Holy Cow! It's Cleaning Time!

It's spring, the time for getting rid of the old and bringing in new! Lots of that been going on here!

I'm talking about some serious emotional Spring Cleaning! Here's what was unearthed today ...

I am programmed to give and give and give and I have sucked (technical term) at receiving!!

That's right, today I uncovered an old deeply buried, incredibly false, but feels-like-true belief that goes something like this ... "I don't deserve for good things to happen." Ouch, that one hurts!

This surfaced because of work on a hot button issue - the giving and receiving of money!  Anyone else have issues in that department?  I've been working with this amazing coach Dave Blomsterberg and we've been working with the language of abundance. One thing he's been teaching me about is the infinite ebb and flow of money. To combat the years of negative self-talk, we've come up with a new mantra, which I've been repeating, "Money is for making good things happen."

But when I say it, I'd have this HUGE anxiety feeling around it .. HUGE! So I decided to examine this Big Hairy Spider belief that I don't deserve for good things to happen ...

First of all, how can anything fantastic sustain itself in your world, if you aren't open to receiving as well as giving!

So what to do? Change it! Learn about the beautiful balance that comes with gratitude of being open to both giving and receiving.

Dave teaches the language of abundance.  He always asks, what DO you want? Ok, so I flipped the afore-mentioned BHS belief into, "I deserve for good things to happen." Every time I say it my heart feels lighter. I deserve for good things to happen, I deserve for good things to happen!  Try it! You'll love it!

Bottom line, because I wasn't open to receiving all the good things the Universe was bringing me, I had a tendency toward self-sabotage. In the past, my language would have been, "I let go of the need to sabotage myself."  But that's speaking the language of lack ... Instead I replaced it with the language of abundance ... "I embrace my intuition, it makes me a success!"

It's a whole new world when you learn to receive as well as give! How you talk to yourself makes the difference between moderate success and total abundance! So speak positive words, think abundant thoughts, let all the good life has to offer in and enjoy this beautiful day!

You deserve your most amazing life ever!  For more information about how you can change your life with ONE SESSION, call or email at 818-889-1557 or dave@daveblomsterberg.com!

Positive Vibrations!

I'm giving off positive vibrations because I just did my first back to back cleanse days ... and am starting back to back 9 days!

Truthfully, for the past 6 months I've been slacking a little, ok, so maybe more than a little ... but the good news is, I managed to MAINTAIN the WEIGHT LOSS through probably the MOST emotionally challenging time of my life to date!  Life is good when you weather a hard Winter - Spring is that much sweeter!

So now I feel like I'm back on track ... Hurray for the Isabody Challenge 2011!  Anyone out there want to join with me? Summer's coming ... time to think bikinis, beach vacations, swimming pool parties ... Let's make this year the healthiest ever!

Let's start with a 9-day or a 30-day and watch the magic happen!

Cherry Blossom - An Omen of Good Fortune & Love

Every once in a while we all need to take a little time to play!

I walk past this cherry blossom tree every day and today after the storm, with the sun shining on it, I was so alive I had to take a picture. The cherry blossom is an omen of good fortune, love and affection. Who couldn't use more of that?

Somehow I think it's also about inspiration ... most people don't know this about me, but I am a budding artist. My best friend artist Carol Parks discovered that about me.

I remember the day we had the conversation ... I'm a writer, I insisted, no she said, you my friend are an artist. There are many way to be artistic, so shut up and embrace what you are! (She was always lovingly direct - no bullshit, she said, straight truth, then she'd look into your soul with her warm brown eyes.)

When I tried to argue, she held up her hand and said, trust me, my dear, you are what you are.  Best to not fight it!

That to was one of our many chats over green tea or a cuppa (what we called a latte). She passed away a few months ago and there's not a day goes by that I do not miss her wisdom, her wit and her undying devotion.

I guess I'm thinking about her more today because I'm going to my friend Beth's Mom's funeral. Something about death makes you want to feel more alive. So I listened to the voice whispering in my ear.  Paint, paint the cherry blossom tree!  And I did ... And you know what, I feel better.

My advice for today is to take a few moments and forget about what you should be doing and think for a moment about what you want to do - what your heart is calling you to do.  Then trust your intuition and go forward without hesitation.

Life is short, so make it sweet!

Have a fantastic day!

At Odds with a Scale???

Ok, well today I had an interesting morning.  Went to swim and just as I'd worked up the courage to weigh myself (for those of you who don't know the scale and I have a long and tumultuous relationship), someone went near the scale and started using the blow dryer!

Crap, I thinking, I can't weigh myself now because Cheryl (that's the lady's name) is near the scale and she might see!  Seriously, I am not kidding when I talk about being damaged and the scale! LOL

Then this slender and willowy girl came and just hopped on the scale and weighed herself and that was when I caught myself thinking very bad thoughts about her! OMG! I was jealous! I hated her for being able to just get on the scale so easily (of course it was my assumption that it was easy ... that's the tape that played in my head)

So I realized, although I've come a long way, I still have an arduous road ahead of me. The scale is a thing and it's my nemesis?  Really???   That's deep!

Today I accept that's where I am on this journey to a healthy mind, body and spirit.  I am still at odds with this thing called a scale.  And that for today, has to be ok.  It is what it is!

So the tip for today is acceptance.  Practice it wherever you go ... life is good if you let it be!

Have a fantastic day!

(BTW - I am SO PROUD of my friend Poppy who gallantly gets on the scale and faces the numbers bravely head on.  She's managed to release 22 pounds and is looking AMAZING!   She's such an inspiration - love me some Nemo!) :)))

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Life After the Storm ...

Just a reminder, that whatever storm you are weathering will pass!

The Sun will come out and life will return to normal (whatever that actually means -  LOL)!

Have a beautiful day!

More Gratitude ....

Ok, so the message I'm getting from the Universe is more gratitude .... again.  I guess you can never have too much ...

First I turned to Mary Morrissey's "The Miracle Minute" and read that gratitude makes a measurable chemical shift in our bodies! Our immune system is more potent and everything works better! Speaking about gratitude actually amplifies the affects. 

Imagine that!?!

Then I go to Mindy's Heartlink meeting and I meet this incredible woman who sells the Amega wand - it's an energy healing wand that is nothing short of miraculous! Her name is Laura Snyder and she's gorgeous! Check out her wand at www.zeropointenergybalance.com! It's got to be tried to be believed! (Take it from a skeptic!!!)

Anyway, Laura's got this beauty about her that shines!  And I win something from her in the raffle ... they are hand made cards that say "I Love My Life" -- Again, they are designed for promoting and sharing gratitude! 

I've learned a long time ago when the Universe is trying to tell you something, you'd better listen! So there you go ... today let's go out and live gratefully! Share your passion with others!  There's someone out there who doesn't know it yet, but they are praying for you to come into their life! 

So be bold and share your magic and live in gratitude today! 

Gratitude Changes Everything

"As soon as you start to feel differently about what you already have, you will start to attract more of the good things, more of the things you can be grateful for." Joe Vitale 



This weekend is Valentine's Day, the day of love.  My friend Carol Parks taught me there is all kinds of love in the world.  


So don't just make the day about your sweetheart (although hearts and flowers and candies and jewelry are always lovely!!!) ... but make it about all those whose love and support has made your life better!  Look around and really FEEL gratitude for all the blessings those people have brought into your world!  Then have fun and celebrate life! 


I am grateful to have you all in my virtual universe! Please continue to spread peace and love for Egypt and all sentient beings! Love and Hugs to all!

Drama is Boring!

Brace yourself ... More drama ... it's all blah, blah, blah and totally boring, but some days it gets to me, you know?  And I have to work hard to let it go.

Anyway, I'm trying to take the high road and not let it get to me, but some days it does. Like today. I tried to go swimming and all the lanes were taken.  The fast lane was too fast for me, because apparently the stress of the last month and a half has given me asthma!   So I have trouble breathing and can't find a lane to swim in after a night of emotional eating when I really just needed to get into the water and work it out.

So instead I opted to walk home from the Y ... it's about a mile and it was freezing, but I didn't care.  I needed to clear my head. So here's what I ended up doing.

I came home and drew on my front walk with chalk ... nothing pleases my inner child more than to draw and write messages on my walk.  Today's what from Thoreau, "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined!"  Love that ... so I wrote it and drew a milagro just to clear my negative energy.

Then I started thinking about all the positive things in my life.  My friends, my support team - those who I call when I emotionally eat or am thinking about it, particularly Sally and Mindy.

Then my mind wandered to a First Tuesday meeting where I'd gotten the napkin with the Thoreau quote.
I'd gone with Mindy and met Marci Coles, incredible lady!  She'd had Mary Morrissey talk that night!  What a way to start the year!

This lady is amazing ... she says if you don't like the channel you're watching in you life, change it. Simple.

So I did just that today. I put my clothes on and grabbed my doggie and went for a long walk. Oh, but first I enjoyed the fantasy of throwing a candle against the wall. It's something I'd love to work into a screenplay someday.  I mean what's the use of being a retired drama queen if you can find a way to express anger and frustration at a totally shitty situation! So I got that out of my system, then I walked.

I am so happy I did.  The day was gorgeous ... it turned into a mini photo safari!  Here's the shots I got ...  the black crow actually posed for me!  Then got in the tree like, look at me!

Enjoy!

Swimming, Valentines Tea and a Trip to Halloweentown

This weekend was filled with all sorts of fun. First was swimming, which is a relatively new habit. Started in late December with Poppy!  It's changing our bodies!  We swim 5 times a week for an hour at the YMCA!  We love it!  So much fun!

If you remember this time last year, the thought of me going ANYWHERE, in a bathing suit, in public was .... well ... just not ever going to happen!  But then I stayed with the program and released about 70  pounds and counting and now, walking around almost naked is no big deal!  In fact it's kind of fun!

Talk about a total transformation!

This leads me to the second excursion of my weekend. In desperate need of last minute inspiration for Carol Park's Valentines Tea (Carol is my dear best friend who passed away last November, her daughter Amanda bravely went forward and carried on the 28 year old tradition!).  Anyway, driving through Burbank on the way to Michael's ... the craft mecca ... I spotted Halloweentown .... http://www.halloweentownstore.com/  it had Valentines decorations and my intuition said STOP HERE!  So I lived dangerously, made a U-turn in Burbank and did a bee-line for the shop!

Boy was I glad I did.  SO MUCH FUN!!!  I got this great book called French Postcards, An Album of Vintage Erotica.   It's definitely NOT Playboy ... they cards are truly art ... there just happens to be a few bums and boobs sprinkled here and there .... but it's so tasteful and fun! At this point in my life, I'm feeling much freer with my body, so figure why not show it off it you have it.  A woman's body is beautiful ... these women were not even close to perfect by today's plastic standards, but ooooh, la, la!  Such sensuality! Gotta love the French!

Finally the actual tea! It was at this incredible notions store called French General! https://www.frenchgeneral.com/

 I LOVE this place! I can't believe I didn't take pictures of all the jars of stones and glass and buttons and beads and bits and bobs!  All arranged by color!  Kaari and Christine are truly creative Muses!  Love you guys!

I thought I was gonna be sad at this tea, but instead it was a celebration of LOVE!  I did however do some emotional eating, but who can blame me when Sarah Hensley's scones and devon creme and fig and strawberries preserves are calling my name!

This is the beauty of Isagenix ... YOU CAN EAT!  YOU CAN ENJOY FOOD .... then hop right back into the shake, meal, shake rhythm and not gain weight.  There's a gorgeous element of control there!  LOVe it!

Ok, so apparently I've had a lot to say today.

It's the first week of the Chinese New Year - year of the rabbit!  Hope it's productive and happy!

Get the Funk Out!

Hello my friends!  I haven't written in a while because life has been turbulent. Life and death kind of turbulent!  I'll spare you the play by play, but suffice it to say, it could have left me in a GREAT BIG FUNK!  Like many of you, in troubled times my past pattern was to stuff, stuff, stuff my emotions down my throat!

But not this time!  This time I managed to survive, actually I am managing to thrive without completely losing it and gaining weight.  This is not to say I haven't slipped and eaten.  Last night the emotions got the better of me and between Taco Bell and Yum-Yum doughnuts, I just about made myself sick.

This morning I feel gross ... food hangover! But what are you gonna do?  I can't cleanse because that would be too radical ... what I can do is work really hard to do a shake meal shake combo, sans bloody mary's or mimosas!  Yes, I admit these past few months have resembled a stint on Desperate Housewives! LOL  I had to put a stop to that because I found myself turning to my new friend Absolut just a little too often!

Hey, anything to numb the pain, right? But here's what I learned.  Ok, so it's sort of a 'duh' thing, but ... when you drink or eat to solve your problems, it's only temporary. When you 'sober up' they are still there! Geez!  So what to do, what to do?

Stick to your program as best you as you can.  Don't fret if you aren't perfect.  Perfect is boring!

And, I have to credit my friend Poppy with this.  (Thank you and love you Nemo!!) I took up swimming. One of my favorite forms of exercise.  (and yes, losing 65 pounds gave me the courage to walk into a public arena in a bathing suit - that in itself is HUGE!!!)

But swimming has saved my life! In the water I become completely present. All the outside bullshit goes away and it's just me and my body stroking my way through the water.

So here's my advice for today. No matter what program you are working (I swear by Isagenix and become more convinced every day that it's THE answer), make it a lifetime thing.  Not a diet, a program.

And get out and exercise.  Challenge yourself to step outside your comfort zone.  Challenge yourself to change your patterns.  My pattern was feel bad, stay home and feel sorry for yourself. New pattern, feel bad, get out and do something.  See a movie, go for a walk, go for a swim ... call a friend.

Reach out! And get the Funk Out! Your life will be much better for it!

Have a fantastic day!!!