How do you measure your (Life) Progress?

Hello friends.  I am awake this morning and full of joy and hope.  Although my sinuses are swollen and I have NO WORK to do, I feel free and happy.  I am grateful that I do not need to be busy to feel important.  I do not need to be over-committed to feel satisfied.  I do not need anything or want anything.  I have all that I need for real happiness.  I now really see that I am not the only person who lives this way and wants to live this way...by choosing to separate myself from living in the physical world only.  I am glad to know that I am not the only person who believes that our lives are created by our thoughts and choices.  I believe that things are as good or as bad as we perceive them to be, and that is all.

This morning I am reminded of some influential authors on this subject:  Dale Carnegie, Andrew Carnegie, Napolean Hill, Charles Haanel, Wallace Wattles and Rhonda Byrne.  These are some of my like-minded associates.  I began this blog, "Thoughts Become Things" after I read the book The Secret.

The Secret was the beginning of my journey.  It was my awakening.  I went on to read Rhonda Byrne's second book, The Power.  The two books referenced many other teachers, and mentors and believers of the "secret knoweledge of the universe".  From her writings, and her references, I constructed a list of authors and books and continued my reading.  Each new teacher showed me a way to tap into this Universal Energy and Universal Thought.  This increased my personal power.  Over the past year, I have seen a transformation in my life from where I was a faithless person, so lacking in hope that I nearly committed suicide to the person I am today.  I will elaborate more on this shortly, but first I would like to acknowledge that friendship is always important.  Relationships, as challenging as they can be, are an essential element on this journey.  I have been blessed to find like-minded friends, faithful friends, generous friends, loving friends and just long-suffering friends.  All of my relationships fall into one of these categories (at least).  and also, there have been people who have chosen to walk away from me, or I from them.

So how do you measure your progress? The many teachers and mentors discussed earlier would tell us that everything is possible for us if our thoughts are pure and our intention is to use what we receive for the greater good.  We must give if we are to receive.  What we receive is given to us freely from the Universe through the Law of Attraction (LoA) and therefore, we must seek it with a pure heart, lest we receive an abomination rather than a blessing.  The LoA, like the Law of Gravity, is non-discriminating and does not judge our methods or our motives.  But what we give out to the world, like a mirror reflection, comes back to us...so it better be good!  As human beings who are created in the likeness of the greatest power in existence, we need to Be the Light of the world...not just reflect it or take it.  I want to be the light.  That was the only message I really ever needed to hear...that it is my duty to Be the Light.  All I have to do is just Be the Light.  So now let's measure.

I measure my progress by a simple method.  I gave and I received.  How much did I receive?  What did I receive?  What am I receiving?  How has what I have given compared and what more can I give?  Did I receive what I believed?  What did I actually achieve?  Did I achieve what I conceived?  When I conceived the idea of what I desired, did I do so with a pure heart and the desire to share it?  After conceiving what I desired, I had to believe it was possible in order to receive it and achieve my goal.  So how do I measure all this?  How do I measure my life while it is ongoing?  What is my tool for this, or what is my equation?  There are many questions here.  In Kabbalah, we are cautioned about allowing our joy and happiness to fluctuate with the occurance of what we perceive as "good happenings".  When we rise too high or fall too low (emotionally speaking), we are not truely connected to the Light of the Creator or to the Energy of the Universe.

First, as I measure, I acknowledge that there are areas with great blessings for me in my life right now.  There are also areas where I am not being blessed right now.  How I interpret this is that these areas where I am not experiencing blessings reflect places where I am not giving enough love and where my tikun* exists.  This is my "weak spot" and I am responsible for making it better.  All in all, that is good news!  Nothing is beyond my ability to improve! So my calling then, is to overcome these and improve myself.  The main area in all of our lives that needs constant restriction is our Egos...our sense of the Self, the Individual.  I personally believe we are far too separated from one another and that in order for the world to heal, for there to be peace, we all must have the same consciousness.  That consciousness would be LOVE..only love.

So in August of 2010, prior to reading The Secret, I was a sad lost soul who had contemplated suicide, become a liar and a cheater and an all around selfish person who kept people at arms length or further so that I did not need to give...so that I would not be asked to participate or share or choose or put myself "out there".  Slowly, after discovering there was a LoA and other powers at work, I began to emerge again from that sheltered place.  I began to try new things and seek opportunities.  Part of what I was destined to do, and needed to do was to meet new people and broaden my expereinces.  Incidentally, meeting people and broadening my experiences became a very useful technique for me in dark times....times when I found it hard to find a happy place to meditate or clear my mind.  But my outreach proved helpful, and has been my saving grace!

That summer, I had decided it was time to expand my work horizons.  Also, having been unhappy in a relationship for a long time, I was wondering how it would/could improve or if it was time to end it and if so, how? When?  I followed Rhonda's advice and began visualization exercises...studied The Master Key by Charles Haanel and began regular daily yoga and meditation.  By October, I was offered the part-time job I wanted and had some breakthroughs in communication with my partner.  I was now finally able to genuinely see the good in him instead of always focusing on the negative.  By February, another remarkable transformation had occurred.  This one involving my 9year old daughter, Annika M. Salgado(annikamsalgado.blogspot.com).  She and I began a journey for her as a child Actor!  My desire to expand business-wise was also experiencing growth in the enterprise of being a Planner/Organizer, although more slowly then I had hoped for.  Summer 2011 felt like a slow period but there was a LOT of relationship-building and cooperative efforts with family.  Also there was loss...due to death in the family and due to friends/relatives who were no good for me.

September 2011 rolled around and I felt like a bush that had been pruned to the trunk!  My existing work had produced lovely results in deeper relationships and new contacts and increased praise and reputation.  BUT...it was not my desire to grow this business and so the challenge was...knowing when to say "no" to what I do not want.  I do not want to continue doing daycare.  I want to expand my business enterprise to include Event Planning that will generate income.  I want to write and be published and receive income.  I want to work at home where I can care for my kids while receiving income.  I want money in the bank...for a rainy day or a vacation!  I want bills covered and then some.  I want my own car.  I want to sing and use my creative abilities to generate income.  So September was a challenge...to keep the faith.  I challenged myself to put aside the desire for money and the desire to have income to spend.  I challenged myself to restrict those desires and force myself to attract the opportunities that I was passionate for!

October proved that this all works.  Not only did I see the culmination of the group/family effort happen when my stepdaughter Daly was married on October 23rd, but I saw the real results of my faith.  You see, when momey got tight, I got tighter.  When people let me down, I stood firm.  When we lost something, I had faith that something better would come to replace it.  And when I turned down business so that I could create some space for my miracle...my promised blessing...it CAME! It came not once but many times.  It showed itself everywhere...like a little pop-up show.  I saw my miracles blossoming like a happy garden in springtime!  I saw the light...because I became the light.  What was I willing to give in order to receive?  I gave up the thing most people cling to...security, the "sure thing" path.  I believed more was possible.  I should be very clear here...this was only possible because I am not the primary breadwinner for our family.  In order to be blessed, I needed to give more and more and support and encourage that person who does that for me and that is my children's father!  If not for his stability, I may never have been able to see this happen!

So first there was the invitation  to write Blogs for money.  Then there was the invitation to sing.  Next was the invitation to volunteer.  Then the invitation to Plan.  There was the invitation to people's homes and parties. Most importantly, there was the invitation to create.

In addition to invitations, there was what I was given!  I was given praise.  I was given Love.  I was given gifts!  I was given honor and respect.  I was given hope.  I was given encouragement.  I was given partnership.  I was given opportunity!  I was given a community.  I was given MONEY!  I received these things exactly when I needed them and in accordance with my faith.

What did I give?  What did I do to earn this? Quite simply...I...WAS...THE...LIGHT.
I called people.  I followed-through on promises.  I stepped-out of my comfort zone.  I pushed through selfish emotions.  I studied and read and prayed and meditated and chanted and affirmed.  I encouraged and lectured and spoke to people in the truthful way.  I sometimes shed light for people and sometimes caused them to think, even to hurt as they thought, but to face the truth and not run away.  I parented.  I honestly listened.  I responded to people.  I did NOT turn away.  I did not ignore.  I GAVE...of myself and my talents.  I did not allow insecurity or uncertainty to make me a selfish person.  I showed strength under fire.  I OVERLOOKED people's shortcomings.

Now that November is here, I am actually feeling amazing.  Not HIGH.  Not low.  I feel completely amazed.  I have confidence that cannot be shaken.  I have certainty to cover me in quiet unproductive moments.  I have the love of my family and my friends.  I have a community that encompasses me beyond them.  And if I lost it all tomorrow, I would know exactly how to survive, rebuild and remain faithul.  I do not want to be tested in that way, and so I remain faithful, and grateful.  I am so thankful to the people who brought me food when I had none or said kind words about me even when I would not hear.  I have felt their love.  I am truly blessed.

~namaste~

*tikun is a kabbalistic view of qualities a person has, especially faults, that must be overcome in the course of their lifetime.

~My LIFE is so Romantic~

Life is what we make it.  I learned this from a song on the Disney Show, "Hannah Montana".  She finishes the sentiment by saying:  "So Let's make it ROCK!"
I love that.  There could not be a truer reflection of the real ME than that statement because it combines my Rocker side with my Philosopher side.  I also really deeply appreciate how those words have shaped and molded the drive and ambition my daughter Annika has.  Those are the words of HER generation.  I still feel them though.  So read at your own risk because I am about to tell you how I REALLY see my life...and it WILL be a reflection in gratitude, so be advised that I am once again tricking you into reading about and thinking about GRATITUDE...the greatest ATTITUDE there is.

My work and my Home are one.  I have tried in the past to create a distinction where the two can be separated but it has never worked and it never shall.  There have been times when this overlap was difficult for other people who lived here in the home to accept, but I am happy to say that we have really struck a balance with it and the entire system functions well....great even!  A typical week opens up for me early in the morning with the arrival of my nephew for Daycare.  He is 3 and he is my son's best friend, Tyler...TyTy as we call him.  I love being up early.  It's not always easy but when I discipline myself to do it the benefits FAR outweigh the effort.  My Step-Daughter Daly is an excellent motivator for morning exercise and I can already see that mornings in the summer could be the best times I have had in years...whether it's a morning run, jog, walk...walk on the beach or even Yoga on the beach...I am loving it.  I love the combination of exercise and meditation and what I just described provides both!  We live in the perfect neighborhood for it.  Two Blocks up Preston Drive we have a Private Beach Access...another two blocks from there on Nausauket road is a second Beach Access.  The Nausauket Access point has the distinction of being a short walk (at low tide only!) to the Beach inside of City Park.  At low tide, the rolling beachfront there is prettier than any I have seen on cape Cod!  And THAT my friends...is MY neighborhood.  Amazing right?


So when I think of mornings, I realize the benefits and opportunities available to me before I even sip that morning Java.  And let's talk about that for a moment...how satisfying is coffee?  And how available!  I can go to any major Supermarket, healthfood store or bodega and find the most delicious blends of home-brew.  I love that morning coffee!  Sometimes David and I will sit outside and drink our coffee while watching the Boats floating in the Marina.  We have what is known as a Terciary Beachfront property which means we are 3 houses up from the beach.  It just happens...and I KNOW this is the LoA...that we have a beautiful view from where we live despite not being right on the water.  Several houses around us do not have the view we have.  We are BLESSED.  The cool air in summer brings the salty smell to our doorstep and reminds us of the wonders of living in a state that is by the ocean...another blessing!  Many of the things that cause me to want to leave RI and take up living in Florida have to do with the ocean.

This morning as I write this, I am looking around and taking stock of THIS moment and what I love about it.  I have a great cup of coffee.  My son and I are on our Front porch which is a lovely place to listen to the birds as we eat breakfast, write and enjoy each other's company.  I think there must be some sort of Bird Sanctuary nearby because the Springtime Birds in our neighborhood are so loud that they wake me up at 4am sometimes!  But now it is closing in on 9am.  Lex has a small decorative tray with wheat toast and butter and orange juice.  He is nestled into a comfy chair with his favorite Ducky blanket and his cowboy pillow...not eating...LOL.  I am writing here at my table.  Which is another thing I am grateful for !  My Laptop, my Printer, My Internet access and my Blog!  I can continue and be amazed at what I DO have rather than what I lack!  I have a cell phone...and so does my daughter.  We have 2 flat-screen High def TV's in our house.  I can think of people who have none.  We recently disconnected our Verizon Tv service...this practically devastated David!  But....and perhaps I am the only one who has noticed this....we have all been talking to each other more and spending time with each other.  No surprise to me! 

Let's consider something a bit more intimate.  Ourselves...our bodies and our features that are always with us.  Shouldn't we show more gratitude for those things over any other?  I mean, no matter where I live, work or vacation...I always bring my body, mind and spirit.  So let me start by saying that aside from a few moments here and there...my Spirit is very much at peace with my life.  I nurture it and show my spiritual side respect.  Mentally I struggle more, but ultimately I also respect my thoughts...I have learned that I must be in control of them at all times in order to be a healthy person.  I determine what I dwell on...and I fill as many moments as possible with the thoughts I CHOOSE to dwell on.  Like for instance right now I have chosen to light one of my favorite lavender candles!  The soothing fragrance is nice, but the fact that I Love lavender and I earned money and then bought my candle and the holder and then placed it here on the porch and then lit it this morning is something I am GRATEFUL for.  I feel RICH beyond words because I could do each one of those things.  I Hope I live to be 100 and always be able to have the money, the will, the ability and the desire to do something like that.  If I do, I will be a success!  And as far as my physical attrtibutes go...well, let's just say it would be TOO easy to complain...so I will start with the fact that I have a comfortable wardrobe of cotton clothes.  I am wearing a soft one-piece romper that has a tub top.  I can feel my long hair tickling my back...it falls beyond the middle of my back now.  My long hair is pretty amazing to me since it shows I have the restraint to let it grow and be at peace with it unlike my former self who had to be constantly changing in order to be happy.  This new approach has helped me to see the things I love about my physical body.  I love my skin and my hands...they both endure SO much for the sake of others!  I have a pretty face...not the same as when I was 16 or even 29...but I still feel beautiful.  I am tanner this year since I have started embracing the naturally warm undertones of my Italian heritage instead of fearing that my "delicate Irish" skin would be too fair for the sun.  So now I see who I really am!  I have a warm Olive glow with LOADS of brown freckles...and you know what?  It totally suits me!  I know very few other women who have this type of skin.  My children don't!  They seem to have no Irish at all...they have beautiful warm toned skin, dark hair and dark eyes, While my hair is dark but my eyes are a lighter color...a beautiful shade of green!

So let' talk Career then!  I was thinking this morning about part of a book I read recently.  The woman in the story was a professional Chef and Cookbook Author.  However, she was struggling to meet her writing deadlines because she had given up her chef career to raise 3 children who were very young and to do this she worked from her home in her free time.  She reminded me of myself in the best possible ways.  There were moments when she was a total mess but that GENIUS that was inside her never went away, it just had to stay on reserve until a better time to come out.  This is me too.  I have great potential in my career but I have to focus on my children right now.  I feel I have plenty of time to do all the things I want to do and I continously offer gratitude for the hope of a Long and Healthy life to fullfill these dreams in!

I have amazing friends and I have to be thankful to FaceBook for the easy way I am able to maintain those friendships, promote my daughter's Acting Career; give my Blog a place to be found; Organize and Publicize Events; share my Vacations that I am passionate about; Publicize my ChildCare and Event Planning Businesses and just be there for friends!  I am BEYOND grateful that there are even 5 people who read my Blog!  Thank you.  I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart!
~namaste~

How losing Negativity will vastly improve your Life

The trick to my favorite ever Disney Movie quite: "keep moving forward"...lies in the magic of a seed.  You take a little seed and you plant it right?  You put it in soil and you water it and give it a vitamin and leave it in the sun where it can begin to recreate itself.  If you have never grown anything from a seed before just create a mental picture of the little seed buried under the heavy damp dirt and just sitting on your patio in the sun.  You could even place another container beside it with dirt but no seed and to the average person, the two pots appear the same.  Without knowing the power of the seed, you may think the two pots contain the same exact potential when in fact, they are destined for different outcomes.  The pot with the seed is about to experience a remarkable act of creation.  The pot of dirt on the other hand is due to experience whatever arbitrary condition it falls upon.  Some bit of dandilion or other thing may drift into it and cause something to grow but it also may not.  Ultimately, with care and time, the seed will develop into something new.  That will be a gift of life...an act of birth and creation.

The pot that is about to experience the arbitrary conditions of "whatever happens" truly represents how I spent a lot of time in my life.  I wandered through life in an inaffective manner causing a series of events...some with good outcomes and others not so good.  Still other outcomes I never even saw.  Who knows what those actions may have produced...I am unaware.  Likewise, my life and experiences are partially due to the choices and actions of others' affect upon me.  We all intertwine on this planet and where our lives touch in any way has the potential to create some affect or effect.  After reading "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne, I became aware of how the Law of Attraction works in my life and everyone's life.  I began to understand many things I had been trying to understand for years in my life...to no avail.  I clearly connected the failings of past endeavors to my ability to use the LoA in these situations. Without knowing it, I had been drawing into my life many negative situations, people, circumstances and outcomes.  It is frightening for me to think of the path I had been on for so long...and where it may have taken me had I not been saved by the knowledge of the Secret to life which is applying the Law of attraction.

I am so thankful for the fact that attraction exists.  Attraction works everyday...every hour of the day and in every situation.  If I go through my day with negativity as my focal point, my situation grows increasingly negative over the course of the day.  BUT, when I turn that negative self talk off...and count my gratitude...and really say "THANK YOU"!...I manifest the greatest outcomes.  Everytime I apply this it always works without fail.  In my lifetime, I have always drawn people to me and this is due to the fact that deep inside, I do have a warm and loving heart...my soul just radiates the joy of life.  BUT...I have often chosen to allow insecurity and fear and negative thinking to weaken that glow and that radiance.  Because this has been a lingering pattern, I have created many damaging situations and circumstances for myself.  Thankfully, these are within my ability to manage and I feel happy right now that I can manage them.  That being said, I feel I am in a bit of a dry spell lately.  I desire to turn it around. 

Changing the patterns of negativity can be difficult.  You may wonder where to start.  I wondered how I was going to start...how I was going to overcome certain feelings that seemed to intense for me to work through.  But with time and patience and consistency and practice, I was able to turn them around completely and make my negatives work for me instead of against me.  The primary place I had difficulty applying the LoA back in August of 2010 was in my relationship with my husband.  This is the situation to which I am primarily referring in this paragraph.  If you feel that nothing works but it needs to work...or you need to have more positive feelings about a person than you are having...well, that can very hard to manifest!  But with time and patience and consistent practice, I was able to focus more on the behavior of his that I loved and less on what I did not love.  I came to accept ...I mean REALLY accept the parts of him that I would never be able to change.  Only he can do that.  We can only ever change ourselves.  If others are going to change anything, it will be in their own time and by their own choosing. 

So now it is May.  My life has changed a lot since last August.  Most of the changes I know have been internal.  So now that I feel internally changed, I am empowered to recreate my physical life.  I now give myself permission to do so.  This looks and feels like a period of inactivity that I am experiencing...and it feels like that too.  When this "lull" comes along, the only thing to do is refocus my energy on my thoughts and feelings of happiness, joy, gratitude and hopes.  Time spent in silent meditation can only improve this period where although it cannot be seen, the seed of wonderful things have been planted.  The seeds are there in the soil.  I have planted many.  They are growing and sprouting and in different stages of creation at this point in time.  These hopes and dreams and future glories are due to present themselves at just the right time. 

Continued reflection

One of my favorite new Bloggers/Inspirational People is a man I discovered on the internet who shares my faith and general outlook on life.  He is Steve Pavlina.  Steve blogged about the Law of Attraction and Manifestation and it was one of my favorite blogs to date.  In the body of the writing he addresses an issue that I have considered at great length during my meditations and this is the inevitable quiet period of what feels like inactivity or lack.  He calls it the "Lull".  That is fitting!  The lull can make a strong woman weary!  Imagine those who are just starting up in their journey?  Well, in a way I AM just a beginner too.  My LoA journey began August 20th 2010 on my 36th birthday!  I am glad it all began on my birthday much the way my physical life bagan on this day.

I am thankful that Steve addressed this issue in the Blog I read of his, because it reinforced what I already believed to be true which is that perseverance in holding to our ideal and to our vision is where the real magic lies.  In the Bible it would be written this way:

Having faith (or hoping for) in what we do not see.

I Love this concept...this idea...this FACT as it were.  I love faith...I love the act of having faith.  I love the POWER that lies dormant in faith.  This is the place where real magic comes to life.  I believe in miracles!  I know they have happened...DO happen and will happen anytime and anywhere for any person who asks and believes.  All things that happen have their purpose and the person who has drawn the thing to them has intended it for themselves.  This is true whether it is a "good" or "bad" occurance and in the case where it has a tragic story, it most likely has occurred as a lack of understanding about the LoA.  It is sad and unfortunate but this is the Law of the Universe and we must live with it.  I suggest the following Website be added to your daily life.  You will find it enriching:

http://www.stevepavlina.com/

So as this extreme rain pounds fiercely outside, I am glad and even a little happy.  I have this warm sensation tempered with a slight exhileration because I know that people are talking...there is a buzz.  That buzz has my name in it and my daughter's name in it.  She is an aspiring actress, in case you are not a regular reader of my blog.  I know that we have planted the right kind of seed on the right soil and that we are building relationships in the right way.  I know that our ATTITUDE shines brightly in this world.  I am confident that people are impacted by our LOVE and our enthusiasm.  It will produce beautiful things when its time has come and when it does, whatever it becomes, it will be long-lasting!  If you are curious about my daughter and her Career and her progress, please follow my other Blog.  Here is the link:

http://www.annikamsalgado.blogspot.com/

Annika at age 6.  She is a dynamo! 

My Inspirational thought for the day:

Believe in miracles!

Wonderful week to Reflect

This is a wonderful week to just reflect on where we have been the last 8 to 10 months.  When I consider what a  short of a span of time it has been, I recognize it has been a very productive and transitive period for me in my life.  I owe all this to the discovery of the "Secret"- the Law of Attraction.  For that I owe thanks to my Best Friend Danielle and for her getting fired from her job at Sears and needing to drive across town before going to the gym.  Had it not been for that and the combined coincidence that she had the book, The Secret" sitting on her passenger-side seat when I got in her car, I may not have gotten to where I am right now!  Does that sound far-fetched to you?  If it does, you may not be aware of what the Law of Attraction is or how it works.

Let me take you back in time and we can reflect together.  I have only been in the knowledge of the Law of Attraction (LoA) for 7 1/2 months.  I was able to read the first 3 chapters of "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne during that extended trip to the gym last August (2010).  I read it aloud to Dan as she was driving and I hung on every word.  Danielle was less convinced but that is a story for another blog.  As it would come to pass, my birthday was around the corner, August 20th.  I hinted to Danielle that my birthday gift could be found at the Bookstore ( a safe bet any year!).  Anyway, on the evening of August 20th, Danielle's gift sat waiting for me and was of course, my very own copy of "The Secret".  That same week I acquired the 2nd book Rhonda Byrne wrote, "The Power".  The two sit on my nightstand beacuse I refer back to their wisdom daily.

At the time that I first learned about the LoA, I was in a dark place.  I was depressed and miserable about the prospects before me.  My job was dull and I felt it was destined to be a dead-end.  My relationship with my children's Dad was pathetic and had been for a very long time.  I was just wallowing in self-pity.  I had begun to make some changes just before the summer and because of this was experiencing a bit of a happy place, but I needed guidance.  the LoA would be all the guidance I needed....I just had not learned about it yet.

From this point forward, I began to thoroughly research the New Thought Movement and other writers whose ideas were consistent with the LoA. I was delighted to discover that one of my favorite Authors was amongst them:  Dale Carnegie.  Another book that sits by my nightstand is Dale Carnegie's book, "Lifetime Plan for Success".  I am proud to say that I have failed in my imitation of these great thinkers time and time again, but with consistent effort and with persistance in training myself, I have been able to utilize many of their proven techniques and I have been quite successful with it!  I have found ways to show Love while asserting my needs and remaining faithful to my goals.

As I forward my thoughts to today and to this week, I realize that I am tempted to feel that I have failed completely with several important goals.  I have clearly gone backwards!  But I refuse to see things this way and instead I will adapt and change my ways to insure that next year, I will be much better off in these areas then I am right now!  Whatever lessons I needed to learn I shall learn!  Whatever habits I need to lose, I shall lose!  Whatever faith I need to acquire, I will make it my own and be better off for it!  And let's too remember that we must always consider the wonderful and the good things that have occurred!  In the past 8 months, I have caused more to happen in my life and in my family's life than has happened in the last 5 years combined.  Some things were already on motion, but the motion that has been created since just the start of 2011 will have far-reaching affects.

                                                                           I LOVE to make my plans...