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 →

How to Eliminate Closet Clutter with a Simple Wardrobe

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

My simple summer wardrobe. Jeans are on the shelf above.

I had a lot of clothes. Many of them didn’t fit or seem to go with anything else in my closet.

Can you relate?

I’ve never been a big shopper, but my passion for finding deals tripped me up. Instead of having nice outfits to wear, I had a bunch of budget clothing misfits and a lot of closet clutter. 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 →

25 Ways to Stay Positive in Trying Times

Posted on by Linda Luke / Posted in Navigating Life Challenges, Positive Thoughts and Attitude / 8 Comments

happy little girl under umbrella stay positive

Life gets rough at times. You may be experiencing personal challenges, surrounded by negative people, or inundated with bad news, but that doesn’t mean you need to let it get you down.

As I write this, our country and our world are full of conflict. People against people. Religion against religion. And, politics as a free for all.  It breaks my heart that words like “hatred” are part of our everyday news. It’s hard to stay positive with so much ugliness going on. 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 →

Moving Cross Country to a Small Town: My First Year

Posted on by Linda Luke / Posted in Authentic Living - Being Yourself, Simple Peaceful Living / 4 Comments

moving to a small town house

This week is the one year anniversary of my moving from a busy city in Southern California to a rural small town in Missouri.

My intention was to live a more simple life and be close to my 3 grandchildren. After 62 years as a SoCal girl I anticipated some culture shock and knew I had a lot to learn about my new way of life.

Looking back over this first year I feel that I have done well, but am also aware that I am in a process that will take some time. Continue reading →

Your Mind is a Playground Full of Infinite Possibilities

Posted on by Linda Luke / Posted in Fun & Happiness, Positive Thoughts and Attitude / 9 Comments
mind is a playground life coach on a swing

Imagine being a child again and going to the world’s biggest playground. There is an unlimited supply of high flying swings, exhilarating slides, and magical merry go rounds. Everything you could possibly want is in front of you.

Our minds are just like that playground.

Continue reading →

3 Steps for Letting Go of Guilt and Regrets

Posted on by Linda Luke / Posted in Healing Your History, Positive Thoughts and Attitude, Simple Peaceful Living / 4 Comments

sorry teddy bear guilt regret

One of my clients the other day was experiencing a lot of regret for how a past relationship ended. She felt guilty that she hadn’t tried harder and hurt the other person involved. The guilt she felt was eating her up from the inside out and impacting how she approached her current relationship, possibly putting it at risk.  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 →

How to Have a Great Relationship

Posted on by Linda Luke / Posted in Relationships & Communication / 15 Comments

swans great relationship

When you experience challenges in your primary relationship it can impact all areas of your life, including the people around you. Building up resentment only makes you hyper-reactive and clouds your perspective.

So, when your relationship is feeling “off”, use these Principles for a Great Relationship to return to the foundation of love and partnership that will make your life feel blessed. Continue reading →

Magic Words that Can Make Anything Seem Possible

Posted on by Linda Luke / Posted in Creating Success, Feeling Confident & Empowered, Positive Thoughts and Attitude / 3 Comments

magic words persistent flower

Do you believe in magic? What about magic words?

I know I do, because I have witnessed how our words can either empower us or keep us stuck.

Even when we remove the obvious ones from our vocabulary like can’t, won’t, don’t, should, or shouldn’t, there are other sneaky ways our language can limit us. Continue reading →

My 7 Step Plan for Overcoming Social Anxiety

Posted on by Linda Luke / Posted in Authentic Living - Being Yourself, Feeling Confident & Empowered, Positive Thoughts and Attitude / 10 Comments

little shy girl with social anxiety

I have always been a nervous person. This may surprise some of you, because I have worked hard on it and usually seem pretty easy going and calm. But, it’s true.

One of the things that scares me the most is people. Other human beings.

Kind of crazy, isn’t it? Continue reading →

A Totally Free Way to Feel Better Instantly

Posted on by Linda Luke / Posted in Feeling Confident & Empowered, Positive Thoughts and Attitude / 13 Comments

 

feel better

One day in my class as a student of spiritual psychology at USM, a teacher asked if anyone in the room of about 300 people was feeling tired or depressed. A surprising number of people raised their hands.

One of them, a young woman, shared that she had felt depressed for a long time and had very little energy. She agreed to participate in an experiment that could help her feel better. Continue reading →