I love the week of Thanksgiving because gratitude is on everyone’s mind. When we are aware of what we do have, we are a lot less inclined to obsess about all the things we don’t. Cultivating a consciousness of gratitude is a spiritual practice – it’s a MUST for anyone who is committed to living a life of love.

My personal gratitude practice consists of an evening gratitude ritual that I have done for years. Every night before I go to bed, I write a list of things that happened that day that I am particularly grateful for. Things like a rockstar parking spot, magical moments of serendipity, a fabulous meal, a laugh with a friend, or noticing an old pattern or trigger come up that offers me an opportunity to work my process. My gratitude journal (which I share with you in the video) is also a wonderful way to keep a diary of my life. I love looking back through it to reflect on past moments and celebrate lessons and blessings.

Now I’m sure you’ve heard the suggestion of keeping a gratitude list; however, are you actually doing it? I assure you, it makes a huge difference especially if you add it to your bedtime ritual because you send yourself off to sleep in the consciousness of gratitude. Dozing off with appreciation in your heart will positively impact your quality of sleep and the state you wake up in. So get yourself a journal and cuddle up with gratitude.

And for an extra dose of gratitude, I offer this affirmative prayer from my grateful heart to yours . . .

I’m grateful for everything in my life that has led me to this moment as it has all been part of my unique destiny.

I am grateful for all the people who I have met for a moment or known deeply for they have all been my mirror and my teachers.

I am grateful for all the times I have thought I have failed for I know now they taught me resilience.

I am grateful for all the heartache I’ve experienced because it means I am willing to open my heart.

I’m grateful for when I’ve had more because it taught me how to give and I’m grateful for when I’ve had less because it taught me how to receive.

I’m grateful for the miracles I experience in my life as they have reminded me of the magicalness of the Uni-verse.

I am grateful for my body exactly the way it is because it is the absolutely perfect package for my soul.

I am grateful for all the various forms of abundance that I recognize in my life.

I am grateful for every tear I’ve shed because I’ve learned compassion.

I am grateful for every hurt I’ve experienced because I’ve learned forgiveness.

I am grateful for every time I’ve suffered because I’ve learned acceptance.

I am grateful for the times I have felt alone because in those moments I found my way back to my connection to the Uni-verse.

I am grateful for my gifts and my courage and willingness to express them.

I’m grateful to live with an open heart.

I’m grateful to be able to choose my response to anything.

I’m grateful for my freedom.

I’m grateful to love, be loved and BE LOVE.

Happy Thanksgiving. I am grateful for YOU.

Love,

Christine

I was reminded of something important recently which is that every dream that comes true is often preceded by doubt that it ever will. It is often in our struggle that we are motivated to relentlessly pursue what we want.

This reminder came when I was telling my story of being completely depressed and hopeless for the majority of my twenties during my interview with Mastin Kipp as part of the Daily Love Extravaganza (you can catch our conversation Wed. Nov. 15th at 4pm PST / 7pm EST. Just click here if you haven’t registered yet).

Ten years ago when I was absolutely miserable in my every aspect of my life, I wouldn’t be able to fathom how I’d be part of something called “The Daily Love Extravaganza” and featured as one of “today’s transformational voices” alongside names like Marianne Williamson, Allison Armstrong and Robert Holden.

As I feel how grateful I am for this exciting opportunity, I am also aware of the rather long and windy road that led me here – and the doubt I often felt along the way. So my intention today is to offer you some inspiration if there is something in your life you really want but it just is not here . . . yet.

When I left my safe and planned career as a television agent in 2003, I felt TOTAL uncertainty about what I was going to do with “the rest of my life.” I felt a calling toward personal growth and wellness and yearned to be my own boss. I began as a personal trainer and nutritional consultant but soon realized that wasn’t exactly my passion. The years that followed were full of unexpected twists and challenging turns in my personal life that I would later realize would teach me what I needed to learn to do what I do now.

I also finally accepted that I would have to take various “jobs” rather than immediately launching on a passionate, profitable career path. Those six jobs I had over the course of three years paid my bills and provided me with a lot of unexpected transferable skills and learnings. And the time I had while trying to figure out what I wanted to do gave me the opportunity to work on myself and figure out who I really was. Although I had high expectations after my first book came out in 2005, Oprah did not call. I had to keep working at my “pay the bills” job while I moonlighted as a coach and writer. It was not until the late fall of 2006 that I was able to step into being a full-time life coach, speaker, author and facilitator.

Now over nine years after I abandoned ship on my initial career path, I am blessed with an exciting career that feels like a mission, not a job. Please note the NINE YEARS part of this story. Going from feeling lost and frustrated to where I am now was not an overnight success story. It took a lot of work in the external world, moreover, a willingness to work on myself on the internal level. I share more about my journey in my interview with Mastin.

So if there is something you want but it isn’t here yet, it’s coming! If you feel passionate about (more…)

Have you ever heard or taken the advice of delaying your gratification?  We are taught the importance of “impulse control” and avoiding the very human urge for instant gratification.  In an effort to invest in our future, we exercise will power to delay our gratification.

We stop ourselves from spending money on a new pair of shoes because we are paying off debt.  We don’t quit the job we are miserable in because we are saving up to pursue something we really want.  We fight the urge to eat a piece of chocolate because we want to lose those last five pounds. We resist the urge to date the unavailable guy or gal who is so incredibly alluring because we are holding out for a different quality of relationship.

We do this all in the name of delayed gratification – not giving ourselves something now because we want something more in the future. But resisting, fighting and stopping ourselves is challenging. Delaying the feeling of gratification feels like we are punishing ourselves by not giving ourselves what we want now. Suppressing feelings of satisfaction only illuminates the awareness of what we DON’T have and that does not support us in our appreciation and awareness of what we do have.

The human urge for gratification is a natural and really positive thing, so don’t delay your gratification!!

This doesn’t mean you go on a wild shopping spree, quit your job, hook up with anyone that feels or looks good, or have dessert for every meal.  What it does mean is being aware that you can experience gratification in any instant – there is no need for a delay!

Here’s how: as soon as you shift your awareness from the external thing that you are missing out on to your own appreciation of your ability to make a self-honoring choice you will feel instantly gratified.  Feelings of punishment or lack are NOT necessary – and are absolutely NOT helpful!!

Every choice you make is an investment in your future – but don’t wait for the future for the payoff!!!  In the present moment, internally move into gratitude for your ability to be a stand for your visions and dreams. Stop buying into any misunderstanding that you (more…)

Regret. We’ve all felt it at some point. Some of you are feeling it right now and you are suffering because of it.

Something did or did not happen the way you wanted. You did or didn’t do something the way you wished you would have. And you want more than anything to be able to rewind time and get a do-over. You’ve replayed scenarios over and over in your head thinking of all the things you could have done or said. You’re trapped in a shoulda/coulda/woulda perspective and it’s a miserable place to be, isn’t it?

As much as you are aware that regret is a miserable place to hang out in, you cannot seem to be free of it. But I have good news: liberation from regret is 100% possible!! And it is essential to your well-being that you commit to letting go of regret. Why? Well, because it feels awful and feeling awful does not support the co-creation of an awesome life. Regret keeps you in the past and when you are consistently looking behind you, you do not notice what is right in front of you. And, when you are hanging out in regret, you may be feeling depressed and beating yourself up – and that’s not useful in any way!

So how do you get out of regret? First, understand that when you are experiencing regret, you are evaluating a situation that happened in the past with the awareness you have in the present.

Let me break it down:  Something happens. You react, you make a choice, you take an action. Then time passes. And you think about what happened. You analyze it, obsess over it and talk ad nauseam about it with your friends. You continue to gather more information and knowledge. Then you take all this awareness and information that you have NOW, and beat yourself up because you did not know it THEN. It is totally unfair and unreasonable to take what you know now and use it to beat yourself up for what you didn’t know then.

Please take this in: You really truly did the best you could at the time! Trust me. And until you really take in this truth, you will stay stuck in regret.

The wonderful thing about regret is that it gets your attention and offers you a tremendous opportunity for learning and transformation. But in order to do that, you have to let go of the shoulda/coulda/woulda’s!

Now that you have the awareness that it is unreasonable to use what you know in the present to judge your actions in the past, you are ready to move on to a three-step process that will support you in fully moving out of regret.

Step One: Look for the lessons. Take some time to do some journaling about what you learned from whatever it is that you are regretting. What did you learn about yourself? What did you learn about someone else? What patterns do you see? What are you noticing about your reactions and responses?  ALL situations in life are rich with learning. When you look at your past, view it from a learning-oriented perspective rather than a shoulda/coulda/woulda perspective.

Rewinding time is not possible but “do-over’s” actually are. Of course we cannot get a do-over of the exact same situation, but the Uni-verse will deliver to you similar situations where you will get to practice what you learned. The first time it happened you didn’t know any better. The second time you’ll know a little more, so you can do a little better.

Step Two: Take action. Regret keeps us stuck in the past, so ask yourself what you need to do right now to support yourself in moving forward. Is there support you need? Is there a conversation you need to have? Are there some boundaries you need to set and hold yourself accountable to? Regret is a reactive response. Identifying and committing to action steps you can take NOW is proactive. Reactive responses keep you stuck; proactive responses (more…)

Have you ever had a situation or relationship that seemed so right end up not working out? Maybe it was a career opportunity that seemed like the perfect fit, a friendship that appeared to be an instant BFF, or a romantic relationship where you were sure they were the “one?” And then it ended.  And you were not only heartbroken, but shocked because it seemed so right and you don’t understand what went wrong?

Why do things that feel so right end?

It’s so that you can truly see what is so amazingly “right” about you. I’ll explain using the example of a romantic relationship (the same explanation applies to any situation you were sure was “it” which unexpectedly didn’t go the way you desired).

What I have seen over and over again with clients is that they meet someone that has all the qualities that they have dreamed about and they are so happy when they are with that person.  And then the person goes away – and often in dramatic, uncontrollable or unchangeable circumstances.  It almost feels like the person is literally being pulled away.  Well they kind of are – (more…)

I recently attended an event hosted by Goldman Sachs celebrating small businesses and entrepreneurs. The event consisted of a panel of successful business people who dished out some great advice for business – which I found totally applicable to life.  If you treated your life and your growth as an investment, just like you would a business, imagine the internal (and consequently external) success you would have.

Here are the top tips they shared along with my suggestions on how you translate this advice to the business of YOU.

1. Immerse yourself in learning. This is pretty obvious – the more you learn new things, the more equipped you are to let go and outgrow old patterns, beliefs and behaviors that aren’t serving you.
2. Work on your business instead of in it. When working on yourself, remember to be in a place of neutral observation and see yourself with some perspective instead of intense judgment. When you are too “in it”, meaning you are indulging in your story, it is impossible to get the altitude you need to create the shifts you want.
3. There will be adversity – you may do everything perfect and it has nothing to do with you. How we learn is through challenge and contrast.  Nobody gets the greatest cards all the time but we can do the greatest things with any hand we are dealt.  You are always doing the best you can and don’t take things personally!
4. Get pumped up but not delusional. It is awesome to get excited about your life and dreams. Just avoid traveling to fantasyland by placing unrealistic expectations on others or jumping to conclusions before you have information. And don’t buy into the number one delusion of them all: that anyone or anything outside of you can fulfill you.
5. How you will be judged is how you respond to adversity. The Uni-verse doesn’t judge you but on some level we could say that we’re “evaluated” on how well we are learning our life lessons by the way we respond to them.  The more we respond with acceptance and a willingness to choose love over fear, the more we attract what is more in alignment with who we truly are and what we truly want.
6. Listen to advice and implement it so your business grows. It’s one thing to gather a lot of advice and guidance; it’s another thing to implement it. Awareness isn’t enough – integration is when major growth happens.
7. Don’t do it all on your own. Knowing when and whom to ask for help is critical for your success and over all well-being. No one does it alone.
8. Have a sense of optimism. Anything in the future we are making up so when you look ahead, make it good. Worry and pessimism is the imagination used poorly. Expect and TRUST that everything is and will happen for your Highest Good.

You are the COO (the chief operating officer) of your life.  You cannot control what happens, but you have total dominion over how you respond to what happens.  You are a co-creator and have the number one biggest influence on the business of you. And the Uni-verse is your CEO (the chief executive officer) who makes all the master calls and always has your back.

Love,

Christine

A few days ago I was hired to speak to a room full of CEO’s and uber successful entrepreneurs about work/life balance.  I was even introduced as an expert on work/life balance, which made me laugh because I don’t believe in the concept.  It’s totally unreasonable to believe our life can be totally balanced and why is there a slash or a hyphen between the words WORK and LIFE?  Work is part of life and I’ve never understood the compartmentalization as a way to create balance.

What we are really after when we say balance is fulfillment. We only experience a lack of so-called balance when we feel like something is missing. Most people have gotten true fulfillment mixed up with fulfillment of duties and lead busy but not necessarily full lives.

Can you relate to creating external results, and perhaps even achieving success in certain areas, but still don’t feel a sense of fulfillment?

You are not alone…keep reading…

I began my talk with this very driven group by outing myself about not buying into the concept of work/life balance.  Then I told them we were going to meditate and after that I was going to talk about LOVE.

The looks on their faces were PRICELESS.

What I shared with them after the guided meditation is that true fulfillment is only possible when we come from a place a love.  And the problem is most of us are coming from a place of fear, not love. And the even bigger problem is that we are able to create a lot of success and goal line results from that place of fear – in fact, it is often our strongest motivator.  But when fear is what is propelling us, will we ever feel fulfilled?  Nope.

Consider that the things that you are really good at in your life are not good for you and are not creating true fulfillment in your life. In fact the beliefs and skill sets you have developed from those beliefs that have created external success in your life may actually be blocking you from truly knowing and expressing your most authentic gifts.

I’ll explain more.

We are all born as pure Love in a place of unconditional acceptance and presence.  Our connection to the Uni-verse is pure. And then things happen and fear creeps in. We get hurt and write a story about life and ourselves from a script of limiting beliefs.  Then we form a defense mechanism to protect us from further hurt and develop what I call our COMPENSATORY STRATEGY.  This compensatory strategy then becomes the thing that drives us to create results in our life. It is super strong because it is tied to our protection and survival.

Here is the fulfillment formula that may be operating in your life:

Love –> Fear –>Hurt / Story –> Defense Mechanism/Compensatory Strategy –> Survival –> Results ≠ Fulfillment (notice that the end result is NOT fulfillment!)

Here’s how this formula played out in my life: Born as love like we all are.  I was happy, present, outgoing, social, engaging, creative, compassionate and totally loved people.  Then I got teased, left out and isolated.  I felt sad, lonely and ashamed. I formed a story that I was completely unlikable and something was wrong with me.  My defense mechanism was to distract myself from the pain by doing and being obsessed with accomplishment. My compensatory strategy was to become an achievement addict to prove myself in the world.  And I did it.  I had an extremely successful career at a young age because I was SO driven by hurt and the need to prove.  Plus this compensatory strategy was tied to my SURVIVAL, so it was super strong. But I was still miserable because (more…)

When Oct 1st hit and I realized we have only three months left in 2012, a year that has been known for it’s transformational effects for thousands of years, I immediately felt called to do something that is a game-changer.

I thought, “How can I share the practices and tools that have been MOST IMPACTUL and created the BEST RESULTS in my life with you so you can take full advantage of this transformational time?”

The answer was crystal clear which I’ll get to in a moment …

First, I’d like you to project yourself to November 17, 2012 and imagine something being different in your life that is a total game-changer for you. Imagine having your most heart-felt desire become a reality instead of fantasy. Picture being free of something that has been really bothering you. See yourself totally excited about your life rather than comparing yourself to everyone else. Envision being pulled by vision instead of pushing yourself so hard.

How would you feel? What would your energy level be like? How would your self-talk be different? What would you be able to create?

You’d feel more peace and joy, your energy levels would be higher and fueled by inspiration, your self-talk would be supportive and you would be able to create anything you want.

Sound too good to be true? It’s not. Believe me, I used to be quite a skeptic when it came to getting what I wanted. My skepticism came from a limiting belief that I had to work really hard to get what I want.

What I know now is that belief is complete nonsense, hooey, b.s., load of crapola, garbage, baloney!

The truth is that getting what you want is about intention, commitment and aligned action. Working hard and being hard on yourself does not have to be part of the formula.

I want to prove this to you. I want to share with you the lessons and transformational tools that have been game-changers for me. So I created a 40-Day Program where you will significantly transform at least one area of your life through intention, commitment and aligned action. Go here to learn more.

Maybe you want clarity about your career. Manifest happier, healthier relationships. Finally commit to a meditation practice. Get your exercise and wellness groove on for good. Or perhaps it’s a combination of all of the above or something totally unique to you.

Whatever it is, I promise you this 40-Day Program that includes group and individual coaching, meditations and tons more will support you in getting it. I’m so sure of it that I’m offering a money-back guarantee. If you are uncertain, borrow my certainty.

We spend a lot of time talking about what we’d like to be different but things don’t change until we do things differently!! And the biggest reason you probably aren’t doing things differently is because you don’t know how. I’ll show you how. I got your back. I’m a stand for your heart-felt desires, passion and vision. When you say yes  to this program, you will be called forward into action (so get ready!!)

Here are some of the highlights of what’s included in the 40 days:
* Coaching calls with individual and personal feedback from me to you.
* Guided meditations to up your vibe and put you in the right head-space to create more of what you want (and less of what you don’t)
* Behind the scenes access to my best health, diet, exercise, love, career, spirituality, financial and beauty tips
* 30-minute one-on-one strategy session
* Access to my free “bat line” that you can call 24/7
* An accountability partner in the group for the 40 days
* Access to our own special private Facebook page
And many MORE BONUSES. Find all the details here.

We begin Tuesday Oct 9th with an intention setting exercise and clarity meditation that will be emailed to you that you can do at your own pace. Our first live group coaching call will be Oct 16th at 5:30 PST. All calls will be recorded so don’t worry about missing any.

There are a limited number of spots available to preserve the intimacy of the group so don’t delay!!! The people that have already signed up are AWESOME. The intentions are powerful – don’t miss out on being with this like-minded, loving and miracle-making group.

You will be amazed at what can shift in 40-Days.

I can’t wait to get started!!

Love,

Christine

One of my pet peeves about the personal growth industry is that there is a lot of expectation placed on consistently making positive changes. The promise is that over time as we do our work, we gradually and continuously “get better” (whatever “better” means).  What often isn’t addressed is that our learning and growth isn’t linear.  It’s not a straight shot from an “aha” moment to being totally transformed.

Please don’t torture yourself by buying into the misunderstanding that your growth needs to be straight up. That’s a lot of pressure – and also not possible.  Growth is more fluid.  And over time the lows (or perceived backtracking) we experience become shorter in duration and the length of time in between them becomes longer. I drew this picture for you to illustrate what I am talking about:

The human experience is about contrast and sometimes the best way we learn is when we take a few steps that feel backwards.  Often when we have a big “aha” so much to the extent that we feel transformed, the Universe will bring us a situation that feels very similar to past experiences. Often people get frustrated and think, “This again? I thought I learned this already!” That may be accurate; you may have learned the lesson and now the Universe is bringing you an amazing opportunity to practice the learning so that you can fully integrate it. I give some examples of this in today’s video.

If you feel like you are backtracking in your own behavior, choices, or feelings rest assured you are not flunking life.  You learned from my UPdate last week that only about 95% of our processing power is conscious so there is a lot of subconscious programming that you are working through. Your so-called issues and programmed responses got implemented decades ago so it may take some time before you totally shift something.  So if you find yourself slipping into old habits, reactions, behaviors or choices that you thought were behind you, cut yourself some slack.

Growth is a process not an event. You can’t upgrade yourself like you do your iPhone.

When you perceive yourself taking steps backwards, that does not mean change is not occurring. You may take ten steps forward and then eight steps back. But the next time you will take eleven steps forward and only seven steps back.  You are making progress!! Whatever you do, just keep going. And forgive yourself! This is super duper important.  Nothing will hold you back more than judging yourself and allowing your inner critic to have its way with you.  Immediately say to yourself, “I forgive myself for judging myself for back-tracking.  I’m doing the best I can.”  Then re-commit to your vision and intentions and keep going.

Keep going.

Keep going.

Love,
Christine

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”
Steve Jobs

“Well, you know when you’re rocking in a rocking chair, and you go so far that you almost fall over backwards, but at the last instant you catch yourself? That’s how I feel all the time.” Stephen Wright

A basic principle of the Law of Attraction is that we will bring into our lives what we focus on, visualize, think about and affirm with our words. The Law of Attraction is both powerful and empowering because it helps us to remember we are co-creating our lives rather than just allowing life to happen to us. BUT, if you make vision boards, surround yourself with affirmation post-its, maintain a journal full of lists or ideal scenes of what you’d like and speak your desires and you STILL are not attracting what you want, there is a flaw with the Law of Attraction.

It’s actually our understanding of how the Law of Attraction works that is flawed, rather than the law itself.  It is true that we attract at the level of our own vibration and that are our thoughts and words are extremely magnetic.  But the most powerful “attractor” is our belief system. You can create beautiful vision boards and affirm every day that you are available for an incredibly successful, passionate career or a loving relationship. BUT if you don’t truly believe you are lovable, enough, worthy and deserving … well then attracting that into your life may be more challenging.

I say truly believe because only about 3-5% of our awareness is actually conscious.  So what’s the other 95-97%? Those are our subconscious belief systems that create patterns of thinking and behavior.  We establish those belief systems at a very young age based on events in our lives, which then get lodged into our subconscious mind and become our programming. It’s that programming that influences our attraction factor.

So here’s the dealio: On a conscious, logical level you may totally believe in all your dreams. However, you’ve gotta uncover and let go of some of those deep down subconscious beliefs that contradict what you want in life.  I have a 7 step process to support you in doing this. I share in much more detail in my vlog so be sure to watch the video!

Here are the 7 steps to unlocking and releasing a hidden limiting belief:

1.   Discover it. It is possible to bring those beliefs and feeling states that linger in the subconscious to the forefront of your awareness. Think about what you want, feel it, then take a journey into your mind with the intention of discovering beliefs that object what you truly desire.
2.   Acknowledge it.  Once you discover the limiting belief (or beliefs) simply acknowledge it and name it. Be honest and willing to admit the belief is there, regardless of any resistance or frustration that you’ve already “worked” on it. Judging or condemning only reinforces it.
3.    Ask it what its Highest purpose is. ALL limiting beliefs have a reason for being there that some part of us believes is helpful.  Spend some time reflecting on the belief and asking your Inner Wisdom what the belief’s Highest intention is (hint: it’s usually related to protecting us or keeping us safe in some way).
4.    Thank it. After you uncover the Highest purpose of the belief, make sure to thank it for doing its job so well and move into a willingness to let it go.
5.   Bust it. Take an inventory of your life and collect data that proves this belief has not always been true. Think about all the ways in which life has proven this belief wrong and use that as evidence to support you in releasing it.
6.    Upgrade it. Now that you see the belief isn’t true, it’s time to reframe it and upgrade it to a belief that is more in alignment with what you want to attract in your life.
7.   Set an intention and keep your word! In order to create new patterns in your subconscious, it is necessary to consciously reinforce your new beliefs. (learn more about how to rewire your brain here) So when you notice old patterns of thoughts and behaviors, gently bring your awareness to your upgraded belief.

These 7 steps will support you in being flawless in your understanding of the Law of Attraction. Again, I share more examples in the video above.

Remember, the Law of Attraction is not a formula or magic wand.  Divine timing and our unique life curriculum play critical roles in how our destiny unfolds. It’s not our job to co-create everything – that is part of the magical mystery of the human experience. But here is a guarantee you absolutely can buy into: as you let go of those heavy, untrue beliefs, your vibration will naturally lift and you will experience more love, joy, peace, acceptance and lots of other delicious feeling states.

Here’s to living flawlessly by recognizing that you are absolutely flawless!

Love,
Christine

“You can change your beliefs so they empower your dreams and desires. Create a strong belief in yourself and what you want.” Marcia Wiede

“You are not the victim of the world you see because you invented it.  You can give it up as easily as you made it up.” A Course In Miracles