Despite living in a consumeristic society that urges us to buy, buy, buy, I contend that most people don’t really want more things. They’ve got more than enough things. I believe most people want to feel appreciated, to feel like they matter.  Once I figured out I needed this for myself, I started going out of my way to give the gift of appreciation to others.

Do I sometimes miss opportunities to do it? Of course. But I try to be more aware of it.

The gift of appreciation goes beyond a quick “thank you.” I may start with a thank you, but keep going. I say why I appreciate them. Sometimes a friend, family member or colleague may not realize how great they are unless someone tells them. It helps to build up another person. Yes, we are all quite good at tearing each other down. Much of the time when I pass people walking together, I hear them complaining about some absent person. I understand the urge to do this because I’ve been guilty of it myself.

Instead of looking for what the other person did wrong, why not try and look for what the other person did right? Then it’s easy to appreciate them! And the double secret bonus? By appreciating others, you’ll learn to appreciate yourself more.

Thank you for reading my blog. I appreciate that you are interested in what I have to say! Enjoy your day.

Muse thx,

Giulietta

Hey rebellious ones!

I’ve been a cave junkie since I first went to the Polar Caves in NH as a young child. Something about the hidden “rooms” intrigued my child’s mind. I loved to explore the inner spaces because they seemed mysterious and unknown and scary. Also loved the challenge of squeezing through the tight spots, like the “lemon squeeze.” Although fearful I might get stuck, I never did.

Whenever my husband Jimmy and I go to another state in the US or another country, we try to visit the caves that exist there. Some are big and unadorned, others are smaller and decorated with stalactites (calcite icicles dropping from the ceilings) and stalagmites (calcite “icicles” raising from the floor) but all of them intrigue me due to their underground nature.

I liken our emotions, thoughts and feelings to a series of inner caves that need exploring. I call this exploration “inner spelunking.” The best way to start? Venture in slowly, a little more each day until you feel comfortable in there, adjusting your attitude helmet until you can learn to see with your own unique light.

The answers to most of your problems can be found in these inner caves.

Hey wonderful Wednesday wishcasting friends!

The circle of wishers continues to grow. Jamie Ridler believed a big market existed for wishes! She was right.

Today I’d like to acknowledge one of my greatest traits: perseverance. I set a “Milky Way” big intention and continuously move toward my heavenly goal until I reach it. My journey may get dark or dangerous or detoured but I keep going, keep reaching for the Holy Grail of my desires. Take writing, for example. I wanted to get published & paid so I kept sending things out, kept tweaking things, kept taking writing classes. At first every essay I sent out got rejected with no explanation, then I started to get “we almost picked you” rejection letters with nice notes from the editors. Finally, I got the calls I longed for, “I loved your essay and want to publish it.”

I’ve been getting published ever since (and still rejected too.). The key to accomplishing your heavenly goal, whatever it may be, is to never give up. Most people give up. When the going gets tough, they get scared and retract into their “see, I’m a failure shell.” I get even tougher. And if someone says something “can’t be done,” I work at it even harder.

Most writers do not get published because they give up to soon. If you want to “fill-in-the-blank,” see yourself achieving it. As cliche as it may sound, “YOU CAN DO IT!”

Muse thx,

Giulietta

Nothing like a rebellious Monday to get me thinking in new and varied ways!

You’ve probably noticed that everyone is suddenly talking about authenticity in business. Be yourself. Let your true self out. Be real. Despite all the social media talk, I still feel many folks — even the ones advising others to do it — have one persona for work and one for play. Or even a work one that stretches out a bit for play.

Why have we been taught to put on a business face for work? Is that supposed to get us more business? Get us promoted?

Frankly, even the word authentic feels inauthentic when talking about people. I might use it to find out if a piece of furniture is a real antique, but for people? It comes across as cold. I want warm! That’s what I associate with a human — being real, being alive.

In my twenties I know I came across as cold. That’s because I was scared to be myself, scared a wild, rebellious lass would get in trouble like I did in elementary school. So, I held myself back out of fear, to avoid being punished. It made for a very unhappy decade. Thank god, I warmed myself up through singing in my thirties.

If you want to really be yourself, start being the same person no matter what situation you find yourself in, no matter who is standing in front of you, no matter what his or her job title or income is. Remember, it’s just a job title, it doesn’t mean this person is better than you or smarter than you or more worthy than you or that they want you to act different in front of them. That just divides people: from each other and from themselves.

I’d love to hear from some of you. Do you divide your personality into work & play? Or, if you don’t, perhaps share some of your secrets?

Muse thx,

Giulietta

It took me many years of living to figure out that the only person holding me back from living a bold & outrageous life was me. Oh, I used to blame it on others, but honestly the others are way too busy holding themselves back to be concerned with anything I might be doing.

Restrained thoughts produce restrained actions. Untie yourself and go forth free into the world! I wish for myself and others to take bold, outrageous action. Ideas cannot be too bold or too outrageous. Think big, think gigantic, think gargantuan, think Milky Way. Just go for it! Be bold, be outrageous, be a whirling dervish of ideas spinning out into the universe.

Remember to take action. Start small if it scares you and work your way up to big, bold action.

Please share your actions with the world below. If you shout it loud and clear, you’ll do it!

Muse thx,

Giulietta

p.s. join the wishcasting circle with the fab Jamie Ridler!

Hey friends,

Am looking forward to tomorrow’s “Step Into Your Greatness & Make Your Own Economy” life shop.  If our society would focus on our greatness instead of our weakness, what an amazing world this would be.

Do you ever recall being encouraged at any time in your school or work life trajectory to find and build on your greatness? I’ve been racking my brain trying to think of an example and the closest would have been in my college speech class. The professor loved my zany, funny speeches and always introduced me as someone who would make you roll with laughter in the aisles.

Other than that, it seems I had to “improve” upon some perceived deficiency. In third grade I actually had to stand in the corner because I wouldn’t stop laughing and wouldn’t stop making the kids around me laugh. My teacher commanded to me, “Please stop laughing or you’ll stand the corner!”

Why is laughter thought of as disruptive? Why can’t we learn through laughter? Why not use it as a focal point instead of a punishment point?

I’d love to know times in your life, when someone in authority focused on your greatness.

Muse thx,

Giulietta

Hey rebellious ones!

I don’t know about other karaoke singers but I only sing songs where the words speak to me in some way. If I’m not connected to the words, to the emotion, I can’t learn the song. My singing teacher makes me act out the songs during lessons. It helps me sing with feeling. Being a mannequin with a mic doesn’t appeal to me.

One song I’m working on is Jewel’s, “Who will save your soul?” Love the emotion in her voice, the way it quivers, wails, sails every which way. But it’s the words that stop me in my tracks every time. “Who will save your soul if you won’t save your own?” It took me a long time to figure out that I had to reach out to myself and save my own soul because no one else could do this for me.

And I did through singing. I saved my own soul and my own life through song. Not sure where I’d be now if I hadn’t taken that first fearless step and signed up for singing. Writing this I started to wonder why Jewel wrote it. A Wikipedia entry says, “When I was about sixteen years old I took a train from Michigan to San Diego and then into Tijuana and hitchhiked around Mexico. It seemed like everybody else was looking for somebody to save them.”

Please tell me, how you have or how you can save your own soul?

Muse thx,

Giulietta

Jamie Ridler asks us wishcasting groupies this fine Wednesday, “What door do your wish to open?” I’ve been opening my personal door of boldness wider and wider. It’s what Giulietta the Muse is all about.

Now I’m ready to “fling” it open and let all my amazing ideas for life shops fly out into the world. Having been labeled shy for a good chunk of my life, I experienced one of those pivotal life turning points a few years back when I discovered it had never been true. Not only am I not shy, I’m outrageously bold & delicious! So, I’m putting together my first life shop on booting shyness out of your life.

Muse thanks for stopping by!

Giulietta

I’ve been hauling bag after bag of clothes and other stuff I bought at discount stores to the local charity. In some cases I’ve outgrown the look, but in most cases the lack of quality made the clothes hard to wear. After a washing or two, the shirt or pants just didn’t look or fit right. (Not that they fit 100% right to begin with. The cheap price made me overlook inherent design flaws.)

It struck me that I could have bought the one expensive shirt I really wanted, the one that fit me instead of the 25 poorly fitting shirts that I ended up with. I can now see that it’s more expensive in the long run to buy items I don’t really want just because they are cheap.

But that’s what we’ve become a nation of quantity-obsessed junk buyers.

It makes more environmental sense to return to the days of full pricing, when quality determined the likelihood of purchase rather than quantity.

How do you determine whether or not to purchase something?

Muse thx,

Giulietta

Up until 12 years ago, I wasn’t sure what the Bill of Rights was. Oh, I’d heard of it & knew it was part of the constitution, but couldn’t tell you anything about it. A colleague at my then corporate gig, mentioned how few Americans could tell you anything about it, so I went to the library and educated myself.

This quote by Frank I. Cobb summarizes it nicely,

“The Bill of Rights is a born rebel. It reeks with sedition. In every clause it shakes its fist in the face of constituted authority… it is the one guarantee of human freedom to the American people.”

If you’d like to know your constitutional rights, stop by this site and read the Bill of Rights. Speak up if you believe your rights have been trampled on. We will only have a democracy as long as people like you participate.

Muse thx,

Giulietta the Muse