How to manifest a better life by cutting ties to old beliefs.

“Our job is not to deny the story, but to defy the ending — to rise strong, recognize our story, and rumble with the truth until we get to a place where we think, Yes. This is what happened. And I will choose how the story ends.” — Brené Brown

I was stuck in my story. I’d told it so many times it was on autopilot. I attached the same words, the same emotion, and the same meaning every time I’d tell it to a new friend.

There were chapters of my life I had decided to view one way and one way only. My thoughts were set in stone, and those beliefs rumbled around for years as the whole story… the complete accounting of my life.

Until I challenged it.

It was this quote that blew my story wide open:

“Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this is the experience you need? Because this is the...

These mindset tips will improve the quality of your life

“It’s not your fault that something bad happened to you, but it is your responsibility to fix it.” -Will Smith

Did you know that everything in your life was first a thought? Every thought has shaped the biggest and the smallest decisions to give you the results you have today.

People struggle with this concept because it doesn’t explain why bad things happen to good people. We’ve all experienced times when our world turns upside down, and we’re at the mercy of circumstances.

It’s part of being a human, and no one is immune. You cannot prevent bad things from happening, but you can take action to restore your life.

“The road to power is in taking responsibility. Taking responsibility is not an admission of guilt but a recognition of the power that you gain when you stop blaming people. Taking responsibility is taking your power back.” -Will Smith

Think of all the things...

An armful of recent books to arouse creativity, spark your entrepreneurial ventures, and uplift your life in new ways.

I can't believe two weeks (or more) has dropped in my lap as a challenge to do what I said I didn’t have time to do:

1. Read more books

2. Write more articles

3. Finish my next book

4. Find calm in the midst of chaos

And now time is exactly what I do have.

As a little girl with big dreams, I was the curly-haired redhead waiting at the corner for the bookmobile during the summer weeks in Monterey, California. I’d end up with an armload of books to absorb over the next week, and I’d read them all.

Books have always been a resource of inspiration, entertainment, healing, and transformation for me.

I love the feel of a book in my hand. I buy the physical book so I can highlight and make notes in the margins. It doesn’t matter whether it’s fiction or non-fiction, I love to be interactive with my reading...

How to put an end to over apologizing and other ineffective habits.

I did it again. I caught myself apologizing today for something that wasn’t my fault. It’s a bad habit I’ve picked up and it has no boundaries. I’ve done it in my personal and my professional life.

It’s a habit that clouds my judgment. Without realizing it, I often took the blame for issues that were not mine to own, simply because of a choice I made in the way I communicated.

Even simple phrases where I transferred information to my clients would start with “I’m sorry to tell you the report came in and your system failed to certify. We’ll have to address that. I know it will cost you some money. I’m sorry to bring you such bad news. Don’t worry; we’ll figure it out.”

It was the home’s deferred maintenance that caused the report to fail, can you identify how many times I took responsibility for the issue? I even ended with, “...

“You Never Get a Second Chance to Make a Great First Impression”

It wasn’t all that long ago I lived in Los Angeles, surrounded by incredible energy of highly creative people. It’s a city that demands a certain amount of presence in order to even get your foot in the door.

But I saw it all the time… the people who seemed to have what it takes, and those that didn’t. Through the years I observed people rise to the top of their game, and it wasn’t always because they were the best writers or best actors. It had to do with presence, that special something that people exude when you first meet them, or even just walk into a room.

My late husband was a successful producer and writer for television and film, but in the beginning of his career, he was just as uncertain as everyone else. His eyes would dart around the room, he’d rub his hands together, and he’d avoid eye contact. As his confidence grew, so did his presence, and soon he...

The most talented, life-changing, inspirational people are creative… and you’re among them if you choose.

“I begin with an idea and then it becomes something else.”
—Pablo Picasso

Did you know when you fall in love with a great book, a delicious meal, a beautiful painting, or see a movie you’ll never forget, you’re falling in love with someone’s idea… born from creativity?

Several years ago, I started to become envious, even jealous of other people’s work. I recognized I was frustrated because I was not fulfilling my own creative potential. I pushed away my desire to write when I began a new career. My sole focus was my job, and I didn’t see any way I could do both.

But my feelings changed when I realized creativity is deeply embedded in everything we do, from working out problems, building relationships, starting an entrepreneurial venture… or anything really.

Everyone is born with a creative destiny.
And...

9 Surprising Principles For Lighting a Fire To Your Career

Wildly successful creative people fascinate me. I still waiver when it comes to defining my own personal success; I just know when my talents marry with the skills I’ve learned, it’s where the magic happens. I feel my heart beating, and I wake up excited for the day ahead to lead the way for my creative self to expand.

Sometimes creative success is fleeting. You see someone who does really well with a first published book, a first CD, or art in a gallery show, and then their career falls flat. It’s the thing all creative people fear… “am I a “one-hit wonder?”

How do you build sustainable success?
I wondered, where does sustainable success come from? It doesn’t appear to be limited to talent alone… it’s a complexity of ingredients that include a willingness to use strategies to keep the creative fire lit, a never-ending commitment to excellence, and a love for what...

Don’t Give Up On Your Dreams… 7 Steps to Make This the Best Year Ever

I learned a secret from living a hell of a life. Nothing is what it seems. You can turn things upside down and inside out and discover your life is all about how you perceive it and less about what actually happened.

The recall of your past is what you created in your imagination; it’s the event plus your reaction to it, and how it affects you today. How you choose to recall the information in the present is critical to your happiness, success, and love.

As we hit a new year, consider taking this opportunity to use your creative mind to question, prod, and call out those things that hold you hostage and prevent you from pushing past the difficulty and into the new world of possibility.

In the hardest way possible, I discovered perception is everything. I had a fairy tale life and then I suddenly lost my 16-year-old son to a deadly form of bacterial meningitis. I thought I’d never live...

Using the Magic of Disappointment to Reshape Your Dreams

There was a time when I believed life had order. I thought I had it all, and that nothing bad could ever happen. I look back now and wonder… was there ever really such a time?

No one is immune. Life happens. At one time or another, we all go through a challenge that you never expect… one that is life changing, even devastating.

We often hide our private struggles and disappointments, feeling we’re the only ones. Those times either stifle us or make us stronger.

“Your reaction to life challenges is your choice.”

It might feel as though you only have one option or one way of reacting to a challenging life experience or opportunity. When you feel the fear and chaos, it’s the very moment you’re forced to take the next step.

If you’re still alive, you’re not done, yet. Today is your opportunity to cultivate what happens next.

“No one in the world can fill the space that...

You Think You Know What You Want? Dream Bigger

“Whatever your mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”- Napoleon Hill

What one thing do successful people have in common? They all believed it could happen to them. They dreamed and imagined the possibilities.

This remarkable life tool is available to anyone who chooses to use thoughts, words, and actions to set dreams in motion. Children are naturals at dreaming.

Think back to the first time you made something happen…
I was just 12 years old and I wanted to see the Beatles more than anything in the world. When I heard they would be playing the Cow Palace in San Francisco, I was determined to make that dream come true.

It meant convincing my parents I would die if I didn’t see my first true love… Paul.

I didn’t know then, my drive to make this happen was my very first experience with creative visualization.

The negotiations went something like this,

“Mom, I have to see the Beatles,...