Because of you

  

Because of you...

   As you know I blog every week and I always do it on Saturdays. Me and my fiance wake up, go to Panera bread and write our mornings away. I thought this week I would write my blog on Sunday and ,being that it is Mother's Day, to dedicate it to my mom.

   Words cannot begin to describe my mother; she is truly unique and her own woman. She's a gifted writer, speaker, business woman and PR mogul rock star. But what matters to me most, is that she is my mom and she is wonderful.

   Growing up I felt like the luckiest kid in the world because she was my mom and no one else. When me and my brother were very little she would decide suddenly that we needed to have a parade through the house. She would get all the pots and pans out along with utensils and we paraded through the house.

   As we got older she was always planning birthday parties, spring break parties, slumber parties, gingerbread house decorating (which was a total disaster for her dining room table with icing EVERYWHERE) and so many more. She was always trying to find a way to make life fun, make events celebrated and make every moment memorable.

   But this is not why my childhood was the best. It was the lessons that she taught me and my brother, every night as she sat in her green chair and we talked. We talked about politics, religion, spirituality, life, morals, her past, childhood stories and more. We would read the "daily word" and then we would discuss it. She would always want to listen what we had to say. Our points of views, our thoughts on a topic and how we felt about things. We could talk about absolutely anything going on in our lives because I knew she would listen.

   She was always there when we got off the bus so that we could do our "data dump". Talk about our day, our teachers, friends, issues, bullying or anything. I looked forward to that part of my day because I got to talk with her, hear what she had to say and most importantly she heard me. She didn't just listen so eventually she could go watch TV or go do her own thing. She HEARD what I was saying and she let me have a voice.

   She always let me ask "Why". Not many parents allow there children ask why without the usual response of because I said so. If we wanted to ask why we had to say, "May I ask why." She made a deal that she would always have an answer if she said no to a question we had and if she couldn't find a good reason then she wouldn't say no. Granted this happened ONCE where she didn't have a good reason but she always gave us the opportunity to have a voice. This is why I believe I have such a strong voice today.

   I have so many things I want to say so I thought I would make a list of some of the things I do. The list literally could run on forever. 

Because of you...

Because of you... I know how to shake someones hand. You never wanted me to shake a hand without power and confidence. I think about it every time.

Because of you... I know how to order a pizza correctly. Yes this may sound silly but my mom ALWAYS made me order the pizza on Friday's. Which was pizza night. As well as when we were at restaurants, I always had to order. I thank you for that because it forced me to not be shy.

Because of you... I knew about Gandhi and why I wanted to be him for wax museum in middle school. If it wasn't for you teaching me about his peaceful and spiritual teachings I wouldn't have wanted to paint a swim cap brown, cake brown makeup on my face, drape myself in a sheet and be Gandhi for all of my school to see. It may seem silly to some but it truly is one of my favorite memories.

Because of you... I knew how to dream. Because you always asked me what I wanted to do, who I wanted to be and what I wanted my life to be.

Because of you... I always like to try new things. You always pushed us to go out of our comfort zone and try something new.

Because of you... I know how to show my confidence in myself and others take notice.

Because of you... I know how to multiply. Because you would sit down and do flash cards over and over with me.

Because of you... I know the mother I want to be.

Because of you... I know how to love because you loved me with genuine and pure love.

Because of you... I know who I am.

Because of you... I know how to follow my heart.

Because of you... I will always stay true to myself, my dreams and others.

Because of all that you are, all that you've done and all that you do...

I will always love you.

~Ava

Quote of the day:

God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers.
Rudyard Kipling



    

Correction

On my last blog I confused spring forward and fall back times. If you read this and were confused, my apologies. My dear friend Misty found this error so maybe I should consider making her my editor. Stay tuned for my next blog coming this weekend!

The Game of LIFE!

WHAT IS LIFE?

Pretty loaded question right?

   Is that really the MOST important question though? In my opinion it is not what IS life it's what is YOUR life. Some may think life is the same for all. Perhaps some think it's an illogical question to ask what is your life when some think all of our lives are all the same.

   In my opinion: YOUR life is what YOU make it. No two people are the same, thus being no two lives are the same. But what really makes ones life special is how you create it or how you mold it to be. No life is packaged up, sent to your doorstep with a delivery man saying, "Hey your life arrived today. Who wants to sign?"

   Sometimes it could be kind of convenient to have a delivery man come to the door with a nice, pretty packaged life just waiting to be opened and lived.

Why?

BECAUSE LIFE IS MESSY!

But...

LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL!

   Yes, life is complicated and messy and stressful and a million other things. But I believe the view of ones life should looked at with a different pair of glasses. That even though the reality of life has it's troubles but that life is so outrageously awesome and gorgeous.

   When your a child life is a playground. I mean you used to LOVE when the clocks would fall backward because you got to play one more hour outside because the sun would set later in the day. Now, adults on the other hand, can't stand when they have to wake up earlier and be thrown off schedule. I will admit I am the farthest thing from perfection and that is one my thoughts when I have to fall back instead of springing forward.

   But what happens? How does it change from life being so jovial and fun when kids but burdened and stressful when an adult? No, the answer is not, "Well that's just the way it is when you get older." Or, "Responsibilities come a-knockin' so the fun comes to a stoppin'." The answer is that it's what you created it to be.

    It all depends on how your viewing the world; what glasses you have on and how your choosing to perceive it. Because in the end that's all life is, a game that you need to play and not have it play you. Make the glasses you are going to look through, create the life you want and most importantly GO and LIVE it.

    Nothing is ever placed in your life that you can't handle. True story indeed if you're doubting me. You are a powerful being, you are anointed, you are a victor, you have all the tools necessary to create your life and most importantly go live it.

    Nothing will be placed on your lap that you can't handle. But you have to accept the challenge and rise to fact that you can indeed take it on and that it will not defeat you. If you accept that the challenge is greater than you, then it will indeed be greater than you and suck you under.

    In high school I left public school and switched to being home schooled. I wanted to work, maybe do some acting on the side or whatever in the world was going on in my head. I worked through my entire high school education a full time job, sometimes two, and also had a lot speed bumps occur in me and my family's life along the way. In the end I got my high school diploma and it was amazing. It was also one of the hardest things I ever did since I was in a self taught home school program which meant I, Ava Wick, was my very own high school educator.

   Upon enrolling in college, Lonestar Montgomery, I was worried. Because:

A. I hadn't been in a classroom in about four years

B. I had taught myself the courses that I would now be expanding on

C. Just because I was plain ol' terrified

   It turned out that my home schooled education curriculum was quite different then the public systems. Some courses I didn't have to take or some courses were on a different level of difficulty. Now I was in college and was going to have to learn the basics WHILE learning the accelerated college level. But never once did I think I wasn't smart enough for the classes or the classes were going to overtake me. I must admit though that in my college Algebra class, I did have some thoughts of me drowning and the only way I could be saved would be solving an imaginary number problem and that I would most likely go under. Dramatic, yes I know.

   What's the point of this story? The point is I didn't go in feeling like a victim or that I wasn't good enough to attend the classes. I knew I had a disadvantage and that I was going to have to work harder; but never thought I couldn't do it. I have maintained at 3.8-4.0 GPA and have never failed a class and most importantly I have learned a lot.

    So, I challenge you to choose the glasses your going to wear to view your life and to create something great for yourself. Wake up everyday knowing that life is a gift and don't ever waste it.

    A lot of people will sit around and think of how their perfect life could be and what it would look like. Don't be that person.

Go out, create it and live it!

~Ava



"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
― Albert Einstein 

Make your mark

                      

   This week was full of excitement, insight and great inspiration for my blog. On Thursday it was "Pay It Forward" day. Some know what this day represents and some don't. The easiest reference to this day would be the movie Pay It Forward starring Helen Hunt and Haley Joel Osment.

  

   The basis of the movie is a kid, Osment, is assigned a project on a way you can help change the world. He comes up with a concept of paying it forward to others. One does a good deed for another individual and in return that individual needs to keep it going by paying it forward to another. If you've never seen the movie you should because it is a great movie with a powerful message.

   So Thursday was the day of paying it forward and I was wondering what I wanted to do in recognition of this day. Of course my mind starts jumping to grand ideas that I could do or things that I would do if I had unlimited funds. But then I reminded myself of the great quote said and written many different ways "No act of kindness is ever too small".

   I decided to do something nice for my awesome co-workers Misty and Deliah. These ladies are incredible and when work gets crazy busy we all maintain each others sanity. Let me remind you that we work with children so sanity is something that can quickly go out the window. I gave them a card and their favorite treats and simply said thank you for all that they do and all that they are.

   Then I got to thinking about this concept of paying it forward and how we as humans are leaving our mark in our life and others. I think that paying it forward should be apart of our everyday lives and be practiced EVERY day and not just one day out of the year. Can you imagine what our world would be like if we did one nice thing for a person every day? And not just stopping at that but if that one person kept it going by doing something nice for one other person. It would be a constant ripple effect of kindness and love, which I think our world needs a lot more of. But huge changes in the world starts with huge changes in people and our actions. Which brings me to how we are leaving our mark.

   We get one chance at life. That's it. No do overs, oh let me try again's or in essence no regrets because it can't be changed so there's no point in dwelling upon it.

   How do you leave a mark?

   It could be ANYTHING. The point is to just do SOMETHING. Whether it be an act of kindness like appreciating a co-worker. Or picking up the tab in the drive thru for the person sitting behind you. I think the most important thing about "leaving a mark" is simply just going out there and doing it. I think everyone sometimes thinks about nice things we can do but rarely do we act on it.

   The more of a mark you leave in someone's life is the more of a mark that will in return be placed in your life. Happiness, prosperity and love is meant to be shared not contained or confined to one specific person. In my opinion what's the point of me being successful and happy if I can't share that amongst others and try to bring the same things to them?

   The truth is we get wrapped in our own lives so we often forget about others or how we can leave a powerful mark. For example. One time I took my car into the shop to get my cruise control fixed. My car was in the shop for a week, it was stressful on how I making it to work everyday and I was just plain ol' ready to have my car back. I picked up the car and guess what? I drove it off the lot and the cruise control still did not work. I went back, irritated now, and told the teller that it is still broken and I don't have time to put it back in the shop for another week to get it fixed. I left SO mad and irritated and was thinking thoughts that were not taking me "to my happy place".

   Then I thought to myself. Wow, I'm upset about my full functioning, almost brand new car, that never gives me trouble or breaks down. And I'm all upset about cruise control? Which is really a luxury to my foot that on occasion becomes tired on long drives generally when I'm going on a great getaway or vacation with people I love. I then thought I needed to get unwrapped in my life and do something for someone else. Someone who probably has a REAL issue besides my cruise control.

   I bought lunch for three homeless people and the second I handed over the food, and saw how extremely grateful they were I was immediately humbled. I was reminded, which I am everyday, how extremely blessed, fortunate and prosperous I am. But it took that instance of irritation to remove myself from my world to go help someone else. So sometimes those "wrapped up" moments are necessary.

   Go out this week and leave your mark. ANY mark of kindness and goodness in your life and in others. Be grateful, give generously and always pay it forward. I promise you, you will never regret giving and it will take you to places you have never been before.

   I would love to hear how you leave your mark this week or any week so please leave comments.

Have a great week!

~Ava
Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.Theodore Roosevelt


   

Simply Ava

   This is my first blog post so I thought it would be fitting that I would introduce myself and the purpose of my blogging. So what to say? Well, as you know by now, my name is Ava. I am a budding Life Coach and mentor and I created this blog so I could write my thoughts down and start to get my messages out there.

   I love people naturally and enjoy meeting new individuals, talking with them and mentoring them in any way possible. Why this career? When growing up people, teachers or family members tell you, "Just do what you love. Do what makes you happy." The only response I could muster up was that I love helping people and if I could do that twenty four hours a day, seven days a week then I'd be a happy lady. I considered many career paths that involved dealing with people and helping them but I hadn't found that "job" or that lifestyle that was my perfect match.

   Until I finally reflected onto my personal life and how I interact with friends, family and people I work with. I was/am constantly talking with people that had a dilemma, situation, dream or goal they were trying to figure out but just didn't quite know how. We would sit down and ask questions and finally they would have there"AH-HAH" moment and know exactly the right type of action they wanted to take. I realized I wanted to be a Life Coach so I could help people everyday have there "AH-HAH" moments and realize/reach there destiny and highest potential.

    No, I am not a therapist nor do I want to be. Instead a Life Coach touches on perhaps a problem someone is facing, something one wants to overcome, and through a series of sessions, questions and strategic thinking the perfect solution is reached for that person. I view individuals with a tool box in front of them; they could fix anything in the world with the tools they possess. The problem is they don't know how to open the tool box and perhaps lost the owners manual on how each tool works.

   Life Coaching isn't about me being this "all-knowing being" that knows everything and it's not about being a "perfect person". It's all about what someone has road mapped out for their life and they just need some help getting from Point A to Point B.

   So, back to my blog. Why the title Ava's Moment? Honestly, the term was coined by my occasional, OK more than JUST occasional, clumsiness and moments where I am completely engulfed in my own little world. For example: When I am talking on my cell phone and I am searching frantically FOR my cell phone because I am trying to head out the door. And it doesn't dawn on me that I am ON my cell phone until the person on the other line finally says, "Ava, your on your cell phone right now." SO long story short I thought it would be a good title for my blog and a good avenue for my future coaching firm I want to have that will be titled "Your Moment Coaching". Your Moment Coaching will not consist of your clumsy moments though but instead on your moments to shine and reach your destiny.

    I will be doing a weekly blog in addition to a monthly video blog where I will speak on a certain topic, current event or message I would like to share.

    I am open for questions, topic ideas and I am available for mentoring individuals as well. I hope to get to know all of you closely and have a great blogging experience!

Quote of the day: "There is no force so democratic as the force of an ideal" Calvin Coolidge

-Ava Wick