I live near a beautiful lake... well not right now. It is cold, barren, very low and desolate. So much sand.... miles of sand that goes on and on. But I do know how beautiful it is in the summer.  And I keep that vision in my mind.  The other day I was looking over its vastness and a thought for this New Year came to mind. It was easy for me to equate this to our business. It can be seen as cold and desolate. Maybe we are all just little grains of sand waiting for the fresh water to revive us and bring new hope and possibilities.  Sometimes we look at things but we don't really see the whole picture.... or maybe we just don't want to see it.

So where do we start? We start within ourselves. We need to acknowledge what is true. True for your spirit, true for those close to you, and true for your endeavors.

One of my favorite authors is Ralph Marston and I often bring his works out to my favorite rock to read and be inspired. It takes a lot of "guts" to persevere in a market of uncertainty and I thank the vastness of the lake and my little curved rock to help me recognize what I need to do.  May you all find your truth in 2009.

What is true will persevere. What is false will eventually be consumed in its own contradictions. It may seem easier and more convenient in the short term to disregard or to hide from what you know to be true. 

Yet you cannot really hide from the truth. Instead of striving in vain to deny or to fight against what is true, put yourself on the side of truth. 

By fully acknowledging and accepting what is true, you can put that truth to work to achieve whatever you wish. Whether it is deceiving yourself or deceiving others, deception requires much time and energy.

And because deception never really achieves anything of value, it is a great waste of your precious life and resources. Instead, put that time and energy into successfully dealing with the truth.

 After all, you'll have to deal with it eventually, and the sooner you begin the more you'll be able to accomplish. Live every moment in truth.  

Align yourself fully with the truth, and bring great power to your purpose. -- Ralph Marston

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Lori Kim Polk is the Founder and Lead Designer of Artful Journey Designs and Staging, a full service Home Staging and Design Corporation combined with Ryan Dressel from Staged Right Design located in Roseville, California. Recently featured in Sacramento Magazine, Sacramento News and Review, KFBK radio and SMUD's Home of the Future.  We proudly service Granite Bay, Rocklin, Lincoln, Sacramento and surrounding areas. Call us today at 916-300-0402 for our premier services.

"The art of selling your home!"