Catalyst for Change

I watched the special about Oprah’s Leadership Academy special last night. What an extraordinary demonstration! It was so moving to see the girls in Africa and what they had to go through to get to the Leadership Academy. I cried when I heard their stories and watched their courage and rejoiced for the opportunity that they now have.

But mostly I cried for Oprah. I cried tears of joy because of the experience she is connecting with. She shared her realization that every incident, every event and every experience she has lived has been for this moment in time. She was guided to be the powerful and successful woman that she is so that she can change the lives of others. I completely agree with her awareness that when you change a woman’s life, you change the life of her family and ultimately her community.

I share that vision and intention. I know that every woman has the ability to change the life of those around her. Every woman that can get past the fears that hold her hostage, release beliefs that no longer serve her and ask for what she truly wants, will eventually change the shape of the world around her.

I tell this to my clients over and over again. We are the leaders for our families. We are the pioneers to pave the way for other women, so we can show others how to get past limitation and achieve the dreams in their hearts. We are the vision holders. As women, we are the catalyst for change.

Inspiration instead of Desperation

I attended a workshop this weekend and noticed how easy it is to fall into that place of thinking I have to do everything myself. When I am the one doing everything, life seems to be a struggle. When I connect with my intuition, I open up to being more accessible to what life has to offer. Whether it is speaking or writing or just getting things done, it is much easier to live out of inspiration instead of desperation.

Getting past procrastination

Why do I find it easier to clean out the tray of the toaster oven than to do my daily spiritual practice? Why do I find cleaning out the closet more captivating than writing my daily three pages?

I think a big reason for procrastination is the focus on the task instead of the big picture. I recently found one of my journals from 10 years ago. Wow, has my life improved over the past 10 years!! All the issues I was stressing about have been resolved: debt has been paid off, have a terrific husband, a great house, doing what I love. At the time (according to my journal) I was lazy and ineffective at getting things done. Somehow I inched past the inertia and procrastination to move ahead on my spiritual journey.

I think that’s where we shortchange ourselves. We focus on the ‘to do’ list activity instead of the big picture down the road. If I can see the end result, I can take the small steps to get closer to the goal.

That’s what is great about living by intention. Intention is a daily declaration of acceptance. Example “I am gratefully living with energy and vitality.” “I am living a grace-filled life with my beloved husband.” Intention is about living in the now and not worrying about tomorrow.

Ok, gotta go. Time for my spiritual practice:)

The Secret Behind "The Secret"

You’ve probably heard about the book and DVD called The Secret. It is creating a buzz about the Universal Law of Attraction. The Law of Attraction states: Whatever we put our attention on we bring into our life. When we focus on things that are working we see more things that are working. When we focus on what we don’t want, we attract and see more of what we don’t want in life.

If you saw The Secret on Oprah or watch the DVD, you are probably very excited. It’s a new way of thinking and being that can transform life. But how long does that last? How do we incorporate this powerful principle into everyday life? What happens when we have a bad day, a throbbing headache and demands of a busy life? It’s so easy to go back into thinking about what isn’t working and will all this ever change.

The key to maintaining the enthusiasm and excitement of this Universal Law is to DDSP. It is Daily Dedicated Spiritual Practice. That simply means that we commit to at least one practice that keeps us in the flow of this universal principle. A daily practice could be journaling, meditation, affirmative prayer, reading uplifting books or taking a class that keeps in connected spiritually. Committing to a daily spiritual practice is about creating discipline. Ernest Holmes, author of the Science of Mind, states “A Trained mind is much more powerful than an untrained mind.” When we bring spiritual practice into our lives we begin to train the mind to think and react differently. We begin to experience feeling of compassion instead of anger, faith instead of doubt, peace instead of chaos.


Let me just say, if there was an easier way to incorporate this teaching in life, I would have found it. I have tried lots of different techniques, methods and tools; Anything to get out of having to add one more thing to my ‘to do’ list each day. But I learned that the daily practice is the secret. By taking the time to say a prayer, to read something inspirational, or taking a moment to meditate and breathe and enjoy the life around me is the secret to attracting more Good into my life.

Knowing the Law of Attraction doesn’t make it real. But living and practicing each day transforms my life into something amazing.