Archive for Boston
What does success mean to you?
Posted by: | CommentsA few weeks ago, I read this awesome blog post by a well known raw food-est named Allissa Cohen talking about her decision to close her successful restaurants in order to live her dream life. She is a fine example of someone who has followed their passion and become extremely successful, with all kinds of amazing opportunities opening up to them as a result. She was well on her way to building an Empire for herself.
The thing that I found so interesting was this: She found herself so caught up in being “successful” and expanding on all the opportunities that she had, that she was not actually living her dream life at all.
The reality for her was that she did not really want an Empire.
She wanted her life to be more in the flow, with space for morning walks on the beach, yoga, and time to relax and enjoy her life. The reality was that she was really busy, and worked long hours under somewhat stressful conditions and her body was not digging it.
To the dismay of many people, she made the choice to release some of her commitments and “opportunities” in order to come back into alignment with her dream.
This really got me thinking. I have a experienced a number of different times in my life where I went for something that I thought I wanted, only to discover that the reality of it was not for me.
Like when I was 20 and could not wait to be the top dog restaurant manager, only to discover that meant I worked 70+ hours a week and was too exhausted to enjoy my life on my time off.
On one hand, I was considered to be very successful for someone so young.
I was making more money than my mother ever made, and I had the status of being the boss, BUT my life sucked in the quality of life department, and I ended up in the hospital one night because of all the stress.
The real kicker was that I made myself “wrong’ for not being able to handle it.
I was using someone else’s definition of success and as a result, I was trying to cram myself into this success “box”.
It took me another 15 years to come up with my own definition of success and what felt good in my life.
I am curious if you have taken the time to identify what success looks like to you?
How about a loving relationship?
What does the perfect workday look like to you?
Take a minute to share what you have discovered in the comments below.
How I was Saved from the Dreaded Overwhelm
Posted by: | CommentsHave you ever had something come together so effortlessly, you wondered why you were worried about it to begin with?
Well, that is exactly what is happening for me with The Crash Course
When I contemplated getting things ready for this course, it seemed a bit overwhelming at first. It certainly is the biggest thing I have ever offered before, and I was not clear on exactly how it would all unfold.
To be honest, when I started thinking about “HOW”it was all going to happen, I got a bit freaked out and started feeling the dreaded overwhelm starting to creep up on me. I started to get lost in the details of it all and I found myself getting distracted by thoughts that were not helpful at all.
Thoughts like:
“Maybe I am not ready!”
“I have no idea what I am doing”
“I should put this off until I have ….more money…more time…more clarity.”
I spent way too much time playing Chuzzel and tuning out my confusion and self-doubt. ( I did get some pretty amazing high scores!)
I will admit there was a moment or two when I thought about scrapping the entire idea, and then I would connect with someone who would really benefit from the Crash Course and my inspiration would coming flooding back in.
The more I connected with the reason “WHY” I was inspired to create the course in the first place, the easier it was to stay connected to my ideas and the details of how to create it fell into place.
What was my big inspiration?
Why, it was all of you! I want you to feel whole, part of a kick-ass abundant world, and fulfilled beyond your wildest dreams. ( I want this for myself too.)
The more I focused on what the outcome would be for the cool peeps taking this course, the easier it became for me to create the content and put it all together.
And you can do this too. Focus on the “What” and “Why” of what you want to create in your life, and let that vision pull you towards the “How” of it all.
Try it out and let me know what happens in the comments below.
Is It Really Worth It?????
Posted by: | CommentsThe topic of struggle and pushing through has been coming up again and again recently. This is what some of you are saying:
“I know…they say that mercury is retrograde….but come on! Does it really have to be this difficult?”
“I am on the verge of giving up my dream because I am so sick of wasting my vital life energy when I keep coming up against road block after road block. Is following my dream really worth it?”
Listen closely to this:
“YES IT IS!”
It is so worth it to go after your kick-ass dream life!
Your dreams and desires are leading you to your own unique higher purpose. They feel good to think about for a reason! They are in alignment with who you really are and what will bring you the most happiness, satisfaction, and meaning into your life. Your dreams are where the juicy goodness lives.
I am not going to sit here and tell you that going for your dream is easy, because it is not. There is definitely some work involved on your part, but it does not have to be a struggle or suck all your vital life energy.
This is the thing you need to realize: These blocks and obstacles are lessons that you need to learn in order to clear away all the old “baggage” that is not in alignment with your new kick-ass life. They are an indication that it is time to step back and look within, decide what would be better, or to try a new approach. You are going to make mistakes! Maybe even big mistakes! It is not the end of the world. The better you get at tuning in and noticing how something is feeling and working for you, the sooner you can adjust your course. Then get right back to it and try something new until you discover what works for you!
If you find yourself struggling or feeling your energy drained, it is most likely because you are resisting the lesson, or trying to force your way through the obstacle. I know that this can be confusing, and frustrating! It is all about looking inside and taking ownership of your experience and treating every challenge as an opportunity for growth.
I know that from personal experience this can be difficult to do on your own. I want you to know that I am here to help you with this if you will let me. Signing up for this free webcast that is a great place to start!
Here is How You Can Kick-Fears Ass!
Posted by: | CommentsIn my last post I talked about fear and came to this conclusion:
Originally, fears purpose was survival, but now it mostly keeps you from expanding into your highest potential.
As promised, this time I am going to share my 3 step process for kicking fear to the curb so that you can get on with creating and enjoying your kick-ass life.
So how do you kick fears ass and move it out of your way?
You follow these three steps:
Acknowledge, Explore, and Replace with thoughts about what you are wanting to create.
1. Acknowledge the Fear: Shine the light of awareness on it and don’t let it lurk about in the dark.
Fear can be tricky and likes to lurk around behind other feelings.
Don’t let it pretend to be something else like:
- confusion
- the voice of reason
- I don’t know what to do
- excuses
- self-doubt
- anxiety
- jealousy
- resistance
- nervousness
- worry
- anger
- cluelessness ( is that even a word?)
- procrastination
By shining the light of awareness on it you are making it conscious and you take some power away from it.
2. Explore it and get to know what it is all about.
Do some self inquiry to get clear on what you are really afraid of. You need to know what you are dealing with. This helps you determine how to set yourself up for success and support yourself in moving through it.
Are any of these “itis” coming into play: (via Abraham-Hicks)
- “What-if-itis. Worrying about what hasn’t happened yet.
- “What-is-itis”. Fearing things in your currently reality.
- “Perfectionistic-itis”. Trying to make everything perfect.
- “Analysis-paralisis-itis“. Spending so much time thinking everything through that you don’t take risks. Spending all your time planning ahead for problems that might occur.
Once you are armed with this information, do what you can to resolve any issues, and set yourself up for success.
3. Replace it with thoughts about what you really want.
Choose to focus on how it will feel to be living your kick-ass life. By doing this you are shifting your attention and energy towards what you do want, rather than focusing on your fear. Keep your eye on the prize. When you see all juicy goodness that you are headed for, the fear does not seem so powerful.
Still have questions? Ask away!
I am here to help.
Fear is Soooooo Tricky……..
Posted by: | CommentsToday on Defy the Box Radio I talked about fear.
Strangely enough, I was fearful about doing the show…which is very unusual for me.
But this was the first time with the new show format and I was doing things in more of a questions and answer kind of way, with a bit of “spotlight” coaching thrown in. I was on my own with no co-host or guest to interview, and I was nervous about talking to myself and having to fill up all the space. It felt awkward and I was certainly having a hard time getting into my flow. Things shifted once I opened up the line and did some coaching……that feels so natural to me and I am in my flow when I am doing it.
I do think I am going to continue my quest to find a co-host if you think your might know someone.That will certainly help make it more fun for me……which usually translates to more fun for everyone. 
But I am rambling here…..lets get back to the topic of fear.
Fear is one of the main reasons that people hire me. They want to make some big changes in their lives and they are afraid to do it.
Fear is tricky…it shows up in all kinds of disguises.
Anxiety
Nervousness
Worry
Self-doubt
Resistance
Anger
Confusion
Jealousy
Excuses
Cluelessness ( is that even a word?)
Procrastination
Today fear showed up disguised as nervousness and confusion for me.
I was edgy, uncomfortable and my mind was feeling pretty blank. I admit it sucked, but I got through it.
So what is our fear trying to tell us…or do for us?
Seth Godin does an amazing job of breaking this all down in his book Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?
Originally, fears purpose was survival, but now it mostly keeps you from expanding into your highest potential.
Your fear response is one of the oldest parts of you. It comes from the part of your brain referred to as the “Lizard Brain”. It’s original purpose was to help you survive. Its goal is to keep you small and hidden so that you blend in and don’t get eaten! Your fear wants’ you to be part of the pack because you are more likely to survive. It is just trying to keep you alive!
But the reality is that we don’t need to worry about getting eaten anymore.
Funny how the idea of standing out from the crowd and being really seen in our full unique glory can inspire fear in the best of us. (It’s the Lizard Brain just doing its job.)
The cool thing is that humans have evolved to the point where we can focus our attention on creativity and living a meaningful life. We have more ability to focus on our own expansion.
I suspect that if you are reading this, you are focused on YOUR own expansion.
So now that we know what fear is…….what do you do about it?
I have an awesome 3 step process for kicking fear’s ass that I will share with you next time……..
