Spiritual Guide | Inspirational Speaker | Lorraine Cohen

I’ve watched people suffering with health issues, money worries, and emotional suffering because they have been carrying around anger, blame, resentments, regrets and grudges for years.

How to tell when you haven’t fully forgiven?

• Current health problems, money struggles, relationship challenges.

How lovingly or unlovingly you treat yourself with kindness or harshness.

• Debt and financial struggles caused by past decisions.

• Relationships that feel unresolved.

• Revisiting/reliving painful childhood memories and past events that still negatively impact your life.

• How quickly and intensely you feel rage, anger, shame, and unworthy.

• The ways you sabotage your efforts (procrastination, busyness,destructive/addictive behavior, creating distractions and overwhelm..)

• How open your heart is to give and receive love.

• Feelings of righteous indignation that keep you stuck in victim consciousness.

There is ALWAYS a negative emotional energy charge

Which ones do you relate to?

You may believe you are better at forgiving others than yourself but the truth is that without self-acceptance and love, we cannot fully forgive anyone let alone ourselves.

Just saying you forgive another or yourself doesn’t make it so unless you embody the true essence of forgiveness. You cannot “think” yourself into “feeling” something. It’s an inner energy shift that happens in the heart NOT the mind.

What I have found is that when people are struggling with forgiveness the one they are the most upset with is THEMSELVES.  Being unforgiving towards yourself breeds self-hatred; separating you from your natural state of love and abundance.

Unforgiveness affects EVERYTHING - relationships, health, finances, success, your connection with the Divine.. Carrying pain creates a ton of stress that can powerfully compromise your health, wealth and happiness.

Forgiveness bring closure, inner peace and opens your heart to love again.

Forgiveness liberates you from suffering and return you to your nature state of abundance!

Forgiveness is freedom!

Your life is meant to be prosperous, meaningfull and joyfull!

On Wednesday,  October 23, I am leading a four week Journey through Forgiveness as part of my Pathways to Awakening Series.

Your life can begin to change in ways you cannot fully comprehend. That’s what happened for several people who came through the Forgiveness program several months ago and in the other Pathways to Awakening journeys.

Read their victories

I’ll show you how to take the next steps to liberate yourself!

Give yourself this gift and the world will also benefit from your act of self love.

Take advantage of the early tuition that expires Friday, October 18 at midnight EST. Choose from two payment options to make your registration easy.

2014 is coming fast. This may be one of the most important programs you attend this year to begin the New Year with power and passion!

Learn more about this life-changing program and sign up here

Love and blessings,

Lorraine

I awoke this morning with today’s article swirling around in my head. That’s how inspiration often comes to me from Divine inspiration.

I’ve had Self-Love on my mind and in my heart because I have been on a very deep journey of  “waking up” for the last few years. In fact what is true is that I have never felt more alive and aligned with my life path.

I am not the “me” I used to know or thought I was.  I am more aligned with my true nature and my prayers to have a deeper relationship with God have become a reality.  I believe one of the reasons I feel so much Grace and joy is because of my focus on self-love.

Love is our Divine nature and the Essence of the Divine. The absence of love separates us from who we are and God. Love is the bridge back “home.”

Below is a list of thirteen ways to love yourself which is really my list - the ways I love myself. This is a list that continues to expand as I do.

1. Commit to daily spiritual practices for stillness and communion with the God of your understanding. The relationship you have with your personal Divine is the most important relationship in your life. Prayer, meditations, journaling, inspirational reading, creating an altar, walks in nature, chanting, ceremonies and rituals…are all ways to deepen this most sacred relationship of love.

2. Ask for help when you need it. To be a great giver, you must also be a great receiver. Allow the people in your life to love you in return. And remember to invite the Universe to help – ask your angels, guides, Archangels, nature spirits… to be of service to you. Become helpless, which means acknowledging that you cannot do it all, all the time. Until you become helpless, God is helpless. “Let go and let God”.

3. Forgive yourself when you think, act, and do things in ways that are less than love. Each of us has done things that we regret, that have hurt another, or been unloving – resentments, jealousies, blaming, judgments…are expressions of inner pain. We cannot forgive absent of self-love and compassion.

4. Amend your inner self-talk. Become consciously aware of how you speak to yourself inside your head and what you repeat to others. Soften your language and choose words that treat YOU with love and respect. Look for ways to love your humanity rather than to condemn yourself.

5. Take responsibility for your thoughts, feeling and actions.  Be a great role model of integrity in the ways you choose to show up in the world. Make amends when you have messed up in your humanness, let go of the “blame game”, and look at life as a grand adventure for learning, creating, and evolving.

6. Make choices that allow your heart to be expressed. Giving permission for your creativity, passions, gifts, strengths, and talents to flourish opens pathways for greater happiness and prosperity. You might even feel your soul smiling with joy!  (I often do and it feels great!)

7. Set healthy boundaries and stick to them. Be willing to love yourself enough to say no and stop when you need to. Say yes when it feels right rather than from guilt or fear. Cultivate a courageous heart to teach people how to treat you by the ways in which you value yourself .

8. Surround yourself with emotionally safe people who positively support and love you.  Having a circle of friends who cheer you on, share your values, lovingly tell you the truth, kick you in the butt when you need it, celebrate your victories, compassionately listen (without fixing) when your heart is hurting can be a lifeline back to your true SELF on those days when LIFE feels hard.

9. Be willing to boldly go where you have never gone before. Dare to step out of your comfort zone to take those inspired leaps of faith that feel Divinely guided. Your soul would NEVER nudge you to do something that would put you in deliberate danger or cause you pain without purpose.

Doing the shadow work, inner child processes and walking through pain are pathways to liberation from the darkness of  past to the light of a brilliant future.

10. Do at least one thing every day that is personally pleasurable (I don’t mean something for another!).  Look for ways to nourish your mind, body and spirit. What makes you giggle with delight? What juices and excites you with joy?

11. Hydrate yourself with good, clean water.Invest in a high quality water system to nourish your body. Add a pinch of Celtic salt daily to strengthen water absorption in the cells of your body. You can be drinking plenty of water and still be severely dehydrated (I was!)

12. Eat healthy chocolate such as Xocai chocolate. If you are a chocolate lover, this particular raw chocolate is reported to have the highest antioxidant values on the planet. People regularly eating this chocolate have received miraculous benefits including ease with weight loss, reduction in joint pain, cardiac reversals, eliminating emotional overeating, heightened positive outlook….

13. Eliminate processed and fast foods. Choose organic, whole, and raw food options as often as possible. Consider the food sources you are putting into your body that can create future illness, aging, and affect overall well-being. Your body will thank you!

Exercise, getting regular dental and health checkups contribute to keeping your body at optimal health. How you physically feel affects every area of your life!

As you read this list, notice the ones you most relate to.

Which ones do you commit to regularly?

What would you add or change to be more self- loving?

The greatest wound that humanity suffers is a lack of self-worth.

The greatest gift you can share with others is love and it first begins with loving yourself! If you cannot truly love yourself, you really cannot love another with the full capacity of your heart.

It’s not your fault if you have difficulty being kind, compassionate, forgiving and loving with yourself. Your past experiences, your family dynamics, cultural conditioning has all shaped who you have become as a human being.

Withholding self-love is painful. It can feel like living in hell inside with no way out, because wherever you go, you take YOU with you.

What’s blocking your ability to be immersed in this love is within your grasp….

Ready to fall more deeply in love with yourself?

That is the opportunity I am offering you today.

On Wednesday, September 18, we begin a Journey into Self-Love for 4 consecutive weeks. This journey through Self-Love will provide opportunities to explore what love means to you, Divine Love, personal & inner integrity so that you can embrace your value and align with your true nature of love.

Register through Friday, September 13 midnight EST at a special tuition of $197. On September 14 the tuition goes up to $297.

What is unique about this program are the transformational meditations and deepening processes that are Divinely inspired and created right in the session. People report breakthroughs right on the calls!

Read about the program and the testimonials from past participants.

Imagine your testimonial there. What would you like it to say?

Learn more and register here

I believe it will be one the best investments of self- love you gift to yourself this year! And yes, you do desevre it!

Love and blessings,

Lorraine

In the late 80’s through the 90’s I was a psychotherapist in a recovery center counseling folks struggling with addictions and dysfunctional behavior. In addition to my client case load, I ran six weekly therapy groups, several lecture series, and many intensive retreat weekends.

I learned about courage and the capacity of the human spirit from thousands of my clients who survived under difficult, often horrific past experiences. They taught me so much about we become masterful at creating ways to sustain some sanity even if it is at the cost of losing our authentic self. And I couldn’t have found better guides who mirrored many lost parts within myself.

The 12-step program provides the path for people to begin to find their way home to who they are as children of God.  We’re all on that path home, whether we realize it or not. They were some of the most courageous people I ever met. They were willing to dig deep into pain and fear to free themselves from the prison of the past and the illusions of their mind with courage, faith, and trust.  And they weren’t doing it alone.

So, here we are in 2011 with so many changes happening in our lives and all around us. You can live in mental, psychological, physical, spiritual, and emotional prisons that keep you stuck in how you show up, or don’t show up in the world.

You might be in the midst of a lot of personal change that feels scary, threatening or perhaps exciting?

Common reactions to change

• Come out swinging and barrel through what’s happening (fight response)
• Run for the hills (flight response)
• Deer in headlights (frozen in fear)
• Addictions (stuffing your feelings)
• Denial (everything’s just fine)
• Feel excitement, wonder, and positive expectations…..?
• Or a combination of all of these at different time depending on your mood and energy

Are you living with pain and unhappiness, wishing your life would be better or different?

So, if you realized you were in a prison cell and the key was thrown to you, would you unlock the door and walk out?

Would you sit there and stare at the key?

Would you walk out briefly and then run back, locking yourself inside?

Guess what? You might be doing all of those things.

You might wonder…”Why would a person choose to stay in a situation that made them unhappy if they had a chance to escape? Who in their right mind wouldn’t jump at the chance to break out?”

You’re looking for logic?

Emotions are not logical. Cultural conditioning, past experiences, relationships, world climate, the media all influence us in how we think and feel and what we do.

Here are several reasons to stay locked in the cell:

• Familiarity feels safer. You have no frame of reference for life outside those walls “Better the Devil you know than the Devil you don’t”.
• Resignation and acceptance – this is as good as it gets.
• Fears of success, failure, the unknown…. Your ego is freaking out and thinks it’s going to die if you s-t-r-e-t-c-h out of your comfort zone and go the distance
• Unworthiness – the “enoughness” syndrome. You’re not good enough, smart enough, lovable enough….. (all past conditioning). You have conscious or subconscious beliefs that what you have is what you deserve.
• More fears…who will you be without _____? What would you have to give up and how would your life change?
• You can become so accustomed to living in pain that it becomes normal. In fact you might not even realize that you have any options to change…until you begin waking up!
• You’re getting something from staying where you. There’s a positive or negative payoff.

Consider lottery winners who blow the money and return to the life they had (or worse) because they have no idea how to think and live richly?

How about people who drop weight and quickly put it back on because they feel too vulnerable as a thinner person? Too much attention, feels, unsafe……

Or the person who bitches about their life situation and does nothing or very little to change it?

You built the jail

You hold all the keys to escape

What reasons and excuses do you use to stay where you are?

If you do take the steps to break out your jail, how soon do you quit and run back?

What are you really afraid of?

We’re in a massive change worldwide on so many levels. Spiritually, the energies on the planet are at a higher vibration and we are either in vibrational alignment or feeling out of sync. When you are aligned, feelings of love, peace, faith…prevail and you feel connected to your SELF and the Divine. When you are out of sync, fears, your imagination running wild, overwhelm, anger, frustrations…… can keep you twisted up inside in mind-created boxes, prisons…..a kind of familiar hell.

Your thoughts, words, and actions all create your current reality. Your outer world is a reflection of the person you have become. Every person and experience has been and always is in service to your personal growth and evolution. 

Are you using your mind to figure out what’s next rather than tapping into your heart for guidance and direction?

Are you listening to your intuition and inspiration to make decisions?

Are you taking inspired action or ones that are really motivated by fear?

Your mind and ego are instruments to be used by your soul to fulfill your life purpose, not the other way around! What part of you are you listening to and believing????? Your head or your soul and heart?

Your head and heart are about12 inches apart. Your head has the capacity to think and reason, not feel.

To live the life you were born to takes courage. If you are not doing the inner work to resolve the past, grow yourself as a person and deepen your relationship with God while evolving spiritually, all the strategizing in the world will not free you from the prison you live in. And you will fall short of actualizing the potential of the vision Creator has for you in this lifetime. The rewards include feeling more alive than you have ever felt before and seeing life through a new set of eyes - more confidence, peace, faith, trust, joy….

You can’t be a spectator to fulfill who you are meant to be. You must have the chops to jump in, roll up your sleeves, get messy, and walk the path to the glorious future that is calling you.

How can you be of service to the people who need your help if you are in hiding?

Can you hear your soul crying out to you?

Are you listening or turning a deaf ear?

Are you willing to do whatever it takes to free yourself?

Continuing to stay imprisoned by your fears, doubts, a painfull past, judgments, resentments, or regrets without resolution….can become a death sentence without parole. This is not the life you came in for! Stifling your authentic self can feel painfull and make your life feel empty. Denying your soul’s longing to express will begin to dim the light shining brightly within you.

Will you conspire to extinguish that light or have the courage to bust out and share your brilliance with the world?

If not now, when?

Join me on October 18 for Awakening Your Courageous Heart. Take a 15-week adventure journey with me to unlock the door to the prisons that hold you back from being more alive and conscious in your life. Strengthen your courage, faith, and trust to be the person you are meant to be.

Spaces are filling fast by people who are breaking out of jail. Experience the support of other parolees who are making a break for a different kind of life filled with more peace, love, prosperity, joy, abundance….

Are you one of them?

Early tuition expires on Friday, October 7.

Register now

Blessings,

Lorraine
www.yourcourageousheart.com

“To the man who only has a hammer in the toolkit, every problem looks like a nail.” -Abraham Maslow

A while back, my pal Anita Pathik Law wrote an article called “What’s Your Excuse?”

Here’s an excerpt that speaks to the excuses and reasons why folks deny their dreams and destiny:

• I don’t know how, therefore I don’t have to…
• I can’t, therefore I won’t…
• I’m unable, therefore I won’t try…
• I’m not allowed, therefore I don’t ask…
• It will take too long, therefore I won’t bother beginning…
• I’m not ready, therefore I will wait…
• I don’t have enough money, therefore I can’t receive the help I need…
• I’ve already tried everything, therefore, nothing works…
• I’m not supported, therefore I don’t have the strength

I’ve been talking about going to India in September to take the Oneness Trainer’s course at Oneness University. When I first contemplated the journey, the ability to go seemed financially impossible.

And yet, the inner yearning to go to India felt so powerfull, I began to dream about the trip becoming a reality; to confront many of the stories and beliefs that were ruling my life including a distrust with the Divine to take care of my wants and needs. I wrote an article post about that recently here.

For the last two months of making the decision to make this journey, I’ve been working very deeply with my inner shadows and learning how to surrender. My trust with The Divine has deepened and I see daily evidence of Grace flowing the more I tune my eyes to love and beauty.

I no longer say or think, “I can’t imagine how ….this will happen.? Instead I’m seeing myself in India, fully immersed in the next experience of Awakening in my morning prayers, meditations, and conversations of gratitude with my personal Divine.

What’s been happening?

The plane ticket was purchased several weeks ago. My visa application is in review and I expect the approval to be sent in a few days. I just confirmed the overnight hotel reservation when we arrive in Chennai before traveling to the University. I arranged for my neighbor to care for my two sweet cats in my absence.

Yesterday I took my suitcases out and began to add a few things I want to be sure to take with me.

The rest of the funds are coming because I am trusting that the Divine is on the case.

Each night, my journal entries reflect the daily blessings, miracles and examples of Grace operating in my life, even when things don’t go the way I want.

Every person and situation offers a healing and growth opportunity in service to the evolutionary journey.

Fear and low self-worth are two key reasons why so many people see life as a series of problems and hardships.  Over time, loss of hope and expectation of ongoing difficulties can become the theme of life.

Here’s the thing about the Universe. Whatever you keep thinking and saying is what you will get back. If you say you can’t afford something the Universe will supply you with more lack. If you say something is too hard, the Universe will support you with more difficulties. If you believe something is out of reach, it will be. That’s how powerful you are.

And the truth is you are creating your own reality in very moment.

The story you tell is the story you live.

Here’s an example:

I’m preparing to launch the third journey into Grace as part of my Pathways to Awakening program this Wednesday, August 10. I’m going to be teaching some of the shifts I’ve been making to dismantle my own excuses and ways to profoundly invite more Grace, abundance, joy, ease… into your life. Who doesn’t want that right?

I’m so passionate about this program since I launched it in June that I have continued to offer a partial scholarship to anyone who has a true financial challenge and feels a yearning to attend.

So, I sighed when I received a few emails from folks who said they wished they could join and used the money excuse as to why that wasn’t possible.

I wonder if they read the inclusion about a possible partial scholarship, even bothered to look at the program, or immediately gave up.

I get it.

I know how easy it is to believe the reasons and excuses of impossibility because they are so compelling.

The Divine has no concept of limitation or impossibility.

That is a human creation based on a lie that can feel very real because we collect evidence to back up our stories and excuses. The inner work is critical to attracting wealth, healthy relationships, creating health and well-being.

Being willing to confront the stories, reasons and excuses allows for Divine truth to emerge.

Which reasons and excuses do you use the most to deny your purpose and destiny?

How quickly do you give up???

How often do you use “the money reason” to deny yourself the things you feel will help you?

What if  the reasons and excuses you use could be pathways to create a whole new present and future reality?

One that is filled with my joy, grace, love, money, abundance…than you could have imagined.

Ever heard the phrase, ” Where there’s a Will, there’s a Way”?

In the mind of God, NOTHING is impossible. And that Divine presence exists within YOU.

The shift you must make is to become a welcoming place within yourself to allow the Divine to pour through you by aligning your Will with Divine Will.

Join me for a four week Journey into Grace, beginning Wednesday, August 10. “Give up” your reasons and excuses and “Give in” to your purpose and destiny.

Love and blessings,

Lorraine

Several weeks ago a dear friend of mind sent out emails to her circle of friends for prayers, blessings, and healings. The night before she started feeling poorly and when she awoke, she had a clear sense that something was very wrong with her heart without fully understanding what was happening. By the time I reached her by phone, she and her husband had driven to her mother’s house, called her primary care physician for guidance, and implemented some suggestions that brought her immediate relief. When she went to the doctor the following day, she left with a clean bill of health.

So, what happened?

She’s a solo-entrepreneur with a business that is exploding and she is doing everything herself. She’s been working 12-14 hours a day because she said YES to who she is meant to be and the floodgates of abundance opened up before she was ready to handle it all. AND she’s been giving so much to her clients that she has been neglecting her own needs. As a result of letting her self-care slide, she’s been feeling overwhelmed, unfocused, and reactive. Her energy has been low and her body was yelling, “ENOUGH!
She’s used to overriding her own needs because of all the things she been taught growing up even when she knows that when she prioritizes her self-care her business and personal life flourishes. When her shoulds and have tos dictate her actions at the expense of her needs, her life constricts.

Why do we ignore our own needs or feel guilty when we take good care of ourselves?

In our society we have been applauded for being self-lessly giving. We are admired, considered to be good people, and often heralded as great models for others to emulate. “Why can’t you be more like… She/he is always giving, giving, giving. “.

We’ve been taught that loving, honoring, respecting, and caring for ourselves means we are “selfish”.  A good and kind person places the wants and needs of others first even if it is at the expense of their peace of mind, energy, and principles. If they place themselves first they are judged, shamed, punished or abandoned.

Is it any wonder so many people struggle with self-esteem and self-worth?

How often have you heard that when parents travel with children on planes, if there should be any problem that requires the oxygen mask to drop down, parents should always put their masks on first before attending to their children? Why? How can they help their kids if their own safety and consciousness is at risk?

I’m an advocate of having a strong self-care regime. In fact, I see self-care as a foundational system for living a healthy fulfilling life. What we feed and give loving attention to…. thrives. What we neglect or withhold love, food, water… from will eventually shrivel and die.

While a certain amount of stress is healthy, it’s important to know the difference between pushing too hard and showing up to do your part in achieving what you desire. Burnout is a very real situation that can escalate into psychological or medical conditions that can become serious if steps are not taken to restore balance. Prioritizing your needs for self-nurturing and replenishment is an important factor in how you show up for yourself, your family, and your business. The common denominator is YOU.

How often do you feel guilty when you do something for yourself?

With all that I know about the value of self-care and emphasize with others, I can still get stuck in old patterns of working harder rather than smarter.

Here’s what I mean…

I’ve had my own business for 20+ years and the only person I have to answer to is ME. It’s not unusual for me to work long hours and parts of weekends like many business owners. There are times I am so immersed in what I am doing I may miss eating meals, taking short energy breaks throughout the day, or getting up to go to the bathroom! Balance goes right out the window. So when I feel my mind and body yelling, “Take a break, Lorraine”, I sometimes feel guilty especially when I look at the things I have on my plate to accomplish that day.

So, I take a deep breath and acknowledge all I do that I am proud of rather than focus on how much more there is to do (because there is always more, right?), and give myself permission to have what I need including going to the movies mid-day!  When I get back I am more energized and refreshed to fully turn my attention to what’s next. 

10 common signals and symptoms that your self-care is out of whack:

1. Irritability
2. Making mistakes
3. Loss of focus and concentration
4. Easily distracted
5. Becoming controlling, rigid
6. Emotionally reactive
7. Self-punishing and neglect
8. Overeating or not eating
9. Intolerant and self-critical
10. Increased negative self-talk and fears

I’ll be blunt. When we don’t take care of ourselves, we abandon US and we feel it, even if that awareness is unconscious. And that abandonment becomes inner pain.

Do you need permission to love and value yourself!

I’ve often used the metaphor that the Universe/God/ The Divine wants us to receive and savor the abundance of life and we hold up our hands and deny the blessings because we have come to believe we deserve much less, like living on bread and water rather than enjoying the feast.

Do you need to tell yourself, “It’s OK for me to have, be, do….. to become your own advocate? If you do, are you willing to give yourself the permission to have the life you came here to live?

Did you know there is a relationship between self-care and the abundance that flows to you?

There is.

The value you have for your SELF is reflected in your life. Your outside reality is a manifestation of your thoughts, beliefs, feeling, and actions. If you devalue who you are, you will create all forms of lack and scarcity.

For example, if you are struggling to attract more clients and you consistently cut your fees because you are afraid people won’t hire you, take a hard look at the value you place on who you are and what you have to offer. I challenge you to take stock of the beliefs you have about money, your self-worth, owning your skills and gifts, expectations of people hiring you or not hiring you, and possible fears of success to put some things into perspective.  

All the ways you love, nurture and value yourself contribute to either attracting money and abundance to you or repelling it. Love magnetizes flow.

If self-care translates to a rigid definition of selfishness, create a new positive definition that gives you permission to be “Self-ish” by loving and honoring yourself. You can show up for your SELF and those you love. Who said you must choose?

Let go of your victim and become your champion. When you nurture and replenish yourself, the people in your life you care about will get the best of you, rather than what’s left of you. (you can quote me on that!)

My invitation to you…pick at least one action of self love over the next seven days:

• Do something very, very selfish every day just for you
• Say no because you feel like it
• If you have a special gift or talent, create ways to express it
• Make a list of ten daily self-nurturing rituals and implement as many as you can each day
• Write down your favorite personal, whimsical, intellectual, and entertainment pleasures. For each item, conceive of at least 3 different ways to put more of each in your life and enjoy at least one pleasure before the week is out.

Make your own list and choose what you will do to love and value yourself. If you start feeling guilty, take that as a cue you’re on the right track! Buddy up with someone!

Of course, feel free to continue!

One more thing.. If you are a parent, consider the model you represent to your children. What do you wish to teach them – to consistently say NO to their needs and desires and YES to what everyone else wants all the time so they will be loved? We teach people how to treat us by the way we treat ourselves. What do you want people to learn about you?

PS: Register for two FREE intro calls on 8/11 & 8/13 with some of the most successfull teachers and luminaries as we talk about,  The Courage To Live Your Destiny. Learn more  The calls will be recorded!

Then join me and Anita Pathik Law for a life-changing experience in our transformational program, Aligning With Destiny beginning September 8. Go look at what prior students are raving about!

If asked the question, “What do you really want?”

What would you say?”

Would you have an answer?

Would your answer describe what lights you up with passion and excitement because you know who you are? Would you go blank or you talk about what you think you should want?

What are you passionate about? What fires you up about life? Do you know?

Several months ago I had the opportunity to interview Janet Attwood, author of The Passion Test, which is a fabulous book to clearly identify your five top passions. She says, “Passions are how you live your life. Goals are things that you achieve. When you are clear, what you want will show up in your life and only to the extent that you are clear.” Knowing your passions will help you identify your core values and answer the question “what do I want?”  If at a loss to begin, you can take the passion test online at www.passiontest.com

At the beginning of 2008, I felt a burst of inspiration about the the POWER of saying Yes! I’d been releasing limiting beliefs and transformating past pain, stretching myself a fuller expression of my potential….was I still playing it safe even though I said I was ready to stop playing small and hiding out in my comfort zone? Was I allowing that deeper YES to be fully expressed?

Are you?

I realized I was still holding myself back.

Why? Some fears and feelings of unworthiness still had enough juice to keep me from manifesting the things I desired. I realized it was time to say YES in a bigger way and deepen my faith in trust in myself, others, the world, and The Divine hand that guides me.

In 2009, I am shouting out - I Say YES!!!!!! How about you?

Do you know your life is meant to be happy?

It is

Do you know you have more power than you realize to create your dreams and desires?

You do

You are a Creator. You have the power to manifest more of what you want than you have ever experienced or imagined at any time in your life.

A thriving and prosperous business, a loving relationship, vibrant health, shedding those excess pounds, a happy family, peace of mind…

Yes… you do

How about creating that NOW?

Start by saying YES to your deepest desires, dreams, and destiny…..and begin living the life you are meant to live.

Watch my video

 

Then join me for Aligning With Your Destiny program. Make 2009 the beginning of re-writing your life story as a deliberate Creator. Register before Jan. 20 and save $148 off the registration tuition.

Blessings,

Lorraine
www.powerfull-living.biz

 

“It takes courage to demand time for yourself. At first glance, it may seem to be the ultimate in selfishness, a real slap in the face to those who love and depend on you. It’s not. It means you care enough to want to see the best in yourself and give only the best to others.” - Shale Paul

I advocate prioritizing self-care. In fact, I’m a broken record about the importance of being self-ish. (I’ll be writing more tips on this topic too). Are you cringing at the idea or thinking, “I’m just too busy? Are you nodding your head yes because you know it’s important and you don’t make the time in your day?

Have you been taught that putting yourself first is wrong or bad? You might have first-hand experience of having people judge you, withhold love or affection, or punish you in some way when you did something just for you?

Do you hear about people who are held in high esteem because they have always self-lessly been there for others? In our society, people are often applauded and emulated for how they are always there for others. I wonder…. are they also there for themselves? Do they allow others to be there for them as well? Are they great givers and poor receivers? How about you?

Here’s the point…….

When we continually give our time, energy, attention, ……to others without replenishing and nurture ourselves, we move closer to a “burnout” state of exhaustion, confusion, irritability, resentment, anger, destructive behaviors… that can lead to health or psychological problems.

Who wins there?

No one, especially you.

Make self-care a priority by practicing self-ishness. Create a new positive definition for self-ish that gives permission to value yourself AND be loving with others. We teach people how to treat us by our example. Do you wish to communicate to others that your needs, value, and worth are unimportant? If you’re a parent, is this what you wish to teach and model for your children?

It’s time to challenge and replace some of the beliefs and behaviors that have been handed down for generations that repress our authentic self from fully and joyfully emerging!

Say yes to yourself and others because it brings you joy. Say yes because you choose to rather than out of guilt or fearfull obligation. Say yes because you want to be of loving support and assistance rather than because you feel you “have to”.

Answering the calling of your needs, heart, and mind will help you respond to the calling of others. When you become self-ish you’ll have the extra reserves (time, energy etc.) to be generous with others. Be open and willing to make changes in your personal and professional life that “feed” and lift your spirit, rather than depleting you. When feeling conflicted, ask yourself, “What would respect my intentions of taking care of myself in this situation?”

1. Spend the next 7 days doing something very, very selfish every day. Do something each day that brings you joy and pleasure (even a guilty pleasure if you want!). It can be anything you want – that is your gift from you to YOU. I don’t mean doing something for someone else because it makes you feel good (or better about you, ok?).
2. Say no because you feel like it. Refer to my article on saying no for some help!
3. Have a special gift or talent? Create a setting for that to flourish. Everyone will benefit.

When you take care of yourself, the people in your life you care about will experience the best of you rather than what’s left of you. If you start feeling guilty see the guilt as a sign you are on the right track. Making changes aren’t always comfortable at the beginning - for yourself and those around you. In time, people will adjust. By modeling a healthier way of being, you invite others to take more responsibility for their own happiness and self-value

Obviously you must practice discernment when making changes in your life. The rewards for taking better care of your self are boundless. You’re worth it!

PS: Join me & Anita Pathik-Law for Aligning With Your Destiny - an 8-step blueprint for whole life transformation beginning June 30! Read about what is being hailed as “the single best, most comprehensive and unique personal and spiritual development program” participants have ever taken!”

Reserve your seat and save $150 on the two-payment plan when you sign up by June 14!

Receive an incredible audio gift package (yes, for F*r*e*e!). These three MP3 downloads will give you a sense of who we are and what this incredible program is about. I know you’ll love them!

Cheers

Lorraine
www.powerfull-living.biz