An Attitude of Gratitude

My birthday was on Sunday (11/6). This was a perfect day for me to revaluate the important things in my life. My birthday this year symbolized the beginning of a new year of possibilities, higher awareness, and overcoming obstacles.  I am fully committing myself to my spiritual journey and becoming a more positive, happier, and healthier person.

It was a day to appreciate and be grateful for all of the people in my life. This was also a chance for me to notice who in my life was dimming my light instead of helping it shine brighter. I wasn’t sad about these people, I was glad. Glad that they were in my life and appreciative of the lessons they taught me. It’s not easy leaving people behind, knowing they may not be present for me this next year but I realized that I want to grow. I know this will be the year of immense growth and opportunity for me. Therefore, I don’t need anyone that will hinder my development. And for that I am thankful. Thankful that I realized this and had the strength and commitment to myself to make this move.

The power of gratitude is that it can take you from a horrible state of mind to one of pure joy and appreciation. I use gratitude a lot in my meditations to help me get centered and focused. Being grateful isn’t just for material things. It is for people, experiences, and lessons throughout your life. Nothing has come to you by accident. Everything has a divine purpose and reason. I am grateful for every experience that has come my way in order to make me a better person.

This blog post seems fitting seeing as we are getting closer to Thanksgiving.

I urge everyone to make a list of everything they are grateful for and look at it daily. This way you will always be in a state of love and abundance.

<3 Live, Love, Miracles

Accept, forgive, and release for inner peace

There are some people in our lives that we don’t understand. I don’t understand the way some people think, how they behave, or their motives. I don’t agree with many of their opinions or ideas. They can seem  unsupportive, rude, and just plain mean. When in the presence of such people we often get angry, annoyed, upset, and defensive. And unfortunately, there are some people that will always be in our lives so we must learn to deal with them and keep ourselves at peace.

A wise friend recently said something that really resonated with me. “Some people never change. They are who they are and you cannot change them. You don’t need to understand them and you don’t need to agree with them. You just need to accept them. Accept them for who they are.” Acceptance, huh? I thought about this for a while and I kept coming back to the idea of perception. A Course in Miracles says that a miracle is a change in perception. This would definitely qualify as a miracle if I could change my perception about such people! I added forgiveness and release to the acceptance process because I really feel those steps are necessary as well.

My steps to acceptance:

1. Why are they the way they are? What has caused them to lose sight of love and be bitter? What have they had to deal with in their lives that could explain their personalities?

2. Empathy

3. Acceptance. “I accept you for your authentic and real self. I accept that I don’t always understand you. I accept that we are different and that is ok. I accept that I cannot and should not change you. I accept you for you and for all the reasons that made you, you.”

Steps to forgiveness:

1. Without getting yourself all worked up, how have these people wronged or hurt you?

2. Chose to change your perception about these situations and see how you could have been at fault instead of the other person.

3. Go deep and feel the feelings that come up for you. Breathe through it and release them. Holding onto these feelings will not bring you closer to inner peace.

4. Forgive: "I accept you and I forgive you. I will leave all ill feelings in the past". 
Ask for forgiveness:“I am sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you. I love you.” (this is a pretty well known Hawaiian mantra for forgiveness.” FEEL this.

Understand that forgiveness does NOT mean you are condoning anyone’s behavior. You are just choosing to forgive in order to release.

The subsequent release of ill feelings and thoughts will naturally occur. Use meditation to relax your mind and soul and picture yourself physically releasing the person/people. Gabrielle Bernstein has some useful guided meditations.A HerFuture.com lady suggested a meditation where you extend a loving light from you to other people sending them love and receiving more love in return. Another mentioned envisioning roses all around her sucking up the negative energy and replenishing her with positive energy. In meditation, the possibilities are endless.

For me this will be a long process. I have a lot of pent up anger. It will take work and a true commitment. It’s worth it in the long run J

Here’s to changing perceptions and miracles.

<3 Live, Love, Miracles

When people show you who they are . . .

The quote goes like this" When people show you who they really are, believe them."
Many times in life we have uneasy encounters with friends, family, and acquaintances. We chock it up to a bad day or a sickness. But how many times do you think to yourself, "Wow, I wonder if this is really who this person is"? Probably not often.

I heard Oprah say this on one of her Lifeclass episodes. (If you haven't checked it out yet, I highly recommend you do!). Anyway, when she said this, it really stung and resonated with me. I kept repeating it over and over again in my head. I even told my husband (he just nodded). But boy was this true! When a loved one abuses your loyalty, trust, or love, STOP making excuses. Look at the situation closely and think whether this could potentially be his/her authentic self coming through.

Here is a simple example. A friend does something cruel to someone else and says to you "Wow, I'm a bit&*". And you probably say "No, no, they had it coming." Whether they did or didn't have it coming, she just told you who she really is...believe it.

Here is another great example. A friend of mine was dealing with a cheating boyfriend.  She made excuses and tried frantically to figure out how she was to blame for his infidelities. He cheated more than a few times so it wasn't a mistake or an accident (or whatever other excuse you can come up with). The truth of the matter is that this was who he really was. A dishonest man! He clearly showed her who he was. The rest was up to her. She quickly realized that even if she took him back, it would continue to happen because this was his true self. Before everyone gets their panties in a knot, I am completely aware of the fact that every person is different and so is every situation. However, people are ALWAYS showing us their authentic selves. We either choose to see it or not. Sometimes it is easier to avert your eyes but eventually you will have to face it.

So pay attention to what people are showing and telling you about who they really are and believe them.

Day 7: Gabrielle Bernstein

I must first apologize for not keeping up with the summit. I had a really busy weekend and wasn’t able to sit down with the lectures and take notes in order to blog about them. The lectures are only available for 24 hours after they play so this was just not enough time for me. I apologize. However, today was the spirit lecture with my girl Gabby! She is my ‘guru’ and an inspiration for sure.

Being a spiritual being, as Gabby is, starts with a desire. The desire to change and see things differently. You have to really open your heart, mind, and soul to a higher being. The hardest of these is probably opening your heart to more “loving perspectives.”  We’ve been trained in fear and in judgment for so long that making this really important change is also VERY difficult. It’s a “moment to moment” basis, as Gabby says. It takes time. But even the smallest shift in perception is a miracle. You can start by making small subtle shifts everyday that will eventually lead to a higher way of living. If we don’t participate in loving acts we are actually blocking miracles from coming to us. The Course says that miracles should happen each day. If they do not, then something has gone wrong. So if you do not feel you are in a place of receiving miracles, what has gone wrong? Are you closed to the idea of the return to love? Who are you judging? What are you fearing? Who are you not forgiving? Forgiveness, Gabby says, makes love possible. Keep in mind that forgiveness does not mean you are condoning the other person’s behavior. It just means that you are releasing the feelings to allow yourself to reconnect to love.

Gabby begins her spiritual ritual (J) with a prayer from ACIM. In her meditation she says to the universe “Where would you have me go, what would you have me do, what would you have me say and to who?” This puts you into a state of mind where you are letting a higher knowing guide you. This can be Gd, your inner wisdom, inner guide, universe, or whatever you wish. Connect to the prayer and allow it to guide you to other places in your meditation or journal.  Then listen. Allow yourself to receive, be open to receiving. Be open to any change in perception that may occur.  

Lastly, I will leave you with a quote “There is a divine spiritual assignment in every being”. Think about this and what it means to you and the connections and relationships you make in life. There is a higher reason for every person that you meet and every relationship you partake in.

<3 Live, Love, Miracles

Don’t forget to visit Gabby at gabbyb.tv and her social networking site herfuture.com (this site is full of amazing women wanting to help you). Also check out her two fab books: Spirit Junkie and Add more ~ing to your life!

Marci Shimoff: Day 3 of the Big Fat Lies Summit, SUCCESS

You probably recognize that name. Marci was a huge part of "Chicken Soup for the Soul" as well as "The Secret". She even has her own two bestselling books.
And so day two began with a big fat lie. One that is so common I bet everyone has used it. I'm guilty for sure. Have you ever said to yourself "I'll be happy when... I get that job or that house or that soul mate"? Sure you have. We all do. And it's a big fat lie. You won't be happy then either if you're not happy now. There will always be something more that you want even when it seems you have it all. This happened to me. I got to a place in my life where I had everything I ever wanted. But it still didn't seem to be enough. I wasn't happy because true happiness has nothing to do with the outside world. Inner happiness is true happiness. Marci says all we need to be happy are the mere essentials. After that, we will always want more and more. More money, more beauty, more success. And when it comes to success, she says, inner happiness is what makes a person successful not the other way around. Something to think about.

Then she gave us some statistics from Forbes Magazine. 40% of the wealthiest people are more depressed than the average person. Happy people make about 1 million dollars more than unhappy people over their lifetimes. Being happy and radiating love is what makes you more successful. Having this inside of you is the highest energy for manifestation. That means that the more you love and share happiness the more you will be able to manifest more happiness and love. It makes sense. You bring about what you think about.

Here are some practices that Marci gave us for getting in touch with your true happiness.
1. Inner ease. This is a breathing meditation where you touch your heart and really try to get in tune with it while relaxing and breathing.
2. Practice self love. Ask yourself at some point during the day what the most loving this is you could do for yourself in that moment. Then do it! Maybe it's go for a walk or do a short meditation at your desk.
3. Forgiveness. Forgiving yourself and others is the most powerful tool you can have in your tool belt. A Kahuna Hawaiian practice that is well known around the globe for purification is this: Repeat the following to directed at yourself or someone else: "I'm sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you. I love you." Marci shared her own story of using this tool to reconnect with her sister after a fight they had. The results were tremendous. Try forgiving someone today and I promise you will feel much lighter.

In conclusion, success will not bring you happiness. Happiness will bring you success. If there is something holding you back in your career, raise your energy by raising your happiness level. Be present. Don't put off your happiness until later. If you are not happy now in the present, you won't be in the future either. Remember that you don't have to be lost. You can ask for a miracle to change the way you perceive happiness and your life.

Live, love, and expect miracles <3

Day 2 continued: Shakaya Leone

And so day 2 wraps up with Shakaya Leone who insists that “Beauty is your essence embodied”. I wasn’t so sure that I understood what that meant when she first said it. But then she continued to state that beauty is not skin deep and it started to make more sense. Beauty isn’t only about your physical looks. Beauty is your essence (soul) radiating (or not) depending on how well you take care of yourself. True beauty can be masked without the proper mental and physical health that we all need to thrive.

Building on what Dr. Lissa spoke about in the previous call, Shakay agrees that it is critical that we listen to our bodies. A zit that pops up on your big day is not random. It’s your body trying to tell you something. Maybe you are too stressed or are eating too many processed foods. LISTEN!

Here is Shakaya’s breakdown of the face (which is actually a map of your internal organs)

A long face = longevity

Nose = your heart. A red or swollen nose may correlate directly to your heart muscles.

Eyes = your true health

Eyebrows = adrenal glands (your immune system and nervous system). Thinning eyebrows may indicate a weaker immune system.

Eyebags (bags under your eyes): kidneys (may indicate you are eating too much sugar or salt)

Frownlines: the left side is associated with your spleen (not standing your ground or being overly emotional) and the right with your liver (think overeating, being angry, or not getting enough sleep)

Hair: overall vitality (your diet)

Cheeks: lungs (note how smokers have sunken cheeks)

Tongue: nervous system

So for me, all of this was a bit over the top. Sure I can see why a zit would mean you are stressed or eating too much fried foods, but the other stuff may be a reach. I would love to think that you really can tell from your face what your organs are feeling, but I need more proof. This is definitely something I will need to do extra research on.

All in all, you can’t take care of others if you do not take care of yourself. Exquisite self care, is what Shakaya calls it. Eating raw for instance is so good for your body that it connects directly to abundance, as she says. You can take good care of yourself through: joy, food, water, work (having meaning), relationships, exercise, and rest. This along with the following are a recipe for a wonderful, healthy life: Reflect (connect to your true self), release (declutter, detox, simplify), receive (love and abundance), relaxation, renewal, and revel (celebrate).

Take what you will from all of this. But know that you can’t possibly have a healthy mind without a healthy body. Your body is what holds your spirit and your love. You would not be without your temple (body). I am a strong believer in eating a plant-based diet. I am vegetarian and am working hard to try to keep a vegan lifestyle as well. If you treat your body well it will be good to you in return. Sugar, caffeine, processed foods, meat, and dairy are all things that hurt your body and work against you. Many of them have been directly linked to diseases that kill millions. Listen, I could go on forever about this but we will save it for another post. In the meantime, look into ‘Crazy, Sexy, Diet’ by Kris Carr. And ask for a miracle. Ask the universe to help you shift your thinking to better focus on a healthy body.

Can’t wait for day 3: Marci Shimoff and Michelle Villalobos speak about success!

<3Live, love, and expect miracles!

Day 1 with Lisa Nichols

Lisa is a bestselling author and coach. You may recognize her name from 'The Secret', 'Chicken Soup for the Soul', Oprah, or her many other appearances and projects.

She began the call today by stating that many people are too wrapped up in what they don't want and what they are trying to avoid that that's what they end up manifesting. "Negative thoughts take physical energy out of the body". Focus on what you do want to create. Focus with clarity and detail about the things that you want to manifest into your life. Give those things all of your attention. This is where it gets tricky because you can't focus on the fact that you do not have whatever it is you want because then you will continue to stay in a place of not having. Make sense? I make a conscious effort to NOT focus on what I do not want. But this is especially hard when you have an inner mean girl in your head. To that Lisa says that you have to train your positive muscles like you would any other muscles. That way when you do have a breakdown you'll be able to bounce back up with no problem. Speaking of breakdowns Lisa says "If you're not having breakdowns, you're not playing big enough". Go for the gold! Reach higher and higher to become better and more successful. And then when you reach a breakdown climbing that ladder to ultimate success, she tells you to really go through each breakdown, feel the feelings, and use the opportunity to learn something about yourself. There is nothing that you can go through that has the power to break you. Only you can break you.

Isn't that true! It's all about how we perceive and choose to view each situation. This change in perception is what A Course in Miracles would call a MIRACLE! And it truly is because you're mind is so powerful that if you can change the way you view a situation, you can ultimately change the situation as well! This is when change begins to happen, as Lisa says, when your mind reaches for something higher. Something on a deeper and higher spiritual level.

For me the most important lesson that Lisa taught was that when life give you lemons, make lemonade. Don't ask why me? Or how could this happen to me? Ask what am I to learn here? What part of me is being challenged? This simple change in perception brings you one miracle closer to true happiness.


Until day 2..... Live, Love, and expect miracles!

10 days to stop the big fat lies

There is something amazing happening in the next 10 days. Some of the most talented motivational speakers are coming together to share their knowledge with all of us for FREE! This is the Big Fat Lies Summit organized by Amy Ahlers, The Wake Up Call Coach.
So what is this all about? This is about women getting together and getting real about the big fat lies that they we are all telling ourselves. You know what I mean. "Oh, I am not good enough for that job or that raise. I am a disappointment to my family and loved ones. I will never find love. I am not smart enough to open a business." And the list goes on. Amy and her team are dedicated to helping us recognize those big fat lies, bring them into our consciousness, and then work through them. Learn how to stop beating yourself up and start loving yourself for all that you are and all that you can be.
The reason I am pumped for this is because of the amazing line up of speakers!!

From www.bigfatliessummit.com:

• Big Fat Lies About Self-Worth: SARK & Lisa Nichols
• Big Fat Lies About Body and Self-Care: Dr. Lissa Rankin & Shakaya Leone
• Big Fat Lies About Love & Relationships: Arielle Ford & Carol Allen
• Big Fat Lies About Money: Karen Russo & Alexis Martin Neely
• Big Fat Lies About Success: Marci Shimoff & Michelle Villalobos
• Big Fat Lies About Being Authentic: Shiloh Sophia McCloud & Dyana Valentine
• Big Fat Lies About Spirit: Gabrielle Bernstein & Claire Zammit
• BONUS SESSION: Big Fat Lies MOMS tell themselves: Kristine Carlson
• BONUS SESSION: Big Fat Lies about MEN: Mike Robbins, Noah Martin, Chris Kyle
• Your Inner Superstar Awakened: Samantha Bennett & Christine Arylo
• FINALE: Amy Ahlers LIVE, INTERACTIVE Call to bust through any remaining Big Fat Lies!

This amazing self love summit starts today so register now at www.bigfatliessummit.com to listen to the calls for free. You have access to each call for 24 hours after it starts. Should you want to purchase all the calls and transcripts and other goodies you can do so at www.bigfatliessummit.com/party

I will be blogging about each of the calls with any additional info I can provide and with my own experiences and opinions. Comments welcomed!

I will leave you with this quote from Samantha Bennett from last night's intro call "I am not interested in complaining about my life. I'm interested in changing the world." may we all live by that each day. 

Live, love, and expect miracles!


P.S. I am not in any way related to the summit. i just thought it would neat to blog about the summit and my experiences. 

Love, The Universe, and your ~ing

Good morning!

My last post was very general so I hope this one gets into a little more detail and sort of sets the path for future posts. As I spoke about yesterday, Gabrielle Bernstein is a true teacher for me. She has really opened my eyes to what our lives can and should be. Gabby is a teacher of "A Course in Miracles". ACIM is a metaphysical text that helps guide the student back to love and away from fear and negativity. I currently have ACIM on stand by as I finish Gabby's most recent book "Spirit Junkie". The gist of what teachers like Gabby and Marianne Williamson (also a teacher of ACIM) speak about is that when we were born we where whole. We were pure, had no fears, and knew how to love. As we grew, fear was instilled into us and we began to turn our backs on love and focus more on the fear in our lives. I admit it is very difficult after many years of worrying, fearing, judging, and hating to just flip a switch and start loving everyone and everything. It takes time, energy, and focus. But the it is a rewarding process full of gratitude and happiness. Mother Teresa says, "If you judge people you have no time to judge them." practice this and I promise you will start to shift your mind set and change your mood.

Another key aspect that Gabby speaks about (which really resonated with me) is surrendering yourself to the Universe, Gd, Holy Spirit, or whoever/whatever you feel a connection with. What this means is that you acknowledge that the Universe has a plan for you. Sure, you get to make decisions and choose some paths, but there is a bigger plan. You have a purpose. Once you surrender yourself and your planning, Gd has the opportunity to take over and guide you on the best path for you. If something in your life is not working out the way you had hoped, you have to believe that there is something better coming. The Universe has your back (as Gabby would say). Honestly, once I started practicing that, saying that to myself, and meditating on it, my life changed. Suddenly I got the job I wanted, the house, the people, and most importantly there was an attitude adjustment.

The last thing I want to talk about right now is your inner guide (~ing, from Gabby B.). This is your inner voice that has all the answers. You never have to be afraid and you never have to wonder. You just have to ask, surrender, and then listen.This is best done through meditation. Sitting quietly and letting your mind be still will allow you to hear your inner voice and receive messages from the Universe. The more you practice this the better you will be at it. I suggest Gabby's guided meditations for beginners. These can be found on iTunes.

Those three key points (love, the Universe having your back, and your inner guide) are only the beginning as you can imagine. however, it's a great start and anyone would benefit from practicing these.

Stay tuned, much more to come about the ego, your health, tapping, miracles, meditation, and SO much more!

Live, love, and expect miracles today <3

Check out Gabby's Website and the books below!

The beginning. . .

After my freshman year at a collge in NYC, i decided to move back home and go to a local university. This was sort of the beginning of my search for something more in life. I was unsure what I wanted to study and unsure of my true purpose. And so I began reading many of the books written by Rabbi Kushner (Living a Life that Matters, The Lord is Our Shepard, etc.). My readings helped me build a relationship to Gd and religion but at the tender age of 19 that wasn't enough (or what I was really looking for). Pursuing an accounting degree began to take over and I didn't continue my "search" until my senior year when I read "The Secret".


I felt an instant connection to the teachings and the idea that what you think about you bring about. It was revolutionary, for me. I read and reread the book, watched the movie, and listened to the book on CD off and on for years. I truly believe that it was with those tools that I successfully manifested certain experiences and people into my life. But for me it wasn't a way of life it was just a way to potentially get what I wanted at that time. It didn't necessarily mean happiness. And so I searched for more yet again.


That is when I found Gabrielle Bernstein (author, motivational speaker, and miracle creator). She came at just the right time (the teacher appears when the student is ready). My husband had just separated from the United States Air Force after 6 years and we moved back to our home town. We were excited, happy, but scared about the job market, taking on a mortgage, and adjusting to our new life. And so I opened an Elle magazine and started a new life.


I will go into more Gabby detail in later posts but let me just say that her two books are MUST READS. "Add more ~ing to your life" is a great introduction into happiness, love, miracles, and meditation. While "Spirit Junkie" digs a little deeper into Gabby's personal quest and gives you a better understanding of how to live a miracle-full life.


More on both of these books and many more in later posts. Stay tuned and get inspired to live, love, and expect miracles <3