Do You Listen to Your Core Desires

Monday morning – the moment many dread as they head to their job wishing for a longer weekend.  I am blessed to be able to work from home and make my own hours.  I have been working with a coach and an amazing group of women doing “31days & 31 ways to Jumpstart Your Abundance”.  My second go around and new things are coming to light.

We have been talking a lot about core values and our core desires.  Maybe it is the MS and memory issues or maybe it is the inner gremlins who take joy in squashing my hopes and dreams but this is a struggle for me.  Whatever the reason, I’m sure I’m not alone.

Let’s take a minute to focus on our life  – our definition of success, and how we can find purpose, fulfilment, and joy by letting the things which truly matter guide us.  I know a heavy topic for a Monday morning but give it a try!

How many of you struggle with the noise, and “norms” of society which make it difficult to stay connected to your core desires.

I have been trying to focus on my core desires in my work and my life.  These are the things which help me to focus on how I will prioritize and spend my days, how I define success, and how I will show up in my life.  Here is what I came up with:

Financial independence

I never thought much about being financially independent.  It was always about paying the bills and having “things”.  As I have gotten older, health challenges have come to light, I want to feel stable, secure, self-sufficient, and be independent financially.  It goes beyond wanting a  roof over my head (hubby takes care of all the household stuff) and food on the table.  I want to feel happy and at peace by making mindful, intentional, and responsible decisions when it comes to finances, and by showing up wholeheartedly for my business too.   It means paying off credit card debt.  This is such a huge change for me from just “winging it”.

Emotional & physical well-being

Living with a chronic health condition has taught me to pay more attention to my health and well-being.  I can’t change the struggles my health issues sometimes cause, but I can control how I get through them.  Feeling emotionally and physically healthy is something I have been prioritizing in my life this year.  I try to honor the needs of my health in my business, and how I support my health in the lifestyle choices too.

Living & telling my truth

I struggle so much with accepting who I am, yet, I am willing to share my strength, hopes and experiences with everyone.  I continue to work on accepting who I am – the good, the bad and the ugly.  I am learning to embrace my  strengths and weaknesses. In my business, I want to inspire others never letting pride or fear hold me back from showing up, supporting and encouraging others.

Meaningful work

I crave meaningful and joyful work. I long to make a difference and am always searching for my true purpose.  It isn’t about the money I make, it is about what the money can do to make a difference.  I love when customers feel comfortable enough to share their story, their fears, their joys, and their desires with me.  My heart swells with joy, when I see someone smile who is struggling.  I want to honor this desire by never losing sight of what matters most to me in my work, and never letting money be bigger than the “why” behind what I do.

To be of service

Whether it’s in my business, in my relationship, friendships, and with my family, or how I contribute to the world, I always want to be the positive in the lives of those around me.  Yes, I want to live a joyful and fulfilling life, BUT I don’t want to always be looking at my own needs.

Connection

I long to feel connected to what matters most to me, to the people in my life who I love and adore, to my business and the work I do.  I try to stay aligned with my core values, desires, and intentions, by carving out time for my favorite people, by interacting in and engaging with the world around me, and by getting outside of my comfort zone. YIKES! A tough one but so important in staying connected with the world to find ways I can play a small but positive part in it.

What are you core desires in your work and your life?  What are they and are you honoring them in your work and daily life?  Share with us….

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

 

Your Happiness Trigger

Happiness is what we all want, right?  To be happy and have harmony in our life.  I never say “balance”.  It makes me feel like it is always one thing or the other instead of my life melting together in harmony.

Valerie Burton is all about being “Unstuck and Unstoppable”.  She has an AWESOME “Happiness Test” that asks a series of questions and at the end you find out what YOUR personal happiness triggers are.

You are thinking “I know what makes me happy”, right?  Spending time with my kids, seeing family, my job, travel, friends, etc.  I am sure the list goes on because for me I thought I knew too.  The truth was that on the surface these are the things that make us happy but deep down what is the core “trigger” for that happiness.

There are two categories of happiness triggers – personal and power.  The top Personal Triggers  are the things that you should nurture, finding new ways to use them more often to boost your happiness level.  These are the triggers that you are unique to your personality and lifestyle.  Here are my top 3:

Service
Key decision: “Every day, I do at least one thing to brighten someone else’s day.”
Service is a habit and genuine enjoyment of serving other people.

Anticipation
Key decision: “Every day, I make sure I have something to look forward to.”       Anticipation is your ability to create a life that is filled with moments and opportunities to look forward to, and intentionally noticing what there is to look forward to on a daily basis.

Smile!
Key decision: “Every day, I find a way to smile – especially on bad days.”
Simply stated, this is your expression of joy through a genuine smile and laughter.

What I found most interesting were my power triggers.  The power triggers provide you with the greatest opportunity to boost your happiness level because these are the ones you use the least – and perhaps even neglect.  YIKES!  These are definitely things that I don’t do a lot of:

Movement
“I spend 30 minutes each day moving my body.”
Movement is exercising and getting your body moving on a regular basis.

Relaxation
“I sleep. I rest. I embrace what is.”
Relaxation is the habit of letting go, slowing down, taking breaks, and trusting that all things will work together for good.

Savoring                                                                                                                                              “Every day, I enjoy a moment worth savoring.”                                                                      Savoring is your ability to actively savor and appreciate positive experiences in your life.

The Happiness Trigger Test takes about 5 minutes, take it and share your results. It is time for you to focus on your power triggers so you can be unstoppable in all areas of our life!

Whatever your triggers may be, I would love the chance to celebrate, encourage and reward you.  Let me put your happiness level into overdrive and best of all, I will reward you with FREE and discounted products for you, your friends and your family.  Want to know more? Fill out the form below

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Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

 

 

Memories of Being a Rainbow Girl

The International Order of Rainbow for Girls turns 91 years old today!  Rainbow is a non-profit service organization for girls between the ages of 11 and 20. Rev. W. Mark Sexson founded our order in McAlester, Oklahoma in April of 1922. Rev. W Mark Sexson sought to develop an organization where young women could build self confidence and leadership skills, all while serving their community. The organization promotes community service, as well as love and service to their schools, their homes and to each other.  Our order prepares the girls of today to be the leaders of tomorrow. The International Order of the Rainbow for Girls teaches leadership skills and public speaking. It builds self-respect, confidence, poise, patriotism, fidelity, integrity and character, all while providing a fun and safe environment for girls to meet other girls their age and to build friendships that will last a lifetime.  Rainbow also teaches girls to be a part of a team, to successfully communicate with each other and to trust members. We want our girls to have positive role models and mentors, so that younger girls can continue to influence the new members of the assembly, as they grow older.

I joined Iris Assembly #31 when I was 12 years old, that awkward age when you aren’t sure who you are was made easier with the friends that I met through Rainbow.  We weren’t from the same schools, nor would we probably have been friends if is wasn’t for Rainbow.  We laughed together, cried together, traveled through the State of NJ visiting other assemblies, did charity projects, endless sleepless nights with sleep overs and the best part was the lasting friendships.  

Over the years, my life took many turns (not always positive ones) but the basic lessons that I learned in Rainbow of love, religion, nature, immortality, fidelity, patriotism and service have stuck with me, guiding me through the rough patches.  Although my daughter never had the desire to be part of Rainbow, the lessons were taught to her while she was growing up and have become part of who she is today – a strong, successful woman.  

Now, that I have moved back to my hometown area and with the help of Facebook, I am reconnecting with old friends.  Re-kindling some of those connections that were lost of the years.  

Happy 91st Birthday to the International Order of Rainbow for Girls.  May you prosper and grow in the coming years.