About a week and a half ago, on a Sunday evening, I held a Fear-releasing Workshop at my home. I’ve been wanting to do this for a while now- I felt compelled to teach what ends up coming up with a lot of my coaching clients on a bigger level- but it took me a while to finally get around to setting the date. The funny reason why I finally did was that I saw that a friend was planning on having a paper lantern release at her wedding (I’ve ALWAYS wanted to do one!) and I figured having a fear-releasing workshop would be the perfect reason! At the end of the workshop, we wrote either fears we wanted to release or intentions we wanted to set on the lanterns and set them off into the world!
I’ve been wanting to write about this and couldn’t find the words to encapsulate how I felt having these women show up with open hearts and eager to expand their awareness. We talked about our backgrounds, the fears and stories that hold us back, and 5 different strategies for overcoming fears or processing difficult emotions.
To give you a sample, one of the things that kept coming up in our fear-releasing workshop was the limiting belief that we need to worry about the important things in our lives in order to adequately plan/prepare (ex: if we don't worry about finances, we are being irresponsible or not properly preparing for the future). The truth is that our worrying gives us no control over the outcome. You can still do the things to plan/prepare but there's a HUGE difference between doing them with or without worry. The worry makes us no more likely to thwart whatever it is we're trying to prevent. Instead, it drains us of precious emotional energy. So we focused on replacing those worry thoughts with thoughts about what's going RIGHT in our lives!
If you are interested in hearing more of what we talked about, the workshop was recorded in 3 parts, which I posted below:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
So many of the women shared that one of their biggest take-aways was knowing that they’re not alone. How important of a message is that for all of us?? In the midst of a struggle, we tend to think we’re the only one who feels this way (or sometimes has EVER felt this way). It’s so important to remember that not only are their others who feel the same way or have gone through the same things, they are willing to walk with us in our journey. THAT is powerful.
I am so so SO grateful to this amazing group of women who joined in my Fear-releasing Workshop last week! There is truly magic that happens when a group of strong, open, beautiful souls come together to support and encourage each other!!!
The lantern release was a big part of why I wanted to do the workshop in the first place haha! The lanterns were WAY harder to light than I expected but the EXPERIENCE didn't disappoint!! Cheers to the wonderful women who braved the cold and the winds on the Hot Metal Bridge to cast away our fears and release our intentions into the universe!!!
My friend, Sam, was recording some of the lanterns releasing and magically caught what we think might have been a shooting star in the video! So cool!!
Yesterday was World Peace Day and it got me thinking about how we could apply this also to our health and well-being. The question from the official video (link at bottom of blog), “who will you make peace with?” triggered the immediate intuitive response inside of me saying, “ourselves.” How much of our day to day conflict is self-imposed? What can we do right in the here-and-now to create more peace in the world by making our OWN energy more peaceful? Here were some thoughts that came to mind:
The scale. That number has the power to elicit an emotional response in us. Why not try this week to make peace with whatever number shows up, reminding yourself that that number also contains the weight of your heart pumping your blood; the lungs breathing the oxygen you are currently inhaling; the weight of your eyes that allow you to see your child or a flower or a beautiful sunset; the weight of your arms that can embrace someone you love; the weight of your hands able to grasp another in a sign of respect, high-five a friend, or create beautiful works of art.
Food. So often we associate food with guilt or deprivation but it is something to be cherished for the nutrients it provides our body! This week, practice mindfulness with your food. There is a type of zen that comes with eating leafy greens or a juicy piece of fresh fruit :)
Workouts. This is not punishment. This is training your body to be more efficient and getting you to a healthier state! This is a chance to appreciate moving your body and all that it can do! Your body is in it’s highest glory when it is moving joyfully!!
Our bodies. How much are you appreciating your body and truly loving yourself? I wrote a blog on this recently to explain how much of a critical role this plays in our journey and progress:
Work. Make peace with looking at how we get to SERVE. If you’re someone who desires to help people, you can do this no matter what your job is. Here are some ways I have trained myself to APPRECIATE what I GET to do rather than viewing it as a “should do” or a “have to do” dreaded obligation (this applies to workouts too):
Other people. Sometimes this may be an apology or a conversation to work things out. Sometimes this may be setting boundaries or expectations. Sometimes it may be letting go of relationships that no longer serve us or being more intentional with who we spend our time around. It can also be making peace with other people in our own soul. If the other person is not ready or willing, a conversation or resolution may not be possible. But hanging on to resentment, uneasiness, unforgiveness, guilt, hard feelings, or general bad vibes does not serve us. It causes stress and reinforcement of the negative patterns and contributes to the overall negativity in the world. Working on forgiving the other person and ourselves for any wrongdoing, having compassion for how the other person might be feeling, recognizing that we don’t know their full story or what pain and fear might have been driving them to act the way they did, recognizing that any wrongdoing to us has nothing to do with us and everything to do with their pain, accepting and forgiving ourselves for any hurt we may have caused and learning from it moving forward, mentally releasing toxic energy, and sending love and blessings to that person can literally CHANGE YOUR LIFE!! We cannot control other people, but we do have power over our own thoughts, emotions, actions and reactions as well as the energy that surrounds the situation. Instead of feeding the situation onward with negative energy, let it resolve with your own peace and love about it. Say a prayer of gratitude for any tough situations like this, recognizing that even seemingly unwanted situations like this are all for our greater good, growth, and expansion.
Our time. Let’s make peace with time knowing we only have so much time in a day and be gentle with ourselves, doing what we can, surrendering to the universe what we can’t. Let’s ease our minds with the mantra: time expands, life is long.
Our life. This has a LOT to do with what I described in the video above: accepting what is and recognizing that the “wanted” stuff and the “unwanted” is all working for our greater good.
Not to mention, we have a TON of things in our lives to be grateful for! No matter how bad things might be right now, I know you have at least SOME things to be grateful for! For example, right now, I know you have fresh air to breath, you woke up this morning, you have electricity and internet access, and you have at least one person who cares about you and your happiness and is rooting for you (me!). Start with those little things if that’s all you can muster! And build up to the AMAZING things that completely surround us with beauty and wonder in this world!!
Ourselves. What are you not forgiving yourself for? What resistance could you let go of? In what ways could you be a little more gentle with yourself? In what ways could you be a little more accepting of yourself, flaws and all? In what ways could you take a little more of a chance on yourself? We can at times be our own worst enemy and critic. Make the world a little more peaceful by starting with yourself!! In doing this, you also give others permission to the same!! How can you be a little more authentically YOU today??
Got this message from a client-turned-coach, a wonderful mom and role model, an amazing friend, and an absolute inspiration. I'm sitting here tearing up in a "this is why I do what I do" moment. She first texted me to tell me how excited she was about a new dress she fit into and how great she physically feels (which I am incredibly happy about), but then this message... wow... really got me. I am completely humbled. Completely touched. And completely grateful for all of my hardest experiences in life, for those were the situations that taught me what I am now able to pass on to others. But I've had teachers too. They have come in the form of good friends and family support and incredible parents. They have come in the form of heartbreak. They have come in the form of authors whose books I dove into in times of on-the-floor-in-a-ball-hysterical-crying desperation. They have come in the form of people who on the surface we don't see eye to eye, who have been challenges in my life and I in theirs, but deep down share the same essence and the same oneness. They have come in the form of soul sisters and people who I consider in my "spiritual tribe". They have come in the form of seemingly miraculous coincidences revealed to be divinely orchestrated destiny. They have come in the form of clients and of course has come in the form of the same person who wrote this message to me.
Think of the kind of world this could be if we could recognize clearly how similar we all are... If we could have compassion for the struggles we all are going through... If we could all be reassured with true faith that the work we are doing through the challenges is worth it... If we could all cooperate and strengthen each other and lift each other up, knowing that we live in a universe of abundance and there is enough for all if we are just willing to share and see... If we could recognize that even the toughest of situations are a benefit to us, aiding in our learning, growth, and expansion... If we could use those lessons to help each other... If we all could lend a few more helping hands knowing that there will always be hands there to help us. That IS the world we live in. We need only awaken and SEE it.
Today, lend a few more helping hands. We are all each other's teachers.
There is always room for improvement, but I have to say I am proud of the point I’m at in my own growth. Instead of being impulsive and reactionary in tough situations, I can handle them with peace and grace. I mean this relatively because I am far from perfect in this regard, but I can FEEL my own progress. And that feels good :)
One practice that has helped me develop this and keep the big picture in mind when handling, processing, or reacting to any tough/sad/disappointing/frustrating situation is to be grateful for the tough stuff that comes along. It instantly pulls me out of fear and reminds me that these labels (“tough,” “sad,” “disappointing,” “frustrating,” “bad,” etc) are only the meaning I’m giving to it by thinking the situation *should* have unfolded in a different way. When I can pull myself out of the emotion of it and into observer mode through this gratitude practice, I am able to remember that EVERYTHING is happening for my greater good and expansion. If it’s happening, it’s because on a soul level, I needed it to happen.
While it is often initially difficult to utter the words, “Thank you for [insert difficult situation/person/outcome],” the resistance seems to fade almost immediately once the full thought is expressed and given a voice and it is replaced with a peace and awareness and understanding and calmness once the bigger picture is allowed to come into sight. I sometimes can even start to feel the tingly excitement of my energy and vibration raising as I do this. I urge you to give it a try too!!
Here is a video where I explain more. I also included some pictures below of the lake I was at when I recorded this. They instantly make me feel peaceful :)
I get a lot of really sweet compliments about my positive outlook on life, which I definitely appreciate, but in trying to always be open and transparent, I'd like to remind you all that it is a constant practice. I spend an average of 2-3 hours a day on personal development (I did this even when working full time). I listen to podcasts, motivational youtube videos, and audiobooks while driving, working out, getting ready, and during my walks each day. I read everyday. It has been a process. I don't seek perfection; I seek growth, expansion, increased awareness, progress, new knowledge, and higher energy and vibration. I am grateful to have this much time to put into this (I am borderline obsessive about it and make it a huge priority), but I also firmly believe that even 10-20 min/day can make a WORLD of difference in your life. It is all about seeing what you connect with, seeing what you can put into practice in your life, trying it out, evaluating, incorporating, and then seeking more.
I also don't think it matters where you start. For me it was Tony Robbins and Wayne Dyer because their work was what I was resonating with at that point in my life and journey. That then led to me finding other high-performance coaches, discovering other Hay House authors, going to conferences that exposed me to more concepts that I wanted to learn more about, and took me all the way to some of my current favorite people to follow like Teal Swan who has a seemingly endless wealth of incredible online content. But no matter where you start, you will naturally discover more people and concepts that you resonate with. It's more important that you just start somewhere with a little time each day. YOU and your LIFE are WORTH IT!!!!
About a week and a half ago, on a Sunday evening, I held a Fear-releasing Workshop at my home. I’ve been wanting to do this for a while now- I felt compelled to teach what ends up coming up with a lot of my coaching clients on a bigger level- but it took me a while to finally get around to setting the date. The funny reason why I finally did was that I saw that a friend was planning on having a paper lantern release at her wedding (I’ve ALWAYS wanted to do one!) and I figured having a fear-releasing workshop would be the perfect reason! At the end of the workshop, we wrote either fears we wanted to release or intentions we wanted to set on the lanterns and set them off into the world!
I’ve been wanting to write about this and couldn’t find the words to encapsulate how I felt having these women show up with open hearts and eager to expand their awareness. We talked about our backgrounds, the fears and stories that hold us back, and 5 different strategies for overcoming fears or processing difficult emotions. 
