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Welcome to AYD, and may this be the start of great things to come.
Pierre

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"What can we do, starting today, to build lasting success?"...."We all want to be part of something. We all want to feel great about the choices we make."

Thursday, January 10, 2013

AYD - Jan 11, 2013 - 400 Defining Moments

Today is a defining moment for me. 
400 times I have sat and shared with you my thoughts, philosophies and moments to Awaken Your Day.
Before the blog I used to send AYD out by email.  More than another hundred, I have to count to make sure.
But for me, this number is a nice defining moment.  A marker really.  A pin on my map outlining my path.
I confess to you that we should have shared this post a long time ago.  At least 2 years ago, had I been true to myself, and the message I have to share.

But ... we are here Now.  We still got here and we still get to reflect on this moment as it represents a point I enjoyed working toward.  As I look back thru the archives, I feel that welcome satisfaction of messages and philosophies that still hold true, that are still relevant to my life, my journey and my voice. 

I get the pleasure of not only the meanings again, but the recollection of the journey that each of those posts carried me on.  The self surprise at how my own expression came out on some days...and the self administered kick in the butt over some of the days where I can see now my heart may not have given it's all that day.

What is my point?  Reflection.  Remembering. Reenergizing the power and the value in your milestone moments..your defining moments that have carried you on the river.  The places you have seen.  The stories you have to tell.  Raging water moments, and calm still water moments.  "I earned this!" moments, and, "I can do this !" moments.

Obstacles you overcame.
Tears you shed for joy.
Successes...set backs.
I did it ... and I have to try again.

You get the idea.
You were there.  You lived each and every one.

So now... you need to understand something, just like I did.  Every one of those defining moments that mark your course ... they are our very own renewable resource.  Available whenever needed. They are our power center when batteries are low.  They are your secret weapon, against future tests.

Use your defining moments as a resource tool to identify all those hidden attributes you often forget you have. 
Tough times you have already had, and you stood tall again.  You have tasted success after working hard on something that mattered, and you earned it.

Defining moments, they may just be the blueprint we had tucked away, for the chapter we have yet to write.

Good morning.
Pierre Couturier
Husband, Daddy, Author... and very fortunate man.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

AYD - Jan 10, 2013 - Thursday Upgrade, Be Nice

"There are more pleasant things to do than beat up people. "
- Muhammad Ali

You have something to do today.
Change a moment.

Should you encounter a time today when someone out there does something incorrect, or makes a mistake that they should know better on, or just plain gets on your last nerve because of something they do ... trade the next moment for a new one. 

"I'd like to exchange this emotion please.  Yes, yes. Can I have that one there, the one that is more relaxing, accepting and 48% more useful?  Perfect.  Just my size. I have seen it advertised alot but have had a hard time finding it.  Thank you.  I will be back for more, I am sure."

You do no one any good if you choose to attack or berate or give your best impression of hostility.  They get embarrassed, you have a moment of a release valve but as soon as you close your lips the pressure mounts again because you have not addressed the cause of the intensity.

Breathe.  Nothing comes out well riding an emotional wave into the wall.

Task Thursday.  Trade in one useless emotion, for a better one.  Call it upgrading.

Here forth known as Thursday Upgrade.  A day you choose to consciously seek a self betterment moment.

I  will be honest... I may need to make more than a few trades today. 
And now, I look forward to it.

Good morning. 
Pierre Couturier
Lucky Husband, Proud Daddy, Happy Author, and now a new kind of Daytrader.


Tuesday, January 8, 2013

AYD - Jan 9, 2013 - I Cannot Think "Can't"

"When someone tells you that you can't do something, perhaps you should consider that they are only telling you what they can't do."
- Sheldon Cahoon, Author

Did you awaken today and struggle to remember the fleeting details of that incredibly vivid dream you just had?  Did you open your eyes to a sunny day, the smile of a child wanting breakfast, a family pet licking your face to wake you up?  All of these may have allowed you to greet the morning with a ready made smile. 

Or... shame on you, did you wake up dwelling on something someone said; A lack of belief;  a stalled momentum, and a doggy bag of self doubt that you clearly told the universe to leave off your itinerary?

No one knows your inner drive.  They do not know your inner design or what kind of engineering marvel you are.  Energy drainers and self belief stealers know nothing of all the events that brought you to be in the here and now.  But like Sheldon says... they know their events...and their present issues apparently need company, so they are trying to recruit your doubts to be "Just Can't"'s together.

So hear the words, thank them for sharing, and take your next step, feeling secure that they, and their uneducated opinion on the Inner Workings of Fighters and Achievers, will be below you ... trying to yell up and convince you, that you cannot do it. 

The secure feeling I am referring to is that, as long as they stay with you, reminding you of what you cannot do while they are always one step below you on the climb, well it seems to me you will then always have a shoulder to step on to help you keep on reaching for your next secure hold.

Good morning.
Pierre Couturier
Husband, Daddy, Author, Keeper of my blueprints, and Apprentice of Selective Hearing.

Monday, January 7, 2013

AYD - Jan 8 2013 - How Will You Remember?

"It has to be this hard so you never, ever forget!"
- Bob Harper, Reality TV Show, The Biggest Loser, Trainer

The moral of the story.
A life lesson.
Nothing worth having comes easy.
Nothing is free.

However you have heard it said.
However the reality presented itself.
Whatever messenger it was dressed up as when it greeted you.

The gift is still the same.
The truth has to be accepted.

The first step of a life change is difficult in many ways.  Taking the next step, is a test of your desire.
Whatever it is that drives you to the land of opportunity to change, may abandon you when you realize how hard your task may be.

"Don't let the start stop you."  I heard this once.  Twice...maybe three times.  And it always makes sense.
The start of a goal, dream, task or must face difficult time, is where most wave the white flag.  The start of a dream that will require hard work and dedication... "it has to be this hard so you never, ever forget."

It is hard at the start to challenge your heart.  It gets easier, and more appreciated with every step you take thereafter...as you gaze over your shoulder and see how far you have come, and what it took to get you one step further than the last.

Difficulty is not permission to stop.  Passion does not mean you get a free pass.
How easy can you expect it to be when you start to chase a dream from a complete stand still?

What have you done that at one point in time you thought you could not do?  Anything.  Remember it. Acknowledge it.

Take a breath.  Recognize your achievements.  Press on.
Good morning.

Pierre Couturier
Husband, Daddy, Author...Training in Perseverance.

Sunday, January 6, 2013

AYD - Jan 7, 2013 - Opportunity Monday Strikes Again

"Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight. "
- Benjamin Franklin


Here it is straight to the point.  We speculate.  We anticipate bad words, or moments and then we waste valuable living time, valuable action time... worrying about something, and imagining how we will respond should it happen...when it happens... "Oh, it's probably going to be like this... !"

The word "Probably" is an enemy.  Chant that three times and see how you annoy yourself.  Put music to it and you win if you annoy two other people.  With any luck, it will annoy you so that you are very aware the next time you say, "He is probably going to say..."

It might be a meeting, or a phone call, or someone you don't wish to face - but instead of spending your time anticipating the worst or even just a negative encounter - use what you know for the benefit of designing the feared moment.  If you know someone is going to be difficult, you have the power to change the future.  Use what you know and diffuse.  There is power in lessons learned.

It is Opportunity Monday.  I challenge you to identify a moment and catch yourself pretending you are a psychic and can predict the negative future.  I challenge you to banish "Probably" from your vocabulary.  I challenge you to change the outcome of one moment you Think is about to be uncomfortable. 

You know what you Don't want to happen... so use it to shape what would make the moment a better one.

I challenge you to get value... from Opportunity Monday.

Good morning.
Pierre Couturier
Husband, Daddy anticipating trouble at mealtimes, Author, and now Suntanner.