Ms. Morrison Speaks Money

Archive for the ‘Celebrating Life’ Category

I’m back to congruent thinking again.  A few surprising events had caused me to rethink my mission and my message in light of these economic times.  I was led to some audio CDs that I’d gotten no less than 10 years earlier and I listened to them yet again.  Funny how the angels, the Holy Spirit, and/or our own subconscious mind lead us to what we need at just the right time, isn’t it?  I’m grateful for that guidance!  And I’m grateful to the wisdom that urges me to listen and take action too.

One CD was entitled Congruent Thinking.  My thinking had gone down an errant path; one that was eroding my confidence, one that undervalued my wisdom.  Well like most women I found my answer within.  The CD prompted me with salient questions, and I turned inside and was given the messages which brought me back on track.

Yes our lives are buffeted by outside influences, yet if we fall prey to allowing the news or externalities/outside events to steer or take sole ownership of us, we’ll all be depressed a lot, especially in these uncertain times.   Just as boats throw anchors to limit or eliminate drifting, we also must know whom to trust and employ our own wisdom to buffer ourselves from the many distractions, which are invariably short-term.  We must keep our eyes on the ultimate goals of our lives, knowing when to measure our success.  Premature “measuring” would have us missing the point of the endurance of a champion marathoner when her 50-yard dash time was sub-par compared to that of those competing in the 50-yard dash, for example.

I know from Neuro Linguistic Programming that information enters our minds through filters.  We’re all in charge of our filters and while that sounds easy enough, it does require a certain level of consciousness and discernment.  Yet it is surely worth our effort!

Nightclubs employ bouncers, and arenas employ security so that if someone is instigating negativism among the otherwise happy patrons, the bouncer/security guard notices the situation, seeks to narrow the focus on who’s causing the commotion, and then takes swift action to remove the person or persons responsible.  We also must be diligent gatekeepers of our minds and lives.  We must be conscious of those people in our lives who are contributing to our forward motion and those who are hindering our success; those who believe in us and those who don’t; those who are helpful and those who are not, those who emit a positive outlook and those who don’t.

I do believe people are in our lives for a time, a reason or a season.  We may enlist some people to participate in our lives for a time, and never again.  We may invite others to help shape our lives for a particular reason, and then some people will cross our paths for a season—the length of time of any of these is variable, of course.

While some people’s exits from our lives may be the result of some lack or failure, most are not; some people just need to move on.  Now I understand that it is not only ok when someone voluntarily leaves our lives, it is often healthy.  (And if it is also sad that certainly does not equate to unhealthy; it’s often just plain sad.)

I’ve heard it said, “I’ll tell you where you are headed when I see with whom you are hanging around” or some such language.  I encourage you to take a silent roll call of those around you.  If your confidence isn’t primarily boosted by their company, have a chat with them and tell them you want for both of you to contribute positively to each other’s lives.  If they agree, why wouldn’t each of you state specifically one or two examples of behavior or language that would contribute more of a positive effect in your lives?  Likewise you may wish to state specifically one or two examples of what each of you has interpreted as negative language or behavior and commit to eliminating those.   Teaching ourselves and teaching our family or friends or clients more effective communication is nothing short of being helpful and extremely loving.  It also acknowledges that while many have tried, no one has ever passed MindReading 101.

Let’s talk with each other.  Let’s communicate effectively with each other, and let’s be confidence enhancers!  We Can Do It Women!

Posted by Debra in Celebrating Life | 1 Comment

For all of you who are concerned about the spread of swine flu, I was able to find face (dust) masks at Home Depot.  Drug Fair, Shop Rite& CVS were all sold out.  Then it dawned on me to call a hardware store, since these masks are often used when wood working, and sure enough, right there in aisle 7 of my HD, in the paint section, were all types of masks.

I bought some basic ones, and then a couple that allow for venting, which keeps one cooler, they say. While I don’t tend to panic in these circumstances, I am a planner.  So, IF I would need one of these, and any one of my friends or family need masks too, I have a supply.  Presuming we all escape this viral strain, I’ll use them while sanding my next project, or simply return them.

I would advise calling any store you are intending to purchase masks from, as many are sold out, and you surely don’t want to be wasting your two most valuable assets–time and health on dry runs.  So, do your homework, and be prepared yet continue to live your lives.

Good luck and great health to all of you!

Ms. Morrison

Posted by Debra in Celebrating Life | 2 Comments

Here I am on the right, with Abby Carter, esteemed author of Alchemy of Loss, a brilliant book depicting Abby’s loss of her husband Aaron Dack in the World Trade Center tradegy on September 11th, 2001 and her many victories in living through her pain, and that of her children.  Somehow Abby adeptly weaves humor into the book such that it is not only readable, everyone I’ve given a copy to describes it as an absolute page turner, often reading it in one sitting, because of it’s power and passion.

Abby received the Woman of Strength award last night at the Yale Club in New York City, from the organization Tuesday’s Children.  I was delighted to attend this ceremony and honor Abby.  (I also bought yet more copies of Abby’s book, which she kindly autographed.)  Her award, which she’s holding really resembled an Oscar, or what I’ve seen on television as such.  It really felt heavy.  I immediately drew an analogy of the heaviness of Abby’s loss, yet she’s put one foot in front of the other, as soon as the afternoon of September 11, and has accomplished so much since 2001, especially in raising her two children in a way that astonishes anyone who knows her.  She was fearful, yes, yet she held her fear in a way that propelled her forward, into the next day, and then the next.  Financially she was fearful at the beginning, yet she listened and learned and now is quite remarkable in her mastery of her money.

She is a marvel, and is a fine example of what women can do in the face of adversity.  Congratulations Abby!

She joins me in my mantra, We Can Do It Women!

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Yes, you read right.  I partnered with my Internet marketing guru, Michael Tasner, at a business development conference in San Francisco.  We stood 6 feet apart, rested each end of a 6 foot long Rebar Iron bar in the soft spot located in the front of our throats, just under our adam’s apple.  We looked into each other’s eyes, and concentrated on both our current power, as well as having drawn up former powerful images of ourselves by the instructor.

We each uttered the words, “I’m ready”, and then on the count of three, we began to walk towards each other, and UNBELIEVABLY, yes, right in front of our eyes and throats, that 6 foot long once-stiff iron bar bent into a U shape between us, the belly of the U-ed iron bar touching the ground.

What a glorious, and exciting illustration that our minds have incredible power, if only we can channel it.

So, my message today to my mature women who may fear that they can’t understand their money.  We Can Do It Women.  We can use the power of our minds, and sprinkle in some of my assitance through education and empathy to master our money.

Both Michael and I are even more committed believers in the magnificent and almost unbelievable powers of the mind.  Let’s use our minds women.  Let’s overcome whatever may have stopped us before to get in the financial game women, and make our dough rise!

Posted by Debra in Celebrating Life | 1 Comment

Well I won’t totally unpack the entire speech here, since I’ve written an entire article about it.  Yet I will say that I believe the reason that the media jumped on the bandwagon almost immediately attesting that it wasn’t a Home Run speech was that it contained a lot of references to lowly slaves, especially at the beginning and first half, and yes, I’m suggesting that perhaps some latent racism had a hard time celebrating the truth about the horrors that America’s slaves endured.

I think we were so used to Obama’s prose and his cheerleading, that the repeated stark reminders of what some slaves endured decades ago–providing the very foundation for all of us–being revisited in vivid language was insufficiently uplifting to garner a home run accolade.

Believe me, in reading the text, there are significant and repeated references to those who fought for all of us–military and slaves.

He invoked God’s promise that “all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.”

Ours has “not been the path of the faint-hearted…but rather the risk takers, the doers..men and women obscure in their labour who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.”

“They toiled in sweatshops….endured the lash of the whip” all referred again to the foundation that was laid largely by the slaves in this country.  Remarkably we celebrated the Inauguration on property and buildings where slaves once worked, and “worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life.”

He chastises those who have short memories, forgetting what “this country has already done,”  and urges us to consider “what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose and necessity to courage.”

“We have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord” was surely a line that will be quoted for decades.  “Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America” was another.

He masterfully wove a thread of hope through an assessment of America’s systemic wreckage, beseeching each of us to do our civic duties, to step up and act, and to make long overdue hard decisions.

I thought he did a masterful job, and so again, I disagree with the media.

Congratulations President Barack Obama.  And congratulations Malia; your dad’s speech more than fulfilled your “it better be good” challenge.

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Last Monday I sought and secured an apt with an acupuncturist seeking relief from excruciating leg and back pain.  I’ve had some pain these past months, but Sunday it flared up in a new way–uber pain–and I needed relief.  The highly trained and expert acupuncturist explained to me that in a perfectly healthy body oxygen and blood flow freely through our veins and arteries to feed our organs and muscles.  Yet when blockages occur in our arteries and veins, the potential for disease erupts, often followed by symptoms; i.e., pain.  Well, yes, I was definitely in the pain category!

After pressing on various locations on my leg, ankle and hip he nearly had to scrape me from the ceiling where I rocketed to from the pain.  He deduced that I had obstructed circulation.  Basically a narrowing of the all important arteries & veins was causing poor circulation and the pain was symptomatic of that.  Always curious I asked, “What are the principal causes of these narrowed arteries?”   He replied, “Well genetics is #1, followed by a couple other potential causes.”  I leaned forward, “what’s #2?”  He answered, “Stress.”  I didn’t feel any need to ask about #3; the conversation turned another direction from there.

He warned me that one treatment wouldn’t be viable.  I would need to commit to at least 3 treatments, to which I readily agreed.  He inserted several needles and immediately I felt relief.  He chattered about the different treatments—pain relief or symptom cure—listed on his intake form.  Not being an acupuncture specialist, I had checked the box stating, “Whichever the doctor recommends” so we agreed on both pain relief and addressing and curing the cause of the blockage(s).

One day later as I luxuriated in all the TV coverage of the inauguration of our 44th United States’ President, it dawned on me.  Of course!  We, in the United States of America were in pain of one sort or another—lost job, foreclosed home, inability to afford health care, failure to sell our homes, battered investment portfolios, general depression or dismay at our downward slide as a nation on so many fronts.

We had managed to obstruct the healthy circulation of money in our banking systems and on Wall Street.  We had also managed to obstruct the healthy circulation of truth and honor in our government such that we were as a nation suffering from VERY poor circulation indeed.  Our collective organs were suffering and our muscles weakened.

The powerful Wall Street executives had blocked the flow of capital; lies had obstructed and narrowed the flow of truth, such that we were plenty diseased, and plenty pained.  No longer is that pain reserved primarily for ENRON, WorldCom, Lucent or Lehman employees.  I hearken back to April 13, 1958 when Harry Truman stated in the Observer, “It’s a recession when your neighbor loses his job; it’s a depression when you lose yours.” Ouch!  Indeed our nation and many of her people are pained amidst disease; the perfect storm of the confluence of our financial, regulatory and government impotency and failures.

Yet on this day, this 20th day of January, we gathered together—amidst our pain—in spirit and flesh to witness the swearing in of Barack Obama, the people’s president.

Over a million (maybe 2) people—some famous, most commoners–somehow planned ahead, fought traffic and security check points, and reassured their bodies of their warmth amidst freezing cold temperatures, to attend.  No, they weren’t crazy; they were committed.  They exchanged emails and texts and formed community in a few short hours.

I digress to the analogy that we rally behind our athletic teams or sport stars because it interests us, and it focuses us/joins us together, we share a common bond.  We’ll not be “in their league” yet we find ways to relate.  I, for one, bought a #10 NY Giants Official NFL blue jersey after watching Eli Manning deftly dodge that sea of New England Patriots’ defenders last Super Bowl and I don it when I need or want a confidence boost.

Somehow however I felt differently about an Obama jersey…kinda like it wasn’t adequately “befitting” to honor my President by wearing his image on a jersey.  Mind you, I don’t begrudge anyone’s buying Obama paraphernalia—God knows the economy sorely needs consumer spending—and moreover it certainly did seem to unite people, allowing folks to display their unwavering support.

Yes he is; President that is.  Yes, this President IS different.  In the past weeks, we’ve seen a man who despite his polish and cloak of calm, chattered freely about the verdict on what breed of dog that he and Michelle will give to Malia and Sasha, to fulfill their campaign promise.  We’ve seen a man who despite the continued swirl of economic ills and world unrest since his resounding victory on November 4th reminded us respectfully that we have only “One president at a time.”  We’ve seen a President-Elect that has been uncharacteristically committed to bi-partisanship within his cabinet.  And on the eve of the Inauguration President-Elect Obama graciously hosted a dinner honoring his general election rival, John McCain.

This time we see a President who more than tapped into young people’s social networking—he actually evoked and enlisted the interest of our youth and they responded….VOILA!  Mutuality at work.  I’m jumping ahead of myself here, yet as President Barack & Michele Obama danced at the Inauguration Youth Ball—wasn’t that a 1st?—he paid a very gracious and more-than-fitting thank you to those under age 35 in his speech.  Apparently his new interactive White House website (another first) was up before he even uttered the oath.

Yes, this Inauguration was different.  While millions watched what otherwise was an expertly choreographed MEGA event (during which not 1 arrest was made) it was the brilliant Chief Justice John Roberts who flubbed” his once-memorized 35 word President’s oath of office.  Wasn’t that graceful how Barack stopped, allowing the Chief Justice to correct himself?  I think Barack’s rolling with Roberts’ colossal misstep bodes confidence for his handling future “mistakes”.

The speech was crafted with Kennedy, Lincoln and FDR overtones and was delivered with a masterful balance of force and feeling.  It was a speech that expertly addressed both the pain and the proposed symptom cures.  Forget the nation’s expectations.  Forget Black American’s expectations.  Forget non-black American’s expectations.  Malia’s words delivered to her father atop the steps of the Lincoln Memorial last weekend were, “First African-American President.  Better be good!”

The media nearly immediately fed us the line, “not a Home Run acceptance speech” which I will comment on in a separate blog.  “He got millions there,” one commentator aptly retorted.  Malia beamed.  Even my father, a right-wing Christian fundamentalist, who surely has voted Republican every election including this one, uttered “good job” immediately after Obama uttered, “God bless the United States of America.”  I was so moved and relieved—THAT gave me hope right there in my own living room!  A `Morrison microcosm’ of hope over fear that regardless of whomever we campaigned or voted for, we can indeed put aside our differences and come together as one nation under God.

Posted by Debra in Celebrating Life | No Comments

It’s a great first day of the rest of our “less-divided”, less alienated lives as Americans.  Yes, I know we will always have our share of ideological differences, and all Black Americans don’t think like all other Black Americans any more than Hillary supporters would be Palin supporters.

Yet we have hurdled a limiting belief or at least set a new example that we can be governed by, and proud of a Commander in Chief who is other than a white male in these United States of America.

We do need now to “pitch in” as Barack urged us to do last night, and do all we can to contribute to solutions to our problems, not merely be victims thereon.  I’m no where near Phil Gramm’s “nation of whiners” admonition here, yet I do want each of us to continue to create ways in which we can help ourselves first, and then help others.  We can help ourselves by turning off the TV a few hours a week to take a class at a community college, or online, to gain mastery over new skill sets because it will make us more interesting citizens, and also, just in case our “job” is eliminated.

The internet has leveled the entrepreneurial playing field more than any other single invention; and is no respecter of color, age, able bodiedness, or any other category.  We now can explore new ways to build businesses and market to people not just in our towns or states, but the whole world wide, online.

I’m really wanting to echo Barack’s oft repeated motivation chant, “yes we can” along the lines of self improvement, because Yes We Can.  And I might add, Yes, we Must, in order to stay current or compete in the world.  We will all be taking more proactive steps because big employers or big government are no longer the answer.  It’s truly the time for self-help!

Let’s each of us grab our creative caps and think, think, think and act, act, act our way out of this recession because We Can Do It Women!™.

Posted by Debra in Celebrating Life | 2 Comments

I absolutely LOVE Halloween! Actually I really enjoy all the kids, and their costumes because it allows me to escape the pressures of everyday life and the stock market…imagine that! The market holds NOTHING to this; this, my friends, is scary:

So, I bought the huge bags of candy from Costco, hey where else? And I must say that although I’m “gaining health” now; i.e., having lost 10 pounds, those candybars sure did smell tantalizing in that orange basket. I beckoned kids who were walking up the other side of the complex…I was eager to see kids and give away this candy. This one had her antennae up, and you can BET it wasn’t for how the DOW closed today. I gave her two treats.

Yet my favorite was Tinkerbell, sporting great wings and glitter all over her cheeks. I leaned down, offered her the pick of the loot, and then asked her why she wasn’t flying with those great wings of hers. She looked at me straight in the eye, planted her hand firmly on her hip, which simultaneously jutted out to the left and emphatically stated, “it’s ONLY a COSTUME!”

Well that about sums it up. Kid’s do say the darnedness things, and to gain their fresh perspective tonight was exactly what I needed. It IS after all, all in how you look at it.

Posted by Debra in Celebrating Life | No Comments