ISSN 2058-198X
Volume 5 • Issue 6 • June 2016
Guided Meditation
Your
Cheri
e Cor so
Horoscopes
Entre
prene
ur
aVoid Life Dysmorphia
Karma Served Cold
Hat Trick (noun): 1. A sports metaphor for three achievements by a single player in a game. 2. A magic trick. We happily accept both definitions. Hat Trick Magazine is a special project targeted at sharing spiritual and professional growth with like-minded people from around the world. We share strategies that truly will change your life, business and career (with a little help from some pro friends). We’ve all been there: under/un/employed, in a bad situation, in transition, wondering what the options are and not knowing the skills we would need to get us there. We won’t lie to you. Coming out the other side isn’t easy, but we can show you what we learned along to way and help you get the confidence to turn that leaf over and pursue that which is your destiny. Knowledge is power. Not everyone fancies themselves to be an entrepreneur but the truth is, even when seeking employment these days, pulling together your resume requires some sly articulation to showcase your skills, be keyword-optimised and with a strong, personable presentation to get noticed. We feature inspirational people who have great careers, amazing businesses, tips and a host of amazing stories will inspire and amaze you. Our editors and contributors are some of the most connected in their industries and specialisms. Hat Trick Your Life! Take control of your lifestyle, your career, your dreams and your journey. We’ll share what we know and we invite you to join us. If you or your business would like to be featured or simply would like to contribute a feature in an upcoming issue, please email us on: content@hattrickmagazine.com
Hat Trick Strategies cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited coverage made by our contributors including reviews, articles, manuscripts or photographs of products, services. While every care is taken, prices, details or availability of items are subject to change and we cannot accept responsibility for omissions or errors. We reserve the right to publish and edit letters or correspondence received via email, social media or other communication. All advice is given in general terms or as a matter of opinion, for entertainment purposes only, and may not be exhaustive nor suitable for all situations. Always seek specialized professional advice, specifically suited to you or your business needs. Absolutely no part of this magazine should be taken as medical, professional or other advice - always seek the advice of a qualified practitioner.
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Editor-In-Chief Michelle Fitz
Copy Editor Shali Selva
Design & Illustration Michelle Fitz Michael Thomas Hartley Eleni Sofroniou
Your Life
Your Skills
Charlene SanJenko Cherie DeBurger Tanya Jackson Joey & Michael Phelps Jane Lindsey
Andrea Sullenger Sukh Pabial Uchechi Ezurike-Bosse Michelle Holmes
Your Look
Your Spirit
Michelle Fitz Rachael Pontillo Marina BerBeryan Mina Thomas Muirhead
Karen Salmansohn Cherie Corso Manish Kumar Arora Katie Clifton
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We love hearing from you! Contact us at content@hattrickmagazine.com
From the Editor Any Life You Want......................................................................................................................................... 8
Cover Story Cherie Corso: Spiritual Entrepreneur....................................................................................................12
Your Life PowHERhouse Portrait | Madeleine Shaw & Suzanne Siemens................................................. 20 What We’re Reading...................................................................................................................................32 Lil Nipper Snappers Cartoon...................................................................................................................33 What Comes Around Goes Around......................................................................................................34 Oyster Stew.................................................................................................................................................. 40 A Lesson From Barbara Hepworth........................................................................................................42
Your Look Things We Love...........................................................................................................................................48 Guided Meditation: Ground & Connect.............................................................................................. 50 Confessions of a Hollywood Stylist: Perfect White Manicure.......................................................54 Sometimes to Grow Means to Leap.................................................................................................... 58
Your Skills 3 Ways to be Smart With Money........................................................................................................... 66 What is Positive Psychology?..................................................................................................................72 The Missing Piece to Making More Money........................................................................................78
Your Spirit Karen Salmansohn..................................................................................................................................... 82 Happiness Reminder: Avoid Life Dysmorphia...................................................................................84 Ladies: Why and When to Speak Up....................................................................................................88 Your Zodiac Predictions For July 2016................................................................................................ 92 Prayers. Vibes. Happy Thoughts.......................................................................................................... 98
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From the Editor
Any Life
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The life you want in the future is not made from a vision board. It is also not made through contemplation of missteps, or projections of a non-existent future. It is made through deliberate action whilst being mentally and spiritually present in your day-to-day life. Let’s talk about that vision board of yours. To me, a vision board is a ground zero tool to focus and hone-in your feelings and your attention on the kind of life and surroundings you want to make for yourself. Some people find it helpful to cut things out of magazines, some like to draw, and others prefer to go digital with their pictorialised daydreams, embracing vision board software or using sites like Pinterest. But let me flip this one on its head a sec and talk about it from a perspective of energy. If your vision board sets you on fire with passion and renewed commitment, you have an epic little piece of magic in your hands. That bad boy is going to set you alight in ways that provoke action because it reminds you of your desires and inspires you to continually take deliberate steps towards these goals, possessions, and feelings, as you navigate the glorious road of life. However, if your vision board leaves you in a slump, a place of lack, or simply highlights the disparity between where you are and where you want to be, it has no place in your life and especially not in your home. You, my darling, are nothing more than a consortium of carbon-based molecules with energetic channels, co-existing amongst other carbon-based
Letter From the Editor, Michelle Fitz
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life forms. If you think for a second your body is one single entity, you’re wrong. The body you think is “you”, is actually a whole ecosystem of organisms, from bacteria that play a big role in digestion and the way your brain works, to zombie-like viruses, and numerous energy channels (chakras) which create a unique and highly changeable energetic footprint. Your energy can radiate higher or lower, and will fluctuate through all kinds of energetic interference from emotional issues, physical activity, and even from electrical devices and other people interacting with your body and mind! That’s right – I’m taking you to Quantum town. Your energy is just working amongst, alongside, and against, other energy, inside and outside of your human body. Raise or lower your vibration, and watch as you attract energy radiating in a similar frequency in the form of situations, possessions, people, and circumstances.
So that vision board? Depends on how it makes you feel. ‘Ya dig? One of my favourite things to do is to write out the things I want in a really vibrant, lively way, as though I was going to get them first thing in the morning or already had them in my hands, and then read and re-read like a really lush love letter. Once I’ve felt the warmth of that experience in my bones and connected with it, I let it go. That’s right. I burn it and give all those dreams right on up to the universe. Because, well, so it is! Every single thing you want, need, and desire is already yours. The universe is not outside of you and neither are the tools required to get from A to B. Everything is inside. Vision boards, crystals, divination, mantras – they’re all just side acts to help you focus your energy, your attention, and your thoughts in the right zone. Think of these tools as a means of cooling down very hot water to a degree of 10
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settled, a state of peace. They allow you to regroup from all the interference and get your focus, your energetic vibration back in line with the things you want, rather than the things you don’t. It’s all about keeping your energy in the sweet spot. In time, most of us find that these tools (although fun or beautiful) are simply not required. Everything you need is inside you, and can be accessed at any time with your mind. The life you want is just waiting for you to decide to take what’s yours! That’s right – it really is, already, yours! The human experience is one too often lived in a state of projection and through perceptions based on fear. If you’re trying to really change your life, you need to remember that to manifest the life you want, you need to exist between the space of ghosts and daydreams. So, reconcile the past as a learning reference only, and trust that the future will be merely a product of what is transpiring now. Focus on now. Be really present. Stay mindful of your desires and the way you want to feel.
That, my darlings, is how you get any freaking life you want. By Michelle Fitz, Editor-In-Chief
Michelle Letter From the Editor, Michelle Fitz
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Cover Story
Spiritual Entrepreneur
“Everything happens for a reason - we have to take note of all the life lessons around us." the TV industry, I often hear that it’s easier for us to do one thing extremely well. However, when we stop to think, we realise that we’re more than just one thing: that’s the beauty of life. I didn’t wake up one morning wanting to be a beauty entrepreneur, parenting expert, and motivational speaker committed to sharing good energy with the world, but that’s now my beautiful reality. Marketing and Fashion were always my thing. I’ve travelled with the best and brightest designers, soaking up everything I could about the fashion industry. The constant hustle and bustle created a desire in me to transform what’s ordinary into something extraordinary on an everyday basis.
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While enjoying an amazing experience as a model and entrepreneur running an Internet and pet fence company for 14 years, I found that, like me, people were searching for balance in all the wrong places. It was clear to me that true balance in life started on the inside - I needed to share that message.
My need for balance and earth-conscious beauty were things that I could no longer sacrifice for a successful modelling career. The more I became aware of the environmental implications of my everyday routine, the more I searched for an alternative. But what was I to do? Take on a billion dollar industry that had its roots in most women’s everyday routine? Not quite. I began to educate myself (and others) on why earth-conscious beauty and balance in life are essentials, and G2 Organics was born. All of the products are not only 100 % organic, but are made with only the highest-grade ingredients and raw botanicals, fully Reiki charged for good energy. All my products are created and manufactured at AE Labs in New York City. This line is the answer to anyone looking for the best non-toxic products for the whole family. We do whatever we can to cut down on toxins in the products we manufacture, ensuring long-term benefits for you and yours. My “little” dream of pure organic skincare has grown beyond my wildest dream! It has been named “Best Organic Nail Polish Remover” by Marie Claire Magazine, received the “That’s so Green Divas” award by The Green Divas, and been recognised as top picks by the Editors of Glamour Magazine, Ebony, Marie Claire, and Cosmopolitan. my personal quest for inner balance, I’ve become an accomplished Reiki Master and teach privately (by appointment only) at the Nicholas Day Spa in Pelham, NY (914.738.3838). Reiki is the belief that unseen energy flows through one’s hands and has the ability to promote relaxation, stress reduction, and healing in oneself and others. My clientele has increased due to word-of-mouth rave reviews and even celebrities have found their way to me.My clients experience chakra alignment and clearing, mixed botanical oil concoctions specific to removing blockages and raising their energy frequencies. Gifting Reiki-charged quartz crystals is just one way I grant good energy and balance to those in need. Our “life force energy” causes us to be alive, determining if we are sick and stressed versus happy and healthy. It is impossible to learn the art of healing and not take stock of what you’re putting on and into your body.
Cherie Corso: Spiritual Entrepreneur
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Out of all of my accomplishments in business, my children are my pride and joy. Through my online platform, www.cheriecorso.com, and blog, Word on the Street, I have been able to share a new perspective on popular topics of chores, kids, money, room organisation, and healthy eating with thousands of moms looking for real-time nononsense advice. This has led to a burgeoning personal reputation as a leading parenting expert on a national level. As a regularly featured parenting expert on Fox & Friends, Dr. Oz, Good Morning America, Fox News, Chasing News, The Meredith Vieira Show, News Max, and Germany’s Taff TV, thousands of followers have become millions. It is my goal to empower and strengthen children to embrace their uniqueness, build solid family foundations rooted in compassion, and create a structure for children to grow into the best adults possible, ready to contribute greatly to society.
“We do whatever we can to cut down on toxins in the products we manufacture, ensuring longterm benefits for you and yours." Cherie Corso: Spiritual Entrepreneur
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a strong believer in karma and that words have power. I only work with products that I personally use or believe in. Through all of my successes as a parenting expert, I have been able to be a spokesperson and product ambassador to top brands, and am currently working with Crocs (www.crocs.com), Wedderspoon Honey (www.wedderspoon. com/shop), and Ivivva (pronounced ih-vee-vah) - inspired by active girls, created by Lulumon: athletic wear made to move! It is also an honour to be a mentor and lecturer at Fordham University, calling upon years of industry knowledge to invest in the next generation of female leaders and entrepreneurs. Working with students gives me more handson insight to the minds of a younger generation and the challenges they face. They’ve helped inspire the The Hickey Stick, one of the most popular products for G2 Organics!
Click here to find out more about the G2 Organics Hickey Stick and order yours now!
It doesn’t matter if it’s fashion, organic skincare, parenting, or Reiki - my message is always the same. Every dream starts with the belief that you can make a difference. Let your energy shine and the world will take notice. I believe that you have to keep creating and taking risks to go for it. Sometimes, it turns out bigger and better than you could have ever imagined.
Photo Credits: Julieane Webb
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“Never stop fighting for your voice and spreading good energy along the way!�
Your Life
Photo Credit: Maggi Woo photography
Find me online here
By Charlene SanJenko
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“Giving back is embedded in our business model; rather than being an afterthought, it’s an essential core part of our practice. We basically filter every decision we make through an impact lens, as in: “Will this make the world a better place?” Madeleine and Suzanne are best known as the cofounders of Lunapads, a Founding Canadian B Corp, vertical web retailer and multiple award-winning pioneer in the taboo-breaking field of natural menstrual health. Lunapads is one of the best-selling brands of cloth pads worldwide and are used by consumers in over 40 countries. Thanks to their choice of Lunapads (and other reusable options like the DivaCup and Lunapanties), over 2 million disposable products: pads, tampons and applicators, are diverted from landfills monthly.
Lunapads were also the inspiration for AFRIpads, a Uganda-based business to whom Madeleine and Suzanne have provided cost-free IP and mentorship since its inception in 2008. Today, AFRIpads employs 150 people and is widely heralded as a model of market-based approach to development needs. In 2013, the dynamic duo created G Day, a national community-based rite of passage celebration series that welcomes girls ages 10 to 12 into adolescence. In 2014 and 2015, G Day welcomed over 1,000 people in Vancouver, Victoria and Toronto.
PowHERhouse Portrait | Madeleine Shaw & Suzanne Siemens
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In 2015, Madeleine and Suzanne launched Lunagals: Adventures in Social Entrepreneurship, chronicling their projects and resources for other leaders seeking to create social change using the tools of business and entrepreneurship. In 2016, Lunapads was announced as a Top 5 finalist among the 230+ applicants for the SheEO Radical Generosity fund, a new initiative that was funded by 500 “Activators” – radically generous women across Canada, who each contributed $1,000 to the fund. The $500,000 was divided by the finalist ventures in February 2016.
Describe your Mission Lunapads: To build an inclusive community where individuals celebrate a positive and shame-free connection with their bodies. As Leaders: To create high-impact, sustainable, and profitable organisations that inspire others to lead with heart and impact.
Biggest highlight in your career so far? Visiting the AFRIpads team in Uganda in 2012 was extraordinary. Meeting founders, Paul and Sonia, and their team in person meant the world to us – it was incredible to see firsthand how the same idea that we had been working on for so many years (Madeleine first started making cloth pads and underwear in 1993) was making a difference for girls and women in the global south. Our more recent experience with the SheEO Radical Generosity Fund was also extraordinary, but in a very different way. Meeting the other finalists, getting to know them and their businesses, as well as Vicki and her team, was one of our all-time most pleasurable and rewarding experiences. 22
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One thing that you feel has been most pivotal or useful thus far in your career? Our relationship is the real magic behind Lunapads and G Day’s success. We are radically different in terms of skills (we have diametrically opposite MeyersBriggs profiles!), but we have forged a powerful bond of trust that enables us to work together and learn from one another to build our ventures in different ways. The real lesson here is not that you need to find the “perfect” business partner, but rather that in business as in life, we need one another and can seldom do
PowHERhouse Portrait | Madeleine Shaw & Suzanne Siemens
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everything that we want or need to by ourselves. Get clear on your strengths and find others for whom the things that you are not great at, are easy or even a pleasure.
As you know, PowHERhouse is currently planning our upcoming National PowHERtalks Speaker Series for women. What would be your top three tips for women regarding a courageous approach when asking for what they need in order to move forward in their lives?
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Instead of imagining yourself bravely asking for something that might be difficult, try on the feeling of being delighted when you easily receive it. Imagine yourself advocating for someone else whose cause you really believe in, and take the advice that you would give them. Remember that you are here because you have worked hard and deserve what you are asking for. People around you – and the Universe – want you to succeed!
You must have some pretty long days. How do you keep your energy up and your focus consistent? How do you stay PowHERful and at the top of your game?
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As individuals, we all have different energy patterns and levels. Now that we are well into our 40s (and beyond: Suzanne turned 50 last year), we are recognising the increasing need to prioritise self-care.
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One of the most interesting gifts of working with reproductive health is having a good understanding of our cycles and how they impact us. In Madeleine’s case, for example, the week before her period starts can be a time of heightened sensitivity and self-doubt: not the best time to be making big decisions.
We find it helpful to think of every month or cycle in terms of seasons: the preperiod time is Fall, when things are slowing down and going inward, Winter is the time to let go (physically as well as psychologically and emotionally), Spring to become energised and start new projects, and Summer to be relaxed and receptive.
What would you say your Top 3 Excellence Habits are?
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Be transparent and compassionate with yourself when you have made a mistake, change your mind, are stuck, or don’t feel ready for something. It’s very liberating to get past perfectionism. Make sure that your team is values-aligned. It’s what we always go back to as our baseline when we get confused or off-track. Relationships are the ballgame: support others and they will support you. As much as possible, do what you say you are going to do: this builds trust, and with trust, you can build anything.
Describe a favourite hobby or adventure Gardening for Madeleine, trail running for Suzanne.
PowHERhouse Portrait | Madeleine Shaw & Suzanne Siemens
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On the dreaded “work/life balance” question A young female student asked us for advice on work/life balance recently. We suggested that instead of assuming that they would be completely different pursuits, we rather that she choose her career and relationships from a soulbased, heart-led place – that way, there would not have to be such a division and she could just do what she loved, whether at work or otherwise.
Favourite indulgence or treat? We are pretty masterful at combining business and pleasure, and most recently, treated ourselves to a few days in New York to celebrate our SheEO success. We had great meals, went to the theatre, visited galleries and so on: it was so much fun!
Our parting thought… What unexpressed dreams or “crazy ideas” do you have? What change would you like to see in the world that you have not yet taken steps to create? We are living examples that these sources of inspiration can be potent, financially successful, and powerful indicators of your life’s purpose.
Don’t be afraid to share your ideas with others: it will help bring them to life. 26
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YOUR AD HERE
LINDSAY MARINO Medium, Author, Speaker
Email Lindsay@LindsayMarino.com
Sign up for my free newsletter at WWW.LINDSAYMARINO.COM
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INSPIRATIONAL WALL ART
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EMPOWER+INK
po w er in k. m e HANDMADE & DESIGNED TO FEED YOUR SOUL
LETTERS TO MY FANNY CHERRY HEALEY PAPERBACK / £5.99 “This book is a love letter, to my body. In fact it’s several letters - to every part from my brain to my belly. I spent most of my life hating my body. I forced it to survive on a diet of ham; I squeezed it into asphyxiating support pants; I accidentally cut my delicate area whilst trimming my lady garden. But now I’ve realized that it deserves some well overdue TLC. This book is the story of how I’ve come to understand some vital life lessons, and started to love being a woman. I hope you enjoy it. Except you, Mum and Dad. You should stop reading now. It’s for the best. I promise.”
ANIMAL SARA PASCOE KINDLE EDITION / £5.03 By Michelle Fitz
LET IT OUT KATIE DALEBOUT KINDLE EDITION / £7.12 Click images for synopsis and purchase information.
By Joey Phelps & Michael Phelps Lil Nipper Snappers Cartoon
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What Goes Around Around
By Cherie DeBurger 34
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[My mother] would always say to me “what goes around comes around”. Now that I have five children of my own, I can fully grasp the magnitude of that statement. There are many tidbits of advice or little pearls of wisdom that are shared and passed down over generations. It doesn’t matter if you want the advice and it doesn’t matter if you asked for the advice – that’s totally irrelevant. You’re going to get it anyway, so just sit back and listen. These jewels of wisdom occasionally come from a kind heart who truly wants to ease the way, but there are also those that want you to know that unless you do it their way, you’re doing it the wrong way. My personal favourites are the geniuses that have no experience at all but still think they know how to do
a task better than you; parenthood is a shining example of this! Someone’s always telling you how to raise your kids. There is no shortage of advice on whether or not the baby should sleep in the crib or with you, should it be bottle-fed or nursed, when to take away their pacifier or designate a specific time for bed. Even people without children are right there in line telling you what the best method is.
Then you have the pet owners. Some of these people see no difference between a puppy and a child and without a thought, will compare the two. You could have a whole conversation with someone, thinking you’re talking about kids, until they proudly inform you that their baby is finally sleeping through
What Goes Around Comes Around
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the night and waiting to go outside to tinkle in the morning. These are good people with good hearts - I know first-hand because my sister never had any human children but has always had a furry fourlegged child. Yes, I know they love their animals, that they would do anything for their animals, and some of these pets have better lives than kids I know, but I have to draw the line at taking parenting advice from someone who takes a pooper scooper when they’re out for a walk with their “child”. Being a parent has its rewards. There are countless good times and life-changing experiences during the years of blood, sweat and tears that go into raising children. There are also many sacrifices that are made but in the end, I’ve been told it’s all worth it. I’ve also been told that being a parent is great, but there’s nothing greater than being a grandparent. One of the phrases I’m sure every child has heard from their parents is: “I hope I’m around to see your children put you through what you’ve put me through!” I’ve been told that one of the most satisfying and rewarding parts of being a parent is when you
“To this day, when my mom raises her voice, I still feel like I’m five again and get that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.” 36
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watch your children raise their children. From the moment my first child came into the world, I’ve been asking my mother and father for forgiveness. I’ve been thanking them for everything they did and didn’t do and apologising for everything I did and didn’t do. I know my parents are enjoying themselves by the enormous, all-knowing smiles that appear on their faces as I tell them about what their grandkids have put me through that day. As I was growing up - giving my mother her fair share of grey hair - she would always say to me “what goes around comes around”. Now that I have five children of my own, I can fully grasp the magnitude of that statement.
My mother was the punisher in my family - she gave the spankings and dealt out the groundings. Dad was only brought in when we were in “big” trouble. To this day, when my mom raises her voice, I still feel like I’m five again and get that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. However, my children see both my parents in a totally different light. My parents have now transformed into members of the Geneva Convention. When I have to give someone a spanking, I don’t know who winces more - the one who’s getting the spanking or Nana! I can’t count the times my children have told me they’re “gonna tell Nana!” when I’m scolding them. Back when my oldest daughter was small, she used to hide in the closet and secretly call her Nana when she felt I was being mean to her. I would open the door and be pleasantly surprised to see my mom standing on the front porch, only to find out that my daughter had called her to come rescue her from the big, bad, mean mommy. My father was a businessman and although we had more than enough, he needed a crowbar to open his wallet when I wanted money as a child. Now, he always hands out loonies or toonies to the grandchildren at the mere mention that they would like something. He frequently shows up at the door with chocolate donuts or offers to take the kids for ice cream. Where were these people when I was young?!
What Goes Around Comes Around
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I guess it is all part of “paying our dues”. We, as parents, work hard to shape and mold our children. Teaching them right from wrong and hopefully creating a strong foundation will carry them through the rest of their lives as an upstanding member of society, or maybe even a Mum or Dad someday. Then it’ll be your turn to watch the shenanigans as part of the Geneva Convention!
That’s the way it’ll always be, because no matter how many times you wish it, you can’t have your grandchildren first!
If you have any comments then please feel free to email me at lifes.moments@live.ca
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Oyster
Stew
In my family some of us like oysters and some of us don’t. My dad always loved fresh oysters but no on else in my family did – not even my kids would touch them. I think it’s because they have landlubber’s blood, whereas I am mostly like my dad, from the Gulf Coast. Here is my take on Oyster Stew. I use canned oysters because they are more readily available and cheaper, but I really like using fresh oysters where possible.
By Tanya Jackson 40
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INGREDIENTS 1 onion, chopped 3 tbsp butter 1 cup milk 2 tbsp sour cream
1 small (8 oz) canned oysters, drained 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce 1/2 tsp salt 1/8 tsp pepper
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In a small saucepan sauté onion until soft and butter thickens. (I put the setting on low, cover the pan & check it every 10 mins or so.) Add 1 cup milk and 2 tbsp sour cream – I call this combination the ‘Poor Man’s Cream.’ Cook on low until milk, sour cream, butter & onion are smooth. Add chopped oysters. At this point you will know whether you like canned oysters – they have the texture of chicken livers, which are also one of my faves!
Add Worcestershire Sauce. (That word always gets me. We don’t have so-and-so-chester towns in the south.) Add salt & pepper. I always add more salt to enhance the oyster taste, but you may not want to use as much. Heat until bubbly. It is a funny looking stew but with saltine crackers it is deliousa-mous. Finally, if you can get your kids to eat it let me know. They may be Gulf Coasters too!
Oyster Stew
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Lesson From Barbara Hepworth
Find me online here
By Jane Lindsey 42
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Last week I was in London for a few days of family holiday. We rented a small flat in Hampstead through Air BnB - cheaper than a couple of rooms in a Travel Lodge and always much more interesting. It was the end house in a row of tiny brick terraced buildings, accessed from the road via a long narrow flagged path, with bulbs and shrubs blooming alongside. The house itself was basically one big room with high ceilings reaching into the rafters and wall length windows, which alongside skylights made the space cool, light and airy. I asked Gonzalo, who showed us around, about the history of the house and he mentioned that it had been home and studio to some important artists in its time. As soon as he left I was on my phone googling the address, and sure enough there it was, between 1928 and 1939 Barbara Hepworth had lived there. There were even photos in the Tate archives of her posing inside the house, next to the very stairs that I was sitting on. Barbara Hepworth, Grande Dame of abstract sculpture had sketched by this window, had walked up these stairs, had sat catching the sun in this garden. I was more than a little star struck. So I bought a book and started to read a little about her life. In 1928 when she moved to the house she was just twenty-five and had been married to the sculptor and horse fanatic John Skeaping for three years. By 1939, when she left the house— five days before the outbreak of WWII—and fled
A Lesson from Barbara Hepworth
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“…provided one always does some work each day, even a single half hour, so that the images grow in your mind” to Cornwall, she was living with the artist Ben Nicholson and birthed 4 children - Paul born in 1929 and triplets Rachel, Sarah and Simon in 1934. So in this beautiful but tiny space with its sleeping mezzanine, which in the 1930s had only very basic heating, cooking and toilet facilities, two artists lived and worked with 4 children playing at their feet. Hepworth carved her creations in a corrugated iron lean-to extension which kept the plaster and marble dust from invading the house. It seemed a world away from the notion that “the pram in the hall” ends creativity. So I read more, interested in how Hepworth managed this and found her writing about being a mother while also maintaining a healthy life outside of motherhood. To be the most straightforward that I have ever read: “A woman artist is not deprived by cooking and having children, nor by nursing children with measles (even in triplicate) - one is in fact nourished by this rich life” “I learned early on to regard all the time spent with children as a nourishment - a plus rather than a minus” “We lived a life of work and the children were brought up in it, in the middle of the dust and the dirt and the paint and everything” “Being a mother enriches an artist’s life” 44
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It wasn’t that, that I had found most inspiring though, it was her practical approach to her work time and space being eroded by family life, by lack of money and the privations of war. That when she was unable to sculpt she took up drawing and gouache, when she could no longer afford bronze she carved in wood. It was the creation, the making, the thinking, the ‘getting things out of her head’ that was important. My favourite quote is this - “I found one had to do some work every day, even at midnight, because either you are professional or you’re not… provided one always does some work each day, even a single half hour, so that the images grow in your mind” What she is saying that it doesn’t matter how small the creativity is, it doesn’t have to be massive ten-feet high sculptures, it can be a simple pencil sketch at midnight, as long as it is done every day. It is the doing, doggedly, day after day, that is the important thing.
Barbara Hepworth’s writings about motherhood, family and work are basically the same as Elizabeth Gilbert’s views on creativity in Big Magic or Seth Godin’s ideas about shipping. Keep going, take part in life, don’t be a diva, do the work, and enjoy. As I said - inspirational. When I next feel that life is getting in the way of things, I shall relax, enjoy whatever it is that life is throwing at me, and squirrel away a small slice of time to be creative.
A Lesson from Barbara Hepworth
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About a Homemade Year
Your Look
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By Michelle Fitz
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PAPER DOLLS LACE COURT HEELS
CHANEL LES 4 OMBRES QUADRA EYESHADOW
ENERGISING FOAMING EXFOLIANT FORCE ARCHITECTE
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SISLEY
KÉRASTASE MASQUE
CARROT APP FOR iPHONE
GUIDED MEDITATION: Ground
Connect
Find me online here
By Rachael Pontillo 50
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Two of the most common misconceptions about meditation and visualisation are that: You have to do it for a really long time for it to be effective. You have to be “that” kind of person – super zen, outwardly spiritual, and surrounded by gemstones and crystals. While it’s certainly beneficial to spend hours meditating or have a sacred space full of spiritual accoutrements, it’s definitely not mandatory – you don’t need to be a certain way to meditate. Whoever you are, whatever you believe, you can benefit from even small doses of meditation and visualisation. Often, guided meditation and visualisation exercises are a great way to add these practices to your life with ease. This month’s offering is a guided meditation to ground and connect with yourself. It’s a brief guide – less than 6 minutes – and is designed for anyone at any spiritual level or belief system. This is a meditation that I often share with my clients, anytime they’re going through stressful times, most especially for my busy moms or CEOs (who actually have a LOT in common!). During stressful times, it’s easy to feel “all over the place” or chaotic. When you’re working on
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something for someone else, whether it’s caring for children or tending to tasks and projects (or both!), it’s common to also feel unsupported and disconnected from who you really are and what your needs are personally. I also recommend this meditation for my clients who are at the beginning stages of healing from a skin condition, and also those who may have healed their physical condition but still experience the emotional and spiritual remnants. There’s a lot of fear, uncertainty, and insecurity associated with having a skin condition, and those same feelings of disconnect, lack of support, and chaos are common.
Click here for minutes of guided meditation.
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Find me online here
By Marina BerBeryan
HOW TO GET THE PERFECT WHITE MANICURE? Recently, I’ve been loving white nail polish. It’s the perfect colour for both short and long nails. The white nail polish trend has been spotted not only on runways but red carpets as well! It’s one of this season’s biggest nail colour trends. White manicure looks good on everyone and it pretty much matches everything in your closet – a win-win! I especially love white nail polish with white boho summer dresses, skirts, shorts and my favourite, jeans. To avoid the white-out look on your nails, there are few tips I’d like to share in order to obtain clean, fresh, and sophisticated nails.
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Shape: White nail polish is a statement maker, therefore, I suggest you consider the length of your nails first. Short and round nail shapes with a white manicure are great for casual glam look. And if you’re going for a modern-edgy look, opt for long and almond shape nails.
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File: With white nail polish, it’s easier to spot mess-ups when the nail is chipped or unevenly filed. So, make sure it’s filed evenly.
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Base coat: Apply a base coat not only to prevent stains but also to avoid white manicure streaks.
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Besides, the base coat also helps the nail polish adhere to your nails strongly and fill in ridges.
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After drying, try the second coat of white manicure. It might take more than two coats to get to the opacity you want.
Keep it clean. Make sure the edges of your nails are clean and of course, stay inside the lines as you polish! When I do my own nails at home, I usually use a Q-tip with a thin coat of Vaseline and apply it to my cuticles right before I do my nails. This trick helps keep the manicure neat and prevents the colour from sliding off.
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Layer: Another trick that I would like to share with you is, after a thin layer of white manicure is applied, stop for a minute and let it dry. Then apply a thin layer of top coat to even out the first layer white layer.
Final top coat: Seal of the final layer with a super glossy, highperformance top coat.
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Nail art (optional): or any other accents. If you want to spice up your mani, add your favourite nail art or a glitter accent. Extra Tip: A white nail polish is also great to use under base coat. It enhances the colour you apply over it. For instance, if you try it under an orange or pink shade, the results are incredible
This week, I opted for gel manicure. Usually, when it comes to white nails, I like to go with the gel for longer-lasting wear. I love the shiny, white, bold look. Furthermore, I kindly asked the nail technician to add the “Love” accent to my ring fingers and voila!
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I hope you guys will follow me on my style journey at:
Sometimes to Grow Means to
Leap
By Mina Thomas Muirhead 58
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“All growth is a leap in the dark, a spontaneous unpremeditated act without the benefit of experience.” Henry Miller If I had read that quote 6 months ago I would’ve scoffed. Who would take a leap that was either spontaneous or unpremeditated in the name of growth? That seems accidental or hasty. It seems irresponsible. Growth is painstakingly planned, especially in your career, with secret meetings, charts and figures. Since growth and change go hand-in-hand, one needs to decide if the change is worth the risk. What if on the other side of change you realised things were just fine before? Maybe even better? What if you fail or worse yet, what if you succeed but don’t like where you succeed too? That seems ridiculous, but these were the thoughts that swirled in my head month to month, then week to week and finally moment to moment… for years. Then something happened. I found myself at a tipping point. I’ve been at tipping points before. You know them, it could be an off the cuff remark or event that alone can seem inconsequential.
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But since you’ve been thinking, urging and wanting, at that moment something has to change. You will accept no other alternative. You cannot go another day without it. Even though I was desperate for a change I was still anti Henry Miller. I was still trying to plan, write and drive my family crazy, for something, but maybe nothing. So I gave my boss some sort of ultimatum. I didn’t think it was at the time. I thought we could meet in the middle. I thought I was more valuable to her than I was. I thought she would understand how she needed my contributions and how desperately I wanted to give them to her.
As I’m sure you’ve figured out, it didn’t happen like I planned in my head. It happened even better. I left the place I worked at for 11 years with my head high, a smile on my face and not a clue about what to do next. All the planning and thinking had not been in vain, however. I did have some solid contacts, an idea of what might be my next step and also what wouldn’t be. It was time for me to be spontaneous. It was time for me to start harnessing all that spinning energy into action.
Even though sometimes I wished I had moved quicker in my decisions. As I’ve seen things play out over the last 4 months. (It’s only been 4 months!) I am seeing the bigger picture. Other people and ideas had to fall into place for me to land safely on the other side of my leap. Since I have proven to the universe that I am open to new experiences, they keep coming over and over. Opportunities are showing up at my door step everyday and I am breathing them all in. Take Hat Trick for example, I wrote for Michelle in 2012. When she asked me to return, I realised how much this fills me up. I get to write about all the things I know. As a long time aesthetic RN that specialises in injectables (think Botox and fillers), lasers and products, what I know is beauty. I know what beauty looks like on the inside and the outside. I know what works and what doesn’t. I love sharing the importance of taking care of yourself. These are the things I am so excited to write about in the upcoming months.
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Finally, I now also know how to take that ridiculous, blinded, messy leap. As ol’ Henry also said, “One’s destination is never a place but rather a new way of looking at things.”
Your Skills
Ways to Be Smart With Money Find me online here
By Andrea Sullenger 66
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oolah, clams, bones, big ones, Benjamins, loot, shekels, dough - there are literally hundreds of ways to refer to money and likewise, there are hundreds of ways to earn it. I’ve been all over the map when it comes to smart money management, and I’m happy to be able to share these strategies with you now, based on my experience. Here’s what I’ve learned: the more you focus on earning money, the more you try, the more you’re absolutely sick of not earning enough income, the tougher it gets to manifest it. Sometimes, you just have to let go, and the cash will come. This reminds me of the time my daughter was learning to ride a twowheeler. I remember how determined she was. She persisted with that bike every day for a week. The determined look on her face told me she wasn’t giving up anytime soon. Well, guess what? The second she was distracted, thought about something else for a second, off she went on the bike and never looked back. It was a kind of natural confidence she got by letting go and believing she could do it. That’s the strategy that I find works with money. Let go, and apply these top three strategies that’ll help you be smart with your money:
1 Have a plan Every three months, sit down and look at your spending and earnings from the previous quarter of the year. Are you on track? Does your profit exceed your expenses? Why or why not? Do you need to make adjustments for the upcoming three months? Are you still focused on your overall yearly plan? There was a time when I just flew by the seat of my pants. Looking back, I don’t know how I got through that time of my life. I’m a fly-by-the-seat-of-mypants kinda girl, but when it comes to earning money, you’d better believe I’m making a plan. There are times to be structured and times to sail through with blind faith, believing everything will work out. Buckle down and put together a well
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thought-out plan that makes sense for you and your business. Spend a day or two planning it and then meet with your financial advisor to go over it with a fine-toothed comb. Now, you’re ready to commit to your new plan like gum sticks to the sole of your best stiletto.
2 Is This activity Making Money For My Biz? Make this question the screen saver for your computer. Make a ‘can’t miss’ sign that sits on your desk. Now, hunker down and ask yourself this question every hour of the day. If the answer to the questions is yes, then keep going and finish what you’re doing. If the answer is no, ask yourself why. It may be a perfectly legitimate activity for that moment - just make sure you’ve made a conscious decision to spend your valuable time doing this non-money making activity. Remember: this is not about being mercenary. It is the difference between having a successful business that will get you into a position to help others, or being like thousands of entrepreneurs who don’t make it because they’re not spending their time doing the right things in their business.
“Be a pro. Ask the right questions” 68
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3 Will this Expense Improve My Bottom Line? You’ll find there are endless places to spend your money and many of them will seem like perfectly reasonable, can’t-live-without investments. As an entrepreneur, you have to be ruthless when answering this question. You’ll hear about top-notch conferences you can fly to, awesome problemsolving software, great must-have equipment for your office, and invaluable memberships to join. You’ll be tempted with dozens of ways to spend money every day. For most of these temptations, make quick decisions and move on. Slow decisions cost money because time is money. Be that person who makes the decision and then hits fast forward. ow, my daughter rides bikes, horses, roller blades… and she makes it look easy. It’s about balance, gravity, thrust, being connected and determined. But most of all, it’s about letting go and just doing it - you can be the same way with your money. Allow the money to come in and just keep doing what works. The money will roll in, and people will wonder how you manage to make raking in the moolah look so simple.
Happiness is not achieved by the conscious pursuit of happiness; it is generally the byproduct of other activities. Aldous Huxley
Positive Psychology
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By Sukh Pabial 72
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Positive psychology is not about positive thinking… is often the first question I’m asked when I talk about the topic. In truth, I often ask people what they think it is first. Usually, people guess it’s something to do with positive thinking. Some who have read up on the topic tell me it’s about wellbeing and focusing on strengths. I couldn’t care less about right answers; I’m more interested in people’s perceptions so I know how to adapt what I’m about to talk about. Positive psychology is the scientific study of wellbeing, resilience and thriving. That is, it is a field of psychology which focuses on helping us better understand what can help us live a life where we feel more positive in general, how we can adopt practices that increase our ability to deal with challenging times, and how we can carry out regular activities that help us feel vibrant.
When Martin Seligman became president of the American Psychological Association several years ago, he brought insight and his own research on positive psychology to the forefront of discussion. He argued that in essence, all psychological fields are positive in their nature. All interventions and therapies are designed to improve the wellbeing and resilience of people. But not all were designed to aid thriving, and in many replicated studies, we find there are people who face and have faced the starkest of moments and yet, not only do they survive, but they thrive. Seligman argued that this is an area we don’t understand well enough and that we should focus our energy and resources into understanding this better so that we can share those learnings more widely and increase the capability of society and communities to be more resilient and to enable and cultivate thriving where possible.
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“Positive psychology doesn’t discount or dismiss reality. In fact, supports individuals in dealing with their reality and where possible/relevant, resolve issues.” There have been many other well respected and noted scholars who have made their contributions to the topic – Tal Ben Shahar, Barbara Ehrenreich, Barbara Fredrickson and Mihaly Csikszentmihaly, to name a few. With ongoing research and exploration of this field, we are understanding more and more about what positive psychology can enable, and what it can’t. Positive psychology is not about positive thinking. Positive thinking can be helpful to aid people in moving past events and can encourage day-to-day positive living by not focusing on the negative. However, significant life events and distressing events cannot be overcome by positive thinking alone. If you lose a book, graze your knee from a fall, or have been asked to write a report at work, positive thinking can be fine. If, however, you are burgled, break your leg or have been made redundant, positive thinking alone cannot make those things better. Positive psychology doesn’t discount or dismiss reality. In fact, supports individuals in dealing with their reality and where possible/ relevant, resolve issues. Only by doing this are we better able to understand the areas where we can focus on building strength and resilience. Positive psychology is about building strength and resilience. By focusing on what is going well in our lives, what our personal strengths are and how 74
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we can be our best, we start to identify what activities we want to do more regularly, can do more regularly, and are helpful to us personally, as well as to others. It does not advocate in any way that we embark on behaviours which are harmful to ourselves or to others. Too much of a focus on strengths can become detrimental because we end up neglecting other parts of our being which make us who we are as a complete person. We are not just our strengths. We are our weaknesses, our hate, our fear, our joy, our love. This is less about “all things in moderation” and more about finding optimal ways to maintain positive feelings and resilience. Positive psychology can be used therapeutically and as part of an intervention to support those with mental health issues. This does clearly require trained therapists and careful guidance on how to deal with challenging life issues or events. Be cautious about those claiming they can do everything by helping you focus on the positive – if it sounds too good to be true… Positive psychology actively encourages social activities as well as carrying out community activities that have a nature of ‘giving back’ to others. Acts of altruism and supporting others can be deeply heartening and create lots of naturally good energy that can be useful to others. Positive psychology helps us identify regular and useful activities that when brought together, aid more persistent feelings of positivity, better resilience, and activities that can lead to us feeling like we’re thriving. this article, I’ve only captured elements of what positive psychology is and how it can be helpful. This isn’t intended to be a catch all – it’s more to help improve the understanding and awareness of what this field offers for your future.
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Clickatch ! e n i to OW l n
WITH MICHELLE HOLMES
the missing PiEce to Making More Money & Having Fun in your Business!
Find me online here
By Uchechi Ezurike-Bosse 78
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often hear that clarity is king when it comes to growing and building your business - I couldn’t agree more! If you want to make more money and attract ideal customers, you need to be clear on who they are. If you’ve taken any marketing programs, then you would’ve come across the concept of the Ideal Customer Avatar (ICA). The work of getting ‘inside the skin’ of your ICA is one many business owners find difficult to do. However, getting to know them at this level allows you to really hone in on those you want to work with. Customer clarity helps you attract those who need and value your products and services the most. They’re also more fun to work with. When you start to market your business without clarity, you often attract people who are not the best fit for your business. And business is hard enough without you working with the wrong people! Another important part of knowing your ICA is that it helps you better market your business and communicate with them in a way they understand. Get to know what issues and concerns your ideal customers have, and how your business solves them. Which of their needs are you able to fill? Understanding your customers is key to growing them, because you are then able to tailor your products and services to suit their needs. A major mistake many business owners make is not using the same language their customers use to describe their concerns. The ‘language’ usually refers to the words your customers use to describe their wants, needs and desires
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- these are the same words you should be using in your marketing materials. Oftentimes as business owners, we tend to speak as if we’re speaking to our colleagues, and our customers may not get it. You need to use the same words they use to describe the problems and solutions they’re looking for. This allows your ideal customers to understand the value of what you have to offer. An example I gave at a recent workshop on this topic was a personal trainer who used the word “functional exercises” in her marketing material. When I asked what that was, I was told, ‘they are exercises that maximises your time so you burn more calories in less time.’ I then said: “use that in your copy!” When delineating your ICA, you really need to dig deep and understand what is happening in their world. What are the biggest frustrations they’re looking for solutions to? Overall, it’s important to answer the following questions:
Who is my customer? What does my customer need? How can I serve them? You also need to find out where your ideal customers are. What websites do they frequently visit? What blogs do they read? What groups do they belong to on Facebook? When you have this information, you can then go where they are and offer valuable resources to them (I.e. guest blog, joining the FB group and contributing and so on). Build up your know, like and trust factor and strengthen your relationship with your ICA. It is through this connection 80
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that you’re able to form lasting relationships and let them know you’re the right choice for them. When you’re able to master this, you’ll be well on your way to making more money and having more fun in your business.
Your Spirit
Find me online here
By Karen Salmansohn
Avoid “Life
Dysmorphia” Find me online here
By Karen Salmansohn
I
recently received this old photo of me from a new client. It was taken waaaaay back, when I was in my 30s. I’m the one in the middle with the short hair and red lipstick. My new client (the adorable one on the left in the beret) had taken this photo of us while I was on tour for a business book I’d written. I remember that book tour well. I was nervous around cameras. Translation: I felt fat. It’s interesting to see this photo now – and recognise that I had a mild form of what psychologists call “Body Dysmorphia.” Quick Definition of Body Dysmorphia: a preoccupation with your body’s flaws – which thereby stops you from fully seeing the positive and beautiful aspects of your body clearly. Important Note: Body Dysmorphia is a true body image disorder which is characterised by persistent and intrusive preoccupations with an imagined or slight defect in one’s appearance. My Body Dysmorphia was very mild. I simply felt fatter than I truly was at the time.
The Truth
Many of us have something we don’t like about how we look – a nose we wish was less crooked, hair we wish was shinier, a stomach we wish was flatter, a tush we wish was smaller… or even bigger! Meanwhile, back in reality… All the many flaws we’re focused on might be so tiny that nobody else notices them at all. Or our flaws might even be non-existent. It was interesting for me to see this photo of me from my 30s – now – so many years later – for 2 important reasons. I felt good about how I’d finally conquered my body image issues – by “selfloving myself” into eating more healthily. Back when that photo was taken, I
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was at war with food and my body. I was eating like I didn’t like myself – or like my body. This created a negative eating cycle – which was unhealthy for me in mind, body and spirit.
“I had foolishly wasted so much time in my 30s worrying about my cellulite instead of appreciating my inner light”.
NOW
I’m at peace with both food and my body. I’ve worked on my issues – and now, I eat like I love myself – and love my body – which creates a positive eating cycle.
Suddenly, I clearly saw how I had foolishly wasted so much time in my 30s worrying about my cellulite instead of appreciating my inner light. As a result, I had diminished my overall happiness. My “Body Dysmorphia” wound up creating “Life Dysmorphia.” Every time I focused on how big my tush looked, I simultaneously defocussed on the Bigger Things In Life – like the love I had to offer personally – and the impact I had to offer professionally. As a result, I didn’t fully enjoy that amazing time in my life, especially when I was on my 86
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book tour, giving inspirational seminars not only here in America, but around the world. It was a truly awesome time, yet my silly body dysmorphia wound up creating “Life Dysmorphia”, and it interfered with the full joy and excitement I might have experienced.
Do you have Life Dysmorphia? Are you so focused on the flaws in your life that you don’t fully notice your life’s abundant blessings and beauty? These flaws don’t have to be body-related. These perceived flaws could be about things that bug you from many varied and different aspects of your life. For example, are you so focused on toxic people who irk you, that you’re not fully appreciating the loving souls who “get you” and value keeping you? Are you so focused on what’s going wrong that you’re not fully appreciating what’s going right? Have you accidentally rendered all your many (many) blessings completely invisible because you’re so caught up in daily stresses? I encourage to take a moment now to consider if you have “Life Dysmorphia.” I don’t want you to have to wait 20 years to look back and realise how good you really have it right now. I want you to realise it right now – today! I want you to make sure you’re not what I call a “negative evidence collector” – on the hunt for proof that life is awful. Instead, I want you to be a “positive evidence collector” – on the hunt for proof that life is awesome. And I want you to embrace a new word – FLAWESOME. This is when you recognise that you can have flaws in yourself and your life and it can still be very AWESOME.
You don’t need things to be perfect for you to feel perfectly wonderful – right here, right now, in this very moment. Happiness Reminder: Avoid Life Dysmorphia
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Why and When to Speak Up!
Find me online here
By Cherie Corso 88
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C
hasing the dream of life balance is exhausting. We, as women, spend more time giving to everyone else, leaving ourselves bankrupt. As the nurturers of the world, we are born with an innate gift to give. However, when we decide to give to ourselves, it is looked upon as selfish. Some of us hate telling people ‘no’ in fear of disappointing them at the cost of our sanity. That mentality has stopped many successful women reaching their full potential in life and in business.
I am compelled to write to you to give you the confidence boost you need to come out of the shadows and speak up, demanding the life you deserve. You have a voice and hopefully, these 5 steps will help you find it. Ignite the inner strength you need and SPEAK UP! Realise Everyone is NOT Going to Like You: The first thing I think every female entrepreneur should understand is that your gifts and talents are not for everyone - and that’s okay! As you understand your purpose, you will attract all kinds of kindred spirits that you were sent for. Have you noticed that many entrepreneurs name their audience? Names like tribes, societies, newbies, armies, and so on are given to create a sense of inclusion and to let your audience know that you were sent for them and them alone. You’re either in the tribe or you’re not. The more you focus on the people that don’t like you, the less time you will be able to focus on the audience that’s waiting for someone just like you to speak directly to them. Believe You Have A Lot to Offer: You’ve probably said one hundred times, “Why would anyone want to listen to me?” Or, “that’s been done already, so why bother?” When I got the idea to start G2 Organics, I didn’t look at all the other product lines out there. I knew that my beliefs and ideas were worth all the money and work to get it in the hands of customers around the world. I believed so much in my voice that I couldn’t keep silent about it. Regardless of how many people have done it before you, no one will be able to transform
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that idea using your feminine energy and knowledge. Every trial, failure, and victory has led you to this moment. Seize it! Understand the Role of Competition: We are bombarded by society to be in constant competition with each other. If you’ve seen two celebrities wear the same outfit on the red carpet, the headline the next day will read, ‘Who wore it better?’ Single ladies at weddings fight to the death for the bride’s bouquet! There’s no need to be defensive and even snippy with other women. Realise that we are greater together and the community you build will elevate your thinking and status in so many ways. I challenge you to find at least two like-minded women that can give you the much-needed motivation to keep going. They will feed the woman that you are and the entrepreneur that you’re striving to be. These women will hold you accountable to your goals… and a little friendly competition never hurt! Prepare for Success: I love to hear people say, “She came out of nowhere!” In reality, no she didn’t. There were years of planning and preparation before anyone knew her name. It takes a lot of work to be “spontaneous”. If you have an important meeting scheduled, show up early and have a pre-meeting, breaking the ice with conversation. When you’re in a relaxed state, your feminine energy shines and your mind is clear to communicate your ideas effectively.
“The more you prepare that speech, presentation, or meeting, the more room you give yourself to adjust to last minute changes.” 90
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The more you prepare that speech, presentation, or meeting, the more room you give yourself to adjust to last minute changes. You are able to simply acknowledge life’s hiccups and make the immediate adjustments. Take the physical and emotional risks as an entrepreneur: As an entrepreneur, your greatest successes will come out of your greatest failures. You’re going to have to take a leap out of your comfort zone to take the risks necessary to get results. Some of our favourite inventions like the microwave, chocolate chip cookies, and even the potato chip, were all products of the inventor’s mistake. Having your own business is exciting and exhilarating, but never lose your ability to throw new ideas to walls and see what sticks.
As a wife, mother, and businesswoman, I wear many hats and sometimes, amaze myself when I get it all done. It takes work, but it’s not as hard as you think! Every ‘no’ is one step closer to a yes.
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Predictions
Find me online here
By Manish Kumar Arora
Aries 21 March-19 April
Expansion of business is likely in this period. You may start working on big projects. You will be continually in motion due to your efforts and vigilance. You may have to travel abroad for professional purposes. Expenses on professional activities will be too much. A surge of ambition overtakes you, but don’t let yourself get too bogged down by responsibilities – reserve some time for fun. Your positive attitude towards work will remove the hurdles during this period. However, romance will bring its fair share of challenges - it could be that you’re not entirely sure of someone’s intentions. Check with a family member who will offer invaluable advice on this one; you’d be wise to listen.
Favourable Dates July 7, 8, 16, 17, 25, 26 Favourable Colours Blue & White
Taurus 20 April-20 May
This month will start with bundles of potential, but you will need to seize the
opportunities. Your plans are all laid out and you see clearly the innovative and courageous steps you must take. Your co-workers and seniors will come to know about your talent, by which you will get the inspiration of doing best of efforts. During this period, you will start getting the results of tasks performed earlier. Those waiting for a job or transfer may be successful during this time. Later in the month contentment for you will come in the form of excitement and fun. Romance will go through the usual hiccups as you waver between wanting intimacy and needing independence.
Favourable Dates July 5, 7, 14, 16, 23, 25 Favourable Colours Red & Yellow
Gemini 21 May-20 June
You will achieve success in intellectual activities. Do not perform risky acts in business, otherwise you may have to face loss and your career may also get affected. You need some retreat and quiet time away from the hustle and bustle and also from your job responsibilities. Getting away from it all for just a few days can give you a new perspective If you are already in a relationship it is likely that some chance events will lead to a much
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deeper level of mutual understanding. If you are single then this will be a real rollercoaster month emotionally and the road to true love will not run smoothly.
Favourable Dates July 2, 3, 11, 12, 20, 21 Favourable Colours Red & Blue
Your immunity to fight against diseases will be more therefore your health will be fine.
Favourable Dates July 1, 8, 10, 17, 19, 26 Favourable Colours Red & Yellow
Leo 23 July-22 August
Cancer 21 June-22 July
This month may spur you on to make some major changes in your life especially with regard to your career or your ambitions for the future. You’ll be feeling revitalized. The second half of the month will be marked by a definite change of pace as you become increasingly concerned with the details of your relationships. This will be a period of deep reflection for you that should bring a number of very useful personal insights that will help you communicate with your loved ones more effectively. This month will offer the chance for you to turn a hobby into a money-making scheme. 94
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This month is likely to start on a rather dreamy note as your imagination takes over. You’ll tend to be in quite a romantic mood too, seeing all kinds of possibilities. Drop the thinking game all together. You’ll be amazed at the freedom you will realize. There will be some fantastic opportunities for romance, and until then channel that over-active imagination into something constructive, such as redecorating your room or your home. You should get your heart’s desire or certainly get closer to achieving it. You’re moving to brighter shores. You’re not totally out of the blues yet, but it’s getting easier every moment. Try to be loyal to your relationship, it would be good for your prestige.
Favourable Dates July 1, 2, 10, 11, 19, 20 Favourable Colours Purple & Yellow
Virgo 23 August-22 September
This could be a month of significant changes for you in almost every area of your life. The key to making those changes successful is to rely on your instincts and intuition. Financially, this is a period for consolidating your savings and ensuring that you have a carefully planned budget. If you budget well there could be some major gains by the end of the month. Keep an eye on the spending, and try to restrain what will be a rather lavish frame of mind. You may earn profits from overseas contracts by skilfully using your abilities. Allow yourself to feel your feelings, remember a loved one or childhood memory. Your heart will open – and therefore, love even more.
Favourable Dates July 4, 6, 13, 15, 22, 24 Favourable Colours Blue & White
Libra 23 September-22 October
You will feel overloaded with work and will need to take some down time or
it will affect your health. You will then be able to focus on the work you need to get done and have spare time for yourself. Discussions and brainstorming at work can lead to manifesting great things. Don’t worry about making good impressions on others, instead focus on the impression you can make as a collective team. Take the time to make a fresh start in your personal life, and there’s no time like the present to open up and connect with those you love. You will feel a lot more energy and more centred about where you are in your life.
Favourable Dates July 2, 5, 11, 14, 20, 23 Favourable Colours Purple & Green
Scorpio 23 October-21 November
This is a month that will challenge your patience and emotions. When your emotions and tongue are tempered with compassion, your sensitivity is very helpful to others. A delicate approach may help you focus your desires successfully. Family members will approach you this month and ask you to help them out for various reasons. It is important to let them know that you can only do so much. If they love you they will understand your limitations. Your kind nature can sometimes wear
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you out and it is important to honour your emotional health right now. Connect with your heart and you will find the mind will easily clear away its restless behaviour.
Favourable Dates July 2, 3, 11, 12, 20, 21 Favourable Colours Yellow & Green
Sagittarius 22 November-21 December
You will become more understanding and caring and will make your close ones very happy by expressing your feelings. On the career side you will be full of life and this will reflect in work. Your communication skills will come into light which will bring you gains. This month is about finding the inner connection with yourself. As you do this you will discover that your relationships become clearer and you’ll discover new ways of connecting with different areas of your life. Whether it be career, personal life or family, each plays a significant role. The more you connect and feel the people in your life, the more you will feel the difference it can make.
Favourable Dates July 2, 6, 11, 15, 20, 24 Favourable Colours Blue & Green 96
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Capricorn 22 December-19 January
This is a great month to take some time to play. You have a tendency to be in your head thinking a lot and work can become very heavy. So, get out of your head and exercise or do some breathe work. This is a time about letting yourself go and experiencing freedom. Solar rays are infusing the area of your life that is about personal joy and how you seek to engage in personal fulfilment. It is time to see how you are connected from that vantage point and how you are gratified and at peace with it. A need for change comes from your personal values and sense of self-worth that may need adjusting so that you may have a more positive approach.
Favourable Dates July 4, 7, 13, 16, 22, 25 Favourable Colours Red & White
Aquarius 20 January-18 February
This month will be full off responsibility and you may find yourself flustered with the little things that really don’t matter. Pay close attention to what those little
things are teaching you and allow yourself to be inspired by the lessons. You will find that communication gets better in your lives and the people who are draining you will handle their own issues. Broaden your horizons and look at the bigger picture and make sure you can see where you will be and if you truly will be happy. Think before you act, and be careful of what you do because the short term picture is not as important as the longer picture.
Favourable Dates July 1, 3, 10, 12, 19, 21 Favourable Colours Purple & White
Pisces
situation and can see you spending more than might be wise, perhaps in an attempt to show off. This is a good time for sorting out anything which has been bugging you,. Be as flexible as you can, and don’t count on others— especially partners, older people, financial types and father figures—to be of much use. It may be best to resist some promising new must-have and hang on to what you’ve got, at least for the time being. A passionate affair, probably a secret one, is indicated with someone connected with work. Be careful if you are having a sexual indiscretion.
Favourable Dates July 4, 7, 13, 16, 22, 25 Favourable Colours Red & White
19 February-20 March
Excellent opportunities will present themselves during this month. This turns your attention to your financial
Manish Kumar Arora. K.P. Astrologer, Numerologist, Tarot Card Reader & Vastu Consultant. Email for a personal reading or consultation at manishastrologer@rediffmail.com
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I write as an outlet. Writing has been something I have always loved to do. I enjoy journaling and for me, blogging was birthed out of my desire to share what God lays on my heart and the fact that Facebook likes to limit the amount of words I can actually put into a status. Writing has given me many wonderful opportunities. This is a platform I choose to use to share the things God is doing, teaching me and leading me to share with the world.
Find me online here
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In
my writing, I frequently receive criticism. I shared this as a Facebook status recently: “I’m not offended by Beyoncé’s “black panther” clothing, as the media has now referred to it. I have a love affair with the colour black, so yeah...I’m biased. I’m not offended that she is, indeed, a beautiful Black woman, with hair that more closely resembles mine, rather than either of my littles. Totally unoffended. Jealous of her colour and extensions, but not offended. Ladies, for a moment, can we just wrestle with a more important issue please. How the heck can she have meat on her legs and yet, we see NO cellulite underneath the fishnets?! What kind of magical fabric is that? Is her DNA pure Disney princess?! That day, I woke up with a heaviness, and after listening to worship music and praying, I felt God lift the fog I was in. I’d needed a laugh. I just wanted to make other women laugh – and Beyoncé’s toned legs provided it. Lots of friends laughed with me! I received some gentle cautions from friends, and goodness gracious, I received quite a bit of messages setting “me straight”.
As a self professed people pleaser, receiving criticism has always been tough for me (I imagine my pride and desire to be right play a heavy role as well). I know I “put myself out there” and God is being so good to thicken my skin. The more I expose myself, the more vulnerable I become. But! God exposes my pride and insecurities and no one sets me straight quicker than the Holy Spirit. I say all of this to say, this post has been tough for me. I don’t really want to share it publicly. I want to keep it scribbled in my notebook and tucked away inside my head. I want my wrestling with this topic to stay hidden. Criticism is coming. I can feel it already. The enemy has already whispered “fear” to me because this topic is so mainstream. I may look like a crazy Bible thumper. I may look “a little too serious” with no sense of humour. I may look judgemental. Hypocritical. Maybe hateful? Dramatic even?
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Satan has planted plenty of seeds of fear and doubt about sharing this post. I ask that before you sow those seeds in me, please search your own heart on this topic.
First
I write to my amazing non-Christian friends: this post is simply not meant for you, dear ones. Even so, you are very welcome here. You are so, so dear to me and in my tribe of wonderful people, many of you have rallied around me and shown me so much tenderness and love. I pray you always see my heart and feel my love for you. I pray that you know condemnation and judgement are things I truly want no part of. I pray that you can see that I love Jesus and because of that, I love people which happens to be what is required of me to follow Him. Your kind words, encouragement, support, and love matter much to me. So, so much. Again, dear friend, this post today...is not for you. Today, I write to the Christian – the one who knows it’s impossible to follow Jesus without repenting. The one who knows our love affair with sin steals our affections for Christ. The one who knows it is impossible to repent while still walking in the sin we refuse to let Christ vanquish. As you read this today, would you please pause now and ask the Lord to allow you to read what He wants... not even my words on a screen, but His words that He is asking me to share. Would you pause when you are finished reading to meditate on what the Holy Spirit is communicating to you? Would you be gentle with me, please? Will you keep in mind that I feel so exposed and vulnerable and that I am praying with each key stroke for me to speak truth in love? Will you pray even now that I not shrink back from this task God is calling me on, because being a truth teller is hard, and sometimes (many, many times) I find more comfort in staying silent because silence doesn’t bring criticism.
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But my silence doesn’t always bring my Father glory, either. I am all over the social medias (and I speak like a mawmaw), so clearly, I put my own self out on display. Side note: Facebook, I love you/hate you. Instagram, you are mostly fabulous. Twitter, I tried. I can’t keep up with all the re-tweet business. Farewell for now, confusing friend.
Christians: prayer, good vibes, happy thoughts. I *think* our (mine and yours, precious brothers and sisters in Christ) request for these all encompassing three is our attempt to be all-inclusive. But Christianity isn’t a resort in Cancun. It’s a call to die, so that we may live. We get such a bad wrap for being so exclusive (read also: hate-filled, judgemental) when truly, our reality is that the Lord of all creation calls us to not be lukewarm {Revelation 3:16}. Christians, we absolutely can (and should) welcome with gratitude the affection and concern of our non-believing friends and family. We do live with them. We need them. We love them. However, you and I, we are called to be set apart.
God’s holy people, His bride, who should be salt and light... but I fear we are losing our taste and dimming our lights out of genuine fear of exclusiveness. {Matthew 5:13-16} “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavour? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”
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I fear that in our desire to be all together loving, we may actually be becoming indifferent to the power of praying to our Heavenly Father. Power. When we pray, we are not tossing mere words into the air. Let me rephrase that... we should not be tossing mere words into the air. {Matthew 6:7} “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.” {John 14:13-14} “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” {Matthew 21:21-22} “And Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ it will happen. And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” Prayer is real communication between God’s people and our living, loving, passionately pursuing Father. How do God’s children go from praying in faith for the sun to stand still or for mountains to move, to accepting happy thoughts and vibrations as an acceptable substitution? What is the posture of our hearts? What governs our minds?
“I will never be able to think your healing or your hope into existence. Only our Jesus can breathe life into our most hopeless, desperate moments.” 102
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I
can assure you that when you are burying your son, your daughter is having her second heart transplant, your mother is going for her first chemo treatment, or your husband is caught having an affair and your marriage dangles in the balance.... What you need is intercession from the Holy Spirit.
You do not want my happiest of thoughts. My thoughts are prone to wonder and ramble. My thoughts are sinful and vain. I will never be able to think your healing or your hope into existence. Only our Jesus can breathe life into our most hopeless, desperate moments.
{verse 1-2} So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. {verse 5-6} Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. Another translation reads: The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. {verse 9-11} But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. {verse 24-27} We were given this hope when we were saved (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently).
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And
the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. Do you feel the power in that scripture? There is no condemnation. The power of the life giving Spirit frees us and empowers us. Allowing the Spirit to lead us gives us life and peace. Christ is alive in us. The Spirit of God lives in us. The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. When we are groaning and crying out, the Helper is interceding and pleading our cause, on our behalf. Pray. Ask in faith. Receive. No vibes. No happy thinking. Our weakness. His strength. None of us would truly want a generic, counterfeit faith yet we (*read also, ME included) often settle for and even request the many false substitutions to prayer.
When our dearest non-believing friends offer us their vibes and good thoughts and well wishes, we should thank them. Sincerely. We should be grateful for their words, time, sympathy and compassion. They are offering us some of the best and most tender parts of themselves. But, I believe we can’t water down the wine here. God has given us the best gift since Jesus, access to Him through the power of the Holy Spirit. That is the sweetest new wine. As I prayed about the words to write in this space, I did a lot of scripture research. I also stumbled upon some interesting views on prayer and good vibes from many secular writers. Most self published “good vibers” (that I have been reading) seem to identify themselves as non-Christian. The writer of this blog has some vastly contrasting views on God, but I was a bit intrigued by his words: “Praying to God aside, the Facebook updates I noted (regarding his friend being in a horrific accident abroad) suggest that there is this idea that we can 104
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“I will never be able to think your healing or your hope into existence. Only our Jesus can breathe life into our most hopeless, desperate moments.” somehow transmit vibes (or vibrations/positivity/love, or whatever you want to call it) to remote people using the power of our thoughts alone. This presumably means that something at least vaguely tangible is actually transferred from a mind holding a positive thought of someone to that someone. Somehow, the minute electro-chemical changes that set off a pattern of neurons in your brain to fire, thereby leading to a specific thought or feeling, has a direct effect far beyond the confines of one’s skull. Never mind that study after meta-study have shown that attempts at “distance healing” are as futile as trying to kill a mosquito by farting on it. (Tried it — doesn’t work.)” {quoted from 33rdmarriage.com} “Farting on a mosquito. That just lightens the mood a bit, right?” His words do make me wonder... what power do we believe good vibes and positive thoughts have over us as Christians?
Dear
Friend, I am not condemning you. I am not slapping your hand or shaming you. I am purporting that we search our hearts and posture them to the power that we have access to, through the Holy Spirit. I am asking the Holy Spirit to guide us with all wisdom and grace so that we will become harmless and blameless {Philippians 2:15}
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When you request prayer and good vibes, are you just wanting words to uplift you? Say so. Welcome words. The Lord knows we value encouragement and love of others. That’s why He made us for community: to build one another up, to build His church. OR would you prefer the Holy Spirit moving in mysterious and miraculous ways in your trail, struggle, fear, sorrow, depression, loss, grief, anxiousness and despair? Because moving miraculously is only an act of the Spirit, no vibes can compare. The kindness and love of our unbelieving friends will never harm us. Embrace their generosity. But fully embrace the power of accessibility to the throne. The Word of God tells us, “...and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”
{James 5:16} I encourage you to search your own heart, not what is trending. I encourage you to follow the leading of the Spirit, not words on a blog. I love you all. This was written with love (and some fear and trembling, but the fear is leaving even as I type and I believe God is calling me to hit “publish”). This was written for accountability and out of a place of personal conviction. I do love you so and I thank you for your grace. I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions. I truly would. Thank you for taking the time to read my long ramblings. I do know this: when we feel caught in the mire, he supplies the manna.
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In my desire to be unoffensive, I often shrink back from the things you call me to do. This is disobedient. Lord, forgive me. In my desire to love others, I sometimes love this world and the things of this world more than I love You, the Creator of it all. Lord, forgive me. Lord, you know my heart. Search it out. Show me where I am lukewarm. Expose it. Remove it. Purify my faith so that you will be glorified in my weakness, because Jesus... I am so weak and I need you so. Give me a heart of sincere love for those who are far from you. Make me, teach me, to live you out well amongst the lost. Help me remember that I am set free and that I am to be both salt, and light. Father God, forgive me for all the prayers I have tossed into air like empty words. Forgive me for taking for granted the gift of communication I have with you. Lord, let my life be a testimony to the power of prayer. Let my unbelieving friends see a faith that isn’t straddling a fence. Let my fellow brothers and sisters - Your body, Your bride - strive for unity through humility, just as your Son Jesus humbled Himself so that we may be united with You. Father, I ask that now you show me any words that need to be removed or added. Allow your Holy Spirit to soften our hearts in areas that need to feel conviction and teach us to put on your full armour so that we may all stand firm against the schemes of Satan. Lord Jesus, I pray protection from attacks. I ask you for wisdom and discernment. Lord, teach me to put on my new nature and renew me as I come to know you more intimately and grow more in your image. In the Name of JESUS I pray all these things.
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