Masterful Mindsets

“Only you hold the key to unlock your true potential.” ~MW

Several years ago, I wrote an article that was inspired by a late-night TV commercial and my husband being the smart-aleck that he is.

Then a few months ago, I ran across this article while I was looking for inspiration again… The interesting thing is, this time when I read what I’d written, it nudged me to heed my own advice. Below is the original article. Have a quick read and then at the bottom, I’ll explain why this article coming across my desk recently was exactly the nudge I needed right now.

Do you have a flavor lock lid keeping all your potential inside?

I was watching late night TV the other night and wondering what I should write this month’s article about. Looking for inspiration, I asked my husband if he had any ideas. It just so happened, at that moment, there was a commercial for coffee that had a flavor lock lid to keep all the freshness in. So my loving husband, being...

“If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.” ~ Mother Teresa 

In the last several months, I’ve repeatedly spoken with others who are feeling a great need to do something to heal the current state of our world. Which is why I’ve been writing about this topic all month. And while I agree, our world is in dire need of healing, I also think that we can get so focused on what’s happening outside that we forget to look inside – inside ourselves and our own homes.

Don’t get me wrong, I do think it is important to do our best to be active parts of our community and support others with love and compassion, but sometimes we need to begin in our own space. Which is why when I saw today’s quote, it actually lit me up because it’s something I’ve been talking to several of my clients about. As a matter of fact, I recently told a group of women that I was working with, “If you want to change the world,...

"Your life is a journey of learning to love yourself first and then extending that love to others in every encounter."  ~Oprah

Last week I challenged you to double down on your goodness to others. Because quite honestly, our world needs to reconnect and embrace loving kindness as a consistent practice in order to begin to heal. But if you don’t love yourself or your life, it can be difficult to extend love to others. Think about it, those people in the world that are so hateful and mean… do you think they actually love themselves or their life? I’m guessing, no.  

Loving yourself plays an important part in how you show up in the world. Once you love and respect yourself, you can give to others from a heart full of love, respect, generosity and kindness. But if you don't have enough love for yourself or your life, then a couple things can happen.

Either you find you give what little you do have to others with no regard for yourself. This is what I call...

“Remember there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.” ~Scott Adams

Every year, for every holiday, birthday and special occasion, my mother-in-law sends us a care package. This Valentine’s Day is no different. Over the weekend I opened my mailbox to find a cute little package addressed to my family, full of cards and chocolates in honor of the upcoming holiday. It almost made me cry because I thought of the effort it must have required of her- to get to the store and then the post office, to ensure that we got this special package on time. (Some days I don’t even make it to my mailbox to mail a bill! Let alone do all she did.) She is willing to make that extra effort to show her love. And this is just one example of the little things she does all the time. So why am I telling you this (outside of the fact that I want you to know what a wonderful mother-in-law I have)?

Because I want to challenge...

“Words are just words until you put them into action. Then they can become the character traits that you live by.” ~ Michelle Weimer

“The freedom to be yourself is a gift only you can give yourself. But once you do, no one can take it away.” – Doe Zantamata

"Definition of Insanity - Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result." ~ Albert Einstein

"Strength of character isn’t always about how much you can handle before you break, it’s also about how much you can handle after you’ve broken." – unknown

"The truth of your character is expressed through the choice of your actions." ~ Steve Maraboli

Father’s Day is coming up so of course, it always makes me think about my dad. He passed away a few years ago and I miss him dearly. He was a man of great character and his actions always reflected that character. He had integrity. He was honest, hardworking, fair, reliable, responsible, loved his family deeply and he always showed resilience, perseverance and humility in the face of adversity.

Thinking about him, inspired me to share a new Masterful Mindset Series with you on Character. So for the next few weeks, please come along with me and invite others to join us, as we will be focusing on character. Because truly, I think we can all use a little tune-up in this area from time to time.

Character Traits are all the aspects of a person's behavior and attitudes that make up that person's personality. (Think “descriptive adjectives” here.) Everyone...

“You don’t have to be a “person of influence” to be influential. In fact, the most influential people in my life are probably not even aware of the things they’ve taught me.” ~ Scott Adams

If you were to think about the people who have been role models to you in your life, I would be willing to bet that the majority of them never really knew they were your role model. So now ponder that for a minute… How many people then, have you likely been a role model to that you have no idea you’ve influenced? Kind of gives you chills, right? I mean, think about how you show up every single day of your life. What are you modeling to others? What energy are you giving out that others are absorbing? What habits or behaviors do you model that someone else is likely learning from you? What mindset or beliefs is someone picking up from you that are becoming their own? And maybe the most important question… Is the model you are being worth...