Monday, August 31, 2009 - Today's Words of Inspiration and TWO giveaways!

Re-embrace your 'To-Do' List

With fall comes a never-ending list of errands and shifting priorities. It may just be time to 're-embrace your To-Do List'. But instead of allowing the list to dominate your every thought, use it as a guideline, use it to stay organized and on track. Just remember Rome wasn't built in a day, and your 'To-Do' list may not be possible to tackle in one day either. What doesn't get done today can be added on to tomorrow. Just make sure to make your goals and 'To-Do's' realistic in the first place.

Stop and breathe. Focusing your breathing on helping to bring you energy will also allow you to accomplish MORE. Yes, slowing down for one minute will actually allow you to accomplish more. Inner Frontier offers an interesting case in point about the benefits of 'Energy Breathing' which as you all know I am a big beleiver in. They even offer an Audio Stream that is worth listening to!

Use 'Today's Words of Inspiration' as a breathing meditation to still your mind, quiet your thoughts and bring in positive energy. As you inhale bring in only positive energy by saying in your mind, I breathe in positive energy (or you can say creative energy if that is what you wish to create more of) and as you exhale, Affirm out loud today 'I will breathe the life I want for myself into existence.'

Visualize yourself manifesting something unique, guided by universal forces that emerge spontaneously from within your soul. Do this at least twice today and see how by taking a moment away from the hectic pace and breathing in positive energy and affirming what you wish to create, your thinking will become different.

Remember, attitude really does determine altitude.

It is OK to *Re-Tweet* the link to this post and You can find me (@Tracy_Iglesias) on Twitter here! twitter love: re*tweet by copying and pasting the following into your update field:

OK to RT: @Tracy_Iglesias Today's Words of Inspiration and two super Giveaways! - http://tiny.cc/n4Thx

Make this your best day ever, Bless and Be Blessed!

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Today's Butterfly - Featured Site(s) of the Day - And TWO Giveaways!

1. Enter to win an Activeion Pro HERE (you may also press on the Activeion graphic below to be taken directly to the giveaway)

2. Enter to win the Reign Eye Shadow Palette of YOUR CHOICE, Majesty or Monarch HERE (you may also press on the Smashbox graphic below to be taken directly to the giveaway)

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Sunday, August 30, 2009 - This Week's 'Moment of Gratitude' and TWO giveaways!

Living in Gratitude

On Sunday's, 'Today's Moment of Inspiration' becomes the weekly 'Moment of Gratitude'. While I do still live in Gratitude each and everyday, I decided to change this feature to a weekly to allow a full week of Inspirational messages and breathing meditations. 'Today's Butterfly' will remain a daily and will post with the Today's Inspiration Monday through Saturday, and will post with the Weekly Moment of Gratitude on Sunday.

This week, I am grateful for:

1) Attending The Summer of Social Good Conference at the 92nd Street Y. It was amazing to be in a room full of people who wanted to learn more about harnessing the power of technology to do social good and advance humanitarian efforts worldwide. I feel very grateful for the experience.

2) I am grateful for Ascending Butterfly sponsors who have this made this whole summer special, and there is certainly more great stuff to come!

3) I'm also grateful for Ascending Butterfly's wonderful readers. This week many of you shared your gratitude list and it was wonderful to have the opportunity to peek into everyone's world.

What are you grateful for today? I'd love for you to write in and share what you are grateful for this week. The more you say it, the more you speak it, and the more you live in gratitude, the more you will find reasons to be grateful for. So join me on this journey of gratitude and inspiration. And you can post here daily (even though my list will be posted weekly).

Remember, attitude really does determine altitude.

It is OK to *Re-Tweet* the link to this post and You can find me (@Tracy_Iglesias) on Twitter here! Twitter love: re*tweet by copying and pasting the following into your update field at Twitter:

OK to RT: @Tracy_Iglesias Today's Words of Inspiration and a Giveaway! - http://tiny.cc/n4Thx

Make this your best day ever, Bless and Be Blessed!

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Today's Butterfly - Featured Site(s) of the Day - And Two Giveaways!

1. Enter to win an Activeion Pro HERE (you may also press on the Activeion graphic below to be taken directly to the giveaway)

2. Enter to win the Reign Eye Shadow Palette of YOUR CHOICE, Majesty or Monarch HERE (you may also press on the Smashbox graphic below to be taken directly to the giveaway)

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Saturday, August 29, 2009 - Today's Words of Inspiration and TWO giveaways!

The Giving Continues

In continuation of The Social Good Conference, I'm posting another way you can help that won't cost a dime!

Watch videos for charity

As a part of Social Activism Month this August, Ford Fiesta Agents (Way to go FORD!) are on a mission to give back to their local communities. Each are documenting their individual missions via video — all of which you can view on the Ford Fiesta Movement page. Ford is generously donating $1 for every video view on Mashable’s Ford Fiesta Movement page up to $10,000 to the Summer of Social Good.

Watch the videos here. The money raised will be going to support Livestrong, The Humane Society, OxFam America and WWF (The World Wildlife Federation). I for one am going to watch as many as I can and hope you will too!

Use 'Today's Words of Inspiration' as a breathing meditation to still your mind, quiet your thoughts and bring in positive energy. As you inhale bring in only positive energy by saying in your mind, I breathe in positive energy (or you can say creative energy if that is what you wish to create more of) and as you exhale, Affirm out loud today 'I will utilize technology for change.'

Visualize yourself manifesting something unique, guided by universal forces that emerge spontaneously from within your soul. Do this at least twice today and see how by taking a moment away from the hectic pace and breathing in positive energy and affirming what you wish to create, your thinking will become different.

Remember, attitude really does determine altitude.

It is OK to *Re-Tweet* the link to this post and You can find me (@Tracy_Iglesias) on Twitter here! twitter love: re*tweet by copying and pasting the following into your update field:

OK to RT: @Tracy_Iglesias Today's Words of Inspiration and two super Giveaways! - http://tiny.cc/n4Thx

Make this your best day ever, Bless and Be Blessed!

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Today's Butterfly - Featured Site(s) of the Day - And TWO Giveaways!

1. Enter to win an Activeion Pro HERE (you may also press on the Activeion graphic below to be taken directly to the giveaway)

2. Enter to win the Reign Eye Shadow Palette of YOUR CHOICE, Majesty or Monarch HERE (you may also press on the Smashbox graphic below to be taken directly to the giveaway)

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Friday, August 28, 2009 - Today's Words of Inspiration and TWO giveaways!

I apologize for the delay in getting 'Today's Words of Inspiration' live. As I mentioned yesterday I spent today at Mashable's Summer of Social Good Conference held at the 92nd Street Y in New York City. (It was actually my first time ever entering the 'Y'). Ascending Butterfly recently launched it's Facebook presence, and it was wonderful to have the opportunity to listen to Randi Zuckerberg, Marketing Director, Facebook teach us how not only Facebook has connected people globally, but how to better maximize our presence and reach; and make the experience more rewarding for us and for our readers.

It was an enlightening experience exploring the ways that social media can be used to connect the world globally for GOOD. The word 'Slacktivism' was thrown around quite a bit during the presentations and it made me ponder, am I doing enough?

It's not too late to participate, and thanks to Mashable you can even see the conference live on the web HERE!

In honor of the Social Good Conference let's make Today's Words of Inspiration an exploration of what we can do to help others. Whether it's locally or globally or better still both, find your voice, find a way to make a difference that truly inspires you.

And while there are many ways to get involved, this one is my personal favorite:

Want to donate, but don’t have the money to do so? We have a simple solution: Retweet!. All 100 Ford Fiesta Agents are donating money to the Summer of Social Good for retweets of three Mashable posts. The first post in the series raised $1,000 for the campaign and the second post, “Top 10 YouTube Videos for Social Good" has a little over 1,000 retweets to go until it raises another $3,000. The third post in the series will be released once the second hits 2,000 retweets. So don't be a 'slackativist', ReTweet NOW!

RT @mashable Top 10 YouTube Videos for Social Good http://bit.ly/V8IoQ Please RT for @SocialGood charity

Use 'Today's Words of Inspiration' as a breathing meditation to still your mind, quiet your thoughts and bring in positive energy. As you inhale bring in only positive energy by saying in your mind, I breathe in positive energy (or you can say creative energy if that is what you wish to create more of) and as you exhale, Affirm out loud today 'I make my world a better place through focused action.'

Visualize yourself manifesting something unique, guided by universal forces that emerge spontaneously from within your soul. Do this at least twice today and see how by taking a moment away from the hectic pace and breathing in positive energy and affirming what you wish to create, your thinking will become different.

Remember, attitude really does determine altitude.

It is OK to *Re-Tweet* the link to this post and You can find me (@Tracy_Iglesias) on Twitter here! twitter love: re*tweet by copying and pasting the following into your update field:

OK to RT: @Tracy_Iglesias Today's Words of Inspiration and two super Giveaways! - http://tiny.cc/n4Thx

Make this your best day ever, Bless and Be Blessed!

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Today's Butterfly - Featured Site(s) of the Day - And THREE Giveaways!

1. Enter to win an Activeion Pro HERE (you may also press on the Activeion graphic below to be taken directly to the giveaway)





2. Enter to win the Reign Eye Shadow Palette of YOUR CHOICE, Majesty or Monarch HERE (you may also press on the Smashbox graphic below to be taken directly to the giveaway)






THIRD GIVEAWAY ALERT: Our Friends at Ouidad are celebrating their 25th anniversary! 25 years of helping 'curly' girls love our locks, no small feat! They are having a '25 days of curly celebration'. This celebration is 25 days of winning their hottest products! How cool is that?? Check out the calendar of prizes here (the current days prize will say 'Enter Now' press there to enter for the giveaway product of the day. Today, Anniversary Surprise - Free Shipping All Day:Use Code: 25AFREE!)

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Thursday, August 27, 2009 - Today's Words of Inspiration and TWO giveaways!

Summer of Social Good

There has been a summer of social good going on, and tomorrow I will be attending The Social Good Conference and I wanted to share a bit about it with you today.

Four Critical Causes, Four Charities, One World.

Livestrong: More than 12 million worldwide are diagnosed w/ cancer and 8mil will die from the disease each year. We will end the stigma of cancer and turn cancer victims into cancer survivors, build an international grassroots movement, take cancer from isolation to collaboration and ,together with world leaders, will transform cancer from obscurity to a global priority.

Humane Society: Established in 1954, The HSUS seeks a humane and sustainable world for all animals—a world that will also benefit people. We are America's mainstream force against cruelty, exploitation and neglect, as well as the most trusted voice extolling the human-animal bond. Our mission statement: Celebrating Animals, Confronting Cruelty.

Oxfam America: More than 2.5 billion people live in poverty, struggling to survive on less than $2 a day—and the numbers are growing. But we at Oxfam believe that it doesn’t have to be this way. If we work together, we can turn the numbers in the other direction. Along with individuals and local groups in over 100 countries, we save lives, help people overcome poverty, and fight for social justice.

WWF: Our environment and earth’s future is in great danger. It is estimated that, over 75% of the world's marine stocks are currently over fished, we lose 36 football fields of rainforest on the earth every minute and we will possibly lose up to 10,000 species this year. NOW is the time for action. WWF needs your help to strengthen global awareness of these issues and ensure that the best possible solutions are implemented for a sustainable future.

It is not too late they are still selling Last Minute General Admission "Door Tickets" - 100% Donation to Summer of Social Good Fund HERE.

In researching this theme of social media for good, I came across many wonderful sources of information. In addition to the Summer of Social Good, I also enjoyed reading about Bloggers giving back, these stores can be found at 'Bloggers give Back'.

It is inspiring to know this 'global village' of writers, bloggers, artists, wordsmyths are coming together to use their voices and power to impact for good causes. For positive change. I for one, feel it is very important to support these efforts. To help promote these efforts so they can grow, flourish and continue.

So Today's Words of inspiration are to get involved, to inspire and be inspired by the good that surrounds you.

Now is the time to act by spreading awareness and donating to one fund that benefits four major organizations who affect policies that have profound impacts on the world.

Use 'Today's Words of Inspiration' as a breathing meditation to still your mind, quiet your thoughts and bring in positive energy. As you inhale bring in only positive energy by saying in your mind, I breathe in positive energy (or you can say creative energy if that is what you wish to create more of) and as you exhale, Affirm out loud today 'I allow myself to inspire and be inspired.'

Visualize yourself manifesting something unique, guided by universal forces that emerge spontaneously from within your soul. Do this at least twice today and see how by taking a moment away from the hectic pace and breathing in positive energy and affirming what you wish to create, your thinking will become different.Remember, attitude really does determine altitude.

It is OK to *Re-Tweet* the link to this post and You can find me (@Tracy_Iglesias) on Twitter here! twitter love: re*tweet by copying and pasting the following into your update field:

OK to RT: @Tracy_Iglesias Today's Words of Inspiration and two super Giveaways! - http://tiny.cc/n4Thx

Make this your best day ever, Bless and Be Blessed!

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Today's Butterfly - Featured Site(s) of the Day - And THREE Giveaways!

1. Enter to win an Activeion Pro HERE (you may also press on the Activeion graphic below to be taken directly to the giveaway)

2. Enter to win the Reign Eye Shadow Palette of YOUR CHOICE, Majesty or Monarch HERE (you may also press on the Smashbox graphic below to be taken directly to the giveaway)

THIRD GIVEAWAY ALERT: Our Friends at Ouidad are celebrating their 25th anniversary! 25 years of helping 'curly' girls love our locks, no small feat! They are having a '25 days of curly celebration'. This celebration is 25 days of winning their hottest products! How cool is that?? Check out the calendar of prizes here (the current days prize will say 'Enter Now' press there to enter for the giveaway product of the day. Today, win one of 25 $25 gift certificates to the New York or Santa Monica Ouidad Salons!)

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Wednesday, August 26, 2009 - Today's Words of Inspiration and TWO giveaways!

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WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT: The winner of Ascending Butterfly's first Book Club of the Month Selection, 'Perseverance' by author Carolyn Rubenstein is user 'Marianna', Congratulations!
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As I've probably already mentioned, I have a hard time sitting still, so I thought I'd explore that today. I came across this quote:

"There is More to Life than Increasing it's Speed." By Mahatma Gandi

I need to learn to slow down and enjoy the ride more. I think most people do. We get so focused on where we want to be that we forget to enjoy where we are. So today, slow down, enjoy the ride and stop worrying about 'what's next'. Don't rush to tick off another thing from your to-do list, save one for tomorrow, trust me, it will still be there!

Use 'Today's Words of Inspiration' as a breathing meditation to still your mind, quiet your thoughts and bring in positive energy. As you inhale bring in only positive energy by saying in your mind, I breathe in positive energy (or you can say creative energy if that is what you wish to create more of) and as you exhale, Affirm out loud today 'I slow my pace enough today to enjoy the journey.'

Visualize yourself manifesting something unique, guided by universal forces that emerge spontaneously from within your soul. Do this at least twice today and see how by taking a moment away from the hectic pace and breathing in positive energy and affirming what you wish to create, your thinking will become different.

Remember, attitude really does determine altitude.

It is OK to *Re-Tweet* the link to this post and You can find me (@Tracy_Iglesias) on Twitter here! twitter love: re*tweet by copying and pasting the following into your update field:

OK to RT: @Tracy_Iglesias Today's Words of Inspiration and two super Giveaways! - http://tiny.cc/n4Thx

Make this your best day ever, Bless and Be Blessed!

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Today's Butterfly - Featured Site(s) of the Day - And THREE Giveaways!

1. Enter to win an Activeion Pro HERE (you may also press on the Activeion graphic below to be taken directly to the giveaway)

2. Enter to win the Reign Eye Shadow Palette of YOUR CHOICE, Majesty or Monarch HERE (you may also press on the Smashbox graphic below to be taken directly to the giveaway)








THIRD GIVEAWAY ALERT: Our Friends at Ouidad are celebrating their 25th anniversary! 25 years of helping us 'curly' girls love our locks, no small feat! They are having a '25 days of curly celebration'. This celebration is 25 days of winning their hottest products! How cool is that?? Check out the calendar of prizes here (the current days prize will say 'Enter Now' press there to enter the for the giveaway product of the day, today's is 'Botanical Boost')


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Tuesday, August 25, 2009 - Today's Words of Inspiration and TWO giveaways!

Let's Keep making our vocabulary shorter this week!

We are going to continue working on making our vocabulary shorter this week. Yes shorter. Let's remove another useless word from our conversations, the word 'can't'. Another word we tend to use to express frustration, for example 'I Can't Take this Anymore', 'I Can't Stand this!'. Frustration isn't truth, the less you express it, the less you allow it to manifest in your conversations, the less you are bound to experience. Monitor your thoughts, when you feel an 'I Can't' about to burst forth, stop it, don't speak it into existence.

There is absolutely nothing in this world that you are not capable of doing. There is nothing out there you 'can't' do. Nothing.

Let's make this week about 'emotional spring cleaning'. Or is that 'emotional Fall cleaning'? Get rid of the thoughts, emotions and mindsets that are holding you back from feeling truly fulfilled.

Use 'Today's Words of Inspiration' as a breathing meditation to still your mind, quiet your thoughts and bring in positive energy. As you inhale bring in only positive energy by saying in your mind, I breathe in positive energy (or you can say creative energy if that is what you wish to create more of) and as you exhale, Affirm out loud today 'I remove the word 'can't' from my vocabulary.'

Visualize yourself manifesting something unique, guided by universal forces that emerge spontaneously from within your soul. Do this at least twice today and see how by taking a moment away from the hectic pace and breathing in positive energy and affirming what you wish to create, your thinking will become different.

Remember, attitude really does determine altitude.

It is OK to *Re-Tweet* the link to this post and You can find me (@Tracy_Iglesias) on Twitter here! twitter love: re*tweet by copying and pasting the following into your update field:

OK to RT: @Tracy_Iglesias Today's Words of Inspiration and two super Giveaways! - http://tiny.cc/n4Thx

Make this your best day ever, Bless and Be Blessed!

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Today's Butterfly - Featured Site(s) of the Day - And THREE Giveaways!

1. Enter to win an Activeion Pro HERE (you may also press on the Activeion graphic below to be taken directly to the giveaway)

2. Enter to win the Reign Eye Shadow Palette of YOUR CHOICE, Majesty or Monarch HERE (you may also press on the Smashbox graphic below to be taken directly to the giveaway)

THIRD GIVEAWAY ALERT: Our Friends at Ouidad are celebrating their 25th anniversary! 25 years of helping us 'curly' girls love our locks, no small feat! They are having a '25 days of curly celebration'. This celebration is 25 days of winning their hottest products! How cool is that?? Check out the calendar of prizes here (the current days prize will say 'Enter Now' press there to enter the for the giveaway product of the day, today's is 'Deep Treatment' a product I can personally vouch for the efficacy of!)

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It is very easy being 'green' - Activeion Review and Giveaway

NOTE: Winner has been posted, announcement can be found HERE, congrats to reader 't42vek20'!

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It just may be easy being green after all! Ascending Butterfly is a blog on a mission. Our mission statement is 'To seek out and share the best sources of inspiration both on and off the web'. Living Green has become this PC thing we all feel we should be doing, but sometimes don't know where to start.

There is more to being Green than CFL bulbs! Don't get me wrong they are an incredible start. But I wanted to extend my knowledge a bit, and I wanted to find alternative solutions to the chemical laden cleaning products in my kitchen cabinets! I knew if I wanted to know what other solutions are out there, that you would too.

And then Eureka! One of my favorite talk show hosts, Ellen DeGeneres featured this product on her show, and I thought it was pure genius. I have had over a month now to test out the Activeion Pro.

How does the Activeion technology work?

What is Activeion?

The Activeion hand-held sprayer transforms tap water into a powerful cleaner that works as well as or better than other general-purpose, commercial chemical and "green" cleaning products. Using an advanced technology, the Activeion hand-held sprayer is a general-purpose, daily-use cleaner that can be used on both hard (i.e., marble/granite and stainless steel) and soft surfaces (i.e., carpet and clothing), freeing consumers and professionals from harmful chemicals and toxins. The versatility of the product allows the user to replace many of today's most common daily-use cleaners.

Activeion transforms tap water into a powerful cleaner through a simple, three-step process:

1. Charging: When the trigger is pressed, the water flows through a water cell that applies a slight electrical charge to the tap water.

2. Transforming: Next, the water passes through an ion exchange membrane where the activated water is separated into an oxygenated mixture of positively and negatively charged nano-bubbles.

3. Cleaning: When applied, the transformed, activated water helps lift the dirt from the surface like a magnet, enabling it to be wiped away. The activated water returns to its natural state after 30-45 seconds.

My Experiences with the Product:

I will say after over a month of use that I am very impressed with the ActiveIon Pro! I just couldn't imagine how this product would be able to use plain tap water and tackle my toughest stains. But it has. I love to cook and some of the stains I couldn't wait to tackle was cooking related sauce splattters! The ActiveIon Pro handled these with ease! It made stainless steel faucets and sinks sparkle. And much to my amazement, it handled a very old odd stain that I had tried for years to remove from the tile in my bathroom unsuccessfully with chemical cleaners! That's when I will admit I was 'sold'.

I will remind you when you use it, have your cleaning cloth already at hand, while it seems like 30-45 seconds is a generous amount of charge time, if you are not ready with cloth in hand, or you get distracted, the water will lose it's charge and you will have to re-spray the area.

Follow The Instructions

Fill the reservior with cool tap water only.
Do not fill with hot water.
Do not add anything to the tap water.
Do not fill while the unit is charging, and never, ever add chemicals.

Do The Math

How much do you spend monthly on chemical cleaners? Factor in every cleaner you use, floors, appliances, windows etc. Now multiply that number by 12! That is how much you will save per year using the ActiveIon Pro. Over the cost of it's lifetime not only is it saving you money, you are also ridding your home of dangerous chemicals, ridding your environment of those chemicals, and less plastics and overall product waste to pollute the environment. Now THAT my friends, is living green.

WIN IT! - We like to save the best for last! Thanks to our friends at ActiveIon, you have the opportunity to win an Activeion Pro of your own! (This is a $299 value!!!!)

How to Win: You must be a follower of Ascending Butterfly to be eligible for this and all giveaways. Indicate in your entry that you follow (this will be checked if you are selected as a winner) and please visit Activeion or watch their You Tube video and tell me something you learned about the product. Please leave your email address somewhere in your comment. (You can format it this way for security, example: ascendingbutterfly AT mail host DOT com), or if your blogger profile has your email you can just indicate this in your entry.

Please follow directions or you will be disqualified! All comments are moderated, they may not appear on the site right away. You have from now until Friday, September 25, 2009 at 11:59 PM (EST) to comment and be entered for a chance to win. Winner will be announced shortly after Tuesday, September 29th!

EXTRA CREDIT:

* Please vote for Ascending Butterfly on Divine Caroline's Love This Site Award '09 for the Body and Soul category, you can press into the badge on the upper right hand site of the page or click through here, there is a Vote button right under the description.
* Blog about this giveaway, linking to this giveaway post. Leave the URL in a comment
* Follow me @Tracy_Iglesias on Twitter (this is ascendingbutterfly’s editor) and give me your twitter ID in a comment
* Tweet about this giveaway and leave the URL in a comment. (you can tweet everyday for an extra entry)
* Digg about this giveaway and leave your digg username in your comment
* Fave this blog on Technorati and leave your Technorati user name in your comment
* Vote for Ascending Butterfly on: Fuel My Blog
* Follow Activeion on Facebook HERE
* Follow Activeion on YouTube HERE
* Follow Activeion on Twitter HERE

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Monday, August 24, 2009 - Today's Words of Inspiration and TWO giveaways!

Make Your Vocabulary SMALLER

Yes you did read that right. Today I want you to make your vocabulary smaller. Words as we all know have power. The words we use and how we speak them have tremendous power over our own day and that of those around us.

I will admit to on occassion using this word myself, but I am trying to become more careful NOT to. It's the word 'Hate'. It's a very powerful word we often-times mistakenly use to describe something that annoys us. Particularly when we are angry about something. And especially when we stub our toes on furniture, LOL!

Make your vocabularly smaller, one word smaller today by removing the word 'Hate'. Stop saying it, stop using it, stop allowing it to color your emotions. I usually use the daily words of inspiration to help you manifest something, but today I want to use it to help you take away something you don't need. Become more concious of when anger is triggering such strong emotions that words of hate are about to come out. Try and stop yourself. Words have power and if you fill your speech with words and thoughts of hate and hatred it will manifest the wrong things in your life. Sometimes to manifest what you do want in life, you have to remove those things that you no longer want or need. Today, breathe in love and breathe out hate and anger.

Use 'Today's Words of Inspiration' as a breathing meditation to still your mind, quiet your thoughts and bring in positive energy. As you inhale bring in only positive energy by saying in your mind, I breathe in positive energy (or you can say creative energy if that is what you wish to create more of) and as you exhale, Affirm out loud today 'I remove the word 'hate' from my vocabulary.'

Visualize yourself manifesting something unique, guided by universal forces that emerge spontaneously from within your soul. Do this at least twice today and see how by taking a moment away from the hectic pace and breathing in positive energy and affirming what you wish to create, your thinking will become different.

Remember, attitude really does determine altitude.

It is OK to *Re-Tweet* the link to this post and You can find me (@Tracy_Iglesias) on Twitter here! twitter love: re*tweet by copying and pasting the following into your update field:

OK to RT: @Tracy_Iglesias Today's Words of Inspiration and two super Giveaways! - http://tiny.cc/n4Thx

Make this your best day ever, Bless and Be Blessed!

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Today's Butterfly - Featured Site(s) of the Day - And TWO Giveaways!

1. Enter to win the Reign Eye Shadow Palette of YOUR CHOICE, Majesty or Monarch HERE (you may also press on the Smashbox graphic below to be taken directly to the giveaway)

2. LAST DAY TO ENTER: Don't forget to enter for a chance to win an AUTOGRAPHED copy of our book club of the month title: 'Perseverance' by Carolyn Rubenstein. You can enter for the book HERE (you may also press the cover graphic below)

--> Looking for a way to fight frizz in this humid weather? See our Ouidad Product Review and Giveaway HERE!

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Sunday, August 23, 2009 - This Week's 'Moment of Gratitude' and TWO giveaways!

Living in Gratitude

On Sunday's, 'Today's Moment of Inspiration' becomes the weekly 'Moment of Gratitude'. While I do still live in Gratitude each and everyday, I decided to change this feature to a weekly to allow a full week of Inspirational messages and breathing meditations. 'Today's Butterfly' will remain a daily and will post with the Today's Inspiration Monday through Saturday, and will post with the Weekly Moment of Gratitude on Sunday.

This week, I am grateful for:

1) Ascending Butterfly celebrated it's Two Month 'Blog-A-Versary' this week! Your emails and feedback really keep us motivated, Thank You Readers!

2) Ascending Butterfly's amazing list of sponsors that just keeps growing each day, Thank You, we couldn't do it without you!

3) I'm grateful for the kindness of an amazing stranger this week. I'm a strong beleiver in paying it forward, so I'll show my gratitude, by doing something nice for someone I don't know. A mitzvah of sorts. :)

What are you grateful for today? I'd love for you to write in and share what you are grateful for this week. The more you say it, the more you speak it, and the more you live in gratitude, the more you will find reasons to be grateful for.

So join me on this journey of gratitude. And you can post here daily (even though my list will be posted weekly).

Remember, attitude really does determine altitude.

It is OK to *Re-Tweet* the link to this post and You can find me (@Tracy_Iglesias) on Twitter here! twitter love: re*tweet by copying and pasting the following into your update field:

OK to RT: @Tracy_Iglesias Today's Words of Inspiration and two super Giveaways! - http://tiny.cc/n4Thx

Make this your best day ever, Bless and Be Blessed!

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Today's Butterfly - Featured Site of the Day - And TWO Giveaways!

1. Enter to win the Smashbox Reign Eye Shadow Palette of YOUR CHOICE, Majesty or Monarch HERE (you may also press on the graphic below to be taken directly to the giveaway!)

2. Don't forget to enter for a chance to win a AUTOGRAPHED copy of our book club of the month title: 'Perseverance' by Carolyn Rubenstein. You can enter for the book HERE (you may also press the cover graphic below)









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Saturday, August 22, 2009 - Today's Words of Inspiration and TWO giveaways!

Remember that song from the 80's? Who is Frankie anyway? And why is he telling me to relax? YOU RELAX!!! LOL

There has been a lot of stress lately affecting the lives of many people I know. We like to think of Stress as something coming from the outside and affecting our ability to remain on even keel. But it's not. While cars cutting us off in traffic, people bumping into us during rush hour, arguments, problems and even illnesses happen to us, it's not the pressure causing the problem, it is how you REACT to it.

Stop the chaos in your mind first, it will help you not to over-react to situations that are beyond your control. Your reactions to these various forms of 'stress' however, is very much within your realm of control.

So while listening to 'Frankie Says Relax' may not bring you to an enlightened state of being all on it's own, the message and silly delivery of it, can work wonders on your spirits today.

Don't let any situation get the wrong rise out of you. I hope you have been practicing your breathing excercises here daily. Taking a deep breath may not take the situation you are facing away, but doing it, will help you focus your reactions better.

And before the emails begin, I am quite aware of the many connotations of 'Frankie Says Relax', and I'm not choosing to discuss them here! I am taking relax literally here and in no other way! How YOU choose to interpret the rest of the lyrics is entirely up to you!

I for one, am going to crank up music and sing at the top of my lungs today, it usually helps me forget everything. Saturday night is movie night for me, so a few tunes now and dancing around the house will help me when I have to sit still watching movies (I still have trouble mastering the art of sitting still!). Any movie recommendations out there?

Use 'Today's Words of Inspiration' as a breathing meditation to still your mind, quiet your thoughts and bring in positive energy. As you inhale bring in only positive energy by saying in your mind, I breathe in positive energy (or you can say creative energy if that is what you wish to create more of) and as you exhale, Affirm out loud today 'I have full mastery over my reactions to every situation I encounter.'

Visualize yourself manifesting something unique, guided by universal forces that emerge spontaneously from within your soul. Do this at least twice today and see how by taking a moment away from the hectic pace and breathing in positive energy and affirming what you wish to create, your thinking will become different.

Remember, attitude really does determine altitude.

It is OK to *Re-Tweet* the link to this post and You can find me (@Tracy_Iglesias) on Twitter here! twitter love: re*tweet by copying and pasting the following into your update field:

OK to RT: @Tracy_Iglesias Today's Words of Inspiration and two super Giveaways! - http://tiny.cc/n4Thx

Make this your best day ever, Bless and Be Blessed!

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Today's Butterfly - Featured Site(s) of the Day - And TWO Giveaways!

1. Enter to win the Reign Eye Shadow Palette of YOUR CHOICE, Majesty or Monarch HERE (you may also press on the Smashbox graphic below to be taken directly to the giveaway)

2. Don't forget to enter for a chance to win an AUTOGRAPHED copy of our book club of the month title: 'Perseverance' by Carolyn Rubenstein. You can enter for the book HERE (you may also press the cover graphic below)

--> Looking for a way to fight frizz in this humid weather? See our Ouidad Product Review and Giveaway HERE!

--> Missed the John Legend concert? Check out the Recap with Photos HERE!

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Friday, August 21, 2009 - Today's Words of Inspiration and TWO giveaways!

Leave your stress behind - Try the Four and Eight style of breathing this morning.

When you wake up this morning take four deep breaths in through your nose, slowly and deeply but not overly forced, and not too fast. As you take each breath in bring a positive thought intention with you. Breathe in through your nose and say the word 'love' in your mind, hold that breath there and bring in the next breath by bringing in another positive thought with you by saying 'Peace', holding it in, begin breathing in the next word/intention 'creativity', and as you breathe in your last intention '_____' (You fill in this blank!) you can then begin the process of exhaling on 8 while exhaling, use it to rid yourself of stress you wish to remove from you life. for example debt, illness, inertia, fear, doubt, anger etc, exhale away 8 things that no longer serves your highest good. Work your way toward increasing the frequency. For the first week, just do this in the morning. Then by the second week, do it every morning and night before bed. Then by the third week move up to 3 times per day, morning, noon, and night. These steps will help you draw the traits and determination you need to make effective changes in your daily life. And will also help rid you of negative and stressful feelings that aren't getting you anywhere.

Use 'Today's Words of Inspiration' as a breathing meditation to still your mind, quiet your thoughts and bring in positive energy. As you inhale bring in only positive energy by saying in your mind, I breathe in positive energy (or you can say creative energy if that is what you wish to create more of) and as you exhale, Affirm out loud today 'I release every single way that I sabotage my own success.'

Visualize yourself manifesting something unique, guided by universal forces that emerge spontaneously from within your soul. Do this at least twice today and see how by taking a moment away from the hectic pace and breathing in positive energy and affirming what you wish to create, your thinking will become different.

Remember, attitude really does determine altitude.

It is OK to *Re-Tweet* the link to this post and You can find me (@Tracy_Iglesias) on Twitter here! twitter love: re*tweet by copying and pasting the following into your update field:

OK to RT: @Tracy_Iglesias Today's Words of Inspiration and two super Giveaways! - http://tiny.cc/n4Thx

Make this your best day ever, Bless and Be Blessed!

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Today's Butterfly - Featured Site(s) of the Day - And TWO Giveaways!

1. Enter to win the Reign Eye Shadow Palette of YOUR CHOICE, Majesty or Monarch HERE (you may also press on the Smashbox graphic below to be taken directly to the giveaway)

2. Don't forget to enter for a chance to win an AUTOGRAPHED copy of our book club of the month title: 'Perseverance' by Carolyn Rubenstein. You can enter for the book HERE (you may also press the cover graphic below) - Stay tuned for an Author Q & A next week. You can begin to send in your questions now. Email your questions for the author to me HERE




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Thursday, August 20, 2009 - Today's Words of Inspiration and TWO giveaways!

Cultivate Patience

With the weather getting hotter and the humidity rising, it's pretty easy to loose your cool. I'll admit to falling victim to impatience myself and the sticky, humid weather doesn't make it any better!

Rising temperatures sometimes causes aggravation, frustration and a lack of all around patience and good will. Understandable.

It's important to do things that help you cultivate your patience! This way if you are on the receiving end of someone having a bad day you can keep your cool. Two wrongs never make a right.

I like to meditate or read something inspirational to start my day! How do you keep your internal cool as the temperature rises?

Use 'Today's Words of Inspiration' as a breathing meditation to still your mind, quiet your thoughts and bring in positive energy. As you inhale bring in only positive energy by saying in your mind, I breathe in positive energy (or you can say creative energy if that is what you wish to create more of) and as you exhale, Affirm out loud today 'I am patience personified'.

Visualize yourself manifesting something unique, guided by universal forces that emerge spontaneously from within your soul. Do this at least twice today and see how by taking a moment away from the hectic pace and breathing in positive energy and affirming what you wish to create, your thinking will become different.

Remember, attitude really does determine altitude.

It is OK to *Re-Tweet* the link to this post and You can find me (@Tracy_Iglesias) on Twitter here! twitter love: re*tweet by copying and pasting the following into your update field:

OK to RT: @Tracy_Iglesias Today's Words of Inspiration and two super Giveaways! - http://tiny.cc/n4Thx

Make this your best day ever, Bless and Be Blessed!

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Today's Butterfly - Featured Site(s) of the Day - And TWO Giveaways!

1. Enter to win the Reign Eye Shadow Palette of YOUR CHOICE, Majesty or Monarch HERE (you may also press on the Smashbox graphic below to be taken directly to the giveaway)

2. Don't forget to enter for a chance to win a AUTOGRAPHED copy of our book club of the month title: 'Perseverance' by Carolyn Rubenstein. You can enter for the book HERE (you may also press the cover graphic below) - Stay tuned for an Author Q & A next week. You can begin to send in your questions now. Email your questions for the author to me HERE

--> Looking for a way to fight frizz in this humid weather? See our Ouidad Product Review and Giveaway HERE!

--> Missed the John Legend concert? Check out the Recap with Photos HERE!

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The Best 12 Minutes I've Spent in a Long Time!

I bet that title caught your eye! LOL - I recently experienced the absolute best 12 minutes of my life in the shower! And it was my first time too! My first time using Ouidad's 12 Minute Deep Treatment Intensive Repair that is.

It was actually my first time using any product in the Ouidad haircare line! And it was 12 minutes well spent! The weather is absolutely hot, humid, muggy and sweltering here in the city. Humidity and my hair have never been best friends, until now! I've experienced a drastic reduction in humidity hair troubles since using this product. I received it about a month ago and wanted to use it a few times before posting a review on it.

I have spent years fighting with my wavy hair. Don't get me wrong, I love the waves, I just always hated the frizz. The 12 Minute Deep Treatment Intensive Repair allows me to love my hair again WITHOUT the frizz. Anything that allows you to cut back on using heat styling methods in the summer is pretty much heaven sent if you ask me! It is just too hot to have a blow dryer aimed at my head!

You can buy it directly at Ouidad's salon or website and Sephora also sells this product and they take the words out of my mouth in describing it.

What it does: Ouidad 12 Minute Deep Treatment Intensive Repair works in synergy with heat, delivering a mix of proteins and aminio acids deep into the hair cuticle for serious restructuring and rejuvenating benefits. Bounce, pulse, and luster return as hair is optimally conditioned and able to perform.

What it is formulated WITHOUT:

-Sulfates

- Synthetic Dyes

- Phthalates

- GMOs

- Triclosan

What else you need to know: A curl's tendency to lose nutrients and moisture makes this treatment the single most important step in your haircare regimen.

This one has a permanent space in my shower! And I hope to try out more products soon. (They also have a new detangling comb I have my eye on! And I had no idea they had a Pomade) I know this is usually where you are looking to see the great giveaway. and yes that's coming, but this time, directly from the company! WIN: Ouidad is hosting a Weekly Giveaway where you can win a 'Love your Curls' Starter Set HERE (Press on the word 'here' to be taken directly to the giveaway and fill out the form, remember you do not have to leave comments here to be entered, just fill out the form at Ouidad's site! However you can feel free to leave product testimonials here if you'd like!)

Ascending Butterflies being the social creatures that we are, love our social media, you can find Ouidad in all your favorite cyber places:

Ouidad on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ouidad

Ouidad on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Ouidad

Ouidad on Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/398706084

Ouidad's Blog: http://blog.ouidad.com/

Don't forget to enter our current giveaways (in addition to the Ouidad Giveaway above!):

1. Enter to win the SmashBox Cosmetics Reign Eye Shadow Palette of YOUR CHOICE, Majesty or Monarch HERE

2. Don't forget to enter for a chance to win a AUTOGRAPHED copy of our book club of the month title: 'Perseverance' by Carolyn Rubenstein. You can enter for the book HERE

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Tuesday, August 18, 2009 - Today's Words of Inspiration and TWO giveaways!

Count Your Blessings

With the state of the economy, the loss of jobs everywhere, and debts skyrocketing, the pressure is mounting. This pressure makes it all too easy to focus on what you do not have. On what's missing. Just for today, count your blessings. And I do mean that literally. Count them. Get out your pen and paper (yes I know that's kinda retro, but go with me here) and write out 10 things you are grateful for in your life right NOW. Yes TEN things. NO LESS. You can definitely start with family and friends and work your way from there!

DO IT NOW.

I'm watching you. OK well maybe I'm not watching you because that could be creepy and 'stalkerish', but I really want you to do it. See what you do have. Acknowledge what is working. Be thankful for the 10 things on your list. That list is a lot like Willy Wonka's Golden Ticket. The more you focus on those things, and how they make your life better and how grateful you are for them, you will attract more blessings. Live in gratitude, because you will then live in abundance. Push the thoughts of what you don't have out of your mind, not just today but every day and watch your life change for the better.

Use 'Today's Words of Inspiration' as a breathing meditation to still your mind, quiet your thoughts and bring in positive energy. As you inhale bring in only positive energy by saying in your mind, I breathe in positive energy (or you can say creative energy if that is what you wish to create more of) and as you exhale, Affirm out loud today 'I live in gratitude for my 10 blessings (read them all straight off your list).' (It is very important to affirm these things out loud! It doesn't matter what time of the day you do it, just that you do it!)

Visualize yourself manifesting something unique, guided by universal forces that emerge spontaneously from within your soul. Do this at least twice today and see how by taking a moment away from the hectic pace and breathing in positive energy and affirming what you wish to create, your thinking will become different.

Remember, attitude really does determine altitude.

It is OK to *Re-Tweet* the link to this post and You can find me (@Tracy_Iglesias) on Twitter here! twitter love: re*tweet by copying and pasting the following into your update field:

OK to RT: @Tracy_Iglesias Today's Words of Inspiration and two super Giveaways! - http://tiny.cc/n4Thx

Make this your best day ever, Bless and Be Blessed!

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Today's Butterfly - Featured Site(s) of the Day - And TWO Giveaways!

1. Enter to win the Reign Eye Shadow Palette of YOUR CHOICE, Majesty or Monarch HERE (you may also press on the Smashbox graphic below to be taken directly to the giveaway)

2. Don't forget to enter for a chance to win a AUTOGRAPHED copy of our book club of the month title: 'Perseverance' by Carolyn Rubenstein. You can enter for the book HERE (you may also press the cover graphic below) - Stay tuned for an Author Q & A next week. You can begin to send in your questions now. Email your questions for the author to me HERE

Missed the John Legend concert? Check out the Recap with Photos HERE!

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Monday, August 17, 2009 - Today's Words of Inspiration and TWO giveaways!

Lazy, Hazy Days of Summer

This summer has literally flown by, and part of me secretly wishes it would slow down a bit. Part of me just wants to hold on to those lazy, hazy days of summer!

How are you enjoying the last days of the summer? By the pool? At the Beach? Having family cookouts?

We are still celebrating YOU this month! So celebrate with us and take some time for inner as well as outer renewal.

Use 'Today's Words of Inspiration' as a breathing meditation to still your mind, quiet your thoughts and bring in positive energy. As you inhale bring in only positive energy by saying in your mind, I breathe in positive energy (or you can say creative energy if that is what you wish to create more of) and as you exhale, Affirm out loud today 'I will enjoy this hazy day of summer by taking out some time for myself.'

Visualize yourself manifesting something unique, guided by universal forces that emerge spontaneously from within your soul. Do this at least twice today and see how by taking a moment away from the hectic pace and breathing in positive energy and affirming what you wish to create, your thinking will become different.

Remember, attitude really does determine altitude.

It is OK to *Re-Tweet* the link to this post and You can find me (@Tracy_Iglesias) on Twitter here! twitter love: re*tweet by copying and pasting the following into your update field:

OK to RT: @Tracy_Iglesias Today's Words of Inspiration and two super Giveaways! - http://tiny.cc/n4Thx

Make this your best day ever, Bless and Be Blessed!

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Today's Butterfly - Featured Site(s) of the Day - And TWO Giveaways!

1. Enter to win the Reign Eye Shadow Palette of YOUR CHOICE, Majesty or Monarch HERE (you may also press on the Smashbox graphic below to be taken directly to the giveaway)

2. Don't forget to enter for a chance to win a AUTOGRAPHED copy of our book club of the month title: 'Perseverance' by Carolyn Rubenstein. You can enter for the book HERE (you may also press the cover graphic below) - Stay tuned for an Author Q & A next week. You can begin to send in your questions now. Email your questions for the author to me HERE

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Sunday, August 16, 2009 - This Week's 'Moment of Gratitude' and TWO giveaways!

Living in Gratitude

On Sunday's, 'Today's Moment of Inspiration' becomes the weekly 'Moment of Gratitude'. While I do still live in Gratitude each and everyday, I decided to change this feature to a weekly to allow a full week of Inspirational messages and breathing meditations. 'Today's Butterfly' will remain a daily and will post with the Today's Inspiration Monday through Saturday, and will post with the Weekly Moment of Gratitude on Sunday.

This week, I am grateful for:

1) I had the opportunity to attend John Legend's concert at Madison Square Garden with opening performance by India.Arie! The music was amazing and so were the featured guests which included Kanye West and Estelle, Rick Ross, Buju Banton, Gramps Morgan and more. The concert started in prayer with India.Arie and ended in prayer with John Legend sending out blessings to the audience, it was amazingly uplifting and I'm still singing the tunes I heard that night! You can see my recap of the concert (including really awesome photos) HERE!

2) I am grateful for Ascending Butterfly's amazing sponsors! See two of them in the 'Today's Butterfly' Featured Site of the day below.

3) I'm grateful for some amazing surprises from my fellow bloggers:

• New York Chica, you can visit her blog HERE
• Coupon Queens of Laurel Run, you can visit CQoLR HERE
• Beauty is Easy, you can visit them HERE

What are you grateful for today? I'd love for you to write in and share what you are grateful for this week. The more you say it, the more you speak it, and the more you live in gratitude, the more you will find reasons to be grateful for. So join me on this journey of gratitude. And you can post here daily (even though my list will be posted weekly).

Remember, attitude really does determine altitude.

It is OK to *Re-Tweet* the link to this post and You can find me (@Tracy_Iglesias) on Twitter here! twitter love: re*tweet by copying and pasting the following into your update fieldOK to RT: @Tracy_Iglesias Today's Words of Inspiration and two super Giveaways! - http://tiny.cc/n4Thx

Make this your best day ever, Bless and Be Blessed!

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Today's Butterfly - Featured Site of the Day - And TWO Giveaways!

1. Enter to win the Reign Eye Shadow Palette of YOUR CHOICE, Majesty or Monarch HERE (you may also press on the Smashbox logo below to be taken directly to the giveaway!

2. Don't forget to enter for a chance to win a AUTOGRAPHED copy of our book club of the month title: 'Perseverance' by Carolyn Rubenstein. You can enter for the book HERE (you may also press the cover graphic below) - Stay tuned for an Author Q & A next week. You can begin to send in your questions now. Email your questions for the author to me HERE

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