On a scale of 1-10, 10 being feeling great, where would you rate how you feel on the inside right now?

Think of the pressures you might be feeling.  What is happening inside of you?  

Are you hearing voices telling you that it should be done this way?  

Who do you think you need to be? Who are you being?

Are you feeling you never have enough time?  What’s underneath that?  Do you feel important more valued from being so busy?

What are the messages and loops you have running?

Your thoughts control your life.  

As Abraham-Hicks says, Everything you do is so you will feel good.  

Think about how you skirt issues you don’t want to talk about.

Think about how quickly you run to take medicine if you feel bad.

Think about how you justify things in your life, even if it doesn’t feel good.

You are trying to control life from the outside.  

How can you quiet that chatter inside?  By becoming aware, by meditating, and by being honest with yourself. 

You don’t have to be anyone but who you truly are.

Notice if you are identifying with the circumstances or if you are observing it.   The more you can stop and notice what is happening, the more in charge of your life.  When you become part of the chaos, the dialogue runs rampant.  For instance, if someone says something that upsets you.  Watch and see if you can’t wait to tell all kinds of people about what just happened.  Or, can you notice what really upsets me?  The first example you are trying to deal with it from the outside.  The second one is where you notice what happened to you, which you are handling within.  

The more you can observe or be aware of what is happening, allows life to be easier.  You aren’t making others wrong; you aren’t judging yourself.  

You are noticing life.  You find out what is right for you. You are noticing what is happening, not adding a story to it. The facts.  The Truth.

It’s never about the other person.  They are mirroring something going on inside of you.  If you are triggered, it’s something that needs your attention and needs to be healed.  INSIDE.  

Watch what you are putting in your mind.  Have you cleaned up your environment so that what you are reading or listening to ensures it is inspirational or aspirational to your being?  

The more you can let go of any stories about situations you are involved in, the more peaceful and calm you life can be.  

As Einstein says, You never solve a problem on the same level it was created.  

Allow yourself to notice how you are trying to fix or solve whatever might be happening in your life.  Notice if you are staying with the problem or if you are really ready for a solution.  Sometimes, you have to rant for a bit.  Catch yourself.  

Decide peace and joy are more important to your health and well-being.  

Realize everything is happening for you.  For you to become more of the loving, compassionate person you are.  

Life is meant to be lived inside out.  

As an impulsive person, I know well how much easier life is when you go within rather than spout from reactions.  Fewer regrets and spiraling dialogue with terrible rhetoric.  

Today is a new day.  Begin watching how you are handling life.  The first step to change is becoming aware of how you are doing in life.  

Watch your patterns rather than continue them.  Question whether they are serving you today.  

Patterns helped you live the life you are now living.  Many are outdated.  The more you can stop and question, the easier it will be to change the rules you have used for your life.  

The more you can go inside, the easier your life will flow.  As Abraham-Hicks says, “Start taking pleasure from your inner reality. Most people are approaching this backward. Most people say, “Okay, I want that, and I am not fulfilled until I get that manifestation.” The reason for that promise of manifestation out there, to begin with, is that it gives you a reason to play the game in the inner reality. It is your imagination; the feeling of energy flowing through you is life.”

You are the creator of your life.  

You have a choice.  Go within.

How are you doing on the inside?  That’s the evidence you need for how your life is going.

I would venture to say that if you feel life is hard, somewhere inside of you shame is controlling your ways.

Shame is at the bottom of the energies passing through life.

If you are carrying much shame, you are often stuck and feeling helpless and hopeless. You probably define your life as miserable because shame does feel miserable.

What if instead of holding on to all you feel shameful about, you took some time to be with it? I know it can feel painful but not as heavy as carrying it with you every day. Think of the shame as a suitcase you have been carrying around for decades.

No wonder you are tired and worn out.

The problem is that many people have stuffed the shame so deep, it’s hard to know the origins or the cause. It has multiplied, probably exponentially, if it hasn’t been looked at.

The interesting thing about life, you will continue to receive the lessons you need until you heal what’s there, like the shame you are holding.

Stop and take a moment to think about things you might be shameful of in your past. The way you treat people, the things you do. I know for me, my divorce created layers and layers of shame. Great density and darkness. Shameful I couldn’t hold a marriage together, shameful for the pain I caused my kids and others. Shameful for the image of all that. For years and years, I thought I was the most horrible person. I didn’t see life as I do today.

Shame is hard stuff.

Remember, the past has happened. You can’t control what has happened.

You CAN control your thoughts about it.

You CAN control how you speak to yourself.

You CAN control what you give your energy to.

You CAN decide to open up to what you are feeling about it.

You CAN decide to ask for guidance to heal whatever transpired.

You CAN decide to forgive yourself and others.

The mindset one uses to look at life creates either greater density and negativity or opens you to life as an opportunity to be more.

Mistakes or situations we did and aren’t proud of don’t have to be lifetime curses.

Transformation or transmutation can happen as soon as you are ready and open to see what might be there FOR YOU.

Could you reflect on your shame and see how that situation might be trying to help you expand in some way?

Life is meant to flow as you grow.

What would it take to be easy and loving about yourself as you overcome the shame you are carrying?

If you have the courage and fortitude to release some of the layers of shame you are carrying, ask questions like:

“Am I identifying with this, or am I watching this?”

“Am I willing to release judgment so something higher can show up for me?”

“What else is possible?”

“What would it take to live in Higher Energy, Universal Life Force?”

Commit to inner honesty. Nobody can feel or know what you have thought and been carrying because of the shame you created. It is yours to release.

Shame is heavy. It keeps you closed off. It keeps more light from being in your life.

Decide today that you will be courageous and sit with something you have felt shameful about. Open to the feelings of love. Open your heart. Begin with forgiving yourself. Ask higher questions and open-ended questions that can guide you on how this situation could serve you to be a happier and more peaceful you. Believe you can see the situation in a new light.

Today is a new day. Lighten your load.

Your thoughts create the density; your thoughts can release you.

Shame is not meant to be carried; it is to awaken you to new possibilities.

One of my missions in life is to awaken others to their most extraordinary life. For me, that is to live healthy, vibrant, and fulfilled.

What is the focus of your life as you make your decisions and choices?

I know, as Michael Singer says, “The quieter the mind, the more that solutions become evident.”

I know how freeing and blissful life is when you realize you are the master of your fate as you follow the breadcrumbs. I also know how hard the journey can be at times. But it is well worth the challenges faced.

Life is meant to be experienced how you desire. Yet, simultaneously, life throws all kinds of options at you, like a buffet. There are numerous choices for you to make. Some repercussions from your choices.

But, the more you stop and think about your choice, the easier and more fruitful the path to your desires.

As Abraham Hicks shares, “As you look for a better-feeling way to approach whatever you are giving your attention to, as you continue to ask yourself from your ever-changing vantage point, “What is it that I do want?”… Eventually, you will be standing in a very pleasing place—for you cannot continually ask yourself what you want without your point of attraction beginning to pivot in that direction. The process will be gradual, but your continued application of the process will yield wonderful results in only a few days.”

You have to become conscious of what you are choosing. Over and over and over again.

It’s all day, every day, you are making choices, creating your tomorrows. Far too many people feel like victims and think they don’t have choices.

Some like it that way so they can blame someone else.

I remember that so well when I became a principal. I worked with a principal who was a master at empowering her staff. So that is what I know you did. I thought one of my roles was to allow the teachers to be part of the decision-making. They were the masters in their trade. I realized quickly that for too many, taking responsibility would be more than what they wanted; it was easier to blame and say, “You told me so.” Or complain to others about the boss. Life changes to your intentions.

It was a great lesson for me because not everyone is ready to awaken to their greatest life.

But it all begins with stopping and questioning why you are doing what you are doing.

Ask questions like –

If you have doubt, your inner being asks you to get more curious. Ask for more guidance on what feels right.

Go on the premise of – what if you do have another choice?

Your mind keeps you limited on what you think is possible. Go deeper. Listen.

Notice if you feel heard, seen, or valued by what you hear or choose to do. Make sure the connection is healthy. Stay focused on YOUR mission in life. I know one of the things we learned in schools is that children belong to gangs because they want to feel valued, seen, and heard. We all want to be validated.

Are your choices based on wanting to belong or be committed to your Highest Self?

Make sure whatever you are involved with is making you feel better. If not, it’s time to choose again.

Think about simple reflections by asking yourself if what you are about to choose IS GOOD FOR YOU. Does it add to your health, your joy, and your beingness? It’s not always easy because habit and past knowing takes over.

Stopping and making sure you feel good about your choices is one of the best ways to know you are making decisions that lead you to a healthier life more aligned with who you are meant to be.

Freedom, peace, and love come from living your highest goodness.

What is that for you? Your choices matter.

Life is funny.

You hear people over and over talk about how they can’t wait until they retire. And, then when they do reach that age, the storyline continues about how they can’t do what they want.

Why is that?

Too often people have not prepared themselves for this phase of life. Bo and I are continually talking about how much discipline you need in your 40s to make retirement all you think it can be. You hear people talk about financial planning. In addition to looking at the money, you need to begin physically taking care of yourself. Your choices in your early ages affect your total health and enjoyment in retirement.

I remember wondering why all I ever hear old people talk about is their health. Now I know.

You can’t be loving up on retirement if you don’t have the health to enjoy it.

Ponder why you are thinking about the joys of retirement. Wonder why you can’t live that in the phase you are in now. Or, at least parts of it.

Too many people are putting off living today for tomorrow, and then, tomorrow never comes.

Listen to what you are telling others about retirement.

Is it the freedom to do what you want?

Is it the time to do whatever you like?

Is it having fewer responsibilities?

Is it having more fun?

Is it having less on the calendar?

Whatever you are saying, take note. Begin doing that now.

Are you living out the perfect days of retirement you imagined? Why not? How could you begin shifting that?

Retirement is grand if you have planned well for it. If you have the money, time and health to live out the dreams you have longed for.

Retirement can be the end of living too.

Where are you on the spectrum of loving up on retirement?

There are phases of retirement.

For anyone whose life and value was based on their career, it’s a hard transition to let go of that. Your identity was your job.

You realize how much of your life was based on what you did. Now what? When that is gone? It’s why it’s important to find a sense of purpose bigger than a job or career.

Part of the value was being busy and scheduled all the time. Now that you don’t have that to go to each day, what are you doing with your time? What’s the chatter in your head? Are you losing value and purpose each day? Are you feeling unworthy?

Lots of depression can happen when you haven’t continued a purpose.

I know when I retired from 30 years in education, I couldn’t wait to begin my new coaching business. All I could think about was building it and making it my life. I thought I needed to keep that pace and that compulsive drive going. I didn’t know anything else. But, as grandkids came, my focus began changing. I wanted time with them. Then, as Bo sold his business and we began traveling more, my priorities changed and I transitioned to a new phase in retirement. I wanted to enjoy life more, rather than do more. I wanted more freedom and fun. More spontaneity. Less structure and commitments. More peace and joy.

So when you first retire, you take all your ways of being with you. You don’t change overnight.

You take YOU with you wherever you go.

It’s important that you define what you want retirement to be, and then create that. Inside and outside of you.

Is life meant to put off everything you think you want until you retire? And, what if you don’t make it? What regrets do you have? What if you haven’t taken care of your health and you can’t get around? What if you haven’t planned financially for how much it costs when you aren’t replenishing that income each month?

It’s sad for me to see how many of my peers aren’t living life.

More of the conversations are people talking about all their ailments rather than all the fun, freedom and time to enjoy life that retirement has given them.

They have forgotten purpose and given in to life passing them by.

Lots of fears driving their choices.

Sure, it is a reality that you have a given amount of money.

Sure, it is a reality that you will die. But, can you live while you are here?

Sure, it’s a reality aging isn’t for sissies.

Take charge of living your life.

What could you do now so you can begin loving up on retirement? Whether that is planning for it, reimagining what could be possible, or allowing this message to be a reminder to kick you into greater action.

Live your life regret free so that when that times come, you will have given it your all.

Retirement is meant to be a blessing for all you have given to life.

How are you starting your day?

Look around the room you are in.

Does it make you come alive?

Notice the different items. Do you feel prosperous and blessed as you think about them? Do they bring you great joy? Are they 10s?

If not, it’s time to make some changes. The world around you affects you. Like in my study, I have many pictures of my family and quotes. I have this bright pink lantern we got when we were in Vietnam; great memories. I have my incest that I love smelling.

I am blessed and prosperous. My rooms show it. They show it because I am surrounded by things that bring joy and smiles to my face and being.

I get to plan my life. I get to do things I love to do. I get to be with people I love.
How can you awaken each day so you can feel prosperous and blessed?

As John-Rogers, DSS says,

“Some people go inside and do spiritual exercises: their mind and emotions unlock, and they start this free flow of upward energy (or maybe the energy comes down and pulls them up).” They start to realize, “God loves and cares that I exists.”

Start your day with 10 ways you are grateful.

Love yourself enough to take excellent care of your body so your journey on earth is easier. Think about how you can care for your body – move, laugh, eat, and be kinder with your thoughts.

I guess one of the gifts of aging is that it truly brings you to your knees about how blessed you are to have another day. I feel so prosperous with good health, great friends and family, and lots of freedom.
One of my daily quotes says, “I view Life as a joyous dance.” Doesn’t it make you want to move, get up and shake around? Well, at least bring a smile to your face to feel prosperous.

Begin taking the time each morning to notice how prosperous and blessed you are.

Did you know by the time most people begin their day, their light bulb is almost completely burnt out before they get out the door? So you must consciously decide how you can bring more light and prosperity to you.

Be aware of how you resist life – fighting for your limitations rather than allowing life to flow through you. The more you let go of resistance, the more prosperous you feel. You can see how life IS giving you what you desire and need.

Life is for you.

Maybe trying to help you relax and enjoy more.

Maybe trying to open you to more possibilities.

Maybe trying to show you how you ARE blessed, even though, maybe at the moment, it doesn’t feel like it.

Find ways to enjoy life more. Be curious, explore, and become more aware of all the goodness around you.

What new routines, thoughts, or beliefs can you add that will exponentially create a more blessed life? Is it meditation, not looking at your phone until after a certain time, getting out for a morning walk, or reading things that uplift your life?

You are creating your life.

Decide to create a life of prosperity and gratitude. It feels good.

Fill your world with joy, and you will notice how blessed and prosperous you are.

Joy is a game-changer. If the only thing you did was find more ways to add joy to your life, you will have a world full of abundance in every aspect of your life.

What do you need to change the way you begin your day?

How can you awaken each morning feeling prosperous and blessed?

You have the ability to live the greatest life you can imagine if you are willing to be all you were meant to be.

Think about your life as a work of art.

Are you willing to stand in how great you are?

Too often, most of us have been taught you are too cocky or arrogant if you stand in your power and your goodness.

You were made in the goodness and likeness of God.

Wherever you don’t believe that is possible for you is holding you back.

Think about the shame and guilt you are holding on to. Somewhere you believe something about you or what you have done is too bad for forgiveness or transformation.

Think about where you hold back in celebrating yourself. When something “good” happens to you or for you, note how you respond. Do you feel you really shouldn’t share that with others? Allow yourself to celebrate you.

As Joseph Campbell says, “The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.”

Who is that? Take time to discover that.

Wherever you don’t feel freedom or peace in your life, some darkness could be ready for you to bring to the light.

What might that be for you?

Richard Bach says, “There is no such thing as a problem without a gift for you.”

Where are the “problems” for you? Notice where you are struggling or hiding something. Instead of running from those situations, how could you allow them to open you to your greatest Self by discovering what’s trying to be revealed?

Know and believe that life is meant to be good and fun beyond the darkness that happens in your life. Let that give you hope to work through the pain rather than keep it down.

Remember, there is no order of difficulty with the Universe’s support. Ask for guidance, and gather this partner.

Darkness will control your life. You will do everything you can to cover it up or run from it. Like when you don’t feel good enough. You will overwork, obsess over things to prove your worth.

There’s an easier way to live life. Take time to be with the pain, the darkness. Ask what it is wanting to show you. Like my overachiever, trying to be good enough. Like the shame and guilt, I felt from divorce.

Facing the darkness opens you up to more. To a kinder, more loving version of you. I know well that I moved from much judgment to greater acceptance and compassion for myself and others.

It’s crazy the peace and joy I feel. I’m not working against myself. I’m honoring and valuing myself.

Growing from the darkness has been a journey, but well worth it with how I live today.

What darkness in you is waiting to be transmuted to light?

Beauty is all around.

People have said, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”

What are you seeing? Where is your focus?

Can you imagine your world if you kept beauty as your focus?

Think about what you would be manifesting.

Think about how your world would unfold.

Your thoughts and intentions are creating the life you are living.

There is always beauty to see.

As Rollo May says, “Beauty is the experience that gives us a sense of joy and a sense of peace simultaneously.”

Beauty matters to me. It is one of my core values. Whether a situation is bad or good, I quickly find a way to find the “good.” Like on a bike ride this weekend, the winds blew like a gale. Pushing to move my bike through it and keeping my attention on the struggle, all of a sudden, I saw this group of beautiful red flowers along the road and, shortly thereafter, a patch of purple ones. Both different types of flowers I don’t know. It was magical. The beauty changed my energy changed my focus. It’s powerful when you realize the magic of beauty.

See with new eyes. Notice where you are judging or are uncomfortable with a situation. How could you find the beauty in it?

Just think about catastrophes. Notice how goodness comes out. Notice how much giving shows up. It feels like the best in people show up to help.

Could these horrible situations be wake-up calls for you to see the beauty in humankind?

Could it be a wake-up call to remind you to live more from your heart than judgment?

Today, as you walk or go about your day, find the beauty all around you. What sparks your aha?

Go room to room in your house; what stands out as beautiful?

See the people around you with new eyes. What beauty are you seeing?

What you focus on, you receive more of.

Realize how your life is lifted as you lead by seeing the beauty in all.

Take time to retrain your mind to see the beauty in all.

Your life will be lifted to a new consciousness.

As you embrace the realities of life, you know many events come up in your life that are hard and uncomfortable.

Are you allowing fear to be your guide? Or do you trust everything will work out, and life is FOR you?

A key to living a more peaceful, loving life is knowing how you handle these trying situations. First, you must notice your patterns and the ways you react or respond to situations that arise in life.

A basic need in life is uncertainty. If life is too certain, you can become stale and rigid. Uncertainty provides you with opportunities to learn and see the bigger picture. Even when you are resistant. You are put in situations you have to deal with and find some solutions that you wouldn’t have if that circumstance hadn’t happened.

For so many of us, we want life to stay the same. We have the same habits and routines we have had for decades. But your life has changed. You aren’t the same person you were in your twenties or fifties.

Update your life. Use new strategies and ways to help you live with ease and flow.

How can you be good at being uncomfortable? I have a friend that was going on a new adventure. She was feeling insecure and uncertain. This is way out of character for her as she is usually the pack’s leader, confident and feeling high. I was so proud of her. She listened to her feelings and asked for support to help her work through the situation.

How can you seek support when feeling uneasy or out of sorts?

Decide to choose a different state of being. Notice if you are staying in a state of anxiety. Are you at the edge, about the fall off the cliff?

Work to bring yourself to a calmer place so that you are in a better state of mind when life throws things at you.

See the world with new lens, new perspectives, and new beliefs.

Life is uncertain.

Handle these uncomfortable situations in more loving and calm ways.

Use new thoughts like “What would it take to be easy on myself, easy and loving?” “What creates the most harmonizing for my health?”

There’s much conversation these days about how Gen Z’s are driving Boomers crazy with their ways. As I hear these conversations, I usually remind others to consider when our generation rebelled against long hair and drugs. Think back to how our parents responded. Same as for us today.

Stop and notice why you are uncomfortable with these changes.

Do you think your way is the only way?

Do you feel like you are losing your importance?

Do you trust others to believe they have good intentions?

Find out what is causing you to feel uncomfortable. Push through even when you don’t know where you are going. Honor what is there.

Yes, new situations can cause some uneasiness. But,

Is it temporary?

Is it keeping you from stepping out to something new?

Over the next week, notice how you handle uncomfortable situations you are facing. A car breaks down, you fall down, or your air conditioner goes out.

Be willing to stop and notice what is happening for you, outside and inside.

Do you feel you have to make a decision immediately?

Do you feel the burden that it’s all on your shoulders, or can you ask for help?

Do you remember there is a Higher Power there for you?

Life offers many uncomfortable situations.

Sometimes you struggle with what to do. Let that be okay. Know life is all over the place.

The more you know how you respond, the more empowered you can feel about whatever life throws at you.

When you are clear about how you want to be, like peaceful or kind, that vision can propel you to make better choices in uncomfortable times. You can remind yourself, “I can choose peace instead of this.”

The more you understand how you handle life, the more you feel powerful and relaxed about what is before you. The more you trust and believe in yourself, the more capable you feel of handling the situations you are handed.

As you move through life, be your best friend. Be kind and forgiving of how you handle the peaks and valleys of living through the different stages of life.

Life can be trying. Know that all aspects of life are calling you to be your greatest and Highest being. Some are easier than others. Life is polishing your edges. Life is lifting you higher.

Know uncomfortable is part of life.