A Cornucopia For Making 2008 Your New Year of Personal Power.

Possibilities~anything is possible.
The universe is non static and non bounded. The only bounds exist within your awareness or limiting beliefs that you place upon yourself and others.

Always remember Phil Daniel's words 'reward excellent failures, punish mediocre successes'.
Dare to go for it, dare to be different and try outrageous things.
Failing while trying something innovative and outrageous, is far better than succeeding while doing something totally mediocre and predictable.
Engage your right brain, dare to imagine, use the tools that make up your physical body and get out there riding your free-reined and un-encumbered imagination. It's a gift, use it.

Step forward and be counted.
You matter, you make a difference every single day that you are 'out there' or 'within yourself'. No moment is wasted as long as you are either opening yourself to the universe or out there 'doing' and receiving.

Believe and commit.
Entrench. I like that word. Don't you?
When we 'entrench' something within our mind, we take it fully in and lodge it in a firm place.
Then we move forward.
Entrench within your mind the simple and profound fact that you are powerful. You matter. You make a difference, no matter what you are doing.
What kind of difference will you make today? In your own life, in the life of another?

Stand in the centre of the light.
When you stand within the centre of the light, there is peace. Nothing can harm you or throw you off balance.
You are protected and safe.
Always stand within the centre of the light and know that you belong there. If you step outside of the beam, guide yourself gently back in until you feel that balance and wholeness once more.

Connect.
Draw yourself closer to the people around you. Don't be afraid of rejection or of not receiving the reaction you're hoping for.
Remember, their reactions are 99% about them, not about you.
Not everyone is going to respond to you the way you might be wishing. Don't let this ever stop you from drawing close to those who you are attracted to and feel have a message for you.
Sometimes the reaction that you didn't want, is exactly the message you are meant to receive and there is a deep kernel of new wisdom to be found in that reaction, if you only stop and peel back the layers.

Handle yourself gently and with great reverence.
Be kind to your mind, your soul, your heart and your physical being.
Filter and censor all that you come across and be very careful what you are putting into your body.
Your body and brain are fine tuned machines that can be greatly enhanced by only supplying them with the finest of inputs.
Steer clear of excessive fats, salt, sugar, meat, artificial ingredients and processed foods. Steer clear of negativity, news that you do not need to hear, people who don't uphold you with respect and gentleness, places that make you feel uncomfortable.
Listen to your intuition and instinct. Your body does not lie to you. It's signals are based on tens of thousands of years of trial and error.
Listen to them.

Love from the deepest core of your being.
Find the good in each person and love that part of them. From there you will grow to love and see the entire person.
Each person brings something to you, a gift that you may not at first recognize, however the gift is there never the less.

When you have an idea , act upon it.
Ideas are messages from the universe. It's up to you whether or not you grasp on and put the idea into action. Make it a point every day to act upon at least one or two of the ideas that come to you.
You'll be amazed at the results.

Recognize that fear is often unfounded.
When it appears in your being, stop and examine it. Don't let it freeze you.
This is a realm where actual 'doing' is rewarded. When you allow yourself to be frozen or withdraw in fear, you stop yourself from 'doing' and miss the whole point of your life here.
This is a 'realm of action' and only action will move you further in the direction you desire to go.

Live in the moment you are in.
When the past appears in your thought process, recognize that it is surfacing in order to be processed and let go of. It's part of your healing process.
Allow it to surface quietly, observe it carefully, then let it go and return to what you truly have. The moment you are in now.

Recognize that the future is not here yet and hence there is no need to fear it.
Imagining what you would like the future to look like may be a fine exercise to do in certain moments; however always recognize that there are numerous variables that you have no control over and the future you are planning for, may not appear in the format you are aiming for.
It is much better to immerse yourself in a positive field at this very moment and realize that you do have control over your actions and reactions in each moment as it presents itself to you.
Give your wishes to your subconscious mind and then let them go.

Never hoard your ideas, your love, your knowledge, your material assets or your kindnesses.
Every gift you have is meant to be passed on and only by passing it on when-ever the opportunity presents itself, will you be able to open yourself up for more to flow in.

The universe is in a constant state of becoming and so are you. By remaining open and allowing yourself to be a conduit for the gifts of the universe, you will enrich your own life and all of those whose lives you come into contact with.

©2007JoSmith

Jo-Anne Smith, the author of this article, is a REALTOR® with Royal Lepage Proalliance Realty, Brokerage, in Belleville, Ontario and welcomes your real estate inquiries. To contact her, visit www.QuinteRegionRealEstate.com

The Quinte area real estate market has risen by approximately 11.5 % to the end of July of this year compared to the same time period in 2006.
There is a shortage of listings and many properties are receiving multiple offers on the day they are listed or the day they are open to offers.

I am seeing more and more properties coming on the market with 'no showings or offers allowed until such and such a date' on them.
This is very frustrating to my buyers and I feel it does a disservice to the seller of the property. There may be numerous buyers who will go elsewhere and buy something else rather than wait on a property only to be in competition with numerous other buyers the day the showings finally start. I never recommend this for any of my sellers.

A two or three day 'no showing' period may be somewhat
beneficial, however I would say that allowing showings immediately and stating that there will be no offers viewed until perhaps two to three days into the listing, would serve the purposes of the seller (to get the most amount of money in the shortest time possible ) to a much greater degree.

To the end of July of this year, 2,469 property units have sold in the Quinte board. I also noticed that we did not experience our usual lull in market activity this July like we normally do, so I was not surprised when I read the stats released by the Quinte and District Real Estate Board stating that 339 units sold in July 2007 compared to 285 units in July '06.

We are having one of the most active markets in all of Ontario and are only slightly behind Parry Sound, Clarington, Newcastle area and Bowmanville.

The main reasons we are seeing such a booming market in our area are

1. numerous retirees from other regions, particularly cities, choosing our area to retire in.

2. The expansion of CFB Trenton bringing with it a great amount of new postings to the Quinte area.

3. Excellent employment prospects with new industry such as Kelloggs choosing to locate here.

4. An influx of people moving here from other countries due to the culture, natural beauty, community facilities, tourism exposure, etc.

5. Many young families whose bread-winne rs work within driving range cities are choosing to relocate here and commute to work daily via carpools, etc.

6. We are still one of the most reasonably priced markets in southern Ontario. The average purchase price for a home here has risen to $195,115 as compared to the average being $180,816 in 2006. This is particularly attractive for young families, first-time buyers, retirees and single people .

I am currently searching for numerous properties for my buyers and having a difficult time finding suitable listings. If you have a property you are considering selling, please don't hesitate to contact me via email or by phone. You just may have a property one of my buyers is looking for !

Jo-Anne Smith, Sales Representative
Royal Lepage Proalliance Realty, Brokerage
613-922-5978 Direct
613-966-6060 Office

Late Afternoon Tea In The Courtyard of Your Soul

Monday. The traffic on the distant road is not as brisk as usual. Somewhere children lounge in bed or sit on carpeted floors, heads resting against an old lab's lazy, overextended ribs while they screech with delight at every hurdle they conquer in their morning videogame. Blackie shifts positions and moans, his grey muzzle crinkles a bit and he falls back to the deep dreams of dog.

Everything, everyone moves on the surface. The echoing of tires on grey asphalt slides through the air and gets lost in the sharpness of a small bird’s announcement. A windchime shifts delicately in the breeze and somewhere across the city an elderly man shuffles to the washroom, wracking coughs filling his small apartment as he walks.

He thinks to his recent loss. A partner he loved for 41 odd years. The place is empty now without her. He knows one day he must begin again. Begin to remake his life. Design a new one and move into it. Move into it carefully as one would when entering a skin that shifts and stretches as it is pulled over the bulges and bones of the being within. He will do this. He will remake his life. Just not today.
Today is for sitting in his old plum coloured, easy chair and pretending to be engrossed in the morning news. His mind is a million thoughts away. If time could be accessed by the trajectory it’s imprint had traced and left in the ‘now’, he would surely take it.
Back to that first ‘hello’, back to that first smile, back to that first light feeling he felt as love settled into the places of himself that no one knew were there, not even himself. His soul draws him from his silent revery as it gives him a song to help him understand. The sharpness of his pain eases as one small tear finds it’s way along an invisible path and tumbles down the slope of his weathered face.

Your soul is a child. It is the first to wander off and trust. The first to fall in love with an idea, a view or a person. The last to forget. It is the part of you that tags behind and pulls with a steadiness as it cries to you ‘no, wait, wait, I am not ready to say goodbye . Can’t we just stay a bit longer?’

Your soul is innocent. It lives in a different world than you. A different dimension. It will never understand the harsh events of your life nor the negative character traits of the people you come across. This is not a part of your soul’s vocabulary. Your soul is blind. Your soul is only love. It is the dancing child within you. The one who calls to you to look up and see that last mauve cloud move briskly across the clearing sky after a downpour. It is the one that understands what an old dog is saying as his eyes gently and humbly meet yours and something within you softly moves.

Your soul will feed itself. It only asks that you prepare a small corner table in a quiet courtyard where flower petals fall softly to the stones below and your face can be caressed by the shifting whimsy of a gentle breeze. Then it asks that you take a seat in the remaining old wrought iron chair and listen to what it has to say.