In 2005 I “woke up” from what felt like an illusion I was living in when I realized that the physical/emotional pain I was suffering from at the time was 99% related to my attitude, beliefs, and values (or lack thereof!) at the time. In a nutshell, I was a grumpy, pissed-off pessimist with a tendency to over-work, over-worry, over-stress, and self-sacrifice! These attitudes, beliefs and values of course dictated my physical, emotional, financial, spiritual, and relational well-being and let’s face it – I was well on my way to self-sabotaging myself to sickness and dis-ease!! Since that time, I’ve...
How to Increase Your Confidence
I have a secret. Shhhh… don’t tell anyone but sometimes I struggle with confidence. :) Wait a minute… don’t we ALL?! Yes, it’s true. Even for those that have a high self-image or high self-esteem in place, there will always be moments throughout life when we struggle with confidence!! I guess that’s just part of being human. :) So why do we sometimes lack confidence? Some of the following personal examples come to mind: when I’m learning something new for the first time when I’m feeling down, doubting what’s possible, or unsure about the future when I’m lacking clarity around...
On Surrendering & Letting Go
Sometimes it’s difficult to “let go” of how things should look, which ultimately can create pain and suffering in how we’re experiencing life! Why? Because sometimes our attachments cause us to constrict our view of what’s possible (i.e. tunnel vision) which not only causes internal and external conflict, but prevents us from being connected to our higher selves. On the flip side, surrendering our attachments to how things should look creates an openness and expansion in our being that allows for us to be more creative, more curious, and even more compassionate of ourselves and others. Don’t we all want...
The Magic of Belief
Have you ever wondered why some people in a similar situation experience pain & some experience pleasure…? It’s no secret that our thoughts create a powerful vibration that literally shapes & creates our reality! This concept has been made popular in recent years through the movie The Secret & has also come to be known as The Law of Attraction. So why are our beliefs like magic…? Well, with regard to the interaction I had with a bear during my most recent camping trip, let’s look at two very different scenarios: Scenario #1: I see a bear 50 yards away. My dog...
How to Use Your Body as a Barometer for Your Soul
Did you know that there is actually meaning & purpose to any mental, emotional, or physical discontent you might experiencing? I have noticed over the years that when my mind is racing, my emotions are low, or I’m in physical pain it’s usually an indication that something’s either missing in my life or I’m out of alignment with what’s meaningful & important to me. For many years, I used to look outside myself for relief of these symptoms & any quick-fix opportunity that would fill in what was missing. As a result, I spent a lot of time & money...
How to Use Your Body as a Barometer for Your Soul
Did you know that there is actually meaning & purpose to any mental, emotional, or physical discontent you might experiencing? I have noticed over the years that when my mind is racing, my emotions are low, or I’m in physical pain it’s usually an indication that something’s either missing in my life or I’m out of alignment with what’s meaningful & important to me. For many years, I used to look outside myself for relief of these symptoms & any quick-fix opportunity that would fill in what was missing. As a result, I spent a lot of time & money...
Speaking Your Truth: Volume II Book Launch Announced!
I am SUPER excited to announce that I am going be a published author for the first time EVER! I will be a contributing author in an upcoming anthology called Speaking Your Truth: Volume II. This is an amazing book of inspiring stories of courage & authenticity from women around the world will be available for purchase Tuesday, August 9th on www.Amazon.com. To learn more about the project and the other contributors, click here for more information. AND, be sure to join the Speaking Your Truth Facebook Fan Page! My story is the second to last chapter in the book...
90 Day Self Care Challenge – Week 4 & 5
Week 4 & 5 updates are in!! October was an incredibly busy month for me & I found myself over-committed in many areas. This prevented me from staying “on task” as much as I would’ve liked w/ my 90 Day Self Care Challenge AND oddly enough, I am still making rapid progress in ALL areas! YAY, me! :) Here are updates for each area: Career – Progress on my new website & logo design are slowed down a bit due to over-commitment. I’m taking steps to alleviate the over-committment & plan to have this complete by the end of November!...
Are you in hot water?
Have you ever felt like you were in over your head…? Or that you were reaching your boiling point & weren’t too sure how to gain back your sanity? We ALL have times in our life where it feels like we have SO much going on that adding even one more thing to the mix is going to be the tipping point between sanity & pure chaos. Over-committment is very common & can lead to feelings of chaos & overwhelm, but oftentimes, we aren’t even aware that WE are the ones creating the chaos with our willingness to...
90 Day Self Care Challenge – Week 3
Week 3 updates are now available!!! Originally, I’d intended to post & email my weekly updatesout to everyone but I realized last week that creates quite a bit more work for me… not to mention the fact that it increases how often you receive email from me! Although I know everyone is interested in the updates they’re getting, I’d still like to honor everyone’s time on email so going forward I will be updating the Awaken Within community twice a month in my bi-monthly newsletter & then posting on my blog/Facebook/LinkedIn/Twitter during the off weeks. If you’d like be...