Be Light - Be You - Be Happy

Accept and Enjoy the Present Moment

How are you using your mind?

Your assignment for today is to notice if you are using your mind to empower you or to enslave you?  Just notice. Do your thoughts make you feel good or bad? You can use your mind to propel you toward your dreams or hold you back in fear and thoughts of limitation.  Today, just notice if your mind is supporting you?  Huge elephants are held back by a thin rope because they are trained when they are little that they can't break it.  They don't break their limiting belief and stay held by something that truly has no physical power over them.  What flimsy little ropes are holding you back??? The next step will be to change your thoughts when they are limiting you.  

Please let me know what comes up for you?  How are you holding yourself back? How is your mind enslaving you?  How do you plan to change that?  How is your mind empowering you? What can you do to feed that?

Cherish everyone you meet

Cherish everyone you meet and know that it is meant to be.  No matter the depth or nature of your relationship with others (a stranger you make eye contact with on the sidewalk, the cashier, your partner, your boss, etc.), we are meant to cross paths with everyone who we meet.  Look at them with wonder and know that there is something that you are gaining on some level through every interaction no matter how big or small, how pleasant or adverse.  We are nourished by everyone we meet.

Enjoy your interactions with a new sense of knowing.

You have the power

It is so easy to make someone happy.  It can be a simple thing like a smile or words of encouragement.  If you go to a store today, say something nice to the cashier to let them know you appreciate them.  Smile at people you see and say hello or have a nice day.  These are things that cost us nothing but can really make a big impact on the person who receives them.

You have incredible power in your words and actions, use that power to improve the world one person at a time.

A little kindness at the perfect time may change someone's life dramatically.  So remember that those who do not seem to "deserve" our kindness actually need it the most!!  All our actions have a ripple effect, let's make it positive.

Find your joy today

Sometimes we get so caught up in thinking about and planning for what we want (and don't have yet) that we forget to focus on how good our lives are right now.  This focus on what we don't have sometimes can deplete our joy.  So right now, I want you to make a list of the good things in your life.  Don't forget the simple things we take for granted - a roof over our head, clothes to wear, shoes for our feet, a bed to sleep in, heat in the colder months, indoor plumbing, laundry machines, food to eat, loved ones, and simply being alive!   Go on from there and spend 5 minutes reviewing the list every day and feel gratitude for what is going well in your life.  This will definitely increase your level of joy.

That doesn't mean you need to stop working on your goals and other things you would like, it means enjoy life while you do it.  The funny thing is, the more we are grateful and enjoy what we have, the easier life becomes.  We reach our goals faster and enjoy the process more.

Have a blessed, magical day!!  Please comment below on how good things really are for you and how you feel after creating your list!

You are love

I love affirmations.  I remember reading the simple statement, "Everything you say to yourself is an affirmation."  It really hit home that negative comments, self-criticism, doubt, and worry are all affirmations which I do not want but if I keep saying them over and over in my head they will come true for me.  Yikes!!  That was scary until I realized that I control my thoughts - even though it may not always seem that way.  So what do I choose to think???  I choose to think positive thoughts.  I choose to think joyful thoughts.  I choose to recognize my own and everyone else's magnificence even when it is not be readily displayed.  We are human after all :)

What thoughts do you want to think today?  What beliefs do you want to instill or change?  Put some positive affirmations that make you really feel good where you will see them regularly.  Some places that could work are: screen savers, desktop background, phone background, bathroom mirror, refrigerator, or your planner/appointment book.  Remind yourself that you are love, you are pure energy, and you are a shining light!!!

Shine on!!  Let me know how this feels for you.  An advanced exercise is to say these in front of the mirror!!  Notice what comes up and post below.

Have an amazing day!!

Happy Monday!!!

It's Monday. let's make the most of it!

Are you one of those people who treads Mondays??? Why is that?  Is it because you aren't living your dream life and you have a job that you hate?  It doesn't have to always be that way.  Let's make a choice to start living our dreams today!

What does your day look like?  Are you truly living life or simply letting life live you?  What are your dreams?   Do you know what they are?  What do you really want in life?  What would you do today if you knew you could not fail?

Let's Do This!!  Let's Get Started!  If you are not clear on what your ideal life looks like (and many of us aren't because we get so caught up and paying the bills and doing what needs to get done that we forget what we really wanted or want now), Then spend a few minutes quieting your mind and then start writing.  For example: I want a new car. I want a new house.  I want to be healthier.  I want to be able to spend more time with my kids.  I want to be rich. I want more beauty in my life. I want to help people.  I want to be loved. I want peace.  And the list goes on.  Try to write for 15 minutes.  I know that may seem like a long time but keep at it.  You will notice that the more you do it, the more real the answers are.  The longer you write, the more you will get to what you really, really want in your life.  The more you will get in touch with some of the things you gave up on long ago.  For some people this can be an emotional and cathartic experience.  If that's you, allow it without judgement.  We move forward from here with a clearer understanding of what we want and what is important to us.  With this new understanding, we can take steps to start creating a life we truly love.  A life full of the things we really want.  A life of meaning and service.

The next step to get to the life you want is to make a list of what you can do right now to bring some of what you want into your life.  Add one small thing into your life today!

I'm going to clear off my desk and add some fresh flowers into my office today because I want more beauty.  What step or steps are you taking today?  Let me know and if you do the "I want..." exercise, let me know how that goes for you.

Have an amazing Monday!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there!  

Thank you for all your hard work and love.

Have an amazing day!!

Manifesting

The truth is we always have manifested the life we imagined but what are you imagining most of the time?  If you are spending more time dwelling on the past and the things that aren't going as you would like or worrying about the future, then you may not be manifesting the life you desire.

The first thing to do is become clear on exactly what you want.  Next spend time being grateful for things in your life - not necessarily trying to find the good in the things you don't want.  That's useful but not for this exercise.  For this look for things in your life that you truly are grateful for and think about those.  (Examples may be: having a warm place to sleep, loved ones, being alive, friends, etc.)  Pick things that really bring the feeling of joy and gratitude to your heart.  And then from that place of love and gratitude, imagine the life you desire.

If you do this exercise morning and night for 30 days, you'll begin to see miracles happen in your life.  The life you desire will begin to manifest.  Please share your experiences in the comments.  May all your dreams and aspirations come true.

You deserve an amazing, joyful life!!

Put a Little Love in Your Heart

This video is the message for today.  It is inspired by my nephew who sang this today at school with his classmates.  We have the power to make not only our lives but the lives of everyone around us better if we just remember to put a little love in our hearts.

Be a friend -- Spread love

While the emphasis here is intended to bring joy, healing, and blessings to others, notice how it makes you feel when you make others happy.  This, in my opinion, is one of the quickest ways to cheer yourself up.  Just notice how easily you can make someone happy with a compliment or a kind word of compassion.  

Comment below on what you experience.  Have a wonderful day because you deserve the best :) 

You are light, love, and beauty

Good Morning!!  Today I challenge you to take 5 minutes or even 3, to just relax and breathe.  Focus on your breathing with the intention of recognizing your true self who is pure love, light, joy, and beauty!  Know that you are amazing!!  Fall in love with your true nature.  This will not result in narcissism - that is loving your own ego too much.  This will result in finding inner peace and love and acceptance of yourself and everyone else.  You are amazing and I love you!!!  Comment below on what comes up for you!

Magic May - Love note to curvy running sisters

Remember to be kind to yourself!!!  You are perfect the way you are - that doesn't mean you may not change and grow but NEVER underestimate how wonderful and important and perfect you are!!!

I love you!! Have a magical day and a magical May!!

Magical May

I'd like to invite you to join me this month for a magical month.  We will focus on how to live a magical life by changing our focus, adding new happiness habits, and releasing some old habits that no longer serve us.  I am committing to posting at least four times per week but hope to post every day and perhaps multiple times in a day as things come up for me.

First I want to focus on something that often robs us of joy... comparison!!  Comparing ourselves to others is completely useless.  As the saying goes, it's like comparing apples to oranges.  We are never exactly the same as another person nor would we really, truly want to be.  Think of how boring that would be if everyone was the same.  And that would imply that we all change in the same ways and at the same time which just isn't feasible.  So why do we do it?  It's human nature but that doesn't mean we have to keep doing it.  It may come up for us but we can choose to let it go.  We can look at others to see how we aspire to be ourselves but not in a comparison type of way rather think of it as window shopping.  I like that and want that for myself.  I don't like that.  I choose to be slender and fit.  I choose to be financially free.  I choose happiness and joy.  I choose to be my authentic self.  I choose to surround myself with loving, kind people.  I choose to have solid, close relationships.

As a health coach and runner, I often see people reaching for what they see as "perfection" immediately.  The key is to make small improvements daily, weekly, or even monthly in your own habits without comparing to "perfection" (which there really is no such thing but...).  One reason for this is to avoid overwhelm and discouragement.  If someone focuses on the fact they have 100 pounds to lose - it may seem overwhelming.  If they instead focus on the fact that they already lost 30 pounds, they can see progress.  Focusing on progress is empowering and uplifting rather than overwhelming and discouraging.

Also, I often see runners saying I ONLY did a 5K!  That's a huge accomplishment that not everyone can do.  IF and only IF you personally want to do a 10K, half marathon, marathon, or longer, build up to it.  You do NOT need to do longer distances to consider yourself a runner.  Don't compare and don't compare times either.  Whether you do a 5 minute mile or a 25 minute mile, just do the best you can.  Again, IF it is important to you to improve your time or distance do it because you want to not because someone else does it.

So today - look at one habit you would like to change and make a small change today!!  You can do it.  Let me know what you pick and give yourself a pat on the back.

Everything will work out magically this month!