Be Beautiful

I believe in following the rules of non-violence, taking the high road, only defending, never attacking or offending.
At times, in this adventure of being human, I question everything that I believe in.....

I reached out to my wonderful friend Mariah in a hope that she would offer me a word of comfort.
As always, she followed through.

Indeed, I am beautiful.

My Dream Job

The topic as of late in my life reinvention, has been -What do I want to do when I grow up?
What could I possibly do that would nourish me, and pay the bills?

I want to swim with the fishes.

Not just any fishes. Whale sharks.
They migrate once a year from somewhere to somewhere along the yucatan peninsula, and it just so happened the whale sharks were in Mexico this summer at the same time we were.
What a coincidence!
It was one of my most amazing life experiences EVER... And I have a had a really cool life.

We took a cab at 6am for a 2 hour ride to a marina. We took a speed boat for another 2 hours waaaaay out into the middle of the ocean. We found a pod of about 30 whale sharks that were bigger than our boats, like 30-40 ft long, 75-100 years old.

We put on snorkels, masks and fins.....

and jumped in to swim with them.

For hours, we finned along side of them, our hearts racing, we'd look beside us to have another one coming toward us, we'd swim along that one, catching its current.....we'd come up for a break, and then jump back in for more...I didn't want that day to end. I cried as we sped away from these beautiful prehistoric giants.

The End Game

Wow! 26 blog entries in 26 days. I always knew I was an overachiever, but c'mon...I'm not even a writer...
good thing I had this book to follow and share...What will I write about now? The daily goings on of a self employed stay at home mom? Oh groan.....I will have to think of something.

The book is done.
However enjoyable and informative my coles notes version was, I do recommend reading it in it's entirety, The 21 day Consciousness Cleanse by Debbie Ford.

Possibility Program

Day 21 of the 21 day consciousness cleanse is upon us.
It's not really a summation of everything we've learned thus far, that will come tomorrow.

The lesson for today is POSSIBILITY.

We've been through this process of cleansing, letting go, opening up and taking in.
We are to re-enter the world allowing in only what will nurture and nourish us. 

This will require saying no.
Having boundaries.
Trusting our instincts, intuitions, and inner guides.
We have a voice within us that is like a GPS, it takes us on the routes that are for our greater good. If we are not able to hear its voice, it can be a tightening in the stomach, or butterflies,or skin covering goosebumps, or spontaneous joy.
Within us lies the greatest operating system, programmed to ensure our happiness.

Just use it. Commit to it and trust it.
Maybe you'll end up in a new city.
Maybe you're back in school.
Maybe you set boundaries and say no.
Maybe you'll speak out when you used to say silent.
The POSSIBILITIES are endless.


Be inspired by WHO YOU ARE, not what you do.

I Heart You

Day 20. Compassion.
Our heart is our compass.
We are asked to "see" things differently. Instead of letting our hurts and judgements determine how we see and feel, let the goodness in us decide how to see and feel. We are to try to expand our perceptions of people, and reality...

Our hearts know we are here to learn, grow and evolve....our hearts know when we are authentic, honest and real.

a compassionate heart asks "how can I serve others?".
a compassionate heart knows that everyone is doing the best they can with what they've got.
a compassionate heart knows that people don't start out hoping they'll be abusive husbands, addicts, bullies or couch potatoes.
a compassionate heart sees that these people are limited by their "history".
a compassionate heart doesn't take everything so personally...for when we stop judging others, we don't feel judged ourselves.
a compassionate heart listens to the needs of others, says "I understand" and tells them how loved they are.


My favorite author Mike Dooley tells us "WE are the eyes and ears of God"
and by that, we can see and hear the good in everyone if we so choose.

Choose to see the good, be compassionate, and watch how much easier life becomes.

Leave your Mark

Purpose.
What's your purpose? Why are you here?
What do you want to be remembered for?
What do you want said about you at your funeral?
What legacy do you want to leave behind?


Begin now.
Life is very short, you can't postpone this. You have a unique contribution to make to the world.
Leave something behind.
Leave the world a little better than when you came in.
Disregard what you've been told you cannot do. Don't let your current circumstances dictate.
Nothing is too great or too small, you have the ability to leave a legacy.

I want to be remembered...
For the grand adventures I've taken.
For the courage I had to climb mountains, dive oceans and take flight.
For the help I gave to my friends.
For the open door policy I have for anyone who needs a safe place.
For the conviction I had to do the work, read the books, share the knowledge and lead by example.
For raising extraordinary children that are fearless and limitless.

That's all for now, but I'm sure there'll be more.


Tell me what you will leave behind...

No I in Team.

Day 18's lesson is trancendence. The best way to put this is to compare to that old adage of
there is no "I" in "team".

We aren't alone. We need help. We aren't meant to carry our burdens alone. The ego in us thinks we can or have to go it alone, but through trancendance we step out of the separateness of ego thinking and into a place where we know we are one with the universe.
This transcendence is an ego blow to our narcissistic arrogance, but also a huge relief at the same time.

Winning at Losing.

We can now resume day 17 -devotion.
We are asked to commit to live our best life, serve and be served, love and be loved. Our spiritual, emotional and physical well being is our priority. We nurture and nourish ourselves and know that there is nothing more important on the earth but US. We are all that matters right now.

No this isn't arrogance or selfishness, but devotion to chipping off anything that keeps our light from shining brightly.

My favorite client who is now a good friend, lost 125 lbs since I met her. She came to me as one of my first clients at the gym, with a 6 month old baby and toddler in tow, put them in childcare, and bought one of many 12 session packages.
Through many, many painful months of workouts, diet modifications and support, she started losing weight like crazy. This may have appeared selfish to some, the money spent paying someone to teach her to workout effectively, plus paying for two kids in childcare, the cost of vitamins, healthy food, new clothes; this was a huge investment in herself and her well being.
So now a few years later, she wears smaller sizes than me, has a great career and walks tall in her strength and beauty. Not surprisingly, her marriage ended when she shed the weight that she hid inside, and life has had its agonizing challenges, but I can guarantee the money and time she invested in herself was worth every penny. She knew this was work that needed to be done, and she did it. She is the strongest person I know, and her commitment is unending. She has lost the most weight of anyone I have ever met, and gained more than she ever thought possible.

That is extraordinary devotion to oneself.

The good news is.....We all have it in us.

The Substitution

Todays lesson is DEVOTION. Which is a bit ironic, as today I have multiple basketball games, at different locations at different times, and my parents are coming in to town. So today, the day I am to be devoted to my learning, and honoring my higher calling, I am substituting a poem for my words.
This is one of my favorites, I hope you enjoy it.

Flying without an Airplane

Day 16
Tough one for me. I'm not a big "God has a plan for you" type of person.
I am more of a "pay attention to what makes you tick, and go do that, and create the life you desire." type of person.

One feels like more proactive than the other. And who doesn't love being proactive? Us overachievers that are accomplishment driven and thrive on making a plan, carrying it out and feeling the pride of a job well done.. you know, us... the dream it -plan it- do it folks......

www.JOY.com

A few years ago my favorite magazine was National Geographic Adventure. I collected every issue as my "places I must see" collection. (and I've been knocking them off quite nicely) The tag line was DREAM IT.PLAN IT. DO IT. Which became my mantra before I even knew what a mantra was. I bought a ring that had the inscription, "if you can dream it, you can do it." I added this to all of my personal training materials, and it became my pretend website address. http://www.dreamitplanitdoit.com/. It's not my website, so don't bother checking it out. My friend Bosley, who left a horrible marriage to an abusive ass, we gave her the pretend website http://www.walkaway.com/. Lifepartners website was http://www.itiswhatitis.com/. I can't remember what O's was but it probably had something to do with licorice.

Oh, the things we talk about while hiking for hours in the arizona heat...

Congratulations!

Week three begins.

To summarize, week one was "the past''.

1.DESIRE....set the intention
2.SELF AWARENESS...look at the pain
3.RELEASE...let the pain go
4.FORGIVENESS...find the hidden wisdom
5.REVERENCE...honor yourself
6.SURRENDER...again, let it go
7.SELF ACKNOWLEDGEMENT...you are extraordinary

Week two was "the present".

8.LIBERATION...be reborn
9.RESPONSIBILITY...promise yourself to thrive
10.HUMILITY...we are one, help each other
11.ACCEPTANCE...this too shall pass
12.RISK...wake up
13.BE PRESENT...right now, find joy
14.TRUTH...choose to believe the good

Week three, with great momentum....we dive into "the future".

The author refers to a garden. We've pulled up the weeds of limiting beliefs, we've fertilized the soil, now we are ready to reseed the garden with fresh, high vibration thoughts.
This garden will bear fruit for the rest of our lives.

Laziness and Lies.

aaaahhhh.....the truth.....

How many of our old patterns and habits are not based in the truth?
How many agreements have we made with our lower self, or hidden contracts we've made with our ego?
The things we tell ourselves over and over that the people around us get sick of hearing?

The little list of lies I believe to be true......
1.I'm too fat to wear a bikini.
2.I'm a bad mother.
3.I'm not loving enough.
4.Oh the list goes on and on and on and on....

...but these are all lies. Things I choose to believe, when I know they aren't the truth.

Mountains in my Backyard.

Day 13...be present...

This is all there is. No tomorrow or yesterday. Just now.
This moment is unlike anything you've experienced before or ever will again.
When you are in the now, there is no past to haunt you, or pull you back, or overcome. There is no future to wish for, or race towards.
This is as good as it gets.

When you are present, you feel your feelings, (like the goosebumps when someone you love shares an epiphany), you listen to your body, you taste your food, (ever notice how much better food tastes in the quiet, not at a noisy restaurant making sure the kids are behaving), you express yourself, (things just all of the sudden make sense, or answers come clearly to you).

Of course, the past informs and teaches, and the future inspires us, but the moment of choice is the here and now.

Risky Business

I never had the opportunity to travel as a child. As an adult, I craved travel, change, excitement of any kind. I hated boredom, for me it led to depression and so I was always trying to keep that at bay. I remember telling the lady who babysat the boys (I went back to work part time, to fund my hiking adventures) about whatever adventure I was dreaming of, and she said to me "You have the worst case of wanderlust I have ever seen". That was the first time I had heard that word and I owned it with pride.
......Wanderlust.......

My travels with O were adventurous and nerve wracking. This was before the internet and maps on our phones, we had a rental car and a rental car map and tried to navigate our way through numerous locales. Our hilarious habit would be to stop at a gas station and ask "what town is this?" (We really didn't know where we were)
I wonder how we ever got anywhere in hindsight. But these are what adventures are made of.....oh the fun we'd have......how alive we felt....

It is What it is.......

Acceptance
Day 11
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change
The courage to change the things I can
And the wisdom to know the difference

I had this taped to my fridge for years......

Today we accept all that we are, all that we've been and all that we will be in the future.
Our past is our past, it will never be any thing different, there is nothing we can do to change it..
IT IS WHAT IT IS.......(lifepartners most favorite mantra)