Welcome to Surpass Your Dreams. The goal of this newsletter is to help you recognize your potential and surpass your dreams. This month will focus on living life to the fullest.

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1. College at 50. Why not? A Column Written By My Mom.
2. Are You Making The Most Out Of Your Life?
3. Top Ways To Life A LIfe To The Fullest
4. Great Resources
5. Last Month
6. Are You Ready to Move Forward?

I. COLLEGE AT 50. WHY NOT?

My mom’s biggest dream in life was going to college. Now at 50, she is living her dream. My mom is an inspiration to me because she never gave up. She knew she would get there one day, and she did.

This column is written by my mom. She will be featured columnist, from time to time, as she writes about what it’s like to be in college as an older student.

Now, let’s hear from my mom…

As a teenager, I dreamed of the day that I would attend college. My family really needed the income so I went to work. Then, I got married, and had two children. This made it impossible to go to college.

In my late forties, three events occurred simultaneously:

1. My children finished their schooling, got jobs, and moved out.
2. I left the rat race. I was free of paying tuition, and supporting children.
3. I went through a mid-life evaluation. I asked myself “what haven’t I accomplished yet?”

I read a study projecting that people living in the Unites States, through the wonders of medical technology, can expect to live to age 85. With 35 more years to live, there was so much more I could do with my life.

Last year my father-in-law Jacob died at the age of 101. Jacob was born in 1897 the year our 25th president, William McKinley took office. Jacob lived in Long Branch, New Jersey. Up to his 93rd year, he frequently visited us by train, by himself, at our home in Bayside, Queens, New York.

Jacob was an early riser, and so am I. At 5am, when everyone was still asleep, he’d share with me his views of life. From him, I learned what life was like on the Lower East Side of NY at the beginning of the 20th century. As a young man, he sold newspapers in the street, and recalled the headlines about the sinking of the Titanic, both World Wars, and the Great Depression.

Through his engaging dialogue, it became apparent to me that one’s knowledge, ideas and experiences are to be shared with others, not locked up in a vault, wearing them only on special occasions.

Jacob had become my catalyst. I wanted to continue learning and sharing.

I enrolled myself into college. At first, I was afraid that I might not be able to do the work. I haven’t studied or written a term paper in a long time. In addition, I would be older that most of the other students. What happens if I couldn’t keep up? What would I do if I didn’t fit in?

I am now a matriculated student with 25 credits. I have many friends of all ages and I love the work. I am an honor student and people come to me when they need help with their homework. My college experience is better than I could have ever imagined.

Are you thinking about returning to school? Or, are there other things in your life that you want to do but you don’t because you think you are too old? Don’t let age hold you back. You can do whatever you want at any age. Your body might not be the same as when you were younger, but the satisfaction you receive from setting goals and reaching them is well worth the effort.

So, College at 50? College at 60? 70? Why Not?

About The Submitter: Barbara Brown is currently a student at Queensborough Community College in Bayside Queens, New York. She maintains a GPA of 3.93.

II. ARE YOU MAKING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR LIFE?

Have you chosen to reach for the stars, to live a life full of passion and possibilities? Or have you chosen to get comfortable and watch your dreams go by?

You get to choose how your life will go, and you can choose to live your life to the fullest.

But you may be saying “Of course I want to live life to the fullest. But I don’t know how to get there.” Or, “I don’t deserve to live life to the fullest” because of some thing you did in the past that you still can’t forgive yourself for. Or “Living life to the fullest is for other people, not me.” The question I have for you is why don’t you think you deserve it?

For a long time I had a problem with living a life I loved. I wanted to be happy for a long time, but when I got there, I would not let myself enjoy it. I knew it was only a matter of time before something would happen to ruin it. I couldn’t go through that pain again. It was better to not let
the happiness in at all, than to let it in, and get hurt again.

But living life to the fullest is the answer. Life is all about challenging yourself and pushing yourself past what you do not think you can accomplish. It’s about growing and learning and really loving each day fully. It’s knowing that it will work out (because it always does) and you will find
your way. It’s knowing that you can do it, you do deserve it, and it can happen.

So, have fun and live each day to its fullest!

III. TOP WAYS TO LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST

There are many times in life that we are reminded of the importance of living life to the fullest. In every moment of our lives, we have choices. We can choose to live fully in the moment, to live our dreams, to be the person we dreamt of being or to ignore the voice inside us that is begging
to be heard -- to live life with everything we've got.

Think about the following areas of your life. Where are you proactive? Where do you need a push to get going?

1. Strengthen Your Mind.
   Knowledge generates richer experiences and opportunities. Push the limits and find out where your true abilities lie. The mind knows where you are and can take you to where you want to be.
2. Fear Less, Dare More.
   Do at least one thing every day that scares you. Don't be afraid to ask for more or reach for more. We could do it all if only we dared to go for it. Don't let fear paralyze you. All we need to do is overcome our fears and dare to follow our dreams. New experiences make our lives richer.
3. Live With Love And Passion.
   Love and express love as much as you can as often as you can. Love unconditionally without any expectations. Be loving and passionate about yourself, others and your goals. Love and passion are motivating and inspirational.
4. Serve Others.
   Be a role model or a mentor. Help others live a better life. Leave a legacy. We thrive when we feel we are valued and have left the world a better place.
5. Have A Purpose.
   Purpose gives meaning to our lives. It changes our attitudes about life.
6. Forgive.
   When someone has harmed you, try to understand by putting yourself in that person’s shoes. Accept that people make mistakes. Let it go, and move forward.
7. Be Fully Present.
   To be fully present is to have no preoccupations with past or future. Remain in the now even when speculating on the future might be more tempting. Smell the roses. Savor every moment as special. Appreciate the beauty in life.
8. Let Go of The Small Stuff and Eliminate Tolerations.
   What you are putting up with keeps you from being yourself and evolving quickly as a human being. Try not to overreact, blow things out of proportion, hold on too tightly, or focus on the negative aspects of life. Prevent the little things in life from immobilizing you. Lighten up, smile more, frown less and laugh generously.
9. Live With Integrity And Acceptance.
   To live in integrity is to have no actions that you regret, to be real to yourself and to others, and to recognize that you are special, unique, and precious. Accept and appreciate who you are and what you have, but know that you always have the opportunity to become more.
10. Set Goals And Commit To Action.
    Decide right now that it is important to live a life to the fullest. Set goals to support your purpose and your dreams. Goals help us to concentrate our focus. They motivate us to expand and grow, and they move us in a forward direction.

About the Submitter. This piece was based on a piece written by Shawn
Hewitt. Shawn can be reached at shawnhewitt@turning-pnt.com.

IV. GREAT RESOURCES

Would you like to have your newsletter, e-zine or resource listed here? Please send your name, e-mail address and 1-2 sentence description of your resource to info@surpassyourdreams.com. If I feel it will benefit my readers, I will be happy to list it here.

1. I found this great web-site that helps you lose weight. It’s called eDiets.com (http://ediets.com). You can get customized weekly meal plans and shopping lists on-line. In addition, they have online clinic meetings, weekly email tips, advice, motivation, suggestions and answers to your diet questions. It’s like having your having your own personal dietitian!

2. I am working with an awesome food coach, Jan who is helping me lose weight. She lost 100 pounds herself and she is inspiring, smart and witty. She promises that in 90 days, you will have the tools to change your eating habits for life and I believe her! Jan’s web-site is at: http://www.slimchance.com

3. Tried self-help books, tapes and seminars but didn't get what you wanted? FREE five lesson class reveals why self-help works when it works, why it doesn't work when it doesn't work, and what you can do to improve the results you produce. To enroll, visit: http://www.lifechangetips.com/t.cgi/102366

4. Are you reaching for greater success AND balance? Get help by subscribing to The Business Woman's Advantage, a free, e-mail newsletter for women with entrepreneurial spirit. To subscribe send an e-mail to: bwa-request@listhost.net. Put subscribe in the body (not subject line) of the e-mail or visit the Business Woman's Advantage web-site at http://www.womansadvantage.com/bwa.

Last month’s issue was dedicated to how to communicate effectively.

Do you keep everything inside, or do you share with other people what is going on in your life?

Most people I work with say that they keep their problems to themselves and work things out on their own. Some do have supportive people in their lives, and they consider themselves to be very lucky. But most are afraid to open up to the people in their lives and let them know when they need to talk.

Why is this so?

To read this issue, as well as other past issues, check the newsletter archive list at the top of the page.

VI. ARE YOU READY TO MOVE FORWARD?

If you are ready to move forward and live your dreams, then a Personal Coach may be right for you.

For a Free 30-minute Telephone Coaching Session, please call me at (516) 432-2440, or send an e-mail to info@surpassyourdreams.com. This free session will give you the opportunity to see first hand if a personal coach is the next step for you. For additional information, visit the rest of my web site at http://www.surpassyourdreams.com

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Have a great month!

Deborah Brown-Volkman, Author and Writer
Brian Volkman, Editor

Copyright © 2000, all rights reserved. Permission is granted to reproduce, copy or distribute text from the newsletter or the content in its entirety so long as this copyright notice and full information about contacting the author (Deborah J. Brown) is attached.

Deborah J. Brown, Personal Coach and Motivational Speaker
info@surpassyourdreams.com
http://www.surpassyourdreams.com
212-586-0787

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