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SIMPLICITY Enjoy and embrace simplicity. No, that doesn't mean poverty. Nor is that the polar opposite of wealth. Living simply is experiencing and appreciating the small things in life that are taken for granted by those constantly looking outside of themselves for happiness. Real happiness will never be found in a pill, television, car, or iPod. This materialistic view will result in a never-ending pursuit of "things" that never quite fill the hole trying to be filled. In fact, it only grows with the more "things" you acquire. Instead, the key to happiness is found by satisfying the needs that…
#1: A lack of empathy creates most of the world’s problems. When you have empathy for yourself, you’re able to have it for other people. Without empathy, we become products of violence, addiction, deceit, disease, and heartbreak. Everything in life is about relationships – your relationship with yourself, others, and a higher power. The healing and nurturing you do with yourself (often with the help of a trained professional) directly reflects the love you give and receive from others. #2: You create your own reality. If you can see it in your mind, you can create it in physical reality!…
Make time for your hopes, dreams and goals. Five years ago I had a life-altering experience that has contributed to the person that I am today, the adoption of my daughter, Mia. As my love for her grew, so did my hopes, dreams and goals, which were no longer just for me anymore but also for my daughter, husband, family, friends and the global community at large. With the demands of our busy lives it is so easy to lose sight of our hopes, dreams and goals. At every turn we are distracted by text messages, cell phone calls and…
Imagine if every day for a decade you consumed five Twinkies. At the end of that decade, if you were alive at all, you wouldn't be surprised that your body looked and performed like the equivalent of five Twinkies! Most adults in our society today understand that you get out of your body only what you put into it. Put the optimal foods and care in, and you get a much healthier body. The more you don't, the more you won't. If you truly want to become who you really are - if you want to live the greater happiness,…
In 2008, I was like most dynamic women: running on life's treadmill, overbooking myself, pursuing all my passions at once. Ha. Trying to "live my best life" almost stole it from me. I almost died from a brain aneurysm. It turned out to be a gift: The hectic pace of my life finally caught up and it was time to make a change. My recovery was amazing, according to doctors. So what did I learn? Focus. You need to start playing the record of your life at your speed, rather than letting it play you. Stress and change played a major…
You were meant to have energy, joy and be pain free. You were meant to have chemistry happen properly in your cells. If you have lost your energy, lost your joy or have pain, the chemistry in your cells has gone awry. You are alive because of chemistry. When the chemistry stops, you die. When it happens incorrectly, molecules get made incorrectly and the wrong shape, or the molecules are not made at all. The accumulation of incorrectly shaped molecules damage you cells, then your organs and then you. You develop fatigue, pain, depression and more. That is how we…
I'm lucky. I've been given a gift. It's not that I'm a successful teacher and musician for almost 40 years. It's simply the gift of life. A little over two years ago I was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia and the initial tests indicated a 10% survival rate. I felt as if I had fallen through a hole in the sky. Why me? I couldn't figure out what I had done to cause this awful disease. And then my doctor gave me a gift. She said, "This has nothing to do with what you ate or where you live or…
We often make attempts to compartmentalize different elements in our lives, but it is best when we allow all of these elements to flow together into a rich tapestry. Hopefully, this piece will allow you to see how the integration of mindset, nutrition, movement, and purpose can lead you to your happiest and most fulfilled life: 1. Don’t ever make an attempt to “lose weight”. Instead, respect your body, and know that it deserves the best. Stay away from fad diets that demonize specific food groups, and instead go for organic plant foods that are high in nutrients. Your body…
How do you start your day? Waking up with optimism, looking forward to the day ahead? Or do you hit the snooze button, putting off rolling out of bed until the last possible moment? I’d like to suggest how you begin each morning determines the quality of your day. I’ve created an acronym to use that will help you develop a routine to start mornings with enthusiasm, energy and high expectations - N.O.T.I.C.E. N: Be NICE. Practicing self-compassion is the first step. There is no such thing as perfect. When you are starting a new routine there will be days…
Learn how to let go of negative thoughts and focus on the positive instead. Live in appreciation of all the amazing miracles that life offers everyday, and of the miracle that you are. Live in the moment just like a child and look at everything with a beginner’s mind. If you are able to practice this until it becomes second nature and if we are able to teach our children to retain this ability that they already have, then you will be amazed at how life is always joyful. Remember that we are human-beings and not human-doings. Therefore focus on…
Over the past few years, every one of us has been through some form of adversity. In fact, many of us have been hit by more than one serious, disruptive challenge. In this "perfect storm", everything that we have come to trust and believe about ourselves and our lives has come under some form of attack. Whether it is an illness, loss of job, erosion of wealth, divorce, or a death in the family, it seems as though the path on our journey has gotten a little more difficult. As we stand here looking into the future, looking for answers,…
Imagine a world where people treat themselves, others, and the planet like we treat our newborn babies... We give them limitless unconditional love, strive to predict and exceed their every need, care for, protect, and support them to create a bright, beautiful, successful, and joyous future.... What we are doing, in a nutshell, is simply nurturing our baby's health. My definition of health includes our physical, mental/emotional, and spiritual health. Whether it be meeting physical needs such as feeding, or mental/emotional needs such as soothing them when they cry, or surrounding them with people who love them or ensuring that…
My spirit felt heavy. I couldn’t seem to write and no reading material held my interest. I felt bogged down by life. My intuition told me to clean. I had items the kids had left, thinking they would want them some day. To my surprise, I found out they didn’t. I started looking around my home, realizing that I had stuff that meant nothing anymore. Suddenly, I felt energized to get rid of stuff. Heaviness became my decider. Does this item weigh me down, or does it make me smile and feel lighter? …