Your Very Best Life

Dear Friend,

I hope that you had a fantastic 4th of July week ~and this finds you refreshed and recharged.  For many of us, we celebrated our country’s Independence with festivities that included people we love ~ friends & family, young & old, near & far.  Maybe your holiday was steeped in tradition ~ a parade, Great Grandma’s famous potato salad, a water balloon fight at dusk before the night sky was illuminated with brilliant bursts of glittering light.  Perhaps this year marked a new chapter and your celebration was a spontaneous one, or the beginning of new traditions to carry on in the years to come.    No matter where or how you spent your Independence Day, I would bet that you heard the sounds of laughter, voices  of loved ones catching up and visiting.  It’s likely that at least one person told you they loved you, and if you were anywhere in these United States of America, you heard the telltale BOOMs as fireworks erupted in every direction as the last light faded from the sky.

I’d like you to do something for me.  Close your eyes for a moment, and replay your day, all that you did, with all those around you, however, imagine that you couldn’t hear the laughter, couldn’t hear the conversations taking place around you, couldn’t hear the voice of someone expressing their love for you.

Now….. Imagine………. being able to give someone the GIFT of hearing.

I would like to invite you to join me in declaring the month of July as Independence Month, and together, playing a big game with one common goal…..SO THE WORLD MAY HEAR!
The Starkey Hearing Foundation is a remarkable organization dedicated to making a difference in the world.  As Bill Austin says, “Alone we can’t do much, but together we can change the world”, and you can see from their videos they are in fact changing the world each and every day.  I am certain that once you see what I have seen….your heart will be just as touched, just as moved, just as inspired.

Here is a link to view some of the viagra that the Starkey Hearing Foundation did ~ One of my personal favorites, if you click on “Africa”, and then “Nairobi 2010”.  To experience witnessing the exact moment that these children hear for the first time – it takes your breath away.
Please take a moment right now, and click here:

http://www.starkeyhearingfoundation.org/hearing-missions.php?video=12

This is my request…. I know, that together, by opening our hearts, and giving what we can, whether that is $1, $5, $10, $100…. and by sharing this email with your networks, friends, colleagues, etc…and asking them to do the same, we can raise at least $10,000 in the next 3 weeks…. and, by leveraging the matching gift that has been granted to us, each dollar will actually turn into $5. So, by our raising $10,000, that becomes $50,000, and THAT my friends changes the lives of 200 children forever……
So, please join me, let’s rally, and together, make a difference….. SO THE WORLD MAY  HEAR.
Here is what to do next:

You can make a check out to:
Starkey Hearing Foundation

Please include your full  name & address along with

donation, and mail to me at the following address:

Riana M. Bennerotte
11346 Eagle View Terrace
Woodbury, Mn 55129

You can donate online by visiting:
http://www.starkeyhearingfoundation.org/individual-gift.php

When you get to the follow sections, please use these instructions:

Under “Gift Selection” and “I would like to donate for” -

SELECT : Million Dollar Club

Then, at the bottom, you will see a heading called “Tribute Information”
In the drop down box, SELECT:  Honorarium

In the box to the right where it says NAME: type:  Riana M. Bennerotte

Thank you for BEING Extraordinary…..

Thank You for Giving from your Heart

…so the world may hear!

Stand firmly in the space of honor.  Celebrate who you are and who you are not….. Commit to yourself right this second that you will NO LONGER settle.  Not in your career.  Not in your friendships.  Not in love.  Not in life.

If “it” makes you feel “less than”….consider it’s time to give “it” up and let it go.

Risky?  Maybe.

Scary? Likely

Worth it?  Absolutely…Your life depends on it.

I guarantee you, whatever is on the other side, is better than be burdened with waking each morning with a sense of misery and disdain as you go to work at a job that you despise.

I promise you, it will be better to be alone, than with a lover that does not cherish and adore you….has it ever felt amazing to be someone’s 2nd choice or worse yet, invisible?

I assure you, it will be better to let go of toxic friendships with those whom only encourage and support dreams and lives as big (or usually as small) as their own.

let your light shine…Bright. BIG. Blinding.
You deserve it you know…

07 White Christmas

I am sitting here on this snowy Christmas Eve morning in my living room, listening to the soft sounds of Christmas music, and enjoying the warmth of the fireplace and the sparkly glow from the lights on the tree.

For some, this is truly the most wonderful time of the year…celebrations abound, joy and cheer overflow with friends and family, the uninhibited giggles as little ones gaze upon the gifts under the tree ~ wondering if they will hear Santa as he magically slips in during their sweet slumber.

This day of the year has always been about magic for me… for as long as I can remember.  Since my birth, I believe there was only a single Christmas Eve that was not spent at Grammy & Bumpy’s house.  Mama and I would pack up the car, and the 90 minute drive would seem endless.  We would pull into the driveway, and it was as if mother nature had created the scene straight out of a Thomas Kinkade painting.  The enormous pine trees beautifully flocked with crystal snow… the horses in the pasture, who would run along the fence as we drove in, their winter coats thick and full, the lights in the trees in the front the the house, all leading up the moment when the front door would open wide when they saw us drive in, and the smells of Christmas, and family, and Tradition would envelop me in a the warm hugs of their arms.

After church, the rest of our family would come back to the house, uncles and aunties and cousins….our family tradition on Christmas Eve has always been Hors d’Oeuvres for our meal, usually a little champagne toast, and wonderful conversation and laughter as we catch up and talk about what is happening in our lives, the world, and reminisce about things we remember from when we were young….

When the excitement was too much to bear any longer, we would all move to the living room and the fire would crackle, and we would say a prayer, or read a special story, and then, the sounds of paper tearing and squeals of excitement filled the house.

On Christmas morning, when I was a little girl, Bumpy would take me up on the roof (it was flat!), and to my amazement there were always sleigh tracks, tiny hoof prints and either a tiny little halter or a jingle bell or two that was “left behind”…..   That, was pure MAGIC.

As a mommy, it makes my heart full to pass on some of that magic to my little girl…. wouldn’t you know ~ last year, “Donner” happened to “throw a shoe” when Santa’s sleigh landed on our deck…. thankfully, it was covered with magic Christmas glitter, and it caught Madi’s eye glistening in the sun.

I know that for some, this is the hardest time of year, missing loved ones who are no longer with us, longing for tradition and connection but spending the holidays alone, grieving the loss of a marriage and feeling as though there is an empty space in their heart.  It is for you, I share this next wish….Know that those who are not here are here in spirit, and live on forever in the love that you had for them…when you look into the night sky, see them in the stars, as they twinkle and shine bright in the darkest dark, they are there…..loving you right back.  When we give love, we open up our hearts to receive love.  When we comfort another, we open up our spirits to receive comfort ourselves.  When we create magic where there was none, we open up our life to see the magic all around us.

Wherever you are on this day, however you are spending this night, when you awake tomorrow morning, let your heart be filled with love, your spirit soft with comfort, and be present to the magic in your life…..

Merry Christmas from my heart to yours….
I am sending you love and magic

Always,
~R

Every person deserves to be cherished, honored, appreciated.
Ever soul had the divine brilliance to light the world.

Let go of fear, step into your greatness
it is your birthright to love, be loved
& create the life you dream of.

Prosperity
Success
Vitality
Love
Joy

Focus all of your thoughts, words, intentions, actions on only the positive
Banish limiting beliefs and petty negativity
Realize and Remember that your playing small has never served you or this world….

Live Love Give

Much Love,
R

There are typically two kinds of people when it comes to being in the kitchen.  There are those that follow a recipe and hope that when they put all the ingredients together, it ends up looking like the full color glossy in Martha’s latest cookbook.  Then, there are those that take a basic staple, and then create from there, usually based on what is in the pantry and the fridge at that moment.  These “creations” generally fall on one side of the spectrum or the other……. Incredible, or Inedible.

I would say that for most of us, we could liken who we are in the kitchen, to who we are in our business, our relationships, our lives….  I know, it’s a fairly big leap, but think about it for a moment, see what comes up.

In this new era of economics, where the old rules no longer apply…… I think there has been a piece of the conversation that has been lacking.  For many of us, who have chosen careers on a ‘nontraditional’ platform such as business owners, entrepreneurs, coaches, network marketing professionals, etc etc etc….. we have already been living in the space of “there is another way”, “another option besides working to create someone else’s wealth”, “creating a life around what you love, and molding your work to fit in, vs. working on someone else’s timeline, and trying to squeeze a few moments a day with those you love, doing things you love” .

However, I would say, that in this shift, in this new way of doing things, there needs to be another element, even for those of us who are already “Outliers” (if you haven’t already, I highly recommend you pick up a copy of Malcolm Gladwell’s book “Outliers”…. Fascinating stuff).
I believe that a blending of a tried and true recipe that has long been a family favorite for generations, with a dash of this, a little less of that, and maybe pairing it with a great Prosecco instead of the traditional Merlot you have always served……and voila’ ~ the best of both worlds, no?

My point is, unless you liken yourself to an Emeril or the Barefoot Contessa, likely your off the cuff creations will lean more toward the inedible side of the spectrum.  Conversely, if you only make what you have always made, and are afraid to add a little cayenne to something sweet or a pinch of brown sugar in a red sauce…. You may just end up missing out on what could be the new family favorite for the next generations to come……

Don’t be afraid to add you to the mix.  Just because you have been taught and trained by the  chef’s of the world (ranging from your Nana, to your crazy Italian auntie, to Ingrid Hoffman & Julia Child), doesn’t mean there isn’t room for the next Rachel Ray or Bobby Flay….. Capice?

Be Bold. Be You.

Delight in the Details.

Live Love Give….    ~R

When you wake in the morning, and think of your “job” or your “career”…do you feel energized or exhausted?  When was the last time that you really evaluated what lights you up?  I have an invitation and a challenge…..
in the next 24 hours, schedule some time (as in BLOCK OUT YOUR CALENDAR) for an appointment with yourself.  Quiet, free of distractions, (if you have to jump in the car, drive to a park and walk into the “woods” to get away….do so) and LISTEN…
What do you hear when you ask the question…if I could do anything for a career, what would it be?  What would you do if time, money, space, were not considerations?  What are you passionate about?  What is as natural to you as breathing?  What gets you jazzed when you have the opportunity to do that?  Is is fly-fishing? Cooking? skydiving? scrapbooking? golf? photography? writing? painting? gardening? etc etc etc…
I urge you……………………. I beg you………………….. FIGURE IT OUT…. and find a way to make your work match up with your passion…
~When passion and opportunity meet…. MAGIC happens.

Much Love,
R

Success is for the people at the precipice. The entrepreneurs, innovators, risk takers, and dreamers. Remember to never stop thinking. Proactively seek out fresh ideas and fresh answers. Find partners. Remember that you are only as smart as the people that you surround yourself with. Seek out people who are smarter, more talented, more successful, more giving, more loving than you. Nurture them. Reward them… because they are part of your future. Become leaders of change. Become a Leader that helps others step into the light and become the leaders that they too were born to be. Move forward. Find your buzz. Create a buzz. Stir things up. Remember that life is a continual uncovering. Most of all discover the things that thrill you and do them. Shift your thinking from what is usual and predictable to what is possible. Dream again. Dream big. Be generous with your time, your love, and your spirit….take the time to brighten someone else’s day every day. Breathe. Rest. Play. Work hard. Live your Life TODAY….don’t wait until everything looks a certain way, or lines up just how you think it should, or likely, you will wait your entire life to start living it. At some point each and every day allow yourself to be amazed….