One of my favorite movies besides The Shawshank Redemption, is Fools Rush In. I love a great love story…especially one that is based one a true story. However, Fools Rush In is a favorite of mine because it speaks to me about fate. Have you ever felt like the universe is speaking to you? I do all the time and it’s been happening a lot lately. Some people call it fate, some call it the secret and some call it a sign. Like Salma Hayek’s character Isabel, she believed that they were signs all around you to help you through this wonderful maze we call life. The trick is you have to be open to the possibility in order to see them. I think the majority of people dismiss signs as mere coincidences. Me, I don’t believe in coincidences. I believe everything happens for a reason. Sometimes the reason is clear and other times it’s not. For example, I recently lost two clients through no fault of my own. It still frustrated me a great deal and caused me to think about how I would like build my business stronger in the upcoming new year. I started asking myself if we really have control in how successful our business is or is control just an illusion we comfort ourselves with. The other day I was watching Will Smith give a TV interview to promote his new movie I Am Legend. He spoke about the ups and downs of life and how when you are experiencing one of the downs, that is when you dig in and fight harder not shrink away. What he said spoke to me and it registered with my head and my heart. In that moment, I felt as if that message was meant just for me. Later that morning, I was honored to be chosen as the Revolutionary Business of the Year for 2007 from the Virtual Assistant Revolution and to share the honor with co-winner and good friend Yvonne Weld. This was such a surprise and the timing was perfect. It truly motivated me, rejuvenated my spirit and reinforced that I was doing the right thing with my business despite it’s recent loss in clients. Now, if that isn’t enough to give you an idea of what I am talking about let me tell you one last thing. Yvonne and I both experienced a loss of clients, we spoke on the phone for quite some time brainstorming how we were going to build our businesses stronger than ever. That this loss we experienced was just preparing us for something better. We spoke way before we knew found out about winning the award. Now I ask you…Coincidence?…perhaps to you…but to me there are no coincidences. I’ll leave you one of the memorable quotes from a priest on the street in the movie Fools Rush In. “There are signs everywhere to help you find your way”. The universe is speaking to you…are you listening?