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Browse published articles attributed to Valery Satterwhite, with full-archive search.
“The only real valuable thing is intuition.” - Albert Einstein Everyone was born with the magical power of intuition. Intuition is a clear flow of information that is available to you that is aligned with your authenticity, highest path and purpose. Intuition is one of the most amazing resources at your disposal. Yet so many people don't tap into it let alone rely upon it.
Take a moment to ask yourself: What would be the best thing you could do for yourself, right now, given the incredibly uncertain and stressful times you are facing? What would best prepare you for whatever your life, the economy or other circumstances, might throw at you? If you watch, read or listen to the media today it’s bad news piled upon more bad news. As a result, most people are stressed and worried. Most people. Not all people.
It's a funny thing... We come into this world full of wonder, amazement and an audaciously authentic ability to laugh out loud at whatever tickles our funny bone. To our young minds - free of attached meanings, assumptions and suppositions - the world is a delightfully cacophony of silliness. Just looking at Mom or Dad evokes a sense of pure joy and well being.
I was having fun watching my two cats play one morning when I had one of those AHA moments. I had one of those ‘out of the blue’ moments of clarity that enlightened, empowered and inspired me. The pussycats were playing a leap-frog kind of game when the play turned into aggression. Both cats ‘puffed up’ almost simultaneously. Raised hair on the back and a puffed-out tail are animalistic signs of defensiveness or hostility. In a flash, I thought of the many people I work with who are struggling with weight gain.
Are you working your tushie off - always going, going, going and never getting anywhere? Are you doing everything you can to grow your business or move up the corporate ladder yet are stuck on pause? Are you uncomfortable or anxious when discussing money with your partner? Are your bills paid at late or at the last minute? Are your financial and business (revenue generating) documents disorganized? Do you wake up in the middle of the night worrying about your financial future? If you answered yes to any of these questions you may be a money avoider.
"Each relationship you have with another person reflects the relationship you have with yourself." - Alice Deville.
The holidays are 'supposed to be' a time of love and laughter. Families and loved ones stop their frenzied lives to get together in peace, harmony and abundant gift giving. At least that's what much of the media and advertisers tell us how it should be each year. Yet for many of us, the holidays come with its own dark heavy cloud of 'what the fuck is wrong with me? I SHOULD be happy.' Truth is, we're anything but. As the holidays get nearer and nearer we slip further and further into a holiday funk. If this sounds familiar, then listen up. Its time you gave yourself a powerful gift.
"Who am I Kidding?" "Who am I to do this?" "What am I thinking?" "I'm not (fill in the blank) enough." These are questions creative people in the visual and performing arts ask themselves every day. They are the questions that stop an artist from starting a project. Stop an actor from ..."Who am I Kidding?" "Who am I to do this?" "What am I thinking?" "I'm not (fill in the blank) enough."
If you knew me 15 years ago you wouldn't recognize the author, coach and public speaker - with a lot of Moxie - I am today. I was once the shiest person I knew. As a child, I dreaded the first day of school because I usually had to stand up and tell everyone what I did on my summer vacation. To stand up, speak and have everyone look at me scared the shit out of me.
If you are at all familiar with the story of Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz you know that among Dorothy's fellow travelers along the yellow brick road to find the great and powerful Wizard was the Lion. The Lion wanted the Wizard to give him courage as he was afraid of nearly everything he faced in his life. Here he was the king of beasts yet he cowered and hid from any ever so slightly perceived threat to his survival. The Lion believed that if he had the gift of courage he would be able to step into his role as the almighty king and ruler of the forest, respected by all.
Your body talks to you all day long. What you feel in your body is an indicator of whether or not you are moving towards or away from achieving what you desire. Your gut instinct will tell you what steps to take, what choices to make, that will get you what you want. Your stomach will tell you if you're headed in the wrong direction. Are you listening? Are you paying attention, tapped into what your body is telling you?
Right now, in this moment, you have everything you think you deserve. You are living the life you believe you are worthy of. Your life experience mirrors your internal self-esteem. If you have an unhealthy low self-esteem you will never enjoy the life you dream of. Even if you achieve success in the accomplishment of a desired goal you will self-sabotage until you are back at a level, a comfort zone, that reflects how you feel about yourself. If you have a healthy high self-esteem you will allow yourself to achieve and enjoy what you want and know you deserve.
Events in and of themselves do not create stress. It is the meaning you give to these events that causes the stressful reaction. What you have something mean about you or your possibilities is what spins you into a cycle of reactive stress - or a calm deliberate thought process that leads to a healthy outcome. There are two ways you react to stress: emotionally and physically. Emotional reactions to stress are as varied as there are perspectives on any of the events of your life. The bodily reaction to stress triggers, however, is more hardwired.
Some people live their lives stuck in an exhausting treadmill. Too tired to change course they tolerate seeing the same sights, having the same experiences over and over again. I know a few people who lost or quit a job every couple of years with the excuse that their boss is a jerk or they're bored out of their minds. I was one of those people.
People often associate self-worth to worldly attachments and achievements. During your life, you are always trying to get something, be it education, job, money, or other material pleasures. You feel these things represent your value. The stuff (or lack of stuff) is evidence of how successful or unsuccessful you have been in your life. When you were little you wrote in your “Rule book for life” that more and better stuff meant that you were “more better”. Time for a New Rule: “I am not my stuff.”
"The unconscious is our best collaborator."- Director Mike Nichols Did you know that you have a personal GPS system within you? It will tell you whether or not the turn, the choice, you are about to make will lead you to your destination or not. It will tell you whether you are on the right path to achieve all that you dream of or on the road to a life unfulfilled, a dream never achieved.
In one of the Harry Potter books Harry comes face to face with a mirror in which he sees his parents staring back at him. He longs to stay with the mirror to continue to see his parents and Professor Dumbledore tells him he must stop. This mirror shows exactly what the viewer wants to see instead of what is. You view your life through such a mirror.
Do you have people in your life who sprinkle misery wherever they go? When you spend time with them, do these people suck the life energy right out of you? Do you they make you wrong, make you feel angry, deflated, belittled, inadequate or unworthy? If so, you have become their victim. As a victim you can only create more experiences of victimization. As chocolate is poison to a dog, these noxious people have the power to reinforce limitations and low self-esteem within you that will hold you back from the successful pursuit of your creative endeavors - if you let them.
Raison D'Etre is French for reason, or purpose, for the existence of someone or something. Each and every person comes into this world with a purpose, unique talents to achieve that purpose and the inner wisdom to guide them along the way. This is a birthright. Without exception. Since everyone walking this Earth exists, you would think that everyone knew his or her purpose in life.
Fast paced life constantly under pressure? "I can't do it all to please everyone!" "There's not enough hours in the day." "I'm racing against the clock." These are but a few of the comments we utter in our stressed-out fast-paced life. Its true, even though we now have all kinds of products and services to make our lives easier it seems like its anything but easy. We feel as frazzled as a rattlesnake flipping' around on PCP.
I work with a lot of people who are often in conflict with people they work, or aspire to work with, or in their personal relationships. Time and again I see people become frustrated, angry, and hostile, all a result of having fixed and expectations of one another. Some hold onto and wear their resentment like a badge of honor. It's an exhausting way to live. Helping people recognize and reframe these control-based expectations is essential to real movement toward agreement, better experiences and overall emotional intelligence growth.
What is it about celebrity that often results in a pattern of self-sabotage and public humiliation? What drives the crash and burn of those who seemingly have everything going for them? Celebrities have success, fame and the financial resources to live a rich delicious life. Why, then, are so many famous people unhappy, addicted to drugs or on a downward spiral spinning out of control as they destroy everything they desire and worked so hard to achieve?
Childhood is often referred to as a carefree and playful time enjoyed without a thought of responsibility. However, a more accurate look at the average youth experience reveals that children experience quite a bit of emotional and sometimes physical pain. Many children who live such a stressful childhood reach for humor as a coping mechanism.
When I'm in the mood for a little inspiratio I seek out extraordinary people speak their truth from the heart. These are the thought leaders who fully express their Moxie - the confident courage to achieve authentic greatness with unrelenting drive and passion. In this abundant content drive Web 2.0 age it only takes a few clicks of a mouse to bear witness to their words of wisdom.
You were born with a personal guidance system set to always lead you in the direction of your dreams, what your heart calls you to become. This internal GPS is your intuition, the voice of your Higher Self, your Inner Being or what I playfully call the Wizard Within. Wizards are alchemists, after all. They know how to turn dreams into reality.
Perfectionism can kill you. Bold statement. Sad but true. The frenetic obsession to have the perfect body is literally killing some people. A nose job or a face lift isn't enough. Once that's done, then the boobs, lips, hips along with every wrinkle must be enhanced, puffed, sucked out, lifted, stretched and shaped into the ideal body. Uh-oh, there's another wrinkle and off to the scalpel you go!
What is risk and why is it something to be feared, to be avoided?
Everywhere you look; in magazines, newspapers, online and televised articles and bios of people who face challenges are examples of people who have moved beyond their challenges to create extraordinary lives. There are also plenty of examples of those who have literally and figuratively destroyed everything they have achieved. In every inspiring success story lies the common denominator of an examined life and a recapture of personal power, authenticity.
You're blocked, stuck in your creative expression and flow, and it doesn't feel good. You hate being in this emotional state. In your despair you give attention, energy and focus to your block thereby strengthening the very block you wish to overcome. And you feel worse. You are literally and figuratively chocked in either your despair or anger over not being able to create what you are here to express, what is your purpose in life. "Every artist writes his own autobiography." Havelock Ellis May I suggest you stop blocking and literally chocking your own creative expression?
I was enjoying a lovely dinner last night at a little French restaurant at The Farmer's Market in Los Angeles last night when I overheard a neighboring conversation. Ok, I was deliberately eavesdropping. I admit it. Those who know me already know that listening to how other people think is a favorite pastime of mine. In a not so covert attempt to hear better, I scooched my chair a little closer and ran smack into the void of quiet desperation.
Do you often think you're just faking it. Not really making it? Do you worry that it's only a matter of time before everyone discovers you're a fraud? Ever want to crawl under the bed upon receiving even the slightest bit of criticism? Are you unable to move forward because you're feet are frozen in fear that you'll reveal the screw-up you really are? Do you think you just got lucky when something worked out right for you? If not, skip this article. You're doing just fine without it. Buh-bye. If so, you've got plenty of company.
It's a funny thing. What you excel at, what is your greatest gift, may not be obvious to you. You may believe that what you do and create so effortlessly is easily achieved by anyone and everyone. It comes so naturally for you that you think it comes just as naturally for everyone else. Therefore, you may be oblivious to your special talent, your unique gift that is your birthright and purpose in life.
I often ask successful people what was the best piece of advice they ever got from a parent. What words of wisdom carried them forward as they achieved their personal and professional goals? Responses such as "Don't take anything for granted", "You have to work hard and struggle for success" and "It takes money to make money" are among the most common. I posed this same question to Wendy, a woman I met at a luncheon not long ago. Her quick response was "Grow up. Move out." That was her Dad's mantra to her ever since she was a very young child.
It's a funny thing. Actors are driven to perform, to take on roles that bring a world of imagination, fantasy and mirrored life reflections into believable existence. In order to achieve the performance of a character well told, the actor has to commit to the unknown, get out of their own way, and be in the present moment. This power of presence and authentic self-assurance in the role create the charisma that draws us to actors and the stories they tell.
Starting to think life is a merry-go-round? Have you lost or quit a job every couple of years with the excuse that your boss is a jerk or you're bored out of your mind? Have you noticed a revolving door-like structure to your personal relationships? Do you move your residence from place to place never satisfied with where you are? Is life slipping by through a set pattern of behavior that just isn't working out for you, just keeping you stuck on a treadmill of repeated experiences that you'd rather not have - again?
I was busy in the kitchen this weekend. I had a yen to cook something that would slow-cook in a crock pot. I love how a house smells when there is something yummy getting ready for my tummy. A friend called. She was complaining about her exhausting weekend. Relatives were staying with her. Each had an opinion of how she should live her life. Her career, potential relationships and even what she wore was picked apart and critiqued. Well-meaning family members had different ideas of who she was and what path was the 'right' road to travel in her struggle for success.
Actress Emily Blunt walked into her audition and firmly announced "I'm here to play Queen Victoria and I'm not leaving until you give me the job". She then focused and commanded every scrap of energy and talent within her to deliver her best performance possible and did not leave that audition until she was awarded the role.
As I was driving along the Malibu coast Paul Simon's "Fakin' It" blared through the radio. I had the volume cranked because I had the top down and was singing loudly and badly along with the song. It's such fun to let go and sing, especially if the sound of your voice could turn wine into vinegar, but I digress. When I screeched the verse: "I've just been fakin' it, I'm not really makin' it. This feeling of fakin' it- I still haven't shaken it."
Who are you? Some say that a person is a product of his or her choices. Much like the causality dilemma of "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?" that evokes questions about life and how the Universe in general began, who you are can be rooted in a circular cause and consequence pattern of experience. Or is it? The answer is, it depends. It depends upon how you choose. Are you creating your choices or are your choices creating you?
'Fess up. If you're reading this blog you may be a shopping addict. There's a world of difference between someone who shops for necessities (even luxuries) or social enjoyment and the person who shops to deaden emotional pain. Which one are you? Like a drug addict you use shopping to get you high, make you feel better about your self or circumstance if you: - Go on buying binges when you are upset, depressed, lonely, stressed or antsy.rn- Kill time on eBay or other shopping websites.r
“When I start a movie, the first day, I feel like a duck.” - Penelope Cruz, Academy Award Winning Actor
There are what seems to be an infinite number of books that provide a formula for success. They will tell you to work hard, pay your dues, earn advanced degrees in your education. The Inner Wizard formula for success, however, is a bit contrary to many of those strategies and quite simple. There are 3 Essential Empowering Factors in the Inner Wizard Formula for Success: • Authenticity: Who You Really Are & What You Want to Achieve • Confidence: Self-esteem and Intuition • Alignment: Mindfully Speak & Act in the Direction of your Highest Goals
When you show up with love in your heart, what is returned to you is pure love.
Too pooped to put one more foot in front of the other? Is your favorite part of the day the moment you get to dive into bed and shut the world off for a few hours? Does the mere thought of the days ahead suck the life energy right out of you? I know how that feels. I've been there -- for years. I complained I was tired all the time. People said I needed to eat more. Tried that, still felt the abyss of an energy void.
I love Halloween. It is perhaps the most empowering holiday of the year. For fun, think of the person you admired most when you were a child. It could be Spiderman (or any other movie character - animated or not). It could be a favorite character in a book, a celebrity, a favorite Aunt or Teacher. Think back to when you were able to complete this sentence: "When I grow up I want to be _______." Create a costume for whatever answer popped into your mind. Wear the costume on Halloween and really get into the part. Act as if you were that person. Have fun in that role.
"Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!" - Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz The media is filled with bizarre tales of rude and downright bizarre behavior that was once exhibited by self-loathing attention seeking narcissists and now may be used as a clever inexpensive tool for massive publicity. In the age where 'all publicity is good publicity' are high profile outbusts a result of an emotional dysfunction or a clever media attention grabbing ruse? One has to wonder.
Moxie Up! The Secret to Extraordinary Success What do those who achieve extraordinary success – Richard Branson, Oprah Winfrey, Steve Jobs, J.K. Rowling, Bette Midler, Mary Kay Ash, Angelina Jolie, Howard Stern, Danica Patrick, Ellen DeGeneres and Aunti Mame have in common? Moxie Those who rise above mere success to create an extraordinary life have the guts, fortitude, the confident courage to achieve authentic greatness with unrelenting drive and passion.
You get that the common denominator in all your unwanted experiences is you. You're beginning to understand you have influence over the outcomes you achieve. You realize that, at least sometimes, you're the one standing in your own way. Now you're fixated on fixing your problem. You're fixated on fixing You. And that fixation won't fix anything. In the first place, you aren't broken so you don't need fixing. What you really want is freedom from your fixated mind that works up a sweat from all the stress and anxiety that comes from such a caged-up state of being. More....
Where are you in the pecking order of your life? Are you above or below the "measuring up to" rung you hoped to be on at this moment in time? Where are you in the heirarchy through which you define your life achievement; your sense of self-worth and accomplishment?