Masterful Mindsets

“Grow through what you go through.”

Well, spring is here! My family is home for spring break, and we are busy planting, playing, loving and working. In other words, we are enjoying life.

Although the reality is, life can be chaotic and full of hardships, disappointments, and trials. I was thinking about this recently as my youngest daughter is nearing the end of her senior year. Time has flown by, and we are about to embark on a new chapter of our lives. That’s a challenge for me because I know she will be leaving soon. But instead of choosing to stay stuck; rejecting change, and resisting the future, I went through a process that I want to share with you today. I set into motion a series of steps that have pushed me past the bittersweet pain that change often brings and on to making the most of the life I have while I work towards embracing the future that is before me.

In general, it can be easy to get stuck in the trap of...

“Sometimes we get so caught up in trying to accomplish something big, that we fail to notice the little things that give life it’s magic.”

I don’t know about you, but I think it’s pretty easy to take for granted how important the little things in life really are. I’m guilty of doing it at times and I’m betting you are too. Think about it…

How often do you take the time to acknowledge and appreciate the little things that bring magic to your life?

So many people think that if they could just make something big happen then their lives would be fulfilled. Whether that is getting a promotion, finding love or some other great destiny they have planned for their lives. Now don’t get me wrong, those big things are awesome! And having goals to create the life you desire is always good. But what happens all too often is we focus so much on those big things that we forget to acknowledge and be thankful for the little things.

Without...

"If the only prayer you say in your life is thank you, that would suffice."  ~Meister Eckhart

Thanksgiving is always a time when we are reminded to be thankful for the blessings in our lives, so I didn't want to pass up the opportunity to begin this week’s Masterful Mindset by telling you how truly grateful I am that you have chosen to allow me to be a part of your life. I value you as part of my community and am so thankful that we are connected.

Now, on to this week's thoughts:

I recently spoke at an event and shared some of the key concepts I live by, that have helped me create a life I can celebrate every day. One of those concepts is to live with gratitude and hope.

So, this week's quote is something that I often refer to in my own life because there are so many times when I am overflowing with how blessed I am, that prayers of gratitude are literally the only prayers I need to make.  And likewise, there are some times when I’m overwhelmed with...

"We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop."  ~ Mother Teresa

Do you often feel like nothing you do really matters? Do you feel like you're fighting a losing battle - one step forward and two steps back? In today’s climate, it can be easy to lose all hope for the future - for your future, the future of those around you and the future of the world.

But don't lose heart! What you are doing does matter! Every single action, no matter how big or small, matters. It may be hard to see at first, but with consistent action, you will see change.

My family and I love to vacation in warm climates which might be because this time of year we often find ourselves surrounded by snow! And I don't really like being cold. I'd much rather be lying on a beach, basking in the sun and playing in the ocean. I remember the last time we got away to spend a few days doing just that...

It was a great trip. So...

"The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is the energy you bring to every moment." ~ unknown

Throughout this month we’ve been exploring different and perhaps less widely recognized, aspects of energy. Beginning with how releasing negative emotions can increase positive energy. Then we looked at the influence your energetic presence has on other people and on to the power of focused energy. Finally, last week I shared some of the sneaky bad habits that drain your energy.  

Now I want to give you a bonus, as we wrap up this month-long discussion on the power of energy and the pivotal role of energy in achieving high performance and success. Because as I mentioned at the beginning of this series, there are different types of energy that impact our lives, both individually and collectively. And in our fast-paced, demanding world, being able to maintain optimal levels of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual energy is not just a...

“Positive emotional energy is the key to health, happiness and wellbeing. The more positive you are, the better your life will be in every area.” ~Brian Tracy

This month we’ll be focusing on Energy because I want to help you understand just how important energy is to your overall happiness and success.

I’m fairly certain most people don’t take care to maintain near high enough levels of energy. The majority don’t even realize just how many different types of energy we carry. For most people, when they hear talk of energy, the first (and often only) thing they think about is physical energy or physical health. And yes, that is extremely important. However, that is only one facet of our energy that we must care for. So instead of kicking off this topic with that most common, physical energy (even though of course, improving our physical wellbeing is essential) I want to begin with something different that you might not even be aware of.

See, in...

“There are hidden blessings in every struggle. Be grateful for every blessing both hidden and apparent.” ~unknown

Years ago, I was speaking to a fellow coach who believed that hardships and tragedy are things we should embrace and even love. Now I will admit that I completely balked at that idea. I mean seriously, “love tragedy”? Nope. After all, I’ve experienced a lot of hardship and loss in my life and have worked with clients throughout the years who have endured tremendous struggle and unthinkable tragedy so I was not convinced that any of those things were something we could love.

But what I do believe, is that although we might not be able to get to the point of loving what has happened, we can in fact look for the gift in those experiences and love those gifts. Because hidden in every experience we have – the good and the bad – there is a gift given to us. And if we can identify the gifts and be grateful for them, then we can...

“Another day, another blessing and another chance at life. Take nothing for granted and think of every breath as a gift.”  ~ unknown

As you know, if you’ve been following along the past few weeks, I’ve been focusing this month’s posts on Gratitude. Gratitude is a powerful thing. So much so that it can actually boost your happiness by up to 25%. So today, I want to explore the power of focusing on the gifts and blessings that we often overlook so that instead, we can make certain we take time regularly to look at them through the lens of gratitude.  

It can be easy to take people, experiences, and things in our lives for granted. But to practice gratitude from a higher level of consciousness, we must not take things “for granted” but rather see them “as granted”. This small shift in language creates a powerful shift in mindset and moves us from an attitude of entitlement to humility. And even if we...

“Let us be thankful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” ~Marcel Proust

If you live in the US, odds are you’re preparing for the Thanksgiving holiday tomorrow. Which can mean many different things for people. For some it’s no more than an excuse to eat and drink too much. Or a much-needed day off from work. But for most people, it’s a day to get together with family and friends to remember what we are most thankful for. And if you’re lucky, the two go together… the people you’re with are in fact what you are most thankful for. So, as we prepare for this day of thanksgiving… why not use this as a time for reflection and sharing with those we truly are grateful for.

Going back to the research I’ve been sharing with you over the last couple of weeks from Robert Emmons, who wrote the book Gratitude Works! I want to share another idea for how you can practice gratitude...

“It is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful.” ~David Steindl-Rast

Last week I gave you an interesting statistic on the power of gratitude… I shared that people who have a gratitude practice of writing down at least 5 things they are grateful for once a week can boost their happiness by as much as 25% in as little as 10 weeks. Which is a compelling statistic in and of itself. But today I want to share a few more facts with you about the power of gratitude. (Just in case a 25% increase in happiness isn’t enough to convince you that it’s worth it to have a gratitude practice.)  

So Robert Emmons, who is one of the world’s leading researchers on the science of gratitude along with his colleague Mike McCollough were the first researchers to discover the profound benefits of gratitude through their studies.

What they found was that people who regularly cultivate gratitude “experience a multitude of...