Carolyn Hidalgo

Be outside your box. Change the way you see the world, and the way you see the world will change. Changing our thoughts impacts our perception, and new possibilities become available because we can now ‘see’. You cannot create anything you want in your life without seeing it first. You cannot see it without believing it is possible first. You won’t believe it’s possible until you can see the thoughts you hold that keep you in the same limited perception. You unknowingly stay inside your box. What stops us from having thoughts that serve our own well-being where we feel stuck, unable to move forward in the direction we want to go? Our own self-judgment. Judgment creates a blind spot within us. It’s so ingrained in our social programming – our limiting beliefs of what is right and wrong that unless we find a way to see ourselves objectively we are blind to who we are being. Asking yourself ‘am I blaming, complaining, or justifying’ instead of taking responsibility for who I am choosing to be this situation? It helps us to see the thoughts that close us down to being open, and non-judgmental to what else is possible. Have you ever noticed whenever Oprah brings anything controversial on her show, she asks her audience – ‘have an open mind’. She does not say ‘try not to judge’ because this part of ourselves is hidden; no one wants to think of themselves as ‘judgmental’. She has effectively been modelling non-judgment the past 25 years, and we all know the possibilities she has created in her incredible life! Letting go of judgment, assumptions, and the meaningless comparisons we make with others when the only relevant comparison is within ourselves, and whether we are growing can create that opening for the possibilities you cannot see. I came across these “rules” to remind me to stay in that uncomfortable place of pushing outside of my own boundaries. Commit to just one of these for 7 consecutive days, and see how your world begins to change.. please share your experience in the comments!! 11 Rules for Living Outside the Box 1. Always be willing to think for yourself. 2. Never live your life based on the uninformed or
 negative opinions of others. 3. Always be open to new ideas. 4. Associate with other people who think for themselves 
and are successful in life. 5. If you find yourself “going along with the crowd,” 
always ask yourself where the crowd is going. 6. Make the decision to believe in yourself, no matter what. 7. Frequently ask yourself the question, “Am I thinking 
inside the box, or outside the box?” 8. Be willing to take responsibility for your own choices 
and your own actions. 9. Set goals and stick to them. Don’t let other people 
deter you or hold you back. 10. Don’t be afraid to be different. Most of life’s
 greatest accomplishments are achieved by people who break
 the mold. 11. Enjoy your choices and enjoy what you do. Never let a 
day go by without being thankful for the fact that you get 
to be here in the first place. ~Author Unknown P.S. The ‘eye’ photo was taken by Nasa with the Hubble Space Telescope named after American astronomer Edwin Hubble.

Being in Your Peace allows you to slow down to speed up. Life flows forward in the direction you want to go. As a strong analytical thinker where getting things done was part of my DNA, the practice of slowing down to tap into my inner wisdom has been challenging, and the most valuable practice in my life! Every day I ‘get quiet’ for at least 10 minutes up to 45 minutes. Why bother? It creates an opening for creative thought (and Universal guidance) to flow in. It is the practice of being in the present moment. You experience life more fully. Miracles show up. How to start being in your peace? Centre yourself: close your eyes, take 3 deep breaths, notice and let go of any tension in your body, and any judging thoughts in your mind, and choose one of the practices below. 1) Say a favourite prayer. eg. The Serenity Prayer: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. The courage to change the things I can. And the wisdom to know the difference. 2) Use a guided meditation. I have a CD player/alarm and often wake up hearing a spiritual meditation each morning. 3) Find a ‘marker’. Every time you walk through a doorway or pass by a painting in your home as a prompt to slow down and be in the moment. 4) Use a phone app. eg. Awareness by Ronit Herzfeld to get more grounded and peaceful in your life. www.whatamifeelingrightnow.com 5) Turn off the radio while driving in the car. 6) In the shower, stop and listen to the sound of the water. 7) Before you jump out of bed, stop and reflect on 3 things you are grateful for, and the intention you want to create for your day. 8) Limit watching the news/media. How does it benefit you to know about the guy who got shot? The Fire that broke out? The divorce someone is having? The violence that you know goes on every day, and will happen again tomorrow? Why feed your mind with all that fear, when you can feed it during that same time with ways you can change the world? Challenge: Commit to practice ‘quieting your mind’ for 7 consecutive days. Make it so simple it’s difficult NOT to do. Notice the difference you feel during your busy day. I didn’t realize how often I was practicing ‘clearing my busy mind’ that I was really meditating – even just a few minutes a day is one of my secrets to creating a life you love. It helped understand the true meaning of being in your peace. “Half an hour’s meditation each day is essential, except when you are busy. Then a full hour is needed.” ~St Francis de Sales P.S. The quality billionaire extraordinaire Richard Branson is best known for: being fully present in the moment when he is with you. If he mastered this practice of slowing down, what’s possible for you?

Sharing one of my favourites… invisible mother…the only word I’d change is ‘sacrifice’ to one of ‘giving’…live from your heart to enjoy this marvellous journey not from duty or obligation, but from love. Happy Mothers Day! It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way 
one of the kids will walk into the room while I’m on the phone and ask to be
taken to the store. Inside I’m thinking, ‘Can’t you see I’m on the phone?’

Obviously not; no one can see if I’m on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping 
the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see
 me at all. I’m invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of
 hands, nothing more! Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? 

Some days I’m not a pair of hands; I’m not even a human being. I’m a clock 
to ask, ‘What time is it?’ I’m a satellite guide to answer, ‘What number is 
the Disney Channel?’ I’m a car to order, ‘Right around 5:30, please. ‘

Some days I’m a crystal ball; ‘Where’s my other sock?, Where’s my phone?,
What’s for dinner?’ 

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes 
that studied history, music and literature -but now, they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She’s going, she’s going,
 she’s gone!

 One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a
 friend from England. She had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she
 was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there,
looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to
compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when she
turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, ‘I brought you 
this.’ It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn’t exactly
sure why she’d given it to me until I read her inscription: ‘With admiration
for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.’ In the days ahead I would read – no, devour – the book. And I would discover
what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could
pattern my work: 1) No one can say who built the great cathedrals – we have 
no record of their names. 2) These builders gave their whole lives for a
work they would never see finished. 3) They made great sacrifices and 
expected no credit. 4) The passion of their building was fueled by their 
faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

 A story of legend in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the 
cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird 
on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, ‘Why are you 
spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by
 the roof, No one will ever see it and the workman replied, ‘Because God
 sees. ‘

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost
 as if I heard God whispering to me, ‘I see you. I see the sacrifices you 
make every day, even when no one around you does.

 No act of kindness you’ve done, no sequin you’ve sewn on, no cupcake you’ve 
baked, no Cub Scout meeting, no last minute errand is too small for me to
 notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can’t see
 right now what it will become.

 I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of
 the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work 
on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went
 so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime
 because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree. 

When I really think about it, I don’t want my son to tell the friend he’s
 bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, ‘My Mom gets up at 4 in the 
morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for 3 
hours and presses all the linens for the table.’ That would mean I’d built a
 monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there 
is anything more to say to his friend, he’d say, ‘You’re gonna love it 
there…’

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we’re 
doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel,
 not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the 
world by the sacrifices of invisible mothers.

 Thank you to all the Moms who are looking down and smiling at the cathedrals 
they helped to build.

Why You Need to Shoot for the Moon… Shoot for the moon… even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars. ~Unknown. A friend gave me this quote on the cover of a beautiful journal. This week I found out I didn’t make the top 4 authors 🙁 I was disappointed naturally, but the honest truth is I wasn’t really sad. I had set a lofty goal and I tried to shoot for the moon, and in the process, I learned so much about the publishing industry I needed to know. I also made so many amazing connections that are now helping me develop my message in a way that will land with the multitudes. Besides this is my first attempt at writing, and I made the top 25 authors among nearly 1,000 other aspiring writers! There are bonuses arriving next week –I’ll share what those are when I find out : ) Through this competition, all kinds of surprises showed up I wasn’t expecting. It’s SO about the journey! I am now on a project to be part of a special project for www.tenmillionclicksforpeace.org that has been a long time passion close to my heart for connecting with children through stories. A quick question by an Australian publisher I was asked by an Australian Publisher to be part of a compilation book on Manifesting Your Desires with a couple of the experts from The Secret, (something I’ve wanted to be able to teach others!). And I can now focus my attention on the Mini Book version of my book I’ve been working on that has a built in on-line environment. I learned about the importance of marketing, and what I now have to do. I discovered how to channel my thoughts better when all the inspiration comes flooding in the morning. The writing habits and rituals I need to be disciplined around, and the focus on the reader I need to maintain. Pursue your dreams, stay curious about your learning, dedicated to your growth. And, while setting goals shoot for the moon. Trust me, you will open your world to all the possibilities available to you!!

Made the top 10%. Yippee!! Thanks for all your support : ) My sample chapter is posted if you want to take a peek, please vote in March for round 2, which is going from 70 authors down to 25 on March 31st. Warning: my sample chapter is in draft form – hasn’t been through the editing process! Wanted to share something difficult that has shown up. My in laws forwarded me an email from the competition that I made it through the first round, and it included some promotional material. I was surprised, and to be honest a bit disappointed. Given the option, many friends and family would have opted off any mailing lists because “self development” isn’t an interest. I immediately contacted the founder to share authentically (after all this is the message of my book!), and apparently I hadn’t read the fine print that all registered voters would be receiving “other valuable information from the creators”, and details were on a separate FAQ page, which included being on 3 mailing lists. Whoa. I apologize to all my voters that I didn’t take the time to read this up front so I could communicate it fully. I do understand the enormous value of building email lists, that business needs to be win-win, and I don’t want to shoot myself in the foot since my goal is to win this competition, but I believe so strongly in being upfront, and authentic so people do not receive unwelcome surprises. Friends said “it’s ok – I expected something like that – that’s how all these things work”. My sister-in-law was worried about giving out her email because of SPAM. We now operate in a world where people expect, and have to battle against unwelcome email (SPAM). If we have now simply come to expect this, it has become ‘acceptable’,  and “just the way it is”, but aren’t we then being part of the problem? Not being fully transparent is a choice. On the front page voters could have been given an opt out for any mailing lists which I’ve seen done before. What was disappointing was my mother and father in-law asked “would it hurt you in the competition if we unsubscribed because we are getting duplicate emails messages, and it’s overwhelming.” I don’t know who voted unless they let me know personally so I cannot even communicate to my voters that it only takes 30 seconds to unsubscribe, and they can still vote through the 3 remaining rounds of the competition using their login and password, and it won’t re-register them on any email lists. It is extremely difficult to speak my truth here, but this is part of my journey, and what I practice in my life. I have attracted so many authentic people who support my truth, and though it is rare in the business world – these are the 1% who have become uber-successful. Why? The speed of trust moves much faster than any marketing ploy. I am now questioning the intention of something due to a lack of transparency. My trust diminished a degree. This is how we end up wearing disguises. We question someone’s real agenda. Disclosure is one thing, but the experience people have is reality. This course, and competition has been more than fair. I feel truly grateful for this opportunity, and for the massive amount of work that has gone into the content. AND I feel a pang of disappointment. I am not right, and someone else wrong. We are simply living our own choices the best way we know how for what feels good according to our own values. How something was done simply didn’t feel authentic to me based on my values, and my vision is to create a more authentic judgment free world. Will you help me? Please vote!!