It’s Independence Day in the US…

An important day to thank and appreciate all military personnel and people who help us stay free and safe. As a 1st generation American from parents who came from a country where things are not as easy… I know we are SO blessed to live in this amazing country where we can pretty much do whatever we want AND decide to reinvent ourselves whenever we choose.

Is there something you can choose to free yourself from today?

• Maybe a past experience or “failure”
• A low self-image or pattern of self-talk
• Someone in your life who doesn’t believe in your dreams and works hard to make sure you doubt yourself and your abilities (I affectionately call these types of people “dreamkillers” – Jeff & I both were able to free ourselves of people like this in our past)
• A self-imposed, self-destructive pattern (maybe eating fast food, not exercising, or procrastination)

These are all things you can CHOOSE to FREE yourself from… right now. Granted, some of them may take time to really change, but it doesn’t have to take that long… You do have a choice.

Whatever you decide to change and free yourself from… write it down clearly, keep it somewhere where you see it EVERY day (and sometimes you’ll want to change whatever sign you put up… because you’ll get acclimated to it and get “used” to it until you don’t “see” it anymore!) Whenever you find yourself falling back into old, self-destructive patterns, choose again… and again… and again…

Keep a journal of appreciation (not a negative diary!) chronicaling your small victories and celebrating your progress…

Change does not have to be difficult once you are aware of what you want to be free of…

A few things I’m SO happy and appreciative of freeing myself from:

• panic attacks
• friends and family who became dreamkillers in my life (I kept the supportive ones & made new wonderful friends)
• self-imposed limitations on what I could achieve

So celebrate today by giving yourself the best Independence Day gift and freeing yourself from something keeping you from a joyous Life, emotional, financial and mental Liberty and so you can continue your Pursuit of Happiness.

I love this video about finding Hope in all kinds of people, places and things… Where can you find Hope today or help someone else find it for themselves…?

And on Memorial Day in the US, I think it’s appropriate because that’s what our veterans help us to have everyday… Thank you!

The Top 3 Signs You Might Be Going Through an Important Transformation in Your Life…

Have you been going through a “tough time” lately..? Do you know you are meant to do more and fulfill a larger purpose? This year has been a year full of massive change for me. Last year I lived in Texas, now Im bistatal, living in both Texas and Atlanta, last year I had no kids, this year I have two wonderful boys whose lives I am helping guide into self-empowerment! So much change… so little time! Though it’s been great in many ways, it’s also been difficult and a bit overwhelming for me! The great thing is, I know all this was placed before me to help me grow and step up to fulfilling my purpose in a bigger and better way than before… so, since I’m going through what I believe is a full-fledged Transformation, I wanted to pose this question to you (and give you some of my answers!):

How can you tell if it’s just a rough patch or you are really undergoing a Transformation?

1) It Sucks Sometimes.

Ay chihuahua! Think about the little caterpiller… stuck in a cocoon, think about the birthing process… There are periods of expansion when things seem to be going smoothly and you’re moving forward, then there are periods of contraction when things seem stuck, unpleasant, annoying and uncomfortable at the very least. And you may even feel yourself moving BACKWARDS sometimes!
It can really suck. And that’s ok… It’s always darkest before the dawn… just be sure to Hold On!

2) Are You Getting Pushback?

Are you getting some pushback from people around you? Even from yourself maybe? Could it be because you are threatening to heal or complete or grow or become more empowered in some way? Listen, when you make the decision to grow and become more, to live a life of joy and fulfillment, you’ll get a lot of unhappy people around you. I guarantee it.
You’ve probably heard this said before… you cannot stay unhealthy/sick/poor enough to heal or help another person. Be aware and be compassionate when the people around you get upset that you are going through a transformation. It’s scary to them and can remind them of the growth they might not be doing in their lives. Send them blessings and keep moving forward with your growth.

3) Are You Growing From It?

Listen to your intuition. This is your inner wisdom and it’s always leading you in the right direction for you. Trust Yourself. The thing is, many times we get caught up in our own “stuff” and can’t see or hear ourselves clearly!
When that happens, It’s helpful if you can find a coach or mentor to help you grow though these periods of change. I’m heading to Martha’s Vineyard the second week of June to do just that with a 2 day Vision Weekend to get clear on my own vision and path for my life during this time of growth… I’ll come back with details on how it helped me during my current Transformation!

So be aware and awake to see the opportunities for growth during these times so you can emerge bigger, better, brighter! And when you do, there are people around you who you’ll inspire to live their best life too! (Hopefully, like my two soon-to-be-step-sons!)

I created a process for myself that I call Cocooning… Doing this helped me seriously reduce anxiety and re-empower myself again. In this video, I go over several steps to create your own personal “Cocoon” ritual… and this doesn’t have to take days, weeks or months…

Try a cocooning hour or even 15 minute break once a week where you nurture yourself and your spirit.

I found this amazing woman on twitter yesterday… Someone tweeted about her and I followed and found a Grandmother with Attitude… Ruth Flowers.

She didn’t think her life was over at a certain age, she didn’t accept the limitations placed on her by other people, she’s grabbed life by the horns and is doing exactly what she wants…

The following is from Ruth’s website MamyRock.com

Ruth Flowers, 69-year-old, is the matriarch and the hippest English deejay of our time.

I have had a very lively youth, I used to go to balls all the time, I loved to dance, but then came the old age, pension, but above all boredom… I started looking for something more… One night, my grandson, of whom I’m very close to, celebrated his birthday in a nightclub in London. And he told me that I could join them. When I arrived, the bouncers didn’t let me go inside. It is true that I didn’t really match their usual clients (laughs)… I finely managed to entered… and I was dumbfound…there was such an atmosphere!!! It was so different from the parties I used to go when I was young. There was a real osmosis between the lights and the music, it really drove me!… It made me feel so much younger!

This night shattered my view of things but above all the way I saw my life…I had a lot of free time, I was on pension you know… I talked to my grandson about it, he thought I went mad. Now I think that I am ready to make everybody move their a** on the dancefloor (laughs).

“Indeed, I’d rather sign a contract with a record company than to sign up for the nursing home…” – Ruth Flowers

So my questions to you are… What limitations have been placed on you by other people that you can break?What will you do today to live the life you want?

This morning, Caleb and I were playing with the guitar Santa recently brought him..

We used a Flip video, a green screen, istock video & screaming fan audio and edited in Sony Vegas movie studio!