Finding Joy in the Hard

What are you holding on to so tight  that it's hard to breathe fully? It's hard to walk. It's hard to move.  And why are you holding on to it?   Our accumulated thoughts and way of behavior have made us an imposter to who we really are. We're living as a character, instead of as ourselves.  Leo  Brusccaglia  said, "There are people waiting for someone like us to come along...

Today, I share with you a guided Jin Shin Jyutsu meditation that I taught this morning via zoom. We start with a healing hold to release attachment to thoughts and to balance digestion. I guide you through a body scan to balance mind, body and spirit.  The meditation then allows you to take a birds-eye look at the life you're currently committed to. Not what's important to you, but rathe...

Is it true what they told you? So often when people give us advice, especially if they have a certain authority to their tone,  it comes across as feeling as if it's fact or truth.  But it's only a theory.  It's based on their thinking and what they're believing.  The information presented on this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or presc...

Welcome back to Finding Joy in the Hard.  On this Memorial Day, do you remember the sacrifices that were made for our freedom? I have to tell you, I often forget. I think about this holiday as a day off; a day to be with family and friends, but I often forget about all those who have died to give us our freedom.   In this episode, I share some thoughts and my experience at the Memorial Day ceremon...

What if you can look at failure as a good thing?   It's not easy for me. And yet  there are so many examples of people who've failed and failed again and then found that thing that really inspires them. Maybe failure is a path to learning more.  I was at the podcast summit this past Monday and Tuesday and the women speaking talked about how they love what they do but it took one failure...

Recently, I had an idea about an article I wanted to write.  I got really excited about the idea.  The next day, when I thought about it again, I got another fluttering, but this time it felt like anxiety.  The first day, I was focused on the possibilities.  The next day  on the roadblocks and what it would take.  But as soon as I realized that I paused  focusing on the present moment  and I dropp...

We all have these ideas of things we can't do. It's simply too hard. But is it? Or is that simply something we've never tried.  I was convinced something I had set out to do would be too hard. Yet I was willing to try it anyway and you know what? It wasn't as hard as I expected. In fact, I learned a new technique .  Listen and hopefully it will encourage you to take a chance at...

For most of my life I've carried the belief that I'm not organized. I shared this with a few women at lunch the other day after I told them I record, edit and produce my own podcast and that I share an episode daily. I batch them and schedule them. They said I think that's a story you have to stop telling yourself.  In fact it's a lie.  What lies are you telling yourself. Liste...

 Where would you like to be a year from now? As humans, we're habitual creatures. We identify with our past and see ourselves for what we have done.  But our past doesn't define us.  James Clear suggests  to create change, you only need to know the direction, not the destination.  That's huge, right? If we only need to know the direction,  then we can start now.  Too often we'r...

Do you realize how capable you are?  Have you taken time recently to acknowledge the strength you've mustered or are currently mustering  when you didn't think you could?  Too often we focus on beating ourselves up, forgetting how powerful we are.  We all have courage deep within.  Author Debbie Ford calls it a divine confidence. One that can never be stripped away.  She says,  It doesn&...

Are you willing to be uncomfortable for five minutes?  Starting is the hardest part. If we're willing to experience discomfort for as little as five minutes,  we'll be less likely to procrastinate. The information presented on this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or prescribe for any medical or psychological condition, nor to prevent, treat, mitig...

What have you decided you're too old to do?  We've all heard or said  he, she is too old to change.  Do we believe this about ourselves?  Consider this.  If you change the way you look at things,  the things you look at change.  Wayne Dyer said that in his book, The Power of Intention . A Course in Miracles reminds us  we have given everything we see all the meaning it has for us.  That...

 Do you make room for uncertainty in your life?   We like having certainty. We like knowing how our day will go. We like assuming we are in control of everything,  but uncertainty brings possibility.   Think about it. When you're out and about and you run into a friend you haven't seen in  a long time.  You did not anticipate  that  encounter but you're filled with so much joy. That...

 Have you ever thought about how we make our lives more difficult?   Maybe you go to bed too late. Like me, staying up to watch Pretty Woman last night until ten of twelve. What was I thinking? Yes, I loved the movie, and yes, I fell asleep on the couch earlier, but that didn't mean that was going to help me.   Do you hit the snooze button too many times in the morning? That's not helpin...

 If five people said something nice about you  and one person said something mean,  what would you focus on?   I asked my high school juniors this today. There were about 13 of them present  and  all of them, except one  said  they would focus on the mean thing.  One student said the good, and I was so proud of him because most of us, myself included would focus on the bad.   Why is that? We have...

Are you waiting for permission to do something?     If so, I give you permission.  That's what a coach said to me a few years ago.   Why do we wait to pursue  our interests, our dreams, something we want to do?  It has a lot with our nervous system.  If it's an experience that we've never had before,  the nervous system sends out messages of danger, danger, danger. Don't do it....

What if resentment is a good thing?   Kate Donovan, expert on burnout, believes it's our superpower as it lets us know when a boundary is missing.  So often when we talk about boundaries, we talk about others crossing our boundaries, but a lot of times we cross our own boundaries.  In this episode I share two examples of how cross our inner boundaries; how to recognize when we do it and how t...

What if you can't feel grateful?   If you've been listening to my podcast for a while now, you know I'm a huge proponent of gratitude journals.  And while they can be life changing and super helpful, there are times in our lives that we just can't feel grateful ,  especially when we're burnt out. Kate Donovan, an expert on burnout and the author of the Bounce Back Ability...

Do you have trouble receiving compliments?  You might not think it's a big deal, but did you know your inability to receive small gestures impacts your ability to receive and allow the big things in  life. How? Tune in to listen to this mini episode.  And Happy Mother's Day. If you'd liked to receive information on my free Monday Morning guided Jin Shin Jyutsu meditations (10-15 min...

Imagine you can cancel out 8 hours of worry a day - it's possible and guess what it only takes a consistent  4 minute daily practice.  Have a listen and give it a try. It will change your life.  The information presented on this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or prescribe for any medical or psychological condition, nor to prevent, treat, mitigate or c...

Do you know what you give up when you people please?  You give up yourself. You put everyone's needs and interests ahead of your own—even strangers. I recorded this episode in Rome on my last day - it's pretty profound. If you're a people pleaser, it's definitely worth a listen.  The information presented on this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended to d...

Want to feel more abundant by next month?  And it takes only 15 minutes day.   What I share in this episode seems too simple. The ego will tell you it's not possible. But I'm proof it is.  Give it a try and let me know what you experience.  The information presented on this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or prescribe for any medical or psychologi...

Does dreary weather bring you down? Sometimes it really affects my mood. One day while driving to school where I teach Yoga for Stress Management, I considered this: When you go up in a plane,  it's always sunny.  Above the clouds  and the dreariness is the sun. And if we can think like that and we can focus on just above  what we see is light and so much light.  Allow it to fill you up and s...

Do you ask for the brownie? In other words, do you ask for what you want despite the obstacles? In this episode, I share a story from my Belief coach. She shares how she and her daughter were at a cafe on vacation where there was a plate of cookies for free. Beside the cookies was a plate of brownies. Yet the brownies weren't free. The mom asked if she wanted a cookie. The daughter said, &quo...

Do you ever get sweaty palms, a racing heart, feel like you're about to have a panic attack, or at least you're about to slip into a bout of nervousness?  You can change the narrative by saying these three words.  I AM EXCITED.  Research shows that when people reappraise anxiety as excitement, they move out of a threat mindset of what can go wrong into an opportunity mindset of what can...