I was watching my favorite barn cat try to catch a miller moth today. She was so determined to catch that flitty creature! I couldn’t help but chuckle inside when she’d leap from a hay bale and try to grab the thing, midair. She never did catch it.

Watching her try so hard made me think about all the things we want to do with our lives that we never actually achieve. I always wanted to swim in the ocean, but I don’t think that’s going to happen. Some of my barn-friends’ people have or had a dream of riding in the Olympics. Some wanted to become famous writers. Some wish they’d struck it rich so they could have a whole herd of beautiful horses.

Sometimes our dreams don’t come true. It’s a fact. But if there is something you want to do that is really important to you, there is a good chance you can and will do it. It has to be important enough for you to let other things go. Life is just too short to do it all. And yes, sometimes life gets in the way and we don’t reach our goals. There is a point when we have to be satisfied with what we can do and not be upset by what could have been.

If there is something you wish you’d done with your life but the opportunities have passed you by, perhaps you can help someone else achieve a goal. Sponsor an Olympic hopeful. Be a mentor to a budding writer. Teach someone how you made it rich. By sharing the successful parts of yourself with others, you get to be part of something much bigger than yourself. It’s a type of immortality. You can have a positive effect on the world while you live a piece of your dream by helping someone else reach theirs.

Continue reading Motivation from Moshi 70, by Jane Savoie →

You may have noticed that everyone has an opinion.

You may also have noticed that others’ opinions may not be the same as yours.

I overheard Jane talking to a friend whose feelings were hurt by a conflict of opinions. Jane shared something a business associate had told her.

Understand that about 10% of the people in your life will love you no matter what you say or do. Another 10% are going to hate you, or at least not like you, no matter what you do. The other 80% are not going to care about you very much one way or another, and are going to be too focused on their own lives to worry about what you’re up to.

Do you worry about what people think of you? Maybe it’s time to realize that it’s just not that important what other people think. If you like yourself and follow your own heart, that’s really all that matters. Trying to please everyone is not only impossible, it will make you crazy. Let it go!

I’ve decided to quit worrying about whether that new mare at the barn likes me or not. She will or she won’t. I can only be my authentic self and give her the opportunity to decide.

Continue reading Motivation from Moshi 67, by Jane Savoie →

I blew it. I mean I really blew it. I was trying to show off to the cute new mare in the barn, and I ended up tripping over my own feet and landing with a splat in the mud. I was so embarrassed I thought I’d light up the sky a bright red. Good thing I’m covered in black hair or there’d have been a rosy glow all over the gentle hills of Vermont. I wanted to shrink my bulk down to mouse size and disappear in one of Indy’s rabbit’s holes.

Don’t you just hate it when you make a public mistake? It’s bad enough when you make a mistake that only you know about. When everyone else witnesses your shame, it makes it really hard to let it go.

So, what do you do?

First, as I always say, you have to honestly feel your feelings. Don’t hold back. Resisting emotions just give them more power. FEEL them. Hold on to them as long as you can. You’ll be surprised how fast they dissipate.

Then, you can do one of two things. The most powerful is finding the humor in the situation, and laughing about it. If you can make your faux pas into a funny story, it will take so much of the sting out of it! Not everyone can do this, however, so if the humor in the situation can’t be found, you just have to forgive yourself. Recognize that you did the best you could, and move on. Remember, you can’t change the past, but you can change how you hold it in your mind. Let it go…

Continue reading Motivation from Moshi 66, by Jane Savoie →