General


16, Jul, 2011

Kickass Personal Transformation — Day by Day!

Kickass personal transformation is possible — one day at a time! Any personal goal, dream or vision eventually materializes when you apply yourself daily, using transformative principles. Here are three examples of transformative principles which in turn unleash powerful forces in your life that turbo-charge your efforts:
1. Honesty is essential. When you’re honest with yourself about what you want to change or accomplish, you set more doable, measurable goals. Sit down with a pen and paper and jot down where you want to be in your life, for instance, you want better physical fitness and a leaner, more muscular body.

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11, Feb, 2011

Persistence is the Cornerstone of Character

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“Fall seven times, stand up eight.” — Japanese proverb
“Just don’t give up trying to do what you want to do. Where there’s love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.” — Ella Fitzgerald
Life can be regarded as a series of choices. Each day’s journey presents challenges, obstacles, and opposition. As each challenge presents itself, so does an opportunity — to persist, reaching toward your goals and dreams; or to give up, allowing discouragement to take you down. Persistence is an exercise in character-building.

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11, Dec, 2010

5-Star Review of “Never Give in to Fear”

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Never Give in to Fear, a memoir by Marti MacGibbon, received a 5-star (out of 5) review from Foreword Clarion Reviews on Sept.10, 2010:
ForeWord Clarion Reviews
MEMOIR
Never Give in to Fear
Marti MacGibbon
978-1-4528-1510-7
Five Stars (out of Five)
Ever conscious that the past makes us who we are, Marti MacGibbon, a recovering alcoholic and addict, not only leaves open the door to her past?she goes in, turns the lights on, makes herself a cup of coffee, and gets comfortable on the couch.

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28, Oct, 2010

The Power of Listening

Listening is power. It is an activity which brings the listener into the present moment. Active listening — being present for the person listened to — provides immediate benefit and strength to both speaker and listener. Listening is a powerful activity in our society today because it is so rare. Often, people are completely absorbed in phoning, texting, channel surfing, etc., that the opportunity to listen is ignored.
The opportunity to listen presents itself constantly, even / especially when you are alone.

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24, Oct, 2010

Meditation

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Meditation can be practiced in a number of ways and it need not be complicated. Many people find that daily meditation is a powerful means of achieving a state of inner well-being, since it aids in grounding the practitioner in the moment and can enable the mind and senses to experience life fully. For those in recovery from addiction, daily meditation helps to maintain serenity and connection to a higher power.
Mindfulness meditation is described as a calm, non-judgmental awareness of consciousness — mind, body, emotions, and even consciousness itself.

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22, Oct, 2010

The Value of Being Willing

Living in a state of willingness opens doors to healing and recovery. Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary defines “willing” as, “…(1.) inclined or favorably disposed in mind, (2.) prompt to act or respond, (3.) done, borne, or accepted by choice or without reluctance, and (4.) of or relating to the will or power of choice.”
Being willing is part of recovery’s (healing’s) plan of action, along with being open and honest.

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6, Sep, 2010

Living in the Moment

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When we live in the moment, not regretting the past or fearing the future, we are set free to accomplish the absolute best we can in the now. Fear is always forward — we fear the unknown, the myriad “what ifs” that multiply our anxieties about what is to come. When we let go of everything but the present moment, our creativity and joy are released so we can accomplish our goals and dreams. Despair flourishes in looking backward with regret. We choose not to look back to the past, except to celebrate how far we’ve come, and get a fresh sight on where we are headed.

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31, Aug, 2010

Love and Courage

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”
— Lao Tzu, Taoist Philosopher
Love crushes fear! When we allow ourselves to experience altruistic love, or passion for a cause, we’re empowered to overcome tremendous obstacles in pursuit of that cause. Likewise, when we transfer our focus from our own solitary ambition to thinking about and appreciating family, friends, etc., we find we can achieve much, much more.

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25, Jun, 2010

Risk, Change, and Optimism

Life is full of risk-taking and change; and both are stressful, but necessary for success and potentially very rewarding. In order to live fully, we need to be willing to continue to move forward, grow, and change. Adapt or perish, right? Making changes in our thinking or behavior require a bit of risk-taking — we’ve got to leave our comfort zone.
We can increase our self-esteem and improve self-image by banishing negative thoughts, attitudes, and mistaken beliefs, which block success and happiness.

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7, Jun, 2010

Marti MacGibbon Gives Props to MMA and Mike the Pike Productions

I am becoming a rabid fan of MMA! For nearly a year now, I’ve been speaking to raise awareness about human trafficking. Saturday I spoke at an event sponsored by Mike the Pike productions, called “Fight Traffick!” What a rush! Having worked with military veterans in San Francisco over the past few years, I deeply appreciate courage.

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