self-empowerment

Angel Card Spotlight: Queen of Air, drama free and declutter master

Introducing one of my all-time favorite Queens in Angel Tarot- the Queen of Air. In a traditional deck the Air suit is congruent to Swords. Swords embodies our relationship to the realm of the mind, intellect, reason, rational thinking and logic.  No heart based thinking allowed.  

To be fair, some situations in life require us to use our minds to think things through without emotion. Too much emotion can allow us to fall prey to worrying about how our decision would impact others, therefore wandering into the precarious area of sabotaging ourselves so we don’t “rock the boat” and possibly upset someone else.

And in possibly upsetting someone else, we keep ourselves uncomfortable so someone else can be comfortable. Yet once again bend ourselves into a pretzel and jump through hoops in order to try to show how accommodating we are.

Not so with the Queen of Air!

Connect with the angels of serendipity to courageously follow your own star

We've all seen it. We've all done it (or have been tempted to do it.) Someone inspires us. We might know them, meet them, hear about them, watch a live lecture or TV special about them. Regardless of how we come to know about this person they awaken something within us that wants to live the lifestyle they live.

Perhaps they have similar beliefs or talents to our own. They might even awaken creative juices inside that haven't been alive in years. We think....Wow! Look how successful they are. If I applied myself a bit more here and tweaked a few things over there I could do what they are doing.

Sounds easy, right? Well, not so fast. Let’s follow this all-too-common train of thought a bit further.

What to do when those you love can’t support your dreams

You know the feeling where you’re so excited to share a new, inspired idea with a friend or family member? And in your giddiness you’re confident they’ll be supportive, joyous and elated. They'll be so excited, you tell yourself. Surely they'll see what I see, you optimistically think. They'll feel what I feel. They'll want to know more ~ just think of all the brainstorming we could do…

Right? Wrong!

Frustration means there is a better way

Have you ever noticed how some people "go" through life while others "grow" through life? The growth oriented folks have experienced the all-too-common feeling of being so incredibly close to giving up, yet despite the fact they have no idea what's ahead - they just keep moving on. They dig deep.

And on the other end of the pendulum, we find those that feel absolutely consumed by the pressure and ultimately completely backing off. Bowing out. Numbing out. If we’re honest with ourselves, we’ve been on and felt deeply both sides of this coin. And if you’re anything like me (and I’m betting you are) you’ve found yourself fascinated by the unique individuals that keep moving forward, despite the magnitude of what’s in front of them.

What is their secret? Read on to find the answer.

There is a fine line between helping and enabling

You know that friend or family member that seems to always be in some type of crisis? And just when you think your most recent “pep-talk” or “marathon phone conversation” actually worked you find out that, despite your best efforts, their life is once again falling apart.

They’ve crashed. Hard.

You may even begin to question what’s going on? Why doesn’t this work? I thought we really got somewhere. The truth is most of us are walking a blurred line of support and enabling. You may feel they are similar, one in the same. Yet, I assure you there is a huge difference.

Let's take a look at this interesting inquiry a bit further, shall we?

Thanking yourself is a true gift

You know that feeling of doing something nice for someone or being really helpful? Then, not getting thanked for it? Ouch.

If I had a dollar for every time I heard someone complain about not being thanked for a gift or service I would be very rich, indeed. Don't get me wrong, it is always wonderful to be acknowledge and appreciated for something we've done to help someone else out. However, there will be just as many times that it is overlooked or forgotten.

Trust me, I have been on both sides of this coin. And if we are all honest with ourselves I'm sure we can think back to times we still hold a grudge towards someone we think should have thanked us. Or, they did end up thanking us but it was such a pitiful attempt that it comes across as insulting.

What would do differently, if you stopped putting off your life?

Many of us have a deep, internal struggle that decides other people are the ones naturally destined to be great. They have the "genetic predisposition" to be amazing.

However, when we turn this inquiry towards ourselves, we balk and instantly think of any number of reasons that we are unworthy of becoming an even brighter, more expanded version of ourselves.

A Solution to Self-Criticism and Self-Judgement

If you had to sum up who you are in one sentence, what would you say about yourself?  What is it that makes you uniquely you?  Even if you think you don't have anything interesting or special to offer I would encourage you to look closer, look deeper.  What is the diamond in the rough?

What do other people comment on or compliment you on that perhaps you take for granted?  What comes so naturally to you that you tend to think it's not anything special?  Can't everyone do this, you tell yourself over and over.

No.  They can't.  Time to embrace this instead of playing it down, my friends.

Each one of us has a unique set of traits and qualities that is special to us.  Carl Jung, the well-known psychologist, coined the term archetypes that works quite nicely with this discussion. 

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A Remedy for Unrealized Dreams and Disappointments

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One of the most common excuses or complaints I hear around the concept of following dreams is not having what it takes.  Whatever "it" is?  The truth is, we all have dreams and visions of creating something tangible from our imaginations.  And thinking about sharing this with others and enjoying the fruits of our labors can be intoxicating.  Exciting. Yummy!

If we really allow ourselves to dream big, we can easily envision ourselves living a full and thriving life. Laughing. Exploring. Spending time with friends and loved ones. Working passionately in our chosen vocation.  And having the overall sense of living life on our own terms.

But…eventually we come back to our so called "senses" and sufficiently scare ourselves right back into staying small.  The excitement was palpable. The smiles and laughter felt real. Our life was so different. But. But, the doubts begin to settle in.

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Are You Stuck Seeing Only Your Flaws? Try this sage advice.

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If you had to sum up who you are in one sentence- what would you say about yourself?  What is it that makes you uniquely you?  Even if you think you don't have anything interesting or special to offer I would encourage you to look closer, look deeper.  What is the diamond in the rough?

What do other people comment on or compliment you on that perhaps you take for granted?  What comes so naturally to you that you tend to think it's not anything special?  Can't everyone do this, you tell yourself over and over.

No.  They can't.  Time to embrace this instead of playing it down, my friends.

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Welcome to YOU: Quirky, Unique and One-of-a-Kind

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If you had to sum up who you are in one sentence- what would you say about yourself?  What is it that makes you uniquely you?  Even if you think you don't have anything interesting or special to offer I would encourage you to look closer, look deeper.  What is the diamond in the rough?

What do other people comment on or compliment you on that perhaps you take for granted?  What comes so naturally to you that you tend to think it's not anything special?  Can't everyone do this, you tell yourself over and over.

No.  They can't.  Time to embrace this instead of playing it down, my friends.

What Are You Waiting For?

Are you familiar with this question and its equally important follow up question?  If not you, then who? If not now, then when?  It seems that when I've heard these two profoundly insightful questions it was at a time when I had been pondering my dreamed of future.  However, my ego or small self did not believe it could be me that lives dreams realized and certainly not now.  Can you relate to this type of thinking?

Are You Becoming the Change You Wish to See?

If you are like me you've heard or seen this famous axiom of Mahatma Gandhi's.  "Become the change you most wish to see in the world."  I have seen this painted on one of the wall's at Capital High School. I've seen it taped to the back of a bathroom stall.  I've even seen it painted in huge, beautiful letters at the Mumbai airport.  

Why You Shouldn't Count on the Lottery to Live the Life of Your Dreams

Have you ever noticed how most people you meet want to win the Lottery? They dream of the Big Win.  All troubles will be over, right?  Well...let's take an honest look at this concept of easy money and the accompanying trouble-free, fabulous lifestyle.  My own personal belief is it's not the actual money people want (yet, that is definitely a perk) it's the lifestyle the lottery winnings would bring.  

How I Embraced My Inner Creative and Entrepreneur

For years I struggled with the dilemma of wanting to allow my creative side to emerge more strongly.  Not that I didn't think I had some interesting creative talents waiting to sprout open... The main struggle came because I constantly wrestled with the prominent belief that I would never make any money doing creative work. 

Are You A Stuck Creative?

What is a stuck creative, you ask?  In a nutshell--a stuck creative is someone who either consciously or unconsciously has enormous creative and artistic abilities and potential. However, through upbringing or socialized patterning was told repeatedly that it was not acceptable to have these gifts or talents be anything legitimate.

Rethinking Cleverness

I typically do not start my articles out with a quote; however, this post lends itself beautifully to it.  

"Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world.  Today I am wise so I am changing myself."  Rumi

The poets describe so effortlessly and beautifully the internal transformations one goes through in a lifetime.  The perfect words are chosen.  Not too many.  Just right.The ethers sing the perfect message and letters to the poet's inner ear.  Written out on paper seamlessly to describe an indescribable experience.

Beware Creative Snipers!

What is a creative sniper you ask?  These are well meaning people, often close family and friends, that literally and figuratively "shoot down" your creative ideas.  We don't  even know what hit us. You know the feeling.  You have a great inspiration for an upstart business, painting, novel, song, etc... and you can't wait to share this exciting idea with those who are close to you.  They'll be so excited. Surely they'll see what I see, you tell yourself. They'll feel what I feel. They'll want to know more about this and support me with it. Right?  Wrong!

5 Surprising Results From My Reader Survey

Well... the votes and tally's are in and I listened.  A big Thank You to all of you who responded back to let me know your thoughts.  And, if you were unable to get to my Survey, I am always open to feedback about what types of things bother you, what you'd like to see more of and what has been helpful.   If something arises and you want to share it with me please do so!  Your comments matter.

With all of this being said I would like to share the 5 Most Important Changes and Happenings that you will see.