Count Your Blessings

Happy Holidays to you, dear friend!

Take a moment, right now, to reflect on all the wonderful things that found their way to you over the past year. (I bet there are thousands.)

Think of the lessons you learned, the unexpected opportunities that came your way and the people you met who changed your life for the better.

Think about the things you created, the experiences that enriched you and the beautiful things you learned about yourself.

Whether this year was your best yet, felt like a stumbling block or was the starting point of something new, I know, without a doubt, that it delivered you the precise lessons, people and insights that you needed.

Trust the timing of your life. Trust that it's unfolding just as it's supposed to.

For the first time since August of 2012 (when this message went out to just 65 people!), I am doing something I've never done before -- well actually 2 things I've never done before.

First, I'm sharing a special holiday message with you in song. I love singing and was always a part of singing groups, choirs and a cappella groups when I was growing up, but it's something I've never shared with you.

And, the second thing, this will be the last time you hear from me.......until 2016. After this greeting reaches you, I encourage you (just as I will be doing) to take some time off from your habitual to-dos to savor the splendidness of the holidays. Check your emails a little less, put your phone on silent (or turn it off!), let your to-do list sit for a few days, and simply enjoy this lovely season. Give yourself that gift. (And, we'll resume our weekly interludes on Wednesday, January 6th.)

Listen to your special holiday message below.

[audio wav="http://calmbiz.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Audio-Recording-on-Tuesday-afternoon1.wav"][/audio]

Download your Numbered Guide to Gratitude here. It will only take you a few minutes to complete and will enable you to clearly see the profound gifts, opportunities and lessons that 2015 offered you.

Then, when we return in 2016, you and I will be ready to get started because we'll have replenished ourselves. At that point, if you want to create your clear and thoughtful roadmap to success, let's chat.

Sending you love + wishes for a joyous holiday season!

December 2015 - HOT List

The holiday season is officially underway. (For me it’s ushered in with Santa arriving at the end of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade :-)

For many of us, myself included, this time of year requests that we put a little more focus, time and energy into our personal lives -- connecting with family, friends, attending celebrations and planning gatherings -- and give our CEO brains permission to slow down a bit.

This is an important time to remember there’s an ebb and flow to life. And, I'm here to tell you that it’s OK to put more emphasis on loved ones this time of year and give yourself time off and away from your business. It’s actually vital to your peace of mind, success and happiness. Otherwise, the holiday season just feels like a long list of to-dos piled onto your already busy schedule.

But, if we instead embrace this season as an opportunity to find harmony (not necessarily balance!) between our lives and businesses, we can emerge on the other side in 2016 feeling replenished and reconnected instead of frazzled and exhausted.

The reason I say harmony and not balance is that harmony encompasses the ebb and flow. It encourages us to move in response to our lives and not harden in rigidity against it.

If you want to make this holiday season the most fulfilling one yet, I suggest that you make time to be with loved ones, make time for yourself and make time for gratitude for all the good things 2015 brought you. (Do that, and the business will take care of itself!)

In honor of the season of giving, I have three things that you should give to yourself.

The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks.

This book will change your life if you let it.

In it, Hendricks explains that we all have a threshold for feeling good, and when we hit that limit in any area of our life (work, relationship, etc.), we have a way of self-sabotaging in order to bring us down into our “comfort zone”.

If you want to feel good on a daily basis and increase your capacity for abundance, success and love in all directions, this is a must-read. If you’re a personal development junkie like me, this book has to find its way to your nightstand!

Order a copy as a little pre-holiday gift for yourself. (You can thank me later :-)

Meditation.

I meditated daily for nearly 2 years up until my daughter was born last October. When she arrived, I gave myself permission to take a break (because it was feeling like another to-do for a tired new mama). But, now that she’s over a year old, I’ve recommitted to my practice, and it honestly feels better than ever.

The first time I sat on my cushion after my hiatus, it felt like coming home. In the dark morning quiet I sat, following my inhales and exhales and then completed a future self meditation (one of my favorites). Before I knew it, over 20 minutes had passed (it felt like mere minutes), and I decided then and there that meditation had to be reintegrated into my life.

If you’ve ever tried or considered meditation, but haven’t yet committed to it, I urge you to consider giving yourself this gift. We all need time to center, reconnect with ourselves and just be without the pressures and stresses of daily life infiltrating our mind space. Meditation can give you that. And, if you’re able to sit in the morning (which I highly recommend), it will change your outlook and thoughts for the entire day!

Plus, I've noticed that EVERY successful, inspiring person I admire meditates. Every single one. There's got to be something to that, right?!

When you meditate regularly, you’ll start to function from a place of possibility and hope rather than stress or lack, and you’ll feel more like yourself. You'll be clearer in your efforts, more focused in your life and business and feel more positive about all areas of your life. It's really remarkable. 

Next week, I’m going to share more details of my favorite meditation with you, but until then, I recommend that you carve out at least 5 minutes each day to sit in a quiet spot and enjoy your calm, steady breath.

Your Highest Potential.

2016 is just around the corner, and every new year is a time for goal setting, self-reflection and big picture thinking. It’s a time to look forward and devise a plan for attaining your highest goals and aligning with your highest self.

If you’re ready to bring your best self to the forefront and live each day (professionally and personally) in alignment with your fullest potential, I would love to work with you in the new year.

My clients are amazing. They are passionate, driven, inspiring women who I am honored to know and coach. They have BIG dreams for their lives, and they do everything in their power to make those visions come to life -- and they do!

Everything you imagine is possible. You were given those dreams within you for a reason. They are yours to pursue; to pull you toward your fullest potential and highest self.

If there’s a fire in you that is ready play bigger and burn brighter, capitalize on it! Fires don’t last forever -- they eventually burn out. Realize that fire within you is telling you it’s time to step up, claim the success you desire and deserve, and live in the fullness of who you are every single day.

Feeling ready to do that?

Let’s set up a time to chat about how we can make that happen for you in 2016! Give yourself the gift of living your fullest potential in the new year and every year thereafter. Click HERE to schedule a complimentary consultation.

You are brilliant, amazing and talented. I know that! Now, say that to yourself and feel it in your body. Live with that knowledge every day, and know it’s the truth!

In this season of giving, be as kind and generous to yourself as you are to others. You deserve it my friend.

With love + admiration,

Thank You! There's ALWAYS Something to be Thankful For!

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving here in the United States.

It’s one of my favorite holidays.

There’s something about gathering in my childhood home by the roaring fire with the smell of oven-baked goodness filling the air and watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade that makes the world and everything in it just seem right.

Thanksgiving is a day of gratitude -- for thanks and giving -- and I want to honor YOU in this moment and thank you for being here with me.

Thank you for all you do, all that you are right now and for your big dreams that lie in wait.

Thank you for opening your mind and heart to me.

Thank you for letting me be a part of your day.

You are magnificent, and it is my honor and privilege to have YOU in my life.

Thank you.

Today, I give thanks for you.

Wherever you are in the world, I invite you to stop for a moment and join me in giving thanks for the good things in your life right now.

There is always something to be thankful for. Always. No matter what.

With love + immense gratitude,

How to Regain Your Footing When Your World Is Shaken

i woke up this morning to an email i wasn't expecting -- friends announcing their separation.

these friends, were not just friends, but mentors, teachers and role models.

the news rocked my world momentarily. i respect them both individually and also profoundly respected them as a couple.

it was like a hit in the gut. 

even though we hadn't been in touch much lately, i "kept up" with them on social media and through the grapevine of shared connections. needless to say it came as a sad shock to me to hear that their marriage is ending.

simultaneously, it also made me immensely grateful for my own solid, happy, healthy relationship with my adoring husband and the bond that has grown even deeper since becoming parents to our daughter.

this news reminded me, once again, of the impermanence of everything. that no matter how much something may seem like a "given", it is not. and that we shouldn't take anything for granted.

no matter where you are in your life -- happy, healthy, single, married, divorced, starting a biz, growing a business, frustrated, changing directions, struggling, flourishing -- it won't be like that forever. everything is changing and whether you're loving or not liking where you are in your life right now, one thing is for sure...it will inevitably change.

when something arrives in your life that shakes your world -- i encourage you to move through these steps i've outlined in this week's teaching to make the most of the lesson being presented to you.

have you ever experienced a world-shaking moment that jolts you back to reality & makes you take stock of your life?

be brave & share it below!