Years ago I went through a time period when I was feeling sad and I wasn’t sure where it was coming from. It had happened gradually without my realizing what was going on. My days felt hard and my heart was heavy.
And then, one evening I was sitting on my couch watching TV and began to cry. I realized this was becoming a pattern and that is when I realized what was happening. Continue reading
“I can’t get no satisfaction, I can’t get no satisfaction
‘Cause I try and I try and I try and I try
I can’t get no, I can’t get no” – Mick Jagger
I’ve been feeling a bit like Mick Jagger lately and it’s my own fault. I’ve somehow slipped into a state of feeling unsatisfied with things in my life.
As most of you know, I recently adopted a little Beagle mix dog named Daisy. In many ways she is the perfect little girl. She adapted to crate training quickly, hasn’t chewed anything to death, got over her fear of cats, and seldom barks. She loves to cuddle, too.
But, Daisy has a couple little quirks that have caused me to spend my evenings watching Cesar Millan (The Dog Whisperer) on TV at night. Continue reading
It’s pretty common that we feel energized when we set goals and intentions for our lives, but as time goes by and life happens that motivation can start to feel like a distant memory.
We remember the goals and are still vaguely aware of why we wanted them, but feel too busy, too tired, or just kind of stuck. Continue reading
For some reason I have been hearing the term “lizard brain” a lot this week. This is a nickname for the part of your brain that deals with survival and creates your fight or flight response. You may think of it as your own personal freak out zone. Continue reading
I’ve been to a lot of seminars over the years. Some were great, some were okay, and some of them made me feel uncomfortable. The ones I didn’t like usually involved pressure to buy, sell, or do something out of your comfort zone in order to be accepted.
It’s interesting to watch these charismatic seminar leaders in action. They make a lot of money doing this and are experts at building momentum and get people fired up.
They create a sense of urgency, use peer pressure, and sometimes shaming language: Continue reading
I’ve been a life coach for 15 years now. That is a long time. And, during that time I have witnessed transformations, courage, and deep pain as I supported people through the challenges in their lives.
When people ask what my niche or focus is I feel lost because I work with whatever challenges people bring to me – divorce, career, life threatening illness, restlessness, relationships, stress, simplifying their lives, confidence, self-care, creating something new, etc. You name it and I’ve probably coached it. And, I’ve loved it all.
The truth is – I don’t coach specific problems, I coach people. I believe that the issue isn’t necessarily the issue. It’s what lies beneath that matters. Continue reading
The concept of forgiving is very noble and we are told it is the right thing to do, but sometimes it is not so easy.
Even when we know that forgiving is not saying the other person was right we may still crave completion, an apology, a way to prevent it from happening to someone else, retribution, or even just understanding what happened. Continue reading
How peaceful are you feeling today? If you are like most people on earth there is probably a lot on your schedule and even more on your mind.
The following peace enhancing steps are ones that I taught at a retreat a couple years ago. I think you might like them. Continue reading
Pull out your journal or pen and paper and get ready to shift your fear… Continue reading
For the last year and a half I have lived in a place that has real seasons. Hot summers, fall leaves, winter snow, and birds and flowers in spring. But, I think my California brain is still adapting.
A little while ago we had a sunny and relatively warm day in the midst of winter. It fooled my brain and triggered a desire to spring clean, even though I knew the cold weather would return. I took advantage of the motivation and deep cleaned my house. It was a day of energy and satisfaction brought on by what felt like spring sunshine.
I loved having a preview of spring and appreciated how it motivated me to refresh and renew my space. And now, the change of seasons is really happening and I am ready to spring clean and spit polish my life all over again.
Would you like to join me? Here is how: Continue reading
We are taught that we are living out our life in a line. A life line that is full of twists, turns, and maybe even corkscrews. As we follow this path we encounter experiences that can block us, throw us off track, or bring us up or down. Sometimes they even set us back so that we have to start over. It’s a perspective that can leave you feeling battered and powerless over time. Continue reading
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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