Feeling Confident & Empowered

A Quick & Easy Way to Stop Negative Thinking that Keeps You Stuck

Posted on by Linda Luke / Posted in Creating Success, Feeling Confident & Empowered, Life Tools, Positive Thoughts and Attitude / 15 Comments

rocket launch stop inertia get unstuck

It’s interesting how we can have incredible ideas, intentions and goals and then get totally stuck when we try to implement them. The likely culprit is that we start over thinking and fall into a pattern of negative thoughts. Excitement and planning can quickly shift to reasons we shouldn’t move forward or can’t make things happen, especially if fear has a say.

And then, we find ourselves stuck in indecision and losing motivation as self-doubt and inertia set in. Our lives stay the same and our dreams fade into the distance.

But, wait! There is a quick and easy way to shift this pattern and make things happen.  Here’s how it goes: Continue reading →

Want to Clear Clutter? Start with These 25 Things that are Easy to Get Rid Of

Posted on by Linda Luke / Posted in Authentic Living - Being Yourself, Feeling Confident & Empowered, Life Tools, Simple Peaceful Living / 2 Comments

Don't sutffocate! clear clutter declutter minimalism

Clearing clutter out of your home creates a more peaceful and supportive environment. But, sometimes it’s hard to get started or create positive momentum toward your clutter free goals.

Decluttering  can feel like an overwhelming project. That is, unless you can kick start the process. One way to do this is to start with some of the things listed below. Continue reading →

5 Simple Soulful Practices You Can Start Today

Posted on by Linda Luke / Posted in Authentic Living - Being Yourself, Feeling Confident & Empowered, Fun & Happiness, Life Tools, Positive Thoughts and Attitude, Simple Peaceful Living / 5 Comments

wood heart in tree soulful practice

Soulful practices support you in feeling more peaceful, centered,and tapped into the inner guidance of your heart. They don’t have to be fancy and doing them regularly will help you sustain the peace they bring.

There are probably thousands of potential soulful practices and I have played with many of them. Here are 5 of my current favorites that are so simple you could start them today. Continue reading →

The Snowball Effect – Creating Positive Momentum Toward Your Goals

Posted on by Linda Luke / Posted in Creating Success, Feeling Confident & Empowered, Life Tools, Money, Simple Peaceful Living / 8 Comments

debt snowball momentum

In his book, The Total Money Makeover, Dave Ramsey recommends a process he calls the debt snowball for paying off your bills. He suggests you list all your debts and then pay as much as you can toward the one with the lowest balance first and when it is paid off, move on to the next smallest bill.

Why the lowest balance first? Because, by starting with the smallest bills you build momentum, just like a snowball that grows and builds speed as it goes downhill. It also creates a pattern of success that motivates you to keep going. Continue reading →

7 Reasons Why You Should Write Your Life Story

Posted on by Linda Luke / Posted in Authentic Living - Being Yourself, Feeling Confident & Empowered, Healing Your History, Life Tools, Memoir Writing, Relationships & Communication / 8 Comments

pen writing memoir autobiography life story

I love listening to people talk about their life story.  As a coach, hearing my clients’ stories is an important part of my work. Their histories often reveal what has shaped their lives today and also bring light to just how powerful, loving, and beautiful my clients really are. They may not be able to see it, but I sure can.

Gradually, this love of stories began to pull me into the idea of helping people honor their histories by writing them down, and I became certified as a guided autobiography (GAB) class instructor. Continue reading →

How to Create a Simple Heartfelt Life

Posted on by Linda Luke / Posted in Authentic Living - Being Yourself, Feeling Confident & Empowered, Fun & Happiness, Healing Your History, Life Tools, Money, Positive Thoughts and Attitude, Relationships & Communication, Simple Peaceful Living / 5 Comments

stones simple heartfelt life

Over the years I have felt drawn to the idea of creating a program or new foundation for my work around either simple heartfelt living or supporting women in midlife and beyond. Maybe, a combination of both. There have been several times when I created outlines and ideas that still reside in notebooks filed away, waiting to be shared with the world.

It happened again this morning as I was writing in my journal, another outline surrounded by heartfelt words of what I really want to share. I was surprised when I realized I keep creating the same outline over and over again with slight variations.

And then it was clear, the reason this idea keeps coming forward is that it is really about the life that I want to create for myself. And, share with you. A simple life, full of meaning and based on the guidance of my heart.  Continue reading →

7 Questions that Will Help You Wipe Out Worry

Posted on by Linda Luke / Posted in Feeling Confident & Empowered, Life Tools / 23 Comments

worry worried woman looking a clouds and ocean

The human mind can be a dangerous thing. It can run away with our time, energy, and ability to be fully present in the real world. One of it’s favorite limiting tools is worry.

Fear also loves worry as it can be used to keep us busy and stuck so we don’t take chances or move out of our comfort zone.

If you were able to calculate how much of your life energy was actually wasted on imagining a scary future you would probably be shocked enough to take action and stop letting it control your life. But, how? Continue reading →

Going Gray – When Should I Stop Coloring My Hair?

Posted on by Linda Luke / Posted in Authentic Living - Being Yourself, Feeling Confident & Empowered, Simple Peaceful Living / 32 Comments

woman with grey hair, gray hair, stop coloring hair

It all began decades ago when I started adding sunny California highlights to my hair. And now, more than 30 years later my hair is still the same color I grew up with, or at least close to it thanks to Clairol Nice n Easy medium neutral blonde. Coloring my hair has been a monthly ritual for so long that it just seems like a basic part of life, like brushing my teeth or washing my face.

I’ve been thinking about giving it up.  Continue reading →

Watch Your Language – Your Words are Hypnotizing You

Posted on by Linda Luke / Posted in Creating Success, Feeling Confident & Empowered, Life Tools, Positive Thoughts and Attitude / 6 Comments

words hypnotize you

It has been clear to me for a long time that the words we use impact our feelings and actions.  I write about it, coach it, and practice re-framing limiting language in my own life.  But, studying to become a Certified Hypnotherapist brought my understanding to a whole new level. Continue reading →

50 Ways to Say No Gracefully and Effectively

Posted on by Linda Luke / Posted in Authentic Living - Being Yourself, Feeling Confident & Empowered, Life Tools, Navigating Life Challenges, Relationships & Communication, Simple Peaceful Living / 10 Comments

just say no carved in tree

For some of us, including me, saying “no” can be challenging. We want to help and please, sometimes to our own detriment. I personally believe that most of us are way to busy these days and not honoring the time and space needed for ourselves to stay grounded and whole.

It’s important to be clear when enough is enough for you and honor those boundaries. And so, I thought I would share 50 ways that we can say no in a graceful and respectful way.

But first, I have a some tips that will help you say no successfully: Continue reading →

12 Morning Practices that Start Your Day Off Right

Posted on by Linda Luke / Posted in Authentic Living - Being Yourself, Feeling Confident & Empowered, Fun & Happiness, Life Tools, Positive Thoughts and Attitude, Simple Peaceful Living / 9 Comments

good morning

Every day is a gift.  A blank slate to write on. The choices you make in the first moments after waking up can impact your energy, effectiveness, and mood for the entire day.  I am a big fan of morning practices and encourage you to create one of your own.

Here are some fun ideas for starting your morning off right: Continue reading →

Fantasies and Daydreams – Rehearsing for Your Future

Posted on by Linda Luke / Posted in Creating Success, Feeling Confident & Empowered, Positive Thoughts and Attitude / Leave a comment

 

woman daydreaming daydreams fantasies

An early teacher of mine on my personal growth journey, Kendrick Mercer, used to say that fantasies were good for us. His perspective was that daydreams and fantasies were how we rehearsed for our future reality. Continue reading →

A 5 Step Process for Overcoming Life Challenges

Posted on by Linda Luke / Posted in Feeling Confident & Empowered, Life Tools, Navigating Life Challenges, Positive Thoughts and Attitude / 1 Comment

angle trouble problems life challenges

Life challenges of any size can cause us to be reactive and clutter our mind with dis-empowering thoughts. Sometimes, we feel like we can’t even think at all, even though these are the most important times to see things clearly and respond wisely.

The following steps are ones I created for my clients and myself to focus on when we face life challenges. They have worked well for us and I hope they will prove valuable for you, too. Continue reading →

Living in Alignment with Your Values

Posted on by Linda Luke / Posted in Authentic Living - Being Yourself, Feeling Confident & Empowered, Life Coaching, Life Tools, Positive Thoughts and Attitude / Leave a comment

hearts representing values

We are happiest when our lives are in alignment with our core values.  Living this way nurtures what is most meaningful to us and allows us to feel more peaceful, grounded, and fulfilled. Anything that conflicts with our values will create more stress and dissonance in our lives. Continue reading →

What My Trees Taught Me about Perseverance

Posted on by Linda Luke / Posted in Creating Success, Feeling Confident & Empowered, Navigating Life Challenges, Simple Peaceful Living / 12 Comments

tree fence pinwheel persevere perseverance © 2017 Linda Luke

I have always been amazed by the trees along the fence line of my yard. They managed to persevere and shape themselves around the obstacles in their way as they grew.

Many of them have chain link fence that goes right through them. Others have poles or pieces of brick integrated into them in odd places. Continue reading →

It’s How You Respond to the Issue that Counts

Posted on by Linda Luke / Posted in Feeling Confident & Empowered, Healing Your History, Navigating Life Challenges / 2 Comments

Joey Chloe lesson respond react

I have fleas.

It’s strange, because I have no idea where they came from. I live alone with my 2 indoor-only fur babies, Chloe and Joey.

By the time I saw the first flea they were already taking over. So, I gave my cats flea control meds, vacuumed a lot, washed slip covers and bedding, used non-toxic products, and then switched my cats to another medicine when the first one didn’t work.

I still had fleas. Continue reading →

Intentions for Being – Declarations for Life

Posted on by Linda Luke / Posted in Authentic Living - Being Yourself, Creating Success, Feeling Confident & Empowered, Simple Peaceful Living / 7 Comments

 

intentions for life flower

(I first wrote this in January 2015 and came across it today. The words and intentions I shared feel even more powerful now. It’s time to re-commit and share them again.)

There are a lot of goals and resolutions set at this time of year about what we want to do or accomplish.  While I am playing with some of the doing stuff, I felt more called to look at how I want to be and show up in this world. Continue reading →

Let Your Heart Guide You to Your Best Life

Posted on by Linda Luke / Posted in Authentic Living - Being Yourself, Feeling Confident & Empowered, Navigating Life Challenges, Simple Peaceful Living / 2 Comments

let your heart guide you listen to your heart

 

It’s almost like we are running a race. I hear over and over again from my clients and friends that they are struggling to keep up with the speed of life. I feel it, too.

When we are racing through our days we lose the guidance of our hearts and are more likely to make unconscious choices that do not serve us well. Continue reading →

Let Your Soul Guide Your Healing

Posted on by Linda Luke / Posted in Authentic Living - Being Yourself, Feeling Confident & Empowered, Healing Your History / 6 Comments

healing heart your soul is calling out to you

I recently came across this wonderful quote by Wayne Muller:

“Your challenge is not to keep trying to repair what was damaged, your practice instead is to re-awaken what is already wise, strong, and whole within you, to cultivate those qualities of heart and spirit that are available to you in this very moment.” Continue reading →

5 Bad Mood Busters that Will Help You Feel Better Fast

Posted on by Linda Luke / Posted in Feeling Confident & Empowered, Positive Thoughts and Attitude / 17 Comments

bad mood clown doll

I don’t think anyone gets out of this life without times when they feel low on energy, high on stress, or just not ready to face the world. The good news is that you don’t have to let a bad mood control or disempower you. At least, not before trying these Bad Mood Busters: Continue reading →