Wow, I had fun hosting a coaching call last night!

We talked about how stress, anxiety, and anything that makes you feel uncomfortable in your body is a result of something you're thinking.

We walked through a simple way to change how we feel by changing our thinking, and we had fun doing it!

Miss the call? You can download the recording for free. Click Here to get your copy.
 

I am!

I had the pleasure of being at the Martha Beck Coaches Summit in Keystone, Colorado, for the past 4 days. What fun!

Today is my chill day. Four days of "work" (a.k.a. crazy fun), and now a day of rest.

How about you? Can you cut out of work early, take a day off, play hooky, and rejuvenate. You deserve it!
 

Here’s a quick cheer-you-up for a Thursday. Can’t help but smile with this cutie!


 

This month I’m amping it up on gratitude. When I crawl into bed at night, I write about the wonderful things that happen during the day, from the simple to the amazing. When I do this, my heart swells and I feel a rush of joy from all the wonder that the world has to offer.

You can’t fake gratitude. It’s either genuine or not. To be honest, some days, when I climb in to bed and pull out my gratitude journal, I don’t want to write. I don’t feel it. It’s as if I’d rather stay stuck in my misery than write my way to a better place.

When I do write, when I recall the sweetness of the spring air, the heart-felt connection with a client, the deliciousness of a homemade lunch, or the coziness of a hug from my husband, some of the pain from the day fades away. I am reminded of life’s beauty and of what really matters.

This morning I am grateful for my warm, comfortable bed, the smell of early morning air, and a hot cup of coffee. These things are real life. They are my life. I am grateful for how they delight my senses.

Please share. What are you grateful for?
 

... well, not nothing.

Dinner has been made. The house is clean. That project was completed. Small tasks (or big ones) are checked off the list. We do get things done. But on a grand scale, nothing is ever done.

Tomorrow night, another dinner needs to be made. Next week, the house will be dirty again. There are always more projects.

The same is true with the evolution of ourselves. Eating healthy today needs to be followed by eating healthy tomorrow. Exercising once will not keep a body fit for a lifetime. We don’t make money one day to support us forever (unless you’re a lucky lottery winner, fortunate enough to hold on to your winnings). In the same way, we are never done.

As we grow and change, so do our goals, our dreams, our deepest desires. If we’re in a job we don’t like, we can fall into the trap of saying, “Once I figure out what I want to do with my life, then I can be happy.” Yes, a new job may make you happier. However, once you have that new job, you’ll set your sights on something new. That’s the nature of being human. Continual growth and infinite possibility.

Enjoy where you are right now. Continue to grow and reach for the next thing, yet don’t allow that next thing to keep you form appreciating where you are today.

Take a minute now to notice what you have today that was merely a dream yesterday or last year. Take in the glory of your growth and achievement. You’ve got plenty more coming to you.
 

Here’s what I’ve learned from focusing on breathing this month.

1. I hold my breath. A lot. Seemingly for no reason, though often it’s when I’m concentrating. This is ironic because depriving my brain of oxygen is unlikely to help my thinking.

2. If I consciously breathe for 5 minutes, I can triple the length of my inhale and exhale with not effort. All that’s required is my attention.

3. If I breathe for 10 minutes, my mind relaxes. If I breathe for 20 minutes, my body feels as if it’s aged backward. If I breathe for 30 minutes or more, I feel like I took some mid-altering substances. (Though this did happen with less than 5 minutes of breathing yesterday--it was fabulous!)

Curious about breathing? Check out Jess Ryan, yogini extraordinaire. She teaches anyone, local or long-distance (via Skype). And she rocks.

Jess says that 10 minutes of conscious breathing results in measurable physiological changes.

Spend 10 minutes today just watching yourself breathe. Relax into it. Send the air into your low belly. Enjoy!

photo courtesy of talulayu via flickr
 

Earlier this month I mentioned that I choose two focus areas for the month: breathing and money. In the whirlwind of life and the never-ending desires to try new things, setting theses two areas of focus has brought me peace and clarity.

In my five-week class, Taming Your Lizard’s Money Fears, I’m following along with the participants and completing the homework assignments. There’s been a variety of tools and techniques for homework, ranging from using The Work on limiting beliefs to harnessing the power our the right brain.

We often look at something like money, or health, or our weight, or our career, or our love life and say, “Once I get enough of this or meet that goal, then everything will be okay.” What often fail to do is pull back the layers from these desires and see what’s underneath.

Why do we want a certain amount of money or to weigh a particular number or to have a set number of clients or have the perfect job? What do we think that will give us?

When we explore the reasons for these desires, we find clarity about our true desires. Security, acceptance, the knowledge that everything will be okay, a feeling of being loved. It can be anything. We believe that a certain amount of money in the bank will give us security or a number on the scale will make us feel accepted. Since the money and the weight are easy to identify, we reach for those things.

Think about what you want. It can be anything. Now think about why you want it. Pull back the layers from your desire. What is it you are deeply longing for?

Now, imagine that desire is met. Ignore the bank account. Ignore the scale. Ignore the career you abhore. You have safety. Connection. Love. Acceptance. Or whatever it is you are seeking. How do you show up in the world? Describe your day, the interactions you have with others, the feelings in your heart.

Create your future from this place. Drop the desire for a bank account with a particular balance. Step into the feeling of having your true needs met. This is how you can really get what it is you truly want.
 

Listen to your heart.

I know how easy it can be to get wrapped up in doing the “right next thing” in searching for a new career or building my business or working toward any goal. We look toward the logical next step. We believe that if we follow the steps 1-2-3 we’ll get exactly where we want to go.

Rarely does anything work like that, except maybe baking cookies.

Think about a goal or something you’ve accomplished in your life. When you set out to achieve it, was it a simple 1-2-3 process, or did you take some detours and unexpected turns along the way?

Sometimes, the next step on the way to finding a job you love is to go for a walk in the middle of the day. It may not be logical, but your true, creative, essential self knows that it serves you better to go for a walk then to sit and work on your resume.

The next step for building your business may be to take a long bath, have a good cry, play with watercolors, or make faces with your food. Your logical mind can’t explain it--and it never will be able to, but your true, creative essential self knows exactly what you need to do to get to your goal.

Next time you’re not sure if you should take this step, that step, or turn left, check in with your heart.

Get quiet.

Take a few deep breaths.

Ask your heart what is next for you. It knows.

Listen and follow. What you hear may not be logical. It doesn’t have to be. If your logical mind were all you needed to get what you want, you’d already have exactly what you wanted.

Check in with your heart today. What does it say is next for you?
 
photo courtesy of ilmungo via flickr

On the way to making big things happen in life, know that you can get there, even if the road looks long and treacherous.

Rome wasn’t built in a day.
Babies aren’t made overnight (well, they are, but not made into a full baby, if you know what I mean).
Businesses don’t take off without the right up front work.

But Rome was built. And babies do grow to full term. And business do grow and thrive.

As you think about what you want to build, create, or grow in your own life, give yourself time. Everything begins as an idea. Plans are made,. Then steps are taken, one at a time.

Once you decide you don’t like your job and want to leave, a new one is unlikely to pop up the next day.

It takes time to think about what’s next.

It takes time for you to hear your true self speak to you and say what he or she wants.

It takes time to then act on those desires.

Give it time. Give it some space. All things can come to you if you truly want them and give them time.

What do you want that’s worth waiting for?
 

I can be guilty of being unnecessarily serious. In an attempt to lighten up over the last week, I decided to start playing with my food.

There are no children in our house, so funny food faces is far from necessary; my husband and I will eat our broccoli and spinach without a fuss. However, taking an extra two minutes to be creative with my dinner presentation was worth it for the child-like glee that followed when I saw my final creation.

Here’s steamed broccoli and a salmon burger.


Here’s pan fried polenta with spinach and cherry tomatoes, and chickpeas and sauteed mushrooms. A little parmesan cheese added a fun color contrast.


Where in your life can you be a bit more playful?

Enjoy!