Salon de Maria Blog

This past weekend I had my first radio interview ever...which was pretty exciting as I begin to realize the power of Google and see how my messages are being spread out into The Universe.  I already knew that anything was possible with the Internet - one of the reasons why I have so many blogs and websites.  However, it wasn't until I got off the phone with The Get Real Girls of FM107.1 in St.Paul/Minneapolis, Minnesota did I start to think...Hey, I can be famous! 

I received an email from Liv Lane who asked me if I would like to be a guest on their Saturday morning talk show.  Of course I said, "Yes!"  She had discovered me through an internet search "discovering your inner artist" and the first thing that popped up was an article I wrote over at The Good Life titled, "Discovering Your Inner Artist and Passion In Life".

So, who are The Get Real Girls?  They're committed to helping people make real life feel real good and to live with intention...Liv Lane has a great blog called One Year of Beauty and the basic premise is to make the choice to find beauty around you every day.  I like that philosophy and it's something that I've been doing...what about you?  Then there's Joan Steffend whose show on HGTV, Decorating Cents, is one of my favorite decorating shows.  Colleen Lindstrom is the third part of The Get Real Girls team who is a Life Coach in training and a yoga practitioner.

One of the main messages I wanted to get across in my interview was that life is too short (at least, life on Earth is!) to be doing something you don't want to do.  9/11 was a reminder of this and it was the years following that tragedy that I did a great deal of soul searching.  My mother also passed away when I was 14, so even at a young age I understood that it was important to enjoy every moment of every day.  Too many people get caught up in what other people want them to do that they forget what they like to do and what makes them happy.  If I had listened to those people who said that I couldn't make money as an artist or writer, I would probably still be working in the corporate world!

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If you're a sports fanatic like me or you just like watching athletes compete, you've probably been tuned into the Olympics.  I played Varsity basketball and volleyball, plus ran cross country during high school, so I understand what it's like to be focused on winning or doing your best. 

I am in complete awe of Michael Phelps, the swimmer who has, at the time of this writing, won 7 gold medals.  He had a vision and he dedicated himself to do what he needed to do to live out that vision for himself.  Seeing him win the 100 meter butterfly by 1/100th of a second was a solid reminder that anything is truly possible if you just believe...and stay focused on your goal. 

As I think about my own vision for my life and the things that I want to accomplish, one of the things I'm working on is staying more focused.  The past month or so I've been presented with opportunities to "make big money" and I've been so close to saying "Yes, sign me up!"  You're probably thinking that I'm crazy for turning down the chance to make big money, but let me explain...

Anything Is Possible

I believe that there is the possibility to make lots of money doing whatever it is that you're doing.  Whether you're an artist, online business owner, car salesman...whatever.  All you have to do is set your mind to do it and it will be done.  Donald Trump specializes in real estate and he's made loads of cash, Oprah Winfrey has made her billion talking to people and helping others, The Jonas Brothers has made millions entertaining people, and the list goes on and on.  All these successful people made money doing what they love to do.  They had a vision and they were focused on that vision.  And it's not like any of these people are any different from you or me. 

I Love What I Do

Sure, I could have stayed with being a real estate agent or joined any successful company that promised me big bucks, but I have stuck to being an artist, writer, and online business person because I absolutely have a passion for what I do.  Nothing else excites me more than being creative and making a passive income through my writing.  It never feels like "work" for me.  I don't have to go to meetings, I don't have to answer to anybody except myself, and most of all I wake up and look forward to doing what I need to do to get myself to the next level. 

Yes, I'd love to make big bucks and that is one of my goals in life, but right now I'm more motivated by being able to inspire people and helping them realize (via my blog, The Good Life) that life doesn't have to be a struggle. 

Staying Focused

Just like Michael Phelps, I'm going to stay focused on my vision and create my own awe-inspiring moments.  If an opportunity to make "big money" doesn't resonate with me, I'm not going to do it.  If I can't get excited about something, I'm not going to do it.

I'm staying focused.

Posted by Maria Palma at 09:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

When I was little I loved to color in coloring books.  I had one of those big sets of Crayola crayons and everyday I would sit down and color.  I definitely made sure that I didn't color outside of the lines and I always colored the sky blue and the grass green!  Those were my rules for art back then.

Fast forward 34 years later and I'm coloring outside the lines in every way possible!  I'm pushing the limits and discovering the endless possibilities of my creative talents.  I currently have several projects going right now which is taking enormous amounts of time, but I'm definitely having the time of my life!

However, no matter how busy I get, I'm learning to make time to do some coloring...

Doodling and coloring has become my art therapy...

A time to just let my mind become free...

A time to just be in the moment.

Not that I'm not in the moment when I'm doing other things, however.  Being "in the now" is something that I've been practicing for the past several years.  I've written about it several times over at one of my other blogs, The Good Life (Refer to this post: "Living the Power of Now").  I have noticed, though, that when I'm creating art, I'm more in the moment.  I highly recommend reading Eckhart Tolle's The Power of Now if you want to experience this state of mind.

Something profound and magical happens when you can stay in the present moment.  All of a sudden you feel more vibrant and energized.  The "To Do" list becomes exciting instead of *just* tasks that need to be done - as is my case.   As I type this I'm beginning to feel this shift...a mind shift into "the zone"...the writing zone if you will.  The words just start flowing out and your fingers all of a sudden just take off as if they already know what to type even before they hit the keyboard! 

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