Archive for December, 2009
10 Random Things You Might Not Know (or want to know) About Me.
Posted by: | CommentsThis post is inspired by Victoria. Hers was so fun to read it inspired me to play along.
1. I have a strong affinity with cats. Cats have always found me strangely appealing. When I was young, cats would find & adopt me in the weirdest places; camping in the middle of nowhere, in a field, or walking down the street. Even now, strange cats follow me down the street or run out to see me. They are my pet of choice. Don’t get me wrong, I love dogs too, but they are way too much work. Cats are cool. They hang out and do not demand too much.
2. I am very crafty and am accomplished at many old school “girly” things. My Nana and my Mom taught me how to sew, knit, crochet, and embroider. I do all of them off and on depending on my mood. I recently made my boyfriends a super plush bathrobe for Christmas and I like to make outfits/costumes to wear at parties, festivals and fire circles.
3. I need something to constantly focus my attention on. I am not good at just hanging around and making idle chit chat, or just sitting quietly with nothing to do. I used to drive my mother crazy because I always needed to be busy.
4. I have already lost both my parents. My Mom died when I was 28 and my Dad when I was 38. My Mom battled with breast cancer for 8 years. She never got to the place of acceptance around dying and resisted talking about it. We never really got to say goodbye. In our last coherent conversation, she told me to stop working so hard and to start living my life right now, don’t put it off until the future like she did, because you never know what is in store for you. She was 55 when she passed away.
My Dad died rather suddenly. He had emphysema, but was just as the beginning stages of it. He had just turned 70 and was hospitalized because he was having oxygen issues. The family thought that this was going to be the first of many hospitalizations. He was confused and scared and wanted to talk about the end of his life. I was the only one up to that conversation. I am thankful that I could stand in that place and discuss how he felt and where he was at with it. He passed away the next day.
5. I am actually really shy when I first meet people. People often assume that because I have a strong presence that I am out going, but that is not the case. I tend to feel awkward and shy about approaching people and starting conversations. This is especially hard for me in big groups of people that I do not know. My worst nightmare is big networking events! I do much better in one on one conversations, or if someone approaches me. Then it is all good.
6. I hate to be in the middle of big crowds of people. It makes me twitchy. I am cool if I am at an event where everyone is seated, but at parties, or events where there are lots of people milling about I need to be on the outside edges looking in. I need some personal space and a good observation point….or I bail and go home.
7. I was a bouncer in a popular night club in Boston for 3 years. Back in the early 90’s I was a total badass and into the club scene and it was my ambition to be a bouncer. It was fun. I was good at defusing situations without violence. I eventually stopped doing that and became a Reggae Promoter for 4 years.
8. I started on my path to real spiritual & personal development when I was 37.( Nope…I have not always been this way and it is not always easy for me). For most of my life I was angry, frustrated and unsatisfied. Life did not feel easy or very meaningful. I was good at my job, made lots of money, and had an active social life, but there was a big gaping hole in me that I tried to fill with all kinds of parties, booze, sex, and food. I did not treat myself very nicely and I was good at blaming everyone else for my dissatisfaction. Finally a series of events happened that made me wake up and head in a new direction. This is where I landed. Now, I love my life.
9. I really want to go up in a hot air balloon! I think it would be so cool! Anyone want to join me???
10. When I was in high school I used to do the morning announcements and announce the basketball games and wrestling matches. I had dreams of being on the radio. During morning announcements I had to say the Pledge of Allegiance. At least twice a week I would mess it up somehow….forgetting a line, or getting the words backwards. One time they shut me down mid stream because I was laughing so hard. Now my dreams are manifest with my online radio show. I love doing it!
So…do you feel like you know me better?
Do you feel like playing along?
You can by sharing some random facts about yourself in the comments or creating your own blog post and linking back here.
It’s easier than you think……
Posted by: | CommentsI find that thinking about changing your life can be overwhelming! I talk to people every week who are wanting something to be different but the idea of quitting their job, going on a diet, ending their relationship, or what ever other ‘big change they think they are going to have to create’ seems impossible.
Abraham-Hicks offers a different perspective. It is all about focusing on what feels good to you and what you appreciate, and shifting your energy towards bringing in more of that…rather than having to get rid of things. Eventually the good stuff crowds out the bad.
Try it out and see what happens!
So the big question is, “Well, do I just dump all those unwanted things and try to start fresh?” And we say, no. You just set the Tone, where you are, by looking for things to appreciate. And by setting your Tone in a very clear deliberate way, anything that doesn’t match it gravitates out of your experience, and anything that does match it gravitates into your experience. It is so much simpler than most of you are allowing yourself to believe.
— Abraham-Hicks
Excerpted from the workshop in Boston, MA on Saturday, October 4th, 1997 #297
Laying the Ground Work for the New Year part 2
Posted by: | CommentsHow was the eggnog? ( Or tequila depending on how you roll).
Are you back all refreshed and ready to move on to the next step?
Here we go……
Why do I want what I want?
The next step is to ask yourself what success looks like for you in the New Year
in all the areas of your life. What do you want to see happen and
why do you want it (What will you get out of it?)
For example:
(What) I want to double my income. (Why) I will feel a great sense of
freedom as I pay extra on my mortgage and quickly build more equity in my home.
(What)I want exercise to be a regular and fun part of my life. (Why) I want
to feel flexible and energetic and able to do all the physical activity that
I desire as I get older.
Doing this process connects you with the end result that you are looking for,
and that is what it is really all about. We do everything that we do because we
are looking for a specific outcome. This can be a conscious or unconscious process.
The more conscious you make it; the more likely you are to get what you want.
The clearer you are on what the end result you are looking for it, the easier
it will be to bring it into your life.
For example, let’s say that you want more money.
Why do you want more money?
“So I can easily pay my bills.”
Well, if easily paying you bills is the desired outcome there are many ways to go
about it…some might not even involve making more money.Maybe you can reduce your
bills, or go to a cheaper bar where drinks are not $12 a pop, or find a
sugar daddy…or mama…depending on your preference. So, my point is that if what
you really want is to easily pay all your bills then focus your attention on that.
Making more money is just one solution to that problem.
Create your Vision
The final step is to take all your new found clarity and write down your
vision for what you want to experience in the upcoming year. Let me stress that
you do not need to know HOW you are going to get any of these things and
trying to figure it out is the fastest way to get bogged down and lose focus.
Give yourself permission to get a little crazy with this and DREAM BIG!
Imagine that you can actually have, be and do anything that you desire.
There is nothing standing in your way.
Now go for it!
While you are writing this big dream out, do your best to incorporate all
five senses into the description. Feel how awesome it will be to have all
that you desire.
Let the juicy goodness wash over you.
How does it feel?
OK..Now what do I do with my vision?
Keep your vision close to you and refer to it often. This is your map
for the coming year. Keep it accessible and look at it often.
If you are feeling crafty, you can take this a step farther and make a
dream map or vision board out of this.
Look at your vision statement / dream map often and allow yourself to
feel how great it is to have all these things in your life.
EVEN IF THEY ARE NOT THERE YET!
Keep your eyes peeled for opportunities that will bring these things to you.
Focus on what is showing up and how you are getting closer every day.
When you feel like you are losing focus,look at your map and reconnect with it.
Feel free to change it, and adjust to it as you move through the year.
I know that I can easily get distracted and scattered by a million shiny
things that I come across every day. Staying connected to my vision keeps
my focused and on track. It also helps me determine if that shiny sparkly
thing is worth my time and effort.
Oh Yhea….I forgot the most important step.
Once you finish with the creation process,take some time and CELEBRATE how awesome you are.
You totally ROCK!
I wish you many blessings and lots of juicy goodness in the New Year.
Laying the Ground Work for the New Year part 1
Posted by: | CommentsRight about now, I start realizing that the New Year is right around the corner
and it might be a good time for setting some intentions around what I would like
to experience over the next 12 months. I am a firm believer in consciously
telling the Universe what I want more of so that it knows what to send my way.
The reality is that we are always telling the Universe what we want, but usually
we are doing it in an unconscious manner. I suggest that for the coming year
you make a commitment to doing it more consciously. You will be amazed at the results!
I feel that the best way to do this is by paying attention to what you are focusing
your attention on. If you want to be a super star at this, you will also do your
best to be conscious of what you are thinking about. Luckily, we have the ability
to control where we focus our attention, although I will be the first to admit that
it takes some effort and practice to do this.
When I go about setting intentions for the New Year, I take some time to reflect
on the past year.I find it easier to know where I want to go,
if I acknowledge where I have been.
Looking Back
As I look back over the past year, I take note of what has happened in my
business and personal life. I look at my relationships, money, my connection
to myself, and my health.
I ask myself these questions:
What has expanded?
Where have I grown?
What did not work for me? (What would be better?)
What would I like to be different?
What am I feeling good about?
What do I want more of?
What can I let go of?
Stick to the Facts
If you choose to do this yourself, I highly recommend keeping focused on
the simple factual answers to the questions, rather than the story around
why something did not work, or how it stopped you from being happy or
successful. The story is just the story and will not help you in setting
your intentions for the New Year.
Re-Focus Your Attention
When you ask yourself “What did not work for me? “, write the answers down
and then leave space to answer this question: “ What would be better?” .
When you answer the question “What would be better?” you are automatically
re-focusing your attention on what you DO want, rather than what you don’t want.
This re-focusing of your attention and energy is a powerful step in consciously
telling the Universe for what you want.
Amplifying the Energy
After I have finished reflecting on the past year, I take note of what I want
more of, what worked for me, and what would be better, and I imagine what it
would look like if I had all of those things in my life.
I play the Wouldn’t It Be Cool Game which goes something like this:
Wouldn’t it be cool if I had a long list of people who eagerly signed
up for all my classes and could not wait to work with me one-on-one so
that I could support them in really identifying the stories that stand in
the way of their success?
Wouldn’t it be cool if I discovered a cool, affordable, relaxed
space where I could hold workshops and events?
Usually, after asking myself these questions,I need a break. Some eggnog
seems like a good choice right about now! This is also the perfect time for
some fun and shenanigans.Once you are feeling refreshed you can get back to
creating your intentions.
To be continued………
Embracing Your Freakiness and Making Money Too
Posted by: | CommentsHere is an awesome guest post from one of the co-founder’s of the Freak Revolution.They are experts at embracing what makes them different, creating connections, and living a life that totally rocks!
I hope that you enjoy it.
I’m Kyeli, and I am a freak.
I’m gay, I’m a witch, I’m polyamorous, I’m fat, I’m covered in
tattoos, I’m a geek, I unschool my son, I have piercings, I’m a
writer, and I’m an entrepreneur. Oh! And I’m leading a revolution.
I’ve been persecuted for each flavor and for all flavors of my
freakitude. I’ve lost friends and family. I spent over a decade
hiding in the closet, trying desperately to appear normal, to be
something I’m not – to be many things I’m not. But in the end, the
lying and the self-deception proved too much for me, and I burst out
of all those closets and ran wild.
Figuratively. I’m not much of a literal runner.
Bursting out of all those closets was actually a very slow, gradual
process. I had to do a lot of self-work and discovery before I could
even crack the door, let alone start being open and loud about it.
But slowly, gradually, I got more and more secure in myself which
allowed me to get more and more secure in being out.
Now I’m out all over the place. My labels are all loudly proclaimed
in all my online profiles. I quit my desk job that was eating my soul
and started my own business with my lovely wife and cohort, Pace.
(She’s even more freaky than me!)
How do we make any money, being so freaky?
We’re open. We’re honest. We reach out to people and make
connections. We make time for people. We talk about our lives and
our journeys. And we focus on other freaky people.
If you’re freaky – even if you’re just a little freaky – you don’t
want someone who won’t understand you helping you. We can’t connect
with people we have nothing in common with, no matter our intentions.
So we open ourselves up and reach out to others like us, in some way
or another, so we can connect and help and make a living doing what we
love.
But I think the biggest secret is the most simple thing: we really care.
We really care about people.
We really care about helping.
We really care about connection, about self-growth, about making the
world a better and more loving place.
When you pour your heart into your work, people notice. When you fly
your freak flag, your right people will turn up – and your wrong
people will turn away. Stepping fully into yourself is the surest way
to success, no matter your path.
Bio:
Kyeli is the co-leader of the Freak Revolution (alongside her
wife, Pace), a community of passionate world-changers with alternative
lifestyles and more importantly, alternative mindsets. The two of them
are passionate about changing the world in ways that foster connection
over control, authenticity over conformity, and love over fear. They
have just released 52 Weeks to Awesome, a 52-week long course with one easy-to-implement mission
per week to help you be even more awesome!
