Wholeheartedly Speaking

A New Frame of Mind

On September 24, 2019 / Self Care, Whole Hearted Living / 1 Comment

What are Your Positive Triggers? We all have had circumstances in our lives that ignite a particular feeling or memory. Some are negative but there also are positive triggers. Trying to understand this about ourselves is confusing! When we begin to pay attention to these triggers by shifting our perspective and reframing our life experiences it provides us with an opportunity to become more aware and in tune with ourselves allowing more positive triggers to occur. How do we know what they are? I like to begin by noticing how I am feeling, we have to remember as human beings we are feeling people that think, not the other way around! Getting in touch will all five of your senses is a great way to start, especially by being in nature. Seeing a butterfly, smelling an orange blossom tree, tasting the salt from

How Are You Going to Discover Your True Self?

On August 7, 2019 / Self Care, Self Love, Whole Hearted Living / Leave a comment

What Smothers Your True Self? 7 Stumbling Blocks Are you like a fake diamond you get out of a bubble gum machine or are you like the Hope Diamond in the Smithsonian Museum? Contemplate the 7 stumbling blocks below by reflecting back on a time these have happened to you and what you would do differently right now! Fear: We are scared of being hurt, ridiculed and not accepted, so we conform and smother our true self. It is easier to be what people WANT us to be. Doubt: When dreaming about success in one form or another you talk yourself out of it, you don’t attempt to make it a reality. You doubt your ability to succeed. Conformity Is Easier: It is hard to be different and stick out in a crowd because of the judgment and rejection of others. We want

Tips for Empty Nesters

On June 21, 2019 / Children Leaving Home, Empty Nest, Self Care, Whole Hearted Living / Leave a comment

1. Change is Inevitable. Attitude is Everything! One thing we all know for sure is everything is constantly changing and being uncertain about the future may stir up feelings of anxiety. As our children leave the nest it is our responsibility to learn to access our natural generative energy. Stagnation, despair, boredom, loneliness or indifference leave us feeling lifeless. On the other hand; trying something new, being open and flexible, becoming involved in the life of community allows us to cultivate a more positive attitude as we grow older. Later in life the ego can no longer drive our experience. In his book Shadow Dance, David Richo creates an acronym for the ego’s FACE: F- fear; A-attachment; C- control; E- entitlement. True wisdom comes when we shift our allegiances from fear to curiosity, from attachment to letting go, from control to trust, and

The Gifts From the Sea

On April 30, 2019 / Empty Nest, Letting Go, Serenity / Leave a comment

One of my favorite things to do that provides me with peace and serenity is taking long walks on the beach. All the five senses in my body are revitalized by feeling the sand in between my toes as I listen to the waves gently rolling ashore, tasting the salty air as I look for treasures along the way and celebrate the feeling of just being alive. I recently traveled to Florida and had a few days before my husband and two children came down for Easter. This time alone was such a gift! Solitude is something I cherish and feel it is necessary for me to reconnect with myself. Our family has so many wonderful memories going to the beach and I had time to reflect on how much my life has changed. My children are grown adults now and I was

Spring Forward: It’s Time to Forgive!

On March 29, 2019 / Self Compassion, Self Love / Leave a comment

Spring is such a great time to renew yourself! I read a quote a while ago that said; “Hating someone is like taking your own poison.” We all have been deeply hurt by someone. It is difficult to let go because we justify our perspective, but that keeps our pain from moving through us so we can heal. But we must forgive if we want to live a wholehearted and happy life! A great book to read on forgiveness is; The Book of Forgiving, by Desmond Tutu and his daughter Mpho Tutu. They provide a pathway to forgiveness I have personally applied to my life and I found this process extremely helpful. There are four pathways to forgiving; 1.) Telling the Story 2.) Naming the Hurt 3.) Granting Forgiveness 4.) Renewing or Releasing the Relationship Forgiveness is a very personal journey that will

Spring Forward into a New Beginning

On February 26, 2019 / Brene Brown, Dr. Brene Brown, Women Supporting Women / Leave a comment

Please attend the next Gathering Women Event on March 20th I would like to personally invite you to another special occasion just for women!! Now that spring is right around the corner, what better way to start getting ready for those warmer days and summer nights than by enjoying a fun-filled evening with some friends! Join us for appetizers and drinks as we come together to be inspired, gain new insights from women with fantastic ideas about fashion, make-up, skin care, and hormonal therapy! I will be kicking off the evening with a great activity from Brené Brown’s book; Braving the Wilderness, where I will discuss developing the courage to truly belong to ourselves and how to avoid spending our lives trying to fit in and hustle for acceptance. Our guest speaker for the evening will be Dixie Lee Childers Menser, CNP, ABAAHP.

Have You Built Walls Around Your Heart?

On January 22, 2019 / Daring Greatly, Letting Go, Self Care, Self Love, Whole Hearted Living / Leave a comment

Everyone has a heart that needs to be tended to. Have you built walls around yours? I wanted to share with you just a few precious presents that I have received from friends and loved ones that have involve hearts. Many know how much I love and collect hearts, I guess because I relate them to people. Some are smooth, some have texture, others are big, some are small. I love all the different variations of this beautiful shape. We ALL have a heart and honoring everyone’s differences and experiences allows us to see the beauty we all have inside. I am filled with gratitude and love and will always hold these treasures and the meaning behind them forever in my heart. As Valentine’s Day approaches; it is a difficult holiday for many people. During this time reaching out to others is something

A Wish For All of You. Let Go in 2019

On December 29, 2018 / Letting Go, Self Care, Whole Hearted Living / Leave a comment

Letting go is one of the most powerful self-care things you can do for youreself. The REAL definition of self-care is pausing and paying attention to yourself! It is about working to craft a good daily life. Self-care can be varied, inconsistent and dependent on your current circumstances; but when you slow down, pay attention and ask yourself some questions and listen to the answers self-care CAN become a consistent regular practice. Here is a suggestion: Make a list of things that make you feel most human. Is it art? Crafting? Reading? Exercising? Meditating? Praying? Cooking? It doesn’t matter what it is, asl long as it feeds your soul. Schedule THESE into your life for 2019. Hold yourself accountable. Give yourself the opportunity to listen! Sometimes I pause, check in with myself, and realize the thing I need right now is to relieve

Educated A Memoir: WHAT A SURPRISE!

On October 24, 2018 / Book Review / Leave a comment

While deleting and organizing my emails about a few weeks ago, I came across an invitation to attend a lecture at the Franklin Park Conservatory introducing an author by the name of Tara Westover; who wrote the book called; Educated A Memoir. Educated is a book about growing up in the mountains of Idaho with parents who were survivalists raising seven children away from mainstream society. Tara Westover was home-schooled, worked in her father’s junkyard and endured different forms of violence and abuse. When Tara’s brother got himself into college; she decided it was time to find her place in the world beyond the mountain. So, she taught herself all the basic subjects and was admitted into Brigham Young University. But her education continues on to Harvard and Cambridge University. I was intrigued by her story so of course, I attended her lecture. As

Dr. Brené Brown’s New Book: Braving the Wilderness

On September 11, 2018 / Book Review, Brene Brown, Daring Greatly / Leave a comment

Dr. Brene Brown’s newest book is called Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belong and the Courage to Stand Alone We are in a culture of perfectionism and pleasing, and while our ability to respect differences is eroding, it is easy to stay quiet or try to fit in rather than show up and be our true selves. If we want to attempt to brave the wilderness we will come across uncertainty and criticism; now that is a guarantee! Brene Brown discusses the daily practice that demands integrity and authenticity, a personal commitment to ourselves that we carry in our heart. Remember those times when you tried to fit in and then, later on, felt like you just sold a piece of yourself? It was only AFTER you gave it away you realize how precious and valuable it really was. We need