Show Me the Money!

April can be a very taxing time of year in the US.

Whether you pay taxes quarterly or yearly, get money back or have to pay money in, there is a general reckoning that always leaves me feeling, well, taxed.

I know it doesn’t have to be that way.

Yet once the dreadful day has come and gone, taking a good chunk of change with it, I forget how urgent and uncomfortable it is to account for it all.

This year I decided to take matters into my own hands.  And since writing is what I generally do with my hands, I’m writing my way to a new, empowering money story.

I invite you to do the same.

Last month I participated in an online Millionaire Mindset Challenge that was nothing short of miraculous.  The energy of the creative community was contagious, the possibilities endless, and the miracles multiplied by our collective witnessing of them.

So many of my friends asked me about it that I decided to create my own version of it called Pennies From Heaven.

I’m changing up the rules a bit to give you a little more time to ponder your potential and adding a few Angel Investors to guide you to your most magnificent manifestations.

Because your mind can’t distinguish between what’s real and what’s vividly imagined, you’re going to conjure up the most creative scenarios you can for experiencing the kind of wealth and abundance you’ve only dreamed about thus far.

Whether you like it or not, you  are experiencing the precise level of abundance you can comfortably handle at the moment.  What???  Can that be true?

Let me just speculate and suggest you may have a few money hang-ups that are getting in the way of experiencing the kind of wealth and abundance you desire.

Whether these be unspoken vows, limiting beliefs, or a general distrust that the Universe is conspiring on your behalf, it might be worth looking at your money story and see if you can allow yourself to play your way to prosperity.

“Who’s got time for fun and games?” you ask.

Well, I hope you do!  I, for one, could definitely use a little more levity in my life.

After suffering in silence and solitude for decades, I’ve discovered the key to my success is surrounding myself with wise and witty friends who are curious, open to new experiences, and can see things from a different perspective than I can.  If I’m going to tackle a touch topic like money, I’d prefer to do it with my tribe.

Consider this your invitation to hop on board the Pennies From Heaven money miracle manifestation train. Even if no actual money shows up during the game, the insights you gain into your money story will set the stage for future windfalls.

Look at it this way.  If you were expecting a baby, pursuing a degree, directing a movie, or taking a vacation, you’d prepare for it, right? You’d plan for a nursery, register for classes, hire some actors, or make travel arrangements.

The same applies to increasing your income. You may say you want more money, but if you can’t manage what you have now, how will you successfully manage more?

Pennies From Heaven is your practice field.

If you’d like to play along, just write “Show Me the Money!” in the comments below. The game will be played through our Pennies From Heaven Facebook group, so if you’re on Facebook, just ask to join the group and I’ll add you.

If you’ve already mastered money and want to look at relationships, health, or any other area of your life, the same rules of the game apply.  I’d love for you to join me and play your way to whatever you most desire.

 

 

 

Pennies From Heaven

With a name like Penny, I’ve heard money references my whole life.  And like many people, I’ve had a complicated, complex, and at times chaotic relationship with money.

After sharing the results I experienced participating in the Millionaire Mindset Challenge with the fabulous Fiona Orr, many of you asked how you could play.

I have been wanting to jump into the topic of money and mindset for a while now, but I wanted to do it in a way that felt light and liberating. After having so much fun with the challenge, a game seemed like the best way to do this.

Hence, Pennies from Heaven was hatched.

Money is a loaded topic. And because we all have issues around it, I decided it was time to come clean with mine.

As a highly creative person, the managing of money seemed less of a priority to me than pursuing my passions.  But I quickly found out, until I learned the art of making and managing money, pursuing my passions might not be financially possible.

I invested a whole heap of money learning about business in the last year that have directly impacted the way I show up in the world as well as what I am willing to believe and achieve.

I didn’t do it without fear or resistance.  I did, however,  take consistent action and did not back down when things got difficult, challenging, or overwhelming.

The difference was I built an unbelievable support system made up of great coaches and risk takers who were going through the same thing or were a few steps ahead of me, reassuring me I could do it.

And this is what I want to offer you.

A chance to stretch your imagination, play with some new perspectives and possibilities, and feel the support of others who are doing the same in a safe environment.

April can be a tense and tricky month around money and taxes. So it’s the perfect month to start playing with prosperity!

I’ll be sharing more details in the next couple of weeks.

The only thing you need to know right now is whether you’re willing to take the leap with me and play along.

PS – Did I mention you get to play for FREE?  Just type “I’m in!” in the comments below and I’ll make sure you get all the juicy details.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to Manifest a Miracle

If a lucky leprechaun failed to lead you to the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow on St.Patrick’s day, never fear.

There are many ways to manifest a miracle that don’t involved leprechauns, lotteries, or even luck.

They do, however, require a little imagination, a lot of faith, and an action plan.

A few weeks ago I started playing a game called the Millionaire Mindset Challenge with the fabulous Fiona Orr.  It starts with receiving $250 virtual money and doubles every week day so that by the end of the first week the amount is already up to $4000. In a few short weeks, you’ve amassed a million virtual bucks.

The only rule is that you share your money story in as many splendid details as possible of where the money comes from and where it goes.  Did you earn it, win it, or was it a gift? How will you spend it, what will you buy, where will you go, what will you do? You assume all debts are paid so no money can go to paying off debt.

How does playing this game change anything in real life?

As Fiona says, “The more specific you can be, the more you activate the trifecta of happiness neurochemicals in your brain – dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin. So just playing the game will make you feel happy if you let yourself really feel like it’s real. Your brain does not know the difference between imagination and reality.”

So when you make the emotions and scenarios so real, so compelling, and so specific, your mind doesn’t make the distinction between an actual the windfall and an imagined one.  You start raising your vibration and open to  having this money show up in your life because you know what it feels like and have plan for it when it arrives.

Many players have already experienced real money showing up  – me included – and I must say, it’s pretty darn exciting.

The crazy thing is we are all capable of manifesting miracles of all kinds and do so on a regular basis. But most of us fail to acknowledge that anything out of the ordinary is happening.

I facilitate a monthly mastermind group called Practicing Everyday Alchemy.  The goal of the group is to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary.

It starts with the right mindset and the ability to see what’s hidden in plain sight.

This happens when a handful of people  connected by a promise, a person, and a picture of what’s possible come together. When a tribe of people who matter to each other start believing in each other, things get really interesting.

People start taking action. People start succeeding because their success lifts up the entire group. People take risks because others have their backs.

A year ago I invested in a coaching program that required a huge financial leap, travel to Boston four times throughout the year, and a rigorous examination into my fears, shadows, hopes, and dreams. I made this journey with about forty other women and men who have shown me what’s possible through their vulnerability and courage.

Belonging to such an amazing group has multiplied my miracles.  I joined two other groups and allowed myself to participate and be seen in a way I’d never done before. Experiencing first hand the kind of transformation that can happen with the support of others in a safe and sacred space, I made it my mission to create that space for others.

Of course, the biggest secret to manifesting miracles is to believe you can.  To know you are worthy of your deepest desires and to expand your bandwidth to allow for the fulfillment of them.

I liken it to placing an order on Amazon.  When you order something, you expect it to arrive. You don’t wonder if you’re worthy of receiving it.  You know it’s on its way.

Some miracles simply take time to manifest. Like birthing babies, writing books, shaping beach bodies, or apprenticing with shamans.  Some miracles require preparation and practice.

One of the best things you can do to prepare is to align your energy and adjust your environment for the imminent arrival of your miracle in the making. Make a plan, act as if, ask and you shall receive. All in good time. Or in an instant. Or when you least expect it.

What happens when you play a game like the Millionaire Mindset is sooner or later you come up against your limitations. You feel the resistance, you hear the voices of everyone and everything that ever held you back, and you might even get a little angry that you can’t allow yourself to have what you want.

But if you keep playing through the resistance, you start to realize what’s possible for you.

And that may be the biggest miracle of all.

I’d love to hear what you’d do with your ever increasing wealth.  Where would it come from? What would you do with it?  Dare to share in the comments below.

 

 

 

 

Let My Love Open the Door

Love is in the air.

At least that’s what card companies, chocolate factories, and flower shops would have us believe around this time of year.

Of all things to believe in, love is certainly a noble and worthy cause.

As someone who has never been married and spent my fair share of Valentine’s Days celebrating the unconditional love of my dogs, I could give you a million reasons why romantic love is overrated.

But I won’t.

Because as cliche as it sounds, love makes the world go around.

The problem is not with love.

It’s with our limited view of what it should look like, feel like, or how and when it should show up in our lives.

If you are like me and Hozier, “I fall in love just a little, oh a little bit, every day with someone new.”  Or something. 

Don’t get me wrong.  I love the one I am with. Because of that, my cup runneth over with love..

So I am looking to fall in love just a little bit every day with someone new because there are so many people in need of love.  No one may have noticed the tiny tears in a person’s heart.  No one may have noticed the way a person is lovable, adorable, vulnerable, creative, generous, surprising, kind, or appears to be broken.

When I do, I let my love open the door.

Whether that be through a smile, a reassuring word, a gentle touch, or just keeping my mouth shut when I might be tempted to criticize or judge. Often times these things can mean more than diamonds, flowers, candy, or over-the-top declarations of love.

And I don’t limit myself to people.

I especially love trees and have no shame in wrapping my arms around their trunks whenever I have the chance.

And, oh, I do love my animals.

I love ideas.

I love art and music and poetry and delicious food.

I love to sleep.

I love my snow pants because they allow me to be warm and comfy in winter weather. And they create a softer landing when I fall off my skis.

I love creating something out of nothing and transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary.

None of that can happen without love.

So I will continue to be a hopeful romantic and believe in love and all the ways it dares to shows up in the world against all odds.

And I will send a whole heart full of love to you.

P.S. I would love to know what you love and what songs about love you love.  Please add your playlist of love songs in the comments below.

Act Like An Olympian In Your Own Life

Since the snow continues to accumulate here in Iowa I thought I would try my luck at skiing on Saturday. My niece wanted to ski and Bob’s nephew wanted to snowboard and because they still think of me as the hip and crazy aunt who will try anything, I could not disappoint them.

I’m not really sure why I thought I could ski since I haven’t been on skis in over 20 years and I’ve never once had a lesson. Maybe it’s the subliminal messages the Winter Olympics athletes are sending us to get out and act like an Olympian in our own lives.

By attempting to ski I learned about myself, fear, fun, and falling down. As much as I like to think I’m able to listen to my body’s wisdom, my head hijacks whatever is attempting to communicate through my extremities at the first sign of danger.

In my case, this happened as soon as I slid by boots into the skis and attempted to maneuver over to the bunny hill. The ability to put one foot in front of the other without falling over suddenly became a monumental task.

“What was I thinking?” became the only thing I was thinking. Until I fell and then, “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” became the predominant thought.

“Take off your skis!” Kat advised as I pondered how my knees and feet might work in unison with skis pointed in opposite directions.

“You can do it!” Brad encouraged.

And I did.

After a successful run down “Rookie’s Ridge“, I moved on to the “green” hill where I wiped out a couple of times and skied right into a snowbank.

I think it takes most people 3-5 minutes to ski that slope. I’m pretty sure it took me 35.

“Come on, Pen! Try going a little faster,” the young ones quipped.  It sure seemed like I was moving at top speed when I skied into the snow bank.

Luckily Kat and Brad were more patient than I ever expected them to be.  They even acted like they knew me when I came careening into the chairlift area.

Did I have a fabulous time? A humbling time would be more like it.

In my mind, I still believe I’m their age. It always shocks me when my body reminds me this is no longer the case.

But courage begets courage. I’m not sure I would have even agreed to try this had I not just started a mastermind group called Practicing Everyday Alchemy and been buoyed by the support and faith of a fearless group of amazing alchemists.

Every Olympian has an entire team behind them encouraging, supporting, training, and seeing them through their toughest and most glorious moments. Why wouldn’t I put a similar support system in place when I take my leap into the unknown?

Having just read an incredibly insightful book by Shawn Achor called Big Potential, I wouldn’t attempt anything worthwhile without assembling a star system that allows me to not only to tap into my potential, but the bigger potential of everyone in the group.

It’s often the tiniest of actions that catapult us out of our comfort zone and into what I call our evolutionary zone. Sometimes it’s heading to the slopes. Other times it’s passing on dessert or an alcoholic beverage.  It could even be cleaning out a room in order to create some breathing space.

What courageous acts –  big or small – have you taken lately?

Who makes up your star support system and allows you to shine your light in new and adventurous ways?

Please share in the comments below so we can celebrate your moments of magnificence with you and those who made it possible for you!

Will You Be Part of The Dream Team?

What if you could put together a Dream Team and surround yourself with people who *get* you? People who innately understand who you are, what you want to create in the world, and know how to make it happen?

I used to think this was a pipe dream for me.  I felt I was too quirky or creative or woo-woo or whatever for most people, so I tried to keep it all under wraps.

Until I realized all of that “weirdness” was really what people wanted to see, hear, feel, and experience with me.  The boldness of being myself gave other people permission to do the same.

In a world full of carbon copies, there is nothing more daring that being an original. And nothing more liberating.

I have spent a lifetime purchasing personal growth programs to improve my performance in just about every area of my life. And though I am forever grateful to the gurus who have shown me their way, none of them could really show me my way. 

That was up to me to figure out.

And for most of my life, I thought I had to figure it out alone.

But last year I decided to combine forces with others on the same path.  I joined a couple of coaching groups, became a  Rockstar and a Wildflower, and that changed everything.

I did more in a year than I had in a decade.  Not because I didn’t know how to do these things, I just didn’t have a Dream Team in place to help me get these ideas out of my head and into the world.

Now that I do, I want to help you create the same. Because if you could do it alone, you would have already.

I know you are brilliant.  You are funny and creative and have a dream inside you that you have kept hidden from everyone because you can’t bear to see it fail.

But what if you couldn’t fail?

Or what if you could fail but had a team of incredibly supportive people in place to help you rebuild or dream a better dream?

What if these people has eyes, ears, and expertise in areas you didn’t and would gladly share their perspectives with you?

What would that be worth to you?

After sharing The 12 Days of Coaching last month, I had an epiphany.

More than information, what people are really craving is community.

Since you are part of my community, I want to share an opportunity that only comes along once in a blue moon (literally…the opportunity ends with the blue moon on  Wednesday, January 31) to Practice Everyday Alchemy with me and some of the best and brightest people I know.

This mastermind group will meet monthly for 6 months.  We will mindfully master the challenges that wake us up at all hours of the morning. And we’ll learn to thrive with a little help from our fellow Everyday Alchemists.

If this sounds intriguing to you and you would like to learn how to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary,  please click here to check out the details at www.practicingeverydayalchemy.com.

But don’t wait too long.  The first Mastery call is next Sunday, February 4th and I’d love for you to be on it.

If you’d like to talk with me in person about this and see if this is for you, just fill out the contact form below so I can connect with you. 

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If you have been or are a part of a Dream Team now, I’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments below.

 

 

 

Start With Why

As any of you who have been around small children know, kids are curious.  Their favorite question is “why?” Whatever answer you provide inevitably leads to another question.

They beg for you to “tell me more” regardless of how ready, willing, and able you are to dig deep into the subject of their inquiry.

Over time their questions may wear you down and you may tend to treat all questions as irritants rather than clues that unlock the great mysteries in life.

Questions like, “How much?” ,”By when?”, “Where in the world?”, and “What the heck?” often hint at answers that may be just as tiresome as the questions.

As a naturally curious type and a firm believer that the right questions asked at the right time can change your life, I invite you to not give up on questions.  (In my last post, I asked you a whole bunch of them!)

Just keep it simple and start with why.

If you are making New Year’s Resolutions this year, why do you want your life to be different?

I’m sure you have a compelling answer.  I’m also sure it’s not the first one you will come up with.

If you stay as persistent as a child and let one answer lead to another question, then you might discover why it really matters.

And then you are on to something.

The reason most resolutions fail is not because you don’t have the discipline, willpower, wisdom, strategy, or support to achieve them.  The real reason resolutions fail is because you don’t have a clear and compelling reason to work through the challenges that will present themselves as part of your journey.

What you’re resolving to do is difficult.  It’s the reason you haven’t achieved or been able to sustain your success before.  So what’s different this time?

If nothing has changed and you’re not willing to do anything different, then don’t waste your time making the resolution. It just leaves you feeling bad about yourself.

But if you are willing to do something different, whether that be to hire a coach, take a class, or join a support group, then write your goal down and take at least ten minutes to imagine what it would feel like to achieve it.

Then grab a pen and paper and write this down at the top of the page:  THIS TIME IS DIFFERENT & I WILL DEFINITELY SUCCEED BECAUSE.  And then list at least 10 reasons it is  different and why you will most definitely succeed.

I recently did this and came up with 25 reasons I will be able to create a thriving business doing what I love, with people in love, in places I love.  And let me tell you, it was one of the most empowering things I’ve done.

I got the idea from Mike Dooley’s book, Playing the Matrix, where he talks about creating results based on how you want to feel instead of focusing on what he calls the “cursed hows” and attaching to the results of getting what you think you want.

If you are resolving to be a better version of yourself in 2018, give yourself a boost by writing down the reasons you will succeed.  This is something you can look back on any time you are tempted to give up.

Here are a few of the things on my THIS TIME IS DIFFERENT & I WILL DEFINITELY SUCCEED BECAUSE list. I  hope this helps you jump start your list:

#1 – I’ve prepared for it and have a strategy.  I’ve invested an incredible amount of time, money, and resources to make this happen.  I’ve taken lots of baby steps, tested the market, and had consistent, small successes and epic failures.

#2 – It has become my #1 priority.  I have given up many things so I can spend time building my business.  I invest any extra time I have and money I make back into my training so I can work with great coaches, be a part of a supportive community, and continue mastering new technologies. I follow my fascination and never stop learning.

#3 – I get by with a little help from my friends.  I have been actively building my community for several years. I now have an amazing tribe of peers, mentors, and clients who do great work and are willing to collaborate, support, participate, and play along.

#4 – I’m not attached to the specifics of how it needs to happen. I step into the flow of my life and focus on feeling good, staying healthy, being creative, trying new things, doing things that make me feel alive and energized. Of course, I’d love for this to yield certain results, but I’m not so focused on those results that I limit myself or miss even better opportunities. I celebrate the smallest successes as I keep the big picture in mind.

#5 – I show up.  Every single day I take one small step in the direction of my dream.  I stopped hiding. I shed my invisibility cloak so I can do the things that scare me (like make a lot of videos), and keep putting myself out there in fun and creative ways.

#6 – I live in a loving and abundant universe.  I am connected to source energy.  The only lack is a lack of imagination. My life supports me, my tribe has my back, and the universe conspires on my behalf. I’m grateful to get to do this work.

#7 – I own my throne.  I stand in my power and attract fabulous clients, co-creators, friends, mentors, opportunities. I’m done apologizing.  I want what I want.  This is who I am. These are my gifts. This is what I charge. This is how I work.  This is the time I have available.

#8 – There is enough for everyone.  My success inspires others. My fearlessness, my failures, and my willingness to take action encourage others. We’re all in this together.

#9 – I fire on all cylinders – or all 7 chakras, as I prefer to say.  I am grounded in my body as well as open to spiritual assistance and worldly wisdom.  I love to think and create and spend  my time with heady stuff.  That makes it tempting to ignore my body. I’ve learned to embody and bring my ideas into my body and get grounded. When I eat healthy foods, get outside in the sunshine and play with the dogs, and get some body work when I need it, everything goes much smoother.

#10 – I honor  my lineage.  I stand on the shoulders of giants.  I value the teachers, mentors, coaches, shamans, spiritual teachers, and students I’ve had the good fortune to work with. I honor them by continuing their work in my unique way and value all of us by charging enough that I can support my business and continue to share the message.

Here’s to you being wildly successful in 2018.

I’d love to see your list and learn about your dreams for the New Year.  Please leave your comments below.

 

 

Questions to Ask Yourself Before the End of the Year

For someone who is not real big on the holidays, I absolutely adore these days between Christmas and New Year’s Day.  Part of it is because I work full-time at a college and, like our students, we get these glorious days off  before starting full steam ahead again in January.

The other part is I happen to believe there is something magical about these days.  Because they are the last days not just of the month or the quarter but the whole year, people tend to write them off as an insignificant segue into start of a New Year.

But I know better.

It’s as if these days have a secret they will share only with those who can get quiet enough to listen and be still enough to notice.

While many people are bustling about returning items, reconnecting with family and friends, or trying to check off the last few items on their yearly to do list, I’ve been quietly calling the pieces of myself back home in order to acknowledge all the adventures I’ve had during this trip around the sun.

Before I even begin thinking about what I want to create in the New Year I ask myself a series of questions about the current year. The answers I get inform my direction and my intentions for the upcoming year.

I wanted to share them with you as a way to consider what 2017 has meant to you. You may want to sit with them, answer the ones that feel most in need of answering, skip those that don’t make sense for you, or make up your own.

After allowing my answers to these questions to reveal themselves to me, I take out a piece of paper and put a big plus sign on one half of the page and a big minus sign on the other. Armed with the insights from this year, I can clearly articulate what I want more of and less of in the New Year.

Because this is a process and the questions require time to marinate, I first read through them and let them seep into my psyche before attempting to answer them. Then I grab a pen and let the answers come to me.

By about Sunday I’ll be able to collect my responses and apply the perspective they afford to the New Year. On Monday I’ll spend some time welcoming 2018 and contemplating the choices ahead of me. I’ll Name & Claim what I intend to create and then release that intention into the wild.

I share this with you in hopes that these questions might help you find some clarity and direction in the New Year. Maybe you can ask some of these questions of your family and friends at a New Year’s Eve gathering?

May you savor these last days of 2017 as they share their secrets with you.

Baby Steps & Best Advice

• Where did the smallest step produce the biggest result?
• What was the best advice you were given this year?
• Who shared it with you or how did it find its way to you?

Body Wisdom

• How aware of your body were you throughout the year?
• Did you feel connected to your body and allow yourself to feel the pleasure of being in a body or did you disconnect and spend the majority of time in your head?
• Did you have any health challenges or achieve any health or fitness goals?

Experiences

• What books, movies, music, conversations, trips, trainings, or classes forever changed the way you think, feel, see, or experience life?
• What places provided you with the most peace or inspiration, the best working environment, the most creative conversations, the most nutritious and delicious food and drinks, incredibly beauty, or fascinating people?
• Where did you love hanging out and with whom?

Fears & Thrills

• What was the scariest thing you did this year?
• How did you feel once you faced your fear?
• What was the most thrilling thing you did, said, felt, or experienced this year?
• What made you feel most alive?
• What caused you the most pain or regret?

Gadgets & Gizmos

• What new technology did you master that catapulted your business or personal life forward?
• What products, apps, or life hacks made your life easier, more organized, or more fun?
• What purchased created the most joy and/or frustration as you worked through the learning curve?

Gifts

• When and how were your gifts recognized and appreciated this year? (By you and others.)
• When did you need to activate your superpowers and how did you do so?
• Was there a particularly painful lesson that held an exquisite gift for you?
• When did you have to practice patience and learn to move at the pace of grace?

Health & Well-Being

• What creative, meditative, fitness, or health practices did you begin that made a noticeable difference in the quality of your life?
• What new foods or drinks did you discover this year that you now can’t live without?
• What really nourished you?   (Mind, body, and spirit)
• What health care practitioners offered you the most comfort or provided you with the most helpful information necessary to achieve your optimal health and well-being?

Homefront

• Were there any new arrivals in your home? (Pets, people, plants, furniture, etc.)
• Were there any departures in your household or family circle?
• Did you move or add on to your existing home or somehow alter your living arrangements?

Livelihood & Creativity

• Did you start a new adventure, begin a new business, retire, or leave an old career to start something new this year?
• Who was on your dream team? What collaborations or partnerships gave you the most joy and brought about unexpected or innovative results?
• Who needed to be fired from your life? What relationships created chaos, unnecessary drama, miscommunications, or major meltdowns?
• Where did you create something amazing out of nothing?
• Where did you take “massive imperfect action” as my coach likes to call it?
• What crazy idea captured your attention and refused to let go until you took action? What happened next?
• Where did you lose track of time and fall into the flow of doing what you love?

Money

• How did money show up in your life this year?
• Did you experience any money miracles or windfalls?
• When did you feel especially abundant? What thoughts, practices, purchases, or actions contributed to that?
• When did you feel constricted or tight about money? What thoughts, practices, purchases, or actions contributed to that?
• Did you read any books, attend any seminars, work with any financial wizards or coaches who helped shift your mindset around money?

Relationships

• Who walked into your life this year? How did their presence impact what’s possible for you?
• Who walked out of your life this year? How did their absence create more presence for you?
• Who do you long for? Who is missing in your world?
• What relationships shifted or transitioned as you changed and grew?
• Where was your love most needed and how easy was it for you to offer it up?
• Who surprised you with their unwavering support and love? Who disappointed you?

Travel

• Where did you go this year and how did you get there?
• Did you travel for business, for pleasure, out of obligation, and/or because it was your soul’s calling?
• Who did you meet in your travels?
• What did you see?
• How did it change you?

Spirit/Divine Intervention

• How did God/the Universe/the Great Creator/Divine Feminine or Masculine reveal itself to you? How did you respond?
• Were any of the answers you were seeking hiding in plain sight?
• What was lost? What was found?
• When did you feel closest to God or Source energy?

Surprise

• What was surprised you most this year?
• How did this surprise rearrange your reality?
• What unlikely sources of support, funding, friendship, or freedom showed up for you?

World Events

• How did world events impact your actions?
• Did these events alter your opinion of humanity or change the way you view the world or the future of the planet?
• Did these events catalyze you to join a movement, stage a protest, offer aid or assistance to those in need?

If you had to sum up the year in 6 words, those words would be:

___________    _____________    _____________     ______________   _______________    _____________

* Mine would be:  You can’t make this stuff up.  Really, it was that kind of year! Totally amazing.

Top 10 Takeaways from the year? List them here!

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I’d love for you to share any aha’s or epiphanies that may arise from these questions in the comments below.

 

 

12 Days of Coaching

I often get asked what coaching is all about and why I’m convinced finding yourself a great one will change your life.

Instead of trying to explain coaching, I’m just going to start coaching so you can see for yourself how having the consistent encouragement of just one other person can catapult you out of your comfort zone and into your curiosity/contribution zone.

Following in the tradition of the 12 Days of Christmas, I’m going to share with you the 12 Days of Coaching.  If after 12 Days of Coaching you are convinced you must get yourself a coach, then we can have a conversation.

Starting in January, I’ll be taking on a small group of clients who are determined to make 2018 their breakthrough year. If this equally excites and terrifies you, then I’d love for you to be one of them. Because I feel the same way!

You see, I started 2017 with the idea that I’d give myself a year to play full out and walk through every door that opened to me.

I had no idea in January that by December I would have experienced one of the best years of my life. I traveled extensively, hosted my own retreat, and added hundreds of new friends to my inner circle.

None of this seemed remotely possible until I got some coaching.

Now anything seems possible.

And I want to help you create the same thing.

If you are intrigued by the idea of coaching, please send me an email or leave me a comment below.

PS – On the first day of coaching, what did my coach whisper to me? Jump on over to my Facebook Page to find out!

 

 

Feast on Your Life

It’s here! My favorite holiday of the year.

Thanksgiving is one of those rare days when our collective attention turns to all we have to be grateful for instead of all we have yet to achieve, acquire, or otherwise add to our lives.

As much as I love the tradition of gathering with family and friends to celebrate scrumptious food, delectable desserts, and familial frivolity, this year I opted for a simple  yet somewhat scandalous solution. Stay home.

Silence + Solitude = Saving Grace.  

My adventures have taken me far and wide this year and I have never felt more blessed to have the family and friends I now have in my life. I’ve had the opportunity to do deeply transformational work with fellow coaches, clients, and canines (my dogs are always the first recipients of my new coaching methods). And I’ve stretched myself beyond anything resembling a comfort zone into a continual curiosity zone where the ground is constantly shifting.

For all of this, I am incredibly grateful.

And in desperate need of some quiet time with no agenda, no expectations, and no unnecessary drama.

This year I have set some things in motion that have changed the trajectory of my life. The best I can do to honor the source of all this goodness is to find a place of grace in each day to say thank you.

So on this day dedicated to giving thanks, my offering is this:

Feast on your life.

Feast on all that you have endured and achieved, become or dreamed of becoming.

Feast on the lives you’ve unknowingly touched with your smile, your words, your random acts of kindness, your refusal to give up on what you know to be true.

Feast of the fears you overcame to get you to the right place at the right time to do that thing that only you can do.

Feast on the doors that opened because you had the courage to keep knocking.

Feast on the friends and family who get your quirky sense of humor, can activate your superpowers, believe in your brilliance, reflect your beauty, and take care of your dogs while you travel the world.

Feast on the way your body works tirelessly on your behalf, day in and day out, in pursuit of optimal health.

Feast on the freedom you have to choose your thoughts, write a new story, break old patterns, reinvent yourself, or opt for a “do-over”.

Feast on poetry, music, laughter, imagination, kisses, kindness, talent shows, card games, traditions, long walks, eccentric relatives, and belonging in this world.

Thank you for being a part of my blogging family.  Some of you have been around since the start in 2011.  Bless you!!

You know I adore you and would love nothing more than to hear how you are celebrating today (even if it’s not Thanksgiving when you read this or if you live outside the US) and what you are feasting on by leaving a comment below.

And, if you are not planning your Black Friday shopping strategy, watching football, or sleeping off the stuffing, please join me and fellow coach Becca Formenti on Facebook Live tonight at 6pm CST.  It will be Facebook friendship feast!