Practice What YOU Preach

"What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say"

Ralph Waldo Emerson

When you were a child, did your parents ever say to you: "Do as I say, not as I do"? What type of message did this send to you? This week, we wanted to talk the importance of actually Practicing What You Preach.

As adults it is so very important to lead my example. You must be willing to 'walk the walk' if you're going to 'talk the talk'. People, children specifically, are always watching, and more importantly, learning by your example. There are a lot of people that look up to you! Think about your family, your circle of friends, and your co-workers.

In coaching, we refer to this as living in your INTEGRITY. Your integrity is who you are when no one is looking. It is your personal set of standards that you abide by. In essence, it is your Code of Ethics!

When we raise our standards and live within our integrity, believe it or not your life becomes way less complex and stressful. Decisions become easier to make and life becomes more satisfying. Why? Because you are living by YOUR code, and you are doing what is right and good for you. You have your own definition of right vs. wrong, and you don't compromise.

Another important aspect of living in integrity is that you know when you are wrong, and you are able to accept full responsibility for your actions. No more pointing fingers and placing blame on others. We are all humans, it is OK (and expected) that we occasionally err! When we live our lives in integrity, we accept this fact and actually learn from our mistakes to make us better people.

When we teach our children to live in integrity, we are also giving them powerful tools to guard against peer pressure. They have learned that it is OK to not *go along with the crowd*. Everyone is created with an invisible internal barometer. It will tell us when we are not "in" our integrity.

You know the feeling you get when you are doing something that isn't quite right in your book? That is your barometer telling you - "Hey! This is not in your integrity! Don't do it!"

When we live our lives in integrity, we are allowing ourselves to grow and evolve into the unique and special people we were intended to be. So, go ahead and Practice what you Preach! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Make Today a Masterpiece!
Leah and Jen

It's FALL! Let's celebrate the change of seasons!

Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all. ~Stanley Horowitz

Have you noticed anything different lately? The air outside feels a little cooler, the trees are starting to lose their leaves, and the mercury in the thermometer is not going up quite as high these days! The weather is changing! Not by leaps and bounds, but slight and subtle changes that let us know a new season is approaching.

Yahoo! Fall has finally arrived! To many of us that call Florida home, this is a welcome relief from the hot, humid days of summer.

The changing of the seasons is always a good time to reflect on the changes in our lives. It’s like Mother Nature’s gentle way of reminding us to slow down, take stock in our lives and remember that the only thing constant in life is change.

Like the seasons, our lives are also changing each day, month, and year. As we grown and evolve, we receive wonderful opportunities to change, re-invent, re-evaluate, and re-focus on who we are and what we want out of our lives!

Remember, even simple changes can lead to big results!

This week we challenge you to think about your own life. Are there areas in your life that need to little bit of tweaking? Think about the 5 areas of your life (we call this your Balanced Palette) and ask yourself what you really want from each area! Write it down and set some goals to improve in each of your 5 areas: Relationships, Financial, Physical Environment, Health & Emotion, and Spirituality.

If you need some encouragement and support along the journey, check out our new CD Series: Creating Your Masterpiece: A 30 Day Guide to Becoming the Artist of YOUR Life! This is an awesome cd created specifically for those who are ready to take their life to the next level! To order, visit http://www.CreatingYourMasterpiece.com

Our Deepest Fear......

We as humans have a lot of fears. We tend to create many of our "I can't do it" statements because of these fears. Some of the more common fears we have include: the fear of failure, the fear of the unknown, the fear of judgment from others, etc.

One of the most surprising fears that people have however; is the fear of success...yes, believe it or not many people actually fear being successful and reaching their goals."What will happen to me if I reach that goal?", "What changes will I have to make in my life?" "Do I deserve to be successful?"

Because of this fear, many of us simply give up on these goals and decide that it is safer to stay where we are.

We'd like for you to take a moment to read a famous quote by one of our favorite Life Coaches, Marianne Williamson
See if it rings a little true for you?

Read it out...go ahead, you have nothing to fear!

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.

There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.We are all meant to shine, as children do.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

Why are there so many songs about rainbows?

"Life is like a rainbow. You need both the sun and the rain to make its colors appear."

If you live in Florida, you know that on any typical summer day we are going to get some type of afternoon rain shower. Sometimes the showers are short lived, other times they seem to hover over us...pounding us with rain, lightning and thunder (and they usually strike about 5 pm just as we are getting ready to drive home from work!)

We also know that after these summer showers, we have a pretty good chance of seeing a rainbow in all its colorful glory! There is something magical about rainbows! Remember being told as a kid that there was a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?

Rainbows and life have a lot in common. As the quote we selected suggests, life really is like a rainbow. It takes the right combination of sunshine and rain to create a rainbow, and in life we have need a combination of joyful times and challenging times to appreciate the wonder and beauty of our lives.

Have you ever noticed that after you go through a rough patch in life, almost knowingly something wonderful happens to make you appreciate all that we went through to get where you are?

Rainbows are signs that the storms are ceasing, the sky's is brightening, and the magic is about to happen!

So, why are there so many songs about Rainbows? Maybe because Rainbows give us hope for a brighter tomorrow!

Embracing Change!

"The key to change is to let go of...fear!"
Roseanne Cash

If you could make any change in your life, what would it be? Now ask yourself...what's holding you back from making this change? Author, entrepreneur, and expert on change Ariane de Bonvoisin has identified what she calls the change demons - the six basic emotions that cause us to not make the important changes in our lives.

These demons are: fear, doubt, impatience, blame, shame and guilt. The emotion you are resisting could be ruling your life! She further states that in order to make the big changes in our lives, we need to identify what emotion is holding us back, and allow ourselves to feel the emotion, and then replace it with a positive emotion. For example, replace fear with faith, doubt with surrender, impatience with endurance, blame with responsibility, shame with honor, and guilt with forgiveness.

People are actually better at change than they think they are! We've just been conditioned to think that we are not good at change. However, reflect on your past and think of all the positive changes you have already made in your life! Have you ever changed jobs? Moved to a new city? Gotten married? Had children?

These are major changes that most of us have been through! In order to make positive changes in your life you need to first determine what it is that you need to change, and then replace your fear with faith that you can make the change. Remember, change takes time.

Isn't it time for you to take charge of your life and start making the changes you need to live the life you want? Come on, what are you waiting for??

Will & Faith - Do You Have it??

“The only things that stand between a person and what they want in life are the will to try it and the faith to believe it's possible" Rich Devos

“Nothing Happens…but first a dream” Carl Sandburg

Two wonderful quotes…let’s take a closer look – these two quotes can change your life.

“Will” and “Faith” are the key words in this Rich Devos quote. “Will” represents a desire one has to make a move – to take action – to gain control over a scenario and affect the outcome of one’s vision. “Faith” is being certain of what we do not see, yet hopeful and courageous enough to still take action.
If you have a dream and can master “Will” and “Faith” you can have anything you want!
We encounter people all the time who share with us their dreams…and sadly say “maybe one day”
“I can’t have what I want right now…have you heard what’s happening in the world?” Yes, we have…and that is why now, more than ever, is your chance to have what you really want – to fulfill your dreams.
Ask yourself are you standing on the sidelines waiting for someone else to write the next chapter in your life? Or do you have the Will and Faith to take ACTION and fulfill your dreams?

Trashing Those Tolerations!!

This week I have

personally experienced A LOT of tolerations. What is a toleration - you ask? A toleration is anything that zaps or drains your precious energy. The things that “we put up with” can drive us crazy, literally, and the stress that results can decrease our lifespan. Tolerations may seem like mere annoyances, but when you make a list of all the things you actually are tolerating, the impact incurred comes clearly into focus.

The good news is tolerations were made to be trashed, and once they are, you get your power back and regain control of your life. The first step you must take is to identify the tolerations you have in your life.You can do this by mentally going through your day or your home. For me, this week my dog Cocoa and her behaviors have been a MAJOR toleration. Cocoa has single-handidly: pulled out every sentricon termite monitor in the backyard, eaten 2 landscape lights, and nibbled on every sprinkler head we have! UGGHHH....(Here is a clue - you know it's a toleration when you say UGGHHH)

An example for you might be: small repairs that need to be done around the home, a child that doesn't put away toys, or (my personal favorite) looking in your closet and having everything from a size 6 to a size 12, but you still don't have anything to wear!!!

So, how do we trash these tolerations? You make a list of all the things you are tolerating (don't be surpirsed if there are over 100) and TRASH them…just check them off the list! There may be some tolerations you are unable to trash by yourself, and that’s when you HIRE someone to do it for you! For me, today I met with the landscape/yard service/termite company and the tolerations are getting trashed! Plus, it was a lot easier than getting rid of the dog!

Once you are toleration free, you have more time and energy to spend on the things YOU want to do………….like a day at the spa!
So, make a commitment to yourself to get toleration free!

Turnaround Tips

"Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond to it!" Lou Holtz

When the going gets tough, the tough take ACTION! These tough economic times have many people discouraged. We all know someone who has been personally affected by this recession. Whether it's having your home foreclosed on, losing your job, or just watching your savings dwindle, tough times have entered into our lives.

Be Proactive - Not Reactive - Accept the reality of your specific situation and then come up with an action plan to see you through. Don't just stick your head in the sand and hope things get better.

Take Charge - Take Action - Develop a new game plan. We now live in a transitional world instead of a traditional one. The old rules have changed! Think new rules, new roles and new mind sets! Ward and June Cleaver are no longer the "normal family".

Re-Invent & Re-Evaluate - This is a time to look inside yourself and re-invent who you are. Especially if you are looking for a new job. Make a list of your transferable skills and talents and go for it.

You are not alone - get support - Everyone has been touched by this recession. There is no reason to be embarrassed by the fact that you have to make some life changes. Seek support when and where you need it.

Rock on and be strong, Jennifer and Leah