My Journey Back to Light

Life is full of limitless opportunities and everyone gets to choose their own path. We have the amazing ability to design our own lives by the thoughts we choose to think, our attitudes, our beliefs, and ultimately our actions. It's easy to get caught up in our day to day lives, our jobs, our kids, paying bills, making dinner, laundry, homework, etc. and forget the awesome power we possess.

It's like someone is slowly turning the lights out on our dreams. Our eyes gradually adjust to the darkness and that becomes our new normal. We don't even realize we have been in the dark all that time until one day someone or something "flips the switch" and gives us a glimpse of the light. It's scary, shocking, and maybe even a little painful for our eyes to take in all that bright light. Often, our first instinct is to turn the light back off as quickly as possible.

But now that we've seen the light, the darkness becomes darker than ever before. The darkness in no longer a comfortable place for us because we realize there is another way. We realize there is so much we are missing out on because we couldn't see clearly while we were sitting in the dark. We want desperately to get back to the light.

But do we really?

Nothing is clear anymore. We begin to question how things are in our life. We can either step out of our comfort zone and start making different choices and moving towards the light or we can attempt to run backwards, back into the darkness, and pretend that everything is still the same. Like it was before we had a glimpse of the light, before we knew our life is of our making.

However it is impossible to go back to how it was before we knew. Because now we know. We know there is more to life than what we have been living. We know that we can make different choices and get different results. We know that the power to change our life is within us and that it has been all along. 

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out.

Change occurs from the inside out.

All of these statements are true.

I know from experience.

Over the last year and a half I have been on a journey from sickness to health, from fat to thin, from darkness to light.

While my transformation started out as physical, it has become so much more than that for me. It has become about finding my inner strength. It has become about seeing myself as more than I am right now. It has become about endless opportunities for my personal growth and development. It has become about stepping outside of my comfort zone and into the light.

This is just the beginning of my journey... My journey to transform my life from something mediocre into something extraordinary.

My hope, as I continue on this path, venturing outside of my comfort zone, is to inspire, encourage, and empower others to do the same. It is my hope that I will meet others along the way who have chosen to take that first step towards realizing their dreams. Others who are ready to take that first, courageous step out of the darkness and into the light. My hope is to meet you...

What's YOUR dream?

Gratitude

As a follow up to yesterday's post, The Monday Blues, today's post will focus on gratitude.

Yesterday we whined. Today we will be thankful.



No one can be happy all the time. We will always have our moments, or a series of moments, when life has us run down. In the midst of those moments it is easy to find ourselves feeling frustrated and being flooded with negative thoughts. It is a well known secret that our thoughts directly impact our emotions.

By changing our thinking we can change our outlook on the world, and in turn, we can change our life! 

After a rather rough start on Monday morning, I changed my thinking and over the course of the day good things began to happen. When I am in a rut, I stop and think about all of the things in my life for which I am most thankful.

Here is my list, in no particular order..

My Husband
My Children
My Mother
My Sisters
My Family
My relationship with God
My real life friends
My 'twitter friends'
A healthy family
A beautiful home
A stable job
My education
Freedom

I could go on and on listing the material possessions that I am thankful for, but mostly I am thankful for the wonderful people in my life and for the things that you can't put a price tag on.

The amazing thing about gratitude is that when you are grateful for the blessings in your life, more and more blessing will be given to you. Before you can get what you most desire in life, you must be grateful for what you already have.

What are you thankful for? I invite you to comment on this post and share your thoughts.

Life Coaching - New and Exciting OR New-Agey and Not for You?

Ever since I was a child I knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. I used to read the Peanuts Comic Strip. Lucy was my favorite. When people would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would say "An Advise-Giver". An advise-giver. Simplistic words out of the mouth of a child. Those words still ring true for me today.

I want to help people live better lives.

There were times along life's journey that I got lost and strayed from my path, but I have always ended up back at the same spot. My purpose in life is to help others.

I suppose that is what has drawn me to the social work profession. When I entered college it was my goal to become a psychologist. My undergraduate degree is in psychology. I loved it! I still love it! For me there is nothing more interesting that figuring out (well really theorizing about) how someone's mind works.

My goal was to become a therapist. In college I learned that if you go the psychology route you couldn't work independently until you obtained your PhD. So I decided to go the social work route. I've now worked in the field of children and families for over five years. But, my current job does not involve direct practice. And I miss, really miss, working with people.

Everything and everyone in life has a purpose. I am a firm believer in "what's meant to be, will be". It's easy for me to look back on my life and 'connect the dots', so to speak, and see how each event in my life has lead me to the next. Also, the older I get the more "aha" moments I have - meaning something comes up in my current life and I can look back, view my past in a different light, and say "oh, that's why God lead me to have this or that experience".

Some of you may have read about the Transforming My Life Project I am working on in my own life. One of the things I am currently being drawn to is the concept of Life Coaching. Basically a life coach is a cross somewhere between a cheerleader, spiritual leader, and a therapist. Life Coaching is NOT therapy though. Life Coaching, to me, is about guiding people through a process of self-discovery and helping them to develop the immense potential that they have always possessed.

I would (will?) make an excellent life coach.

There is one thing about life coaching that turns me off concerns me. It is not a board certified, skilled profession. Don't get me wrong, to be a good life coach you must be skilled at it, I'm sure. And there are agencies that proclaim to train and "certify" life coaches. Most of them probably do an outstanding job. Still, it is not globally recognized as a profession. For example, you can't go to college and get a degree in life coaching.

It concerns me that anyone can set up shop and proclaim themselves a 'life coach.' But I am truly considering doing just that. The difference, I rationalize, is that I am trained. I am skilled in my profession. I am educated about human development, mental health, the stages of change, and so on.

Please don't get me wrong. I am not saying that if you are a life coach and your training is not in psychology, or social work, or clinical counseling, that your skills are not of value. It's just a fine line. Life coaching is a relatively new field that is still in the evolution process.

Life Coaching, to me, is an exciting concept, I think I could do great things with it and truly help people to better their lives. I am a passionate person. I am passionate about life. I am a genuine person. I could never practice something that I didn't truly believe in. When I do something, when I commit to something, I jump in one hundred percent.

I think becoming a life coach could be a new an exciting way for me to fulfill my life's purpose. But, I'm still on the fence about it. Would you ever go to a life coach? If the person was trained? If they've developed a solid program that would lead you through a journey of self-discovery? If their fees weren't totally outrageous? New and exciting? Or, new-agey and not for you?

Transforming My Life Project Day 10: Aligning Yourself With Your Higher Power

This post is partially inspired by Katie over at Sluiter Nation and her most recent post called I Saw the Sign. Katie's post talks about the universe being full of signs and if we don't pay attention to those signs, they get bigger, more pronounced, until they get so big that you have no choice, but to pay attention to them.

This makes sense to me. In life there are lessons we are supposed to learn. That is why we are here. I believe in God and practice my faith through the Catholic religion. Although, I don't follow, or necessarily agree with, every single tenant of the religion; I get a lot out of going to church and practicing my faith. I pray - usually daily, but to say I pray every single day would be a lie.

When I pray, I thank God for all of the blessings in my life. Then I pray for others and ask God to help them through whatever current life challenge/task they are facing. Next I pray for the things I want for me, my life, and my family. Finally, I ask God to help me to do his will and to help me recognize what He wants me to do. Basically, I ask Him to help me see the signs he is putting before me and to help me follow His lead.

Currently, my life is focused on change. Through the Transforming My Life Project I plan to dramatically change my current life situation over the course of the next year. A key ingredient in the Transforming My Life Project is the Law of Attraction. I truly believe that there is something to this law. It has worked for me in the past and it will work for me again.

The Law of Attraction says that people create their own reality through the power of thought. According to the law, whatever your dominant thoughts are about will be reflected in your life. Your current life is a reflection of your past thoughts and feelings. If you want to change your life, then change your thinking. The power of positive thinking can work miracles. When you think about what you want as though it is already yours, then the universe will realign itself to make your dreams become reality.

Initially, I thought The Law of Attraction was some new-age bullshit and stood in stark contrast to The Law of God. Now, after reading The Secret five times, and finding my way back to the church (another blog post entirely), I think that The Law of Attraction is actually a way of 'breaking down' what following God is all about - Faith, Hope, and Love. 

Ask. When you pray, you are essentially asking for God to grant your wishes. The Law of Attraction says, that when you think, you send off a frequency into the universe, and the universe responses by giving back to you things or experiences that are aligned to that frequency.

Believe. The key to The Law of Attraction is believing - Faith.

"Whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." Matthew 21:22

"What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." Mark 11:24

The Law of Attraction says that when you believe, the universe will realign itself to bring you what your heart desires. The universe, in these terms, sounds, to me, a lot like The Holy Spirit - God's invisible presence on Earth. The Holy Spirit is the means by which God answers our prayers.

You may be asking, if this is true, if God (or whatever Higher Power you believe in) is making your thoughts/intentions/dreams become reality - then why is it that not all of your prayers are answered? I believe that your prayers are not answered, your thoughts don't become reality, when you are not aligned with God (Your Higher Power).

 Receive. Feel good about yourself. Feel good about your life. Be grateful and thankful for the many blessings God has given you. By getting yourself on the frequency of gratitude and thanks you are opening yourself up to receive all the gifts God has in store for you.

Faith. Have Faith that God will provide. Look for the signs. See what God wants you to do. Align yourself with God.

Hope. Have Hope for the future. Hope that your thoughts/dreams/intentions will be returned to you through the power of The Holy Spirit.

Love. Of these, the greatest is love. Love is the frequency of receiving. Love breeds acceptance. Love God. Love yourself. Love your family. Love your neighbors. Love your enemies.

Transforming My Life Project Day 5: I Have Officially Started Writing my Book Proposal

Yesterday, I officially started my book proposal with the working title of, A New Breed of Mom: Motherhood for the New Millennium! This book has been my brain-child for a long time and it is finally starting to take form! It has always been my dream to write a book and last November, amidst the hustle and bustle of my day to day life, it hit me! I am a New Breed of Mom. Different than other moms that have come before me. BOOM! Book idea!

That is why I started this blog - to reach out to other mothers and make connections with other strong women who are asking the same question as me: How do I achieve balance in my life? Life today is so hectic and crazy and as moms we feel the pressure to keep up with the Jones' and try to do it all! Since starting this blog I have also become addicted to Twitter. Through Twitter, I have met so many fabutastic mothers. (Yes, I just invented that word.) To get the full story click here.

Since starting this blog I have committed myself to Kissing My Comfort Zone Goodbye and Dreaming Big! Even after putting my intentions down in writing, I was still somehow stuck. I got caught up in the day to day and poured a lot of energy into this blog and writing articles for a couple other sites.

Life just keeps on going! What you do with it is up to you! Time passing is inevitable. One day it will be 5 years from today. You can make changes in your life over the next five years or you can continue to do the status quo and when 5 years rolls around your life will be exactly the same as it is today. Now that's some food for thought!

Five days ago, after reading the book The Secret for like the fifth time, I decided to embark on the Transforming My Life Project. The Secret teaches us how to use the law of attraction to make our dreams become reality! When you first read it and hear the concept that our thoughts create our lives, it may seem like hocus-pocus, new-age crap. BUT it works!

Through the Transforming My Life Project I will stay on task to achieve my dream of writing and publishing my book. My book will be an inspirational guide to help other mothers achieve their dreams!

Transforming My Life Project Day 2: Happiness is a State of Mind

People spend their whole lives searching for happiness. It is common to hear people say, "If only I had more money, time, power, influence, children, a house, a new car, etc. etc.,..." then I would be truly happy.


Happiness does not come from material things. True, we may feel happy when we get something new, but it is not really that material object that is making us happy. It is our perception of the material object that makes us happy.

Put simply, we are happy when we think we are happy.

And, guess what?

As humans, we have this amazing gift to control what we think! This means that if we think happy thoughts we become happy. By finding the positives in any given situation, we draw more positive experiences into our life.

Positive thoughts lead to positive life experiences. Have you ever heard the saying, "Fake it til you make it!" or "The power of positive thinking."? Happy people are happy because they find the positives in any situation. They control their thoughts - only allowing those positive juices to flow. Happy people are charismatic. They are like a magnet attracting more positive people and positive energy into their lives.

The reverse is true too.

Negative thoughts lead to negative life experiences. Have you ever heard the saying, "Misery loves company." or "Birds of a feather flock together."? It's true. If you surround yourself with negative people and overwhelm yourself with negative thoughts, then you are creating a negative (and miserable) reality for your life.

The choice is yours! Take charge of your thoughts, take charge of your life! Think happy, be happy! Only you have control over your own happiness.

Transforming My Life Project: Day 1

I am a believer in The Law of Attraction. In February 2007 my mother bought me the book, The Secret. The book explains the law of attraction and how to use in to attract the things you want in life. Basically, it tells people how to live life by design.

The book quotes Bob Doyle, Author and Law of Attraction Specialist, stating, "Basically put, the law of attraction says that like attracts like. But we're really talking at a level of thought."

The book goes on to explain how through the law of attraction, your thoughts are manifested in your life. The become real. You can think your life into existence. By sending your thoughts out the universe, you are telling the universe this is what I want.

Initially, I was very skeptical of this book. I read it. It was interesting. I tucked it away.

Then, later in the year, I pulled it out and read it again. I was ready for a change. My life was at a plateau. I had graduated with my Masters Degree and my life had no "next big thing" in sight. I need goals. I am a goal-oriented person and without a "next big thing" to strive for I feel unfulfilled.

After reading The Secret a second time, in the fall of 2007 I made a list of what I wanted in my life and tucked it away in a book.

My list looked like this:

Husband
More Kids
House
Vacation (to the beach)
Jewelry
Wealth
New Job

Would the law of attraction work? Every day I would tell myself inspirational thoughts. I would dream of the life I wanted. I made a very detailed list of all the qualities I wanted in a husband. I envisioned myself drinking margarita's on the beach. I saw myself walking into a beautiful house that I owned.

For Christmas that year, one of my gifts was jewelry. Then, in January of 2008, I met my husband on Match.com. We emailed and talked on the phone for 3 months before we met in person. We had our first date on March 1, 2008. We would have made a date a couple weeks sooner, but I had a vacation planned. My friend, Matt, had invited me to join him on his vacation to Riviera Maya. His (kinda) girlfriend at the time, was not able to go with him so I scored the open spot!

In July 2008 we got engaged - engagement ring, more jewelry. My husband has a son, who now my stepson - more kids (although not be the means I had intended). In November of 2008 I got a new job. In February 2009 we bought a house. After we got married in August 2009, we went to Jamaica for our honeymoon - another beach vacation.

Almost everything on my list now exists in my life!

Looking back, self-doubt has been blocking me from achieving my dream of monetary wealth. So where does the infertility come from? I can vividly remember sitting in a matching conference with prospective adoptive parents who were struggling with infertility. They were heartbroken because they were not matched with the child in question. I thought to myself, "My heart goes out to this couple. I can't imagine what infertility would feel like. I wish I had this experience so I could relate better to them." That pretty much cinched it - thinking my life into existence. That is the first time I have ever shared that experience out loud.

Today I am starting my 'Transforming My Life Project'. One year from now my life will be different than it is today.

This is what my life will look like in a year:

My marriage is happy and thriving.

Our family is happy and thriving.




I work from home.

As a life coach.



We have a beautiful baby, possibly twins.

My book is published.



I make a lot of money.

This is what I drive.

I am thankful for my husband, my boys, my house, my job, and all the blessings in my life. I have achieved a lot. I am a powerful woman who is overflowing with potential. I will achieve my dreams. Over the next year I will post periodic update about the Transforming My Life Project and how successful it is.

If you are a believer in the law of attraction, or would like to be, then I invite you to participate in the Transforming My Life Project. It would be awesome to link up with other powerful women who are ready to transform their lives. We could start a mom revolution. (Seriously if you are interested in starting a project like this of your own, email me and we'll talk.)