The Velvet Hammer with Cynzi/Episode #2  I talk about Instant Karma and Paying It Forward along with beautiful photos, art, music and inspiring words. Show ends on an upbeat note! Appreciate yourself! Cheers!

The Velvet Hammer with Cynzi

Show: #2 — 04/26/21

Show Title: Instant Karma & Paying It Forward

Show intro: Animation/Photos or Original Artwork

Song: Everyday 3:29 mins

HELLO everyone, I’m hoping you’re all doing really well and I wanted to say a big “Thank you” to all who watched my 1^st Podcast! I truly appreciate all the wonderful comments and feedback. This is of course a work in progress so hopefully moving forward it will get better and better. Every single day we have our own struggles as well as blessings! It can be somewhat difficult to remain positive throughout the whole day….however I do try to end up spending most of my time focusing on what I have to be grateful for. This is why I decided to talk about the power of Instant Karma and Paying It Forward. Sometimes these two ideologies actually intersect.

I was recently reading something that reminded me how doing things for others in our comfort zone is not quite the same or as rewarding as giving when it’s uncomfortable for us to do so. For example donating old clothes or other items just to clean out your house does not have the same intention or value as giving when it’s more difficult. I feel sharing your very last food money with a complete stranger could require a little more compassion and effort than cooking for your family, although both are definitely worth the effort. So, thinking about this reminded me of a great memory of something that happened when my daughter was fairly young. I always tried to teach her good manners, respect for everyone and how important it was to help people whenever we could.

To give a little background, during the 80’s I was a single Mom, living with my 7 year old daughter in Hollywood. I usually worked as a waitress or bartender in some of the very best places…the pay was excellent, so I only had to work a few days or evenings a week. My priority was to spend as much time as possible together with her and my job situation allowed for that. We had a few favorite hangouts, like most mothers and daughters. This one particular place we liked was only a few blocks from our apartment. It was a nicely renovated neighborhood strip mall with a few good restaurants, stores and ice cream parlor. Although it would sometimes attract a few homeless people, they were always harmless so we felt safe and we had a good time going there for lunch or dessert.

Well, we used to see this very old hunch backed woman who seemed to be very down on her luck! She made a big impact on us….I mean obviously she was homeless, old and deformed so we felt really sorry for her situation. One day as we were getting ready to go get some ice cream my daughter came over to me and I could see she was very excited! She was jumping up and down saying “Mom, Mom, can I please give my money to the poor hunch backed lady?”

The Christmas season was upon us and my daughter had gotten some money from relatives to buy herself some gifts. I was so proud of her for wanting to give away the money she had just received. I realized she had such a generous heart, much more than me even. I immediately said, “Yes, of course!” “Just remember it was your decision and don’t ask me later to give you back the money.” We agreed and then set out to find this woman. We spotted her right away in her usual place. My girl could hardly contain herself! I’d barely parked the car when she jumped out of her seat and ran over to give the lady her $20. I thought this was so sweet and she was as excited as if she were going to Disneyland. We were both very happy about this decision to share, got an ice cream and then went home.

About a week later, I was working at the Hungry Tiger. My friend dropped my daughter off at my job after picking her up from school. She patiently waited for me, sitting at a table as I finished my shift. Evidently this older woman had been watching her because she came over to me and said, “Your daughter seems so sweet and has such good behavior. I was wondering if I could give her $20 to spend on herself for Christmas.” I was so surprised I laughed out loud because I realized this was a great lesson in Instant Karma, something my daughter would always remember. Not only did she get the same exact money back she had unselfishly given out….but it was also from an elderly woman. It was such a great lesson for learning how karma can work. I’ve never forgotten this story because it had a huge impact on her life and I have always admired her generosity!

The concept of Paying It Forward has become very popular and I’ve also tried to embrace this idea. I’ve had many people, friends and certain family members help me out over the years. Some helped with money…others by giving of their time or support. I have been blessed with awesome gifts and tremendous vacations. These days I try to remember those blessings and when possible do a random act of kindness for strangers as well as family members.

My last show I talked about the group Pay It Forward which I joined a few months back. Feeling compelled to do something of service, I went online to the site and found a woman who needed some household items…. as well as someone to go shopping to get her family enough food to last for a few days. She’d just moved to a new home with no transportation. Her husband needed their one car for work and she was home alone with small children. There wasn’t even a nearby store or bus line. So I decided to get a list from her, rounded up a few things I could share then proceeded to go shopping for her. She lived quite a few miles away it took me about 30 minutes to drive there. Now the only reason why this was a challenge is because I have limited vision so I don’t like to drive to new places very much anymore. The good feeling of helping outweighed the reluctance of driving. Also I wanted to do it because I would want someone to do it for me. I learned a long time ago if you do a favor do it with love not resentment or it loses its value which can be another good lesson.

I share these experiences because I hope to maybe inspire others to do the same or give them some good ideas. I know we’re not supposed to brag about good deeds…for me it’s a balance of not promoting myself while at the same time trying to be a good influence. I know giving always is a blessing and the following week I had a few important financial successes….I felt it was due to my helping her. Simply a reminder to myself what we give out we get back tenfold and it feels good to be a giver!

If anyone listening has their own story about Instant Karma or Paying It Forward, I’d love to hear it. Send an email to thevelvethammerwithcynzi.com or leave a message in the comments if it’s not too wordy. I’d be happy to talk about it in a future episode because I want to include my audience…that’s why I’m doing this show….it’s about sharing experiences, it’s not all about me!

Speaking about sharing, in the last show I talked about inspiring words being something I’d like to promote each week. The quotes I’d like to share this week are both very inspiring and hopeful. We usually have the power to change our lives whenever we believe in ourselves and take some control as well as assuming responsibility. When I was younger, I remember it used to bother me when my father said, “You make your own luck!” And I would think…. how can you make your own luck? Isn’t luck something you receive out of nowhere without any help or influence? Well, it took me a good while to realize what this truly means. The funny thing was I finally had an epiphany while driving through San Francisco which happened to be my Dad’s birthplace and favorite city. He’d passed on by then and I felt he was probably laughing at me, but glad I finally got it!

Just like creating our own luck, we each create our own reality….it’s not just random circumstances infiltrating our lives…we are all responsible for every single thing that happens. There are no mistakes or accidents…everything we do on a daily basis…minute by minute… produces our future events. I truly believe this which led me to embrace the next two statements.

1. “Energy goes…..where attention flows!”

If you wake up on the wrong side of the bed….complaining about this and that….the day will often play out with more unwanted annoyances. You set the tone! I’ve found it’s usually better to face a problem….find a pro active way to resolve it then forget about it. That allows you to move on as quickly as possible. Don’t stay in a bad mood or be a victim if you want to turn things around, it just won’t work. I’m not saying to ignore things we don’t like just not to dwell on them. Find the best way to handle any situation….then go find something that makes you laugh or smile.

2. “Man becomes what he thinks about”

Do you love and respect yourself or do you constantly condemn yourself for not being good enough? The “I AM” statement is much more powerful than we’ve been led to believe. Never ever say “I am” then follow it with derogatory words such as I am stupid, fat, dumb, worthless, etc. this will not help anything beating ourselves up is the worst thing we can do!

Instead you can try to remember you’re doing the best you can with what you have. Think about the most excellent you! Write down some positive goals! Try thinking about what you would do if you were in total control of every situation. I like to encourage people to pretend they’re writing a book or a movie script. You are the main character and can have or be absolutely anything…within reason of course….that you want. Then remember to envision these ideas with as much emotion as you can…. as often as you can. It really works….I’ve done it. It may not always be exactly as you imagined it but it will usually be close. Dr. Wayne Dyer puts it into perspective in another way, “You’ll see it….when you believe it!” I’ll be talking more about this in an episode called “Create Your Own Reality” along with more on Dr. Dyer

In the previous episode I listed some of my favorite Podcasts and I’d like to add a few more to the list. Once again you can let me know what you think and or add some you’d like to recommend. I may be unaware of some wonderful shows you can let me know about…it’s all about trying to help each other with important information and sharing to make our lives better…happier…perhaps even easier!

1. Red Pill 78 He does a very comprehensive report on the important issues of the day. He covers political and topical events with the intensity of an old school newscaster. I really like his straight to the point, in depth professional reporting style.

2. ABL

Here is another very articulate, conservative gentleman who gets to the heart of things while discussing top stories from social media. He often engages with his audience through live streaming, takes calls then likes put his own spin on things and wrap it all up with a nice bow on top.

3. Dr. Steve Turley ….He is a highly educated Doctor with extensive knowledge on many things. I like listening to him….he’s very upbeat and has his own take on current events. He also offers a free e-book that lists many great online sources for news and truth!

4. Robert Gruler Esq….He belongs to the R & R Law Group which is an award winning law firm in Arizona. This channel is called “Watching the Watchers.” Another very good show as it presents a daily dive into all current law related subjects. He sticks to the facts and rarely gives opinions. It’s a great way to catch up on all things legal.

In the near future I’ll post all of these shows with their links on my website in case people want to reference them at a later date. I also plan on adding pages for recipes, book recommendations, the quotes I’ve posted and more. I’ll let everyone know as soon as I’ve actually taken care of this. It will be easier than trying to find past information from the Podcasts.

If you don’t know by now….time to ditch all MSM….try truthful news stations like OAN, RSBN and NTD! Also there are several platforms like GAB that do not censor free speech. I’ll post these as well on my website.

I’m trying to do a weekly Podcast however it may be more than a week from time to time depending on my schedule. I’d ultimately like to have a permanent schedule so anyone following my show will know the particular day and time each week. It will probably be on a Sunday so people will have time to plan and watch over the weekend.

I’d like to end today’s show on an upbeat note with another cute story to share with you. I thought it was sweet and thought you might enjoy it.

This little boy came over to his father and was very excited. His eyes were sparkling and he could barely stand still. He was smiling from ear to ear as he said, “Daddy, Daddy, I found the girl of my dreams and I want to marry her!” “She really loves me and she thinks I’m the most wonderful boy in the world.” “She’s always nice to me, finds time to play with me and laughs at all my jokes.” The Dad started smiling at his son and said, “Wow that sounds really great!” “Who is it? “What’s her name?” The boy’s face lit up as he said, “It’s Grandma!” The father tries to stifle a laugh and says “Honey, you can’t marry Grandma, she’s my mother!” Without missing a beat the little boy says, “Why not? You married my mother?”

I absolutely love stories about children and the funny things they say or their take on life. Their innocence is so incredibly charming and engaging. I can only speak for myself but with so many distressful things going on throughout the world….I think we can all use a break! Humor is a good way to alleviate the negative effects of a crazy world. So I hope you enjoyed this show and got a little relief from the non stop fear porn churned out by the main stream media.

I’m about to sign off and wish everyone much love and tremendous blessings. We all have a purpose and reason for being here…always remember that. Appreciate each other! Appreciate yourself! Thank you for tuning in…. and I’ll see you next week!

List Sugarplum the Band intro and outro songs

Show Dreams CD front and back cover

Outro: “Love is all that Matters” 4:31