Every one of us at some time or another has had the opportunity to wash a sink full of dishes - whether we wanted to or not.

During the aftermath of recent party we hosted, the dishes were over the top – literally - and my main goal as hostess was to be with my guests and just make sure the food got put away and the dishes were “soaking” in the sink.

As I thought through this whole idea of letting dishes soak, I realized I had learned the most important part of washing dishes at the young age of 10 when my dish washing days began. Soaking was and is such an easier way to wash dishes. It made my mother crazy back then and my husband crazy today because technically the task is not complete.

Last week I felt my brain go numb as my daughter Bailey headed off for her new life adventures in Southern California.  Watching her drive down our street waving all the way until we could no longer see each other (a long term family ritual) my heart broke in two. My baby was leaving the nest once again. 

Did I know this day was coming? Of course. It had been the plan that she would leave the nest again after her return home a year and a half ago from her college adventures. A brilliant business opportunity in Southern California had come her way recently and it was crystal clear she should move forward with the offer. 

In June we said the eternal goodbye a gentle giant of a man that I think we can all remember him by saying the words and fully meaning it, “I am the greatest.”  That man of course was Muhammad Ali.  I was genuinely touched at how many people were deeply moved by his passing.

His funeral played out with a pretty diverse list among the 20,000 people that attended. There was much laughter and of course tears shared by those who eulogized him. 

I felt a tribute here in the Victory Letter to this bigger than life personality was important especially this month as we honor the Master Mind principle of our Unique Personality here in the Victory Circles.  He most definitely had that element mastered. 

This past week I began the process of getting acclimated to the real world once again, as I plugged myself back in from my Jamaican adventure.  The vacation had removed so much stress from my body that I wanted to remain in the calm, “no problem mon” mentality that everyone on the island seemed to possess. 

When was the last time you unplugged?  I mean completely just let go of feeling the need to check in and do something, anything, and of course - everything.  

The problem in our high tech world today is that it allows so many people to have access to each other online instantly and in the palm of our hands. With all this instant action we can sometimes forget about the offline parts of our lives that require patience and can be so much more rewarding.

Yes my friend this is a very special edition of the Victory Letter today.  I have two major things to celebrate and one of them involves you. They both involve how each of us has a story.  

That story contains a beginning, middle and at sometime it will have an end. It’s those people who fill in all those blanks in between that make all the difference in our lives.  

I want to share with you today one of those people who has filled 30 years of my life with happiness.  This would be my husband, Ed, who tomorrow I get to celebrate 30 years of marriage. How time really does fly by! Our wedding day seems just like yesterday.

How often do you put “time to create” or something to that effect on your calendar? 

I am talking about both the things you create within the scope of making a financial living and the things you create as a way of having a joyous life?

All this month we have been talking about the power within our imaginations. This is a huge component in what I really love about the way marketing works today. This power gives us abundant opportunities to create something that was not there before.

Do you believe that strong relationships can increase your creativity?  I recently heard Elizabeth Gilbert describe creative living in this way, “Creative living is any life where you routinely, habitually and consistently choose curiosity over fear.”

I love that viewpoint, which brings me to share with you our new neighbors that recently moved into our backyard. They are two little finches that moved into an old birdhouse that has not seen any “tenants” for several years.

Well these two moved in with a flurry and began remodeling the interior immediately.  Throwing out the old as they brought in new grasses and other natural elements to build their nest. To our delight they brought with them the most beautiful songs that they sing while they do their work.  Whistling while they work at it’s finest!

It’s about this time every year that I start to explode with creativity. This boost always seems to coincide with my garden fully coming to life.  The joy of my garden brings with it an insatiable desire to create.  It’s a very good thing that makes summer one of my favorite seasons!   

When our imagination is in full swing it ignites us to do things we have not done before. It allows for new growth.

Imagination and the word ignite I really feel go hand in hand.  So it’s no accident that it’s time to turn the headlights and ignite the fires around the cool elements inside of the Master Mind Principle of Imagination.