Life is Delicious

Life is delicious. It reveals it self layer by layer. With every sunrise we have new opportunities to learn and grow, change and evolve, fall flat and begin again. We dance with our choices and our circumstances. We wrestle with our mis-belief that we are not worthy or enough.

Why is it so easy for women to doubt their magnificence? And, wouldn’t the world be a better place if women stepped fully into embracing their calling, applying the power of their intuitive nature, and honing their strengths and talents.

Will we resist our shortcomings or use them to guide our growth? We make mistakes and too easily fall into self-criticism rather than forgive, apply, and learn. Will we forgive our self, believe that we can be free from our limiting beliefs, and find inspiration in the power of love?

Women are now called to stand tall. It doesn’t matter the number of times we fall. Grace is our nature and true success is measured by the number of times we dare to stand up. Happiness is ours when we surrender to life as a journey rather than expecting it to be a destination that matches only our unrealistic expectations. Our journey is enhanced when we open to learning from our mistakes. Our heart is opened to others when we open to embracing our essence of magnificence.

How would we see life differently if we were to forgive our self quickly and consciously, and loved our self as much as we love others. We are the only one who is held hostage when we resist forgiveness of our self or another. Self-love is the challenge we must face if we are to find durable happiness. Loving our self is the greatest gift we can give another. What are simple steps to self-love? Learn them, live then, share them. Your heart will smile. Eight Simple Ways to Love Yourself

1. Learn something new You are never too old or too busy to learn something new. Joy grows through change and the juices of your creativity flow when you stretch to learn something new. Daring to learn something new requires a willingness to grow through your mistakes, but also fills you with new confidence in your ability to expand your skills. It need not be huge. Small steps can be as valuable as large leaps of faith. Stretch out of your comfort zone to know you are alive and collaborating in the creation of your life and your happiness. 2. Acknowledge your own successes Not just the big ones. Acknowledge and celebrate small steps along the way, too. We hesitate to appreciate and recognize our own successes. Our inner voice is often the most critical and unwilling to believe in our innate magnificence. You easily offer applause to others. Make it a point to personally recognize your own successes, gifts and contributions, no matter how small they may seem. Our willingness to acknowledge ourselves is how we teach others to value us, as well. 3. Believe in your magnificence You may not be without flaws, or free of mistakes, and wish you were stronger, more clear and confident, however, you are perfectly imperfect. Trusting in your innate magnificence and allowing the fulfillment of your potential to be a moment-by-moment journey insures greater joy. If you want to be authentically who you are meant to be as well as achieve meaningful things in your life, you absolutely must open to believe you are magnificent simply because you breathe, then dare to live fully into your potential. 4. Embrace mistakes and setbacks as opportunities to learn Mistakes are unavoidable and everyone experiences disappointments and set backs from time to time. Life is messy and it’s just human to become discouraged at times. But you can use mistakes as opportunities to learn and setbacks as positive experiences that will allow you to access joy regardless of your circumstances. Simply view mistakes and setbacks as learning experiences. Dare to embrace your challenges openly. Hold a clear intention for your preferred outcome, focus on all that is working – not on the obstacles and things that seem to be going wrong, and then let go. Blessings are there, even if hidden in the most difficult times, if you are willing to see through willing eyes. Nad, as my mom always said, “Experience is heat you get when you don’t get what you want.”

5. See yourself as worthy of support You are worthy. Period. Dare to ask. Turn to experts and friends in the areas where you want help and desire to expand. Enjoy being a life-long learner. Never think you are ‘less-than’ because someone knows more than you. Life is a pay it forward adventure. When you give someone the opportunity to help you, you bless them as well as yourself, and gift them by allowing them to shine. You can repay their kindness not only by returning the favor to them directly, but by passing along your gifts and talents to someone else along your path who needs your service and expertise. Asking for help, receiving it with gratitude, and generously offering your gifts to someone in return keeps the flow of joy open. 6. Trust and acknowledge others Just as like attracts like, trust and confidence also attract confidence and trustworthiness. The law of attraction is powerful. The more faith you show in others, the more trustworthy connection they will offer you. The more recognition you give others, the more confidence-building recognition you will receive. True happiness is yours when you love and honor yourself as much as you love and honor others.

7. Be mindful from the inside-out Be mindful of your thoughts and loving in your actions. Focus your thoughts so that they serve you rather than control you and undermine your happiness. Every feeling you have was preceded by a thought. The quality of your thinking now creates the quality of your future. Happiness in an inside-out job. Moment-by-moment be mindful of where you allow your thinking to wander and choose to strengthen your ability to direct your thoughts in a constructive and compassionate direction. When you train your thoughts to focus on the simple joys of life from the inside-out, kindness is more easily birthed to positively affect those who surround you.

8. Expect miracles Expectation has often been called “faith in action.” Expect to be happy, and your mind will sort for and create happiness you expect. Expect to be confident, and you will truly become confident. Expect to be happy, and happiness will be more easily accessible to you.