Hello! 
Greetings
to over 700 of you who now receive our
newsletter! This summer has been fabulous
for us: Lots of time outdoors attending
summer festivals, adventurous road trips,
concerts, boating on the lake, and quality
time with friends and
family. Recently, we were fortunate enough
to spend a long weekend at a beautiful
cabin in the quiet north woods of Minnesota,
courtesy of Michelle's aunt and her husband.
The
weekend was filled with fresh air, silence,
and abundant nature. It was an opportunity
for us to get back in touch with how we
choose to fill our time and how we choose
to live our days. Back home, our days
are filled with a (satisfying) combination
of work, fun, activity, and relaxation,
but most of it is 'scheduled.' Up north,
our time was free and flowing, with no
urgency at all. We came home completely
refreshed, and once again more conscious
of how our time is spent.
Just
before we left the cabin to head back
to busy city life, we got the ultimate
reminder of what's important in life.
As we were packing up, we heard a cry
of "Help!" down at the lake behind the
cabin. We hurried down and found that
an elderly couple had capsized their canoe
in the middle of the lake and were floating
helplessly in the cold water. On this
early Sunday morning, no one else was
around and no one else heard the call
but us.
It
was an adrenaline-filled, complicated,
and emotional rescue that followed, but
in the end, Jean and David are safe, and
Michelle and Bill are probably transformed
forever. We were so stunned that we didn't
even talk much on our six-hour drive home.
So we pass along the reminder we received
to you about the preciousness of life
and about the importance of taking the
time to live life deliberately;
and do it now.
The
photo below is of the cabin where we stayed
and the article that follows is a previously
published one that asks that all-important
question of how are you really living
your life?
Peace
to you and best wishes for a great rest
of the summer,
Michelle & Bill Stimpson
LifeShine
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 WHAT
DO YOU FILL YOUR LIFE WITH
By
Michelle Stimpson
Look
closely at your home and work environment. Think about
your calendar and the events you schedule. Consider your
relationships and the content they are comprised of. What
do you see? What are you "filling" your life with?
We
live in a society that rewards us for being busy, for
working harder, and for accumulating 'stuff.' We receive
kudos when we achieve superhuman limits, we are recognized
when we multi-task and put out fires, we are viewed as
self-less when we respond to the whims of others, and
we might even be affirmed when we bring home more stuff
that we found on sale but didn't really need. So where
is the room in our lives to simply "be"? Many of us have
a fascination with filling our lives with more,
but where does that ultimately get us?
Our
lives are filled. From the junk room downstairs to the
cupboards in the kitchen. From scheduling activities on
our once free evenings and weekends to turning on the
TV, radio, or even a fan to drown out the silence. How
about in our conversations with others? We fill the silence
with 'talk' whether the conversation is meaningful or
not. Cell phones now fill the space of previously protected
alone time. Similarly, we fill voids or losses in our
life: We run out and get a new puppy when our old canine
companion dies; we run to friends or family the instant
our spouse leaves on business--we certainly wouldn't want
to be alone.
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 CLIENT
SUCCESS STORY: By
Krisell Rivera, Loan Consultant,
Principal
Mortgage, Inc.
"Opportunities
are only limited by your determination and faith."
After
living my entire life in Mexico, three years ago
I came to live in Minnesota with my brother. Even
though this move was necessary for me, this was
a huge change for me, and it definitely took a lot
of courage, commitment, and discipline to make it
work. That's where my dear friend, Michelle, came
along as an oasis in the desert. She made that huge
step a lot easier and more doable. One day my brother
gave me the best gift I can think of: He gave me
Michelle's phone number and we instantly connected
in the most incredible way.
Since
that moment, Michelle has been a person in which
I can trust with everything. She will listen and
understand almost as if she could read my mind!
Every time I talked to her, I felt a big relief,
because she takes you step-by-step to make sure
the path you're taking is not only the correct one,
but more importantly, the one you really want. She
shows you how things are not as difficult as you
may think, and that you can create your own beautiful
world by doing the things you really enjoy and like
to do. Michelle inspires you to take care of yourself,
believe in yourself, and always stay positive.
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RECOMMENDED
RESOURCES
- "Walden" by Henry David Thoreau
- "A Fistful of Agates" by Jane Larson Wipf
- "Simple Abundance Journal of Gratitude" by
Sarah Ban Breathnach
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To
fully live life with intention, it's important to get the
distractions out of the way first. So if you're overwhelmed
or out-of-balance...
LifeShine
offers a simple solution for you to get out of overwhelm...and
stay out forever!
Make the investment in yourself and sign-up for a Life
Balance Assessment phone session with Michelle for
an objective, big-picture look at what's working in your
life and what's not.
Begin today living your life by design, rather
than by default.
Why wait to get back to the core essence of who you really
are?
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NEXT STEPS TOWARD LIVING WITH INTENTION
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If you are...
- DONE
talking about creating a Better Life
- TIRED
of thinking about what to do next
- READY
to make positive change and live with more intention
...then
make the investment in yourself because LifeShine is ready
for YOU.
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Who do you know who is tired of talking about creating
a better life for themselves and finally ready to make
positive change and live their Best Life? Be sure to click
on the "Forward to a friend" link below and pass this newsletter
on to them. Please don't keep us a secret!
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