NOVEMBER
&

DECEMBER YOGA

with Mike (Zerner) & Julie (Shapiro),
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Saturday mornings – 9:00 – 10:30 am

(Nov. 3, 17 & Dec. 8, 22 – Mike)
(Nov. 10, 24 & Dec. 1 & 15 – Julie)
*No class Dec. 29

Inspire Dance Studio
(Formerly Contemporary Interiors/Ethan Allen)
6755 W. Central Ave., Toledo (just west of McCord)
*****************************************
All classes $12.00

Please contact for questions:
Mike mikez622@yahoo.com (419) 467-8141
or Julie jgtanber@yahoo.com (419)345-5952

Hope to soon you soon!

We have exciting news to share. Starting this Saturday October 6TH, Mike and I are moving to a new location. Our hope is that it is centrally located for all! The new location is Inspire Dance Studio (formerly Contemporary Interiors/Ethan Allan) just west of McCord on Central Ave.
Please come and join us.

We never stop thanking you for your support and dedication to yoga!

Namaste friends,
Julie and Mike

From the book The Art of Uncertainty by Dennis Merritt Jones

“ We were born fully equipped to break free of past confining conditions that no longer serve us. And it is our destiny to do so. That inner impulse, that yearning to explore beyond the boundaries of our daily life permeates every living thing, and its voice perpetually whispers in our inner ear, “Grow, grow, grow …” But, there is another voice that often speaks much louder, the voice of fear. It shouts, “No, no, no … Stay right where you are. White you may not like it, you risk nothing by staying put.” But, unfortunately that is the big lie. There is great risk in resisting the divine urge to grow.”

Here are some thoughts to think about as you work on shaping your Date with Destiny:

The Mental Question: Do you believe that you can achieve a life of abundance? The frank truth is that many people simply do not believe that they can achieve what lies in their heart. Success is for someone else, a better person, or a smarter person. This is not true and is perhaps the greatest obstacle we face on the journey to our destiny. If we are to achieve the abundance in life we must first believe we can, or face our own continual self-sabotage of what a college professor of mine called “stinkin’-thinkin.'”

Here is the truth:
It doesn’t matter what your intelligence is.
It doesn’t matter what your current resources are.
It doesn’t matter what you currently earn.
It doesn’t matter what family you came from.

Nothing in your current circumstances matters in whether or not you can achieve your destiny! Nothing! Now, your current state may make it a longer or harder journey than someone else, but the possibility is always there no matter what your current circumstances are.

And that is the message we need to continually tell ourselves. “I can do it.” Not “I can’t do it.”

Clear vision. Do you have one of your destiny? Here are some questions to determine whether or not your vision is clear.

Can you describe it in intricate detail?
Can you “see” it?
Can you “feel” it?
Can you “hear” it?

Here are a couple of illustrations.

Perhaps you came from a dysfunctional family and your dream is to have great moments with your family. Let’s start with a Thanksgiving meal. Can you see each person there? What are they wearing? Are they smiling? What is the conversation? Can you hear the laughter? Can you experience the joy? Can you smell the turkey? Can you see people hugging each other and saying “This was wonderful,” as they leave?

Another scenario: Your Company. Can you see the large building you are in? Can you see the workers? Can you feel the positive attitude they have as they carry out their work? Can you experience the excitement as you get the quarterly results? Can you see yourself handing out healthy bonuses that bring pleasant surprises to your employees?

This is where it begins. A clear vision of your destiny.

Consider your resources. Are you aware of the resources you will need in order to set your date with destiny? Do you know how you will go about getting them? What are your natural gifts and talents that you have? How can you best utilize them in achieving your destiny?

What is your current level of resources?
Money?
Time?
Emotional health?
Help from others such as friends, family, employees or volunteers?

What will be your needed future level of resources? And have you developed a plan to achieve this level?

The last thing I would encourage you to do is fix a date in the future that you believe you could be living your destiny by. A real date. What this enables you to do is then begin to work backwards in setting goals to move you along the way, providing you with future points to strive for and an evaluation point to reflect upon.

Here are the points again:

Answer the mental question: Do I really believe?

Develop a clear vision.

Consider the resources needed.

Set a date with destiny.

Develop a plan to get there.

Quote
The door to a balanced success opens widest on the hinges of hope and encouragement. ~Zig Ziglar

Labor Day, Labor Daily
By Lee Colan, Ph.D.

As I was cleaning off my outdoor grill after a traditional Labor Day family barbeque, I reflected on why Labor Day was, well, Labor Day. I love living during a time when any answer is just a Google and a click away.

Labor Day has been celebrated on the first Monday in September in the United States since the 1880s. The form for the celebration of Labor Day was outlined in the first proposal of the holiday—a street parade to exhibit to the public “the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations,” followed by a festival for the workers and their families. This became the pattern for Labor Day celebrations.

Okay, simple enough—a celebration of workers. Although the trade and labor organizations have morphed over the years, we are all workers. Whether we clock in and out, manage a team, run a business or invest in many businesses—they are all forms of work. The Depression era yielded a generation who had a black and white view of work—work until you are 62 years old, then retire. There was no grey.

Many of today’s workers search for careers they are passionate about. The result: work does not feel like work. They can labor daily and see it as a blessing, a way of expressing their gifts, and yes, of course, a way of earning a living. We each have a need for mastery and meaning—to do something well and to contribute to something bigger than ourselves.

Working in Your Sweet Spot
Most types of sports equipment—a golf club, a tennis racquet, a baseball bat—have a certain spot that, if the ball hits it, will give the player the optimal result. Hitting this sweet spot yields a long drive down the fairway, a swift crosscourt return or home run swing. Every sport has a sweet spot of some type. If you have experienced it, you know when you hit the sweet spot, you barely feel it. The ball goes where you want it to go… even further and faster. Doesn’t get any better than that!

Did you know the average person possesses between 500 and 700 different skills and abilities? If we are going to labor daily (and be excited about it), our goal is to find that skill or ability that’s right in our sweet spot. When we do, we will be in “the zone” and our work will feel like play.

Want to know an easy way to find your professional sweet spot? Look at the intersection of these two questions:

What am I absolutely passionate about?
Which tasks are very easy and natural for me to perform?

Most of us vividly remember the moment we found our professional sweet spot. Others told us we made it look easy, that we really excelled and we looked like we were having a ball. Think of the last time when others made these comments to you. What were you doing? Like finding any sweet spot, it’s worth hitting these questions around for awhile and practicing our answers before we can serve up a winner.

Ralph V. Gilles understands this process. He dropped out of college and was spending most of his time—by his own admission—slacking in his parents’ basement, eating granola, watching “Dukes of Hazard” reruns and lamenting the sorry state of automobiles being made in America.

Growing up, Gilles was typical of most boys who played with Hot Wheels and Formula 1 model cars. But, as a teenager, he also was extremely talented in sketching vehicles. In fact, his aunt wrote a letter to then Chrysler Chairman Lee Iacocca, saying he should hire her 14-year-old nephew.

A Chrysler executive responded, recommending three design schools. Soon afterward, however, the letter was lost and forgotten. Meanwhile, the car-crazy Gilles completed high school and enrolled in college to study engineering, but dropped out quickly. His reason: “I was in a funk and was really not sure I wanted to be an engineer.”

As he continued his granola/”Dukes of Hazard” routine down in the basement, Ralph’s older brother, Max, recalled the letter from Chrysler. He remembered that one of the recommended schools was Detroit’s College for Creative Studies. Upset to see Ralph wasting his time and talent, Max pushed his brother to apply to the local school although the application deadline was only a week away and would require 10 sketches.

At that point, the whole family became involved, making Ralph coffee so he could complete his sketches, cheering him on and helping wherever they could. By the end of the week, Ralph was covered in pencil lead, but the sketches were complete, so his mother sent the packet to the school by overnight delivery.

Today, Ralph V. Gilles is recognized as the innovator of the Chrysler 300 sedan and the Dodge Magnum Wagon I in addition to being responsible for the 2002 Jeep Liberty, 2003 Dodge Viper SRT-10 and several concept cars. Dubbed as the Chrysler Group’s newest darling, Gilles has earned numerous national and international accolades. He has since been promoted to Senior Vice President of Product Design for Chrysler.

If we consistently misidentify our sweet spot, we will find ourselves stuck in a funk, like Gilles. If we pursue our professional sweet spot, we will be living the sweet life!

May your daily labor bear daily fruit of igniting your passion and making a difference!

Gen. Powell has put together these thirteen rules he lives by and I believe that, regardless of what your mission in life might be, they will certainly be applicable in your life as they are in mine.

1. It ain’t as bad as you think. It will look better in the morning.
2. Get mad, then get over it.
3. Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position falls,
your ego goes with it.
4. It can be done!
5. Be careful what you choose. You may get it.
6. Don’t let adverse facts stand in the way of a good decision.
7. You can’t make someone else’s choices. You shouldn’t let someone else make
yours.
8. Check small things.
9. Share credit.
10. Remain calm. Be kind.
11. Have a vision. Be demanding.
12. Don’t take counsel of your fears or naysayers.
13. Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier. (In the military, one always looks for
ways to increase or multiply your forces.)