Last month’s call was energizing, inspiring, and full of great insights from all the great folks on the line and those who listened to the recording and shared their thoughts with me via e-mail. Due to popular request, in August we’re going to do it again as a Part 2 to the discussion of the law of attraction.

Do you feel like some of the folks that shared their stories with me? Do you sometimes:

• wonder why some things in your life don’t work despite all this positive thinking
• feel like the whole law of attraction thing is just a bunch of “B-S”
• stuff and stifle your true feelings because you’re afraid to feel them because “what you give out is what you get back” according to the law and you don’t want
  that directed back at you?
• feel like you’ve been doing “all the right things” but still find yourself attracting sour grapes?

Read the rest of this entry »

One of the “funniest” things about our trip to Monhegan Island was people-watching. Now, on this island there is limited (mainly none at all) cell phone service. There is a pay phone at the post office and some of the cottages have a phone, but for the most part you are not reachable. At least not on a dime like it is on the mainland. One of the things I love most about being there is to disconnect from all the gadgets, interactions, and general stuff of day to day living. From watching some other people, though the thought of this chance to completely disconnect is their biggest nightmare. Watching people freak out is part of the fun.

Anyone who has spent any time on the island realizes that the whole point is to disconnect. It is a different way of life and the pace is as opposite of the “normal” madness of big city/suburbia as could be. For first-timers and a lot of day-trippers the shock is almost unbearable. For some people back home to whom I try to explain the appeal of this, the shock is equally great.

Here’s some of the best of the best that we either heard or witnessed both before our trip and on the island. When Kim mentioned her trip to some co-workers several of them tensed up and got wildly defensive replying with classics like “Oh, oh, oh, I could NEVER do that…” or “What would you DO there?” or the ever-popular “How would I be able to stay connected?”. Even better were the physical antics we got to see. People standing on rock outcroppings or standing on their tip-toes with their arms stretched waaaay overhead, cell phones and blackberries in hand reaching, stretching, and praying for a signal. Tell me, even if you could get a signal 8 feet over your head, how would you make use of it? And, what makes you think there is an imaginary field about 4 feet above your head in which there is clear as a bell wireless service?

I make jest of watching all this but it really does beg a bigger question Read the rest of this entry »

I had a most fabulous time on my vacation in Maine. I love the location, the weather, the solitude. We spent a week on Monhegan Island which is a very special place but only if it is the right match for you. Part of its appeal is its ruggedness, rustic charm, lack of people, lack of modern amenities (think- no cell phone service), and a chance to get back to a real rhythm of life. On our last afternoon there, the sun started to peek through the fog. From our vantage point in the harbor and in the woods, the zip of the unsettled weather the night before was long gone. Not so on the eastern tip of the island. It had waves like I never saw waves before. I was happy as a clam sitting on a rock watching them all afternoon as you can see from this photo. Squnting aside, it was a very calming and energizing way to spend a few hours.

Looking back at this picture (and the gobs of wave photos I took) it got me to thinking about how quickly change can come upon us. Just like this afternoon that went from fairly calm waves to crashing waves, so too goes the events of our life. I only have to look at the last 2 weeks to see just how much churning has been going on in my life. I returned from our trip all mellow and ready for an easy transition back to regular daily life. Well, in the course of less than 2 weeks, I got laid off, learned my Dad had to have another heart procedure, learned all was well, traveled to visit him, found out he was unexpectedly back in the hospital, waited for tests results, and gladly received the call that he was back home and doing fine. Whew! That’s a lot of wave churning going on. Add to that a bunch of activities related to my business transition, clients, a few networking events, and an energizing teleclass on Tuesday and you get the picture….Calm seas, rough seas, unexpected rogue waves, placid moments, crashing surf, and back again. Read the rest of this entry »

It may sound silly but one of the most important things we can do to manage stress and remain comfortable in our own skin is to BREATHE. A deep breath that anchors us into the moment and stops the whirlwind of chaotic little voices of panic and dread that seem to crop up in our heads like little gremlins in times of stress. I am kindly reminded of this right now due to the sheer number of things happening all at once in my life.

As most of you know, returning to work from vacation is busy enough. Add to that the whole layoff thing and a number of new business related opportunities and things have been hopping at my household. What I am noticing though is that I am so focused on getting things done, connecting with other people, and managing the details that I am forgetting to breathe. Sure I am taking my usual “me” time in terms of meditation, exercise, and yoga, but in between those down-times, I am allowing myself to get cranked up. When I get bitchy at little things I know it is time to STOP and BREATHE. The bitchy meter hit some high notes today. Ask my bluetooth headset that broke today, it regrets ticking me off.

It is funny but simply noticing I am holding my breath or rushing is enough to start getting me centered. I immediately feel better, more in control, and more confident. Simply through breath and awareness. Sounds simplistic but I can tell you that I’m facing a number of those real-life “life happens” things all at once and it REALLY does work. It’s not just some mumbo-jumbo that sounds good on paper or when some motivational guru speaks it. It is rubber meets the road, real-life tools for thriving. If you’re not breathing and you’re not in the present moment there’s no way you are going to be powerful or comfortable in your own skin. Think about it — if you are totally anaerobic and winded working out are you at your best mentally? I don’t think so. I LOVE to exercise and work out, but I know when I am sucking wind climbing a hill on my bike is NOT the time to be creative or highly thought filled. If you’re stumbling through your work day feeling like a hamster on a wheel or like a heart patient having a stress test, you need to back off. Stop, breathe, re-assess and handle only what is right in front of you, right now.

How about you? Do you remember to stop and breathe as you go about your day? How about during times of stress? Strike up a conversation in the comments and let me know…

I know it has been a little quiet on the blog here as I was on vacation for a bit. It was a wonderful time and I have lots of insights to share. However, when I returned, I got a bigger surprise than I expected. As you may know from reading regularly, I have been building my business while holding down a full time job (acting as my own personal venture capitalist). I’ve gone back and forth strategizing when the right time would be to scale back on the cubicle dwelling day job so I could devote even more time and energy toward my coaching and consulting.

Well, I returned from vacation and on my second day I got laid off. That’s right, the old “welcome back from vacation hope you had a great time and by the way we reorganized for the umpteenth time and this time there is no room at the inn for you here is a stack of papers full of legalese please review them and sign your life away” speech. Needless to say I was more than surprised, but I instantly knew that I had created and attracted this very event in my life. What?! you might be saying? Read the rest of this entry »