New Year, New You, Expansive Gratitude.

Here are some of the things I am grateful for having learned and accomplished as I close the book of history on 2006 and embrace a new year with the coming of 2007.

1. Immensely grateful for the doctors and surgeons, for Children's Hospital and their progressive care of my daughter who is now fully recovered from her febrile seizure in January 2006, and has been completely healthy and is now in the 75% for her age/weight and height-- not just improving but thriving is awesome!
2. Learned from experience that direct requests and communications net better results than vague wishes and unexpressed desires. I learned to ask for what I needed, and becoming clear on when I had received it. THEN attracted a few excellent business women who helped me refine my approach. Learned much from Denise Michaels, and her Network Real Women, Real Business, Real Succcess.
3. Fear and Optimism seem to require equal practice to maintain, but Optimism has a much better ROI and Fear has a much greater cost on your productivity and a drain to your spirit.
4. I learned a bit more about Positive Framing for success and Prosperity Consciousness thanks to Ryze friends Rasheed Hooda and Ernie Martin working with me to consider my business model and Marilyn Jennet allowing me the means to offer her Feel Free To Prosper Program to my HFCN network.
5. Thanks to hiring a coach in the fall to help me design a better workout, I discovered a love of challenging and improving my health, and recognized about 2 sizes smaller in my wardrobe by Christmas.
6. We launched Helping Friends LLC, a for profit Business and Career Network venture of my dream purpose! Creative Carpe Diem at it's Best!
7. Launched the Linked In Helping Friends Group-- a LinkedIn Business Network, A Yahoo Companion Group & Networking Community to extend LinkedIn Capability, and a Social/Business Networking Blog to create a vehicle for using web 2.0 and social networking for business benefit.
8. Purchased, Trained and Deployed the HFCN Job Leads and Applicant Tracking System.
9. Researched, Published, and Collaborated to produce over 24 editions of the eNews Job Leads Newsletter to support the Job Seekers HFCN Yahoo Group!
10. Learned how to use my Gold Ryze Membership by creating and hosting a group called Winning Career and Business Networks.
11. Learned the art of day tight blogging, RSS, Feedburning, and Pinging.. Having created a multipurpose blog series for my Work in IT, Career Support for our Job Seekers Community, and a Business Network to support and help bring prosperity to our business partners.
12. Learned to take more risks and accept a more traditional and structured business model can still do good work, and in fact can serve more people to create a sound prosperity structure.
13. Met the exact life coaches and contacts I needed seemingly as if from the universe itself.. Signficant contacts for Business Development, Legal Services, Finacial Accounting, Recruiter Split relationships, Prosperity and Health Coaching.
14. Traded my fear and despair, survivors guilt and personal sorrow for practiced optimism, positive association, and daring to dream.
15. Finished "Windows" a tryptic painting about the beauty and nature on a golden afternoon.
16. Found my voice to lead others in business, and speak the truth, defining a path for discovering optimism and success out of tranforming the feeling of being stuck.
17. Created an awesome "Temporary Logo and brand" for the Helping Friends and got rave reviews for it being so bright, cheery and meaningful! Got Business Cards and Created a Cafepress HFCN Storefront with rotating graphics using the logo to reward referrals and contributions from the community that help others to get jobs.
18. Continued to memorialize important events such as 09/11, Corporate Layoffs and Human Matters.
19. Got back in touch with my high school best friend, Dora Mendoza-- a beautiful person who reminded me of the genuine kindness of others.
20. Created a channel for networking with other women, and in fact, got more involved with business professionals who are balancing success with life, work, and family successfully-- first steps to overcoming my type A personality.
21. Learned and Learned to Mentor the notion that Words Matter!
22. Learning a few ways to do calendars, and then learned that pretty is not nearly as useful as RSSCalendar.com's XML Portable RSS feed with a functional month view, portable Website view, subscription base and reuse capability!
23. Discovered the Browser Based Tool Bar of Conduit.com offers a great community oriented toolbar with a great RSS Change Management Vehicle.
24. Learned that my body metabolizes food better when I eat 4-5 smaller meals a day with good proteins. AND as I get more active, my threshold for blood sugar issues gets more sensitive if I don't manage this balance. Also that as I eat refined sugars or bulky meals I tend to feel very full, but crash from the sugar high pretty quickly.. Hmm more work needed here on balance, but good progress just the same.
25. Learned that I can manage bouts of insomnia better by not panicking or trying to force sleep. Sometimes breathing meditation can help, sometimes working out early in the morning really agressively can help. Always if I can not sleep at night, I can certainly refresh with cat naps during the day and stay productive and reasonably refreshed. Curious that insomnia seems to be best cured by more activity and less worry about how much sleep you are losing.
26. Discovered learning and possibility comes better from the universe than effort... however learning that the type A nature is one that can be channeled more appropriately thanks to reading the works of Pema Chodron, Thic Nhat Hahn, and of course the resonating historic life management message of Dr Jia Gottlieb and a host of priceless mentors that have presented themselves in my life over the past year.
27. Discovered and refined my talents for empathy through a stunning experience -- interesting story with a happy sort of ending. Wishing the family well, and learning not to ask why but instead what I am to do as a responsible empath to receive and act on the talent. Then had the pleasure of discovering the Abraham-Hicks learning and that perhaps therein is the solution to how to manage the "what" better.
28. Feeling a deep gratitude for the increasing prosperity that is happening in my life, both in monetary and meaningful experiences.
29. Appreciating the joy of reconnecting with family you have not seen for years, and some not seen for a decade-- it's almost like opening a unexpected Christmas gift.
30. Speaking of unexpected Christmas Gifts.. In the past year numerous teachers have appeared to show me some more of the eastern philosophical approaches to enlightenment, including my first Buddhist Speaker Event with a Tibetan Art Show in the High School that is only a few miles from here!
31. I could have the capacity, and great shoes now to run or walk in a competitive event, and am now creating the goal and training to complete such and event in 2007.
32. I learned way way way more about web maintenance than I had ever dreamed, and am proud to have learned how to produce my first Shockwave Media for the Helping Friends Jobs and Helping Friends Business Network.
    
33. My dear friend Renee Ponsonby moved from far far away in California to Wisconsin.. Great news! Part of her team is in Ohio, just about 40 minutes from my home.. BEST news!! Sharing dinner and laughs of old times with her is sheer joy -- always!
    
34. I live in as wonderful neighborhood with kind neighbors, and am starting to get to know more of them.
    
35. Got to see Dan Churney, talk about his book, our work, and get caught up on old times.. He looked great, seemed happy, and his work is interesting.. Hope he writes the next book. Capone's Cornfields was his last published work, and now it includes a tour for those who are interested. I would love to take that tour too!