​Self-care isn’t always about indulging yourself in manicures and late-night movies (although those are really important). Self-care is about doing what’s needed to have the life you want, no matter how difficult it may seem: Speaking up to your best friend or your boss, recycling the clothes you’ll never fit into no matter how many diets you try, asking for professional help so you can resolve your relationship or insomnia or whatever isn’t working. Now, more than ever, is the time for you to take care of you. The stronger and more centered you are, the easier it will be to weather what crops up.
 
Following are ten ways to step up your positive attitude and overall well-being:

1. Say what you mean. Are you afraid to express yourself because you’ll hurt someone’s feelings or your words might be misconstrued? Speaking up is much more than just saying “no.” When you don’t express yourself or stuff your feelings, people don’t have the opportunity to see and know the real you. Being true to yourself not only empowers you, it empowers those around you. So don’t be afraid to speak your truth. When you say what you mean you honor yourself and you give others the chance to know you, the real you, the one they’re longing to know.
2. Take baby steps. Whatever your goal, you don’t have to get there today. Or even tomorrow. Trying to get there too fast can cause stress and frustration and bring up feelings of “I’m not good enough” or “why can’t I be like him/her?” Remember the wise saying, “All good things come to those who wait.” Picture the Buddha and see yourself smiling and patient. Make one new change in your lifestyle and see how that goes. When that’s working well, then add something else. Take baby steps. There’s no hurry.
3. Let go of the past. Isn’t it amazing how hard it is to let go? Those events that transpired eons ago—the raise you didn’t get, the relationship that failed, a family member saying you’ll never amount to anything—can still create feelings of fear, anger, shame, guilt. And all that’s doing is ruining your current life. It’s time to let those puppies go. You don’t have to be stuck with that baggage. Coaching, energy healing, therapy, meditation, inner child work, tapping, there are hundreds of methods to help you access those memories and transform them. And when you rewrite the past, you create a brand new present.
4. Connect with Spirit. It doesn’t matter whether you believe in God or the Divine or simply an energy that binds us all together. Seeing, understanding, believing, or knowing about that connection serves to calm you. You could be exercising or deep breathing or just looking at a flower, something that transports you out of your typical awareness. When you’re in that “zone,” you feel a deep inner peace that can transcend time and space. Those little moments are like nectar to your body, mind, and soul.
5. Appreciate yourself. To paraphrase Elizabeth Barrett Browning, “How do you love yourself? Can you count the ways?” Appreciation goes farther than skin deep. It penetrates to the core of your being and radiates beyond. The more you love yourself, the more lovable you become. We all have our flaws and faults, but this is about finding the things you like. Do you love your eyes, the way you support your friends and family, how you find joy in the little things? Start a list of the things you appreciate, at least one per day, and tell yourself how much you love that quality. Before you know it you’ll be in love with YOU.
6. Reward yourself. Are you searching for acknowledgment? Recognition? A little praise? You don’t have to wait for someone else to give it. Give it to yourself! It’s easy to overlook all the little things you do—cleaning the house, exercising, finishing that painting. But all those things matter and create space for the bigger things—an inviting home, a well-toned body, winning first place at the art show. Acknowledge your successes and reward yourself (the reward begins a pattern of self-acknowledgment). Take a bubble bath with lighted candles and soft music. Indulge in that dark chocolate. Buy yourself a new dress. You deserve it!
7. Get up and move. Exercise may be a dreaded word, but the body is designed to move. Exercise improves your mood, increases endorphins, and decreases stress. So get up and move! You don’t have to join a gym. Even little movements can help. Try stretching or ease into yoga or qigong. Walking outdoors is fantastic. Or dust off your stationary bicycle or elliptical machine. If you’re at work and you only have a minute or two, get up from your desk and take a brisk walk around the office. Movement makes the body happy and a happy body means a happier you.
8. Be grateful. Giving thanks is one of the most important aspects of self-care. If you do nothing else, be grateful for who you are and what you have. As in self-appreciation, find something to be thankful for—your job, your friends, your spouse, your health, your house, the food you eat, the ground under your feet. Nothing is too small. Giving thanks creates a beautiful vibration that increases your prosperity and attracts more to be thankful for. [Try the thirty-day experiment in Thank and Grow Rich by Pam Grout.]
9. Laugh and play. When was the last time you felt like a little kid? Remember playtime? Hopscotch, jump rope, hide and seek, jacks? Games that made you laugh and squeal with pleasure? Your inner child is still with you, wanting to come out and play. Fun lights up your soul and makes you radiate with joy. So dip your toes into a nearby lake, pull out the croquet set, play some badminton or horseshoes or miniature golf. Get your joy on! You might be surprised how wonderful you feel.
10. Follow your dreams. Now that you’ve revitalized your inner child, take a moment and recapture your dreams. What did you want to be when you grew up? Dreams are fueled by your imagination, and your imagination is endless. If you wanted to be a painter, what about a painting class? If you thought about writing, try an online course or join a writer’s group. If you wanted to be an astronaut, visit a space camp. It’s never too late. Creativity and exploration are like candy to your soul. So let your imagination loose and explore. You’ll feel recharged and restored.

 
There’s no guarantee that life won’t throw you more curve-balls. As we all know, it’s a crazy obstacle course. But if you use some or all of the steps here, you will be a happier, healthier, and more prosperous YOU.

[Originally published in the Conscious Life Journal, ​July 2018]

by Suzanne Baker Hogan
 
I am a true believer that going for your dreams is the best thing you can do in your life. I speak from experience. And from that experience, I can say that going for your dreams also requires major change. What kind of change exactly? You will have to leave every comfort zone you have created that hides your fears.  

Following your dreams means leaping into unknown territory, and old methods of safety will have to go. Your human self won’t like this one bit. Most likely, it will fight you, kicking and screaming. But keep going! You are learning to let your soul take control. 

You’ll also have to stop doing things for other people. Or, more specifically, stop doing them based on how you look to other people. It is truly scary how much we put others in charge of our power. And changing this might shock everyone around you. So be it! Eventually, they will applaud your bravery.

When you harness the courage to leap for your dreams, you grow exponentially. And it helps to know that you are already extremely courageous. Consider for a moment the courage it took for you to come here and live a human life! 

There you were in your beautiful heavenly home where you felt so loved and supported. And you said, okay, I want to grow even more. I am ready to go back to that tough, rough earth school again. You knew that it would be heartbreaking. You knew that it would be frustrating beyond measure. But most of all, you knew that it would cut you off from your true, divine nature: LOVE. 

Did this stop you? No. You signed up on the spot. 

When you follow your dreams, you will summon the same deep courage it took to come here. And you will have to let your soul guide you all the way. You must trust this guidance and let it lead you, step by step. This is so much easier than getting overwhelmed by the whole picture. Be warned, things might not look anything like you thought. Not a problem! Just have faith in the process. And know that if you fully believe in yourself and your dreams coming true, the universe always delivers. 

Dream big! Leap courageously! Because you deserve to see the deepest desires of your soul materialize in your human life. You were born to find your way to total freedom and do what you really want while on this earth. So sing the song of your soul out loud! For all to easily hear. You will be amazed at how your dreams take flight. And how much you inspire others to do the same. 

Suzanne Baker Hogan, spiritual writer and author of SharetheSpiritual.com and Twin Flame Help, is a guest blogger and coauthor of F.A.I.T.H. – Finding Answers in the Heart, Volume II. To order your copy of this inspirational book, click here. 

by Barbara J. Hopkinson

New years signify new beginnings in many ways—new year’s resolutions, a new calendar year, maybe a new fiscal year—even an exciting new year of life. Unless you’ve lost a loved one.  

Then you may not feel very “new” or very motivated to make resolutions, or even to celebrate life. Your new beginning may be figuring out how to make it through another year without that loved one you miss so much.

Remember, LOVE and GRATITUDE heals, so factor those into your new beginnings this year. Even loss is a new beginning for you both, in a way—your loved one to a spiritual life and you to a physical life without them.  But nothing breaks the bond of love, not even death.  Be grateful for the gift of time you had with them and begin again, knowing they are with you, sending you love.

Three of the most important tips I learned after traumatic loss helped me successfully begin again:
• Be good to yourself, be open and trust your own intuition
• Helping others helps you heal
• It’s ALL about the LOVE

1) Understand that taking care of you is the baseline for you to be able to heal and help anyone else around you. You might be surprised at some of the things that can help you heal.  Keep an open mind to try new things.  Also, I can’t emphasize how important it is to learn to listen to and trust your own intuition rather than others’ opinions of what is best for you.

2) Find a passion and DO something to HELP someone. You will be amazed at how much it heals you and helps you begin to work toward a NEW NORMAL, while it takes the focus off yourself and your pain.

3) New beginnings are most successful when based on LOVE. Love yourself and the one you lost—enough to begin again.  Focus on that love and the positive memory. Love is what binds us, what brings us joy and makes memories. Love is what gives us hope, heals the loss, and makes the loss a sacred part of our story. Love gives everything meaning.

May you begin ANEW with LOVE, GRATITUDE and HOPE.         

Happy New Year!         

Barbara J. Hopkinson, Grief Mentor, Author, and Speaker with A Butterfly’s Journey, is a guest blogger and coauthor of F.A.I.T.H. – Finding Answers in the Heart, Volume II. To pre-order your copy of this inspirational book, click here.

by Rebecca Kirson

The facilitator of a recent training I attended discussed how hockey legend Wayne Gretzky was able to stay ahead of his competitors game after game. When asked how he did it, Wayne replied, “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.” 

We have the power to start living from where our life is going, not where we have been.

Sit with that for a moment.

So many people live their lives not 70 to 80 years, but the same year 70 to 90 times. Why? Because they hold so tight to who they were 10 years ago, 5 years ago, last year . . . They can’t let go of the past to create the dreams they say they yearn for now.  

We are powerfully creating our reality every moment of every day based on our thoughts and emotions. Yet every single time we direct our thoughts to the fear and resentment of “what happened before” with our relationships, with our finances, with our careers, we continue to re-create that reality again and again.  That’s why a lot of people feel like they are stuck in the movie Groundhog Day.

In order to create NEW in your life, you have to allow new thoughts, creativity, and inspiration to flow in and to start living with a focus on where your life is going, not where it has been.  You already know the story of playing small, settling with mediocrity, and hiding your light.  Why do you keep rereading that chapter when the rest of the book needs to be written?

A simple foolproof test will answer that for you.  If you look at what you have created in all areas of your life, what do you see?  Are you proud of your art or would you rather throw a sheet over it?  Your life is a direct reflection of who you are being:  your consciousness and energy / your awareness and frequency. 

You have unlimited potential inside of you waiting to be expressed in physical form as the effect of your life.  You ARE creating continually.  The decision is whether it’s a Picasso or a paint-by-number book you picked up at the clearance rack in Walmart.

I encourage you to step into your vision for 2015. What new reality do you want to create for yourself?  What changes do you have to make to meet the aspects of yourself that are trying to emerge? What action steps can you take now to start encoding your present with the future you wish to create?

They call it the NEW YEAR for a reason.  Tap into infinite possibilities and make this the year you go beyond just thinking about it. 

To your success! 

Empowering women is the essence behind the inspirational book F.A.I.T.H. – Finding Answers in the Heart. The first volume of F.A.I.T.H., published in June 2014, has been a resounding success in the United States, Europe, and Canada. The insights the 14 authors received left the readers clamoring for more. But it wasn’t only the readers who were inspired. More women wanted to share their experiences, to be part of the collaborative effort. And thus Volume II came to life, a second collection about love, surrender, forgiveness, and death.

Rather than waiting to reveal the book when it’s completed, we’ve decided to share our thoughts along the way and talk about the topics that matter to us, the ones lodged deep in our hearts. The ones that have to do with faith. Because faith is not a conquest. Faith is an inner journey of divine exploration. It’s an understanding between you and Source, an indication of trust that grows with confidence and knowing. And as you grow in confidence and knowing, the more you empower women like yourself.

On this journey you’ll meet the 14 authors of Volume II and learn more about their hopes, their losses, their wounds, and their dreams. What makes them worry; what makes them glow. They’ll show you their way out of darkness in the hopes of inspiring you to choose the light. And each month we’ll discuss a specific topic, starting 2015 with New Beginnings. 

So stay tuned for more. The next post on the theme of New Beginnings is by Rebecca Kirson, Soul Realignment Practitioner and Transformational Coach from Your Sacred Truth. Discover how to create NEW in your life.