MY Authentic Life January 2018

MY

Authentic Life

magazine

Cleansing

ENERGY

YOU ARE MEANT TO LIVE A LIFE OF Joy

Prosperity Map CREATING YOUR

TERESA DE GROSBOIS

FROM BREAKDOWN TOBreakthrough

JANUARY 2018

Welcome to

MY

Authentic Life

magazine

2018

Imagine All The Possibilities

Leverage Your Small Business To learn more, download your complimentary copy of: Get More Clients Now! 3 Steps to More Clients, More Money, and A Business You Love at ExcellerateAssociates.com

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C O N T R I B U T E R S

Maria Rea As the founder of MY Authentic Life Magazine, I would like to thank you for taking the time to read our extraordinary publication. We aspire to empower and inspire you with articles written by our amazing writers. I believe we are all here for a reason greater than ourselves and to serve a divine purpose. It’s how we choose to react to what is placed before us that allows us to succeed.

Jennifer Knutson

Andrew Savoy

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MY

Authentic Life

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MY Authentic Life magazine is a monthly publication that encourages others to live their best life. MY Media and Publishing Group makes every effort to provide accurate information in advertising, editorial content and placement: however, we do not make any claims as to the accuracy of information provided by advertisers or editorial contributors and will accept no responsibility or liability for inaccurate information or placement.

No content can be duplicated without the permission of MY Media and Publishing Group. For inquiries e-mail maria.mymediagroup@gmail.com.

10 | MY Magazine

contributing writers

Kathryn Andries Patrick Andries The Dream Experts

Liz Bull

Tamara Green

Amanda Butler Slade

Elaine Grohman

Lisa Marie Platske

Catherine Saykaly-Stevens

Marci Shimoff

Sharon Carne

Dr. Nekeshia Hammond

Corey Poirier

Mella Barnes

Wini Curley

David Larson

Ellen Rogin

Debra Poneman

Kate Sholonski

Judy Lipson

Janette Stuart

Gary Stuart

myauthenticlifemagazine.com 11

from the publisher

Make 2018 Your Year of Miracles!

Say goodbye to 2017. Hello, 2018! What an exciting year this is going to be, I can feel it!

As January begins, we all feel the excitement of starting anew. What will this year bring? I’m sure it will be better than last year… right?

This year I am committed to being open to seeing miracles all around me and you can be too.

What are miracles anyway? Miracles are considered to be the work of a divine nature, a supernatural phenomenon, an extraordinary event in the physical world that surpasses all known human or natural powers.

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle.

The other is as though everything is a miracle.”

—Albert Einstein

It’s a big definition and most people feel they will never see them. Well, I am here to tell you that you can see miracles every day all day if you just look for them. Being open to experiencing miracles is the first step to creating the life that you desire.

Miracles come in all shapes and sizes and happen all around us. They can be as simple as looking across the room to see your grandchildren playing. As I write this, I am watch mine, Ida 3 and Elon 9 months. I see a spirit-like connection as she “ baby talks” at him rubbing his tummy vigorously to get him to laugh, there is a love connection that is as natural as breathing, yes a miracle. Those miracles may seem small in nature because we experience them often, however, if you pay attention to them, they become a part of making your day glorious.

The importance of finding miracles in your life is as important as breathing, they can change the way you look at things, understand people and how you feel about yourself.

I’d like to tell you about two wonderful friends of mine who are transforming lives with their life change program,”Your Year of Miracles,” a mentoring program for women.”

Debra Poneman founded “Yes to Success” seminars, is a #1 bestselling author and teaches success principles all over the country.

Marci Shimoff is a #1 NY Times bestselling author, a world-renowned transformational teacher and expert on happiness, success and unconditional love. She is also the co-author of six books in the Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul series.

These two women are remarkable, to say the least, and working with them to create miracles that change your life is priceless. They have transformed thousands of lives in 72 countries since starting their mentoring program, “Your Year Of Miracles.” To find out how you can create and experience miracles in your life in 2018, visit youryearofmiracles.com and get their free e-book The 4 Biggest Mistakes That Keep You From Living A Miraculous Life.

I want to wish everyone a very joyful and successful 2018!

12 | MY Magazine

Maria Rea – Publisher maria.mymediagroup.com myauthenticlifemagazine.com

www.YourYearOfMiracles.com

Mind n Body Spirit n Busine Budget n HOLISTIC FOR HEALTH, LIFESTYLE AND BUSINESS Looking for holistic products, services and solutions?

Find reference-reviewed options here.

Where the holistic business community comes together, online and in person The Holistic Chamber of Commerce stands for excellence among holistic, complementary, alternative, and sustainable professionals, practitioners and businesses.

To become a member in your area go to http://www.holisticchamberofcommerce.com

Camille Leon

To follow her blog, go to http://www.holisticchamberofcommerce.com/hcc-articles

ess Planet

feature

page 18

From Breakdown To Breakthrough

Teresa de Grosbois

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MY Authentic Life

Self-Growth

26 5 Things I’m Starting & Stopping for 2018

40 Talk to Tamara

32 7 Family Resolutions for the New Year

50 The Importance of Understanding the “Why”

36 What’s the Story?

56 Choosing Grace and Ease Over Pain and Struggle

44 It’s Never Too Late

Simply Spiritual

Wealth Consciousness

62 Creating Your Resolutions in a Soulful Way

86 Creating Your Prosperity Map

66 The Dream Experts What Does Your Dream Mean 68 Fear is a Choice 72 We are Fragile and We are Whole 74 The Gift of Jealousy 76 Energy Cleansing

January 2018

90 5 Things To Do To Start Your Social Media with a Bang in 2018

80 You are Meant to Live a Life of Joy

Healthy Living 96 The Amazing Power of Affirmations 100 My Resolution Success Story

Teresa de Grosbois

18 | MY Magazine

FROM BREAKDOWN TO

Breakthrough

by Maria Rea

I

t was almost 3 years ago, February 2015, when I attended the Global Influence Summit, followed by a oneday retreat hosted by the Evolutionary Business Council (EBC) in San Diego, CA. As I sat in a room filled with enthusiastic, energetic thought leaders, I watched as people all around me laughed and danced to joyous music. I was thrilled beyond belief to be in the presence of such incredible energy. As the room settled, a vibrant, spirited, dynamic women took the stage – Teresa de Grosbois.

Teresa is an influential thought leader who strives to make real change in the world. She is the Founder of the Evolutionary Business Council (EBC), the #1 International Bestselling author of Mass Influence, a 4x best-

selling author, international speaker, and the co-founder of the Global Influence Summit.

You can imagine my excitement as she began to speak.

She started by talking about her upbringing in Canada and how she spent her summers at her family cabin in a remote area that could only be accessed by boat. Being the youngest of 9 children, her family played a very influential role in her life.

She spoke of many experiences, but one, in particular, that would change the trajectory of her future.

It was the summer she turned 3 years of age. Her cousins and grandmother had come to visit. As everyone gathered in their 100-year-

old kitchen, all the family was buzzing with excitement.

Teresa’s grandmother had just announced that she was taking them all to the movies, a rare occasion.

Teresa’s mum had rarely allowed any of the children to go to the movies because she was in serious disagreement with the morals of the Hollywood moviemakers. Yet Teresa’s older brother Ed had finally convinced her Mum that Walt Disney was not the worst guy on the planet, so she agreed to let them see the movie, “The Love Bug.” Teresa’s three-year-old self was so elated, that she literally was shaking with excitement at how great this was going to be! As she enthusiastically jumped up and down, Teresa glanced across the room just in time to myauthenticlifemagazine.com 19

hear her Mum say, ‘Teresa can’t go, she’s too little!”

those people who have been everyday heroes, to help them to understand that they can step into their own dreams to be high contributors to society.

It was in that moment of utter devastation that Teresa decided she was too small to play with the big kids, and so the inner dialogue began. This experience would stick with her for a great portion of her life.

“I had a fascinating upbringing. I grew up being captivated by my older siblings and I saw them as very influential in my life.

Being the youngest, and feeling that I was always the one left behind, I spent a lot of my youth perfecting my negotiation skills. Negotiating my way through life seemed to be the norm.

On one hand, I had a very wonderful family and I was always made to feel loved. They were incredible role models for me. On the other hand, I was always running to keep up and bargaining with them to bring me along. It was kind of an incredible environment when you think about it. I was raised to see the importance of influence.

So it is no surprise that my mission became to bring influential thought leaders together who are changing the world,” Teresa shares.

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The negative selftalk of, ‘I’m not good enough, no one is going to listen to me, I’m not important enough or I’m too small to play big,’ is stopping you from focusing on your dreams, therefore not allowing you to contribute to the world in the way that you are meant to.”

MASS INFLUENCE Inspired to write; Mass Influence, The Habits of the Highly Influential, became Teresa’s signature piece and an International Best Seller.

Teresa explains that what we tell ourselves as children will actually materialize as the dictator of our lives. Seeds that are sown early, influence many outcomes, and research shows that negative self-talk, and limiting beliefs are the thoughts we tell ourselves in those moments of great decision that reflect our past experiences.

“I wrote Mass Influence largely because I wanted to reach

“Mass Influence” teaches alternative ways to look at situations that are preventing you from being influential. One of the core foundations Teresa speaks of is authenticity.

“There a lot of different definitions of the word authenticity out there; here’s mine. It is your inside voice saying the same thing as your outside voice.

In other words, your thoughts and what you are saying and doing are in alignment. In those moments when everything is in alignment, we feel very authentic and trustworthy to ourselves and others.

It’s obvious when there is a disconnect; it’s when someone

is feeling desperate and they are trying to convince you of something. So when we think about stepping into that place that is really powerful, it’s usually aligned with our own dreams.”

Teresa goes on to explain, “Our inner dialogue is very powerful, so when you say, ‘I will follow my dreams someday when I (accomplish this or do that), or I’m not good enough, I don’t have enough money or I’m too small to play,’ whatever the inner dialogue is that is holding you back, you are convincing yourselves that you are not ready.

The reality is, that you are the best person to create your life and to make your dreams come true, because they are your dreams, and you are more passionate about them than anyone else.”

When one steps into that place of what really lights you up, that is when you realize what you are here on earth to do.”

“I believe the seeds of that were sown in a year of utter breakdown. I had a year that I affectionately now call, ‘my really bad year.’ Being in leadership positions most of my adult life, I had all the outward trappings of success, the healthy 6 figure income, 2 children, a nice car, and a beautiful house. But in the first six months of this particular year, I had lost my father, my business was failing, my marriage had ended, and my health was in a tailspin. It seemed life couldn’t get any worse.

renovating. In looking back over my life and all the outward successes that I had, I couldn’t honestly look back and see a time that I could say that my life was in a sustained state of lit-up happiness. This was the moment I decided to make “ME” my next project.

There was one specific day I remember well. I was sitting on the bathroom floor of my postmarital condo. I was surrounded by many tools because being the renovator that I am, I had decided that this bathroom was going to be my latest project, a distraction from the chaos in my life. Overwhelmed with thoughts of my failures, tears were literally streaming down my cheeks when I realized that “I” was the one who needed

“When I got serious about doing my own work, gaining my own personal power and creating my own happiness, I started to realize that I could actually lean into those things that I’m exquisite at.”

Re-evaluating her life, Teresa began studying every selfhelp course she could find, threw herself into yoga and meditation, and slowly began to shift her life.

As a result of the breakdown, or in a sense a breakthrough, Teresa started a charity and wrote 3 best selling books to help fund her project. It was then that people began to ask

Helping others who want to create positive change in the world by really understanding how influence works is what Teresa specializes in and what her book “Mass Influence” is all about.

IN A MOMENT OF TRUE EVALUATION I had the opportunity to ask Teresa an important question that was on my mind. When did you know that helping others by teaching them to be influential was your calling? Her answer was honest and raw.

Daughters Rae and Fiona Fox, Pam Bayne and Teresa de Grosbois

myauthenticlifemagazine.com 21

“All of this was born out of really understanding that there is a need for someone to talk about how influence operates.

How good people can cause shift and change in the world if they just understand the etiquette and rules of influence.

The EBC was actually created from an intervention. I was hosting a large event in Canada and I invited some of my favorite colleagues to speak. After the event, I decided to book a couple of condos in the Mountains west of Calgary as a treat, bringing all of the speakers together to mastermind.

how she had created 3 best sellers in only 8 months. So she began to train others in the understanding of how impactful influence is.

“I remember I was sitting with one of my best friends, Dr. Shawne Duperon who is a Nobel Peace Prize nominee and the founder of Project Forgive. I was venting about how I “didn’t” love being a children’s author and wondered why everyone wanted me to teach them how to become bestselling authors.

In that moment, Shawne just looked at me as only Shawne can, and said, ‘Honey, when the universe is sending you a flood of something and you love it, don’t you think you should pay attention?’

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That was one of those huge light bulb moments. I hadn’t noticed the fact that I really did understand how influence works and that a lot of people really were missing that in their skill set.”

NEW LEADERSHIP EMERGES From all of Teresa’s has learned over the years, she has created courses and training that help others to become influential as well as how to become a best selling author.

Teresa also began the EBC – Evolutionary Business Council -which is a community of change agents, thought leaders, and emerging thought leaders who want to help cause shift and transformational change in the world.

As we were sitting around having a drink and talking, out of my mouth pops, “Someday when I’m influential enough, I would love to start a community for all the emerging thought leaders that want to teach transformational principles to change the world.”

Everyone in the room starting laughing, and as I was looking around the room, I remember thinking, what’s the joke? I don’t get it!

Then my friend Daniel Gutierrez turned to me and said; ‘Teresa, weren’t you just on stage 6 hours ago telling people to notice when they say, someday when I’m..., I will when..., and weren’t you inviting people to step into that now?”

Then another friend of mine, Jennifer Hough says to me, “So when are you going to do that Teresa?”

“Build your community before you ever worry about having a physical location to house it. Build it online, build it in rental facilities, but grow your tribe, your community before you ever deal with anything brick and mortar.”

–Teresa de Grosbois

That was 9 years ago, and in that moment, the EBC was born.”

With 300 members strong, and a collective reach of over 200,000,000 people, the EBC currently has the goal to collectively reach over 1.2 billion people by the year 2020, helping 1200 thought leaders to each reach a million people.

That goal is well on its way.

The EBC strongly believes in supporting their members and takes a stand to help others.

When someone hits a brick wall, this is a community they can reach out to for support. There are formal meetings, informal meeting, dinners when other members come to town, and a high level of collaboration and support.

If you are interested in learning more about the Evolutionary Business Council, please visit EBCouncil.com

BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME The EBC has built a like-minded community of people who are truly inspiring the world with their work.

A couple of years ago, a few of the EBC members came together with an interest

in building a community in Costa Rica. The Visto Mundo development is the physical embodiment of what the EBC is.

“It was very interesting to me that everyone who brought this idea forward did not do it in a vague way. They didn’t say we should build a community in some Central American country; they all specified Costa Rica. So, being a person who believes that if the Universe is beating you on the head about something, you should probably pay attention, I decided to explore our options.

In visiting this beautiful country, we quickly found a developer who loved the idea of building a safe sustainable community that we could build together. We included a retreat center among the member-built homes where they could live part of the year and rent the other part. This model, although more affordable, is an evolved version of the concept of timeshares where people can own a week at a time and attend retreats.

What we are building is an ever-present mastermind-like community of collaboration, where people who really believe in causing change are there to support each other. As a northern Canadian, I love the idea of spending half of my year in paradise.”

There will be business training, yoga retreats, health workshops and much more, so if you are interested in finding out how you can utilize this paradise, please visit www.VistaMundo.info

A BEAUTIFUL THOUGHT TO HELP MOVE YOU FORWARD Give yourself permission to fail spectacularly. Until you are willing to succeed sloppily, you won’t be willing to step into your own dreams. Life is so much juicier and more exciting when you give yourself permission to actually create the life you want to live. Sometimes it’s the messiness of life and the breakdown that actually is the breakthrough and the doorway to living a beautiful spectacular life. – Teresa de Grosbois ebcouncil.com www.massinfluencethebook.com teresadegrosbois.com wildfirews.com www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VTfAFKvFs www.amazon.com/MassInfluence-habits-highly-influential/ dp/1926643100 www.linkedin.com/in/teresadegrosbois/ speakerhub.com/speaker/teresa-degrosbois twitter.com/TeresaDee www.facebook.com/ WildfireWorkshops/

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Loving MY Authentic Life

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myauthenticlifemagazine.com 27

I say this every year, but I have a great feeling about 2018. Not only because 18 is my lucky number, but because I am ready to cross some things off of my To Do list and get my life back on track. Are you ready to join me? Here are five things I’m going to start doing this year:

1

Exercising. I know everyone says this, and most of the time we don’t follow through. However, my goal is to simply be more active throughout my day.

Maybe I walk a little longer with my dogs, or I leave them at home to get more miles in. I don’t *need* to sit at my desk for 8 straight hours. I can take 10-minute breaks to walk around or do some yoga. I’m going to have a timer at my

desk to remind me to get up and get active.

2

Having Fun. I seriously missed out on this over the last couple of years.

I’ve been so busy building my business that ‘fun’ meant getting more than 4 hours of sleep once a week. I’m done with that this year! I’m going to start scheduling fun and forcing myself to do it. I’m going to check community events, Groupon, and meet up with friends more often. This can tie into my first goal so I can do two things at once.

3

Helping Animals. This is another situation where I seriously dropped the ball over the last few years. Between attempting to move, bouncing

around from place to place and just being too stressed and busy with work, I haven’t done much animal fostering or rescue. I’d like to get back into this. Even if I can’t foster, I can do other things like help rescues with social media, organizing events, or whatever they might need.

4

Practicing Self Care. I did okay with this over the last couple of years, but I really started to notice how important this was toward the end of 2017.

I need sleep. I need to have fun.

I need to take breaks. We all do.

Why do we act like this is such a bad thing? Why do we reward ourselves for working 39 straight hours and punish ourselves for taking a nap? I’m going to try to curb that this year. I’m sure I’ll still have moments of self-neglect, but if I can do the first two things on my list, this should be pretty easy.

5

Being Kind. I’m a pretty nice person on the outside. I smile at strangers, I hold the door open, I don’t yell at people on Twitter.

On the inside, however, I’m running a constant monologue of how much everyone and everything irritates me. The lady at the post office is taking WAY too long. The kid at the store is loud and annoying and why isn’t his mother doing anything about it? That guy didn’t say “thank you” when I held the door for him so now I hate him. I need to start practicing internal kindness. I don’t really know how to do this, so I think it first comes from stopping the running critique in my head.

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This leads me to my list of five things I will stop doing this year, in no particular order:

1

Overthinking. I am going to attempt to learn how to stop the dialogue in my head. Maybe my client didn’t hate my work; maybe they’re just busy and that’s why they haven’t responded. Maybe my friend isn’t mad at me; maybe she just hasn’t seen my text yet.

Maybe that’s not a cancerous mole on my face; maybe I still have makeup left on from the night before. Not everything is the worst possible thing that could happen. While we’re talking about makeup, though:

2

Being Impatient. Most of my overthinking comes from having to wait. Most of my unkind thoughts come from having to wait as well. I need to stop doing this. This is something I’ll have to actively practice and learn to do, but I’m willing to do it for my own health.

3

Beating Myself Up. As harsh as I am toward others, I am 20 times worse to myself. My running inner monologue is filled with harsh criticism and ridicule.

“You look so gross in those jeans. Remember when you fit into those last year?” “Everyone saw you trip and drop your purse. You should probably move to another town.” These are such awful things to think or say about other people, and yet I do it to myself all day. I’m going to seriously work on this habit this year. I’m going to try

reshaping my thoughts from “your hair looks really stupid today” to “you’ve got bright red hair that you’ve never had to dye, how cool is that?”

Hopefully, it will stick, but I know it will be an ongoing practice.

4

Sleeping Inconsistently.

This could be tied into Practicing Self Care above, but it’s so important I need to treat it as a separate issue. I have raging insomnia and it seriously needs to end.

I feel like a lot of my other issues listed above (impatience, overthinking, etc) could be greatly reduced if I could just get adequate, regular sleep.

I’ve been doing a lot of research on what to do so I’m hoping this one will be relatively easy to fix.

5

Caring What Other People Think. I mean, obviously, I need to care about what people think to an extent. There is a reason we have societal norms, and I don’t want to go too far out.

However, I have a major fear of people hating me. With society’s “outrage culture,” when any mistake can make you the top trending topic on Twitter, it’s easy to force yourself

to stay small. There are a ton of great lectures on dealing with criticism online, and I’m going to be researching those and trying to lessen my reliance on the opinions of others.

Do you have a list of things you’re starting or stopping for the new year? What will you be trying or giving up? You don’t have to have an even number of each (I just like to do things that way) and you might not have as many.

That’s totally fine! Whatever you decide to do I wish you the best of luck in accomplishing your goals this year.

Mella is a session singer, songwriter and producer living in Nashville, Tennessee.

Also an animal lover, she has three dogs, a rabbit, and any number of foster animals in various shapes and sizes. She is the author of Way Less Cowbell, a book on communicating with session musicians. If you would like more information or to hire her onto your project, please visit www.mellamusic.com

myauthenticlifemagazine.com 29

The future is ours to see

Let’s work together.

Contact me today to schedule a consultation.

Imagine your greatest goals within reach. Together, we can create a strategy to help make fulfilling those dreams a reality — one that can guide you forward on the path to success.

Paula C. Swain, CFP® Financial Consultant 1225 S Main St. | Plymouth, MI 48170 734.738.6300 Office | 734.552.7610 Cell | 734.237.3959 Fax www.swain-financial.com Securities offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA/SIPC

7 FAMILY RESOLUTIONS FOR THE NEW YEAR

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by Nekeshia Hammond, Psy.D.

A

t the beginning of any new year, people start making all kinds of resolutions in hopes of making themselves a better person. What if this year you did something different? Suppose this year you take on an extra special resolution – resolving to be a better family unit! This New Year, consider trying out these seven family resolutions that will help bring your family closer than ever while making each of you healthier and happier human beings overall:

RESOLVE TO BE MORE COMMUNICATIVE A breakdown in communication in any family can cause separation to the unit, unnecessary conflict, and serious strains on relationships that can last for years.

Talking openly and honestly can assist your family in strengthening its bonds, and provide everyone with a safe place to learn, grow, and in some cases heal.

A few of the ways you can communicate better as a family are: 1. Set the intention to make communication a top priority. This may be hard to do at first, especially if your family has never been the type to talk. However, there’s no time like the present to try it.

2. Listen genuinely. It can sometimes be hard to listen when all you care about is getting your opinion in, but taking the time to listen to others without judgment can help you resolve anything that comes up faster and easier. myauthenticlifemagazine.com 33

3. Express feelings always, rather than holding them in. Pent-up anything will eventually lead to conflict.

It’s like filling a bottle and expecting it to never reach capacity. At some point, the thing will explode. Instead, diffuse the situation before it becomes “a situation.”

RESOLVE TO BE MORE UNDERSTANDING We usually see the world from only our perspective, and that is the root cause of many conflicts. Try to see it from the other person’s perspective – the results can be truly transformational.

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For example, let’s say your dad never says “I love you.” At first blush, it hurts and you’re understandably angry about it. But, have you ever stopped to think about why he never says those words? Perhaps his parents never said it, and he doesn’t know it matters to you.

This somewhat goes back to communication. Maybe you need to tell him it hurts you. It’s possible he never thinks to say it because it’s not how he was raised.

RESOLVE TO TAKE MORE TIME TO SPEND TOGETHER Most people have a lot going on in their lives. From

doctor’s appointments to work obligations, after-school activities to homework. There’s always some obligation taking up our time. Spending time together often takes a back seat to all of it, but you can change it. How? Set the intention to!

Like communicating, this can be difficult in the beginning, but deciding to try is the critical first step. This can be as easy taking 10 minutes at the beginning and end of each day to check in with each other. You may not have time for a daily breakfast or dinner, but perhaps you can schedule this. Notice I said schedule. Adding it to a calendar is another great way to ensure you will actually do

it! Schedule family date nights in and out of the house while you’re at it.

RESOLVE TO BE A BETTER YOU FOR YOUR FAMILY’S SAKE This is the only “individualbased” resolution here, but your entire family should consider it. Resolving to be a better you is all about taking better care of yourself. I know self-care has been one of the hottest buzzwords of 2017, and it can feel like a waste of time to get a pedicure or take an extra nap. On the other hand, it’s important to consider that if you aren’t taking care of yourself, you simply won’t have enough of yourself to give to take care of anyone else.

RESOLVE TO BE A HEALTHIER FAMILY Before you dismiss this as another “diet now” resolution, understand that this is actually about committing to healthy living. Not all of us have time to make healthy meals every day. Then again, we can at least make healthier choices when getting take out. Other ways to be healthier include taking vitamins, getting better sleep, and exercising.

RESOLVE TO GET ACTIVE You don’t have to commit to hours at the gym, just add more activity to things like:

•

parking the car further away from the door so you have to walk

MAKE THIS NEW YEAR YOUR FAMILY’S NEW BEGINNING.

•

taking the stairs instead of the elevator

•

taking a brisk walk as a family right after dinner

I hope this article has inspired you to transform your own family into a stronger unit. By having an amazing foundation at home, we can be more than we ever dreamed possible in our daily lives. May this year be the happiest your family has ever had!

Little additions can add up to big results.

RESOLVE TO GIVE BACK This resolution may seem like it doesn’t fit here, but it can help your family too. Volunteering at food shelters or reading to children at your community hospital can make your family appreciate all that they have to be thankful for in a new light.

Families that give back are closer because they witness firsthand how coming together can make bigger changes for the greater good.

Nekeshia Hammond, Psy.D. is a psychologist, speaker, an author, and the owner of Hammond Psychology & Associates. Dr. Hammond has been featured on WFLA News Channel 8, Tampa Bay Times, Essence, Tampa Bay Parenting, CBS Boston, Ebony and other media outlets sharing her expertise on children and parenting. She is the TV show host of “Parenting Explained with Dr. Hammond” which is set to air on stations throughout the US in early 2018. To learn more about Dr. Hammond, visit: DrNekeshiaHammond.com.

Twitter: @Dr_Hammond FB: Dr. Nekeshia Hammond Instagram: @practicalparenting

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WHAT’S THE STORY?

by Corey Poirier

A

s a professional speaker for 15 years, the founder of a speaking program, and an interviewer of high achievers, I have been immersed in the world of storytelling my entire life.

My Mother raised me mostly alone, and she, and my grandfather, were avid storytellers.

My Mother’s stories were a bit more scattered and sometimes didn’t have an official end before

36 | MY Magazine

she veered in a different direction with a different story, but she was a storyteller just the same.

My Grandfather was the poster boy for telling an effective story.

As such, the story played a big part in my life from early on. I also recognized early on that people can effectively convey a message personally and professional much easier with a story than they ever can with facts and figures.

It probably has much to do with the fact that we evolved as storytellers and stories have been the platform for sharing messages since the beginning of time – not the least of which includes the stories found on cave walls or stories told by campfires since the early ages.

This is all to make the case that if you want to share a message in a powerful way or tell your own story in an effort to positively impact others, you

need to understand the craft of storytelling.

Obviously, we dive into this heavily in both our speaking program and our training related to securing and delivering a TEDx Talk, and I can’t dive in that heavily here, but I’d like to share 3 crucial elements to effective storytelling: 1. Your story needs to have a strong beginning, a middle that moves the story forward and a strong ending. Whether you’re telling a super quick story to your dentist or a longer story as part of a presentation at a conference, all-powerful stories need to have each. The beginning should pull us in, the middle shouldn’t lose us, and the ending should leave us both wanting more, and in deep reflection. I spent close to 9 years on a stand-up comedy stage and one thing almost all comics realize is that your first joke and last joke are crucial. If you don’t pull the listener in from the beginning, nothing else matters. If you lose

them at the end, that’s how you’re remembered. The middle is where many people lose the listener but if you focus on trimming out the elements that aren’t important to the story, you’ll have more success in your storytelling than if you leave too much-unneeded meat in your story.

2. Your story should be universal, something we can connect with emotionally, and/or relatable. If people can’t relate to your story, you’ll lose them. Whether you have humorous components that make the story relatable, whether you tell a story in a way that makes the listener go, ‘I’ve been there’, or whether you touch on our emotions, you need to find a way to pull us in, get us nodding our heads in agreement, or surprising us with the profound nature of it and you need to keep us interested from beginning to end.

3. Your story needs to have a hero and a villain. Your hero and villain don’t have to be people but all great stories have something the listener can root for and something they can root against. It could be Martin Luther King Jr. talking about a hero like civil rights and a villain like segregation or racism, a recovering alcoholic talking about a villain like addiction

and a hero like freedom from addiction or a person talking about someone who impacted their life in a positive way and something that held them back in a negative way. The key thing is a story needs to have something or someone to cheer for, and something or someone to boo, if it is to truly pull us in.

Of course, there are exceptions in all 3 elements but in my experience, the best and most effective stories have a strong opening, middle and ending, they connect on a universal level or emotional level and they have a hero and a villain.

As a bonus, in a time where short stories are the hero of the day, you should also work to find a way to have maximum impact with your story in a minimal amount of time.

I believe so much in the power of a story that I have dedicated my life, and career, to teaching people how to tell stories from the stage, and one on one.

Today, right now as I type this, someone is waiting to hear your story, whether it’s a message, a funny story that can lighten their day, or your personal story of triumph or even heartache – the question is: are you ready to share it?

Corey Poirier is an award-winning Keynote speaker, multiple-time TEDx, PMx and MoMonday’s Speaker. He is also the host of the top rated ‘Conversations with PASSION’ Radio Show and a newer top rated speaking related podcast, founder of The Speaking Program, he has been featured in one-hour television specials on Eastlink TV and TeleTelevision and he is a columnist with Entrepreneur Magazine, Progress Magazine. He has also appeared / or been featured in Global TV, CBS, CTV, NBC, ABC, CBC TV, Second City, and is one of the few leaders featured twice on the popular Entrepreneur on Fire show. Corey has interviewed over 4,000 of the world’s top leaders in search of success traits.

One of his most recent talks took him to New York City where he had the extreme pleasure of speaking to At-Risk Youth at the Brooklyn Navy Yard Boys & Girls Club. myauthenticlifemagazine.com 37

Self-Growth

38 | MY Magazine

Talk to Tamara Tamara, the relationship whisperer, is like a walking instruction manual for all of your love, dating. and relationship questions. Ask her your burning questions and she’ll guide you in the direction that is right for you.

by Tamara Green

40 | MY Magazine

Hi Tamara, After the year I just had, I need inspiration. I’m involved in a brutal divorce and need to hear that something good is in store for me for 2018. I used to have a spiritual practice, praying my gratitude to God every morning, but now, I feel nothing but exhaustion and disappointment. What do you suggest I do to feel a sense of hope again?

Signed: Empty Shell

myauthenticlifemagazine.com 41

Dearest Empty Shell, The quick answer to your question is to ask for a miracle!

I hear you and know the feeling of exhaustion and emptiness that you’re talking about. When I was caregiving my husband, David, with stage IV cancer and our son, Mark, with Lyme disease, one night, I just needed a sign of hope to keep my spirits up… a miracle to keep me going.

My husband not only survived but is now thriving! Yay! We since wrote an international

best selling book titled, Live Calm With Cancer (and Beyond…) about our cancer journey together as patient and caregiver.

For inspiration, I’m sharing this excerpt from our book, which describes the miracle that happened for us. Enjoy!

“I remember this one night where I was particularly wiped out. Throughout the day, David was feeling quite miserable and I was very worried about him.

Frosty window with hundreds of perfectly formed feathers.

42 | MY Magazine

Sometimes I knew what to do, but other times his agony made me feel quite helpless. Almost in tears, I got into bed and asked, “Angels, if you’re out there, please give me a sign that we’re all going to be okay.”

What happened the next morning astounded me.

It was a bitterly cold day and I was getting ready to de-ice my car’s windows so I could take Mark to school. And there, on my windshield, was the most

“When angels visit us, we do not hear the rustle of wings, nor feel the feathery touch of the breast of a dove; but we know their presence by the love they create in our hearts.”

—MARY BAKER EDDY, Poems by Mary Baker Eddy (@tamaragreen4u)

amazing work of art I’d ever seen. Etched into the frosty window were hundreds of perfectly formed feathers. My jaw dropped in amazement as I soaked in the beauty and magnificence of this detailed design. The morning sun was beaming so brightly and directly onto this icy sketch, it sparkled with a pure white radiance.

Wanting to make sure I wasn’t just seeing things, I quickly ran into the house and woke Mark saying, “Oh my God, you have to see this!”

He immediately jumped out of bed, dressed, and met me in the driveway. He, too, couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

We checked the windshield of David’s car, but his was just frosted over with no design. Mark grabbed my cell phone and began snapping photos. From the inside of the windshield, the sun casts a golden glow, lighting up the feather motif even more.

The experience we were having was otherworldly.

Finding his voice, Mark finally asked, “Mom, how could

this be? How could such an amazing design end up on our windshield?”

Spellbound, I replied, “I asked the angels to show me a sign that we’re going to be okay, and I guess this is the sign.”

Just one year prior, Mark told me that he saw a beautiful white angel in our kitchen one evening, so hearing this really excited him. “How cool!” he exclaimed.

We continued to ooh and ahh over every inch of that windshield for the next five minutes.

One of the most difficult things I’ve ever had to do in my entire life was to turn on the defroster in that car. We wanted to sit in our Honda and forever gaze at the wonderful gift from the angels. We got choked up and teary-eyed when we saw the feathers slowly melting away.

To this day, Mark and I still wonder in amazement at that magical morning. The blissful memory and message, however, is etched into our minds and hearts forever.”

Copyright 2017, Tamara Green, LCSW. All Rights Reserved

Want dating and relationship advice right away? Take advantage of Tamara’s guidance and finally get clarity and relief from your dating or relationship struggles by clicking here.

Elle Magazine dubs Tamara Green, LCSW “The Soulcentered Love Expert.” She is an author, speaker and trainer, helping thousands of people to navigate the waters of love, dating and relationships – all while falling madly in love with themselves in the process. Trained as a Love Mentor® by Dr. Diana Kirschner, Individual and Couples Psychotherapist, Meditation Practitioner and Hypnotherapist, Tamara’s coaching is highly effective as she combines her many years of professional training with her gifts as an energy healer, intuitive and seer. As a result, Tamara creates an exciting catalyst for deep emotional healing, giving her clients greater success in life and love. She has devoted her life to helping women rise out of pain and fear so they can finally experience the long lasting and loving relationship of their dreams. As well as working 1-on-1, Tamara offers free weekly meditation audios that take you on a journey of love with ease and joy.

Please follow Tamara Green, LCSW (@tamaragreen4u) Join Tamara’s community at tamaragreen.me; Facebook facebook.com TGreenLoveExpert; youtube: youtube.com/channel/ UC9MqTnZEJYNEpKnwrjsZ40A myauthenticlifemagazine.com 43

Connecting You With You

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE Activate Your Soul Codes of Destiny & Success in 2018!

by Amanda Butler Slade

H

ave you heard it before … it’s never too late? Well, it isn’t, unless we believe it is.

44 | MY Magazine

The power of intention and envisioning what you desire is POWERful. They are part of the essential energetic ingredients

which help you manifest what you focus upon and intend to do.

It’s the beginning of a new

Are you one that feels “it’s a waste of time”, or “what’s the use” because you have all the evidence from the past where you felt let down, disappointed or like a failure, because you didn’t achieve the results you desired. What intentions, visions or dreams have you given up on because they have yet to come to fruition, or many years have passed so you wonder if it will ever happen?

We’ve all been there in one way or another. We all have a story about when we fell short of our goals or made a ‘mistake’ or ‘failed’. Then, we usually make up something about ourselves like, “I’m not good enough”, “I’ll never amount to anything”, or even “Who am I to want this, or to achieve this kind of success I desire?”

year. What resolutions, goals or intentions have you set for the year? Are they clear, concise and achievable? Do they feel

inspiring, or is the thought of them just simply overwhelming, leaving you to wonder how you’ll ever manifest them?

As you navigate through life, hopefully, you learn that ‘mistakes’, ‘failures’ or not achieving the desired results is a part of the process of learning, growing and gaining knowledge.

This knowledge turns into wisdom when you utilize and apply the lesson. When you accept and perceive this as a positive versus a negative, you can then feel energized and inspired by what you learned. The experiences then become gifts. myauthenticlifemagazine.com 45

different perspective because I healed an old issue or pattern and maybe my knowledge turned into wisdom. I was able to tap into a deeper desire and expand my vision of what I wanted to live into as I moved into the year.

Most years I was excited when I sat down to do this, but there were others when I was less than enthused. In my mind, I was like many … “why bother, it never comes true anyway”.

However, I knew the POWER of intentions and putting it out to the Universe so I would make a commitment to my Self to ‘just do it’.

POWER ©2015 Keenawah & Associates, LLC

Power from The Diamond Co-Creative System™ The Universal Energy Form of Power from The Diamond CoCreative System™ provides energetic vibrations to help you activate your Soul Codes of Destiny and Success. This sacred geometry technology can help you tap into the energies of Universal Source and activate your Soul Code of Power. It helps you align with your Soul’s innate Power and Wisdom, so you feel MORE confident, empowered and inspired to create and manifest all that you desire.

You become MORE aligned with your Soul’s energies and the Universe’s Highest Potential which is held for you.

Well, I’m here to share with you … it really, really is never too late. Here’s a personal story …

Every year I would update the vision, goals, and dreams I had for my life, relationships, business, finances, health 46 | MY Magazine

and well-being. It was a living Word document that I could wordsmith, add new ideas or delete what or whom I no longer wanted in my life. I would refine it based on what I learned or experienced during the year. It usually provided a

Many people are looking for love and a partner to share their life with and I was no different. As I would go through different dating and relationship experiences, I would update my vision of my partner and our relationship.

In the last few years, I had not given it much thought or, for that matter, much energy. I had let it go and was not attached to who, what, when or whether it would even happen.

In my meditations, I would feel someone and I felt he did not live where I did. In fact, the message came in that he was in the San Francisco Bay area. I lived in Ashland, Oregon so how was that going to happen? I was not doing the online dating site thing but I was involved in some work where a lot of

Northern California people were in my life.

By the way, I was always told through different readings or in my own meditations that he would find me and not the other way around. I just kept with the feeling that one day he would arrive. And I held the vision energetically that one day I would have a beautiful, magical and loving relationship with a man I would marry and create a wonderful life together.

I went on and lived my life.

I did the healing work on my old wounds around love and relationships so I could fall deeper in love and gain more acceptance of my Self.

I wasn’t lonely and was really content and fulfilled without the relationship. It didn’t mean I did not want it; it was that I was ‘whole unto my Self’ without it. I still found purpose and passion without him.

I had recently moved into a new townhouse. As I was unpacking the kitchen, a feeling came over me and a vision entered my mind.

I saw a man sitting at the breakfast bar watching me in the kitchen. I saw the joy of us together having fun in the townhouse … sitting by the fireplace, enjoying each other’s company, cooking together and much, much more.

Over a year later, it was a

Monday morning at 5 am. I did my normal routine … got my coffee, sat down in my home office, opened my computer and checked my emails and Facebook. And there he was.

I had a Friend Request from a love of mine from 25 years ago. I hadn’t seen him in over 20 years.

My heart leapt. What? Could this be true? Of course, it could be, so I decided to dig around his Facebook … who was he now, what was he doing now, and oh my, he was single now. And guess what, he still lived and worked in the San Francisco Bay area. The pieces started to come together.

forward and he was not going to leave me in Ashland. Four months later I moved, and four months later we got married in the beautiful Napa Valley surrounded by family and friends. It is a dream come true.

Oh, and by the way, did I share with you I am 61 years old?

It’s absolutely never too late … to find love, to start a new business or expand it and to achieve the success you want!

There are stories after stories about how people have attained their goals and dreams. I love the one about Jim Carrey who wrote a $10 million dollar check to himself for “acting services rendered”

Within two weeks, he visited me in Ashland. It was the holiday season and so much cheer filled the air. We sat in front of the fireplace, catching up and getting to know each other again. The first morning he was there, he found one of his favorite spots in the townhouse … sitting at the breakfast bar watching me bustling around in the kitchen.

From that spot, it became clear we were moving myauthenticlifemagazine.com 47

can choose to walk through it in love and grace to create balance, harmony, and peace within your Self as well as with others rather than go through suffering and struggle.

with the intention of making it big within 3 years. Carrey says he went to the top of Mulholland Drive every night and sit there overlooking Los Angeles. He would visualize meeting the people he respected in the industry, create with the directors he wanted to work with and then see himself on film.

The lesson … imagine your vision ... write it down, visualize it and then let it go to the Universe. Then take action by infusing energy into it and take steps towards accomplishing your vision. He wrote the check, but also did the work to be in a place where he could be a successful actor. He made it with Dumb & Dumber.

So, why not let one of these stories be yours? It takes as much energy to have what you don’t want as it does to create

48 | MY Magazine

what you do want. Why not choose the latter? In fact, it takes more energy to deal with the negative spin we put on life, or that we dwell within.

2018 is an ‘11’ year which is calling us forth to ‘Be’ the Master of our lives. It is also a Year of Global Service. It is calling us to ‘BE’ and do the very best that we can. It will move us into ‘BE’-ing more Conscious of our choices and responsibilities. It is also a year which will continue to reveal Universal Truths and open our minds and hearts to what is really true. It offers our greatest potential to tap into our Soul’s innate power and wisdom.

There will be challenges for each of us … the challenges will be different for everyone, but the opportunity it brings us all is to ‘walk your talk’. You

It’s a new year.

You have the POWER to make a Conscious Choice and to live into your new story and vision of your MORE! It’s never too late …

Amanda Butler Slade is the Architect of The Diamond Co-Creative System™ and since 2001 has assisted thousands to heal their present and past life energetics, while activating their Soul Codes of Destiny and Success, so they create an integration and vibrational alignment between their Soul’s Essence and personality/egoic Self. The results … they feel connected with their authentic Self, True purpose, passion, joy and love with the ability to fulfill their Highest Potential and live their MORE! For More about Amanda and how a Soul Reading can help you, go to http://cocreateyoursuccess.com/ soul-reading-special/ www.CoCreateYourSuccess.com https://www.facebook.com/ createyourdiamondlife

Lead The Way In Your Community, Organization or Foundation

IT’S NOT JUST A MAGAZINE

It’s a Lifestyle!

Our Vision is a universe that models integrity, cultivates creativity and embraces uniqueness. Together we create a world where everyone has a sense of purpose, lives their passion, and celebrates community by empowering others to live their best life.

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THE IMPORTANCE OF UNDERSTANDING THE “WHY”

by Lisa Marie Platske

W

hen you are called to make a difference in the world by your leadership, you understand the importance of giving value.

registering export data that would be sent to determine the total number of exports within our geographical area.

Years ago, I was working at the United States Customs Service in the Centralized Air Cargo Examination Facility.

The numbers she compiled were sent to another office -- and ultimately affected the value of the U.S. dollar and Gross National Product (GNP) index.

One of my employees was responsible for gathering and

From a congressperson’s perspective, this was life-changing

50 | MY Magazine

information for the citizens of the United States as it is the market value of all the products and services produced over the course of a year by the work supplied by the citizens of a country.

The net exports (NX) component is equal to exports (goods and services purchased by foreigners) minus imports (goods and services purchased by domestic residents).

capabilities and worked on making changes that have served me well in running Upside Thinking, Inc. In the end, it was my 100th lesson on how important it is to understand the ‘why’ in every situation.

Sharing information is less valuable if the person sending the information doesn’t let you know why it is useful to the person receiving it - and if the person receiving it doesn’t perceive it as valuable, it will go unnoticed.

You and I live in a world where information is shared freely.

While it looks like a lot is being communicated, how much is actually received?

Between articles, blogs, updates, social media posts, magazines (like this awesome one!), quotes, videos, and white papers, there is A LOT of data being shared in multiple mediums.

Since the United States has bought more foreign goods and services than it sells abroad for decades, this creates a trade deficit as it reduces its GNP. While there were strategies and processes in place to ensure that information was being shared, there was a breakdown in the system. I soon discovered that my communication and performance management

strategies were lacking and I was part of the reason for the breakdown. (Yep. Not a proud moment....)

•

How much of it is actually life-changing?

•

How much of it is really making a difference?

•

How much of it is valuable?

This was a BIG deal to the powers that be and I answered countless inquiries as to what happened.

I sit down and assess whether what I’m sending is relevant and of value and do my best to set the context of how and where it can be used.

I dove into how I could improve my communication and performance management

Whether it is an email or one of my weekly Upside blog posts, my focus is on you, the reader. myauthenticlifemagazine.com 51

ask of yourself and others this month?

When I write, I always close with a challenge.

Because connection is the new currency, this is more than just information sharing to me, it is the desire to start a conversation within your workplace, family, and community.

My goal is for you to take the information and use it by getting into action and jumpstarting a new idea or project.

The articles I write come from a place of love and inspiration because I care about you and value your time, talents, and genius.

Great leaders ask great questions.

•

What questions will you

52 | MY Magazine

•

What is the intended outcome of those questions?

•

What will you do to spark authentic conversation that leads to action?

Remember, comfort doesn’t change the world.

Vulnerability, however, changes everything.

I invite you to identify where and in what capacity you want to give value to your connections, colleagues, and clients by creating an open dialogue about a topic that is important to you.

Remember the world needs you and your brilliance.

Lisa Marie Platske left her actionpacked life as a Federal law enforcement officer to become the CEO of international leadership company, Upside Thinking, Inc. An award-winning leadership expert and #1 best-selling international author of 4 books, she takes her law enforcement journey which began on the piers of New York and ended post 9/11 and shares what exceptional leaders do differently and how to be positioned as an expert in order to seize big opportunities. As a certified master coach, Lisa Marie coaches women in business around the globe. With experience working with clients in over 20 different industries, her proven 7-step formula has resulted in her clients being seen, heard, and recognized for their work without having to change who they are. The founder of Design Your Destiny LIVE (www.DesignYourDestinyLive), she lives in Alexandria, Virginia with her loving and supportive husband Jim and their two pet foxes.

MAKE 2018 YOUR YEAR OF

Miracles

As seen on the covers of MY Authentic Life Magazine, December and January of 2017, Marci Shimoff and Debra Poneman, share their powerful e-book “The Biggest Mistakes That Keep You From Living A Miraculous Life.” They share their proven formula for recognizing mistakes that keep you from your miracles and replacing them with behaviors that make you a magnet for your miracles.

Free for a limited time.

Marci is not only a powerful happiness mentor, she is also the #1 NY Times best-selling author of all the books in the Chicken Soup for the Women’s Soul series and was a featured teacher in The Secret.

Debra is a renowned success mentor who is the founder of the original Yes to Success Seminar company and launched it around the world. Some of her success clients include Mattel Toys, the Xerox Management Group, McDonnell Douglas and ... she was Marci’s first mentor!

They share their personal struggles and the mistakes they made along their journey ... and how they turned their lives around in their tell all e-book, guaranteed to move you!

Grab your free e-book here to learn the Biggest Mistakes that Keep You From Living a Miraculous Life, and use this book to start living in what Marci and Debra call the “Miracle Zone,” where your miracles are waiting patiently for you.

Click now for your free e-book,

THE BIGGEST MISTAKES THAT KEEP YOU FROM LIVING A MIRACULOUS LIFE

www.YourYearOfMiracles.com

THE LESSONS OF DISAPPOINTMENT

by Kate Sholonski

54 | MY Magazine

A

s the last days of December countdown and a new year gets ready to launch, I tend to look over my shoulder at the previous year to see what I’ve learned and perhaps what I may want to change.

During a recent mental search, I realized that disappointments don’t have the same kind of power over me that they used to. This is a muscle that has been gradually growing stronger. Where I used to be temporarily paralyzed when something didn’t go the way I planned, or if someone didn’t come through in carrying out a promise, or if I simply did not have “a plan” come together with the way I anticipated, I now notice I am rarely knocked off balance by disappointment. In the past, I would allow a variety of disappointments to pull me into the land of “victim”, or stimulate me to be angry and hurt, which just added to my poor me mood which would then cause me to be disappointed in myself.

Just as with any inner work and practice, being consciously aware of what emotional state I was allowing when disappointments would occur, gradually caused me to not resist them, but to accept them. Simply practicing acceptance of what I could not change each time a disappointment would surface, gradually became my new normal. I have noticed that when complete acceptance is present I feel peaceful and when I feel peaceful, my disappointments don’t have a place to latch hold of my psyche and pull me off balance into the land of regret.

Another component of not being victimized by disappointment is that I trust more than I used to.

When something doesn’t go as planned, I now trust that a better solution or answer will take its place. I may not know what it is, or when it will appear, but I generally trust it will eventually show up. I hold it as a matter of waiting to be surprised and since I love surprises and I truly believe good things are always on their way, I feel great as I wait.

As with all of my emotional lessons, noticing how I feel and then asking myself if staying in that particular state is worth it to me, I wake up, become tuned in to what my thoughts are creating and actually choose to hold a different perspective which includes peaceful acceptance and that ALWAYS feels good.

Kate Sholonski transitioned from a 28 year nursing career to life coaching and as a personal fulfillment workshop leader in 2001. After many years of coaching people from all walks of life, she and her business partner repeatedly heard requests from their clients to combine joy and fulfillment with leadership principles.

It was that concept that led them to create their business, Triumph Leadership Group, where they focus on training teams from all sized businesses to build positive and productive cultures. Kate and her business partner, David Larson have co-authored two books, Wide Awake: Three Minutes a Day to an Inspired Life and Heartfelt Leadership: Creating a Culture of Connection. They believe when relationships don’t work, the business doesn’t work and that workers who share heartfelt connections will help business thrive on every level.

myauthenticlifemagazine.com 55

CHOOSING GRACE AND EASE OVER PAIN AND STRUGGLE

by Gary Stuart

56 | MY Magazine

Wow, it’s 2018.

Now that the New Year is here, try something new! Most of us, myself included, try to push and drive ourselves almost to the point of distraction to accomplish what we feel we need to do.

What if in 2018 we did less to achieve more? What if the credo for 2018 was to enjoy in the partaking of what really matters. After all, if we don’t enjoy the journey what is the point of the journey?

Choosing struggle and hardship? I think not!

So now that it’s January it’s time to stop and smell the roses, of course, it’s winter in Detroit and elsewhere but there’s always a flower shop somewhere near you to get some roses. The time is NOW! Start practicing on a real resolution, one that is going to really help you. At the very least make you happier while you take this journey into the unknown called 2018.

Very often we forget that we incarnated to experience pleasure.

Yes, pleasure over duty and responsibility. Maybe we should try to transform duty and responsibility into a pleasurable activity? What

myauthenticlifemagazine.com 57

do we have to lose? Guess what, the time is now!

I don’t know about you, but I happened to have had a lot of deaths in 2017. If you look at Facebook, it’s almost as if the name should be changed to Obituary, Help, Pray Book. It was a rough year for many on a lot of levels.

What’s the point of living a life full of struggles, problems, and unhappiness? If life itself can be gone in a flash, now, is the time for your life! Enjoyment along with pleasure, is just as important as health and

well-being, and eating and exercising.

Duty and responsibility are for Royals, not us commoners. After all, it is the Royals who are really on the dole from taxpayers and us commoners, we allow them to wear their precious jewels and crowns. Let it be known that the Kingdoms subjects have the true power.

I would like to give you a challenge for 2018, do one thing a day that gives you pleasure? Experiment with seven days times 52 weeks equals 365 days of pleasure. Try

to pick up a little notebook or notepad so you can keep track of the one thing per day that brought you pleasure? That’s not a lot to ask and I guarantee you it will make you happier for all of 2018. At the very least it will remind you that the journey of your life is to be enjoyed and this simple practice will help you have gratitude for what is. After all, life is supposed to be about gratitude, joy, happiness, and laughter, mixed with some trust, ease, and grace thrown in for good measure.

Recognizing or taking time to notice one positive or pleasurable thing you can do, easily can change the direction or trajectory of 2018. It’s easy simple and more than doable; besides you’re so worth it! You can also have your family or friends do this with you as well. You don’t want to be the only one happy, so share it and enjoy it with everyone who matters to you.

There may be days that you will struggle, there always are, but this makes it all the more important to balance the scale with grace and pleasure. Remember it’s only one once a day for seven days per week which equals 365 days of pleasurable gifts you can give to you.

If you cannot give this gift to yourself then who else will.

58 | MY Magazine

Now, here’s a thought ask someone else to be your accountability buddy to support your daily quest to find one pleasurable thing that you can do for yourself or even someone else that you care about. It can be as simple as sitting down and looking at a magazine while you have a delicious cup of coffee.

Or staring out the window watching the snow fall.

It could be even more fun for everyone in the family trying the same exercise together and then talking about it as you have dinner. Now, this would lead to a very different conversation.

Most families forget to connect while they’re looking at their cell phones as they eat. Wow! What a concept, contact, human interaction, joy, pleasure and more importantly, connection.

When you connect with others you connect to yourself.

This simple exercise creates unity, harmony, connection, and wellbeing! The world is so CRAZY right now we NEED each other to be grounded and have some peace and sanity! Not to mention fun and enjoyment plus pleasure in these crazy challenging times!

Let’s hope 2018 is full of ease

Gary Stuart Speaker, Author, Constellation Facilitator, Teacher has been documenting his healing experiences over the past several decades. As a young student of Primal Therapy and Shamanism, his insightful writings provide a unique perspective on the correlation between the micro and macro-cosmos, between our inner and outer worlds. His first book on Constellations Many Hearts, One Soul set the stage for his latest book Master Your Universe: How to Direct & Star in Your Own Life on Kindle or paperback at www.Amazon.com He Speaks and leads healing workshops and training nationally and internationally and resides in Southern California. His Distance, Family or Organizational Constellations are his healing specialty! His FREE Consultation: www.testyourhappiness.com and www.GaryStuartPRessKit.com Contact Info: Gary@Chifield.com Office (888) 369-9980 Cell (310) 758-2052 myauthenticlifemagazine.com 59

SIMPLY Spiritual

CREATING YOUR RESOLUTIONS

Soulful Way

IN A

by Debra Poneman and Marci Shimoff

J

ust as predictably as the ball drops in Times Square as we greet the 1st day of January, people around the world will be using the fresh energy of a new year to set their resolutions. And just as predictably as Valentine’s Day cards will appear in the stores on the 1st day of February, over half of all resolutions made will have already been broken.

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Why do you think it’s so hard to stick to our New Year’s resolutions?

We believe it has to do with how we create them. To increase the possibility of fulfilling any resolution, it needs to be created from the soul rather than from the ego.

When we begin to create all of

our resolutions from the soul, we’ll not only be more likely to achieve it, but we’ll start living a much more effortless flow of life in what we call the “Miracle Zone.”

You might be thinking, well, if that’s all it takes to achieve my resolutions, I’m happy to switch my angle of creation, but how do I know when I’m creating

from the ego and when I’m creating from the soul?

The answer is stunningly simple: When we make choices from the realm of the ego, the feeling in our body is that of contraction, anxiety, and fear, and what manifests in our life is a struggle. We feel like we’re always pushing, forcing, and over-efforting. We feel the

need to manipulate and control in order to get the results we desire. When we try to create from our ego, it’s always an uphill battle because we’re living outside the Miracle Zone.

When we make our resolutions from the soul, the experience is completely different because the realm of the soul is the realm of love, expansion,

effortless flow, all possibilities and, of course, miracles.

So let’s make this more concrete.

Think about something you want to create in your life— some resolution or intention that you want to bring to fruition. If you’re like the majority of people, your New

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Now let’s look at your soul’s version of that same resolution.

Your soul wouldn’t think to say, “I want to lose 20 pounds.”

Your soul would say, “I want to be fit, vital and healthy. I want to be in a body that reflects on the outside the radiant being I truly am on the inside.” Do you see the difference? Which feels better to you? Which one caused your heart to expand with truth and skip a beat with the anticipation of manifesting the result you desire? That’s a soul intention. It’s about aligning with the truth of who you are.

Year’s resolutions are to lose weight, get organized, make more money, spend more time with family and friends or begin a fitness regime. Do you have yours? Now write it down.

When you’re done, take a look at how you worded your resolution. This reflects how you really “hold” it in your mind and heart.

If your intention is to lose weight and you wrote down, “Lose 20 pounds,” that is an ego-based intention. Your ego wants you to look a certain way.

Maybe because you’re afraid of being judged or rejected or maybe you want to fit into society’s brainwashed definition of beauty or you’re having a hard time loving yourself the way you now look. Or maybe you want to show your old boyfriend what he so unwisely gave up…

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The desired results are the same but when you switch the angle of your approach, it puts you in the flow of universal energy. It opens you up to a greater force that allows things to happen with ease. You still need to take action, but when the action is taken with the power of a soul intention behind it, the path is paved with grace, and miracles begin to reveal themselves one after the other.

This year after you write your resolutions, go through the list and identify which ones are ego intentions and which ones are soul intentions. Think about how you can shift each one. If you get stuck, share this concept with a friend and help each other create the new angle so that every resolution is now a soul intention.

With your revised list in hand, step into 2018 and watch your miraculous life unfold.

Marci Shimoff and Debra Poneman Co-Founders, Your Year of Miracles Mentoring Program for Women www.YourYearofMiracles.com Marci Shimoff is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, a world-renowned transformational teacher and an expert on happiness, success, and unconditional love.

Her books include Love for No Reason and Happy for No Reason. She is also the woman’s face of the biggest self-help book phenomenon in history, as co-author of six books in the Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul series. Marci is also a featured teacher in the international film and book sensation, The Secret and the host of the national PBS TV show called Happy for No Reason.

Debra Poneman began transforming lives in the 1970’s where she spent months at a time in deep meditation, often in complete silence, and teaching meditation to thousands. In the1980’s Debra founded Yes to Success Seminars teaching how to create outer success based on inner silence. Debra’s students went on to become mega-successful entrepreneurs, NY Times bestselling authors, millionaires, billionaires—even household names. In 1988, about to launch her own network TV show, Debra disappeared from the public eye for over 20 years when she chose to be a full-time mom at home. She’s now back, a #1 bestselling author and again teaching success principles around the world.

Marci’s and Debra’s current passion is supporting women to create lives over-flowing with miracles. Over 6000 students from 72 countries have completed their Your Year of Miracles mentoring program for women.

“Faith Is Taking the First Step Even When You Don’t See the Whole Staircase.”

– Martin Luther King Jr.

BE UNSTOPPABLE & CHANGE THE WORLD Have Maria Rea, The Publisher Of MY Authentic Life & CEO of MY Media & Publishing Group Speak At Your Next Event TOPICS SUCH AS: • The Power Of Living Your Courageous Life • Empowering Women To Let Go Of Self-Doubt & Fear • Living In An Ego Driven World

Contact Maria at maria.mymediagroup@gmail.com

THE DREAM EXPERTS What Does Your Dream Mean?

by Kathryn and Patrick Andries

Dear Dream Expert,

Dear Dream Expert,

I am at the airport with my daughter Samantha.

There is something off about the flight schedules. I am supposed to take this one connecting flight, or I can skip it and get on a direct flight. Samantha gets on the other plane.

I am worried about my luggage getting on the plane if I don’t take the connecting flight I am scheduled for. I go to the front desk and ask the lady about it. I decided to take the plane that my daughter is on. I run down the hall and outside to get on that plane. When I get outside this man tells me the plane already left. I am disappointed.

I am talking to my pregnant friend and I ask her about her due date. She says it is February, and I thought it was May. I ask if she will take maternity leave, and she says no because she lives on a military base with her husband and he may be away. I ask what she will do about child care, and she says she doesn’t know. I tell her she should start looking because it can take a long time to find someone good. I ask her if she is scared and she says no, she is excited. I think to myself, “I wouldn’t want to be her. It is going to be hard.”

Sincerely, Helpful Friend

Sincerely, Stranded Dear Helpful Friend, Dear Stranded, An airplane represents how you use your thoughts to achieve some goal. Since many people fly on a commercial plane, it also shows you are aligning your thoughts with a group or organization. You have a new idea (your daughter) who is clearly aligned with where you are going since she gets on a plane without hesitation. You are worried about how your selfexpression will keep up with you as you venture out to attain your goal. This concern causes you to miss the plane (i.e. miss an opportunity to achieve your goal.

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There is a part of you (represented by your friend) who is formulating a new idea (pregnant). The new idea is coming sooner than you think. You question whether you should take time to nurture this new idea, but the other part of you feels that it cannot because you have a way of thinking that is very disciplined and does not believe in rest and relaxation (military base home). You tell this part of yourself it would be beneficial to find help to take care of this new idea. Part of you is excited about the birth of this new idea, and another part of you feels it will be hard and overwhelming to deal with this new idea.

Dear Dream Expert, I am talking to these two ladies because we are all staying at the same hotel. We were all supposed to go to Hawaii, but something about the trip fell through so it was canceled. My husband and I were talking to this lady about it, and it was likely that they canceled for a silly reason. We thought maybe it was due to a clothes issue. I said, “Who cares about your clothes in Hawaii. You just go around in a swimsuit anyway.

Sincerely, Disappointed

Dear Disappointed, The first question to ask yourself is what Hawaii represents to you. That will give you a big indication as to what this dream is about. A place in dream represents your mental focus. If Hawaii represents fun and relaxation to you, that is what you are focused upon. You want what Hawaii represents for you (perhaps fun or relaxation) yet you sabotage this from happening. The reason is that there is something about your self-expression (clothes) that is not in sync with what Hawaii represents for you. The message is that you need to simplify your way of expressing, or be less attached to how you express (only wearing a swimsuit) in order to get to that mental state of Hawaii.

Kathryn and Patrick Andries are the dream experts. They are the authors of the recently released book from Ozark Mountain Publishing, Naked in Public: Dream Symbols Revealed, and The Dream Doctor. If you would like a dream interpreted, please send it in the body of an e-mail to: intuitiveschool@sbcglobal.net. Learn more about their books at www.ozarkmt.com. myauthenticlifemagazine.com 67

Choice FEAR IS A

by Sharon Carne

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S

tuck? In a rut? Uncertain?

Overwhelmed? Going around in circles? Running out of energy? How did I get here? It’s not my fault. Feel like you’re on a hamster wheel?

Stubbornness is not one of my most endearing traits. At times, I have been able to hang on to that hamster wheel like my life depended on it.

It’s amazing how quickly a few negative thoughts about what I’m challenged within my life can turn into that negative unending spiral.

And down I go - hanging on to that stupid hamster wheel.

The only thing that got me off the darn thing was getting desperate enough to say “ENOUGH!!”

As soon as I did that, it created an opportunity.

I had a CHOICE! And when I realized that I could choose to not be a hamster, I fell off the wheel. And immediately my memory was flooded with all of the tools that I have at my fingertips to blast that wheel to smithereens!!

Several years ago, my youngest sister was given a diagnosis of terminal cancer. She was given three to five years to live.

Well, I jumped on to that hamster wheel in a big way at first! I was really angry that this had happened to her. But that stupid hamster wheel was really all about me and had nothing to do with her or what she was going through.

I could not change this situation, but I finally realized that I did have a choice. She needed a lot of help. So I made a CHOICE to just be with her – from moment to moment. Some of those moments were excruciatingly hard and some were ecstatically joyful. She passed away about two years ago and I am grateful for every one of those moments I had with her. myauthenticlifemagazine.com 69

Those years were also magnificent opportunities to feel stuck and to remember that I had a choice.

bombarding your body with flood after flood of hormones to keep you in ‘flight or fight’ response.

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to slip into a fear mindset? And what’s WORSE is how easy it is to actually feel COMFORTABLE being afraid.

Even being afraid all the time?

The FACT is that CHRONIC FEAR KILLS! So does chronic WORRY!

The big problem with this is that you are wired to respond to fear with a flood of hormones that keeps you on alert. This is the ‘flight or fight’ response.

This is actually a good thing if you are in immediate danger – like someone cuts you off in traffic. You move quickly before you even have time to think about it.

But if you have fallen into a hamster wheel of chronic negative thoughts, your nervous system is constantly

Chronic fear and the symptoms of stress it creates are the root cause of most of the illnesses people are suffering from.

It is really, really important to know that you ALWAYS have a choice!

Stuck is an opportunity to remember that you can choose to either change the situation or change how you are responding to it.

There are many ways to use sound to shift out of the fear mindset and to reduce or dissolve the symptoms of stress.

YOU ARE A NATURAL HARMONIZER Human beings are incredible harmonizers! We harmonize with so many things in our environment – like a co-worker who always complains. We harmonize with thoughts and beliefs, like – ‘everything is so hard’ or ‘I always get sick during the holidays’.

When you harmonize with being ‘Crazy Busy’, you end up with: •

sleepless nights

•

catching every cold and flu that comes around

•

muscle aches and pains

•

getting upset easily

•

and more…

This is the dark side of how you harmonize with what is around you. As you know, everything has its opposite.

On the light side, you THRIVE on harmony.

Like listening to a song that makes you feel like melting into the floor – ahhhh. Or smelling a rose. Or standing on the shore and watching the waves flow in. Or gazing at the stars in wonder.

Your soul needs this! So does every other part of you! When your soul is fed with harmony – your whole being responds with health and wellbeing! Your nervous system responds with a release of ‘feel good’

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hormones and hormones that stimulate your immune system.

wheel? I’m glad you asked.

Here are a few of my favorite ‘Harmony Moments.’

And you end up with •

calm

•

centredness

•

presence

•

connection

•

happiness

•

peace

Your entire being was designed to perform in perfect harmony.

Your body, mind, emotions, and spirit KNOW how to be healthy.

Every part of your being dances its particular rhythm and tone of health in a natural pattern. In our fast-paced busy lives, there are many situations that can cause your natural harmony to fall out of tune and your natural patterns to fall out of step with the dance of harmony.

Harmony Moments So how do you return to harmony for those times you find yourself on the hamster

Write them down and put them in your wallet or on your fridge as a reminder for whenever you need to remember that you have a CHOICE. •

Take a deep, slow, exquisite breath. Feel it right down to your navel. Repeat as needed.

•

Admire a beautiful sunset.

Resist the urge to take a picture of it. Just admire.

•

Lie on the grass outside and gaze at the stars.

•

Look into someone’s eyes deeply and see their beautiful spiritual self, shining through those eyes.

•

Catch a snowflake on your tongue.

•

Give someone you care about a hug. Just because.

•

Make a list of ten things you are grateful for. Put it in the

fridge or in your wallet.

•

Sing your favorite song.

•

Listen to your favorite music.

•

Add your favorite harmony moments to this list.

From all of my heart, I wish you the following blessing: May you be well. May you be happy. May you dance with abandon. May you always live with a song in your heart. May you have a brilliant 2018!

Sharon Carne is an author, speaker, musician, recording artist, sound healer, Reiki master and consultant. Sharon is the founder of Sound Wellness and the Sound Wellness Institute. Through the Sound Wellness Institute, holistic health practitioners receive the highest level of competency training in using sound and music to support their practice. Sound Wellness programs are at the forefront of education in how sound and music can be easily applied to your everyday life - to reduce stress, help you concentrate, energize you, inspire you and support your health. www.soundwellness.com myauthenticlifemagazine.com 71

WE ARE FRAGILE AND WE ARE WHOLE

by Elaine M. Grohman

I

t had happened a split second before I realized that I had miscalculated. The pain was shocking as I stood alongside the vehicle, with the street sounds thundering through my head, amplifying the pain as I remained standing, although doubled over in a reflexive response of protection.

I expected my hands to be

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covered in blood, but there was none. Just pain. Lots of pain. There was nothing I could do but get into the van and hold my head.

No one had done anything to me. I had injured myself due to my lack of attention in that split second. I would have to wait it out, let my body heal and learn to be more attentive.

I recognized that my Life could end in an instant. I am a vulnerable Human Being.

It is easy to think of a million reasons why it happened. I was distracted. I was moving too quickly. I was not mindful of my surroundings. I was rushed. The sun was in my eyes. All of these things were true. But it didn’t

Wow, we are so incredibly vulnerable, fragile and breakable.

I am so incredibly vulnerable, fragile and breakable. And yet, we are so well protected, guarded, and designed to heal.

I am so well protected, guarded and designed to heal. What an amazing truth.

We are in an incredible time in our Human experience. We have been trained, knowingly and unknowingly, to respond to problems with blame. It is his/ her fault. It is their fault. It is one group or another’s fault. And we stand holding the “problem” before us and fail to look away long enough to recognize that we must find a solution to all of the problems we have created.

The truth is – we are all at fault when we fail to see the source of any problem we experience. Most of our challenges are humanmade, most of our miscalculations are sparked by lack of clarity, impulsiveness or just plain ignorance. We cannot afford to ignore things any longer. For if we continue to make problems without solving problems we will get whacked on the head by Life and we may not be able to recover. matter. It had already happened.

So often in Life, we can find ourselves frozen in a momentary experience with questions rumbling through our minds.

Why did that happen? How could I have been more prepared? On and on the questions echo within us and yet, we fail to stop to gain a far greater perspective.

We are so incredibly vulnerable.

The richest and the poorest among us are vulnerable. Yet Life gives us all the things that we need to heal, to grow, to thrive and to Live for as long as possible.

Until we no longer do.

Mother Life/Creation has designed the Human Body to

work, to grow and to heal within the environment. We have the Air we breathe. We must protect it. We have the Water we drink. We must protect it.

We have the Land upon which to grow our food and live. We must protect it. We have the Natural Resources with which to innovate and create. We must protect those Resources.

We are vulnerable. We are fragile and we can Heal. We are protected by Life Itself. There is not one single Human Being who has ever lived, who will ever live and who is currently living who is not protected by Mother Life.

There is not one single Human Being capable of creating Water, Air, Land, or Natural Resources.

That has been done for us for millions of years.

We, the Human Species, are the interfering agents, and we are solely responsible for how we use, abuse, destroy or protect all that we have been given.

We are vulnerable and fragile – yet we are protected. We can heal from our bumps and bruises only if we are allowed to do so.

We are designed to Heal. None of us are smart enough to do that.

But we can be smart enough to appreciate that.

Elaine Grohman is a speaker, author, energy healer and angel reader.

She has a private practice in Farmington, MI. For appointments please contact Lainie Rubio at 248.320.6532 or visit her website at www.elainegrohman.com myauthenticlifemagazine.com 73

Jealousy THE GIFT OF

by David Larson

A

ll feelings are motivators. My anger notifies me that there is an injustice that needs to be righted or an important growth lesson to be learned. My sadness leads me to embrace what I have lost and appreciate the gifts that my lost object has brought into my life. Scares keep me alert to that which can hurt me, thereby protecting me. What purpose could jealousy serve?

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One purpose of jealousy is to help me realize what I believe I “lack.” It surfaces a vulnerable place in my belief system where I think that what you have will make me happy. It exposes where I have lost touch with the fact that everything I need to be joyfilled is well within my reach.

Jealousy also points me to my unhealed wounds to which I still

need to respond. When I see that you have something that I once had or never had, it may stimulate unfinished grieving I need to complete in order to feel whole again.

Jealousy calls me to selfresponsibility. The con of jealousy is when I believe that what you manifested came to you without any effort on your part - that you were “lucky.” I

to speak the truth myself. I want the intimate relationship without getting the counseling or coaching to learn how I keep myself from having it.

Jealousy is a way to bounce me out of my laziness. It is a confrontation for me to look at where I am holding back, where I am playing small, and what I can step into with greater conviction to create the life I want. When I do not yet have what I want, it is also possible that I am not yet ready to receive what I desire. There may be more learning for me to do first.

One man wanted to experience less stress and more peace in his life but could not see the importance of having a daily quiet time where he can connect with the very peace he desired.

want to have such luck! One thing I may not like to face is the possibility you worked very hard or opened yourself up to risk to get what you have, and I have not made similar choices to bring it into my life. Sometimes I am like the one who wants the salary of a doctor without committing long years of study to get it. I want honesty in my friendships, yet I am unwilling

Another woman carried negative energy in her thoughts and believed she did not deserve good things. You and I and she must believe we are worthy of good things happening to us, and allow ourselves to receive, lest our negative energy repel what we could attract with a more positive attitude.

Still another possibility of why I don’t have what I want is that the timing may not yet be right. The Universe is conspiring to bless me beyond my imagination, yet it may take time to line up all the factors necessary to accomplish my dream! Releasing jealousy

requires the patience and trust of a saint - something of which we are all capable.

Finally, one reason I may not have what I want is that what I want is not in my best interest.

Perhaps God has a better idea.

As Marianne Williamson puts it, “If the train doesn’t stop at your station, it wasn’t your train.” I have often found that when I can let go of not getting what I want, something better turns up in my life down the road.

Perhaps there have been times when you have been like me, believing that whining and complaining may change our situations for the better. Since when does resenting someone else’s good fortune improve our own? What if instead, we allowed the awareness of our jealousy to inform us and prompt us to ask, “How can I create that in my life?”

The blessings of jealousy are many. Which will you receive today? Do not be ashamed of your envy. Use it to motivate and change yourself for the better.

It’s all a gift.

David is a licensed psychologist in private practice who has been leading people into life fulfillment for more than thirty years. His work with Kate Sholonski at Triumph Leadership Group involves creating and sustaining healthy and productive relationships in the workplace.

David is a contributing author to four books, has been a TV talk show host, and resides in rural Minnesota with his wife, Carol. myauthenticlifemagazine.com 75

ENERGY CLEANSING

As a spiritual being having a human experience, it’s important to care for all aspects of your being

by Judith E. Lipson, M.A., LPC

Y

ou are more than a physical structure.

There is energy in and around your body. Clinicians who study acupuncture follow the energy along meridians to look for blockages or sluggish movement. Correcting these can improve health, pain, and mood.

Also within the physical body are

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chakras - energy centers. Each chakra corresponds to specific physical structures of the body as well as to emotional and psychological processes; and is also linked to a symbol, name, musical tone and color. There are seven major chakras: the root chakra at the base of your torso, abdominal, solar plexus, heart,

throat, third eye at the center of the forehead, and the crown chakra at the top of your head.

Those who are hyperaware of the traditional five senses, as well as, the sixth sense of intuition, empathy and energy are considered Highly Sensitive People. If you are a Sensitive,

other peoples’ energy fields as well as the electromagnetic fields of your environment likely affect you. When all of this inundates your energy fields, it can lead to emotional distress, physical tension and even illness. There are a number of practices that you can use to clear or balance your energy:

FOR THE SELF DURING A SHOWER use the water to wash away all uncomfortable emotions and tensions from the day. Have it all flow down the drain.

IN A RELAXED STATE, IMAGINE A SPONGE passing

from head to toe on all sides of your body. As the sponge moves down, it removes the excess tension, emotions, energy, and any challenges that had accumulated throughout your day.

PLACE A BUBBLE of pink or white light around your body to keep “other” separate from myauthenticlifemagazine.com 77

“self”. You may visualize any color, a balloon, ball or even a force field around yourself.

CHAKRA BALANCE: In meditation, bring your attention to each chakra beginning at the root. Use your own intuition to balance the hue, density, and size. Strive to bring balance to each. (You can find CDs or individuals to facilitate this process.)

HUM THE MUSICAL SCALES to balance the chakras via vibration. It isn’t necessary to know which note corresponds to each chakra. Deeply hum the scales and feel the vibrations within your body.

RELEASE OLD TRAPPED

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EMOTIONS that congest the energy. You don’t need to remember, you just need to release. This can be done through exercise, movement to music, massages, and bodywork.

SEA SALT baths: a 10-minute soak helps to remove any released energies or toxins.

DRINK WATER to help the body move energy and toxins.

ENERGY MODULATION: If you are an intuitive or empath, you can feel others’ energies and emotions within yourself.

It is important to learn how to regulate the input. First, try to identify where you sense this energy entering. Most

clients tell me that it enters at the abdominal or heart level.

Find an image that allows you to have a “selectively permeable membrane” at that location. Consider visualizing the blowhole of a whale or dolphin, the weave of a fabric, screen or grid, or the adjustment of a color’s hue. I have had a computer expert describe it as a firewall. Others see it as a swirl that needs to slow or quicken. What’s important is that you select a method that resonates with you and practices shrinking and enlarging your portal while in a relaxed state. Then, set your intention when entering a challenging environment or when feeling overwhelmed, to shrink the size of your portal.

FOR THE HOME OR SCHOOL You can additionally assist yourself and others by decreasing the amount of excess energy in your surroundings. The individual is then better able to neutralize his or her own vibratory fields.

SMUDGING is used to move the accumulated energy in one’s environment. Dried sage, cedar or sweetgrass is lit, extinguished, and the smoke is moved through the rooms, especially in corners. Please be cautious with the fire and note if anyone is sensitive to fragrances.

TUNING FORKS work in the same manner as smudging, but the tone that is emitted moves the energy.

COLLECTING AND REMOVING EMOTIONAL ENERGY: Ground yourself, use your intention, and invite the excess energies of the room or home to a location that is not immediately near you. Depending on what resonates with you, direct these energies to depart through the ceiling, a window, or to the ground.

This is especially helpful when someone is triggered by anger, fear or agitation of others in the space.

Your energy fields are affected by many factors. I encourage a regular practice of cleansing to influence the ease vs. dis-ease of your life.

Judy Lipson is a licensed, professional counselor and educational strategist in West Bloomfield, MI. She helps clients of all ages who have learning difficulties, work or school related anxiety, ADHD, Asperger’s Syndrome or Autism Spectrum Disorders. Contact Judy at 248.568.8665 and judylipson@ spiralwisdom.net, and visit SpiralWisdom. net for more information.

This article is for informational purposes and is not meant to replace medical care.

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YOU ARE MEANT TO LIVE A Life of Joy

by Janette Stuart

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L

iving a life of joy is our birthright as precious children of God, Divine, Universe, Source, Spirit, All That Is… Think of your divine pedigree; you are formed in the likeness and image of the Creator of All That Is. You are a masterpiece. Your Creator loves you unconditionally and desires for you to have a joyful experience here on Earth.

We are each responsible for our own path of joy. What brings joy to my heart may not bring joy to yours, and that is just fine.

We each have our own likes, dislikes, dreams, and desires that make us uniquely us.

Joy is an important part of my daily life. I choose joy daily as a recurring theme when I move through my day. My business, Angel Angles, exists to promote more love, joy, and peace in the world. I have even written books on the topic of joy. Three of these books in the series “On a Path of Joy” is currently available on Amazon and my website, and the fourth of these seven daily devotionals will be completed in 2018.

This month, I’ll be participating in a free, online summit called “2018 Happy New You Celebration” which features a select group of presenters of self-growth and enrichment discussing topics to delight and uplift. My presentation will be entitled “Your Own Path of Joy”.

I look forward to the experience and hope you’ll jump in and join in. Here’s the link: https:// innerstrength-university.lpages. co/2018-happy-new-you-guestsubscribe/. You can sign up for free today. There will be amazing giveaways also available. Talk about joy!

Do you know what brings you joy? Have you forgotten what feeling joy is like? Do you think joy is only available for a select few and not applicable to you?

Do you feel you are not good enough, spiritual enough or deserving enough to live a joyful life? Do you know there is a correlation between joy and wellness? These questions will be covered in my presentation, interview and more thoroughly in the free giveaway following the event. (Value $225)

I’d be honored for you to come join me in further exploration of joy, dear one. You really are meant to live a life of joy. In closing, I’d like to share a snippet from my third book, day 11 with you: “We each have something amazing about us that makes us unique individuals. Perhaps you are a wonderful storyteller, a musician, a baker, an artist, a healer or organizer. That “thing” that feels joyful to you, that you would wake up early or stay up late doing, that thing that when you are doing it, you lose track of time, that is a unique and beautiful gift that you can share with the world.

Today’s invitation is to do that “thing” and share it with the world in some small way. Shine that inner brilliance and bless the world today. You can do it. You have the power, the beautiful personal power of the Divine pulsing through you with each and every breath.”

Here’s to more joy in the journey as you walk your own path of joy.

I’m Janette Stuart, Founder of Angel Angles which is my labor of love. I have wanted to express my soul’s work in a more visible way and am now devoting more time to Angel Angles since my retirement in 2015. Angel Angles exists to spread more love, joy and peace into the world. I have always loved to write, I write every day. I write longhand in several different journals as well as type electronically. I have always loved handwriting, the sending of cards and notes, the keeping of a journal or diary. My first book, “On a Path of Joy” will be available in September. I am thrilled. My hope is that the book will help the reader develop or enhance their relationship with their Creator.

I am a grateful member of and core blogger for The Wellness Universe. The Wellness Universe is an evolutionary community of members who are positively impacting the world in one or more of the 7 areas of wellness. As a lifelong empath, I have experienced people’s feelings deeply. I have a deep compassion for my fellow man and love deeply. I choose to live a joy filled life each day and hope to help others do the same. Joy is my focus word for 2016. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area with my husband of 33 years, Mark, and our rescue boxer dog, Spike. We have a grown son, Max, who is happily serving in the Coast Guard. I am a mom, wife, daughter, sister, friend, neighbor as well as an angelic practitioner.

Besides writing, I am a lifelong learner, who reads daily, I also enjoy walking in nature, sky watching, cooking, RVing along the California Coast and visiting with friends and family. Some of my most requested recipes are Asian Chicken Salad and Sticky Toffee Pudding.

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Lynn Darmon PSYCHIC MEDIUM REIKI PRACTITIONER

Make 2018 Your Year!

Most recently featured on

Lynn has been featured on ABC’s 20/20, The Huffington Post, AOL, Yahoo News, The Oakland Press, The Detroit Jewish News, Eydis Magazine, MY Magazine, Body, Mind, Spirit Radio, the Lisa Bousson Show, and has been featured in the recently published book, “Everyday Oracles,” by Ann Bolinger-McQuade.

31224 Mulfordton • Ste. D • Farmington Hills • 248.860.1121 www.heavenswhisper.net • lynn@heavenswhisper.net Facebook: Medium Lynn Darmon SERVICES PROVIDED: In person • By phone • E-mail • Skype

• In home

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Wealth Consciousness

Manifest your destiny

CREATING YOUR PROSPERITY MAP

by Ellen Rogin, CPA, CFPÂŽ

I

t’s been 54 years since the Equal Pay Act became law, but American women are still fighting to make as much money as men.

Would it surprise you to hear that according to federal data, it could take at least 40 more

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years before the gap completely closes.

There are many reasons given for why the gap is hard to close. The more important question is how can you close this gap in your work or

but no clear path to getting there. They set goals based on the wrong benchmarks and this leads them down the wrong path. I’ve seen this result in qualified women leaving their businesses due to discouragement and frustration.

Creating a Prosperity Map can be your guide to business growth and personal fulfillment. There are three core steps in developing a map to lead you from where you are now to where you want to be in your business.

Step 1: Be clear on what you want. If you were heading out on a road trip you’d know your exact destination. Most

likely you’d plan where you’ll be staying and what you’ll be doing when you get there. Yet, many people haven’t spent the time getting crystal clear on where they want to go in their businesses. Your ability to grow your business and reach your goals is directly related to how clearly you’ve identified what you most desire to achieve. This is the part where you get to dream and dream big. Too often people get stuck in the “how” of things and limit their abilities to create fabulous “whats.”

One of my favorite ways to figure this out is to finish the sentence, “Wouldn’t it be cool if…” How would you finish this sentence? For example: Wouldn’t it be cool if … I could travel 5 weeks a year and still grow my business and service my clients beautifully! Or, wouldn’t it be cool if … I could run a marathon on each continent. You get the idea. This is about setting a destination on your prosperity map that you’d really like to reach. Not one that you think you should set as a goal or one that has no juice behind it.

business in a way that feels authentic and in alignment with the rest of your life goals?

Many wander aimlessly through their careers, having a vague idea of where they are headed

Your “what you want” or in Spice Girl language, “What you really, really want,” isn’t typically just about an income number. Instead it’s more likely about what this income can lead to - whether that’s a material purchase, a certain lifestyle, a charitable intent, or something else.

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end of the year my revenues were up a whopping 39%.

Step 3: How are you going to get there? Of course you need a plan of

action. One of the most important, yet rarely talked about ways to do this is to make giving a key part of your marketing plan. Generosity is the new currency in business – generosity in financial resources, generosity in time, and generosity in knowledge.

Step 2: Why do you want this? Answering

the why question will shine light on your goals and make sure they are truly the goals that inspire you. The why step helps make sure you’re focusing on the right goals. While it’s natural to focus on financial goals, over time, money isn’t typically a good motivator. Instead of solely focusing on income and business growth, put your attention on why you want these. Do you want to grow your income to serve more people because you know you’ll do a great job for them and you’ll make their lives better? Is it because this will lead to more revenues which can be used to make sure your kids go to college?

Perhaps your why has to do with a philanthropic goal you have and this revenue will help you achieve the goal.

As a financial advisor, for many years I set the typical goals many advisors set: revenue, assets under management, number of new clients etc.

And, I never reached them. I’d do better each year, but I never hit these goals. In 2002, during a recession, I switched my focus away from solely looking at these financial metrics to how I could truly be of service to my clients. I realized that people needed my advice more than ever. It was a year after 9/11, the markets were way down, and people were scared. I still tracked the typical metrics that year, but also set my vision on how I could be of service to people. How I could ease their stress about their financial lives. This was meaningful and motivating for me. By the

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Just as you systematically put away money for retirement, consider systematically allocating money to causes that are important to you.

When you share your financial resources you are loosening your grip on money and this will open up more money flowing back your way.

Set up a separate giving account and allocate a percentage of your income to be deposited in the account on a regular basis to be earmarked for donations.

Remember to also be generous with your knowledge. Being a mentor is one of the best ways to not only share with your profession, but also to grow yourself.

People like doing business with good people. If you are known for your generous spirit people will want to be your client or customer, your coworker, and a referral source.

There has never been a better time to be a woman in business. Companies are placing more value on employing women than ever before.

For us to move this ahead more quickly will require a focused plan and creating a prosperity map can help you get there.

Ellen Rogin, CPA and CFP®, is an Abundance Activist® and coauthor of the New York Times best seller: Picture Your Prosperity: Smart Money Moves to Turn Your Vision into Reality.

Learn more about Ellen and her programs at. www.ellenrogin.com

Together we can create a world where everyone has a sense of purpose and celebrates community by empowering others to live their best life.

START YOUR OWN MAGAZINE

TO FIND OUT HOW GO TO MY-MEDIAGROUP.COM/PARTNER

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5 THINGS TO DO TO START YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA WITH A BANG IN 2018

by Catherine Saykaly-Stevens

W

as 2017 a good run for you? Did your social media activities bring you success, more fans, a greater reach?

Maybe you tried new things and new social strategies.

Algorithm changed. We found some smoking new strategies. We said goodbye to old tactics that worked well in the past, but no longer resonate.

Social media is always changing; at a more alarming pace than ever. This will help you get on track faster in 2018.

1. Remove Any Holiday Graphics and Themes If you’re someone who loves to keep up with the trends, you may have added Christmas light animation to your Facebook Cover or that Santa hat on your profile picture. While it’s perfectly fine to do so during the festivities, it must be removed in a timely manner.

You don’t want to be ‘that house’ on the block; the house in April that still has Christmas decorations up now sagging to the ground.

People make fun of that house, and time passes faster on the internet.

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But should you? (In Twitter – max 3) I’m going to suggest being strategic. Make a list of hashtags you used in 2017. Now take a look what at what your competition uses. Take a look at other posts in your industry.

There are always new ones that you haven’t considered.

Actively seek – and list - new hashtags that pop up and how they were used.

3. Don’t Just Post for the Sake of Posting – Engage your Audience

2. Consider Your Hashtags Remember ‘less is more’? In Instagram, you are welcome to use up to 30 hashtags.

In Twitter, you now have more character space so you could use more hashtags.

Even more so in 2018, it’s not about how many posts you drop online. It’s about ENGAGING YOUR AUDIENCE. Build your online community. As long as you keep this in mind, and post a combination of content related to your message, that is also what your audience wants to see, it will resonate with your audience.

In case it still doesn’t resonate – either you haven’t found your target audience or you haven’t asked what your audience wants.

Catherine Saykaly-Stevens of TheNetworkingWeb. com is an author, speaker, and trainer – a social media Consultant who specializes in Audience Growth and Extraordinary Fan-Engagement.

She mentors entrepreneurs, authors, speakers, and coaches on how to grow their fan-engagement deepening their connection to their community to ultimately lead to audience growth, influence building, and sales conversions.

She does that with one-on-one consulting and the Social Media Quick Results Programs.

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4. What Online Groups (if any) Will You Associate With?

We’ve already established that engagement and community should be your focus.

Instead of just posting for the masses, what if you selected a segment of your audience in a group (existing and public OR one you create) and speak to them directly?

5. Choose Your Top 3 Priorities While everyone is thinking about their resolutions (and going to a gym), I invite you to consider your top 3 priorities of 2018.

Ask: What do you want this year to represent for you? What do you want to accomplish?

Whatever your answer, keep it in mind every day. You’ll want a strong percentage of your social media to reflect your priorities so that your audience is well aware of where you stand. The sharper your message, the more your audience will relate – and gravitate – towards you and the message.

Catherine is also on the Social Media team of the Evolutionary Business Council (EBC) with a collective reach of 203 Million people and is the co-host of two online shows: ‘EBE-Live’ and ‘Social Buzz U’. She is also the Social Media Expert in residence for the Canadian Authors Association.

Catherine Offer

Catherine offers a FREE 21-Day Social Media Challenge: Are your social media accounts up-to-date and ready to impress? Take the FREE 21-Day Challenge! Don’t let Influencers, Media, and Potential Clients lose interest in your social media accounts before they’ve even read your content. https://theNetworkingWeb.com/21DayChallengeGetReady/

Making a Difference CALLING ALL • New Entrepreneurs • Foundations, Organizations • Existing Publishers Our Mission is to create awareness by designing a customized magazine for local communities, organizations, or foundations through our publishing efforts. By highlighting true-to-life stories and articles that touch the hearts and minds of so many, we educate, empower and inspire readers. making your publication a must have in any community, organization or foundation.

To find out how you can work with our team of professionals to create a customized magazine that fits your needs, contact Maria Rea at maria.mymediagroup@gmail.com myauthenticlifemagazine.com 93

Healthy Living

THE AMAZING POWER OF AFFIRMATIONS

I

t is the start of a New Year.... and our thoughts turn to resolutions... those things that we want to change, do better, stop doing. For many, this means (sigh...) going on yet another diet...with more restrictions...and poor results.

It means signing up at the gym for sweaty workouts... or hiring a personal trainer. What if there were another way to have a body you liked?

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by Liz Bull

There is! Over and over again with my clients, I find that loving the body is an essential element for permanent weight loss. Many of them have treated their bodies as “the enemy� and something to be hated, be ashamed of. What if that could be different?

Although my work digs deep into the hidden reasons for this hatred and shame, there is a

very powerful tool which can help transform your relationship with your body. It is based on neuroscience.

Basically, the simplest way to explain this is that everything we attract into our lives is due to our thoughts. What this means is that if we keep thinking a certain thought (positive/negative) over and over again with strong emotion,

we manifest what we think about into reality.

think and feel about ourselves.

In other words, we attract/ create what we focus on... conscious or not.

Sadly, we are usually our own worst critics… and this is evident in the things we say to ourselves every day.

So if we focus on lack, we create it. If we focus on happiness, we create that.

“Ah… I should have had a salad for lunch. What is the matter with me???”

Thoughts lead to feelings which lead to actions which lead to results.

If we want to change the results we get in our lives, we need to start by changing our thoughts.

Now, you must be thinking, “How can I change my thoughts?”

Excellent question… because that was what I was thinking too!

You see, what we say to ourselves on a continual basis (selftalk) affects what and how we

“I hate the way I look...no one will want to go out with me. I’m not good enough.”

“I over ate again. I am such a pig. No one will want to be around me.”

Sooner or later, this negative self-talk seeps into our subconscious mind. We repeat it over and over again without even realizing it. Even worse, we allow the accompanying limiting thoughts such as “I’m ugly, I’m no good, I’m unattractive, I’m too fat, I’m not good enough, I’m an idiot, I can’t do anything right etc.” to form our beliefs, become our reality and weaken our immune system.

Then we attract more and more situations to prove these thoughts right. When that happens we go into a downward spiral... prevent ourselves from having the abundance, love,

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HERE ARE THE AFFIRMATIONS I USED: Every day my relationship with food becomes healthier.

I love my body fully and deeply.

I appreciate my unique body.

I am delighted to be the ideal weight for me.

It’s easy for me to follow a healthy food plan.

It feels good to move my body. Exercise is fun!

I use deep breathing to help me relax and handle stress.

I am a good person.

I deserve to be at my ideal weight.

I am lovable.

I deserve love.

It is safe for me to lose weight.

I am a strong presence in the world at my lower weight.

I accept and enjoy my sexuality.

It’s OK to feel sensuous.

My metabolism is excellent.

As I love myself, I allow others to love me too.

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happiness, and body that we truly deserve. The good news is that this can be changed!

This is where the powerful tool of positive affirmations comes in…

They nix the negative inner chatter. They replace those limiting self-talk/thoughts with empowering, affirming, encouraging thoughts that open your mind... so you see possibilities and opportunities instead of obstacles, selfjudgment, and shaming.

That’s what they did for me.

Now, to be honest, I only tried out affirmations because I was already at my wits’ end. I was skeptical. Yet,

I was so desperate that I was willing to try anything.

And “anything” included going to the mirror twice a day, looking into my own eyes and saying positive statements to myself that I didn’t yet believe.

I remember that when I first started using the affirmations, I felt really weird and awkward... like I was lying. Fair warning: If you experience such reactions, know that it’s perfectly natural.

Just do it anyway!

Here’s why. Your subconscious mind is powerful. The patterns and beliefs it holds are longstanding. They were mostly formed before you were 5 years

old. So it is likely to oppose anything that contradicts the old programming that it’s used to. Most of this old programming is a pack of lies anyway, so replacing them is a GOOD thing!

The amazing thing is that if you persevere and keep repeating something over and over again, the old programming can change. You will start to believe it and see the results manifest in your life. After all, this is exactly how you got stuck with your old programming in the first place!

affirmations every single day. As I read the affirmations out loud, while looking into my own eyes in the mirror, I started saying them with more power and conviction.

And, yes! It is essential that you say them out loud. This is not a quick fix so it is also essential that you keep doing it!

I started feeling really good about myself... AND my body. It became easier for me to choose healthier foods and to treat my body well. How cool is that?!

And that was what I did‌

So this New Year, resolve to use these amazing affirmations for at least 90 days.

Despite my initial disbelief, I pressed on and used the

Watch how your body responds when you treat it well!

With her innovative signature program she works with her clients to release their limiting beliefs, doubts, and fears, and helps them tap into their natural abilities and their bodies’ wisdom, making weight loss easy and safe.

A Medical Intuitive, Master Theta Healer and Certified Virtual Gastric Band Practitioner , Liz has long been fascinated by the important role mind, body, and beliefs play in our lives. Her other studies and certifications include EFT, Psych-K, Matrix Energetics, Access Consciousness, QiGong, NLP and Transcendental Meditation. She has transferred her successful healing/ mind-set work with businesswomen to the arena of weight loss because she has experienced first-hand the havoc and misery that obesity creates not only for the sufferer but for their families. www.lizbull.co

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MY RESOLUTION SUCCESS STORY 7 TIPS FOR PRODUCTIVE CHANGE

by Wini Curley, Ph.D.

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A

re you excited about making New Year’s Resolutions for 2018? For many of us, it is a mixed bag. Does this sound familiar?

You are enthusiastic about the idea or end result you want, and you cringe remembering unsuccessful resolutions from the past.

This year, why not take a new approach? Rather than feeling intimidated by facing an important change, view it as a problem-solving exercise.

Choose to embrace the solution that solves a problem or challenge you want to be done with.

What do you want to let go of, and have instead this time next year, or next month? Make your journey about finding a new solution to what you want to change. Identify a Re-Solution.

Several years ago, I was overworked, overstressed, and overweight. I decided to improve my physical health, get stronger, and look and feel better. What made this time different from previous years when I had resolved the same thing? My approach was to solve the problems of feeling uncomfortable in my clothes and body. I decided I would sleep well again, and feel strong when I was physically active, rather than uncertain or hesitant. I wanted to be relaxed rather than embarrassed when I saw a full-length photo of myself.

My goal to drop 4 pant sizes before attending a destination wedding in St. Thomas – land of bathing suits and sundresses – took me most of a year. And, I did it! Here are 7 tips I learned through my experience that can help you identify your Re-Solution for productive change.

1. Brain Dump List the resolutions/changes you have been considering. Include what is important along with what seems minor, but still nags at you. Just let it flow in no specific order or level of importance. When you are done, categorize all of them. Resolutions tend to fall into three basic categories: Chores, Learning, and Changing Patterns. myauthenticlifemagazine.com 101

Chores are postponed tasks - like cleaning out closets, organizing your office, or taking a trip. Chores have a clear end and can be accomplished in a few dedicated hours or days. Learning resolutions involve exploring something new (speaking a language, getting a certification) or improving specific skills (cooking, sports, creating databases) and they take time.

Weight reduction and ending procrastination are common examples of Changing Patterns resolutions. There is a behavior pattern or set of habits that must change for your desired outcome to happen.

2. Prioritize. From your list, select one challenge for your Primary Focus. Yes, one can be plenty.

Too many resolutions and trying to achieve several outcomes at once is a sure recipe for frustration

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and likely failure. Choose an issue that is important or urgent for you.

Connect which Chores, Learning, and Changing Patterns support solving this problem/challenge My chores were going to the gym and tracking food intake. I learned exercise techniques and better nutrition from my trainer. I monitored my eating, sleeping, and activity patterns and made wiser more consistent choices to support solving my weight problem.

your attention on what you want to achieve, rather than what you are avoiding. Write down how you will feel about yourself when you accomplish your goal. Describe what is happening, how others see you, and benefits or achievements now available. For example, if you are overcoming being late, see yourself being on time, arriving calm and collected ahead of time, and feeling accomplished and respected. This vision of the new you and how it feels can help keep you motivated.

3. Clarify Your Intention Be clear about why your Primary Focus is important to you. What is your intention for the outcome of your efforts? Visualize yourself at the end of the journey. Keep this vision for your future in your thoughts during your daily practices associated with your goal. Focus

4. End Sabotage Let’s be honest.

If you have wanted this Primary Focus problem solved for a while, then you have habits and attitudes that don’t support your goal.

Pay attention to what has been sabotaging your progress. Make a list of what distracts or stops you from what you know you need to

things you are proud of yourself for. Remember, baby steps matter, and count as forward motion.

Acknowledge successes at each phase. Share with your coach and others how it feels to reach your interim goals along the way. You never know who you could inspire!

do or be. Being alert and aware is the key. Break the pattern when the sabotagers show up. Identify a positive alternative thought or behavior for your top 3 sabotagers (hot tea instead of snacks for me).

Focus time and energy on being proficient with the alternatives.

With practice, the positive alternatives will eventually replace the sabotagers. If your sabotagers are particularly stubborn, hire a professional coach/ counselor to help you identify your resistance or blocks, and clarify your positive alternatives.

5. Make a Plan Like any project, you need a plan to succeed with your Primary Focus. For each Chore, Learning, or Changing Pattern component, build in distinct recognizable and measurable events or accomplishments that track your progress. Set specific, achievable, intermediate goals for yourself with dates and deadlines.

Don’t assume you have to do everything alone. Hiring a professional personal trainer

made a big difference for me.

Involve a respectful and trusted friend or family member as an accountability buddy to keep you on track and motivated. A book or organized program can provide helpful structure and support. Include your coach(es) in developing objectives and tracking progress for your plan to achieve your goals.

6. Weather the Setbacks After you slip or trip (and you will), stick with it anyway. Reconnect to your vision of what it will be like for you at the end of the journey. Ups and downs along the way are normal.

Keep your focus on the outcome when you solve your Primary Focus. Learn from your mistakes, and forgive yourself. Get help from your coach/support system to adjust your plan so you can stay on track. Identify the next step forward, and begin moving again.

7. Celebrate Accomplishments Set lots of intermediate goals and celebrate achieving each one.

It can keep you motivated. Be generous with self-praise. At the end of each day, identify 1 to 3

Whether your Re-Solution for 2018 is a major change or a minor tweak for improvement, give yourself permission to solve the problem.

Use these tips to get focused, and identify ways to overcome what has been stopping you.

Remember to have some fun along the way. Good Luck!

Wini Curley, Ph.D. is a Resilience Expert, Speaker, and Executive Coach. She shows leaders and their organizations how to energize their next win - whether they are on a roll or in a hole. In 2002, Wini became an entrepreneur and left a 20-year corporate career cleaning up environmental hazardous waste sites.

Now, she helps clients clean up toxic habits, thoughts, feelings, and beliefs that contaminate their path to success. Clients say Wini’s keen intuition, judgementfree approach, and energy techniques all help free them to release frustrations and blocks and accelerate toward what they really want.

Wini has coached successful leaders and entrepreneurs across 3 continents.

Clean up the toxicities big or small at the leadership level, and watch the business and its people grow and flourish.

Learn more about Wini and her programs at www.WiniCurley.com and www.GiftsFromWini.com

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Enjoy the Journey