Aspire Oct/Nov 2013 - Honoring Your Inner Voice by Aspire Magazine

SEPTEMBER 10 – DECEMBER 5, 2013

WITH LINDA JOY

EMBRACE

The Truth Of Who You Are

DISCOVER

Your Soul’s Purpose

LOVE

Christy Whitman

Leonie Dawson

Christine Kloser

Laura Hollick

Michelle Phillips

Lisa Marie Rosati

Inna Segal

Margaret Paul

Lone March

Jodi Chapman

Tess Marshall

Jill Hope

Unconditionally, Including Yourself

THRIVE In Your Mission FULFILL Your Deepest Desires CONNECT

With Your Passion And Purpose

CREATE The Life You Envision HEAL Your Story ALIGN With Universal Energy HONOR Your Body ACCEPT Your Brilliance EXPERIENCE

Enhanced Relationships

TRUST Your Inner Wisdom

24 VISIONARY WOMEN

SHARE THEIR HEART-CENTERED WISDOM FOR THRIVING IN YOUR LIFE AND BUSINESS

Karen Russo

Kim Sarrasin

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Elizabeth Purvis

Kristine Carlson

Ann Webb

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CONTENTS On the Cover

OCTOBER | NOVEMBER 2013 HONORING YOUR INNER VOICE Wisdom & Self-Growth 18 13 Things fearless people do differently by Tess Marshall No matter where you are in your life, you can act your way out of a fearful situation. You can thrive. If being bold and courageous is something that interests you, here’s 13 things fearless people do differently.

Lisa Marie Rosati Meet Passionista and Inner Goddess Catalyst Lisa Marie Rosati in an intimate interview. Lisa is the founder and Visionary Creatrix of The Goddess Lifestyle Plan and Sugar Free Goddess and coauthor of the international best-selling book – “Embracing Your Authentic Self.”

22 Change your beliefs - change your reality by Christy Whitman We create from our beliefs – whether we are consciously aware of it or not. Through our beliefs we broadcast a pathway of energy toward one of an infinite number of possible futures. When we shift an internal belief, we shift more than just our mental state. We create a shift in consciousness,

www.AspireMAG.net | October / November 2013

in energy, and in the reality that in every moment we are in the process of creating. 26 Living the big stuff™: hearing the Language of your heart by Kristine Carlson Amidst change and transition our mind can become cluttered with fear and worry about what is ahead. A worried mind will never bring our best solution to the table and certainly not one worth paying attention to. In fact, until you can quiet your mind, you will not be able to hear the wisdom and true intelligence of your heart. Kristine shares three ways to clear the pathway from your heart to your head.

CONTENTS

30 take that risk sometimes the grass is greener over there by Krisit Blicharski We’ve been conditioned to feel we’re wrong or misguided when we dare to think the grass is greener over there, but the truth is, sometimes it IS! There are no mistakes in taking risks. There are only opportunities for growth and learning. If your inner-voice has been telling you it’s time for a change, to pursue that dream, to leave that relationship, to move on from that energydraining job, move to that new beautiful place… do it!

“Intuition is really a sudden immersion of the soul into the universal current of life.” Paulo coelho

34 give it up by Shannon Kaiser If we spend our time worrying about every outcome, life cannot flow or happen to us. When we seek to control, grasp, and manipulate situations, we essentially hide from our true purpose and connection to ourselves. If our desire in life is to play and relax into fun, then we must learn to let go and embrace every change. The universe wants to give us all the things we desire but we need to do our part and let go. 38 how to tame your monkey mind by Shann Vander Leek In How to Tame Your Monkey Mind, Transformation Goddess, Shann Vander Leek shares four steps to silence your inner critic. Shann will show you how you can become the mistress of your inner voice and quiet your monkey mind.

42 simply... empowered! trust is the seat of the soul by Crystal Andrus No matter what you’ve gone through in your life—and no matter how painful it was—you can make the choice to align your personality with your soul and become. You can surrender and let the Universe shower its love upon you! It begins by taming fear, for once you begin to silence the sound of your ego, you’ll begin to hear your true voice . . . that of your higher self. It’s then that you must believe and truly trust in yourself, for when you do, you’ll be able to start opening up and letting others see you for who you really are.

CONTENTS 46 awaken the goddess within: 7 tips to honoring your inner wisdom by Mary E. Pritchard, Ph.D., HHC We all receive intuitive nudging from the Universe through gentle prods, guidance, and life crises, but many of us bury our truth until we are hit with the Cosmic 2x4. Psychology Professor and Holistic Health Counselor Mary E. Pritchard shares the soul awakening that shook her to her core and woke her up to her truth.

“Intuition is a sense of knowing how to act spontaneously, without needing to know why.” sylvia clare

being with an incredible power within you. The same power that puts leaves on trees and the sun in the sky. Your mind is connected to the Universal mind that contains all the answers you seek. Your current reality is clouded over by emotional debris from your life experiences but you can move through it.

50 discover the life recovery formula™: self care + self worth + happiness = recovery by Mal Duane Do you sometimes wake up frozen with a fear of being grossly inadequate or asking yourself why am I so unhappy? Well the reality is you were born a perfect divine

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56 colorscope by Elizabeth Harper Colorscope is a unique system designed to stimulate your intuitive skills. By choosing the color you are most drawn to you actively access the wisdom of your subconscious and the voice of your soul.

CONTENTS Health & Wellness

60 interview with inner goddess catalyst lisa marie rosati by Linda Joy Meet Passionista and Inner Goddess Catalyst Lisa Marie Rosati in an intimate interview. Lisa is the founder and Visionary Creatrix of The Goddess Lifestyle Plan and Sugar Free Goddess and co-author of the international best-selling

“When you expand your awareness, seemingly random events will be seen to fit into a larger purpose..” Deepak chopra

book – “Embracing Your Authentic Self.” Lisa passionately mentors women around the world on how to become a Modern Day Goddess by consciously designing how to get their health back, balance their feminine and masculine energies, ignite the fire within their souls and live a luscious goddess life filled with passion, radiant health, entrepreneurial success and prosperity. 66 Living the goddess lifestyle: a modern day goddess must! by Lisa Marie Rosati A Modern Day Goddess is nice to herself because her soul resides there. When you begin a practice of honoring your soul, you begin to get to know who you are as a Modern Day Goddess. You begin to feed the parts of yourself calling out for nourishment and find

yourself turning inward for the answers you yearn for instead of searching for outside validation. Inner Goddess Catalyst Lisa Marie shares ten of her favorite ways to nourish herself. 64 The Wise Woman Way: the wise healer within by Susan Weed Are you in touch with your Wise Healer Within? Would you like to be? Anyone can do it. Everyone has a Wise Healer Within. Some people call this entity “intuition,” or “body wisdom,” or even “my higher power.” Susun walks you through a Shamanic Journey within to empower you to tune into your Wise Healer Within.

CONTENTS Relationships 70 live, love and laugh after loss by Christina Rasmussen Everyone who has gone

through a profound loss has the ability to shift his or her approach to life in such a way that a new life is possible. Discovering and building your own new life is up to you. It is never too late . . . or too soon. And you are never too old. Put aside any beliefs you may hold about grief and living life after loss. You can live as you grieve, and you can move forward when you’re scared and shift when you want to stay the same. Be compassionate and gentle with yourself, embrace the

“Built into you is an internal guidance system that shows you the way home. All you need to do is heed the voice.” Neale Donald Walsch

truth of where you are, and take time to reflect on both your grief thoughts and life thoughts. When you realize that grief can mean two worlds co-existing—the old and the new—you will start seeing the life that is standing right in front of you. 70 magnificent love affairs are created - not found by Stacey Martino Most of us come with a preconceived notion that we are going to FALL in love and then stay in love. The truth is lasting love is created day by day and like any other part of our lives, it takes work and a powerful set of tools to create magnificence. Being in love, staying in love, going deeper into love, cultivating a heightened passion, living a life of magnificence – none of that will happen TO you. You must create a sacred space in your relationship to create it!

www.AspireMAG.net | October / November 2013

73 three simple steps to building confidence in your child by Jill Hope Confidence is such an essential quality in living a happy, successful life. Confident people are more likely to ask for what they want, and tend to do it in a way that gets a positive response. By providing your child with choices, helping her speak in a manner that cultivates a sense of responsibility over her feelings, and encouraging her to do the things she is more than capable of doing for herself, you will gradually give your child experiences that will lead to greater self-confidence.

CONTENTS Career | Business 80 Growing your business with heart centered social media by Stacey Hoffer Weckstein Heart-centered social media is rooted in the feminine conscious business principle of collaboration. It overflows with gratitude, generosity, active listening, and authenticity. It creates opportunities to build deep connections + powerful relationships with ideal clients around the world by honoring the inner soul of your business and bringing that spirit into your social media marketing. It honors your heart, allows you

“If prayer is you talking to God, then intuition is God talking to you.” Dr. Wayne Dyer

to be authentically seen, and embraces the law of attraction to connect you with your ideal clients and to find win-win partners for your business. 80 Doing business like a goddess: Let go to grow! by Elizabeth Purvis In the third excerpt of Elizabeth’s column series she shares the third concept of doing business like a Goddess which is you must let go to grow. If you find yourself in any version of “stuck” – be it with something you’re manifesting, something you want to shift, an old trigger that comes up again and again, or not getting the results you want in your business – there is SOMETHING you’re holding onto. Elizabeth shares some simple yet powerful strategies to let go of what is no longer working.

Pa ssio n Ac + C tio ons n ist + A Ad ent b ap ilit t = y t o Re sul ts

86 the role of passion in your business by Sandra Martini Let me assure you that I believe passion is important in anything we do — from running our business to nurturing our relationships and raising our children. Everywhere we turn, we’re told “do what you love and the money will follow” or “follow your passion”. However, from a business perspective, passion, no matter how ardent, without the business and marketing practices to back it up, will, sadly, make your business yet another failed statistic. It’s avoidable. The choice is yours.

CONTENTS 90 inspired to write? saying “yes” to your inner voice: mary pritchard’s remarkable journey with her muse by Lisa Tener Dr. Mary Pritchard spent 9 months researching her book when her inner voice told her, “You’re writing the wrong book!” Yikes. Here’s how she rebounded from the surprising revelation and went on to attract interest from four agents.

n’t be This ca have right. I e sted nin not wa of my months ding a life buil for the m r o f t pla ook! wrong b

“Truth is not something outside to be discovered, it is something inside to be realized.” Osho

80 the introverts guide to succeeding in business (+Life!) by Leonie Dawson In this delightful and insightful article, visionary business leader, author and mentor Leonie Dawson shares seven empowering tips for introverts to succeed in business. From building on your successes to trusting your gut + going big in your own glorious, wild, wacky, introverted, weird way, Leonie’s openness will inspire you to stay true to your own self and your own spirit as you build a successful business.

LINDA JOY

Publisher & Editor-In-Chief | Linda@aspiremag.net

Creative & Brand Direction || Rachel dunham | www.HummingbirdCreativeConcepts.com Editorial Layout || Mandy Gates | www.GruveDesign.com Graphic Designer || MANDY GATES | www.GruveDesign.com COO || Kim Turcotte | www.SoulPurposeBusinessSolutions.com Mailing Address || P.O. Box 1149 | Lakeville, MA 02347 | 508.265.7929 ADVERTISING || Email Linda@aspiremag.net Mission to inspire info <Click HERE>

www.AspireMAG.net | October / November 2013

EXPERT COLUMNISTS CRYSTAL ANDRUS Simply... Empowered!

KRISTINE CARLSON Living the Big Stuff TM

Crystal Andrus is a leader in the field of self-discovery and personal transformation. From a tough beginning—she has risen to become a best-selling Hay House author, international speaker, women’s health advocate, spokesperson for Haylo Health, and Founder of The SWAT Institute. Crystal’s message is one of resilience, strength and inner power. www.CrystalAndrus.com www.SWATInstitute.com

An unyielding believer of Living the Big StuffTM and not sweating the small stuff in order to experience true happiness in life, as a bestselling author and inspirational speaker Kristine Carlson continues to expand on the phenomenal success of her late husband, Dr. Richard Carlson, beloved author of the Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff series. www.KristineCarlson.com www.DontSweatMoms.com

ELIZABETH HARPER ColorScope

ELIZABETH PURVIS Doing Business Like a Goddess

Elizabeth Harper is an internationally acclaimed teacher, intuitive, healer, and the author of the award winning book Wishing: How to Fulfill Your Hearts Desires. Elizabeth is on the faculty at the highly acclaimed Omega Institute in Rhineback, NY and is invited to speak around the world. www.SealedwithLove.com

Elizabeth Purvis shows spirit-led, missiondriven women how to price, package and market their services so they create extraordinary income and impact. Known for blending heart-centered sales, Internet marketing, spiritual principles and Universal Law, Elizabeth delivers simple ways for her clients to double or triple revenues by creating multiple streams of income and enrolling ideal clients at higher fees. www.MarketingGoddess.com

LISA MARIE ROSATI Living the Goddess LifeStyleTM

LISA TENER Inspired to Write?

Passionista Lisa Marie Rosati is an Inner Goddess Catalyst for women and the Creatrix of The Goddess Lifestyle Plan. Lisa mentors women on how become a Modern Day Goddess by consciously designing a luscious Goddess life, cultivating radiant health and creating a lucrative business using and directing their feminine fire. www.GoddessLifestylePlan.com

An award-winning authority on writing and publishing books, Lisa Tener guides you to joyfully express yourself in writing. She blogs for the Huffington Post, serves on the faculty of Harvard Medical School’s publishing course, and teaches her own Award Winning Book Writing Courses in person and by interactive teleseminar. www.LisaTener.com

SUSUN WEED The Wise Woman Way

Susun Weed is an internationally renowned herbalist, author, and director of the Wise Woman Center in New York. She is a revered voice of the Wise Woman Tradition, where women’s bodies and women’s emotions are valued. Susun is a founding grandmother of the herbal renaissance and the originator of the concept of complementary medicine. www.SusunWeed.com

FEATURED CONTRIBUTORS

christina rasmussen

mal duane

Christy Whitman

Mary E. Pritchard, Ph.D.. HHC sandra martini

stacey hoffer weckstein

stacey martino

YOUR WISDOM! WITH OUR READERS

Jill hope

Kristi blicharski

leonie dawson

shann vander leek

shannon kaiser

tess marshall

www.AspireMAG.net | October / November 2013

LETTER EDITOR

FROM THE

”Once a woman becomes aware of forces that influence her, she gains the power that knowledge provides.”” jean shinoda bolen

Welcome to the October/November 2013 “Honoring Your Inner Voice” issue! Each of us has access to the wisest counsel of all – that still, small voice within all of us that feels authentic, powerful and true. When you learn to listen to and honor your inner wisdom you expand the field of possibility, increases synchronicities and strengthen your faith and belief in yourself. You’ll also notice greater bursts of creativity, improved physical wellbeing, and a heart filled with joy. In an intimate interview with Inner Goddess Catalyst Lisa Marie Rosati, (cover) Lisa shares a beautiful quote “If your soul is tugging at you to step up…, I urge you to listen. The world needs you to honor and OWN your energetic space” and shares what it means to own her truth. Along with Lisa’s in-depth interview, you’ll discover nuggets of wisdom, hope and inspiration throughout the Honoring Your Inner Voice issue of Aspire. From Christy Whitman’s Change Your Beliefs- Change Your Reality to The Introverts Guide to Succeeding in Business and Life by Leonie Dawson you’ll find empowering articles to support and inspire you on your journey of self-empowerment and self-love.

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Wisdom – Love – Inspiration! Season 3 of Inspired Living Secrets

sacred telegathering is underway and I’m honored to be joined by 24 heart-centered feminine leaders, authors and business visionaries who have joined me to share their wisdom. Register today to receive thousands in complimentary gifts from our Sacred Sponsors and speakers.

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LINDA JOY Publisher & Editor-In-Chief | Linda@aspiremag.net

Here’s What I’m Reading Right Now...

FROM MY BOOKSHELF

Sacred Contracts: Awakening Your Divine Potential By Caroline Myss I first read Sacred Contracts well over ten years ago and recently, after the book kept coming up in many conversations, I decided to follow Universe’s nudge to read it again. It’s a must read for those with the desire to discover and fulfill your divine potential.

www.AspireMAG.net | October / November 2013

WISDOM & SELF-GROWTH

bigger than negativity and fear. Tap into it, master it and you’ll make the right decisions for yourself and your life.”

Read Online!

Access the Feminine Power

of Intuition

“The intuitive power within you is

Lisa Marie Rosati

by lisa michaels

Learning to listen to the wisdom and guidance in Nature can increase your intuitive awareness and insights to direct you in every area of life. Opening to the wisdom of the natural elements offers a unique opportunity to access the feminine power of intuition. When you connect with nature and respect and honor its presence in your life, you increase your ability to open and expand the field of possibility. Nature offers us direct access to the wisdom of the elemental archetypes of Earth, Water, Air, Fire, and Spirit.

EARTH:

Physical Realm

Emotional Realm

CHECK OUT MORE ONLINE!

AspireMag.net

l Live & Virtua

WATER:

UPCOMING EVENTS

AIR:

Mental Realm FIRE:

Action Realm

SPIRIT:

Flows Through & Connects All Elements

Inspired Living Secrets: Season 3 || DETAILS! 24 Visionary Women – Thousands in Free Gifts – Free Access International Association of Conscious and Creative Writers || DETAILS! Publisher Linda Joy interviewed on Authenticity & Collaboration

13 Things Fearless People

Do Differently F By tess marshall

earless people succeed because they think, speak and act differently than those who stay stuck and make excuses.

People ask me all the time how I became bold and courageous. There are a couple of reasons. I was one of 10 children; number six from the top. As a young child, I learned to speak up and take action in order to get my needs met. By the time I was 22 years old, I was married and already a mom with four daughters. I traded my freedom for a ton of responsibility, without thinking much about it. I grew up

very quickly. It took a lot of guts, courage and determination. Today, I have a wonderful family and a massive amount of experience with living fearlessly. No matter where you are in your life, you can act your way out of a fearful situation. You can thrive. If being bold and courageous is something that interests you, hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what fearless people do differently.

www.AspireMAG.net | October / November 2013

Don’t hide how you feel. Don’t pretend. Be who you are. Face and embrace your fear. Let your uniqueness shine. Being real is very attractive.

Learn from failure. When you mess up, learn from your mistake and try again. There is no reason to be ashamed, embarrassed or fearful. Failure builds character. It creates epic tales of grand adventure. Failure leads to freedom. Fail your way to success. The sooner the better.

Challenge convention.

Speak up. Don’t be afraid to be heard. State your opinion. Take a stand. Let others know who you are and what you’re all about. You count. You matter. Fearless people know that!

Take action. The wisdom and knowledge you have won’t count for much until you put it into action. Don’t read another book. Embrace fear. Act. Don’t go to another conference. Act. Put your dream on your daily to-do-list.

Do what it takes.

Don’t be afraid to go against the grain. Leo Babauta of Zen Habits, told me a few years ago that his plan is to do the opposite of what everyone else is doing. He recently lowered the price of his Sea Change Program from $26 to $10 a month.

Take risks. Do the things you’re afraid to do. Dare. Go after what you want. Don’t spend your time over-thinking or over-analyzing. Don’t hold back; ask for support. Bet on yourself.

Connect with others. Really connect. Get away from your electronics and connect face-to-face. Check in with people. Listen for what others need;

Ask for help. Ask someone to mentor you. Ask for direction. Ask for what you want, when you want it. Most people love to help others.

Wisdom & Self-Growth

Be authentic, scared and vulnerable.

meet those needs. Go the extra mile without expecting a thing in return.

If the answer is “no”, ask someone else. Fearless people are good at asking for and receiving help. Fearful people stop after one rejection.

Learn to trust yourself. Keep the commitments you make to yourself and others. Do what you say you’re going to do. Write down your promises so you don’t forget them. Follow through. When you can trust yourself, you’re more likely to trust others.

Learn new skills. Learn to enjoy challenges. When I wanted to be a better parent, I took parenting classes. When I decided to be a professional speaker, I joined Toastmasters. Currently, I’m taking a class called “Leveraging Up”. It will take me to the next level both personally and professionally.

Expect the best. Expect to succeed. Believe it will happen. Create a mental movie with an amazing ending. What if you believed the best is yet to come? How would you feel and what would you do today?

Don’t give up Try again. Brainstorm solutions. Do something different. Look for the lesson. Look at the problem from a different perspective. Take a break and begin again. Go beyond the fear of not succeeding. Never give up. Never. Read Online!

Tess Marshall, M.A. - A fear-shattering, risk taker, author, and courage coach with a master’s degree in counseling psychology. You’ll find her books and new e-Course, “30 Days of Bold” at her blog The Bold Life.

Shrink your fear. Take your power back. Stand tall. Look fear in the eye. Mentally see it get smaller and smaller. See yourself get taller and taller. Hold your head up high, pull your shoulders back and act confident. Soon you’ll feel that way too!

www.AspireMAG.net | October / November 2013

re our soul’s “Our dreams a eposts on directional guid They don’t where to head. r how. Neither dictate when o should we.” Chan Dr. Alice

Wisdom & Self-Growth

Change Your

Beliefs;

Change Your

Reality by Christy Whitman

he difference between getting what we want and spending years complaining about the fact that we don’t yet have it often boils down to one fundamental question: Will we get into action toward the outcome we desire, or will we be held back by our limiting beliefs about why we can’t achieve it or don’t deserve it? As a Law of Attraction coach who has worked for over a decade helping people realize goals in all aspects of their lives, I have come to understand the primary mechanism

that determines whether we take the path of action or the path of resignation. That mechanism is our beliefs. When we believe that our actions will lead to success; we take them – usually without hesitation and with great excitement. But if we have even a sneaking suspicion that our actions will lead to failure, we are likely to remain stuck. Our core beliefs – about ourselves, about other people, and about the world itself – may be invisible to the eye, but they color our perception of everything

we see. For example, if we have a core belief that we are inadequate or that resources around us are scarce, this belief will filter the infinite number of experiences that could unfold at virtually every moment and bring to our awareness only those that confirm what we already believe to be true. Instead of seeing evidence of abundance around us – abundance of love, of laughter, of creativity, of energy – our beliefs will magnetize to us evidence of lack. The scariest thing about our core beliefs is that most of the time they

than the one that is currently showing up, we can be sure that the unwanted circumstance is an outer reflection of an inner belief we are holding about ourselves. How do I know this? Limiting beliefs about ourselves – such as Because there is no end to the amount of “I am unlovable,” “I am unworthy,” or “No love, of prosperity, of joy, happiness, laughter one understands me” can almost always or abundance in the universe in which we live. be traced to things we experienced early in The only factor that our lives that we determines how lacked the maturity much or how little to understand. If of these things we permit these Friends are familiar; they’ve we experience beliefs to remain is how much we unexamined by heard all our stories and, allow ourselves to our wiser adult receive. Negative minds, decadesfor the most part at least, beliefs are like a old conclusions dam in the river. will continue they accept our beliefs. To increase the to inform our flow we don’t present-moment Friends commiserate, need to add more perceptions – and whereas a coach challenges water; we need the 5-year-old only to remove the who interpreted our thinking and questions log. This is where Dad’s lack of a coach can be attentiveness to our previously unchecked of tremendous mean that she value in helping us was unworthy assumptions. achieve our goals. of attention will continue to run the Talking with a show of our lives coach is radically from behind the different than talking with a friend. Friends are scenes. There is a bit of similarity between familiar; they’ve heard all our stories and, for the disempowering beliefs we hold about the most part at least, they accept our ourselves and the moss that grows on the beliefs. Friends commiserate, underside of a rock. They gain strength whereas a coach challenges in the darkness, in the privacy of our own our thinking and questions unexpressed thoughts. But the moment we our previously unchecked expose those outdated thoughts to the sun assumptions. A coach and examine them in the light of day, they holds us accountable to lose the grip they once had on our emotions the outer experiences and therefore our actions – freeing us to take we are committed to more evolved and more inspired actions. creating by helping us dismantle the internal Any time we are living some aspect of our beliefs that are blocking us lives in a way that is unfulfilling; when there is from experiencing it. someplace where we desire a different result operate on auto-pilot, without our conscious awareness.

www.AspireMAG.net | October / November 2013

1 2 3

The next time you are feeling any type of negative emotion (frustration, sadness, resignation, etc.) in relation to something you want to create, close your eyes and tune into your internal dialog, as this will lead you to the underlying belief that directly opposes the goal you are trying to achieve. When you hear the underlying belief, write it down. Read this statement to yourself out loud, and feel the energy of it as you do. What emotions are triggered as you think this thought? For example, I recently caught myself in the midst of a belief that “Life is hard.” As I repeated these words to myself, I could feel the heaviness of it, felt like my creativity was being smothered in a blanket of apathy. Now, having identified the thoughts and feelings associated with this disempowering belief, consciously search your mind and heart for a thought that feels better – even slightly better. Often, the fastest way to do this is to simply recall a time in your life when you had evidence to the contrary. My “Life is hard” belief I challenged by deliberately recalling the sensation of falling in love, of things working out just right, of having a great day or effortlessly coming across something I had been looking for. Almost instantly I felt a sense of lightness and relief.

Once you are anchored in a higher feeling place, re-examine the old belief from this new perspective, and allow yourself to edit it in whatever way you choose. Going back to the previous example, I rewrote “Life is hard” to “Life is a gift.” From there, ask yourself what one action you could take that would be a living demonstration and proof of your now more evolved belief. This will become your new point of attraction.

We create from our beliefs – whether we are consciously aware of it or not. Through our beliefs we broadcast a pathway of energy toward one of an infinite number of possible futures. When we shift an internal belief, we shift more than just our mental state. We create a shift in consciousness, in energy, and in the reality that in every moment we are in the process of creating.

Read Online!

Christy Whitman - A New York Times Bestselling Author of Taming Your Alpha Bitch: How To Be Fierce and Feminine (and Get Everything You Want!), CEO and founder of the Quantum Success Coaching AcademyTM, a 12-month Law of Attraction coaching certification program, and creator of the Enlightened Kid Program. Christy’s life-changing message reaches over 100,000 people a month and she has been seen on The Today Show, The Morning Show and The Marilyn Dennis Show in Canada. She has been quoted in Seventeen, Woman’s World, Woman’s Day, Teen Vogue, People Magazine, Hollywood Life, and Knot Magazine. As a certified Law of Attraction coach, her work has been promoted by and featured with best-selling authors like Marianne Williamson, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Marci Shimoff,. She currently lives in Montreal with her husband, Frederic, and their two boys, Alexander and Maxim. Meet her at www.ChristyWhitman.com and www.7EssentialLaws.com.

Wisdom & Self-Growth

While I am a huge believer in the value of coaching (I’ve been coached by a number of extraordinary individuals and have not been without one for the last fifteen years), it’s also true that with a little practice and selfawareness, we can learn to coach ourselves. Here is a simple process to identify and shift a limiting belief:

LIVING the

Big Stuff !

Hearing the

LANGUAGE of your

Heart By kristine carlson

midst change and transition our mind can become cluttered with fear and worry about what is ahead. We are not accustomed to living comfortably with the unknown. A worried mind will never bring our best solution to the table and certainly not one worth paying attention to. In fact, until you can quiet your mind, you will not be able to hear the wisdom and true intelligence of your heart. If there is one thing I am certain of itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s that our mind can be like a runaway train without a conductor taking us to places we would

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rather not go. Rather than be a receptor and transmitter for our instincts and intuitive knowing to flow through us, the hardware of our computer main frame (the mind) that is meant to translate the information of our software (the heart), our thinking habits can muddle and confuse us especially when it comes to matters of the heart. When you are concerned with figuring out your life plan, a solution to a problem, or you want to know your passion, the heart language which is far more subtle, can become drowned out by the brass band that plays in the mind. Until the frenetic activity of our busy, worrying mind is quelled, we cannot hear the whisper of the heart that says, “I know what’s right for you.” It takes practice to get back to the stillness that allows the heart to be heard. Often buried under a mountain of expectation, fear and outdated beliefs, our heart intelligence yearns to be heard but the flow of communication from heart to mind is cut off. The heart intelligence is like a soft whisper of intuition whereas the mind plays

so loudly that it overpowers this quiet voice of reason. There are three ways that I have identified for myself that clear the pathway from my heart to my head. This allows me to receive the clear direction and intelligence of my knowing heart that speaks to me through my instincts and intuition.

1 Feel to Heal: Give yourself permission to feel your life fully and completely. Your feelings are trying to tell you something. We live in a culture that does not encourage us to feel but instead to numb out to our feelings. Our feelings are our best navigational tool to direct us and even tell us how our thoughts may be getting in the way of allowing us to be truly free and happy. I encourage people to express their emotions so that they can empty out what’s there and be filled with new ones like joy and bliss. In my experience of moving through grief, my connection to my heart felt free and easy after I let go and cried, screamed, danced or laughed hysterically. My body would tell me what I needed, and any expression of my emotions liberated me. As I expressed and emptied, I would be filled with peace and stillness…as Rumi said, “In the stillness is the voice you long to hear.”

2 Practice Peace: Peace is cultivated from inside. We must tend to our inner sense of equanimity like the stirring of slow burning embers of a fire. I recommend an early morning inspirational ritual. How you start your day,

Wisdom & Self-Growth

Often buried under a mountain of expectation, fear and outdated beliefs, our heart intelligence yearns to be heard but the flow of communication from heart to mind is cut off.

is how you live your day. Breathe deeply. Live inspired first thing in the morning. Find that sanctuary inside and visit it often and even amidst chaos a you will find PEACE. Breathe. In this still place, the brass band is quieted, and your heart is playing your song like a finely tuned symphony.

3 Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff If you are focused on the small stuff of life (the minor annoyances and pettiness of small circumstances that happen each day) then chances are, you are all but missing the big stuff life has to offer you in joy and gratitude. If what you’re dealing with is a real problem then it will remain so for a long time, and those that matter in the long term must be taken slowly—step by step. Most things will dissolve quickly if you don’t turn mole hills into mountains. Here’s a great metaphor: If you place a red dot on a blank page making the dot represent the one thing that went wrong in your day or something someone said that bothered you, and you are focused purely on that dot all day long and into the night and perhaps the next day, well, life is actually happening in the white space of the page. The red dot, in perspective, should just be one annoying moment of your life that you let go of not the thing that has 100% of your attention. To refocus your attention, ask yourself the question: Will this matter a year from now? If the answer is no, then you are dealing with small stuff. Keeping life in perspective helps establish a stronger connection to the heart.

As you feel to heal, practice the art of inner peace and learn to let go of what doesn’t serve you any longer, and you stop sweating the small stuff, you will be better able to tame the monkey mind and tune into your heart language and true intelligence with a flow of communication that comes through your inner wisdom and voice. When you are caught up in your head, you can’t hear your heart. Remember that your heart holds the key to unlocking and opening the door to your next new beginning and transition. All you have to do is learn to listen.

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Kristine Carlson – An unyielding believer of Living the Big StuffTM and not sweating the small stuff in order to experience true happiness in life, as a bestselling author and inspirational speaker Kristine Carlson continues to expand on the phenomenal success of her late husband, Dr. Richard Carlson, beloved author of the Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff series. Learn more at www.KristineCarlson.com and be sure to download your Free Mom’s C.P.R. Kit at www.DontSweatMoms.com.

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Take that Risk-

Wisdom & Self-Growth

Sometimes the Grass IS

Greener

Over there! By Kristi Blicharski

aking risks, as frightening as some may seem, is a necessary part of living a full, happy life. This is what Helen Keller was referring to when she said, “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” With this idea being a key truth when it comes to living our best life, why are so many of us afraid to take the risks that our hearts are nudging us to go after? The answer could lie in the need to re-think all the limiting beliefs that resulted from so many of the things we experienced as kids. Growing up, there were all kinds of cliché sayings and play small ideas we heard that eventually conditioned us to create these limiting beliefs, as well as develop the tendency within ourselves to quiet our

own voice. Many of us were taught not to take risks, and in many ways, not speak our mind. Remember those old ones, No swimming after eating and Children should be seen and not heard? Total nonsense, right? What about the notions of how dare we think we’re awesome? How dare we think we’re amazingly talented at something? How dare we “show off” or “brag” about it! I can remember when I was a school age child, I was so afraid of other kids (and even adults) calling me “stuck up,” “show off,” or worse, for simply believing that I was good at something or wanting to show what I was capable of, that after a while, I started to actually believe I wasn’t good at those

things. That I had no right to “show off.” So, I purposely stayed quiet and careful not to love myself too much or believe I was really good at something. This mindset stayed with me into adulthood,

until I finally realized through self-reflection and spiritual teachings what total and complete malarkey those limiting beliefs and fears are! I wasn’t doing anyone any good (especially myself) by holding back, staying small, and crouching within my comfort zone. I worked hard to let go of those old beliefs, shift my thoughts, and create big, positive changes in my life. Our purpose is to be happy, to shine, and to share our gifts with the world with love and enthusiasm. To shine as bright as we’re meant to shine, and to live our dreams, we need to be willing to venture outside of our safe space and take risks. We need to release fears about

what others will think or say, and let go of the fear of change, because holding back doesn’t serve us, or the world. Another old “stay small” saying we commonly hear is, “Well, you might want to re-think that one, because the grass always looks greener on the other side!” Translation: don’t take that risk because the idea that things might get better if you make a change is an illusion. Now, I am a big believer that the grass we’re standing on gets greener when we water it. Sometimes giving more of ourselves in a given situation, or watering our own grass, can make all the difference. However, the truth is that sometimes the grass is actually greener on the other side, and sometimes, it’s time to break free, spread our wings, and go after a change. Twelve years ago, I made a daring decision to leave a corporate movie studio job that was draining my light and negatively affecting my health. That job was a safe place to be, technically, since the pay was pretty good and the benefits were too. But, the environment there was turbulent, I was always on eggshells, and my creativity and talents were basically being kept in a dusty box on a shelf. I had nothing else lined up, no savings to speak of, and I was emotionally bankrupt. But, I simply took the leap and trusted the Universe that I would land in a much better place.

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ourselves back from our most powerful, meaningful lives by not being willing to sail out of the safe harbor and pursue the change we desire, come what may. So, if your inner-voice has been telling you it’s time for a change, to pursue that dream, to leave that relationship, to move on from that energy-draining job, move to that new beautiful place… do it! You have the power within to move forward to new, greener pastures. Take the risk! Share your gifts with the world. Be happy. Sometimes the grass is greener in that other place. Our heart always tells us when it is. The magic is created when we make the daring journey. Read Online!

After a couple of months of healing and rest, I felt called to start my own business and have never looked back! Today I work from my home studio on my beautiful little city farm, doing work that brings me great joy and allows me to be of service to others. Without ignoring those who were telling me to play it safe by staying in that unhappy situation, and following what my inner voice was telling me - that the grass just might be greener somewhere else - I wouldn’t be living the empowered, happy life I am today. I’m so grateful! We’ve been conditioned to feel we’re wrong or misguided when we dare to think the grass is greener over there, but the truth is, sometimes it IS! If your heart is nagging you to make a change, go for it! Listen to your inner-voice. Follow what that whisper is telling you. There are no mistakes in taking risks. There are only opportunities for growth and learning. In fact, we stay stuck and hold

Kristi Blicharski - A coach, author, and speaker who is passionate about helping people to create more happiness, peace, selfacceptance, and love in their lives. With an extensive background in personal development, communications, and business, as well as her own compelling story of resilience and healing, Kristi is a true force for positive change. She’s the author of the short eBook, Empower Your Day - How to Create More Happiness, Energy and Success Through Positive Mornings (a complimentary download on her site). You can keep up with her online at creatingyourbliss.com.

is to be happy, “Our purpose share our gifts to shine, and to with love and d rl o w e th h it w enthusiasm.” i

harsk Kristi Blic

Wisdom & Self-Growth

We need to release fears about what others will think or say, and let go of the fear of change, because holding back doesn’t serve us, or the world.

Give it UP! By Shannon Kaiser

Let Go

ne constant in life is change: seasons change, our jobs change, our relationships change, and circumstances will always change. If we know change is inevitable, then why do we get so bruised up and bent out of shape when it happens? Over the years I’ve learned to look at situations with a little more ease and perspective. I’ve realized that change isn’t something to be feared but rather revered. The best opportunities in my life have been direct results of changes. From the outside, some changes could have felt brutal, such as layoffs, illness, car accidents, etc. Each change in my life has had a specific role in helping me peel back the layers to see the bigger picture. Nothing happens in life that doesn’t help us grow and connect more closely with our true selves. If we spend our time worrying about every outcome, life cannot flow or happen to us. When we seek to control, grasp, and

manipulate situations, we essentially hide from our true purpose and connection to ourselves. If our desire in life is to play and relax into fun, then we must learn to let go and embrace every change. When we are consumed with worry and fear about situations, we hold ourselves back from reaching our full potential. However, saying it is as easy as “letting go” and actually letting go are two different monsters. Some years ago, I called home a giant timber brick loft three blocks south of the mighty Sears tower in Chicago, Illinois. Although I grew up on the west coast I thought it suited me to venture out into the great wide-open America and nab a good job. I lived in five cities over a period of three years, and that didn’t at all seem odd to me. I worked at one of the most well-known and respected international advertising agencies in the world. I had a man who wanted to marry me and a giant paycheck that I had no idea

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— Unknown what to do with. I would go on spending sprees or drinking binges, always using substances to unknowingly disappear behind. I was a mess. I refused to admit that I was depressed. Crying hysterically to sleep every night should have been a red flag, but like all the others, I just skipped over it in pursuit of happiness in denial. In every relationship, every city, every job I took, something was always missing. I would tell myself this is what I want; I need to work at a big advertising firm, but when I got the position, it felt shallow, empty, and wrong. Life will always throw us curve balls, and it is up to us to play ball. We have an opportunity at every moment to flip things around. If things are not going the way you’d like them to, then choose your thoughts wisely and switch it around. I was beyond miserable in Chicago. What I didn’t realize then was that I was manipulating my life to be something I “thought” I wanted, but my true self, the authentic me, knew that none of that mattered. I remember coming home one night, so overwhelmed with tears of rage that I was debilitated. I was cold and shaking and I knew that the hard tile floor could no longer be a source of comfort. As I started to choke on tears of fear, anger and resentment, I did something radically different for me. I let go of the expectation

that my life was supposed to be anything more than it was. Suddenly, a shift took over my body as I started to laugh. Pleasure could pop through the pain. It was in that moment that I realized that I was holding on so desperately tight to my life, controlling every last minute detail, that there was no room for organic growth or real fun to come in. Letting go of expectations is the single most important thing we can do for our wellbeing. When I let go of expecting my life to turn out a specific way, I was able to release the pressure and relax into the rhythm of life. This, in turn, became the tipping point for my life to unfold naturally the way it was designed. After my midnight meltdown, I took stock of my life and started to see things the way they were, not the way I had “hoped” they would be. The dingy rose-colored glasses were off and I was becoming the person I authentically wanted to be. Life is supposed to flow and be natural. It is not designed to be an uphill hike every day of our lives. We aren’t supposed to struggle 365 days of the year. The universe wants to give us all the things we desire but we need to do our part and let go. ©2013. Shannon Kaiser. The above is an excerpt from Find Your Happy: An Inspirational Guide to Loving Life to Its Fullest. Read Online!

Shannon Kaiser - The author of Find Your Happy, an Inspirational Guide to Loving Life to Its Fullest, and a five-time contributing author to Chicken Soup for The Soul. She is a travel writer, motivational speaker, life coach, and the founder of the popular website PlayWithTheWorld.com.

Wisdom & Self-Growth

Open minds lead to open doors.

Tame Your

Monkey Mind

By Shann Vander Leek

“Ultimately we know deeply that the other side of every fear is freedom.” – Mary Ferguson

ver the years I’ve come to know my inner voice(s) quite well. Some of the voices can still stress me out me in an instant. Thankfully, and with practice, I’ve learned how to tame the mental chatter of my mind. This constant background chatter is defined by Buddhists as Monkey Mind. Fear is one of the loudest monkeys, constantly pointing out all the things we should be wary of and everything that could go wrong. Sound familiar? Our thoughts can often travel through our awareness like a runaway raft crashing through whitewater. A terrifying journey, complete with treacherous falls and lanes sprinkled with boulders the size of small cars. Taming your monkey mind is one of the healthiest choices you can make to move from white-knuckled fear, to going with the flow of life. You can learn to quiet your mind when your fears get the best of you.

There are several supportive exercises that you can practice when the monkeys drag your mind through whitewater rapids of fear: 1. Ground yourself. If possible, get outside and let your bare feet touch the earth. 2. Find your center. Breathe deeply just noticing your inhalation and exhalation. 3. Speak a supportive affirmation like: ‘All is well. I’m at peace.’ 4. Identify the negative chatter as an old thought pattern and release it.

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It’s easy to forget that we call the shots, because we often yield to our ego which loves to let fear-based thinking run our lives. This doesn’t have to be the case. In a “New Earth,” Eckhart Tolle shares valuable wisdom about how improve the fear-based habitat where our egos thrive. For example, while writing this article my right hand began to tremor and shake and I became a little frightened about what that could mean. Could this be the onset of Parkinson’s or MS? What if I lose my ability to write? Within seconds of my ego-mind making up scary stories, I knew how to ground myself. By inviting the energy of the Earth up through my feet and breathing deeply, I reminded my self that I’m in the process of healing my neck and shoulder. My right arm is fatigued. This is probably why my hand was shaking. I made the choice to shake it out, rest my hand for a bit and pay close attention to how I feel over the coming days. I am the mistress of my inner-voice. By taking control of the mental chatter I could change things up and leave fear-based thinking in the dust.

Who’s voice is that? Sometimes the voice you hear in your mind is not your own voice. If you’re a mama. No doubt you’ve heard your mother or father’s voice while raising your children. This past weekend my daughter was not listening to me (as 13 year olds will sometimes do). In exasperation I exclaimed, “It’s just like talking to a wall!” This voice is not mine.

Often the voices that aren’t your own can be the most wicked. You can fall prey to the voices of ghosts who once made cutting statements to you. If not sorted out, these mean-spirited, false judgements can remain with you for a lifetime. Here are some of the harmful statements that can come up for me:

“You are way too sensitive.” “Who do you think you are?” “What’s wrong with you?!” “You have a bad temper.” The trick here is to identify where the voice comes from so you can let go of the energy associated with these unconscious harmful remarks. The next time you hear one of these mean-spirited voices, I invite you to stop and ask yourself ‘Who’s voice is this?’ And ‘Is this true?’ It’s easy to be fooled into believing the rubbish that crashes through your mind. With regular practice you can develop a loving, supportive and nurturing inner voice. The first step to nonviolent communication is monitoring how you communicate with yourself. This awareness will help you stop the monkeys from taking over your beautiful mind. The next time your inner saboteur cuts you down, ask yourself if you would you talk to your mother or child with that mouth? How about your best friend? Chances are you would never be so cruel to the people whom you love. When your inner voice cuts

Wisdom & Self-Growth

We are the mistresses of our inner voice.

This voice was me channeling something I’d heard my mama say MANY times while growing up. I could feel my mother in my tone, inflection and delivery. Wild!

you down, take notice and then correct your language. Over time you will create a healthier relationship with your inner voice by becoming aware of monkeys, who if left unattended, will have their way with you. Discipline your mind with nonviolent communication: Awareness + Action = Transformation

When you become aware of your mental chatter and identify the voices within, you can learn to practice nonviolent communication. You can ask your ego to take the back seat. You are the mistress of your inner voice and now you know how to practice quieting your monkey mind.

“An unquestioned mind is the world of suffering.”

Awareness

-– Byron Katie

− Be mindful of your inner critic − Ask if the internal statements you are making are true − Identify the voices you hear. Where did they come from?

Action − Ground yourself and practice deep breathing − Speak aloud (or to yourself) a supportive mantra or affirmation − Practice correcting negative self-talk each time a harsh message comes up.

Transformation − You will feel more in control of monkey mind − You inner critic will be heard and then silenced − You will notice old patterns quickly and let them go

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Shann Vander Leek - A force of nature, she is the founder of True Balance International and cofounder of Anxiety Slayer. She blogs at Transformation Goddess and mentors women experiencing lifechanging transition with her signature coaching system, podcasts, books and digital programs. Shann teaches compassionate selfcare and sacred ritual to women who are ready to claim their feminine sovereignty. www.transformationgoddess.com

www.AspireMAG.net | October / November 2013

SIMPLY

Empowered! Wisdom & Self-Growth

is the Trust Seat of the Soul BY Crystal Andrus

(Excerpt from â&#x20AC;&#x153;Transcendent Beautyâ&#x20AC;?)

ot long ago, I did a weeklong

workshop for women at a beautiful retreat in upstate New York. The

surroundings were serene; the warm summer weather was perfect; and the food was all organic, unprocessed, and

vegetarian. There were no telephones,

televisions, radios, or computers. We all stayed in rustic cottages surrounded by 195 acres of rolling hills, plush gardens,

and peaceful woodlands. Although the

surroundings and lack of trappings were

atypical for most of us, the women had traveled from all over North America to attend this powerful week of health and

healing with me. And I was nervous and excited to be giving it.

As we sat gathered together on the first day, I looked around the room and saw women of all ages, races, and religions. I saw blondes, redheads, and brunettes . . . short and tall . . . thin and obese. There were quiet women, nervous women, outgoing women, and gentle women. There were professionals, stay-at-home moms, models, and corporate types. There were breathtakingly beautiful women and a few unsure, closed-off, angry ones. But what I saw (and felt) most were lonely women. It wasn’t because they lived alone or were personally “inept” in any way—rather, what I saw were women who seemed to feel so alone no matter how many people were around them. I instinctively knew that in their minds and hearts, many were too afraid to let anyone in. One of the most simple, yet powerful, exercises that I did with these ladies during the week was to ask them to draw a picture of themselves in the rain. That was it—I gave them no other directions than that. The next day as we sat down in our circle, each person took a turn sharing her drawing and describing it. The first woman drew a picture of herself dancing in the rain, smiling and free. But then directly next to it, there was a second picture where she was bent over, hands over her head, face tucked into her chest, running from the rain. As she began to explain it, she unexpectedly burst into tears. “This is how I want to be,” she cried, as she pointed to the first fearless woman. “But I immediately realized that I’d never dance free in the rain. I’d hide and run, cover up, afraid to just be. . . .” We continued on. The next woman had

drawn herself in color, wearing a bright red raincoat. Her hair was styled perfectly, even though it was raining quite hard in her picture. She had no umbrella, no galoshes, and no rain hat on. But something struck me: She’d drawn herself from behind. She had no face—just a red raincoat and perfect blonde hair. Her back was turned to the world . . . and on herself. Around the circle we went. Most had drawn pictures of themselves under huge umbrellas, wearing rain boots, raincoats, and hats. Some drew lightning flashing across the sky. Others penciled in dark clouds and very heavy rain falling around them. A few put rainbows and flowers on their picture; and one woman drew herself running along a tree-lined path with a friend. And then we got to an absolutely beautiful woman—on the inside and out—who was a naturopathic doctor and psychologist. As she held up her picture, everyone smiled. There she was, dancing with her arms lifted to the sky, engulfed in heart-shaped raindrops. “I am love. I know the Universe is filled with love, and I am open to receiving it,” she eloquently shared. Most were beginning to “get” what this exercise represented . . . and then we got to the quietest (and largest) woman in the room. She’d been struggling during the week, didn’t open up much during any of the group-sharing sessions, and would always disappear just as we were getting started with our workout each day. She’d tried every diet known to man and had even had gastric bypass surgery. She was on special herbs and receiving acupuncture . . . and she was tired, fed up, frustrated,

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As she proudly showed her picture off that morning, lightbulbs went off over everyone’s heads. There she was, a tiny stick figure hiding inside a huge brick house, with torrential rain pouring down and fierce lightning crackling around her home. You could barely even see her through the window. She smiled as she proudly declared how smart she felt to have drawn herself this way—how protected she was, and how nothing could hurt her. No rain was ever going to get her wet!

The Seat of the Soul When trust in the world or other people is missing, we stop abiding by our higher self—our powerful inner voice. We stop being honest, and we give away our power. This is not a consciously deceitful act, but an individual who lacks trust stops trusting in herself. She disconnects, unknowingly letting her fear take over, as she begins resisting the flow of life. Unaware, she dims her own light. And no matter how openly she may smile or how much fun she might appear to be, she never feels truly secure, content, and at ease. The trust I’m talking about is the childlike sense that’s derived from an inherent feeling

of safety. If a person doubts the world— doubts love, safety, comfort, security, and abundance—then she’ll ultimately doubt herself and will end up sabotaging everything from relationships and jobs to her health and well-being. Afraid to trust in the Universe, she’ll need to stay in control of everything, and when she feels as if she’s losing control, anxiety, insecurity, worry, anger, self-righteousness, defensiveness, fear, indifference, aloofness, aggression, denial, and even distraction will takes over. Distraction is one of the sneakiest saboteurs of the ego because most often we don’t even know that we’re distracted. Since the ego relies on crisis and will actually search out problems just to make it feel important when it can solve them. We stay so busy being busy that we’re just too busy to notice! So we often forget that the higher self is detached from outcome and expectation, and that living with simplicity and passion should feel effortless. As Keith Sherwood, author of Chakra Therapy, explains:

A person who lacks trust will be prevented from achieving his personal goal of wholeness and unconditional joy. Moreover, a person who lacks trust must continuously block the feelings of emptiness and despair imprisoned within him from rising to the surface. . . . Self indulgence is the alternative chosen . . . it takes the form of all sorts of addictive behavior, from overeating to excessive worrying, self-importance, arrogance to depression, alcoholism and even drug addiction and suicide. You indulge yourself when you are not being yourself. . . .

Wisdom & Self-Growth

closed down, discontent, and absolutely disheartened. She was at least 350 pounds, and had talked with me privately about how she didn’t want anyone to tell her what to do—not here or anywhere else in her life. I think that she really thought this was going to be one more stupid “fat camp” and that at the end of the week she could at least say to herself (or maybe to her family): “I’ve tried everything. It’s not my fault.”

If a person doubts the world—doubts love, safety, comfort, security, and abundance—then she’ll ultimately doubt herself and will end up sabotaging everything from relationships and jobs to her health and well-being. Most of us aren’t aware of how deep our inability to trust directs our lives, or even that we are distrustful. Because of this deep fear, we suffer from low self-esteem and a lack of confidence and self-respect, and we have a difficult time committing to others. It’s too hard to put our faith in someone else when we don’t even trust ourselves. We often find ourselves overly sensitive, wondering why people are so dishonest, and we feel confused about what our passion is. We test friends and lovers, pushing them away and seeing if they’ll come back for more. The control gives us temporary power, but it inevitably ends up robbing us of our own light. Soon we find that we’ve stopped listening to our “gut-instincts” and instead numbed it with whatever learned coping mechanism we’ve adopted (often eating or drinking). And this is the perfect breeding ground for the ego.

Trust is the seat of the soul and the essence of empowerment, self-love, even beauty. Trust is letting go and letting God. And ironically enough, it’s often our resistance that keeps us from releasing it. “No, I don’t have any trust problems—I’m just being careful and wise,” we insist, as we hold on tighter, claiming that we have no control issues!

Getting back to the women who’d embarked on this retreat with me in New York, the experience was quite remarkable for them. Bless their souls, they thought that they’d signed up for a “boot camp” to get them into great physical shape. Happily, though, they each left realizing that weight is only a manifestation of something so much deeper. And although most of them departed at least five pounds lighter, what I mainly noticed was that they suddenly had a bounce in their step and a twinkle in their eyes. That picture in the rain represents our sense of personal power in the world and our ability to trust in ourselves—to live fearlessly and know that we, alone, are enough, without our masks. The rain and sky symbolize how we perceive our life challenges; and umbrellas, hats, and boots (or a lack thereof) are our need to protect ourselves from the world. Everything from what we’re wearing to how big or small we appear on the page to if we’re turning our back on ourselves or raising our hands to the sky can be clues to how much trust and personal power we feel. But trust and power, just like a muscle, can always be built back up. No matter what you’ve gone through in your

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Our woman “hiding in the house” stood up on the last day and told us, “I feel like I’ve spent my life searching for the answers as to why I was the fat one. Why had this happened to me? Who was going to fix me? And when was it going to happen? And then I realized over this past week that maybe it’s the searching that has stopped me from finding. That maybe, just like in The Wizard of Oz, I’m Dorothy and I’ve always had the power . . . I just never knew it until now.” I smiled wide because she’d gotten it! And as we began to cheer for her, the rain started to pour down outside. (Believe it or not!) After we said our good-byes, many of the women unconsciously popped open their

umbrellas on their way out the door. But as I looked out the window and saw them making their way down the long dirt path toward their cars, I watched in amazement as most of the umbrellas came down, one by one. These honest, beautiful, fearless women were walking tall, strong, and carefree . . . singing in the rain. They realized that they have all the power they’ll ever need, nestled deep within. All you have to do is believe it—the rest will take care of itself! It’s so much simpler than you realize.

Searching is often the devious distraction from ever attaining. You have all the answers within you . . . know it! Read Online!

Crystal Andrus – A leader in the field of self-discovery and personal a

very

transformation. tough

From

beginning—one

that could easily have spun her into darkness—Crystal has risen to become an international coaching sensation, three-time, best-selling author, international speaker, TV personality, host of her own “CBS Crystal Andrus Radio Show”, founder of “The S.W.A.T. Institute (Simply Woman Accredited Trainer)”, founder of the new online magazine, www.simplywoman.com, spokesperson for the health & wellness line of products—“Xooma” (sounds like Zooma), as well as a worldrenowned women’s advocate. Her latest book about “Woman Energy™” is in the works, and will prove to be her greatest accomplishment to date! (Stay tuned!!) www.crystalandrus.com

Wisdom & Self-Growth

life—and no matter how painful it was— you can make the choice to align your personality with your soul and become. You can surrender and let the Universe shower its love upon you! It begins by taming fear, for once you begin to silence the sound of your ego, you’ll begin to hear your true voice . . . that of your higher self. It’s then that you must believe and truly trust in yourself, for when you do, you’ll be able to start opening up and letting others see you for who you really are. By speaking your truth, you’ll begin to set yourself free. This takes courage. By this, I don’t mean the heroism that we see in a crisis—it’s the courage to give nobility to your life, to choose to be yourself above what other people want you to be, and to take the path that’s right for you . . . the path of least resistance! Let down your walls and embrace the world, which is filled with so many wonderful and amazing people who only want to love and trust, too. Always remember that your outer world is just a reflection of your inner world—it will only change when you change.

Awakening the

Within:

tips to Honoring

Your Inner By Mary Pritchard

y friend and mentor Linda Joy – who happens to also be the publisher of this inspirational magazine – has a phrase for when something unexpected happens: being hit by a cosmic two-byfour. I experienced one of those in a big way in April that that changed the course of my life. We all receive intuitive nudging from the Universe through gentle prods, guidance, and life crises, but many of us, including me, bury our truth until we are hit with the Cosmic 2x4. I look back on the last 40 years and see years of major health crises including a near death experience 15 years

Goddess Wisdom

ago that could have awakened me much sooner to my truth, had I listened. But no, I waited for the Cosmic 2x4 to shatter my world. After years of battling the pain of endometriosis and almost dying of pneumonia my first year as a professor, you’d think what finally got to me had to be something huge and traumatic. Yet, it turned out to be something so small and simple I never saw it coming. What caused my awakening? A meditation (see Lisa Tener’s Inspired to Write? column in this issue of Aspire for more on that).

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along the way that help me connect with and listen to my inner wisdom. I hope you’ll find them as helpful as I have:

My soul awakening shook me to my core and woke me up to my truth. Although from the outside looking in it seemed as if I was living the ideal life, in actuality I was living an illusion. In that moment of awakening, which I’ve since come to see as a sacred gift from the Divine, the layers of masks that kept me hiding my divine truth and inner magnificence were instantaneously removed.

reate an environment that C honors you – don’t like your white

I realized that although I had lost touch with my Inner Goddess, She never left me – She was there all the time, I just refused to listen to Her in favor of following the expectations of those around me. While that brought me success in my chosen profession as a Professor of Psychology, it never brought me peace. Instead, it always left me searching. But I never found what I was looking for because all along what I have been searching for has been inside of me, waiting patiently for me to plug in, reconnect. I don’t want you to have to wait for the Cosmic 2x4 to reconnect with YOUR truth; trust me on this – Cosmic 2x4s hurt! What I offer here are a few things I’ve learned

S tart your day with your favorite mantra or guided meditation. This is mine: “Goddess,

grant me the strength I need to honor myself and my true purpose; The courage to stand on my own; And the wisdom to know when to let go.”

walls? Repaint. Hate that old musty painting your aunt gave you? Donate it to charity and find something that inspires you (or paint it yourself!) Hate your cubicle at work? Ask for an upgrade or decorate the walls to inspire you. I have tinker bell, inspirational sayings, and my vision board on my office wall (which is not white, by the way!). They serve as potent reminders to connect in with my Inner Goddess on a regularly basis.

L et your Inner Goddess out to play on a weekly, if not daily, basis – take a dance class, paint, sing at the top of your lungs in the shower – it doesn’t matter what you do as long as it makes your soul sing.

Honor your body – this means eating foods that are nourishing, doing some sort of movement each day (go for a walk in nature, do some yoga), and taking frequent Goddess breaks to reconnect

Wisdom & Self-Growth

What happened to me that day was a realization that I was living the wrong life. In the months that followed that meditation, I would lose my marriage, move to a new house, break my heel for the second time in a year, and sometimes question my own sanity. Yet, in the end, it boiled down to this: I spent so many years doing what I thought I needed to do to “make it” that I lost touch with the very things that made my soul sing. That day I made a decision: It was time to stop living somebody else’s life.

with your inner wisdom. Remember: You are a Goddess. You are sacred and holy. You deserve to take exquisite care of yourself every single day. Schedule that massage – I get them weekly! Make time for that yoga class. Take a cooking class. Do whatever honors you and your body and you’ll feel more connected and in touch with yourself. ngage in positive self-talk – E you can’t honor your inner wisdom if you’re constantly denigrating yourself. Think of it this way: If you wouldn’t say something hurtful or spiteful to a loved one, you can bet that you’d better not say it to yourself – or even think it! If you’ve never heard of Operation Beautiful, I encourage you to go to www.operationbeautiful.com and check out the posts there. I can guarantee you’ll never look at sticky notes the same way!

End your day in gratitude –

I’ve been keeping a gratitude journal for years. In it, I write down 10 things I was grateful for each day. There is no better way for me to touch in with myself than to remind myself of what I love about my life every day. Read Online!

Mary E. Pritchard, Ph.D., - A professor in the Department of Psychology at Boise State University as well as a Holistic Health Counselor specializing in serving women, virtually and in-person, at Embody Heart & Mind. Her holistic health practice is dedicated to empowering women in healing their hormonal health naturally and reclaiming their Feminine Power. Mary’s own awakening led to the creation of the Awakening the Goddess Within community and she just completed her book, Awakening Your Inner Goddess:

How to Recharge, Reignite, and Refocus to Transform Your Life and a second, Honoring Your Inner Goddess: Filling Your Plate to Fuel Your Desires is underway.

nplug at least an hour before U bed every day and preferably, don’t plug in until you’ve been up for at least an hour every morning. We all need quiet

time for ourselves, time to reflect on our lives and process our day. That email or FaceBook post will still be there when you get around to it. And you’ll feel much more grounded and able to deal with said email after you’ve taken some quiet time to meditate or reflect or just enjoy a cup of herbal tea and listen to the voice within.

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er is silent, “Feminine pow s, healing, dark, mysteriou oman can walk nurturing. A w d control it. into a room an have to open en ev ’t n es o d e h S e knows where her mouth if sh her power is.” nzant Iyanla Va

Discover the Life Recovery Formula:â&#x201E;˘

By mal duane

o you sometimes wake up frozen with a fear of being grossly inadequate or asking yourself why am I so unhappy? Well the reality is you were born a perfect divine being with an incredible power within you. The same power that puts leaves on trees and the sun in the sky. Your mind is connected to the Universal mind that contains all the answers you seek. Your current reality is clouded over by emotional debris from your life experiences. For instance, you meet your parents. They have their beliefs and perceptions of how things should be. Then you meet your third grade teacher and she has a different set of beliefs. Now what are you supposed to think? Your beliefs become a finely woven web from all the people you meet on the journey of life, some maybe credible and others the result of their trauma and loss. It happens to all of us. Until you wake up and realize what the hell am I thinking? You discover that you are living your life according to everyone elseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s thoughts and not your own.

Wisdom & Self-Growth

Self Care + Self Worth +Happiness =Recovery

One of the most common false beliefs that we are taught is not be selfish, share with others. This would be great if everyone was good and kind in the world. But the truth is, they simply are not. Basically put others first and yourself last. Girls are not taught boundaries or how to say no. As we mature, we grow accustomed to taking care of everyone else’s needs before our own. You wake up one day feeling used and physically depleted, wondering what happened? Could it possibly be the result of something you learned when you were a child? What do you think? I love this quote from Ruben Studdard. “People just take your kindness for weakness sometimes, and that’s just the bottom line.”

Integrity cannot be a substitute for authenticity, for being your own fiercest protector. Even friends and family members can be downright poisonous – draw a line. Don’t take the phone call. Don’t stay silent when the same person criticizes your hair or your spouse year after year. You are precious; no one is allowed to dim your spirit, no matter how they try to make it seem like no big deal.

“People just take your kindness for weakness sometimes, and that’s just the bottom line.” — Ruben Studdard

We are taught that nice girls let someone else have the last piece of cake, don’t get angry and should consider the feelings of others first - before our own feelings! These messages can contribute to our putting up with teasing, flakiness, subtle putdowns and not speaking up when our boundaries are violated. Worst of all, these ideas can put us in danger when someone who means us real harm (but seems charming, engages our sympathies or embarrasses us) is given a pass. No! or Leave me alone! should be the answer to someone harassing us on the street instead of an awkward smile so we don’t offend.

I’m uncomfortable with what to say to a co-worker trying to get us to do their work instead of just doing it, telling yourself, it has to get done so I guess I have to it.

At times it can feel like, well, that’s just the way it is. No, it’s the way we’ve been CONDITIONED to think it is. Feminine qualities are not just what we are spoon fed about self-sacrifice. Being truly powerful in the feminine means you take radically good care of yourself. If you are usually the workhorse that never gets the credit, change your behaviors. Don’t respond to every email. Ask a mentor how to handle something. Take time for yourself whether it is a hot bath or a walk outside. Check in with yourself. If you feel scared or taken for granted, ask yourself, what would make ME feel better right now?

www.AspireMAG.net | October / November 2013

You have the ability to change your life by changing your choices. The power of free will can never be taken away from you. Once you learn to reconnect with your divine will you are able to create the life you desire. Honoring your thoughts and your beliefs is the biggest step you can take to recovering the life you are meant to live. Discovering your voice allows you to connect with passion buried beneath the debris. Another damaging belief that so many of us struggle with is our self-worth as women. How early in life the seeds of inferiority are planted in our minds. What things were said to you years ago that you still carry with you today and make you feel less than the beautiful soul that you are? I recommend listening to a guided meditation DAILY to really get in touch with your wounds. You will see after practicing this for a while, how strong you are, how capable you are. You will see the real you and you will be astounded that she is not only okay (and not the worthless person you might think you are) but that she is powerful and strong. The Universe/God that created you loves you exactly as you are … like a last sunset of the summer, fresh raspberries and the smell of peppermint oil. You are wonderfully made. No person’s opinion, word or deed can change that. Some of us grew up believing that our

For some inspiration, check out this video from Sara Bareilles. I guarantee her song Brave will give you a shot of courage and a mega dose of self-love! CLICK HERE TO VIEW VIDEO Be Brave,

Read Online!

Mal Duane - A Best Selling Author and Personal Life and Recovery Coach who has overcome life challenges using the steps in the Alpha Chick Process. Her personal mission is to help women excel in all areas of their lives from business to personal relationships. Mal has been featured with Fox 25 Boston Morning Show, CBS Radio, Aspire Magazine, Healthy Living and Metrowest Daily News. She has also been a featured guest on over one hundred Blogtalk Radio shows discussing recovery and personal transformation. Download Mal’s free Alpha Chick workbook and 5 Steps for Moving from Fear to Faith audio at www.AlphaChick.com

Wisdom & Self-Growth

happiness is dependent on things outside of ourselves. Women cling to the idea that certain items or relationships will make them happy. Nothing could be further from the truth. Your real happiness comes from within. It starts with accepting yourself just the way you are and not trying to be something you’re not. When we give up resistance, we discover happiness.

by Elizabeth Harper

Set an Intention to receive inspiration from your Soul. Close your eyes and take a deep breath into the center of your being. When you are ready, open your eyes, select a color and open your heart to the message from your Soul.

HONORING YOUR INNER VOICE Blue MAGNETIC PERSONALITY

You are a magnet for both good and bad things. Make an intention to focus on consciously creating a positive outcome. By doing so you will shift stagnant energy, move away the cobwebs and attract blessings into your life.

Green CHANGING IDENTITY

Listen to your heart it is guiding you to transform some part of your world. Invite green healing energy into your heart to help slough off the fragments of your old identity. Very soon you will see the light of a new beginning and all those endings will be just a memory.

Brown Truth is Power

The truth fears no questions it sets you free! Being in the present moment helps you stay in your truth. Stand barefoot on the earth, imagine you are a tree and use the qualities of the color of stability to keep you centered, grounded, and in your power.

Magenta Good Vibrations

Something or someone you desire is within reach. The next step is simply to become

what you want to attract - this is the Law of Resonance. Imagine what it would be like to already have your wish fulfilled, fill your heart with this energy, become one with the vibration of what you want, let go and trust.

Olive Trust Your Intuition

Your intuition is your guide to knowledge and truth. Honoring your feelings, especially the ones that keep coming up, primes your intuitive circuitry offering deeper clarity in your day-to-day life. Trust that still small voice within, it will keep you on course.

Orange Ask For What You Want

Orange is a color of dependency and you

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have become dependent on a way of being that is not serving your best interests. It’s making you into a irritable and grumpy. Take a step back and see where your needs are not being met. Speak up and you might just get what you want.

Yellow Lightness of Being

You are a teacher and there is a new light emerging from within you. By sharing your light you help others to shine theirs. Brave the darkness of those who have lost their way, ignite the flame of knowledge within, let your light shine and illuminate the path for others to follow.

Pink

Heart Offering Love is in the air, not the romantic kind this is more altruistic. A few kind words can make someone’s day, conquer a nation, and open the hearts of many to love. Go on, make someone’s day, be nice, offer a compliment and watch the energy of love spread.

Red Power of Love

Where there is love there is no darkness. Love is knocking on your door and flicking on a switch within you. Even if you are in a relationship right now you can expect a newly found appreciation and love for your partner, enough to make your toes curl!

Turquoise Wise Counsel

Use your inner guidance now to help you make decisions that have been weighing on your mind. Do not allow others to sway you or be led by public opinion. Be guided instead by your conscience and your own wise counsel, and know that everything is going to be OK.

Violet Time to Heal

You have spent too much time focusing on the trials and tribulations of others. It is your turn now. You deserve healing too and remember that by healing yourself you heal others also. Invite the universe to guide you to focus your attention Read Online! inward. Elizabeth Harper – An internationally acclaimed teacher, intuitive, healer, and the author of the award winning book Wishing: How to Fulfill Your Hearts Desires. Elizabeth is on the faculty at the highly acclaimed Omega Institute in Rhineback, NY and is invited to speak around the world. www.SealedwithLove.com

White You Are What You Think

Notice how often a negative statement about yourself trickles from your lips. All you are doing is affirming your reality. Your thoughts are the building blocks of your destiny. If you desire a different fate then change the structure of your language, it will make all the difference to your life.

HEALTH & WELLNESS Mindful Awareness,

Health & Healing

“To thrive, we must become

sources of health and healing so that we can break the chains of pain that run in our families.”

Dr. Christiane Northrup Re On ad lin e!

by janet nestor

Love of self brings softness toward self. You are less critical – less judgmental of yourself and others. Therefore, relationship with yourself and others improves. When your relationships improve, the quality of your life improves and you naturally have more joy. Your moment to moment joy produces all kinds of positive internal change and allows your body an opportunity to heal itself. Your stress level is down. Your fear level is down. You are more connected to source because your reduced stress and fear allow you to open your own internal door to the light and love within. (View the full article for all ten ways to experience mindfulness.)

CHECK OUT MORE ONLINE!

AspireMag.net

Here are three way to experience mindfulness: breath p e e d ea 1: Tak old it. and h

lace” hold it p is “ e th , notice r mind If you’ll u exhale, you d. o y ‘focuse before y ‘now tl c fe r e p

l Live & Virtua

UPCOMING EVENTS

2: Match y our step with your b reath... ... while prac

ticing a walki ng meditation.

en , and th n e l i m S o 3. y focus to l e t a i d onse imme ’s resp y d o b your ile. that sm

Interview with inner Goddess Catalyst

Lisa Marie Rosati

I’m excited to introduce you to Passionista and Inner Goddess Catalyst Lisa Marie Rosati in an intimate interview. Lisa is the founder and Visionary Creatrix of The Goddess Lifestyle Plan and Sugar Free Goddess and co-author of the international best-selling book – “Embracing Your Authentic Self.” Lisa passionately mentors women around the world on how to become a Modern Day Goddess by consciously designing how to get their health back, balance their feminine and masculine energies, ignite the fire within their souls and live a luscious goddess life filled with passion, radiant health, entrepreneurial success and prosperity. Lisa’s unique combination of strategic thinking, laser sharp intuition, vast knowledge of holistic health, psychology, human behavior and healing modalities plus 20+ years of metaphysical study and practice, results in an effective mix of spirituality and “real world,” no-nonsense practicality that supports her private clients in embracing their own Inner Goddess. Lisa serves a global audience of women as an Expert Columnist with Aspire Magazine, a Dietetics & Nutrition Expert on Dr. Oz’s website www. sharecare.com and as a sought after speaker. While running her 3 businesses + raising 3 children, Lisa exemplifies the Goddess Lifestyle as she embraces her sensual and powerful feminine nature with pride and encourages other women to do the same.

www.AspireMAG.net | October / November 2013

Lisa, was there a pivotal moment in your own journey that led to the transformational work you are now doing in the world? I can honestly say it wasn’t a pivotal moment but more of an unfolding; a slow surrender to my truth brought on by a chronic feeling that I wasn’t serving the world in the way I was meant to. I was born to this earth with an insatiable hunger for knowledge, a deep connection to the moon and the Divine Feminine, a rebellious nature and an abundance of creativity and talent. I learned very early in life that it was way safer for me to play small and fly under the radar rather than to shine in social situations. That limiting belief stayed with me until I was in my late 30’s, and then it simply became too painful to keep quiet and live on autopilot… staying small to feel safe and please others. The dilemma was, that staying small had become a habit of mine. Around the age of 40 I had a gentle awakening to the fact that my survival was no longer dependent upon a social group or my peers… I was a grown woman with a family of my own. I had to stop re-living my old stories over and over and I had to push myself through my deepest fears. It was up to me. “Survival”

is connected to the Root Chakra, and that fear can run very DEEP. It was super-scary to put myself out there, but I worked at it and it changed my life. I believe in a holistic model to living; that we are a sum of our parts. Healing each part of my life, mind and body was essential to my overall well-being. Once I lived my personal transformation, I knew my work was to help empower other women to do the same.

Through Goddess Lifestyle Plan you empower women around the world in consciously designing their lives as a Modern Day Goddess. What does it mean to you to be a Modern Day Goddess? A modern day goddess is a woman who has learned to completely love herself; her shadows (what is not illuminated yet) and light (what she is aware of). She is a glorious and divine work in progress constantly on her learning path, using the process of alchemy to turn lead into gold in her life. She consciously creates her life as she desires it to be, combining practical strategies with universal laws… she’s in the flow of nature, knows how to wield feminine magic (it’s hot stuff) and route archetypal energy. She is authentic in every way, no apologies and no comparisons … she lives each day deeply rooted in her truth. This is what a modern day goddess “looks” like. It doesn’t matter one little bit how old you are or your dress size; it’s a soul thing. It takes a lot of courage to look conformity, fear and judgment in the eye and tell it to F*CK OFF. A modern day goddess is not a woman that shrinks to make others feel more comfortable … she’s a woman who energetically owns her

HEALTH & WELLNESS

“I believe in a holistic model to living; that we are a sum of our parts. Healing each part of my life, mind and body was essential to my overall well-being.”

space and by doing that, she silently gives permission for other women to do the same. To be totally honest … I think it’s totally badass!

I know from our personal chats how much courage it took for you to break through old beliefs and kick fear in the ass to follow your soul and birth the vision in your heart – and look at you today, Goddess! What’s one of the greatest personal gifts you’ve received as a woman through that process and how does that gift translate into the work you are doing with your clients? The greatest personal gifts I received, as a woman was realizing that I had the support and guidance of Spirit and owning the fact that my life was my creation to make; good or bad. It was all up to me! Whatever your beliefs are, a higher power is a must for transformation. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t lean on Source in some way, shape or form… I might be asking for strength and courage to break through a personal limiting belief (yup I get them too) or I might pray to the Gods on behalf of others. I’ve had many years when things seemed to suck (big time), or aspects of my life felt overwhelming and totally out of control. I’ve given my power away to others and played small in life… I was a scared little girl inside a 40-year-old woman’s body. Like everyone, I wanted to be liked and part of the cool crowd… I had to let that childish need go. Once I connected to Source, my life transformed because I had something so much stronger and bigger than me to

draw my energy (and courage) from. I had to learn to listen with my intuition… follow through on those messages, learn how to surrender to what is and trust that the good stuff was meant for me too. Listen, I don’t skip off into the sunset everyday singing a happy song, but I’ve learned that the “hard to swallow” lessons (even the ones that really burn my ass off) are part of my journey, they make me dig DEEP… and if I look really closely … more often than not, they tend to be a really important life lesson intended to help me become more evolved, a greater and more powerful version of myself and closer to the Divine – which is what we are truly here in Earth School to do. The “hard stuff” is a precious gift of wisdom wrapped in some ugly-ass packaging!

In your transformational work with women what have you found to be the three most common blocks that prevent a woman from living authentically and able to fully embrace her feminine power? Oh yes… there are many but here are my 3 top picks:

• Comparison to Others:

What is up with that?! Most women look in the mirror and think about how they compare to women they know or even a Hollywood actress like frigging Angelina Jolie. It’s really grounding when you finally realize that you CHOSE your body, your life situations, all the players in your life story and your parents before you incarnated. Why waste your precious time comparing? I say make the most out of

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what you’ve been given, and then ROCK that out in a large (and I mean EPIC) way!

Oh, we women are hard wired to please and I apparently stood on that line twice. I used to have this ridiculous notion that if I tried hard enough, I could please everyone. Listen, I’m proud of myself, it only took 40 years of emotional torment and banging my head against walls to realize that it’s really all about me. When I’m happy, everyone is happy… because the world loves an authentically happy woman, she’s energetically irresistible period!

• Second Guessing Themselves:

Most women will desire something with all their heart and soul and then will search for any tiny, little reason to talk themselves out of it. I see it all the time. Honestly, it pains me… but I know that each woman’s journey is her own and she will blossom when it’s the right time for her. Sadly, it might be in her next lifetime *sigh*. Here’s a tip: if a little voice inside of you says “Ooh I’d like to do that, or be that, or have that, or achieve that” … that’s Spirit talking to you. STOP letting logic talk you out of it and just go for it!

So many women struggle with self-care (myself included) and in my conversations with friends and peers I hear the same thing over and over – “I feel guilty if I take time for me before I do….” Why do so many women struggle with this and what wisdom/tip can you share to help break through it?

HEALTH & WELLNESS

• People Pleasing:

“It is essential for you to take care of your needs first and move yourself to the top of your to-do list. Take time to rest when you’re tired; say “no” when you really don’t want to do something (even to your children – they will forgive you, I promise), and make exquisite selfcare a priority. Then and only then, will you be of service to your loved ones and the world in the biggest and most impactful way possible.”

This question piggy-backs off the last one nicely. Women are hardwired to please and to nurture; it’s in our DNA. The thing we tend to forget was … way back in the day, women had very specific duties to fulfill; we took care of the home, the family and our community. As recent as 100 years ago, women were homemakers and stayed home to raise their families and do community service while the men went out to earn the money. These days (and I’m not complaining) women have stepped into roles as breadwinners and career women…

but that DNA thing keeps messing with us. So we stretch ourselves thinner and thinner, we put ourselves last and take care of our loved ones, responsibilities and community first. What ends up happening is that we burn out and are of no use to anyone. It is essential for you to take care of your needs first and move yourself to the top of your todo list. Take time to rest when you’re tired; say “no” when you really don’t want to do something (even to your children – they will forgive you, I promise), and make exquisite self-care a priority. Then and only then, will you be of service to your loved ones and the world in the biggest and most impactful way possible. Why? Because … you will be completely nourished from the inside – out and therefore have the ability to take it all on with grace and ease. A full vessel can pour the most water – fill your vessel and continue to re-fill it on a daily basis.

Through all your work, transformational products and one-on-one services I notice one powerful essence throughout your work that really speaks to me as a woman and that’s selfempowerment. Can you share your thoughts on this? Self-empowerment is the only way to break through and break free from anything that holds you hostage. Nobody can change your life for you – ultimately you must change it yourself. Having the right mentor can make all the difference in the world because you receive support when you need it the most –when you’re trying to implement new ways of being in the world. Everything I create contains selfempowerment tools and mindsets – it’s the only way out of self-sabotage and discontent.

My life’s purpose is to supply women with the tools, knowledge and support to break free from whatever bondage (real or imagined) holds them captive. Now, simple need not imply easy. It’s scary stuff because the devil we know (even if it’s not what we want) feels safer than the unknown, but that’s just an illusion. I’m a Fire Walker; I have walked through my personal fire, faced my demons and have come out the other end one very powerful woman. If I need to, I’ll do it again, and again. Like anything else, it gets easier every time you do it. Now I must help other women with their Fire Walking journey… it’s my honor to hold the hands of my clients (my sisters) and walk along side them through their personal fire. I do this in many different ways. I create Home Study Programs for those who want to do it on their own and at their own pace… I also offer Group Programs and Private, One-OnOne Platinum Programs too. Women are more powerful than they imagine and it is my heart felt wish, my life’s purpose and part of my mission to help them see that truth.

I’ve heard many women on the path of self-discovery share that feel an inner knowing that NOW is the time for them to heal, create, live authentically, step out of their comfort zone etc. but they are not sure of the next step or are allowing fear to hold them back. Why are so many women experiencing this inner urgency? That is an excellent question. There is ascension of the Divine Feminine happening right now, it’s in fashion and

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story. It doesn’t matter if you touch 1,000,000 people or just your family – you were born to make a difference… you matter.

Lisa, is there anything else you want to share with women? My heartfelt wish for you, my sister is to know that you are stronger than you think, wiser than you know and more beautiful than you can imagine. Whatever you might believe about your life and your situation at the present moment, you can transform it. It takes courage, faith, fortitude and action, but you can do it. If you’ve suffered in the past, please know that it does not have to be in vain. You are here to illuminate the world through your

My work is to be of service to the women of this world. The Goddess Lifestyle Plan focuses on the 9 key areas that make up a life – it’s a holistic model. My belief is that we are a sum of all our parts. One of the 9 key areas is your health, and what I know for sure is that there is a food-mood connection and a food-health connection. What you put into your sacred body vessel can either nourish it or deteriorate it…this includes food, lifestyle habits and your thoughts. What to eat to be “healthy” is a great, big, huge confusion these days. The world is unknowingly addicted to sugar; it’s put into almost everything packaged in a box or bag. Getting sugar out of your daily diet is essential to having a clear head which will in turn help you make better choices. When you feel like crap, you make crappy decisions. Need I say more? Read Online!

CLICK HERE to visit Lisa at Goddess Lifestyle Plan and claim her in-depth “How to Create Your Goddess Life Recipe’ eworkbook. If you are ready to SAY NO to Sugar be sure to visit www. SugarFreeGoddess.com and download Lisa’s 10 Effective Tips for Sugar Free Living

HEALTH & WELLNESS

there’s a very good reason for that. Over the last few centuries the Universe has become imbalanced, tipping towards the Masculine … and because nature is always finding balance… the Divine Feminine is being called to step up and balance the energetic scales so to speak. It’s really a beautiful thing. Women’s souls all over the globe are pulling at them to step up and create a new world; a world of collaboration, understanding, community, peace and love. If your soul is tugging at you to step up and be part of the change, I urge you to listen. The world needs you to honor and OWN your energetic space. The greatest gift you can give your loved ones and the world is to be the healthiest, most powerful version of yourself possible… it’s your duty.

Lisa tell us a little about the two powerful communities – The Goddess Lifestyle Plan and Sugar Free Goddess that you’ve created to serve women in honoring their truth?

LIVING the

Goddess Lifestyle

Honoring You A modern day

Goddess

MUST I

BY LISA MARIE ROSATI

live in a way that honors me. I NEVER break promises to myself and ultimately … I put my essential “needs” at the top of my to do list (barring emergencies of course). In addition, I rarely ask for someone’s opinion about personal matters. This was not always the case in my life. Years ago, before my sacred journey home to my soul, I second-guessed every decision and needed approval from everyone in order to feel at peace. You can imagine that “peace” was something I rarely (if ever) experienced. Primarily because each person has an opinion, and if I didn’t get the “opinion” I was hoping for, I would continue to ask more people for input, which confused me even further! Craziness! Insanity making … and I LOVED it… subconsciously of course. Outwardly, I was totally tortured, and full of painful indecision *giggle*- I can laugh about it now.

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I really had no clue who I was! I was a walking, talking, confused mess – a human conglomeration of everyone else’s opinion. On top of that, I had a deep need to make everyone happy, including myself. I suffered from low selfesteem and low-self worth that was exacerbated by my obsession for people pleasing … a debilitating trifecta of psychological, emotional warfare! When it all became too much (and it did), I realized that if things were going to change, it was up to me (talk about a EUREKA MOMENT!). First and foremost I had to get to know me (Lisa) and I had to become best friends with her. I had to honor her as I would any other friend in my life. I had to trust her,

respect her and I had to like her too. The first thing I did was begin to distance myself from people who made me feel bad about myself; friends, family, whomever. Listen, I promise you, healthy space is a good thing. Then I stopped asking for advice or opinions, it was time for me to create MY life! I remember thinking to myself that I wasn’t thrilled with the results I had gotten thus far listening to others, so I might as well give my soul an opportunity at bat in the big ol’ game of life! Well needless to say, it was a HUMONGOUS success! Not every decision, I’m talking in general. The more I cultivated my friendship with myself, the more I liked and trusted my own advice. As a matter of fact I like my own council so much that I rarely speak! Just kidding… I love to talk. Did you know that selfesteem is a verb, and not a noun? It’s true, think about it, we’re always estimating ourselves; it’s the act of estimation… how did I do on that project or test, how do I look today, how did I

show up to my day, etc… Learning that fact was a game changer for me. I realized that I could actually elevate my esteem (and so can you), so I went about my business doing so. That’s the reason why I never break promises to myself. I show up fully to each day - give it my 100 percent. When I feel under the weather or energetically off, I own it (which is key), identify why, and give myself the necessary remedy. My number one promise is to honor myself. My needs can change daily. Actually on some days it changes hourly or minuteto-minute and that’s okay – I’ve decided that there are no rules regarding my needs – they are what they are, period! When you begin a practice of honoring your soul, you begin to get to know who you are. What you like and what you don’t like. What feels good and what feels yucky? What works for you and what doesn’t? We women get so caught up in being nice don’t we? I gave some thought to the word “nice”. What the heck is nice? Little girls

HEALTH & WELLNESS

The ass-kicker was that the answer was inside me all along… I was just too distracted to hear it. I also didn’t trust myself, not one little bit. Up to that point in my life, I hadn’t built a strong relationship with my soul. I was always looking for external things to fill me up; people, places, experiences or things.

are sugar and spice and everything nice - I want to vomit! The dictionary defines nice as: pleasant; agreeable; satisfactory. I want to take a moment to reframe the word “nice” for you through the eyes of a Modern Day Goddess.

A Modern Day Goddess is nice to herself because her soul resides there. In conclusion I want to point out that we are all a work in progress. Sure we can beat ourselves up over our past blunders or we can choose to look at it as a learning experience. We can look to others for all our decision-making or we can choose to look to our soul. Either way YOUR answers are already within you. Sure you can gain perspective by talking with others, but I urge you to be discerning about whom you ask. Make sure that the person you turn to holds space in the world and lives in a way that you admire and respect. Read Online!

Passionista Lisa Marie Rosati – An Inner Goddess Catalyst for women and the Creatrix of The Goddess Lifestyle Plan. Lisa mentors women on how become a Modern Day Goddess by consciously designing a luscious Goddess life, cultivating radiant health and creating a lucrative business using and directing their feminine fire. www.GoddessLifestylePlan.com

Here are 10 of my favorite ways to honor yourself: 1. Give yourself the love and respect you deserve. 2. Know and protect your personal boundaries at all times. 3. Always be nice to yourself. 4. Open your heart – to yourself. 5. Write a “Self-Love Mission Statement” and hang it where you can look at it often. 6. Re-define the words selfish and nice. 7. Hang love notes to yourself everywhere. (Post-It’s work great!) 8. Include feminine ritual and prayer in your daily life. 9. Put healthy, whole foods in your sacred body vessel. 10. Invest in yourself – time, money … the whole shebang!

www.AspireMAG.net | October / November 2013

The

Wise Woman Way

Wise Healer

Within BY SUsun weed

here is a Wise Healer who lives within you. This Wise Healer Within knows everything that is happening in your body. The Wise Healer Within is more accurate than any test. The Wise Healer Within sees cancer when it starts (which may be as much as ten years earlier that it shows up on a mammogram or PSA test, a sonogram or a colonoscopy). The Wise Healer Within monitors every cell, every bacterium, every change within your body. Being in contact with the Wise Healer Within is an important tool for those seeking a healthy, happy life, no matter what your current state: vital or weak, healthy or sick, serene or hysterical.

HEALTH & WELLNESS

The

Are you in touch with your Wise Healer Within? Would you like to be? Anyone can do it. Everyone has a Wise Healer Within. Some people call this entity “intuition,” or “body wisdom,” or even “my higher power.” But, often, those who are aware of this wisdom within, believe that it just happens, or is a lucky coincidence, or comes on its own terms. This wisdom surfaces strongly when we feel threatened; but we don’t have to wait for a threat to wake us up to our own inner wisdom. Wise Healer Within is there all the time, aware all the time, ready to communicate all the time. We are the ones who only sometimes listen, who only at times pay

attention, who only communicate when we are in need, distressed, hurting. The voice of inner wisdom desires a relationship with you that is based on regular visits, not merely emergency calls. Come on a journey with me to visit your Wise Healer Within. You don’t need to pack, in fact, unpacking your preconceptions is a great way to begin. All you need to do is sit quietly and read these words.

You may wish to draw a picture of your Wise Healer Within or write about your visit. Perhaps this will be the first of many entries in your Wise Healer Within Journal. Like a dream, your experience is more likely to be useful if you “capture” it somehow.

Shamanic Journey to the Wise Healer Within If inside: Light a candle. Turn off

any lights, electronics, phone ringers, beepers. If outside: Sit with your back against a tree if possible. Begin by breathing. Breathe out and give your breath away. Give your carbon dioxide to the plants. Breathe in and take in the gift of the plants. Take in oxygen, and the pure bliss of existence.

With your eyes closed: Breathe for several minutes. Then open your eyes, read the next few sentences, and close your eyes again. Imagine, envision, sense, feel the presence of your guardian/guide/ angel. Your guide can be female or male, human or animal, plant or fungi, common or alien. Your guide can take any shape, or none at all; you may feel your guide’s presence, not see it.

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Are you in a city or the country? In a palace or a hut?

Close your eyes and take as much or as little time as you need to contact your guide.

Are you up in the air? Behind a waterfall? Inside a tree? Under the earth?

Then open your eyes and read the next sentences.

Notice details.

Ask your guide to take you to the Wise Healer Within.

Close your eyes and be present in the home of your Wise Healer Within.

You may go on foot, by ship, plane, car, or by instantaneous transport.

Take as long as you like to acquaint yourself with this place.

You may go by earth, by air, by fire, or by water.

Then open your eyes and read the next sentences.

Your journey may be long or short, difficult or easy, fast or slow. Pay attention to your surroundings.

The Wise Healer Within, like your guide, could be anybody, anything, any form.

Close your eyes and imagine or pretend that you are going there now.

What emotions come up as your Wise Healer Within appears?

Then open your eyes and continue reading.

You want to create a relationship with your Wise Healer Within.

When you get to the abode of the Wise Healer Within, look around, taking in everything. What do you smell in the abode of the Wise Healer Within? Is there a taste in your mouth? What temperature is it in the place where the Wise Healer Within lives?

You want to be partners with your Wise Healer Within. Give the Wise Healer Within a small gift that magically appears in your hand. Sit and talk with the Wise Healer Within.

Is the air moist or dry there?

Go for a walk with the Wise Healer Within.

Is it dark or light? Where does the light come from?

Touch the Wise Healer Within; let the

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Your guide will introduce you to the Wise Healer Within.

Wise Healer Within touch you. Close your eyes and be with your Wise Healer Within. Take as long as you like, then open your eyes and read the next sentences. Ask the Wise Healer Within questions, if you wish.

When it is time to go, your guide will appear and beckon to you or take your hand. Return by the same way you came. Feel yourself sitting with your back against a tree.

Please tell me how to call you.

Feel the candlelight flickering on your closed eyelids.

Please tell me how to nourish you.

Open your eyes.

Please show me anything in my body that needs attention or tending.

Close your eyes and ask the Wise Healer Within your questions.

Please show me where my body is working optimally.

You will know when your guide is there and when it is time to return and open your eyes.

Make it a regular habit to visit your Wise Healer Within. Become close friends. Let your inner wisdom be the leader. Give the Wise Healer Within your ear. Give the Wise Healer Within your heart. Read Online!

Susun Weed – An internationally renowned herbalist, author, and director of the Wise Woman Center in New York. She is a revered voice of the Wise Woman Tradition, where women’s bodies and women’s emotions are valued. Susun is a founding grandmother of the herbal renaissance and the originator of the concept of complementary medicine. www.SusunWeed.com

www.AspireMAG.net | October / November 2013

“To insure good health:

eat lightly, breathe deeply, live moderately, cultivate cheerfulness, and maintain an interest in life.” William Londen

RELATIONSHIPS

“To be fully seen by

somebody, then, and be loved anyhow - this is a human offering that can border on miraculous.” Elizabeth Gilbert

LOVE is

a Choice

Read Online!

BY gina lake

We tend to think of love as an uncontrollable feeling that comes over us. Although this overwhelming feeling does happen, real love and love that is sustained is always a choice: You choose to be open to someone, you choose to accept them, and that openness and acceptance allows love to flow. This process is often unconscious, so we often don’t realize we are choosing to accept someone when it’s happening. But that choice to accept someone is what precedes love. It happens unconsciously all the time, and it can happen more consciously too. When acceptance and love happen unconsciously, it’s often because someone fits our ideas, desires, and conditioning. We find that person pleasing because we identify with him or her in some way, probably because we see qualities similar to ours, or perhaps because we see a quality we admire and would like to develop. When our acceptance doesn’t happen automatically and unconsciously, we can simply choose to accept someone because he or she is different or unusual in some way. (Read full article online)

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UPCOMING EVENTS

LIVE,Love, and

Laugh

After Loss By Christina rasmussen

Loss is devastating. It’s painful and sad, and it truly stops us in our tracks. It brings up fears about our safety and abilities. It makes us question reality. It’s so damn unfair. It’s literally one of the hardest things we ever face—and we don’t get a choice about that. Because loss is part of being human. You are more than your loss; you are a whole human being waiting to come back to life. If I were standing before you, I would see the light in your eyes even before you did. You see, before your loss, you were one person. You knew who you were. You made sense in the context of your life. But that identity was ripped away in the moment of your loss. That moment did not only bring pain and sorrow, it also brought confusion and fear. Your brain lost its ability to plan and reason.

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This is something that no one can prepare for.

The secret I want to share with you is that your brain is so adaptive and so powerful that your own thoughts during this painful period can lead you to experience a remarkable, bright future. Even though you are confused and scared, there is a way out of this temporary cloud and onto a powerful bridge. You can help build this bridge to the future, and it can take you wherever you want to go. As you step into this new life, you could take the opportunity to reignite parts of yourself that dimmed because of your loss. You could drop behaviors and attitudes that you don’t want to keep. You can take up new hobbies. You can make new friends. Travel to new places. Change your job. Move. Fall in love again. It’s your choice. You have a choice to create a new you, so you can experience new firsts—second firsts. Though loss feels painful, you are in control of who you get to be and what happens next. Of this I am sure: Creating a new lifestyle

THE WORLD OF SECOND FIRSTS I entered the world of second firsts in September of 1998, when I delivered my master’s thesis on the stages of bereavement at the University of Durham in England. But I wasn’t thrown into the emotional and practical abyss of needing to create a new beginning for myself until the summer of 2006 when my 35-year-old husband left the physical world. After a

devastating and emotionally draining threeyear struggle with colon cancer, he passed

relationships

Now you are in an intermediate, transitional phase of your life, where you’re waiting to discover the new you—the second you— and find out what your new life will look like. There’s a lot of uncertainty at this time. Even though going back to the old life isn’t possible, part of you wants to do that anyway. Another part of you wants to go forward—you just don’t know how yet.

will require you to change your thoughts and to form new daily habits. Above everything, it will require you to plug in to life day after day after day, no matter how devastating the loss you experienced. How you think, what you do, and the way you participate in life will change your brain and identity, even if only in subtle ways.

away, leaving me as a grieving single mother with two young daughters. Nothing I’d been taught or believed about the experience of profound loss was accurate. I was lost, sad, and very afraid of the future. Based on my understanding of the biology of the brain, it advocates conscious movement through the five stages of a selfguided discovery process that I refer to as the Life Reentry Model. This method is developed from research I have done, my own experience, and the experiences of the thousands of people I have worked with in their quest to overcome grief. It uses the ability of the brain to rewire itself so you are able to move past the fear and sadness that are now ruling your life. Each stage will take you a step closer to moving out of the abyss and into a new life. I used the process to change my own life, and it has allowed me to be truly happy again—with a new husband, a new career, and two beautiful new daughters to mother. You deserve the same: to be happy and have no regrets that you didn’t try. Loss is not something that keeps happening to you; it is an event. You get to decide when you want to step back into life.

START WHERE YOU ARE Everyone who has gone through a profound loss has the ability to shift his or her approach to life in such a way that a new life is possible. Discovering and building your own new life is up to you. It is never too late . . . or too soon. And you are never too old. Put aside any beliefs you may hold about

grief and living life after loss. You can live as you grieve, and you can move forward when you’re scared and shift when you want to stay the same. Be compassionate and gentle with yourself, embrace the truth of where you are, and take time to reflect on both your grief thoughts and life thoughts. When you realize that grief can mean two worlds co-existing— the old and the new—you will start seeing the life that is standing right in front of you. Some people might argue that, as a society, we don’t allow enough time for grief after a loss, but I’d argue that while it’s important to take time to mourn, it’s equally important to be able to know when it’s time to take action and shift focus from the life we once had to the life we want. While most of the books and research papers I’ve read on loss point out how the stages of grief are a journey, in reality this journey doesn’t end with grief. Starting over isn’t only about the life you left behind. It’s about the life that lies ahead of you. The above is an excerpt from Second Firsts: Live, Laugh, and Love Again, by Christina Rasmussen, published by Hay House (November, 2013) available at bookstores or online at www.HayHouse.com. Read Online!

Christina Rasmussen - Her personal story and fresh approach to life after loss has garnered international attention. She has been featured as a Woman Working to Do Good in the White House blog and her first book, Second Firsts: Live, Laugh and Love Again will be released November 4th, 2013 by Hay House. She is also the founder of the non profit The Life Starters, an action-oriented social network for people who have felt all alone in their grief and are stuck in their Waiting Room. You can subscribe to her popular blog The Message in a Bottle and can also connect with Christina on Facebook and Twitter.

www.AspireMAG.net | October / November 2013

Magnificent

Love Affairs are Created–Not Found By Stacey Martino

“Magnificent love affairs are CREATED, not found, so stop searching and start building. It is SO worth it!” – Stacey Martino

s a love and passion expert, people come to me every day for help with their relationship challenges. While the specifics may vary, one thing is usually consistent in their complaint. It always starts with BUT MY PARTNER…. There’s usually something wrong with their partner, something their partner IS or IS NOT doing, something that falls short of their expectations. People often ask me, “how do I know if I’m with the right person? Maybe he/she is just not the one for me?” Well there are ways to know, but honestly,

when people first come to ME, they are not at the point where they can clearly make that determination… yet. I see it every day. When you get stuck in blaming your partner, is when the pain comes into your intimate relationship. When you feel powerless. When you feel at the whim of your partner. Will they or won’t they do what you need? This is a very destructive place to be in relationship. So, now I’ll explain to you what I mean by “Magnificent relationships are created, not found.” Most of us come with a preconceived notion that we are going to FALL in love and then stay in love. And if it’s the person we

www.AspireMAG.net | October / November 2013

love and the person we chose, then it will hopefully always work out.

That’s not how it works.

The rest YOU must create! Being in love, staying in love, going deeper into love,

Ask anyone who HAS that kind of love and they will tell you that they did the work! They may not still need to “work” at it, because eventually it becomes effortless, but it doesn’t start out effort-less. It takes effort. In fact, it takes effort and creation to create magnificence in EVERY area of your life. Look at anyone who has an abundance of wealth, an outstanding health, incredible fitness or magnificent love affair….and you will find someone who set a high standard for themselves and did what it took to create what they wanted! The challenge in intimate relationship is that most people do NOT believe that there are proven, repeatable, specific step-by-step strategies to create a magnificent love affair with your partner. But there are! My husband Paul and I are living proof. Thirteen years ago, our relationship was hanging by a thread, and we were both prepared to walk away. Through the tears and the sobbing that night, I had a small glimpse of this incredible love for Paul that I had never felt before, but it was fleeting.

Love The next day I went to my coach and asked her, “I’ve had this glimpse of this unbelievably powerful love for Paul, but then I lost it. How do I get it to come back and more importantly, how do I get it to stay?”

relationships

We do FALL in love, that’s absolutely true. Falling in love is something that happens TO YOU. And that is the LAST moment when anything to do with BEING in love will ever just happen TO YOU.

cultivating a heightened passion, living a life of magnificence – none of that will happen TO YOU. You must CREATE all of that!

Being in love, staying

create ours!

in love, going deeper

So when someone comes up to me and asks me to “fix their partner,” I often smile and say, “Well, that I cannot do…but I know YOU can, and I can show you exactly how!” Your intimate relationship impacts every area of your life, your work, your kids, your confidence, your self-worth, your happiness! Can you really afford to leave that in the hands of someone else? Do you want your happiness and self-worth to exist at the whim of another person?

into love, cultivating a heightened passion, living a life of magnificence – none of that will happen TO YOU. You must CREATE all of that! She gave me a piece of advice that I never forgot, she said, “Give as if you are already getting everything you need in the world.” I lived by that motto for a year. I transformed myself, I transformed Paul and I transformed our relationship. Paul and I became so incredibly grateful for our amazing love that we nearly lost, that we went all in! We invested 13 years and six figures to travel all over and study with the world’s leading relationship, behavior and intimacy specialists to completely transform our relationship into the magnificent love affair that we enjoy today! Together, our mission is that everyone who wants to transform their relationship should absolutely be able to do so! And so we created our proven eight step Relationship Transformation System™ to help people create the love and passion they desire in their intimate relationship without the 13 years and six figures that it took us to

Even if they have the best of intentions for you, does your partner have the training, tools, strategies and skill sets to create a magnificent love affair for you? Is it time for you to empower yourself to create your unshakable love and unleashed passion that will last your lifetime? Stop waiting for it to happen TO YOU. Stop SEEKING it. Start building it!! Don’t waste another day with your intimate relationship causing pain in your life! Start creating your magnificent relationship right now! It is SO worth it!! Read Online!

Stacey Martino - A Certified Marriage Educator & Divorce Preventionist. Stacey and her husband Paul created their proven eight step Relationship Transformation System™. Every day, people all around the world are transforming their intimate relationships using Stacey & Paul’s ground-breaking programs! You can find Stacey at www.LoveandPassionCoach.com and on Facebook and Twitter. CLICK HERE to DOWNLOAD your FREE 8 Step Relationship Transformation Audio Program >>> www.LoveandPassionCoach.com

www.AspireMAG.net | October / November 2013

Three Simple Steps to

in Your

Child C

By Jill Hope

onfidence is such an essential quality in living a happy, successful life. Confident people are more likely to ask for what they want, and tend to do it in a way that gets a positive response. When confident people meet failure, they tend to pick themselves up, view the situation as an opportunity to improve some aspect of themselves, and keep on going. Confident people don’t let the “no’s” in their life stop them. The problem is that so many kids seem to lack confidence today. In fact, in terms of the things at the top of parents’ wish lists, improving their child’s confidence ranks right up there. In working to improve my own selfconfidence, as well as that of my child’s and of the children in the families that I coach, I’ve found a number of fairly easy, straightforward steps to building greater self-confidence in kids.

relationships

Building Confidence

So, what can you do to nurture greater confidence in your child?

Allow your child to make decisions and experience the consequences.

When you provide your child appropriate

options and give your child the ability to

choose, you allow her to experience little

successes. As her experiences with success build, so too does her confidence in her

abilities. And if her choices result in a failure of some sort, you can use the opportunity to empower her to take responsibility and show

her how she can resolve the issue, which in and of itself, will give her the confidence to

It is in the little actions that our kids take every day that confidence grows, bit by bit. feelings, and they start to speak in a manner that reinforces that they are always at choice with how they choose to feel, they begin to feel empowered in their lives, rather than at the mercy of how others may choose to treat them. And through this empowered feeling, greater confidence can grow.

resolve challenges when they arise.

Teach your child to speak in a way that cultivates self-responsibility.

You can show your child that he is responsible

for his feelings by having him speak in a

way that encourages self-responsibility. For example, if your child says something like

“Drew made me mad”, you can ask him if it

is really true that Drew made him mad, or if he chose to be mad because of something Drew did. Then you can encourage your

child to instead say, “I chose to feel mad when Drew did that”. When our children

realize that they are responsible for their

Encourage your child to do for herself what she is capable of doing rather than doing these things for her.

I am going to admit something; I am sometimes a servant for my child! As he sits on the couch reading his book, he will often ask me to bring him a glass of water or an apple, and often, I oblige. Here’s the thing; he is more than capable of doing these things on his own, and as much as I don’t mind doing it, I am actually doing him a disservice when I continue to “serve” him. The more our children can do for themselves, the more capable they feel. Confidence is nurtured through our proven capabilities. When you encourage your child to do the things you know she can do, she begins to feel capable and confident of serving her own needs.

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By providing her with choices, helping her speak in a manner that cultivates a sense of responsibility over her feelings, and encouraging her to do the things she is more than capable of doing for herself, you will gradually give your child experiences that will lead to Read Online! greater self-confidence.

Jill Hope – Writer, parenting transformation coach, motivational speaker, and founder of I Shine ( www.IShineKids.com ). Through her work with I Shine and her passion for helping busy moms to bring out the best in themselves and their kids and shine their

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If you feel that your child is lacking in the confidence department, try these simple steps and let me know how they work for you. It is in the little actions that our kids take every day that confidence grows, bit by bit.

inner light on the world, Jill has designed several unique and innovative programs including the “Powerful Girl Within” and “Child Self-Esteem ‘Bully-Proof’” Programs, which teach parents the mindset, tools, and strategies that foster self-esteem, build character, and raise emotionally healthy, empowered kids. Learn more at www.IShineKids.com.

CAREER/ BUSINESS

“Life-fulfilling work is never

about the money – when you feel true passion for something, you instinctively find ways to nurture it.”

ad Re ne! i Onl

Eileen Fisher

Simply... Empowered!

When Failure Isn’t an Option, You’ll Succeed

If you talked to the most highly successful people, they would tell you that it took hard work, perseverance, focus, and the right plan. I bet they’d also tell you that they had a little bit of good luck thrown in from time to time. Even so, there were many times when they felt like giving up (and nearly did), but something always brought them back. I’ll bet there were times they felt like frauds or felt inadequate, ill-equipped, and even terrified . . . but something always told them to stay the course.

To achieve an empowered life, you must reach higher—you must start living full out! You must step out of your comfort zone and your need to seek

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UPCOMING EVENTS

permission to live your greatest life. Make a list each evening, just before going to bed, of the seven essential action steps you need to take the next day—seven steps that will bring you closer to your goals. Start each morning with the most important step. (Read full article online)

Grow

Your Business

Heart Centered with

Social media By Stacey Hoffer weckstein

ocial Media Marketing. Everyone is talking about it and heart-centered businesses are using it to generate leads and enroll new clients. You probably know that social media is vital for finding, engaging with, and ultimately enrolling your ideal clients. But like so many other conscious women business owners, you may have an underlying limiting belief that engaging clients with social media is an overwhelming task. I’m here to tell you that social media marketing doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Even if you don’t know where to start, don’t know what to post, or don’t know how to strategically use social media to generate leads and enroll ideal clients. I want you to

know that you can successfully use social media to find + enroll your ideal clients with grace and ease. The secret sauce, to no surprise, is to bring more of your heart and soul into your social media presence. It’s about transforming how you show up and connect with your target audience online. It’s about what I call, heart-centered social media.

What is Heart Centered Social Media? Heart-centered social media is rooted in the feminine conscious business principle

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It’s about…connecting with others…and building authentic relationships. This heartcentered approach to social media is how you will increase your social media reach + traffic + leads + revenue. You can also think about heart-centered social media as a way of being. It’s not a short-term hard sales marketing tool and it’s not something you periodically use when you want to promote your newest service, program, or book. It’s a way of being present and authentically connected with your ideal clients. It’s a way to find + enroll your ideal clients, but this does not happen overnight. You

need to be committed to both short term tactics and longer term strategies to truly receive the success you want. Heart-centered social media is soft and uses strategic focused actions to convert your ideal clients into leads. More specifically, it is a two-way conversation that moves your ideal clients into your sales funnel.

Here are 3 heart-centered social media strategies you can start using today to grow business…

Stop Speaking to an Empty Room. Take time to seek out your

ideal clients online. One of the first steps you need to take to embrace heartcentered social media is to locate your ideal clients. You want to first find out where your ideal clients hang out online and then take the time to listen to your target audience. Ultimately, this will allow you to speak directly and soulfully to your ideal clients. Perhaps they are hanging out on likeminded Facebook groups or are connecting with others using hashtags on Twitter. Most likely, they are electronically connected to at least one like-minded online community. If you find your ideal clients online, you will no longer be speaking to an empty room. Instead, you will be connecting with the right people and will seamlessly grow your reach. Do you know where your ideal clients hang out online?

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of collaboration. It overflows with gratitude, generosity, active listening, and authenticity. It creates opportunities to build deep connections + powerful relationships with ideal clients around the world by honoring the inner soul of your business and bringing that spirit into your social media marketing. It honors your heart, allows you to be authentically seen, and embraces the law of attraction to connect you with your ideal clients and to find win-win partners for your business.

Remember to Listen. Once you

find your ideal clients online, simply practice listening. This means being still and present and listening to what your ideal clients are saying. Social media will allow you to listen to your ideal clients and learn more about what they are struggling with. You will learn more about what excites them. This is also one of the ways that you will learn how you can best support and serve your target audience. How are you listening to your ideal clients?

Authentic.

Heart-centered social media is not about pushing your services in front of people. It’s about authentically sharing your inner wisdom and connecting with people on a deeper level. It’s about building authentic relationships with your ideal clients and positioning yourself as a trusted expert…so when your ideal clients need the services or products that you offer, they will choose you. How are you truly connecting with others online?

If you need help bringing more of your heart into your social media presence, visit me at InspiringSocialMedia.com and download my free gift “5 Heart-Centered Social Media Secrets.” This gift will walk you through 5 essential steps to using social media to find + engage with + enroll your ideal clients. Read Online!

Stacey Hoffer Weckstein - A heart & soul connector, wise intuitive visionary, bold courageous blogger, sacred community manager, and heart-centered social media strategist. Stacey helps conscious women entrepreneurs find + engage with + enroll their ideal clients by using proven heart-centered social media strategies. Learn more at www.InspiringSocialMedia.com

own s on your s e c c u s e “Defin your own y b it e v hie ter ms, ac uild a life you’re b rules, and live.” proud to y

Sweene e n n A

www.AspireMAG.net | October / November 2013

Doing

BUsiness LIKE a

Goddess

Career/business

Let Go toGrow By elizabeth purvis

reetings, Goddess!

Welcome back to Doing Business Like A Goddess, where I share key concepts that every feminine conscious entrepreneur must know in order to succeed in today’s new business landscape, plus how to create extraordinary income and impact while honoring that you are exactly who the world’s been waiting for. In the last two issues, I shared the first two key concepts for doing business like a Goddess… Giving Yourself Permission and Success Leads To More Success. The 3rd key concept for doing business like a Goddess is you must let go to grow. Every once in a while I’ll have a conversation with a client that goes something like this: “I have

a clear picture of what I’m going for, and I’ve been taking all the action. I’m overwhelmed, tired and it’s still not happening fast enough. What gives?” We’ve all been there. Here’s my answer:

“What can you let go of ?” If you find yourself in any version of “stuck” – be it with something you’re manifesting, something you want to shift, an old trigger that comes up again and again, or not getting the results you want in your business – there is SOMETHING you’re holding onto. It might be:

• Clothes • Clutter • Money • Untrue ideas or assumptions about money • Untrue ideas or assumptions about yourself • Untrue ideas or assumptions about others • Untrue ideas or assumptions about “rich people” • Untrue ideas or assumptions about success • The need for approval • The need to be right! • Old stories handed down from childhood • Relationships you’ve outgrown • Mailing your own ezine • Doing your own bookkeeping • Attachment to overwhelm (HUGE)

You get the idea. There’s a card in Tarot that illustrates this perfectly. Picture a king sitting on a stone throne, grasping tightly to four coins as if they’re the last wealth he’ll ever have. The energy is stagnant, possessive, blocked… in a word, STUCK. When the Four of Pentacles comes up in a reading, you’re being asked to look at where you’re resisting change. That’s because transformation always requires releasing control and stepping into the unknown. Sacrificing something of a lower nature for a higher nature. Letting go. Letting go is sometimes exhilarating (“whee! I’m free!”). More often, it’s really scary. Yet it’s among the biggest reasons why women find themselves frustrated with a lack of progress, speed and ease of anifestation.

www.AspireMAG.net | October / November 2013

Here’s my strategy for making a clean break when it’s time to let go to grow.

Decide quickly.

Let it go!

Key word: decide. Many women get stalled in their transformation simply because they haven’t made a real decision to be different. When it comes to personal change, this is a decision to take your income, impact and mastery to the next level… no matter what.

Now that you’ve identified what you’ve been holding on to, it’s time to let it go. Here are two power questions that release the “charge” and give you some distance and perspective, so that you can consciously release what you’ve been carrying.

Every act of commitment is really an act of re-commitment. The first step is to decide.

Could you let it go? If you could, will you?

Ask, “What’s the gift?” Every behavior has a positive intention. Which means that if you don’t have what you want, there’s a positive intention being served. Letting go means first accepting what is. What’s the gift in the situation as you are experiencing it right now? How has it served you? What do you have the opportunity to do next?

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(You can use this simple technique with everything from simple “is it time to throw out this lamp?” decisions to deeper emotional “stuff” that’s been weighing you down for a while.)

Ask, “What am I resisting?” To let go of something for good, you first have to own whatever you’re attached to. (And yes, if it’s still in your way, there is a level of attachment present. Remember, behavior has a positive intention.) What is it that you really need to let go of? Get real and get honest with yourself.

Adopt a new belief that pulls you forward. Our beliefs play a big role in our actions. To take a different action requires a different belief system. The problem is, it can be challenging to “rewire” our minds. An easier way is to decide the belief ahead of time, and take action from THAT place. The more aligned action you take, the stronger the belief will become.

What is the new belief you would like to adopt instead? What’s one action you can take from this new belief, and by when? 85

Stay the course! A powerful feminine mentor once told me, “It doesn’t matter whether you get triggered, stopped, taken out, or fall off the path. All of those things will happen, many times. What matters is how quickly you decide to get back ON the path.” Every act of commitment is really an act of re-commitment. You may have to use this sequence more than once on an emotional issue, and that’s okay. The more you use this technique to release the baggage, the lighter you’re going to feel, allowing positive change to come into your life. Try it! Until next time…

Love and Magic,

Elizabeth

Read Online!

Elizabeth Purvis - Shows spirit-led, mission-driven women how to price, package and market their services so they create extraordinary income and impact. Known for blending heart-centered sales, Internet marketing, spiritual principles and Universal Law, Elizabeth delivers simple ways for coaches, consultants, practitioners and healers to double or triple their revenues by creating multiple streams of income and enrolling ideal clients at higher fees. www.MarketingGoddess.com

www.AspireMAG.net | October / November 2013

iritual women “It’s time for sp els - living to become mod ue spiritual examples - of tr bundance.” and financial a Elizabeth

Purvis

The Role of

Career/business

Passion Business in Your

By sandra martini

verywhere we turn, we’re told “do what you love and the money will follow” or “follow your passion.” Reality however, tells us that being passionate about our mission or simply doing what we love isn’t enough. If it were, over 80% of all business endeavors would succeed rather than fail. After all, small business owners typically go into business because they love what they do and they want to make a difference. And yet, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration, over 63% of those same passionate, doing-whatthey-love business owners are out of business within 5 years.

Why? Why when we’re so passionate about what we do and who we serve do things not work out?

So what’s our business owner to do?

Here are just a few of the reasons: 1 The business owner knows how to do “the thing” she does and may even do it exceptionally well, but doesn’t understand marketing, or understands it yet isn’t consistent about it and so doesn’t earn the trust of those contemplating doing business with her. 2 T he business owner is so focused on getting new clients for “the thing” she does that she neglects current customers and clients, giving them a less-than-stellar experience. 3 T he business owner is seduced by programs and products which focus on everything but what she needs most — a consistent stream of recurring customers and clients — thus taking her time, energy and money.

ssio

+ C ons ist + Ad ent A b ap ilit t = y t o Re sul ts tio

She’s working her butt off, yet not seeing the results she so desperately wants. She used to have passion and now she’s wondering if she’s lost it and should take a program to tap back into it (hint: she shouldn’t). What she should do is take an objective look at what she’s been doing: 1. to bring in new clients and customers 2. to keep existing customers happy

clients

and

3. to stay relevant and on top of what her community wants and needs from her Note that I stress the word “objective” above. So often we think we’re doing much more than we actually are, especially when our business is our passion.

“Objectively” reviewing something means looking at that which is real, which can be proven. For example: • how many new subscribers joined your community • how many conversations have you had • when you sat down with a list of 3 things “to do” today, how many got done

www.AspireMAG.net | October / November 2013

• how many communications did you send out (whether audio, video or written)

• how many offers have you made You get the idea. These are things which can be tracked. . .no guessing or assuming necessary. Think of it as an audit of your business practices. It doesn’t need to be fancy or sophisticated. A simple tick sheet or addition to your daily calendar will do. The goal isn’t to get caught up in the process or the tracking. The goal is to foster the outcome, and many more like it. And if you’re just starting out, the easiest way to ensure that you’re investing your time wisely is to keep a “Time Log” for 3 consecutive days. (You can download a sample time log here) It may feel a little like torture in the beginning, but trust the process, you’ll gain a lot of insight into how you manage your day.

If you’re like most business owners you’ve spent at least part of the last 30 days planning for the month (there’s that whole “Back to School, Back to Business” feeling which comes with September). But have you done a “business practice audit” of the type described above? Have you asked yourself the hard questions and looked for the hard support to back up your answers? Let me assure you that I believe passion is important in anything we do -- from running our business to nurturing our relationships and raising our children. However, from a business perspective, passion, no matter how ardent, without the business and marketing practices to back it up, will, sadly, make your business yet another failed statistic. It’s avoidable. The choice is yours.

Everything you do, write it down.

Read Online!

Does this mean you forget about passion and fulfillment? Absolutely not! Passion is what keeps you motivated, what keeps you inspired and what keeps you going when otherwise you’d stop. Passion is crucially important to your business, but it’s one piece of the equation.

Passion + Consistent Action + Ability to Adapt = Results

Sandra Martini - The mission simple: Empower and enable small business owners to attain self-defined success so they can “live and give” in accordance with their dreams. The process works: Teach business owners how to attract clients who pay, stay and refer through the tenets of Escalator Marketing.™ Meet Sandra Martini of TheMartiniWay.com.

Career/business

• how many “reach out” activities have you performed

A request. . .

INSPIRED To

Write?

Saying “Yes” to Your

Inner Voice: Mary Pritchard’s Remarkable

Journey Muse

with her

BY Lisa Tener

hen Linda Joy introduced me to Mary Pritchard, Mary planned to write a book about women and their relationship to food. A few days later, Mary was on the Birth Your Book call that Linda and I led last spring. While I guided participants through a visualization to connect with their book, Mary’s inner voice told her, “You’re writing the wrong book—and for the wrong audience.”

I imagine that was a shock. She had spent over nine months preparing for this first book—writing about the subject nationally, speaking about it, being interviewed, researching. She’d organized her table of contents and written the first draft of a book proposal she wasn’t quite happy with and that one agent told her to rework—but that had at least gotten the interest of a quality literary agent.

www.AspireMAG.net | October / November 2013

Listening to her inner voice was a risk—a big one.

And not only had she invested nine or ten months on the book and audience, but she’d taken a sabbatical from teaching at Boise State University with the understanding that she would write the diet book. She couldn’t just write a different book. At some point, she’d have to come back and write that diet book—in addition! Mary could have continued to duke it out with the diet book. But she’d already “hit a brick wall” in her words. “It had become

n’t This ca I have . t h g i r be ed nine t s a w t no of my months ding a l i u b e f li or the f m r o f plat ook! wrong b

So, she did what any of us would do. She argued with her muse. “This can’t be right. I have not wasted nine months of my life building a platform for the wrong book.” Mary signed up for my 8 week Bring Your Book to Life Program and then took a few days to mull things over. Now she had committed to the program, but which book should she focus on? She listened to a free guided visualization on my website that I call Meet Your Muse, and she got the same message from her muse: “You’re writing the wrong book.” “Okay, muse, if you want me to write a totally different book than I’ve been working on, give me some guidance.” Mary meditated and retreated to her office. In fifteen minutes she wrote the entire outline for the book. Huh? She’d taken nine months to write an outline for the diet book and it still didn’t feel right. This one felt perfect.

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“I’d spent nine or ten months prior building a following for that first book. I did all those things I was supposed to do.” Mary began blogging on diet for Psychology Today and for the Huffington Post on diet, self-esteem and health. How could she throw that all away—and for a new audience entirely?

an agonizing chore. I suddenly couldn’t find time to write; stuff kept getting in my way. I felt unmotivated, lost and discouraged. That’s when Linda told me, ‘Maybe Lisa can help you overcome some of your blocks.’ I registered for the call she recommended and took meticulous notes for my first diet book.” But all the while, her inner voice nudged her about this being “the wrong book for the wrong audience.”

“That doesn’t happen. That was my big awakening. Okay, this is what it’s supposed to be like.” Mary’s an academic. She researches. She weighs. She compares and contrasts. As Mary said, “It wasn’t me. I was downloading it. I don’t write that fast.” Sure, Mary had to devote time and energy to the writing. But this time it came easily and flowed. Every session she spent time writing, she was rewarded with dramatic creative flow. “Even when I hit a stumbling block, I knew it was for a reason.” Mary wrote a book proposal and three chapters in the eight weeks of class. At the same time, she worked with Linda Joy in creating her brand and authentic messaging to create AwakeningTheGoddessWithin.net where you can sign up for her complimentary download “10 Signs Your Inner Goddess is Calling You.” The site came with the same ease as the book. Within two weeks of launching her website, over 620 women subscribed! Her inner voice had come through. Then Mary found herself dramatically stuck on Chapter 4. “Somehow, I knew I couldn’t write that chapter because I wasn’t in a place in my life that I could finish it. I needed to get divorced, move and start my new life.” Mary wrote chapters 5, 6 and 7 while revising her book proposal and putting the pieces in place to make those dramatic changes. Within a couple of months after class, she did get divorced, move and start a new life.

And chapter 4 came with ease. We polished the proposal and sent the queries to five agents. I queried two of my favorite literary agents who both requested to see Mary’s book proposal the same day they received the e-mail. Mary queried three other agents including one famous agent she’d met through my class and two of the three again responded positively within hours of her sending. Her pitch resonated; her book resounded. The proposals went out today and I somehow think that Mary’s inner voice is going to help move this process with the same ease we saw with the response to her pitch. She’s already “downloaded “ the outline for a follow up book about living the goddess lifestyle and what you can do on a day to day basis to stay connected to your inner voice—yes, your inner voice—clearly a subject she can write about from her own experience. Read Online!

Lisa Tener – An award-winning authority on writing and publishing books, Lisa Tener guides you to joyfully express yourself in writing. She blogs for the Huffington Post, serves on the faculty of Harvard Medical School’s publishing course, and teaches her own Award Winning Book Writing Courses in person and by interactive teleseminar. Download your free Author Tool Kit at www.LisaTener.com

www.AspireMAG.net | October / November 2013

The

By Leonie Dawson

n the very beginning, when I was just starting out in business, I fretted. I knew that networking is important. I knew I was supposed to go to business breakfast meetings and have business cards on hand. I was supposed to “get my name out there” and do lunch with other peeps going in the same direction as me. I knew I was supposed to effortlessly make connections and be confident and have my elevator pitch down to a fine art. But here’s the truth of it: I hated the thought of it all. I’m an introvert. I relish quiet time. I despise answering the phone. I felt two steps out of tempo, too weird + too protective over the space around me to Network Like Business People Should. Sometimes I even feel like I have a bit of

Career/business

Introverts Guide to Succeeding in Business (+ Life!)

an impediment – I live in a remote area of a remote country. I don’t have access to events easily, and I’m not really interested in leaving my daughter behind to travel to events. In short: I’ve sucked at traditional networking. And what’s more: It’s been okay. It’s been MORE than okay. My business has continued to thrive and blossom and grow – it doubles in size each year. Last year we tipped half a million dollars a year. I still just work a few hours a day. My priority has been in spending as much time with my beautiful family as possible. And I still feel like I’m living my soul purpose every single day.

Obviously, being an introvert does NOT equal sucking at business. So let tell you how to succeed + thrive at this whole business game (even when you suck at that whole old school networking thing)!

1. Respect Your Precious Energy You were born a certain way for a very special reason. It’s completely okay if you are shy/loud/highly sensitive/weird/need constant stimulation/or need a hundred hours of downtime after one day out. If you’re introverted or extroverted or right in-between. Whatever your Enneagram/ star sign/Myers-Briggs/StrengthFinder is. Whatever your disposition is It’s pointless to wish you were anything but what you are. You were born to be you.

increase what you adore. This might mean hiring someone to help you with emails + customer service (or even better yet, do them all – leaving you blissfully inbox-free!) This might mean setting parameters around what you can and can’t do. For example, I don’t: • give free coaching advice over email • respond to every comment on Facebook. If I did, that would be my 24/7 job. And that’s NOT my job. My job is to create what is inside me + sail my business ship in the right direction. • say yes to every interview request that comes my way • build out a full coaching schedule. I know that I could if I wanted to as there’s a huge amount of demand there from my peeps, but I just can’t do it. Not if I want to survive + thrive.

Whatever conditions your soul needs to thrive is completely a-ok.

2. Set Yourself Up For Success You will soon learn in business what things you love doing and what things make you feel like DOOM. Then set yourself up for success – work out how you can limit what drains you and

www.AspireMAG.net | October / November 2013

You don’t need to go to a zillion networking functions. You absolutely CAN surround yourself with peeps who are heading in the same direction with you that you can mastermind with (without having to get out of your pajamas). There’s this wonderful thing called the Internet… I don’t know if you’ve heard of it? It’s pretty much God’s gift to introverts. Anyways, online masterminds can be an exceptional place for you to learn, connect, mastermind and grow. It’s why the Amazing Biz + Life Academy has them built into it. It’s why I’m a part of five online masterminds. The internet is an introvert’s paradise. One of the big tips I have for making the most out of using masterminds: • Make sure you introduce yourself. I know that’s pretty dang basic, but you’d be surprised at how more inclined you are to loiter if you don’t out yourself as soon as you join. It’s okay to be visible! • Help other people out. One of the tasks I set myself when I go into an online mastermind is to answer at least three questions that other people have – and answer them as thoroughly as I can – to build my business brain (while I’m creating amazing connections at the same time.) Asking yourself “How Can

• Turn up. Be present. If you get yourself to post just ONE thing each day (sharing either something you’ve found really useful or asking a question), you’ll leave feeling more positive, empowered + on the right path than if you don’t.

Career/business

3. Use What Tools You DO Have To Supercharge Your Success

I Help Today?” is a really big and wonderful question.

4. Do What You Love To Do As an introvert, there’s plenty of things I don’t love. But there are lots of things I DO love. I love writing. I love my blog. I love sharing inspiring things. So I built my business on my strengths. I did over 100 guest posts in a year. I said yes to doing written interviews often. I blogged + wrote + shared as much as I could in the way that I loved doing it. I’ve written over 1800 articles on my blog. I’ve shared countless numbers of free e-books, podcasts, posters + goodies (just this one poster I created has been downloaded over 40, 000 timesclaim YOUR 12 Key Zen Habits poster and screensaver today). And waddya know – it worked.

I used my strengths and applied them – not once. But over and over and over again.

for them. And I take the magic with me when I go.

Kept doing the thing that I knew I loved doing that would help people. Keep being productive + prolific + sharing what was inside me.

(I’m not a particularly shy introvert – I can be loud + excitable in person. I just know I need a crap ton of time to recover afterwards. And that it’s only certain situations I particularly like.)

That kind of momentum + commitment + dedication has turned my dream hobby into a huge, dream-come-true business. Do what you can do. Make it good. And do it again and again and again.

5. You Can Be An Effing Weirdo If You Want To It’s okay to want what you want. Just create what it is you are called to! The kind of face-to-face interactions I’m called to are ones: • where I don’t have to talk about shallow shit – I want to talk about sacred magic + sex + love + intuition + shamans + money + motherhood + business + herbs + saving the world (without any fear of anyone saying “WOAH! TOO MUCH!”) • where I can paint/create/do crafty stuff • where I can let my inner wild woman fly. These kind of experiences don’t come along all the time. But I cultivate + plan

For example… just this week I went to a blogger’s meet-up to play with Candice + Caroline. (One of the first I’ve ever been to, actually! That’s just what happens when you happen to be a bit of a hermit!) Anyways, something completely magical happened when our energies came together. We were all open to being wild and weird and wonderful. What was supposed to be a quiet Thai dinner at Granny O’ Clock (6pm) turned into a spontaneous art + performance event. We decided we were a European hen’s party. Of supermodels (of course). So we dance-walked the streets of the city, only stopping for supermodel photoshoots (and to fall in the pool at said photoshoot. Well… that could have been just me.) We laughed until our stomachs hurt and then we hailed a bicycle rickshaw so we could Swedish royalty-wave all the tourists and drag-race boys in cars (hint: we didn’t win. Bicycle rickshaws have decidedly poor pickup.) And I had driven back up the mountain and was tucked up in bed by 10:30. Did I mention this all happened without any kind of substance beyond Thai food + green tea? It was a night purely powered on imagination + sacred silliness + joyful incandescence. That’s just the kind of networking I will happily be a proud of.

www.AspireMAG.net | October / November 2013

6. Trust Your Gut

There’s been many peeps over the years that for whatever reason have given my intuition a red flag. This is then accompanied by the sound of “beep beep beep” – a truck reversing. Picture Leonie backing sloooowlllly away. Even if someone is the next big thang. Even if everyone else loves them. Even if you think you should really ignore your Red Flag Warning System just for the sake of your business growing. If they give your gut the heeby-jeebies, swing a wide berth + go on creating the miracles inside of you. There is not one person who can make or break your business. Nobody is stopping you or holding you back from the success you dream of – ONLY YOU.

7. Be a Monk To The God of Your Business Your whole job in this thing is to become a devotee of your dream. A nun who is in love with the vision of your business. You are so in love with what your business is that you set your eyes only on that, and create it until it all comes true.

Stay true to your own self, your own spirit and the way you love to do it. Build on your successes, trust your gut + go big (in your own glorious, wild, wacky, introverted, weird way!)

Make Us Introverts Proud! Moral of the story is this: You can do this game any way you like. You just better show up. Shine your light. Do it the way you need to.

Make your magic happen!

Read Online!

Leonie Dawson - A mentor to women wanting to create + grow massively successful and heart-centered creative + soulful businesses. She is also an author, retreat leader, visual artist, mama and guide for the 30,000+ readers who receive her free “AMAZING BIZ + AMAZING LIFE” eZine each week. Leonie has also coached tens of thousands of women to create their own amazing lives and businesses including crystal healers, celebrities, coaches, best-selling authors, awardwinning singers, fitness experts, yoga teachers, multiple-sixfigure entrepreneurs and artists. Her mission is to help as many earth angels – women with creative or spiritual gifts – to have profoundly profitable businesses so they may nourish themselves and heal the world. Claim Leonie’s complimentary “How to Be a Biz + Blog Star” workbook here.

Career/business

If someone doesn’t sing to you – don’t play with them.

You don’t need to get distracted by outside forces.