiences that add more happiness and confidence to your life.
  • Set your mental compass for your new destination 1) personally, 2) professionally, 3) relationally. No fair looking in the rearview mirror. You go girl!
  • Become aware of what kind of energy you are projecting. Is it positive or negative, forceful or supportive, energetic or tired, hopeful or hopeless, determined or deflated?
  •  Set your mental compass for your new destination 1) personally, 2) professionally, 3) relationally. No fair looking in the rearview mirror. You go girl! 

    Rita Rocker

Is Your Appearance Giving YOU the Competitive Edge?

Your clothing should help you move up socially and in business, not hold you back!  Appearance can work for you by projecting a polished, confident image…or it can work against you by having scuffed, run down shoes, wrinkled clothing or ragged fingernails, which cry of low self-esteem, carelessness or that there is no motivation to go any further in life.  You always want to be recognized as a polished, intelligent and articulate professional rather than remembered for what you wore.

 Dress for the position–or clients–you want, not for the one you have.  Your wardrobe reflects your personality—creative, dramatic, intellectual, conservative, unsophisticated, or careless.  Avoid wearing clothing that overwhelms your size or personality.  You do not want your outfit to speak louder than your own character; however, you may perk up a drab personality by wearing clothing that is more appealing and friendly.

GlassesModerate size adds weight and authority.  They should cover eyebrows and be in a neutral color or complement hair and skin tone.  Too trendy or colorful are distracting.

Rain WearUse a solid handled umbrella with ten or more spokes.  Avoid plastic hats and coats if possible.

Attaché Case:  Get the best quality you can afford.  Shop the discount stores for quality leather.  They should be simple and functional.  Ladies on business calls, avoid taking an attaché case and a purse.

Wallets/Luggage:  Dark brown or maroon leather works best.  Invest in a matched canvas luggage set with leather belting when you can afford it.  Use a business card for identification rather than your home address.  Carry a tasteful business card holder.

The One-month CalendarIn order to fully realize the impact your clothing styles and colors have on your performance and the messages they portray to others, try the one-month calendar.  Each evening, write down what you wore—color, style, and fabric.  Describe how you felt and how others reacted to you.  Were they cooperative or antagonistic?  Warm or aloof?  Did they treat you with respect or indifference?  You will see a pattern that will help you dress in the most beneficial manner for your career.

Best Way to Get More Mileage Out of Your WardrobeChoose three compatible and flattering colors.  Ask yourself:  Can I wear it with three outfits I already have?  To three different events?  For three years and still look quality?  Accessorize it three different ways?

The Business Social Function:  If you are not sure what type of clothing is best for a business social function, keep an extra blouse/shirt, accessories, etc., in the car for a quick change if needed.  Strive for a sophisticated look.

What is Business Casual…Really?

Opinions on business casual vary among industries and areas of the country.  Even on “dress down days” you can still dress a notch above the norm.  Business casual is an extension of professional, yet in a more relaxed manner.  Suits are off the scale at the top, but anything worn, frayed, scuffed, dirty, wrinkled, ill-fitting, revealing, out-of-date or offensive is also off the bottom end of the scale.

Considerable research has been conducted on the effect of dress in the social environment.  When business associates meet in a social setting or on casual Fridays, they carry back to the business world the impressions they receive and the judgments they make based upon those impressions.  A well-dressed person is the one who attends a social function and, when he or she leaves, people say, “Did you notice how nice he/she looked?”  Yet no body can tell you what he or she was wearing.

Even in the casual setting, the one with more polish and professionalism will usually beat out the competition.

Wearing anything too trendy in a conservative environment can become a liability in that setting.  If your job is in a creative field, it might benefit you to be up to date.  Clothing for work has more to do with appropriateness, boundaries and respect than it has to do with fashion.  Neutral colors will not draw as much attention to a more casual style.

Avoid anything with large logos, tee-shirts with controversial messages and items that are too revealing.

Unbutton no more than the top button on shirts or blouses.

Pants with belt loops must be worn with a belt (in good condition and in the appropriate color and style).  Cut off the loops if you don’t want to wear a belt.

Remember, people are judged within the first seven seconds and you always want to portray the confident professional, whether on casual Fridays or doing business on the golf course!