Amp It Up!

Now located at PossibilitiesAmplified.com.

www.possibilitiesamplified.com/blog

Wishing you every possibility! --K.

Well, I've been in the mountains of North Carolina, staying at a fabulous aery called the A.E. Deville House on Whiteside Mountain.  Here are a couple of pictures of our view:

Whitesidevillaleft

Whitesidevillaview

The last chapter of my book, Amp it Up! Secrets from Science for Creating the Life of Your Dreams, is about the power of giving.  I was compelled to write this chapter because hidden within the power of giving is the power of getting.  The two are inextricably entwined. 

But don't take my word for it.  Take the words of Azim Jamal and Harvey McKinnon, two of the world's experts on giving and the authors of The Power of Giving.  These two authors are donating ALL of their royalties to charity!  For that alone we ought to support them.  But further, when you decide to invest in this important book and put the power of giving to work in your own life, you'll also receive a cornucopia of free gifts, along with the chance to win tickets to some of today's greatest self-empowerment events. Lastly, I'm told that when you buy your copy of the book, you even get to decide where your donation will go.

To find out more, visit this link today: http://thepowerofgiving.org/promo.

Wishing you every possibility!

--Kim Marcille

Then visit my new blog on skirt! Magazine's Web site, skirt.com.  The blog is all about blog promotion and various and sundry other issues, particularly as relates to women, since skirt! is a magazine all about women.  It's a lot of fun:

Skirt

Jacksonville, Florida, that is.  Ran along the beautiful St. John River yesterday morning. 

Jax-StJohnRiver

Today, returned to my home in North Augusta, SC, and ran along the beautiful Savannah River. 

Do I have a great life, or what??
 

Ha!

http://news.scotsman.com/dinosaursandprehistoriclife/Dinosaurs-were-nervous-rex.4159049.jp

Read down to the end and discover that now they can start working on medications for depression that focus on the CAUSE, not on the SYMPTOMS.  Really critical.

At Tokyo University, they have figured out how to take the fear of cats out of mice.  By switching off a gene, they removed certain nasal cells that the mice use to identify predators, and the altered mice showed absolutely no fear of cats.  They even snuggled and played with cats.  Check out some great pics of the mouse-kitty interplay here.  Super cute.

Okay. So we know that some of our fears are genetically programmed.  We're afraid of large carnivorous animals, and we're afraid of things that go bump in the night.  But...spiders?  Cockroaches?  Public speaking?  What's that all about?

Let's say that some of our fears are rooted in our genetic makeup.  And some have been conditioned into us by our parents, other role models and experiences.  Whether our fears are genetic or conditioned, is there a way for us to overcome them?

I believe in the Susan Jeffers "Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway" approach.  I am certainly not at the point where I'm applying it 100%, but the awareness of actions born of fear is a huge step.  So my focus is now to become very aware of what's driving my behavior.  If I see myself choosing to be afraid rather than going forward in courage, I all of a sudden can choose.  It's when I'm not aware that I have no choices. 

While riding our bikes on the North Augusta Greeneway today, Michael and I came around a curve in time to see a doe cross the trail right in front of us.  Within seconds, we spotted her two fawns on the other side of the pathway. We couldn't help but stop and admire their beauty and adorableness for a moment.  But in just that moment, we became aware of the fact that we were separating the doe and her babies, which were too afraid to cross the trail while we were there.  We re-mounted our bikes and pedaled on so that the lovely family could be together again.

Everyday life is full of surprises.  It's the license plate that makes you laugh out loud.  It's the door held open when your hands are full.  It's the perfect connection at the airport.  It's the way the attendant in the hospital has the goal of giving you a gift every time he comes in to take care of you and your family.  (Thanks, Guy. You da bomb.)

Just like you, your life is a beautiful, beautiful thing.  Can you see it?  Even if life seems to be holding you down now, the sun might be shining, the rain might be falling, a rainbow might be forming.  Can you see it? 

Write it down.  Write down the beauty.  Remember it.  Cherish it.  For you may not pass this way again.

For my upcoming book: what has philanthropy given back to you, personally and professionally?

In my book, "Amp It Up! Secrets from Science for Creating the Life of Your Dreams," I am devoting a chapter to the concept of two-way gifting.  It is my premise that people can receive benefit in both their personal and professional lives through their involvement in causes that they identify with but which are outside of themselves.  What benefits have you received because of your support of causes?

Thanks for your feedback! --K.

Hey , cool cats!  If you're—geez—almost anywhere in the U.S. except the Pacific northwest, you know one thing is true: it's HOT!!  Is the globe warming??  Or are we just having a heat wave?  I realized the other day that I hadn't heard the term "heat wave" in a really long time...is that because our meteorologists are completely invested in global warming?  Or have I just not been watching TV?

Anyway, here in Augusta the high tomorrow is projected to be 99 degrees.  This calls for serious measures.  So here's what we did: we went to Walmart. 

First of all, Walmart is air conditioned.  (But crossing that incredibly huge asphalt parking lot makes you want it even more.)  Secondly, Walmart has FLOATS.  And not just any floats, but floats that fold up into little packages and carry bags so that you can easily carry them to the beach.  Or where ever.  Because as you probably already know, Augusta doesn't have a beach.  What is does have is a RIVER.

The Savannah River, in fact.  And the truth is, I'm not really in Augusta, GA...I'm in North Augusta, SOUTH CAROLINA.  Which is right on the other side of the Savannah River.  My house is across the street from the Savannah River.  I have a front hang-out room (I refuse to call it a "sitting room") that we call The River Room, because it has a small view of the river. 

But what's really cool is that my swanky development has a public dock that nobody uses.  So, we bought our floats and a little cooler, filled the cooler with beer, drove a block to the dock, and jumped in the river.  We tied our floats to the dock, stuck a couple of cold ones in our drink holders (we specifically chose the floats for their drink-holding design), and floated the afternoon away.  We had so much fun that we decided to do it again today.  This time we also brought snacks and books.  Perfect.  We believe we've solved our summer heat problem. 

What's amazing us is that no one else is jumping in the river.  Lots of boats go by, jet skis, water skiers, tubers...but no actual swimmers.  My boyfriend paddled his float to the other side of the river and talked to some kids that were hanging out in the riverfront park.  A little girl said, "how do you do all that?" And he said, "It's easy." And she said, "Aren't you afraid of alligators?" And he said, "Noooo.  If an alligator comes, I'll eat him!"  She thought that was the bravest thing she'd ever heard.

But there are no alligators in the Savannah River.  Someone's mom must have been closing down some possibilities for her children.  Lesson: always question everything your parents say.  More on this later. ;-)