New year and new beginnings...

Here we are again with a perfect year to start fresh! The year is 2010 and the beginning of yet another great decade of learning, growing, and Loving. Every year I ask my family and friends “what is your new year’s resolution?” and get the same five or six responses. The most popular are to spend more time with the family, lose weight and get more fit, quit smoking, quit drinking, get rid of debt and be more organized. Then I hear the random ones of helping others more often, start volunteering, and learn something new. All are perfect resolutions and I am glad to see that we all put the effort into bettering ourselves and the world around us but, we will be discouraged if we don’t live up to these resolutions and in the long run (usually by February) will ultimately forget them.

Every day we meet new people and are in new situations that give us opportunity to learn something new and we may be surprised at the gems of wisdom that can affect us profoundly in our lives. We need to fully embrace the fact that it is essential that we acknowledge that everyone is valuable in their own way and is special. If we make a new years resolution to take an extra step in being a bit more compassionate, understanding, and kind to everyone we come into contact with, we will have the potential to enrich our lives in such a big way! All relationships whether brief or a lifelong friend can help us to open our eyes to new worlds of joy and happiness.

We need to remember that when we meet someone who we dislike or rub us the wrong way we still need to have that same compassion, while examining our own feelings carefully. Usually the reason that we may dislike someone who is different is because they compel us to question our own values and ideologies while threatening to undermine our self-assurance. We need to treat others how we would like to be treated, not how we are treated. If we treat a negative acting person with negative reactions, we are becoming that negative feeling. Our thoughts become who we are in our daily lives. Every action creates a reaction and we want to create a wonderful day for everyone we meet on our journeys in life. We need to start this new year with a positive attitude and spirit so we can work toward not only the best year of our lives but the best decade as well!

My point here is to start the new year with a new beginning and not just a new year’s resolution! We all make goals and work toward them on a daily basis, but what we may want to do are make changes to our thoughts as well. This in turn will help us on our way to reaching the resolution goals and to make us a bit happier while having a lot of fun along the way. Always remember that as long as we do better today than we did yesterday then we are heading down the right path in life. We all have the ability to make this a better world and should start with ourselves, our families, and our communities. Even the simplest gestures of a smile, holding the door open for the next person, or a quick wave can change the day and life of a stranger, so start embracing the beauty around us and make 2010 the best year of our lives!

Have a fun day,

Mike Keller

The Missing Ink by Karen E. Olsen

The Examiner's holiday book givaway is featuring a wonderful author today! Check the link and maybe win a great book by Karen E. Olsen!  http://www.examiner.com/x-3859-Hartford-Books-Examiner~y2009m12d22-Day-12?cid=examiner-email

Merry Christmas

Here we are only a few days away from Christmas, a time for families and friends to get caught up with each others lives, some hugs, some laughs, and some presents! We sometimes also get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the craziness of the holidays so I wanted to throw in a reminder to just take your time and have fun. The three biggest emotions that ruin a Christmas spirit is fear, impatience, and hostility. Soo... throw those out the window and take a deep breath and remember what the reason for the season is for you!
Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to all!

January 9th at Burgundy Books "Book party & signing"

I would like to invite everyone to come and say hello at Burgundy Books in East Haddam on Saturday January 9, 2010 - bring in the new year with a few laughs and some fun! Trust me, we will have a great time. Burgundy Books is an independantly owned store with a great selection, relaxed atmosphere, and friendly people. I hope to see you there.
http://www.burgundybooks.com/ - a great site to check out! 

My book is featured in the Examiners Givaway

Go to the link for the Examiner's givaway and win a copy of my book. You have til midnight tonight! Let me know if you win, it is a signed copy www.examiner.com/examiner/x-3859-Hartford-Books-Examiner~2009m12d17-Day

What might cause headaches

The energy you exude is the energy you attract. The vibes we put out from our thoughts and aura are what we are going to attract to us, if we are putting happy and positive vibes out then we will attract those same vibes from the people around us. This is really important to remember as we go along through our days because if we put out insecure, mopey, or negative vibes we will pull those from the people around us and end up having a lousy day. I actually get bad headaches when I am around negative situations and tense people, that negativity is what causes the tension headaches. If I walk away from the situation the headache is gone within minutes! I always say happiness is contagious so why not be happy and spread it around to everyone you love. Have a fun weekend!          

Is it me?

Today I was talking with a friend of mine at work and we were talking about balancing our lives. He was saying that we should all remember to focus on our personal lives as well as professional and then went on to ask how my personal life was going and how was the dating scene. I replied that it was okay but I have not been to successful on finding my other half yet. He went on to say that "it's you" and that hit home. I immediately knew what he was getting at and realized that I might need to knock down some of those walls that we all build around ourselves. Then about an hour later I was at the supermarket and bumped into an old friend and asked her how she was doing and she said that life was okay but that she hasn't found the right guy yet and is having a hard time finding dates. I instantly replied "you are not only such as nice person but are beautiful! Have you asked anyone out for a date or been going out socially?" Her reply was so simple "Wow, it's me. I'm not going to meet anyone just working and going home!"
We sometimes focus on the parts of life that are going really well so that we don't need to think about the other parts that may need some help. Thank God that everyday is another day to learn and grow and to be able to improve ourselves and hopefully help others along the way!
I am curious how you met your true loves? Leave a comment and let us know, I bet you have a great story to tell!    

Announcing the inaugural Holiday Book Giveaway Extravaganza

Announcing the inaugural Holiday Book Giveaway Extravaganza

Posted using ShareThis  Check out the Holiday book givaway link above! Many authors and many books to be given away! Hint: I will be featured on one of the days! Merry Christmas and let all your blogging friends know about this great book giveaway!

"Should"

"The chief danger in life is that you may take too many precautions" wrote Alfred Adler. That statement swirls around in my head every time I think about risks and potential losses and reminds me that I should really be thinking about the loss of a perfect life experience. The only time we fail at anything is when we don't try. So the next time you wonder "if you can do it", change that thought to "can you afford Not do it". I was listening to the radio yesterday and heard a guest on the Joan Hamburg show (710 am - NY) say the best way to be truely happy is by taking "should" out of your vocabulary. As you may know by now that I like to play these little challenges in my head to see if I can do it. So as I was driving I decided not to say should for the day and let me tell you it was rough. Shoulda, coulda, woulda... WOW. I "should" take the garbage out - NO, I will or I "should" call Mom - NO, I better! You get the point I'm making, let's stop being to careful with life and start living every day with enthusiasm and have love for the lifes lessons. It is these lessons that help us to grow, learn, and become the person who we are, so don't take those valuable lessons away from yourself or anyone else.
      

Reason for the season

We are now in my favorite time of year - All the holiday seasons! This time of year is a great reminder to slow down, visit family, friends, elderly nieghbors, and do a few extra things to help our communities. We need to remember what the reason for the season is (in our hearts) and spend more time with the reasons. I personally love the Christmas season because I see people everywhere smiling, humming, singing, and even hugging more often! This season remember who you love and say it unconditionally, if you have an old arguement with someone you love, drop it and start fresh (sometimes it's silly to see who was right or wrong) with a Christmas spirit!
This is also a time of excessive drinking for some, so let's all keep that in mind when getting in the car - If you drink, don't get behind the wheel please. Let someone else do the driving, call someone who can drive. Life is to important to risk over a foolish mistake that can hurt anyone or yourself! I gave up drinking alcohol about 15 months ago because I could not control it any longer and have seen what damage it can do to people, families, friends, communities. I thank God every day that I didn't hurt anyone while drinking and that I can now honestly talk to friends about being careful without being "preechy" in nature from my own experiences.
Have a great weekend!
               

Getting sick could be a good thing...

Today I have been taking naps like an eighty-eight year old man because of a horrible flu-sinus infection that is going around. I feel much better now but was sitting here checking emails and realized how lucky we actually have it on a daily basis. In my opinion, it is a great thing to have an off day, a challenging day (or crappy day) and feel a little down in the dumps! These kind of days are the perfect opportunity to realize how good we actually have it on the average day. If everyday was perfect we would not appreciate it as much, it is human nature. We need to remember that we are here for a limited time and enjoy everyday while passing along as much love and happiness as possible.      

Crooked teeth but perfect smile!

We have the ability and strength to make choices every minute of our lives. By nature we are strong, good, and loving. When we were little kids we only thought about the moment. Up until we are about four or five years old we don't even understand the concept of time. As children we didn't care about yesterday and were not concerned with tomorrow. That is why we naturally laughed at anything and everything at that age. We were not concerned with who has crooked teeth, a fat belly, or the expensive sweater on! Kids will easily remind us that we worry about silly things that won't even matter in five years, so lets take a breather, stretch to the sky and relax for an extra few minutes...you deserve it! Have some fun today.

Christmas is coming!!

Hello to all my blogging friends, I have been blessed to be so busy with the careers that I am in because I truely love what I do and love to write books. I want to thank everyone who bought my first book "Life In A Week" and helping my dreams of being an author to come true. I have always believed that whatever you do with good intentions will always be fruitful, as long as they are done for the right and good reasons!
 I was Christmas shopping today and was thinking of all the kids around the world who will not be as fortunate as we may be and thought that if everyone around us did just a little extra this year we will be able to change at least one childs christmas morning. I am asking that we all put aside a few dollars to give to a needing family in our own communities and send a gift card from the local toy store and mail it signed "Love Santa." If you know of a family by you and don't have the extra money this year please email me (mike_s_keller@yahoo.com) with their info and I will try my hardest to send something out or get my friends and family to get involved and help.
God bless you all and have a happy, healthy, and loving holiday season!
Merry Christmas,
Mike                  

Blameless!

Sometimes we forget how important it is to just be honest and admit when we screw up and then move on. We should always keep promises because that is one of the best ways to be sure that people will stand by you through good and bad. Keeping promises gives us purpose and it builds trust and loyalty with our loved ones. Trust is an amazing feeling and is strong and blameless! I am a trusting person who believes that you should trust in everyone unless they give you reasons not to trust them, even if we are thrown a curve ball with being hurt we need to keep our hearts open and not close them in fear of being hurt again because then we are the ones who are not letting the goodness in.       

Turn on the Light of Love!

I've been told many times that I am strange when I tell a mother, father, or grandmother that I can feel the babies back vibrate when he or she has gas and needs to be burped! I know, that is a little strange but I really do feel those "vibrations" or "vibes." Why is that so wierd? People will say that babies can tell a good person when they see them without even knowing them, but that doesn't sound wierd? It is the same thing! All you have to do is tune into your own feelings and truely love people. What a baby see's is the Light of Love that shines from the good person. When a person has dark or negative thoughts it dims that natural Light of the soul and doesn't shine as bright. As we grow up we don't notice those "vibes" and "Lights" that surround each other because we get so busy and stressed with daily life. We owe it to ourselves to take a break, relax, and get in touch with our own vibes and start shining our own Light of Love to our family and friends, making it a less stressful day.              

My advice for salespeople...

A big part of my job at work is to do the sales end of the work that we do and today was a typical Friday where we are pretty busy because we do not do estimates on the weekends. I had a quote in New Canaan, Connecticut (we do air duct cleaning for heating and air conditioning) and walked into a beautiful castle where I was met by a wonderful older woman who thought she needed our services. I did my evaluation and found that her ducts were in mint condition and did not need our service (probably for another 5 years). I let her know of my findings and she was shocked and could not believe what I was telling her! So, I took her to the basement and opened up her system to show her with my camara system, to prove to her that I wasn't trying to talk myself or her out of a great job at her home. She asked me to come back upstairs and continued to show me two estimates that she had recieved in the past two weeks.In both estimates, the blower motors and return ducts (which we just visibly looked at and scoped with a camara system and found spotless) were heavily contaminated with dirt and debris.Thousands of dollars would be the cost of such a cleaning. We laughed and she thanked me for being such an honest business man. My point of this long, drawn out story is that when we are completely honest in everything that we do, we will never need to worry about being caught in a lie and your honesty will come back to you tenfold. Within the hour I recieved a phone call from her heating and air conditioning company thanking me for my honesty and two nieghbors want quotes for our services next week!
Being truthful with everyone in life will only be contagious and will help everyone involved. You are helping others and yourself at the same time and will gain a reputation that you are proud of! I took many classes in sales and marketing and the one thing that they lack is integrity, my advice to anyone in sales would be "to be successful just treat everyone as you would your family." That would be the class and the rest will fall into place. Have a fun weekend and give someone a hug today!!  
       

Patience

Sometimes we all take our friends and family for granted and forget to say "Thank you" and "I Love You." We sometimes don't realize how lucky and blessed we are until something changes, we need to be careful of what we wish for. Sometimes things that loved ones do can be annoying but, take a second to imagine not having those annoyances and imagine how boring life may get. Stop sweating the small stuff and start enjoying it instead, it will make for a better day. Oh yea, and never forget that we are not even close to being perfect and probably annoy someone as well!! So let's get outside and move our bodies and take in some fresh air with someone we care about.       

Vacation and stress...

I am on vacation this week doing some work around the house, spending time with my family, marketing the book, and helping my room-mate pack his stuff to his new house. I have been feeling a little stressed lately and forgot that stress is what gives us wrinkles, weak hearts, and anxiety. We need to slow down once in a while and remember that stress is the bodies way of telling us to take a deap breath, slow down, laugh, and love. Most problems are built up in our own heads and are mostly illusions. This vacation reminded me of that and that life really does go by like a fart in the wind! So we should all take that deap breath of fresh air and blow out the stress! Have fun..  

"If I knew"

I was going through some training materials from the Hospice volunteer class that I took last year and found this poem and loved it so much I figured I would post it for more to read, it made me sit back and think for a minute...
If I knew it would be the last time that I'd see you fall asleep, I would tuck you in more tightly and pray the Lord your soul to keep.
If I knew it would be the last time that I see you walk out the door, I would give you a hug and kiss and call you back for one more.
If I knew it would be the last time I could spare an extra minute to stop and say "I love you", I would not assume you knew I do.
If I knew it would be the last time I would be there to share your day, I would not assume we'd have so many more and let it slip away.
For surely there's always tomorrow to make up for an oversight, And we'd always get a second chance to make everything just right.
There will always be another day to say "I love you" And certainly another chance to ask "Anything I can do?"
But just in case I might be wrong and today is all I get, I'd like to say how much I love you and I hope we never forget.
Tomorrow is not promised to anyone, young or old alike. And today may be the last chance you get to hold your loved one tight.
So, if you're waiting for tomorrow, why not do it today?" For if tomorrow never comes you'll surely regret the day that you didn't take that extra time for a smile, a hug, or a kiss. And you were to busy to grant someone what turned out to be their one last wish.
So hold your loved ones close today and whisper in their ear. Tell them how much you love them and that you'll always hold them dear.
Take the time to say "I'm sorry; please forgive me; thank you, or it's okay". And if tomorrow never comes you'll have no regrets about today.

Wow, Powerful message. Lets not have regrets, lets go give a hug or two, say "I Love You", slow down and relax; sing a song, have some fun because life really is to short - don't wait for tomorrow.   

BULLIES BEWARE

I have found that when people enjoy picking on others it's simply because they have low self esteem. They are picking constantly to feel better about themselves and their own shortcomings. When I was a kid my Dad would say "he or she does it because he or she is jeolous, don't let it bother you." We all know someone like this; they're usually the bullies. Someone who is confident and self loving will never have to raise his or her voice, let alone a fist. Knowing this makes it easier to forgive someone who has wronged us and helps us to understand why a person acts in such a negative way. Don't just walk away from the negativity, but run! My whole point here is that negativity is contagous, just as happiness is. When someone is acting mean spirited to you or being a bully it comes from within. Be there for your family and friends but don't feed the negative vibes, show your love by being happy from within and maybe that smile or hug will help the negative thinking persons outlook for the better!    

Playing the game

Today was a fun day at work in class learning OSHA rules in the work place. Everyone in the company was taking the course and the two things that I took away from the Occupational Safty Hazards class was teamwork and common sense! Like everything in life, if we just use common sense we will move along through out the day safely. Common Sense is something we are all born with collectively, we sometimes try to take short cuts and save time, but in the long run all we are really doing is adding time and sometimes pain. If you follow your common sense instincts and work together as a team, you will always get the work done safely.
You know the old saying "there is no I in team" and isn't that the truth. Teamwork is not just one player, it is a collective (common) effort. We all have different strengths and weaknesses but together we make a strong team that can win any game or finish any job safely. We must always remember to win with pleasure, loose with a smile, and try our best to play the game with common sense and know that the seasons still young!

Why are we here?

We are all here for a reason, and that reason is to express ourselves and bring happiness and joy to this world. When we have happy thoughts filled with love and goodness, it will radiate through us naturally in our voices, expressions, and our vibes. So love yourself for who you are and you will always be surrounded by Love. Treat everyone with love and most will respond likewise. Love unconditionally!  

Struggling with moving on (Death)

We have many teachers in life on how to live but not many on how to die. Instead we fear death. Death is not something to be feared; death is just another stage of our lives. Our physical bodies don't live on but our spirits do. If we make a loving impression or difference in lives here on earth then we will be remembered as good and we will live on through our loved ones. We get caught up in worries and stress of life. We sometimes struggle with the bills and sometimes even with worldy riches. We forget that we are not going to be able to take those riches with us when our bodies die and thankfully we won't be able to take the bills either! So today is the perfect day to tell someone that you love him or her, don't worry about the response. Giving your love is like giving a gift; it feels great. Love unconditionally with no expectations and you will always be loved. Oh yea, adding a hug is optional but a smile is neccessary!!    

Be careful how you think

When our thoughts are filled with anger or fear, they dim the natural light of our hearts. Love is the natural light that brings us happiness, joy, peace, and health. Anger, hate, sadness, stress, and doubt are all the opposite of love; they are darkness. Darkness in the heart is natural poison and it will kill us. When that natural poison is in our thoughts it will show up in our body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice.

Habits!!

Every single one of us is a creature of habit, both good and bad. Whether it's learning how to walk, drive a car, or cook a delicious dinner, it all becomes second nature to us simply by repeating the habit. After awhile these habits become automatic to us. Every thought and emotion that we have or feel is recorded in our subconscious mind and if we think or feel these thoughts and emotions enough they will become habits. These habits will in turn become second nature.

Life in a Week: About Being Really Happy - Michael Keller

Life in a Week: About Being Really Happy - Michael Keller Hello This is the link to buy my first book... Please let me know what you think once you read it!!

Respecting each other and ourselves!!

I have always learned by doing, trial and error. I have found it easier to pick up on lessons in the classroom, at work, and in life when they were taught by example, not just with letters, words , or numbers. Isn't this the case when it comes to teaching kids about respect and caring? If you really want to be loved, then give hugs, hold doors open, visit your elderly neighbors. Why would your kids visit you when you are in a nursing home when you don't bother to visit your parents a mile up the road in theirs. Teach them that what is really important is their family, friends, and surroundings, not the arcade games or cool clothes. All of that comes and goes. What matters is our loved ones. Sometimes it is hard to deal with the elderly or sick, but it is even more important at those times to be there and pass along your natural light of love through understanding and patience.

The book is ready!!

I just got confirmation that the book is ready! We will have a link set up in a few business days where everyone (including yourself-hint,hint) can buy the book right here!! I am so excited, when I recieved my copy in the mail yesterday I actually felt like a kid who just walked into Willy Wonka's candy factory! This is my first published book and I pray that it will make many people smile, laugh, and remember that we need to enjoy TODAY. So have some fun and I will be updating the website, so come back soon!!

Staying in touch!

Hello, the book is going into print for both myself and the publisher to check for any problems, mistakes, etc... It will be mailed to me shortly and then, once it is checked over it will be ready for everyone!! I can't tell you how excited I am to be so close to having an actual copy of the book and that it will actually be out there for anyone to read! I truely believe in this book, it has helped me to grow and see life in a really positive way by putting my thoughts into words, and into a book. I have always seen life as a blessing that we should not take for granted but, I found by writing "Life In A Week" that it is so easy to get caught up in the daily stresses and forget that simple thought. To forget how lucky, blessed, and fortunate that we really are. We really do make our own path in life... lets make it a smooth one, filled with the natural light of love! Have a fun day, Mike

Have some fun

Hi everyone,
Thank you for the emails about the book "Life In A Week" A book about being really happy...
We are almost there and I will let you know when it finally hits the internet and the shelves. I am so happy that there is so much interest in getting the book out there, I hope that it will be a helpful tool and reminder about just being happy, less stress and remembering why we are here on this planet. I know life gets hectic and throws us some wierd curve balls but the trick is to make the best of every moment we are here. Every action creates a reaction and we are the ones who decide how our days will go, not anyone else. We need to take responsibility for everything we do and know that what comes around, does go around. So get out there and smile and be nice to everyone, make the best of the day. Hold the door open for the next person, ask the cashier how his or her day is going and actually stop for a second and listen for the response. Our caring and happy vibes will be contagious to anyone who encounters you, misery loves company, just as love loves company! Make a goal today to see how many people you can help to smile, just by smiling. It is a fun game and like anything else that you do enough times it will become a habit, actually a really good habit.
Have fun and email me to say "Hi"

Some things the publisher is doing with the writers...

http://s639.photobucket.com/albums/uu112/aegpublishinggroup/?albumview=slideshow