Masterful Mindsets

“I’ve learned that you can’t have everything and do everything at the same time.” ~ Oprah Winfrey

Throughout this month I’ve given you several simple but powerful ideas to intentionally incorporate self-care into your life, in an effort to help you let go of the tension, stress and overwhelm that life seems to hand us on a regular basis.

But all that I’ve given you are just theory and words if you don’t put it into practice. So, it’s time for a little accountability check right here… How intentional have you been? Which of the practices have you tried? Which have you started consistently using? If you don’t like your answers, read on… because I have three BONUS ideas for you to help you level up your intention so you can let go of tension.

Consistent – Consistency is the key to creating new habits. If you aren’t consistently practicing the concepts I’ve shared with you or started your own self-care practices, it will be difficult to sustain the new habits you’re trying to creat...

“Begin each day with a little courage, a little curiosity and a little spring in your step.”  ~ Doe Zantamata

What excites you and gives you a little spring in your step? Are you doing these things regularly? If not, then what are you waiting for?

It’s so easy to go through life on auto pilot. Following a mundane routine, day in and day out. But what if you had the opportunity to make life a little more exciting? What would make you happy and put a little spring in your step today or this week?

If you find yourself living by the “When-Then Principle” as I like to call it, then I want to invite you to reevaluate what’s really important to you and make a plan to change the way you are living.

So, you ask… what is the “When-Then Principle”? Well, it’s that rule of life that you follow when you find yourself always saying, “When I __________ then I’ll __________” You can fill in the blanks any way you like. When I make more money then I’ll be happy. When I finish this project then ...

“No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow.”  ~Proverb

Living in Colorado we have a saying, “If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes, it’ll change.” And springtime here is certainly guaranteed to make that statement ring true. It’s this time of the year when one day it can be a beautiful warm, sunny, spring day and the next - a huge storm bringing freezing temps and several inches of snow. It’s during this time that we start to feel like winter will never end. But, just like this week’s quote, no matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow.

So, what does this have to do with Masterful Mindsets and more importantly, life?

Well, it is a sign of hope! And not just hope for warmer days. But hope for new beginnings. It’s a reminder that in the dark, dreary, cold spaces of your life, you can still have hope that no matter how long that period lasts, a new season of life will come and with it, new growth, promises of warmth and renewed beauty in your lif...

“You are enough, you are so enough, it’s unbelievable how enough you are.” ~Sierra Boggess

Last week I shared three common negative thoughts that frequently emerge when someone is pushing outside their comfort zone, facing a challenge, or struggling in some way. But quite honestly, none of them would likely crop up if they weren’t rooted in the mother of all sabotaging beliefs.

What is that belief? Well think about it for a second and then read on…

The mother of all sabotaging beliefs is: “I am not good enough!”

Yep, if you dig deep into your negative thoughts, odds are high you will find most limiting beliefs and fears are rooted in the assumption that in some way, shape or form, you are not good enough to handle whatever it is you are facing.

Don’t believe me? Try this little exercise the next time you find negative thoughts popping up in your head… If you ask the question “why” after your thought, what would be your answer?

Now the initial answer might not sound exactly l...

"The best self-help must always begin with self-compassion." ~ Margie Warrell

Last month I confessed to you that I am a recovering perfectionist. And like so many of the people I work with who are high performers, we do tend to walk a fine line between having a desire to perform at a high level and trying to be perfect. But striving for progress rather than striving for perfection can actually free you to be your best self rather than getting paralyzed by the pressure of perfectionism.

It is my hope that after reading the article I wrote on this topic last month, you decided to make the shift with me. But, now what? Maybe you’ve tried and then found yourself back in old patterns if being hyper-critical of yourself, feeling like you must prove your worth, overachieving and striving to be perfect once again…  

If that’s true, then this article is for you because now it’s time to help yourself step into this new way of being, beginning with having self-compassion. Yes, as our quote...

“Always be yourself, unless you can be a ninja, then always be a ninja.” ~unknown

As I was preparing to write this week’s blog post, I was feeling a bit stuck for an idea. So, I did what I sometimes do when stuck, and that is read old articles I’ve written in order to find a subject for inspiration. (I could honestly fill a book with all I’ve written in the last 18+ years of delivering weekly articles/blog posts to you.) In addition to ideas for topics, sometimes it’s just fun to read through them again because many include stories of what was going on in my life at the time. Ummm… yes, I realize this is possibly border lining on procrastination because I’m stuck. But that’s not the point of today’s post. LOL - Instead, what I want to tell you about is a post I wrote clear back in 2009. (And yes, this one involved a personal example.)

See, since it’s October and Halloween is just around the corner, I was thinking about writing something on the topic of fear. But I couldn’t quite ...

“It’s your road, and yours alone. Others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you.” ~ Rumi

Have you ever found yourself enviously comparing yourself to others or wishing you had someone else’s life instead of focusing on your own life’s path? When you try to follow someone else’s path, it can be uncomfortable and frustrating. Why? Because you are your own person. Every experience you have is uniquely yours because you are unique. Sure, you can model after how others do things, you certainly don’t have to reinvent the wheel but trying to fit a square peg in a round hole will surely only end in disappointment for you. True happiness comes when you free yourself to be yourself. And you find your true power when you start taking actions to move yourself along your own path.

So, do what fits you… do things your way, with your own twist. March to the beat of your own drum, listen to the rhythm of your own heart and know what you desire most - then start walking your road to...

“The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you aren’t going to stay stuck where you are.” ~Unknown

I often work with people who come to me because they feel very stuck in their lives. They either feel they have no choice about changing their current circumstances or they feel that despite their actions, nothing is changing.

Can you relate to either of these scenarios?

My guess is, that you can! Why? Well because at some point or another, I think we can ALL relate to feeling stuck. But the good news is, there is a way you can move from feeling stuck to striving! 

So first, the simple truth of feeling you have no choice is this… you ALWAYS have a choice. Even if it doesn’t feel that way. Now I get it, sometimes you might feel stuck because the choice is hard. Or maybe you have made a choice to stay stuck because the benefit in some way, outweighed the consequences. Or staying stuck where you were felt “less hard” than striving to make a change.

No one can judge ...

“Do something every day that scares you.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

When was the last time you tried something new for the first time? I posed this question to my Tuff Chicks Group recently because I think it is important to try new things, be open to change, challenge yourself and of course, as the featured quote says, do something that scares you!  

I was speaking with my own coach recently (Yes, coaches have coaches – the process works! So why wouldn’t we?!?!) and was asked to rank how much I feel I challenge myself and to name something I’ve done lately that has pushed me out of my comfort zone. It was kind of interesting because at first I was being really hard on myself and then I began to think of several occasions recently when I’d stepped out of my comfort zone to take a risk, learn something new and challenge myself big time with a huge project. Doing the exercise made me feel really proud, because stepping out of my comfort zone is something that I try to challenge myself to...

 “The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are.” ~John Pierpont Morgan

How often do you find yourself dancing with indecisiveness about what your next steps or actions will be in your life? I will admit there have been times when I’ve felt stuck and hesitant to take a step forward into something new. The fear of uncertainty and failure can be paralyzing if you aren’t careful. But sometimes all it takes to move forward is the decision that you are ready to take that first step and the certainty of knowing that no matter where it takes you, you’re going to be alright.

I remember as a little girl growing up, my grandparents used to say, "Watch out for that first step. It's a doozy.", which I always thought was funny. But I was not lost on the fact that what they were actually saying, was to be careful because that first step could be tricky, difficult or even dangerous. And if you weren't careful, you could trip and fall. It was ...