Live a life of ease and prosperity.

“I’m going to make everything around me beautiful – that will be my life.” – Elsie de Wolf

This is an important subject to me, because without a solid mindfulness practice, I honestly don’t know where I would be today.

Like many, I had to spiral out of control before I realized just how dark my life was becoming.  From the outside, I think my life was looking pretty sweet – great job, wonderful friends, amazing husband.  But on the inside I was suffering from insecurity and sadness and it was being reflected all around me.

To this day, I feel like the luckiest thing that’s ever happened to me was to stumble across the book, May Cause Miracles by Gabrielle Bernstein.  It guides you through a 40-day practice of subtle shifts that add up to radical change and unlimited happiness!

I did the 40 day practice and could not believe how it changed my life.  Miracles everywhere!  And the greatest miracle of all?  I felt happy and that happiness was being reflected all around me.

To be perfectly transparent, while the principals are now embedded within me, I slip from my practice from time to time.  Life happens and I feel like I’m “too busy” to take the time to do it.

It’s always a mistake.

I start feeling anxious, paralyzed by fear, overwhelmed, grumpy, tired…all. of. it.  I fall into a scarcity mindset of:  “I’m not worthy of being loved.  I’m not enough.  I’m going to fail and when I do everyone is going to laugh at me.”

Does any of this resonate with you?

I had to come up with a way that I could make this practice work for me, with my lifestyle.  We’re all busy.  We’ve all got thing to do, growing lists, and lots of demands.  But having a mindfulness practice that brings you back to Love should be like the water in your well.  It’s the only thing that can sustain you.

I honestly believe that having a mindfulness practice makes time expand.  It will will give you more focus, clarity and faith in your intuition.  All of these things create more productivity and balance in your life and your business.

Just try one or all of these tips and let me know how it goes for you.  I believe that it will yield massive results.  And you, my friend, are SO worthy of it.  xoxo

Mindfulness – Step 1.

Gratitude

Every day  when you first open your eyes start counting down the things that you are most grateful for.  Or make a physical list.

I have a folder in my google drive called “abundance”.  In it I have another folder called ‘Gratitude’ where I just go off on everything that I am grateful for.  It’s kind of like a rampage.  Sometimes I write down 5 things, sometimes I write down 100.  But I always find something to be grateful for.

This practice served me most in January 2017 when within one month I bought a house, was laid off my job, and lost my father.  The only way you can recover from these types of events and not spiral into the darkness is to change your mindset completely.  Read about that journey here.

I’ve heard some people think of this as a chore, but when you consider how much time you’re spending on thinking about what you’re not grateful for it’s exactly the same amount of time.

Here’s a list of examples that might use when I’m stuck in traffic:

• The sun is out and it feels so good on my hands.
• Oh!  Look at that eagle!
• Wow, nature is so amazing.
• I’m so thankful to have a car
• I love that I get to listen to this inspiring podcast
• etc. etc. etc.

Mindfulness – Step 2.

Abundance

Grasping an abundance mindset can yield enormous results in every area of your life.  But it’s not easy for most of us to wrap our minds around this one.

People who live in a scarcity mindset are often living in fear: of money running out, of sharing success, or have a true dislike of other people’s success.

Being in an abundance mindset is truly believing that there is always more than enough to go around.  There’s enough money, recognition, joy, success and love.

When you cling to an abundance mindset you worry less, you sincerely want others to succeed, and you attract more abundance to your own life.

Mindfulness – Step 3.

Celebrate your successes

At the end of every day write down all of your accomplishments and really take time to celebrate them.  Go ahead, pat yourself on the back.  Focus on all the things that you did get done, instead of dwell on the things that you didn’t get done.

Seriously, anything goes here.  It will make you feel good and feeling good is what we’re going for.

Examples:

• I fed myself, my son and my husband 3 healthy meals today.
• I only drank 1 cup of coffee.
• I meditated for 10 minutes.
• I remembered to call my mom, just because.
• I inspired someone.

See…simple : ).

Mindfulness – Step 4.

Sit in stillness

I’ve got a busy, active mind that never wants to keep quiet.  But I try anyway.  I don’t always get there, but that’s ok.

This is what my meditations look like:

• I wear headphones to block out all outside distractions (I get distracted easily)
• I put on the sounds of nature
• I close my eyes, breathe a few cleansing breaths and relax my body
• I choose a mantra, “I am loving awareness”
• I imagine myself drenched in warm light, in a boat, on a river
• For the next 10 minutes, I’m in flow

Mindfulness – Step 5.

Forgiveness

This one is BIG!!  I still have a hard time doing this.  And it took me forever to understand the concept.

Forgiveness doesn’t mean condoning bad behavior.  It’s just allowing yourself to be freed from whatever or whoever has power over you, your thoughts and your well being.  

Forgive everything and everyone.  Forgive your past.  Forgive yourself.

Let it all go and feel the feeling of freedom.