Janet, you are so sensitive!

I used to hear that from my mom and when she said it, I just knew it was a bad thing. And so, like a good girl, I became less and less sensitive. Of course, I didn’t bother to ask what she meant by being sensitive. I thought she meant my feelings got hurt easily. I don’t remember if my feelings did get hurt easily or not. Maybe. But, maybe not. 

I do remember that I put my whole heart into my friendships and I wasn’t able to distinguish a real friend from someone…

Do you ask for what you want? Or do you ask for what you think you can have?

These questions have come up quite a bit in my life lately. They’ve come up during my free Get Acquainted Sessions, during a workshop I recently attended, from a mentor who posted on Facebook, and even on a call I had a couple of weeks ago with my spiritual study partner.

So many of us are afraid to dream big, to ask for what we want, to state our desire, to cut our moorings loose and allow ourselves to shine. Wher…

Settling. When does it start? And why are we so eager to settle?

I remember when my daughter was in college pursuing a dream. For two summers, she was able to take advantage of an internship with the company I work for. I began to wonder, "What if she could get a permanent job here? The pay is good and the benefits are great." It seems like I was more than eager for her to begin that life of 'settling.'

When I was young, I wanted to be a psychology major and I was hungry to learn all that I …

Is opportunity knocking but you don’t answer the door because you are waiting for the doorbell?

Are you waiting for that perfect opportunity which will allow you to say a resounding “Yes” to your dream?  Are you looking for a sign that you are on the right path?  Do you want to make some changes but don’t know where to start?

What if I were to tell you the perfect opportunity, the sign, or the resources are knocking already?

Let me give you two examples that illustrate this point perfectly.…

Recently someone wrote me saying this: “I hope I can recapture my ability to pursue my dreams but for now it feels more like survival.” Does this feel like you?

When I read these lines, I was heart-broken. These words came from someone I have long admired for her entrepreneurial spirit and winning attitude. It came from a woman who was actively following her dreams and passion. In her own way, she had been an unwitting role model for me.

Steve Jobs said, “Your time is limited, so don’t waste i…

For some of us, our strengths and talents seem hidden from our own view. Is that surprising to hear?

Why are so many of us blind to what is so innately natural for us? Well, that’s part of the issue – it comes so naturally that we don’t value it. Or we think that anyone can do it.

I’ve also found that our natural talents and strengths weren’t always embraced and supported when we were growing up. We may have been criticized and told to ‘fit in’ or ‘stop dreaming’ or ‘tow the line’ or ‘mind y…

I’ve been trying a lot of new things these days.

One of the major ones is pivoting from predominantly one-on-one and in person guidance to having more of an online presence. And the new things involve trying out (and learning) a lot of new technology.

Now, I consider myself a quick learner, but this has taken quite a bit longer than I anticipated. And while I’m loving creating the content, making slides, and designing workbooks, I’m not loving writing out scripts or managing all of the movin…

Why is purpose so important, anyway?

What's the big deal with purpose?

Having a sense of purpose is said to be associated with overall better physical and mental health.

Because of the importance of feeling worthwhile, many people do whatever they can to discover their life purpose or passions.
 
Personally, I took classes, seminars, read books, asked others, looked to astrology, scientific hand analysis, Human Design, and more. Even today, I continue to tweak my purpose – but that’s part of …

We thought putting our dreams on hold was the answer. 

Bills needed to be paid and families needed our support. We were told we had to act like a grown-up and be responsible. We were told it was better to give than to receive and some of us were told our dreams were foolish and we learned to bury our desires, dreams, and passion.

And we began to make some false assumptions about ourselves and our lives. We assumed dreams (or following our purpose) were folly and we felt unworthy. These false a…

I admit it. I have a love-hate relationship with labels.

One the one hand, I hate labels. They box me in and feel constricted, contrived, and they don’t seem to leave room for growth and transformation. Sometimes I even make decisions based on the labels I’ve given myself (or even the labels I’ve given to others). I’ve said ‘no’ to invitations and opportunities if the label I’ve given myself isn’t a match for the invitation or possible opportunity. Of course, the reverse is also true and I sa…

I woke up to snow on November 4.

I finally turned on my furnace a little bit before then. I can no longer hang onto hopes of warm weather and it’s time for me to embrace change once again. And not only embrace a change in the weather, but a personal change as well.

How do you react to change? We know change is inevitable. We even say, “the only constant is change.” And yet, when change comes, it can be hard. We’re not prepared. We don’t like it. We fight against it. We don’t feel like we’re …

It takes an enormous amount of energy to try to be someone you’re not.

Who are you? Your true self - your AUTHENTIC self - longs to come out and reveal herself (or himself) to the world. The downside of keeping your authentic self in hiding is that it ultimately results in pain: spiritual pain, emotional pain, relationship pain, or even physical pain.

Most of us spend our entire lives avoiding pain, criticism, and rejection. We think by pretending to be something (or someone) we’re not, we’l…

I'm a late bloomer!

I spent 50 years trying to figure out my life purpose. I read books (some of which I still have). I took classes. I took self-assessments. I listened to others.

It wasn’t until I stopped chasing after my life purpose and simply allowed myself to BE that I realized that my purpose was within me all along. You see, it was ME!

Purpose is about embodying, and accepting, the story that is YOU. Being who you are and exploring who you are (and who you are not) unveils your purp…

Self-care was a loaded word for me.

The Myth

When I heard the words ‘self-care’ I immediately thought of self-pampering. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love a massage (and I have one monthly) and I also look forward to my pedicure and can’t wait to sit in the massage chair at the nail salon.

To me, self-care was a luxury, a treat, or a reward. An occasional ‘something’ to look forward to. I reacted to self-care as if it were a four-letter word!

Luckily, I’m able to change my mind and when I tu…

Have you ever broken a promise or a commitment you made to yourself?

Maybe you wanted to finish a course you purchased, or learn a new skill, or even spend some time on self-care. And then life kicked in. Someone needed you and you dropped everything and responded to their need. 

Perhaps your internal mind chatter (mind monkeys) convinced you that what you were trying to do wasn’t important, it was too hard, or it would take too long, and then you gave up on your commitment.

How about this …

Do you want to hear an urban legend?

A number of years ago, Arnold Palmer, the great golfer, played some golf matches in Saudi Arabia. His play greatly impressed the King of Saudi Arabia, and before Palmer left the country the king told him he would like to present him with a special gift. "What can I offer you?" the king asked. Palmer expressed his gratitude for the offer but said that he had enjoyed his visit very much and a special gift was not necessary. But the king insisted and Palmer f…

Many of us have a secret belief that we never share with others. 

What is this secret belief?  The belief that we are not good enough or not deserving of love or that something’s wrong with us. We may ‘consciously’ know it isn’t true, but sometimes (dare I say often?) we’ll get triggered and then that hidden belief ends up running the show and then we act as if it were true.

What does an “I’m not good enough” behavior look like when you get triggered? Well…..

• You don’t speak up when you’…