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Faith is everything
Dec 1, 2011

Faith is everything

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As we head into the holiday season, there are a few things I want to talk about, chief among them what I consider the most important aspect of everything we do in life.

And that is . . . faith.

Faith is everything.

But I don’t mean faith as in religion. No, I mean something more like trust, belief, confidence, conviction. Faith in yourself. Faith that the Universe will not let you down. That everything works out perfectly as it should. And that even when we don’t understand why or how or when, the Universe is conspiring on our behalf to fulfill the life we desire.

This kind of faith is what I call a Knowing.

It’s knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt. It’s 100% belief. Absolute confidence. Total conviction. You know it. Fully, completely, no question.

And this is where we mess up, friends.

Because we *think* we have that kind of Knowing but we let the doubt in somewhere along the line. Just before the thing we want comes to fruition. And instead of getting what we were after, we’re let down.

Do we blame the Universe? Our neighbors? Our family?

Unfortunately, yes, we do. But we must realize and understand – it’s NOT their fault. If you want to lay blame, go look in the mirror, dear. Take responsibility. Because that’s where it starts.

It starts within. Nothing is without.

All the answers you need are right inside you.

Know without a doubt that you are a powerful being. Know without a doubt that you can do great things. That the dreams you have can be reality. And that they WILL be reality if you have faith.

Faith is everything.

Until next time . . . keep blazin’

Wishing you success, love + fire in your belly

Filed Under: Motivation, Trailblazing ·
Resistance is futile
Sep 28, 2011

Resistance is futile

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Sometimes when life tries to kick us in the ass and get us moving in the right direction, we ignore it. Instead of heeding that call, we put our blinders on and cover our ears hoping to shut it out.

But the Universe is a stubborn leader and it will continue to nudge us in the right direction until we get the message.

Sometimes the Universe will shout so loudly to get your attention that it seems the entire world stops to listen. Everybody but you, that is. ;-)

Here’s the thing -

Your resistance is futile.

It’s futile because the Universe will keep bashing you over the head until you wake up. And because you have a purpose on this planet. When you allow the Universe to guide you to that purpose and along that path, your life will begin to flow with ease.

Now, that’s not to say there won’t be some obstacles now and then – there will be. Sometimes those obstacles will be other people – the naysayers – and sometimes those obstacles will truly be beyond your control.

Listen closely because this important -

Most of the time, regardless of what you may think, YOU are the obstacle.

Your ingrained thoughts and beliefs will be limiting exactly what you can do. At times, you may not even realize it. These beliefs might be so natural feeling to you that you dismiss them as unimportant or “just the way things are.”

Well, you know what?

That’s bullshit.

The truth is – nothing is “just the way things are” – you have the power to change them. You must have absolute faith to change them. A faith so strong, the Universe has no other option but to deliver it to you. An unwavering faith so absolute that you can move mountains.

How do you do that?

Ignore those little voices in your head that say it’s impossible. The ones that say you can’t, that try to interfere with your faith. Just ignore them. Tell them to shut up and go the hell away.

Let me tell you something else -

Don’t put a price tag on it. Don’t expect it to come to you a certain way. The problem is that we get so attached to the how we forget to listen to the quiet whispers that guide us in the right direction.

We might want something so badly, we start putting all kinds of expectations (also known as limitations) on it. We refuse to acknowledge a certain path because it’s too plain, too simple or too ordinary. We think there is NO WAY we can survive living a cozy farmhouse on the edge of town. We think we have to have the biggest, grandest, newest house money can buy.

Because sometimes what we want isn’t really the thing we think we want. What we really want is the end result. What we really want is the security, the familiarity, the idea of the thing. What we forget is that everything starts with a dream. And it’s the dream we are after.

Until next time . . . keep blazin’!

Wishing you success, love + fire in your belly

Filed Under: Trailblazing ·
The key to living the life you desire
Sep 2, 2011

The key to living the life you desire

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There is a critical component to going from mediocre to badass that we haven’t discussed yet. It’s something that not many people seem to talk about. And I think it’s the missing piece for a lot of people who are trying to find their way.

If you want your circumstances to change, if you want to create the life of your dreams and go from mediocre to badass, you must not only have an optimistic outlook, but you also must understand the reality of where you are right now.

You have to accept whatever is in your current reality.

Embrace all of the lows, the uncool problems, the brokenness, the debt, the anger or whatever is there for you. Maybe it’s low income or financial struggles of some kind. Maybe it’s health issues. Maybe it’s personal struggle. Or marriage issues. Or any number of things. It’s different for each of us.

And I think a lot of us tend to just stick our heads in the sand. We think that all we need to do is have a positive attitude long enough and suddenly everything will right itself. Or maybe we think that if we have a positive attitude long enough, someone will come to our rescue out of the blue and save us.

Well, honey I hate to burst your bubble but that just ain’t gonna happen!

See, there’s something that Jim Collins in his book “Good to Great” calls the Stockdale Paradox. Basically what it means is this:

You must retain faith that you will prevail in the end, regardless of the difficulties.

AND at the same time…

You must confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.

Essentially what that means is pretty simple – accept your current reality and then strive to make it better by keeping a positive attitude and taking action. Believe you’re going to succeed no matter what happens.

Or you could also put it another way – expect the best and prepare for the worst. Although, I think that is a little oversimplified especially if you believe in the Law of Attraction. Because in LoA, we understand that what we focus on expands. Therefore, if you’re preparing for the worst, it might just happen anyway.

But I think that looking at it from the Stockdale Paradox standpoint, we can take it one step further because we HAVE acknowledged the current reality for what it is. When we do that, it makes us free of the burden and then allows us to carry on, with faith, knowing that we can overcome whatever obstacle is there and achieve our dreams in the end.

I know that admitting the truth sometimes is not a very likable idea. It’s uncomfortable. We feel vulnerable and raw when have to look ourselves in the mirror and admit we’re fat or unhappy or broke. But admitting these truths allows you to be free of them. Admitting them allows us to move beyond them and grow.

And that’s what being a Badass Trailblazer is all about.

Until next time . . . keep blazin’!

Wishing you success, love + fire in your belly.

 

PS – the link to Jim’s book on Amazon is an affiliate link. If you click it and purchase the book, I will make a little bit of money. ;-)

Filed Under: Mindset, Trailblazing ·
Your big epic dream
Aug 31, 2011

Your big epic dream

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I’m gonna be totally blunt here, so if you have an aversion to hearing things straight up without any embellishment, you might not want to read any further. If you don’t like to hear the brutal truth about stuff, I’ll see ya later. ;-) No hard feelings.

Still here? Good! Let’s get rolling . . .

If you don’t know what you want to be when you grow up, you’re lying.

Seriously.

Think about this for a minute and I’ll bet that if you’re like most people, when you were a kid, you knew *exactly* what you wanted to be when you grew up. And I bet you told everybody, too – friends, classmates, teachers, family. Anybody who would listen.

So, what was it? Does it still make your heart pound? Probably. I know mine does.

Then, why did you let it go? Embarrassed by it? Afraid of what might happen if you actually succeeded? Yeah, probably.

Let me tell you something -

Did you know that 80-90% of what you’re afraid of happening will never actually happen in reality?

Yep. Think about that for a minute. That means the majority of your fears are just illusion. False. Not real. Invalid. Untrue. Sure – maybe you really are scared. But what will happen if you DON’T do it? How will you feel then?

I’m sure I’m not alone when I say that I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I got to the end of my life and realized I’d squandered all my precious dreams just because I was a little bit afraid of what GOOD things might actually happen if I pushed through my fear and did it anyway.

I’d probably hate myself. Maybe you would too.

And that’s not good. But the good news is we can change that. You and I. All it takes is figuring out how to make it happen and then going after it.

So, choose your dream. You know the one I’m talking about . . . ;-)

Mark Twain once said:

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

Over the next few days, think about that dream. Allow yourself to imagine what life would be like if you actually went for it. Dream Big! Make it exceptional. Unbelievable. Maybe it feels impossible. That’s good.

You know why?

Because impossible means you have something worth going after. Impossible means you’re growing, stretching. You’re reaching for something. Far beyond the stars.

And that’s what gives us hope. Purpose. THAT is your Big Epic Dream.

I dare you to Dream Something Worthy.

Until next time . . . keep blazin’!

Filed Under: Risk, Trailblazing ·
Part 1 On being crystal clear
Aug 18, 2011

Part 1 On being crystal clear

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“If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.” – The Cheshire Cat, Alice in Wonderland

I have recently been reminded of the fragility of life due to the death of one of my uncles. An uncle I didn’t know well but it still gave me a little jolt. See, barely 6 weeks before he passed away, he was diagnosed with cancer. Pretty bad cancer that had deposited itself in several locations of his body – 3 tumors in his brain, 1 wrapped around his lower spinal cord, another in his liver and another in a shoulder.

And as little jolts like this often go, I wound up thinking about my own path in life. Where I’m going and why.

Because the Cheshire Cat is right, you know.

If you don’t know where you’re going, if you don’t really care where you’re headed, then any road will get you somewhere.

And I’ll tell you what – if you have no plan and you get somewhere you don’t like, well, guess what? It’s nobody’s fault but your own and being angry about it isn’t going to help you.

Now, if you’ve been reading this blog long, you may know that I’m not one for making goals. I think goals only hinder you and keep you from the REAL mission. Instead, I call them Targets or Intentions. The reason for this is mostly psychological – we’re taught from early age that if you don’t have goals, you’ll never get anywhere in life. And I think this can be a hinderance to actually DOING them. I know it is for me. ;-) Cause I’m a rebel like that.

So, let’s call them intentions. That’s what I call them most of the time, because, actually – Targets are slightly different – they’re the Big Picture. The Intentions, then, are the steps required to get to the Target. Does that make sense? Good!

Off we go . . .

First, you need a Target – this is your Destination. For example, let’s say you’re going to San Antonio, Texas. It’s your Destination, your Target. And so your Intentions, then, are the steps you’ll take to get there, in chronological order. What do you need to do to get to San Antonio?

Well, you need to decide how you’re going to travel – car, train, airplane. That’s your first step, your first intention. Let’s say you Intend to drive your car. So, now you’ve got that step and you’re ready for step two and so on until you’ve mapped out everything you need to do before you go, your route, your travel time and the dates you intend to go.

And so, life is like that, too. Where do you want to go? What’s your Target?

My Target for this blog is to help people, especially women, empower themselves to be Badass Trailblazers, living lives that kick-ass and do wicked good epic stuff.

So everything I do here is working towards that Target. Each post is an Intention to draw those people closer and help them live life to the fullest – spiritually, entrepreneurially, physically. Everything leads to my Target.

If you can’t do anything else right now, at least figure out the Big Picture, the Target you’re striving for. That Destination, where you want to end up when it’s said and done.

Otherwise, you’ll get somewhere else. And chances are, you won’t like that place very much.

Over the next week or two, I’m going to write some posts about getting crystal clear on your Big Target. That’s the one that when you look back on your life, you’ll feel proud of and know that you’ve succeeded in your mission. The one that all else stems from. Typically, it’s called your life purpose. That big, epic dream.

Let’s identify that.

And then, we’re going to talk about how to stop being a doormat and learn how to be assertive without coming off as a total bitch so that we can seek out that Big Epic Target.

Are you ready?

Until next time . . . keep blazin’!

Filed Under: Intentions, Trailblazing ·
Only dead fish go with the flow part 2
Aug 13, 2011

Only dead fish go with the flow part 2

By ·

I’ve been thinking more about this whole idea of truly creating one’s own path over the past few days. Especially this part from the original post:

See, the times in my life when I have had the greatest successes and the most happiness have been during those times when I went against the flow. Against convention. The status quo. During the times I have gone my own way and made my own path have been the best times of my life.

And what I want to remind you of with regard to that is – I don’t mean you should have to fight everything that’s in your way. I’m not telling you to throw caution to the wind entirely, here. Don’t get yourself in trouble.

I do mean – be reasonable. Be serious. Be cautious to the point where you’re not going to do something to hurt yourself or someone else.

If it’s not going to hurt anyone, then throw caution to the wind, by all means.

But more than that – living a life of your own making means that sometimes you’ll be scared shitless. Sometimes people will really be pissed off at you. Sometimes you’ll feel like you’re not going anywhere or that what you’re doing is totally wrong. You’ll second-guess yourself.

Let me tell you – if you’re pissing people off and feeling scared, you’re probably on the right track.

If things are too easy, well, you might want to reassess your direction. Now, realize I’m not saying you should be struggling to make ends meet or fighting your way through everything. I’m saying that if you’re not experiencing some challenges, you’re too close to your comfort zone.

And if you’re too close to your comfort zone, you’re not growing and you may as well be a dead fish. Because remember?

Only dead fish go with the flow.

And I’m pretty sure you’re not a dead fish. ;-)

So, this next week, I want you to think about ways you can push the envelope. Reach out, stretch your comfort zone. Go beyond what you know and find something that challenges you.

As for me, I’m going to connect with some local interest groups and get involved in my community. Something I’ve wanted to do for a while but always found a reason not to.

And as always . . . keep blazin’!

Filed Under: Mindset, Motivation, Trailblazing ·
Only dead fish go with the flow
Aug 11, 2011

Only dead fish go with the flow

By ·

So, my 18 year old niece is in beauty school and today I was her model for the hair color practical. Which is really cool because I got my hair colored for FREE! Woo-hoo!

Anyway, as we were talking during the course of the 3 hour procedure – I don’t recall exactly what we were discussing at this point – but she said to me “Only dead fish go with the flow.” And it totally gave me an “a-ha” moment. ;-)

See, the times in my life when I have had the greatest successes and the most happiness have been during those times when I went against the flow. Against convention. The status quo. During the times I have gone my own way and made my own path have been the best times of my life.

And here’s where I had the a-ha moment -

For the past 2 years, I’ve been struggling with stuff. Just everything, it seems. And I kept thinking back to the times in my life that have been great and trying to figure how to make them happen again – now and in the future. And here, the entire time, it was literally staring me in the face!

Only dead fish go with the flow.

Indeed!

The lesson for me and you is that if you’re struggling with something, take a step back and asses what’s going on because chances are, the answer is staring you in the face. The problem is, you can’t see it because you’re too close to the issue.

What are you unhappy with right now? Take a break from it for a few days and see what happens.

In the meantime . . . keep blazin’!

 

Filed Under: Mindset, Trailblazing ·
Stop SOPA