The Circle of Empowerment - Perseverance!

This week, we continue our three part series – The Circle of Empowerment. We are going to focus on the second key ingredient to being fully empowered in your life – Perseverance!

Perseverance: Persisting in or remaining constant to a purpose, idea or task in spite of obstacles.

The second tool that you will need to have in order to complete the Circle of Empowerment is Perseverance. Imagine that you have the determination and are truly going for it…But wait, once you are in the game things might not be going your way and you find yourself not winning…this is when you need Perseverance to make it through.

Sometimes it isn’t about WINNING the race, but about finishing the race that counts. And, in order to finish the race you must have the perseverance to go on despite some of the challenges that you will encounter along the way. In life, we will all face challenges and obstacles that will sometimes seem overwhelming, unable to conquer…you are ready to throw in the towel.
This is when you have to Persevere.

It’s not easy to tackle this alone, and that is when having a support system in place can help you get closer to your goal. This support system can be large or small, it can be the comforting voice of your mother telling you how wonderful and special you are, it can be your child who tells you that you are the best parent in the world.

It’s someone who motivates you and gives you the strength to continue in the game. In a sense it’s like having a coach in your corner!

Do you have a coach in your corner? Someone helping you as you go through life’s challenges?
Just as important…are you that person for someone else? Be someone’s coach today and tell them they can do it…and Persevere!

You can do it!

Perch, Flap, Fly!

This summer we had the awesome experience of attending the National Speakers Association Conference. We had the opportunity of hearing many excellent speakers who inspired, motivated and provided positive messages in all shapes and forms. One speaker in particular that inspired us was Karen Cortell Reisman. Now, her name might not be a household word, but you may be familiar with her famous cousin - Albert Einstein.

Interestingly enough, she didn’t talk all about her famous cousin; instead she told the story of her parents and how they went about making decision in their lives. She compared their decision making strategy to that of birds, yes….birds.
Have you ever had a decision to make? A really big one?? Did you feel like you needed to make the decision quickly? Well, DON'T do that. When we need to make big decisions, we need to take time to make them.

Karen actually can be broke down the decision making process into three stages (back to the BIRDS) according to the birds!

The first step is PERCHING. This is what birds do before making any major decision. They just sort of sit there, and THINK....they contemplate every issue of the decision....they weigh the consequences....they PONDER. And, most importantly, they take their time. We typically don't allow ourselves enough time to perch. But, we really should! Allow yourself the time to really think about the decision you have to make, and think it through, weighing out the pros and cons of each possible action. There is no time limit, only YOURS.

Step two is when we FLAP our wings...this happens when we have determined the route we want to take. So, when we *flap our wings* we are really creating our action plans.....figuring out what we need to do to get there. A very important step in the whole process!

The final step we take in the process is taking flight! This is when we set off to begin achieving our dreams. We have thought it through, we have our action plan, and now we are ready to soar!

Please allow yourself to go through all the three steps...don't miss any of them. Each one is very important to the ultimate move you make. You don't have to be the Energizer Bunny with every action you take...............remember to Perch. You must PERCH before you can FLY! Take the time to really get in tune with what it is you want to do. Relax, allow yourself the time, space and freedom that you need to determine your life plan.

No Need to Water the Weeds!

"You must weed your mind as you would weed your garden." ~Astrid Alauda


If you have ever had a yard or garden, you know that weeds have the ability to sometimes
take over! It can be frustrating to walk outside and see these weeds covering the fruits of your labor! Most of us tend to pull the weeds out or spray them with weed killer to try to rid our yards of these unsightly creatures. We certainly don't water them or nourish them to encourage them to grow! We want to get rid of them as soon as possible so that our grass, flowers or vegetables can grow and flourish!

Well, this the concept of *weeds* in the garden can also apply to *weeds* in our
life! We want to share with you some gardening tips that you can incorporate into
your life!

Weeds (like tolerations) are negative things in our life. So, just as you would
deal with the weeds in your yard, you can tend to the weeds in your life the same
way. PULL OUT THE WEEDS! If weeds are left unattended to, they will continue to
grow and kill your grass. Don't water the weeds. In other words, focus on the positive
not on the negative things in your life. Rid yourself of the negative thoughts,
people, and situations (the weeds) in your life!

Another gardening tip that you can incorporate into your life is to rake the dead
leaves up. If you let the dead leaves stay on your grass, the new life will not
be able to flourish! In our lives, this relates to letting go of the past. Get rid
of the heavy weight of the past and look forward to the future. If you carry your
past around with you, you won't be able to move forward and grow.

The final gardening tip is to install an automatic sprinkler system! Grass and plants
need water to grow and blossom. And they need it on a regular basis. You don't just
wait and hope for rain, you install a sprinkler system to insure they get the water
they need. In life - our automatic sprinkler system is the positive energy, people
and reinforcement we surround ourselves with.

Make time in your life (on a regular basis) to receive the positive things in your
life! These are the positive habits and people in our lives. What are you doing
on a regular basis to water YOUR yard?

Tune in this week to our podcast, and hear more tips and suggestions on how to keep
your life blooming! And remember, Don't Water the Weeds!

Make today a Masterpiece!
Jen and Leah

What Attitude are YOU wearing?

‘You live longer once you realize that any time spent being unhappy is wasted.’ Ruth E. Renkl

Do you know people that just always seem happy and upbeat? As if nothing in the world can bring them down? They keep a smile on their face and a positive attitude in their heart. When you are around this type of person, their positive energy tends to *rub off* on you and you feel more upbeat and alive!

Conversely, do you know people that always seem to be grumpy or in a bad mood? You know the type, the negative Nelly that just refuses to see the good in anything or anyone. When you are around this type of person you can almost FEEL them draining your energy!

Well, these two types of people really have a lot more in common with each other than you think! The commonality is that they both have the opportunity to CHOOSE how they want to look at life.

For example, when you are getting ready to start your day you probably look in your closet and CHOOSE which outfit you want to wear based on how you are feeling that day, or what the weather is like outside. Well, the same is true about our attitudes. We really do get to pick how we want to view our lives! We can be positive and upbeat, or we can be negative and unhappy.
In life everyone will face their own challenges, obstacles, and not so happy situations, that is inevitable. You cannot know joy if you don’t experience pain. However, you can choose how you want to deal with it! You can release the anger and sadness and move forward with a positive mindset, or you can hold on to the unhappiness and let it fester inside of you until you can’t see the forest for the trees!

So, next time you are around someone who is positive, upbeat and happy….thank them for making such a wise decision on what attitude they chose to wear!

Make today a Masterpiece! Leah & Jen

Go For the GOLD!

"An athlete gains so much knowledge by just participating in a sport. Focus, discipline, hard work, goal setting and, of course, the thrill of finally achieving your goals. These are all lessons in life.” — Kristi Yamaguchi, world champion figure skater

Did you all have the opportunity to watch the Winter Olympics? What an exciting time! You couldn’t help but be inspired, motivated and PROUD as you watched these young athletes give it their ALL for their team, their sport, and their country!

The quote above by world champion figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi does an excellent job of summarizing exactly what motivates these athletes to win and HOW they do it. This quote is also an excellent metaphor on how we can live our lives. It provides us with a blueprint on how to win in the gold medal in the game of life. Think about it, each day are you practicing these five principles?

Focus: Do you know what you are striving towards? Have you clearly identified what you truly want in life? It is important that you become crystal clear in this area so that you can focus on what you want. Visualize your Success!

Discipline: It takes a lot of discipline to reach our goals! If you’ve ever been on a diet, you know the importance of discipline. It is really about focusing on the long term results and having the control to pass over the short term gratifications that throw you off track. Simply put, it is skipping desert in favor of going to the gym…practicing self control to reach our goals.

Hard work: Nobody ever said life was going to be easy. It takes hard work and perseverance to attain our goals. The Olympic athletes spend countless hours practicing and perfecting their skills to compete in the Olympics. In life, we also must work very hard to reach our goals. We must not accept being average, we must strive to be the best!

Goal Setting: Once you know what you want in life, the most important thing you can do is set specific goals. You can bet that every Olympian’s goal is to win a GOLD medal for their country. Once that goal is set, the next step is to create the action plan (and strategies) to achieve that goal.

Achieving your Goals: This is the thrill of the victory! The GOLD medal of life! Your pay off for having focus, practicing discipline, working hard and setting specific goals. When all of your hard work pays off and you have reached your goal!

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

Magic Eight Ball

"Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity!" Gilda Radner

Ambiguity is the property of being ambiguous, where a word, term, notation, sign, symbol, phrase, sentence, or any other form used for communication, is called ambiguous if it can be interpreted in more than one way.

When you were a child did you have a Magic Eight Ball? It was this black ball and you would ask it a question, shake the ball, turn it over and a response would show up. For example, you might ask it if you were going to be asked to the ninth grade prom, and then you would get a reply like: Seems Certain! Or Highly Probable! It was a fun way to spend an afternoon with your teenage buddies, and always brought much laughter to the room.

As an adult, do you ever wish you had a crystal ball (or a REAL Magic Eight Ball) that would tell you what the future holds for you? The questions you might ask it today are probably a little different that when you were a child. You would probably ask it questions like: Will I get laid off from my job? Will I be able to pay my mortgage next month? Is my marriage going to make it through this rough patch?

We know that today's environment is scary for a lot of folks....there are a lot of things happening that we have no control over! And, for many, we automatically think that life would be easier if we had all the answers.....but, would it really be easier?

The above quote by Gilda Radner is one of our personal favorites. If you will recall, Miss Radner was a very popular comedienne and actress who lost a courageous battle with ovarian cancer when she was just 43 years old. Yet, even as she faced her deadly disease, she kept her spirit alive.

She understood that in life there are no guarantees, there is just life! And life was made for us to embrace, enjoy and without knowing what was around the next turn.

Think about it, there are no guarantees, there is only life. So, what are you going to do with yours?There is no Magic Eight ball to give you all the answers to your questions. That is part of the wonder of life! Never knowing what each day is going to bring.

Learn to embrace and celebrate each day. Do not fear the unknown! Instead, look at each day as a present! You never know what is inside the box until you open it.

Make Today a Masterpiece!

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.

The Cracked Pot

"Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent. ~Eleanor Roosevelt."

We received this story recently and thought we would share with you. Enjoy!

An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck. One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walks from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream. 'I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house.' The old woman smiled, 'Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side?' 'That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them.'

'For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house.' Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them.

SO, to all of our crackpot friends, have a great day and remember to smell the flowers on your side of the path!

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!

Summertime FUN - Let's make some!

Then followed that beautiful season... Summer....Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood.~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Ahhhh, Summertime and the living is easy! Remember as a child you couldn’t wait for it to be summer! Summer meant freedom! No more school, no more books, no more teacher’s dirty looks?? It was a time of sleeping in, staying up late, going to camp, lounging by the pool, hanging out with friends, taking vacations with the family. In a word, summer was magical!
But, as adults, summer can often mean more of the same old routine, except that the mercury on the thermometer has risen!
We would like to present you with the Creating Your Masterpiece Summer challenge! It’s easy to get started. First, imagine yourself as a child again! What was the one thing you looked forward to most in the summer? Was it going to camp to learn how to sail or kayak or canoe. Or, perhaps it was going to the movies to watch the latest summer blockbusters and escape the heat of the day.
Now, think of how you can incorporate your favorite summertime activity into your current summer schedule. It could be as easy as leaving work a little early to meet friends for the afternoon matinee or enjoying the sunset at the beach. The important thing is that you make the time to do it!
Just because we are adults doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy a little piece of that summer magic that we all looked forward to as children! You are never too old to enjoy a summer day!

Creating YOUR Masterpiece for the ABWA

Well, here we are wearing our fabulous FUSHIA feather clips in our hair! The fabulous women in this picture are the ladies from the Orlando Chapter of the American Business Women (ABWA)! http://orlandoabwa.org/
Jen and I had the wonderful opportunity to conduct our "Become the Artist of Your Life" workshop for them as part of their annual retreat!

The mission of the American Business Women’s Association is to bring together business women of diverse occupations and to provide opportunities to help themselves and others grow personally and professionally through leadership, education, networking support and national recognition. But, they also like to have FUN!

And, what a fun, inspiring weekend we had with the ABWA girls at the beautiful Canterbury Retreat in Oviedo. For the ladies, it was 24 hours of relaxing, wining/dining, playing Bunko, laughing, learning and sharing some great new memories with a wonderful and inspiring group of women.

The retreat all centered around the theme of "Becoming the Artist of Your Life". And, these ladies were ready to start creating their masterpiece's and living their lives proactively with purpose, passion and by their design! Jen and I made some great new friends and enjoyed our time with the Ladies of ABWA!
PS - I just love my fushia hair clip too!

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

Giving back to our community

Jennifer and I recently had the privilege to give back to our local community by conducting a Creating Your Masterpiece workshop at SafeHouse of Seminole County - below is a press release about that experience. We will be doing our workshop for the ladies of SafeHouse on a regular basis.

Orlando-based life coaches and owners of Creating Your Masterpiece Jennifer Lee and Leah Turner conducted their popular "Become the Artist of Your Life" workshop for nine residents of SafeHouse on January 18, as part of their continuing commitment to the organization.

SafeHouse offers temporary housing for survivors of domestic violence in Seminole County. During their stay, program participants receive individual crisis counseling, support groups, case management, safety planning, emergency clothing and food, referrals to community resources, children’s services including assessment and appropriate referrals, and personal advocacy.
"Domestic violence is an ongoing problem in our society, and something I experienced many years ago," says Lee. "Our goal is to provide these women with the tools and resources that will help them make an easier transition from SafeHouse back to the real world."

"We teach them skills such as extending their boundaries and raising their standards, how to trash the things we tolerate in our daily lives, and living in integrity," adds Turner. "This workshop is a natural fit for us, because we are committed to empowering women and helping them to take a proactive approach or become the artist, of their lives."

Says SafeHouse Executive Director Jeanne Gold, "This is a great workshop that we received one hundred percent positive feedback on the first time we took advantage of it. SafeHouse, and Creating Your Masterpiece, are both committed to empowering women—giving them the tools they need to make decisions on their own. Previous attendees said the workshop gave them a new lease on life and helped them to be more positive about the future."