Anniversaries are meant to be for celebrations--aren't they?
How do you "celebrate" a life-threatening, life-changing event?
Today marks the 2-year anniversary of the first of three major surgeries in 3 1/2 weeks that I went through. It reminds me of the time I spent 14 days straight in the hospital and went through the most excruciating pain I've ever felt.

I try to use this day as a catalyst and a point of encouragement--a positive thing. I tell myself that focusing on the negative and the "bad" memories aren't productive and instead will only lead to despair and depression. After all, it's important to always look on the bright side and keep moving forward, right?

My emergence from this ordeal has strengthened me tremendously. It was caused me to understand things about myself that I never would have learned otherwise. Because of this I have embarked upon a journey of "release" and "living boldly" in order to "think bigger" and be better. I used this event as fuel to a never-ending fire and drive into "beast mode". I harnessed my resurgence and turned it into books, speaking topics, strategy sessions and countless "Note 2 Self" entries. 

My "anniversary"; my "celebration"--this 2-year mark that I am reminded of everyday as I look at the scars on my body--is done in solemn remembrance of who I was and who I became on the other side of the journey.

So when you can understand that the things that happened to you and because of you are all necessary and that your life's journey is made up of mountains AND valleys--then you can truly embrace the process of living and become "Released and Ready" to truly Live Boldly and "Think Bigger" as you move ever--forward.

How Do You Remember?
A Poem

How do you remember the "not so good" times?
How do you give homage to the events of your past?
How do you quiet the voices and escape the shadows?
How do you make the moment last?

How do you embrace what's new, without discarding the old?
How do you strive to reach the top, without feeling you've sold your soul?

How do you encapsulate a lifetime of experiences---into a single moment in time?
How do you stand apart from everyone you've encountered--and try to make your light shine?

How do you learn all of the countless lessons, that life always tries to teach?
How do you constantly keep striving for goals, that seem always just out of your reach?

How do you remember who you are, when life tries to beat you down?
Just remember the essence of your true self, and envision upon your head a crown.

There will always be things that cause you pain, but remember, they enable growth too--
Because if it weren't for the experiences that you've encountered, then you actually wouldn't be YOU.

(c) 2014 ~KARS

Note 2 Self:  Look beyond the mirror to see the vision of yourself that others see of you. ~KARS

Part of the key to truly becoming released and ready is to look beyond the vision of yourself that you see in the mirror and to look at yourself as others see you.  Far too often, when we consider anything having to do with ourselves, we always look at situations from our perspective–that means that if it has anything to do with us, we automatically bring our “baggage” with it and factor in our own set of assumptions, background knowledge and back story into  the equation.

But all that does in most cases is complicate things–because to be quite honest–most times, when people are dealing with us, they’re only dealing with us based on the situation and the circumstances at hand.  No one is bringing into play what happened last year, last month or last week.  No one is considering any of our past issues, failures, or shortcomings.

Any of those things that are coming into play whenever we deal with people are things that we bring to the situation.  (Unless of course we’ve dealt with a person before and things haven’t gone well in the past.  For the sake of this piece, I’m talking about a clean slate.)

Many times when we enter a new situation, we immediately self-sabotage it because we bring all of these issues, insecurities and preconceived notions of things that can potentially go wrong–instead of walking into it thinking about all of the possibilities of what can go right.

Try this exercise.

First, look in the mirror and immediately say out loud all of the things that come to mind to describe yourself.  Write down your responses.

Secondly, close your eyes and think about yourself in a setting where you are in your “element”–on your “A” game and being successful at what you are meant to do–whatever that may be.  With this picture in mind, immediately say out loud all of the things that come to mind to describe yourself.  Now write down your responses.

Now compare the two sets of responses.  What do you notice about the way that you described yourself when looking at yourself in the mirror?  What do you notice about the words you used to describe yourself in your “element” and being successful?

What this exercise points out is that sometimes we need to step outside of ourselves to really see ourselves–both good points and not so good points.  It’s always better to gain another perspective when gaining new insights and determining the best way to approach personal and professional growth and development.

The key to becoming released and ready is to understand that you can’t continue to remain “stuck” in your own perspective and trapped in your insecurities if you want to become ready to fuel your passion, align with your purpose and build your legacy.    Sometimes you have to look beyond the mirror.  You just might be pleasantly surprised at what you discover.