Healthy New Year, Healthy New you

Happy New Year- a.k.a "I'm ready to get in the best shape/relationship/job/etc. of my life!".

2015. So crazy.

I thought for sure after the Y2K we'd be teleporting, and have robots who clean and cook calorie-less foods like Rosie from the Jetsons. 

I don't mean to brag, but we got a robot this year. 

Yup. A real- life robot. 

My son got a robotic dinosaur. He doesn't cook, or clean, but he can sit, bark and growl. And he can go into maniac mode if you press a button on his back (which isn't that impressive, I can do the same thing).

Well, just as I'm sure that there's technology out there for teleporting, I'm pretty sure there's some sort of technology for getting rid of calories (kinda like the Total Gym we got for Christmas). 

It's safe to say the past, oh I don't know, maybe my whole post-pubescent life, one of my new years resolutions has been to get healthier (code for skinnier)

While I could go on and on ranting about body image and weight and women and all the other stuff you already know, I'm gonna save you the headache. After all, it was one of the biggest party days of the year last night.

As I was cleaning up today after our awesome party, I tuned into Over the Moon Radio and listened to episode 2- Stop Feeling Crazy About Food with Isabel Foxen Duke. 

Isabel made a very good point. One that we all need to commit to memory.

Weight and health are NOT the same thing. 

You can be healthy and thin and healthy and not thin. You can be unhealthy and thin and unhealthy and not thin. 

So if you're like one of the many bazillion women who want to get "healthier" this year, I suggest you check it out. Or even if you just ate one too many tofu cocktail weenies or one too many glasses of gluten free champagne. 

                                         

Sorry so short, but I have more confetti to clean up. 

Listen to it and get ready to be the healthiest you you can be!

Cheers to the new, healthy, you!!

xxo,

Felicia 

Why I Started Meditating Every Day (the answer might surprise you!)

                                

Apparently it's been a few months since I've posted anything on my blog. I write pretty regularly but it seems as soon as I take a break in my day to get it blog ready, my son wakes up.  Or I realize it's almost 6 and I haven't showered, let alone make anything for dinner. 

Believe it or not, I'm starting to get the hang of this new role of motherhood. Kinda. I did forget the diaper bag last week but for the most part I'm doing pretty good. 

Showers are a regular occurrence, my house is in order and we don't eat corn dogs for lunch anymore! (I've actually been living without a microwave for over a month now.)

So how did I go from stinky, scattered, microwave-hot-dogs-for-lunch-everyday, messy mama to good smelling, grounded, I-now-use-my-toaster-oven-for-everything, organized mama?!

Well... I'm not really sure. 

But I'd have to guess that the secret behind my success is meditation. 

I have been meditating for 21 consecutive days!

Yup...I signed up again for the Oprah & Deepak 21 day meditation challenge- but this time I actually did it for more than 5 days. 

And I have been more productive in those 21 days than I have been in probably the last 2 and a half years! 

Meditation is like organization and cleaning for your soul. 

It's a way to get rid of all the things that you don't need any more and allows room for the stuff you really want to cultivate in your life. 

I felt scattered, unorganized and unproductive. I felt like I was always behind and trying to catch up with my life. 

I was tired of how my life was going and I was asking for direction.

So once again, I was graciously given a nudge from the Universe. 

I was laying on the couch one afternoon, already feeling defeated since my son and my kitchen were covered in oatmeal, (yes, oatmeal is a lunch food) and the rest of my house was a disaster. There were tons of boxes that needed to be unpacked, clothes that needed to be folded- you get the picture. 

I didn't know where to start, so I grabbed my oatmeal covered child, and threw all the laundry off the bed and we laid there.

He was spilling his bottle while I checked my email on my phone. 

I got the email for Day 1 of the meditation challenge and decided to create a cool picture for my Instagram to show people how dedicated I was for signing up for another 21 day challenge. 

I posted the pic and decided what the heck...we're already laying here, we might as well meditate! 

The few times I had actually done the meditations, they were really good and I was excited for this one because the topic was Live the Life You've Always Wanted and that sounded pretty good to me. 

Especially cause I felt like I wasn't exactly living my dreams. 

So I put it on and to my surprise, Max had stopped squirting his milk on the bed and was falling asleep!!

It usually takes me awhile (an hour) to put him down for a nap so the fact that he was asleep in less than 20 minutes was incredible. 

I finished up the meditation and felt refreshed. I think I even showered. 

The next day around nap time, I put on the meditation for day 2, and Max fell asleep again! 

Day 3 and 4- same thing. No screaming or fighting his nap.

 He would fall asleep so fast, I was ready to buy the whole series. 

And another thing started happening- I starting making lists of all the things that needed to be done. 

Now, I had made lists in the past but I never really got around to actually doing them. 

The more I got done, the more motivated I was to do more. I was starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel. 

I was more focused and relaxed. I started noticing this expanding feeling of calmness. 

We were a week into the challenge and to be honest, the only reason I was doing it every day was because it was the fastest way I could get my son to nap. 

I've been wanting to make meditation part of my routine for awhile now, but couldn't get passed the feeling of being to busy to actually do it. 

I didn't all of a sudden have time- I just found something that was helping me put my son to sleep faster so I could hurry up and do more stuff around the house.

Regardless of the reasons behind my daily meditation, I was still reaping the benefits. 

Another icredible thing started happening. I noticed all my relationships were improving, I was feeling more patient with my son and with everyone around me. 

My outer world started reflecting my inner world.

I was letting go and clearing out space in my mind and my house was mirroring that. I was making time for me and I noticed that I seemed to have more time in my day.

But the second week into the meditation, Max wasn't napping. As a matter of fact, he didn't nap that whole week. But I still did it because I needed a time out for myself, even if it was only 20 minutes. 

I needed that time to quiet my mind and reflect. 

It's been 21 days. Almost everything on my to do list is complete. We've eaten home cooked meals almost every day, and I feel so good. Like really, really good.

The more I work on the inside, the faster I see change on the outside.


P.S.There are lots of free meditations on Youtube and if you check out The Chopra Center for Meditation, you can sign up for an upcoming meditation series. They're free and they also have an app you can download that's really convenient.

What "Another Earth" Taught Me About Perception

                                          

Every situation we're in, we have two choices- to let it make or break us. Our ego's have this way of trying to break us everytime. When you're at the grocery store and you pick the line that ends up taking forever, or when everyone in your office drives you bananas, it's the ego that tells you to get revenge, or to take out your anger on the slow cashier.

I believe that we're here on this planet to grow. Everything is always changing, and growing. The little things that make up our day to day are our opportunities to grow.

We've all listened to our egos, maybe more times than we care to admit. But does it actually make you feel better to tell everyone off? It might temporarily. It might feel good in the moment. But it doesn't help us grow.

Does riding the car in front of you ever make them get out of the way? Maybe. But does it keep anyone from ever cutting you off again?

Does telling the cashier that they really need more than one person working ever make there be more than one cashier the next time your're there?

The ego lives for those things.

And every time you give in, you feed the ego.

It kind of stops the lesson right in its tracks and then you'll just end up having to try again next time.

Our world needs each and every one of us to start growing if we ever want to live in a world of peace and harmony.

Check out my article for Over the Moon magazine on changing your perception.

And be sure to sign up to get the weekly issue delivered right to your inbox!

Old town & New beginnings

                                          

The pod and truck are loaded and were heading out. As we pull on to the freeway to head home, I check my phone to see our approximate arrival time. I've done this drive so many times, but somehow I thought maybe it would say 6 hours instead of 12 hours.

I noticed the time on my phone- 11:11.

If you don't know by now, I don't believe in coincidence. Everything has meaning to me.

Bird feathers, pennies, butterflies, number sequences- all mean something. Even spiders and moths have a message if I could just hold off killing them long enough to listen.

According to Sacred Scribes Angel Numbers, Number 1111 is made up of the powerful influences of the number 1, amplified and magnified by four.  Number 1 resonates with the vibrations and attributes of new beginnings and starting afresh, independence and individuality, initiative and assertiveness, ambition and motivation, success and leadership, courage and strength, creation and creativity, self-reliance and tenacity, attainment, happiness and fulfillment, innovation, self-development and oneness with life. Number 1 reminds us that we create our own realities with our thoughts, beliefs, intentions and actions.

A year ago, I thought I had it all planned out. We moved to Denver and I was certain it was going to be for at least a few years. I also thought I was going to magically be a different person with not a care in the world. I left all my problems behind and everything was going to be smooth sailing. 

       

 

After the adventure we had, I feel like I can hang with Captain Black Beard and the rest of the scalawags!

I'm so thankful for all the people and events that lined up so we could have those experiences. But I sure wasn't thankful in the midst of all of it.

Not one bit.

During the time where there didn't seem to be any light at the end of the tunnel, I just wanted to turn back. 

One thing I know for sure (Oprah moment) is that it's during the struggle that you build the skills you need to handle life. 

That doesn't mean you have to struggle. But if you are struggling, you're developing the skills you'll be able to use in the future. And then the better you get, the shorter the struggles seem. 

When we're struggling, angry, disappointed, or sad- it's because things didn't go the way we planned. 

When we made our move to Colorado, I had it all planned out. And when it didn't go the way I planned, I freaked out, threw a fit and wanted to go home. 

But I was forgetting that when things don't go as planned, there's a bigger better plan in the making. The dreams we planned on didn't happen, but those weren't really dreams. They were just a step up from what we were doing back home. Kinda like a promotion. 

I've always dreamt of being a writer. Free to explore and capture my experiences to share with whoever was interested in listening. To be free from the daily grind. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that in the time of such struggle and hardship- would the beginning of my dreams be taking form. 

I am a regular contributing writer for an incredible online magazine, Over the Moon, something that would've never happened had our plans turned out the way we thought. 

I also learned a lot about myself, gained strength in my relationship, and learned to trust my intuition even more. And moving to the place I always wanted to live. Once again, by getting what I thought I wanted, I was able to re-examine and see what I really want and what's important to me. And now I can take the necessary steps to continue to move forward in this new direction. I'm going back to an old town but with new eyes. I'm staying firm on the goal but flexible in the process. 

Looking back on your own life, can you see how the things you planned on, turned out better than you thought? If you can't see it yet, don't worry- keep going. There is a light at the end. 

What is Alignment and How to Get Into It

     

When you aren't feeling steady, everything that everyone else is doing around you- will knock you down.

You try and avoid people and situations that will knock you down because you aren't firm in your alignment.

What is alignment?

Alignment is when you are "in line" with what you want.

When you're feeling insecure, unstable, or a lack clarity-it's really a lack of alignment.

So how do you get into alignment with what you want?

First step is to know what you want. 

Sounds easy, right?

For many of us, that can be a tricky question. But one of the best ways we learn what we want is all the experiences that show us what we DON'T want.

About a year ago, I was so unhappy. I wasn't enjoying my job anymore, I had no clue what I wanted to do, and since I had just had a baby- I felt stuck.

How was I supposed to just change careers after 10 years, especially with a new baby to support?!

Everything was driving me nuts.

My family was getting on my nerves, my house was getting on my nerves, just about everyone and everything was just so annoying. I felt stuck, frustrated and really, really unhappy.

Because I wasn't aligned with what I wanted, everything around me knocked me down.

The hardest part was I had no clue what I wanted. I was so easily swayed by everyone else's vibrations that I finally got to a point where I would avoid people because I hadn't found my own steadiness. And I felt like I never had time for myself to sit and figure out what I wanted to be doing.

My phone was always ringing, someone was always just showing up without notice, and my parents would freak out if I didn't talk to them at least 8 times a day.

I didn't have any boundaries. I didn't know how to say no. I let everyone call the shots with my time.

All the while thinking "Ughhhh everyone around me is sooo negative, I wish they would spend time working on themselves like I do".

I felt like everyone around me was the problem. That it was their fault that I was unhappy.

If only they would let me balance their chakras then maybe I wouldn't mind spending so much time with them.

I came to the conclusion that if I moved away, I wouldn't have to deal with them and all my problems would be gone.

Wrong..

All the things I thought I needed to be happy, I had them. I had tons of time by myself. Well not really tons- my son always has something for me to be cleaning. I had tons of places to go, new restaurants to try, all the things I thought I was missing out on.

But I still wasn't happy.

I was 1,000 miles away from everyone and I was still unhappy. I finally had the free time I used to dream of, my door bell never rang, my parents still called all day, but at least they couldn't just show up unannounced.

My focus was always on the negative. The negative traits in people, the negative things I would hear around me, negative situations everyone wanted to talk about.

I wanted to get the hell out of town and the hell away from all these things that were keeping me from being happy.

I could've sworn they were the problem. (Real enlightened, huh?)

Wrong again.

I was finally in the city I dreamed of moving to, and I was still miserable.

Finally, the light came on.

I was the problem.

I realized that if I didn't start changing my attitude, and focusing on the positive in EVERY situation, I would be miserable every where and with every one.

You can't control outside situations or people. You can only control your reactions. 

I had a vibration that the universe kept matching. I was attracting people and situations that brought more anger, frustration and unhappiness because that's what I was "lined up" with.

When you can become so firm and steady in your alignment, you won't be swayed or affected by the people and situations around you.

One of the ways you can get lined up is to pretend that you have the thing or situation you want to be in line with.

Take my situation for example:

I was unhappy. I felt like all the things around me were at fault. Now I've come to realize that happiness is a choice.

                      

If you let outside forces, people, or situations control your happiness, you will constantly be unhappy. Those things aren't constant. People change, situations change, the weather changes. The only constant is your decision to be happy or unhappy.

If you take things one moment at a time, and choose to be happy in those moments- then you start to have a whole bunch of happiness.

So if you want to be lined up with happiness- start doing things that make you happy. And choose to be happy even during those times when you have to do things that don't exactly thrill you. For me, that's doing the dishes. Am I happy that I have to do dishes 10 thousand times a day? No. But I am happy that I have people who like to eat the food I cook.

Would you be sleeping all day if you had your dream job? If you want to be lined up with your dream job, start doing things now that you would be doing if you already had that job.

Be so firm in the feeling- be so set in your alignment that nothing that any one says or does can sway you.

If your family, spouse or friends are critical or negative- don't let it phase you. We're all on our own journeys- love them in the process.  Work on yourself and decide that you aren't going to be swayed by their lack of alignment. They'll either shape up or ship out. Or maybe you'll ship out.

We'll be moving home in a few weeks. I'm not sure where we'll end up. But I feel so much better now that I'm aware that I have the power to choose to be happy no matter where we go.

I am so thankful for this time away. And I'm happy to be going back. I choose happiness now, and no person or thing can sway that.

Ok... maybe just the never ending pile of dishes.

Happy Mother's Day

I don't think anyone is ever really ready when a pregnancy test smiles at you. I hadn't planned on getting pregnant, but the universe had other plans. I wasn't the first person in line to hold the new baby, or had any desire to play with dolls as a child.I didn't have one ounce of motherly anything.

It wasn't that I didn't want kids, I just felt like I'd be okay if it never happened. Thankfully, God had other plans. Like wayyyyy different plans.

Once I got all settled in with the my new pregnant self, I decided that I would have a beautiful, calm, water birth at home surrounded by candles and heavenly music.

I know...first time mom = clueless.

Once again, my plans didn't pan out that way. I developed a severe case of preeclampsia and had to be transported to a bigger hospital to deliver my son via emergency c-section.

Now that he's is a year and a half, the way he made his entrance to this world fits him perfectly. He's very independent and strong willed. He's a little rebel like me (;.

Thank God for his demeanor, 'cause when you're born almost 4 months early, you've got to be pretty determined.

Becoming a mom three and a half months early made me feel like I was so behind. I felt like I was always trying to play catch up. I had a pile of prenatal books I didn't get to read, maternity clothes with the tags still on and a prenatal yoga DVD that came the week I delivered my son.

I was already feeling unprepared and clueless. Having a baby at 26 weeks sure didn't help. I didn't have a parenting style picked out or even had time to do my research on vaccinating.

It's like I got pushed into the middle of a marathon with no training.

I'm finally beginning to realise that what I'm experiencing is called motherhood. We all have these ideas of how we want things to go and the things we'd like to be better prepared for before baby comes or even the things we'd like to accomplish with our children.

Life goes by whether or not you're prepared. Half the time it doesn't go as planned, and that's okay.

I'm finally okay that I wasn't able to use my hypno-birthing cd, or use the birthing tub we reserved. I'm okay knowing that while I have no clue what I'm doing, that I have a force greater than me that I seek guidance and direction from.

We all have access to that guidance.

Search for it and you will find it.

I'm still pretty new to the parenting scene but check out Sitting on the baby. Amy is a mom and a childhood expert who's not afraid to talk about the tuff stuff like how to handle your screaming baby and other stuff we get scared to talk about as parents. There's lots of help there.

The best advice I could give to new parents, or to any new mother who's life isn't going the way you thought is- as long as you're always doing the best you can, everything will be okay. Be present. Enjoy every minute you can with your babies.

Know that the long nights of no sleep and baby screaming will soon be long gone.

You can do this. You were chosen for this. You're and your kids will be just fine.

Lots of love and blessings,
- Felicia G

What To Do When You Lack Motivation

I get so overwhelmed with all my ideas & ambitions that it seems easier to just lay in bed and take a nap. Then there are days when I'm so focused and fired up and ready to tackle anything, nothing can stop me. Today is not one of those days. Today is one of those lay in bed all day kinda days. This issue of trying to make something out of my life, fulfilling my purpose...it feels like a battle sometimes. There are times when I feel like none of it matters, that nothing we do matters. I get frustrated because I don't get why we have to work just to make pieces of paper. It seems so dumb sometimes. Like why can't we all just do what we love and barter and not have to spend so much time "making money". What's the point of all of this is?


Yesterday was a Debbie Downer kinda day.

I was feeling defeated. We all feel it at one point or another.

I tend to be overly ambitious. I want to do everything at the same time, and I want it done like yesterday. Since I had so many things I wanted to do, I probably got overwhelmed and decided not to do anything.
Maybe it was all the wind. Whatever it was, I was feeling defeated.

I was just being dramatic. I was lacking motivation and it spiraled into "maybe I'm doing the wrong thing, maybe I should be doing something else, if this was my real passion, then why aren't I motivated to do any work?" I was ready to throw in the towel, to call it a day and just lay in bed.

There are lots of times when we feel like what's the point? You're not defeated. You're just having a bad day. And it's not really even a bad day. It just might not be a productive of a day as you would like.

I'm pretty sure Michael Phelps had those days when he'd rather stay inside and watch movies all day. And I bet Giselle Bunchend has lots of days when she'd rather sit on the couch and eat a whole cake. (Probably not, but it makes me feel better thinking she does). Do a job you love and you'll never work a day in your life...blah, blah, blah. Just because you're doing a job you love, doesn't mean every day is going to be all butterflies and rainbows. And just because there are days you don't want to do you job, doesn't mean it isn't your passion, or purpose.

I know I am living my purpose. But I was totally second guessing myself. I felt like I was swimming upstream. So I decided to stop. I called it a day because I knew I wasn't getting anywhere.

Whenever you aren't in the flow, when you aren't feeling connected to the Divine, God, whatever you call your source of inspiration- it's best to not do anything. 

Don't dig yourself deeper and deeper. Once you realize that you are swimming upstream, stop. Go with the flow. Maybe the best thing for you to do is nothing. Maybe you're being guided to slow down to get a different perspective, or a better insight to a problem you've been working on.

 You have the power to change your thoughts, which will change the direction of your life. Once you notice you aren't feeling good, stop and do something that does feel good.

Don't ever forget that there is a force so much bigger than you that can see the whole picture.

When it comes to running a business or when you're working towards a goal or project, there seems like there's so much that needs to be done, and if you aren't doing it, someone else is.

You have a gift that no one else has, and you have ways in sharing those gifts that no one else can. So don't worry that someone else is going to work harder than you or steal your chance. Take it easy, breathe, relax. We all have those days. Don't worry, they'll pass.

Rome wasn't built in a day, and they had a whole crew.

Love, light and rainbow kisses,

-Felicia