Do not read this if you are trying to give up chocolate!! I’m not a bona fide chocoholic by any means.  In fact, I’m not one to seek out chocolate.  Don’t get me wrong, if it’s put in front of me, I don’t stand a chance, but I don’t crave chocolate or go out of my way to get it.  That is, until now…  Last night, I attended a networking event hosted by Taza Chocolate in Somerville, MA (www.tazachocolate.com).  The founder of Taza, Alex Whitmore has always been passionate about food and committed to social responsibility.  He and business partner, Larry Slotnick have a very clear mission and run their company in a way that is 100% consistent with this mission and their shared values, even when it takes more time and results in smaller profit margins.  They both left successful careers in unrelated industries to pursue their dream. 

Alex gave us a tour of his facility and explained the entire production process.  (You can learn the same thing by going on the web site, without the passion or Alex’s explanation and stories.)  What I learned last night totally changed my perspective on chocolate…  oh, great…another thing I have to wrestle with.  Thanks guys!   And, it inspired me because Alex and Larry are true values driven entrpreneurs, doing well, inspite of today’s economic realities!  Congratulations and good luck.  If you have defied my recommendation not to read this and have gotten this far, it will be worth your while to check out their site and find out where you can get Taza Chocolate in your neighborhood.  You won’t be sorry!  And now, I’ve got to go to the gym and work off last night’s ‘dinner’.

By now, you’ve probably heard about Susan Boyle, the frumpy  47 year old woman from a small collection of um, collection of um, ah yes, villages in Scotland.  If you haven’t, you have to check her out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY  Susan Boyle is a shining example to us all.  She declares that she’s always wanted to sing in front of a large audience.  She has a dream.   She is currently unemployed, living with her cat, Pebbles.  She has been singing since she was 12, apparently for her church choir and in the shower.  Why did she not go public until now?  Maybe she thought she wasn’t good enough.  Or perhaps she thought she didn’t ‘look like’ a singer.  Maybe she was too busy taking care of others.   Maybe she didn’t know how to get started.  Maybe she didn’t have a network of supportive friends and cheerleaders to offer guidance and gently push her along.  Maybe she focused more on what was wrong and what was missing than on her amazing gifts.   For whatever reason, she, up until now, has robbed the world of her amazing talent.  Why now?  Why, in April 2009, did Susan Boyle declare:  “I’m going to make this audience rock” and then go on to do just that?  Who knows.  But, it’s never too late! 

In what ways are you cheating the world out of your gifts and talents?  Where are you being stingy about sharing your best self?  What one thing could you do that would get the wheels of change moving?  Today is the first day of the rest of your life.  How will you use it?

Last week was a difficult one.  My friend Diane lost her husband in a car accident.  He was only 45.  In addition to his wife, he also left behind 4 beautiful daughters.  It should never have happened.  Life isn’t supposed to be like this.  This family doesn’t deserve this terrible pain.  But, as we all know, life isn’t fair.  Our biggest disappointments often come from thinking it should be.  Sometimes we choose change and sometimes change chooses us.  In this case, the lives of so many were changed in an instant.  And, it isn’t fair!

Diane is not only my friend, she is also a phenomenal professional photographer, an amazingly creative thinker, and an awesome cheerleader.  She has done some of the photography for this site.  As we worked together, she has given me great ideas and inspiration about applications for my products.  In fact, it was Diane’s idea to create what I’ve come to call the ‘Soul Connection’ bracelet (coming to the site soon).  These bracelets are designed to be sold in pairs so that 2 people can be close even if they are physically far apart.  For example, if your best friend lives far away, when you each wear  identical bracelets, you can feel each other’s presence, even across the miles.    So, when I went to visit Diane and the girls after Don died, I gave each of them matching bracelets.  Diane explained to the girls that if they each wore the bracelets, they would be reminded of their father’s love, their love for each other and their strength as a family.  I was touched to see that they were each wearing their bracelet through the wake and funeral service. 

Diane’s strength, her love for her family, her commitment to help them through their grief is profound.  I don’t know how she does it!  But I know that I will be there for her, they will be there for each other and, although it isn’t clear right now, I believe everything happens for a reason.  There is much to learn and much to appreciate in everything that happens in our lives, even if it isn’t immediately obvious.    So, be present, be grateful, be your best, true self.  Life is precious even though it isn’t fair!

Harvey Mackay, best selling author, speaker and syndicated columnist wrote the following, which was published in the Arizona Republic last month.  I couldn’t possibly have said this as well as he did, so rather than try, I present them here to you as it appeared in the paper.  To learn more about Mr. Mackay, you can check out his website at http://www.harveymackey.com.

Here are The Second Commandments and Harvey Mackey’s brilliant comments on each!

1.  Thou shall not worry, for worry is the most unproductive of all human activities.  
A day of worry is more exhausting than a day of work.  People get so busy worrying about yesterday or tomorrow, they forget about today.  And today is what you have to work with.

2.  Thou shall not be fearful, for most of the things we fear never come to pass.  
Every crisis we face is multiplied when we act out of fear.  When we fear something, we empower it.  If we refuse to concede to our fear, there is nothing to fear.

3.  Thou shall not cross bridges before you come to them, for no one yet has succeeded in accomplishing this.  
Tomorrow’s problems may not even be problems when tomorrow comes.

4.  Thou shall face each problem as it comes.  
You can only handle one at a time anyway.  In one of my favorite “Peanuts” comic strips, Linus says to Charlie Brown, “There is no problem so big it cannot be run away from.”  I chuckle every time I think about it, because it sounds like such a simple solution.  Problem-solving is not easy, so don’t make it harder than it is.

5.  Thou shall not take problems to bed with you, for they make very poor bedfellows.  
If I wake up thinking of a problem, I tell myself it will seem lighter in the morning, and it always is.

6.  Thou shall not borrow other people’s problems.  
They can better care for them than you can.  I confess that I have broken this commandment because I wanted to help someone, without being asked, or I thought I was more equipped to handle a situation.  But I wouldn’t have to deal with the consequences, either.

7.  Thou shall not try to relive yesterday.  
For good or ill, it is forever gone.  Concentrate on what is happening in your life and be happy now.  We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get a better job, make more money, get married, have a baby, buy a bigger house and so on.  Yet the accomplishment of any of those events may not make any difference at all.  The Declaration of Independence says we are endowed “with certain unalienable rights that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”  You are responsible for your own happiness.

8.  Thou shall be a good listener, for only when you listen do you hear ideas different from your own.  
You can win more friends with your ears than with your mouth.  Hearing is one of the body’s five senses, but listening is an art.  Your success could hinge on whether you have mastered the skill of listening.  Most people won’t listen to what you’re saying unless they already feel that you have listened to them.  When we feel we are being listened to, it makes us feel as if we are being taken seriously and what we say really matters.

9.  Thou shall not become bogged down by frustration, for 90 percent of it is rooted in self-pity and will only interfere with positive action.  
Seriously, has frustration ever improved a situation?  Better to take a break, collect your thoughts, and redirect your attention to a positive first step. Then, go on from there.

10.  Thou shall count thy blessings, never overlooking the small ones, for a lot of small blessings add up to a big one.  
We all have something to be grateful for, even on the worst days.  Hey, you’re still on the green side of the grass, aren’t you?

Thank you Mr. Mackay.   Can you imagine your life if you lived by these rules?  Imagine the outcome.  How might you feel?   If you’d like to give it a try, remember, take on one change at a time.  It doesn’t matter which one you decide to start with, just get started!  And follow my 8 Secrets for Creating New Habits!