I'll share a secret with you. The key to getting more in your life is by being grateful for what you already have. An "attitude of gratitude" changes the way you feel inside and changes your interactions with your others as well as with the environment. It also acts as a magnet that helps you draw more good things into your life. It's the spark that drives the Law of Attraction.

It seems as though I have been studying change my entire life. I continue to study change; experience it "up close and personal" in my own life; teach others how to master it, and act as a cheerleader as friends, family or clients go through a variety of changes in their lives. My intuitive sense is that I will be "changing" for the rest of my life and helping many others with their own changes. Change is good! It means growth and evolution but the process isn't ...

About 10 years ago I went from Scottsdale, Arizonia, to my home city of Los Angeles, California. I'd only been living in Arizona less than two years and was feeling a bit lonely and homesick.. After my week of "family stuff," I came back to Scottsdale with a new sense of empowerment, freedom and acceptance. I spoke my truth to my mother, my aunts, my sister and, most importantly, myself. Instead of stuffing feelings or allowing hurtful things to be said to me and ignoring them, ...

Even the most successful people in the world are never completely satisfied with themselves. This is a natural feeling to all human beings and often times motivates people to reach their full potential. Unfortunately, the problem comes when self dissatisfaction turns into self doubt. Often, we feel frustrated or discouraged about the past, and we project those feelings of doubt and disappointment into the future. We stay stuck in a situation as if trapped in a tar pit. We fear that nothing will ever ...

There's an advantage in getting older – criticism doesn't bother me the way it did in previous decades. I now look at criticism as a type of information, not good or bad. It's just somebody else's view about a situation. I also realize that no matter what I do, I won't be able to please everybody. People are unique with personal preferences. Some people like others to be quiet and introspective while other people want individuals to be boisterous and extroverted. If the ...

I just finished a telephone call with a dear friend who was fretting because God wasn't answering her prayers fast enough or in the manner she wanted. I realized that it's not God's "fault" that things aren't manifesting according to our timelines or specifications. It's because we often don't take the necessary actions to make dreams become reality and it starts by our use of one little three-letter word — TRY.

Set a clear intention of what you want. This can be a financial goal, a health goal, a relationship goal or any ...

Did your create a mental list of New Year's resolutions that you really thought you wanted to accomplish and yet, now seven months later,  you haven't done anything more concrete than perhaps writing them down? And, if you're like many of us, you can't even put your hands on that list today because you forgot where you put it. Knowing what you want the outcome to be is only the first and easiest part of achieving your goals. How are you going to accomplish ...

Expect miracles to happen in your life today....getting just the information you need (when you need it), finding something you misplaced, hearing about something that you want going on sale, seeing an old friend by chance, feeling motivated to do something good for yourself after months of inactivity (watching the fat in your diet, meditating, exercising). Miracles are just opportunities for you to improve the quality of your life - they set the stage ...

About an hour ago I had a conversation with a friend that I have known since kindergarten, through college and into our adulthood. We've gone through good times and challenging times together and no matter what, we were (and still are) there for one another. We haven't lived in the same state for over 20 years but our friendship transcends borders and boundaries and life changes. It can be months between conversations and yet we can pick up right where we left off. It's wonderful ...

Every week millions of dollars from Power Ball are up for grabs; many people all over the United States fantasize about what they'd do if they'd won the lottery. Some people would travel, others would go on extended shopping sprees buying houses, cars and luxuries while others would give to charity. The underlying assumptions are that money will take all our problems away, that it'll happen in an instant and that our good fortune will last forever. In reality, that's not necessarily the ...

I love to go to my mailbox and get a "real" card. You know — the old fashion kind that comes in a stamped envelope and has a somebody's actual handwritten signature at the bottom, a card that wasn't sent by pressing the enter key on a computer.

I have a habit of saving cards that are especially meaningful for me. Some go into my desk and are filed away for safekeeping. When I need a morale boost ...

We show our true character by the way we approach the challenges in our life and, believe me, there will always be challenges.

If we are timid or very fearful, we try every conscious and unconscious trick in the book to get somebody else to solve our problems for us. We make ourselves sick with worry so somebody will feel sorry for us and handle OUR challenge. That way we have somebody to blame ...

To make your life fulfilling, you must take control of it and that's not easy. The quality of your life depends on your thoughts, your actions, your focus and your direction. You are responsible for controlling all the various aspects of your life, whether you choose to exercise that control or not. When you take control, things will work out the way you want them to more often (notice I didn’t say always) than if you let others or "happenstance" control your life. ...

This morning I was talking on the phone with a friend who loves to write and is a bit afraid of getting her thoughts and words out for the entire world to see. I related 150%.

I’ve been journaling, channeling and writing for years. It gives me pleasure to find a way of making a complex idea easy for a reader to understand or just to clarify a point for myself. I love to ...

Relaxing and having fun are as important as working hard and completing the last item on your "to do" list. To be truly happy, balance is necessary.

Today I've decided to spend part of the day doing things for others and part of the day doing things for myself. That way I won't get burned out. I won't get resentful either. If I always delay my gratification or sacrifice my needs for the "wants" of others, ...

I worked with a client this week who wants to change careers. She’s been doing the same thing for over 30 years. She’s terrified to change careers and yet at the same time is looking forward to new opportunities. As somebody who went from being a teacher, to an assistant controller of a real estate company, to a trainer for new computer equipment, to a technical writer, to a director of training, to a Human Resources manager and finally to a success coach and business ...

Have you ever had a disagreement with a family member, friend, co-worker or complete stranger and gotten frustrated because the other person just didn’t “get” what you were trying to say? I know I sure have. I’ve found that certain words shut down communication while others are keys to open communication.

If you expect things to be difficult, they will be. In fact, you’ll look for “proof” to support your belief that life is difficult. If you expect miracles to happen in your life, you’ll look for “proof” to support that believe. Which expectation will cause you to improve the quality of your life? Which expectation will keep you stuck in a dead-end job or a demoralizing personal relationship? What will your life be like if you believe you’re too old or set in ...

The phrase, “I do best what I like to do most,” resonates with me. I can spend hours living, writing or talking about spiritual principles, finding beauty wherever I focus my eyes, cheering  friends and clients on as they stretch beyond their comfort zones and finding practical ways to improve the way things are done.

The things I do best are the things I’m good at or interested in and they help me to focus on the positive. It’s as if ...

In doing research for a webinar, I was looking through articles that I'd written and I found some really great stuff. Below is an excerpt from something I wrote several years ago and it's still right on target. It's my intention that it  provide you with insights which you can use to make empowered choices so you live a life of more joy.

Here's an equation which summarizes what needs to take place if you want to ...

For me, birthdays are a time of self-reflection. In the past I would feel sorry for myself or remember the pain from not having my special day acknowledged when I was a child (often having to share my birthday cake with a sister who's 3 years and 10 days younger). As I got older, I decided that I'm responsible for my own happiness. If I want a special day, then I have to make it special instead of waiting for somebody else to ...

Last week three things (that I was interested in doing to be of service and to generate income) fell through. I was a disappointed and began second guessing myself. Friends that I’ve talked to couldn't understand why none of the three opportunities materialized. It seems like I’m doing the right things and in the right arenas, but the timing hasn’t been right.

I get a lot of very positive feedback about my blogs as well as for the ...

Who do you blame for the problems in your life? Is it your boss, your spouse, your parents, your child? Whoever you give the label as being the source of your problems, you're also giving the power to control your life. You're reacting to their behavior and letting it ruin the quality of your life. It's as if you're a puppet and you've given them the power to pull your strings.

About three weeks ago my mother died and the importance of kindness was reaffirmed for me. I was blown away by the recent notes of condolence received from a distant relative, life-long friends as well as new  Facebook and Twitter 'friends" - people I only know virtually. Those acts of kindness and words of support helped me during this challenging time. I was also surprised by the people who didn't acknowledge what I was going through.

My life has had its ...

Both ambition and arrogance are focused on getting something. An ambitious person develops a game plan and works hard to get a cherished goal while an arrogant person believes they're entitled to something and either demands to get it or just pushes others out of the way to get it. Ambition and arrogance are not mutually exclusive. You can be ambitious and arrogant at the same time.

I recently had a coaching client who was getting frustrated because she just couldn't seem to land a job as a Junior College Counselor. She had a great resume, had done research on the college, networked to find somebody who could get her resume into the "right" hands. She was frustrated and desperate. In truth, being a Junior College Counselor wasn't her heart's desire. It was what she thought she should do to get a paycheck. Her mind was telling her ...

Hello,

My mom died on Wednesday. She was 93 and her death was expected. It still came as a shock to me and I wanted confirmation that she truly was doing fine on the other side of the veil. I'm an intuitive and have been studying and teaching spiritual principles for decades so I'm aware that there's life after death and that "death" is an illusion. My human ego/personality/inner child still wanted to know that my mom ...

Did you ever notice how time seems to expand and contract depending upon what phase you're experiencing in your life. Sometimes a day is perfect...plenty of time to get things done and plenty of time to relax. On another day, time seems to drag on; you can’t find enough things to occupy your time or nothing seems to be interesting. There are still other times when there are not enough hours in the day to accomplish everything you want to do. This expanding ...

Success should be measured by the amount of energy and effort we give to a project and the amount of joy and satisfaction it creates rather than by the outcome of the project. It's the behind the scenes work that helps us to develop our character rather than the visible results of our efforts.
 
Great athletes, artists, musicians, writers, craftsman, scientists all put in long hours learning their skills, practicing them and then applying them with passion to their current project. They ...

When you do something for the very first time, it's normal to feel a little nervous. It doesn't matter if what you're doing is a long held dream, something that others have done before you or something that a given situation necessitates. It's normal to lack confidence when you use a computer for the first time, when you tell a friend how you feel when she chronically arrives late, or when you change careers, places of residences or anything else about yourself. It's ...

Nobody's perfect…not the swimsuit model in the magazine, not your neighbor who seems to have more than 24 hours in a day because of all she does, not your clergyman or your physician. Nobody's perfect nor do they always get whatever they want. Everybody has lessons to learn. As you master one lesson, the next one appears. We'll never be perfect but we can become happier, find inner peace, increase our feelings of compassion and contribute to the well-being of others, become a creative ...

We are here for a reason and that purpose is to learn about the meaning of love. All our adventures on earth are a part of learning to express that high purpose. Knowing we have a purpose enables us to look for and find the “gift” in all situations. One example from my life is when my mother had triple by-pass surgery in her 80s. The gift was that I forgave myself for the arsenal of stockpiled anger I aimed towards her. And I finally ...

Even if we have lived in muddied or muted hues for many years, we can enter into the colors of our spirit at any moment we choose. Life is forgiving, kind, and regenerative. Our choices determine if we see all the colors of the rainbow or only black. No matter what your world looks like at this moment, you can always make a new choice that will bring the truth of who you are into clearer focus.

The most valuable thing in the world is not an object; it's an idea. Every object you see came from an idea. Your computer was once an idea. The car you drive started with an idea and your beloved remote control for your television started as an idea. An object is finite, limited, and can come and go. But a good idea contains within it the seeds of untold possibilities, including not just the idea at hand, but all the important ideas and ...

You will never be able to please everyone. You have the best chance for happiness if you take actions to please yourself and the God within you. It is futile to struggle to uphold the opinions of others. The more you try to live the life others dictate for you the more you cease to know your own heart’s desires. It is your own opinion that you need to live with since it is with you twenty-four hours a day, seven days a ...

I haven’t been on a scale for a number of years. I stopped my morning ritual of stepping on the scale every morning because I didn’t like the way I felt. No matter what number appeared, I wasn’t happy.

If the number on the scale was up a pound, my internal self-talk was very negative. “You’re so fat.” “You aren’t exercising enough.” “You have to be more disciplined.” “You should look like ___. Each ...

Several years ago I was dealing with family and personal health challenges AKA "learning opportunities." I was in contact with family members, state agencies, the phone company, social workers, caregivers, and numerous other people. I was bounced from one person to another and had to wait on hold for what felt like eons but in reality was only minutes. The longer I had to wait the more impatient I became. That's when I had my "light bulb' moment.

A few years ago, near Thanksgiving, a very dear friend of mine died after a valiant effort to battle pancreatic cancer. I was devastated by her death and, to this day, I still expect her to call or for us to get together to do something fun. I still want to share interesting things that happened in my life or  ask her how to cook one of her specialities.  Alas, none of that is not going to happen.

As some of you know from having worked with me, I'm a success coach. I help people achieve personal or professional goals and I help companies to hire and retain great employees. I am also an intuitive so I help people and organizations get results quickly. I often see what belief is blocking a dream from manifesting. I love my job! I keep actions in alignment with desired results and enjoy seeing my clients achieve the goals they have set for themself. I'm their ...

I just opened a holiday card from a friend I've known since kindergarten and that was eons ago. When I closed the card, I started to think about friendship. Why do some last and others fail? I realized that some of us have an unconscious belief that,  in order to keep our friends, we must always say "yes," even to requests that we do not want to comply with. What we fail to see is that by always saying "yes" to others we are in ...

I just finished a coaching session with a client and we talked about the meaning of the word “challenge” as well as the benefits that result from conquering a challenge. From my perspective, a challenge is doing something that’s out of our “comfort zone” and it’s often accompanied by fears, anxieties and judgments. The thrill of victory that comes from mastering a challenge gives us the momentum to tackle another challenge, and then another. With each victory, the quality of our life improves.

I've been thinking about happiness a lot lately. I have friends who have cancer, friends who are unemployed (not by their choice), friends who go to jobs they hate and friends who have challenging relationships with a spouse, a child or a parent. And, yet, some of these people are happy.

Happiness for me doesn’t mean having the perfect job, the perfect relationships, the perfect amount of money in a bank account, the perfect body or any other ...

This afternoon  I curled up on the couch and watched "The Holiday"  on DVD. It was a romantic comedy; perfect for a day when I wanted to give my mind and my body a chance to rest.  When I turned off my DVD player, I began to think about love. I came to the conclusion that life teaches us some basics about love and then it's up to us to put those ideas into daily practice in all our relationships. We advance beyond 'Love 101" ...

I have a new coaching client who asked me to review her website to make sure it’s an effective marketing tool. I spent some time looking at the site with “the eyes of a stranger”. If I detain’t know her, what would her new site tell me about her and the services she has to offer? In my written review, I noted what was effective and what needed to be modified to best represent her skills and experience. These suggestions were of ...

Who am I? As I prepared marketing material for an upcoming online Women's Success Group that I'm offering in January, I asked myself that question and, after giving it much thought, I came up with my own, very personal, definition of who I am today. Then I took it a step further and asked myself a follow-up question: Who do I want to become? It’s partly where I am now in my life and partly where I hope to go from here.

Thanksgiving is a thing of the past and Chanukah and Christmas are fast approaching which means more interaction with family, friends, co-workers  and strangers at parties or at the mall when we're stressed. Too many things to do and not enough time. Too many "obligations" and not enough courage to say "no." Too many expenses and not enough income. Too many old jealousies and not enough forgiveness. With stress comes the opportunity for miscommunication and the possibility ...

Life is my best teacher. It provides me with all I need to know if I am a good student and remember to listen to my heart instead of my head when I am in fear, lacking in direction, suffering from self-doubt or when the amount of money in my checking account is in triple digits instead of in six figures.

As an old adage says, “the teacher will appear when the student is ready.” For me the teacher ...

Five years ago I was laid off for the third time in my life and I didn’t have any luck finding a new job. There seemed to be a “cloak of invisibility” over me. I had a proven track record, a variety of talents and skills and I needed to find a means of paying my monthly bills because I was self-supporting. Nothing manifested no matter how much I networked or how many resumes I submitted. Months went by and I was frustrated to say ...