Gratitude is contagious.

Just watch people saying “Thank you.” “Thank YOU.” to each other. We like hearing thanks, and when we hear it, we naturally reciprocate. We also like the opportunities to say thanks.

I am starting the Gratitude Friday series, inspired by Stephen at Adversity University. This will add a new perspective to this Yes to Me blog. So far, I’ve been taming the “Akemi” in this blog because I want to build the online community of people who aspire to live their purpose and / or build businesses that resonate with who they are. This blog is not about personal rants. Features like Interview With Successful Entrepreneurs and guest blogs are key components here, and when I share my real life stories, I intend to present them with universal wisdom that can help the readers.

Offering informative and inspiring articles and building the community remain to be the main objectives of Yes to Me. In this Gratitude Friday series, however, I will take a different approach and let “Akemi” come forward. I will share my ups and downs of the week as a new entrepreneur with real life. I hope this helps you get to know me better

Gratitude and the Law of Attraction

I do fair amount of reading and commenting other people’s blogs. This week, I found an interesting article at Tom Stine that defends the Law of Attraction. There have been some articles recently that put down the Law of Attraction and I was feeling sorry for those who may be discouraged to try it because of those articles. I thought of writing something in LOA’s defence myself, but wasn’t quite ready to raise the discussion. Tom did a nice job pointing out the different planes of energy (logical observable world and invisible spiritual world), and I’m grateful for his courage to write that post.

Yep, I know the Law of Attraction works. (No, I can’t prove it, and I have no idea about quantum physics. For me, if it works, it’s useful. If the word “law” bothers you, call it the way you like it – the term has nothing to do with its effects.) Law of Attraction is the backbone of this Gratitude Friday. What I am genuinely grateful for, I get more of them, and more of the people / things / events that bring me gratitude.

Gratitude to my business outsource

I’m grateful for my graphic / web designer Elaine for doing such a wonderful job here at Yes to Me and at my new website Akashic Record Reading. Here, she adjusted some of the formatting so that the long blog titles are easy to read and links are clearly visible. She also helped me to fine tune akashicrecordreading.com I initially started working with her because she was in Oregon, but all the work communication is done by email, so really, anyone in the US can work with her. I recommend her to anyone who needs some design work, such as business cards and web design / modification. She is in her first year of her business, so she is offering very good rate for her professional work.

Gratitude for learning opportunities

I joined Toastmasters a few weeks ago because I want to organize seminars as life coach. My group meets every Wednesday lunchtime. I was the joke master this week – my second time delivering jokes. I enjoy attending the meeting a lot. The meeting is very well organized, and the people are so nice!

In addition to learning public speaking skills, this meeting helps me to have friends locally. I just moved to this area last October, and I was feeling a bit lonely without a corporate job that gets me meet lots of people. Really, when I was working the 8 – 5, the best part was that it let me work with so many people in and outside of the company. Working from home, on the other hand, is nice as it lets me define my time and tasks.

Gratitude for good health

I am grateful for my good health. I’ve been working on eating even healthier, reducing my sugar intake, and I naturally lost a few pounds in two weeks.

Finally, I have a bit convoluted gratitude for the Oregon weather . . . Can you believe it’s mid June and not even 60 degrees!? At night, it drops to 40s and I actually had to use heater this week. I learned a new word “June-uary” Now I don’t do well in the heat, and that was one of the reasons I moved from Tennessee to Oregon, so I am grateful – but maybe this is too much . . . Wait, the weather report says it will be in the 70s this weekend! Let’s go out and play!!

What are you grateful for? (Read: What would you want more?)

Become the next interviewee for the Interview With Successful Entrepreneurs series!

This is the second post of the Interview With Successful Entrepreneurs series. Before I introduce today’s great interviewee, however, allow me to report the surprise comment I received regarding the first interview. My intention for this interview series is to learn the insider stories of successful entrepreneurs that inform and inspire my readers. And Christine O’Kelly gave us such a story! When I read Nathalie’s comment, however, I realized I also created a potential goal for some aspiring entrepreneurs. Yes, I’d be honored to interview you when you become a successful entrepreneur! Stay around, learn whatever you need from me and other entrepreneurs, and make your dream come true. For me, this is like a miracle gift for my effort, to be able to offer something you can look forward to.

How can we turn adversity in life and in business to success?

Another miracle, a synchronicity, was taking place that day when I published Christine’s interview. I heard about Stephen Hopson at Andrea’s blog and emailed him earlier. He emailed me back just when I posted the interview and commented on Christine’s post for that day. Her post was about the lies we tell ourselves that effectively keep us broke, lazy, and stuck in where we are. So I disclosed one of my own lies, that public speaking is tough for me because I have accent. Christine commented back mentioning Stephen, who is a professional motivational speaker despite the fact he is deaf. So Stephen joined the discussion in her comment section. It was like the dots here and there in the big blogosphere came to connect at that miraculous moment.

Through that discussion (you really should check it out – Stephen almost took over Christine’s comment section), I learned how I can turn my perceived disadvantage to an advantage that sets me apart from the crowd. He said, “We can turn whatever so-called disadvantages that we might have and turn them into assets. Like my speaking despite being born deaf. I’d be crazy not to use that gift, right?” Can you believe this — he actually used the word “gift” for his disability. I was shocked. I’ve been writing about the importance of expressing ourselves in business, the “I Factor,” and yet this was a revelation for me. The result (one of it – more to come, of course) was my recent post, Is Becoming An Entrepreneur Harder Than Surviving In A Foreign Country?

So here we go, Stephen Hopson of Adversity University. Check out the video clip of his speaking demo, too. It includes the story of his spiritual awakening, which led him to quit his high-paying job on Wall Street.

1. Tell us a bit about your business and why you started it.

Obstacle Illusions is a LLC that was actually legalized in November of 2007 in an effort to turn my speaking and life coaching into a business platform to teach people who are ready to explore and overcome adversity because no one is immune from it – adversity does not discriminate. My services include fun and passionate presentations so that the audience can come to the conclusion that overcoming the impossible is truly possible if they have the heart to persevere. In essence, I teach people the power of transforming adversity into success.

2. What were the three biggest challenges when you were starting off as a new entrepreneur?

• Learning ways of getting my name out there, creating opportunities to be called upon to give powerful keynote presentations for organizations seeking inspiring speakers with a powerful message.
• Defining my target audience
• Defining and honing my message

3. And how did you work through these challenges?

There were several ways I went about doing this including but not limited to writing several articles, submitting stories for books like Chicken Soup for the College Soul: Inspiring and Humorous Stories About College, creating an Adversity University blog and networking with other speakers, bloggers, authors and entrepreneurs. The defining of my message was created through working and reworking a central message, eventually arriving at dealing with and overcoming adversity as my main theme for everyone has some form of adversity in their lives; therefore, it applies to everyone, regardless of who they are or where they’ve been in life. It’s a universal theme that touches everyone.

4. What is the best part of being an entrepreneur for you?

Having no one to report to, setting my own hours and doing what is best for me, rather than slaving away at the beck and call of an organization that might not allow me to pursue my life’s mission in the manner I was called by God to do.

5. Any advice for people who dream to have their own business and yet find it hard to make the leap?

Those who take the risk and take a leap of faith in the unknown are usually rewarded immensely for their faith. Following your intuition and trusting your instincts are the best ways to move forward. Be open minded and let others help you but understand that ultimately the decision is yours to make. Only your inner spirit knows what’s right, not others. Be willing to make a stand for authenticity and you will be rewarded far beyond your wildest imagination. See obstacles as opportunities in disguise and know how to surrender, not give in. There’s a big difference between the two. Giving in is like giving up whereas surrendering the outcome is trusting that what’s meant to happen, will happen. Do what your heart asks of you and trust that you will be led to the right opportunities, the right people, the right path to take. Keep trying but don’t bang your head against the wall for that won’t serve you.

My Takeaway
Thank you, Stephen. I understand the challenge of marketing, and I am impressed he has created such a powerful brand for himself. He is truly a one-of-a-kind man who heightens our spirituality. And I promise I stop banging my head against the wall – my next door neighbor will be glad, too.