{"id":61,"date":"2010-12-21T10:02:55","date_gmt":"2010-12-21T10:02:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/successrefresh.com\/?p=61"},"modified":"2010-12-21T10:02:55","modified_gmt":"2010-12-21T10:02:55","slug":"how-to-stop-planning-a-mediocre-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/leesabarnes.com\/blog\/how-to-stop-planning-a-mediocre-life\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Stop Planning a Mediocre Life"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Very early on the morning of December 20, 2010, I witnessed an event that hasn&#8217;t happened on Winter Solstice since 1638 &#8211; a total lunar eclipse. <\/p>\n<p>The moon was sitting over my roof, so I had to sneak out the front door at specific intervals to see the transformation take place. It was a cold night in Toronto, so I couldn&#8217;t stay outside too long, but I was able to marvel at what I saw. <\/p>\n<p>I snapped photos and although I didn&#8217;t have telescopic, zoom-in lens, I was able to capture this moment in history on my camera.<\/p>\n<p>As I looked up, I wondered what this all meant. I <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Winter_solstice\" target=\"_blank\">read on Wikipedia<\/a> that the Winter Solstice is a celebration since it means that from this point forward, the days start getting longer and longer in the Northern Hemisphere where I reside. <\/p>\n<p><strong><em>It&#8217;s a time of rebirth, rejuvenation. A time to refresh.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><!--more--> <\/p>\n<p>I shared this experience virtually with my friend, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.maryamwebster.com\/home\/\" target=\"_blank\">Maryam Webster<\/a>. She&#8217;s in California, I&#8217;m in Toronto. I asked her why this lunar eclipse happening on Winter Solstice feels so yummy. Why does it feel so important. Why do I feel all tingly inside.<\/p>\n<p>Her response?<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>&#8220;Leesa, I&#8230;got a clear sense that this is a sweeping away of a whole lotta cobwebs, busting our attachment both individually and as a collective organism to ways that aren&#8217;t working anymore and instilling a new path forward on the macro as well as micro levels.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The events of the next 24 hours and fortnight will be crystalizing clarity &#038; purpose for many, and drawing the energy to *back* that purpose\/mission powerfully for those savvy enough to hook into it. Mostly in the areas of communication, heart&#8217;s desire\/dream fulfillment, health and sustainability. Hope that helps provide a jumping-off point for folks.&#8221;<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Ah, yes. Clarity. Purpose. Intention. In other words, a rebirth of self, ideas and personal missions.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>A time for me to say goodbye to what has kept me in a mediocre place to a life of excellence and immense possibilities.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>It is no accident that we celebrate Christ&#8217;s birth at this time of year. Although scholars say that Jesus was not born on Christmas day, they do agree that he was a baby when the wise men found him on December 25th. <\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Christ&#8217;s presence on this earth signaled a rebirth for humanity.<\/strong><\/em> <\/p>\n<p>He brought light to ignorant people, food to hungry souls and peace to those in mental turmoil. Christ rejuvenated many and influenced a movement that now has 2.2-billion followers.<\/p>\n<p>What about you?<\/p>\n<p>Will you put together the same tired plans that&#8217;ll help you reach mediocrity? Will you continue to joint venture or mastermind with the same people who don&#8217;t help you grow? Will you continue to look at the world through the same eyes that created your current existence?<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Or are you ready for a refresh?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><u>Your Actions<\/u><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Get a piece of paper and a pen and write down your observations of the previous 12-months from a December 2010 perspective<\/strong>. Identify what went well and what could&#8217;ve been improved. Be sure to put the date at the top of your sheet(s) of paper. And don&#8217;t be tempted to type this up in a Word document on your computer. Get a pen, grab some paper, then write. <\/li>\n<li><strong>Now, imagine that you went back in time and it&#8217;s now December 2009<\/strong>. Look at the previous 12-months from a 2009 perspective and like #1 above, document what went well and what could&#8217;ve been improved.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Compare the 2 sheets of paper and circle the common threads<\/strong>. If, for example, you make $150,000 in 2009 and again in 2010, circle this. If, for example, you were constantly battling with your spouse\/parent\/sibling in 2009 &#038; 2010 to &#8220;go out and get a job&#8221;, circle this. <\/li>\n<li><strong>Review all the circled words and ask yourself if you&#8217;re really living a refreshed life<\/strong>. A life of excellence. If not, it&#8217;s time to dream bigger.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Take out one last piece of paper and now, go forward in time. It&#8217;s now December 2011<\/strong>. &#8220;Look back&#8221; at the previous 12-months and write down what went well. Did you meet someone famous? Did your business finally break through the 7-figure mark? Did you go overseas to volunteer? Did your child finally get married? <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Please share your discoveries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Very early on the morning of December 20, 2010, I witnessed an event that hasn&#8217;t happened on Winter Solstice since 1638 &#8211; a total lunar eclipse. The moon was sitting over my roof, so I had to sneak out the front door at specific intervals to see the transformation take place. It was a cold [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[80],"tags":[39,43,49,78],"class_list":["post-61","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-teller","tag-lunar-eclipse-december-20","tag-maryam-webster","tag-new-years-resolutions","tag-winter-solstice","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/leesabarnes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/leesabarnes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/leesabarnes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/leesabarnes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/leesabarnes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/leesabarnes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/leesabarnes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/leesabarnes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/leesabarnes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}