Empowerment Articles

What's the price of your self-esteem? It seems that most of my friends echo a theme that I have often heard repeated in so many ways in social settings and in numerous support and help groups.r

“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” You don’t want to imitate a favorite author, but you can learn a lot from him or her. Whether you create notes for plot and character development first or dive into writing your novel, you want to get as much written as possible in your first ...

Day after day I work with people who, when facing some issue, question, change, or decision, feel overcome by uncertainty and are paralyzed by the possibility of “making a mistake.” Despite having an inkling of how they want to handle the situation at hand, they don’t trust it. Instead of going with their gut and following their inner impulse, they look for confirmation from others and spend time and/or money: • seeking counsel from therapists and coaches, rn• polli

"Let us use our lives more wisely to chase our dreams, find our true purpose, and be as happy and successful as possible." -- Malcolm X

A few weeks ago I added a facebook post discussing breaking through our Upper Limit Setpoints. Several people asked what that meant. Upper limit setpoint is a term coined by Gay Hendricks, co-founder of the Hendricks Institute. They are the unconscious restrictions we put on ourselves to keep us in our comfort zone. We are only accustomed to so much goodness, so much enjoyment, so much love and so much prosperity and when we go over the limit, the universe brings us back down

I recently read an article (on how successful people set goals and follow through) by leadership expert and New York Time best selling author, Dr Marshall Goldsmith. In that article Dr Goldsmith speaks about ownership. He said “successful people have a high need for and reliance upon self-determination. They commit to the challenge, task, or process that needs their efforts and make a plan to meet their goals. Because of this commitment, they are far more likely to achieve success.” I have know Dr Goldsmith for about four years now, and consider him to be one of my virtual mentors.r

When I get ready to talk to people, I spend two thirds of the time thinking what they want to hear and one third thinking about what I want to say. - Abraham Lincoln Communication is more than an exchange of words, symbols, or body language. It is an exchange of emotional energy.

rnThe above title is actually part of a quotation from Rabbi Hillel many years ago, being "If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, who am I? If not now, when?" The point that he was making, and that I would like to expand on, in today's terms, is that we need to think of ourselves, as well as others, and bring the two together. In addition, you can't rely on others to just make things happen for you- you need to be pro active, but often, you may n

Self-empowerment is the creative form of courage. These days, physical, emotional and mental challenges are on the rise, which have typically led people to believing that stress is inevitable. The fact is none of that is true, if avoiding stress and leading a positive peaceful life is what you visualize, chances are you can do that. The only thing that counts between those challenges and success are how positive we see the present, and worry about the future later. The past o

The holiday season is now in full swing. If you're anything like me you probably have mixed feelings about the holidays. I love the excitement, parties, decorations, rituals, music, gifts, connections, and more. However, even these fun things can wear on me. And, the stress, drama, consumption, obligation, expense, and more that often come along with this time of year are not on my list of "favorite things."

Have you ever wanted to do something that seemed important to you, but you didn’t go ahead because you were gripped by the fear of failure? If so, you are not alone. The fear of failure is a crippling force that affects almost every single human being. Why? In an article in Forbes, Vanessa Loder wrote “When we go outside of our comfort zone, we feel scared.” She hit the nail on the head by using the word “scared”. That is the reason why the fear of failure grips so many of us when we wish to take giant leaps in our personal lives or professional lives.

If you take hold of a pendulum and pull it a certain distance from center point then release it, the rebound swing in the opposite direction matches the distance you held it from center point. When we’ve felt restricted (allowed it) and “free” ourselves from that scenario, we may experience ...

Have you ever had the feeling while reading a newspaper, listening to a lecture, or sitting around a dinner table talking with friends about current events, that “Something ought to be done about that”? Or perhaps you have felt appalled by an injustice of some sad event and thought, “What is to be done?”nnSome events, especially those at the global level, seem insurmountable -- poverty, injustice, and environmental degradation, for example. And even in our local commu

Who is Driving the Bus? rn( and why is it smoking??? ) ( a story of addiction and attraction ) I am biting my nails trying not to follow the urge to get some cigarettes. I have a little money and I have enough gas to make it but I don't want to identify with being a smoker. I don't care if there is some weight gain because that is only permanent if I choose. So every time that urge comes I tell myself to focus on something else so as to divert my attention from the current thought of wanting to have a cig. I don't want to attach to that urge anymore and not endure its affect on me.

Building a business is not an easy task despite what all the internet gurus are trying to tell you. If it was so easy we would all be millionaires and we wouldn’t need them. Building a successful business takes time and patience. Some will build businesses faster than others, but never go by what someone else has done concentrate on what you will do. You could be the next big thing. No one knows what God will make of a man or what He will do by him.

The topic of leadership is being discussed online more than ever these days, or perhaps it’s just that I’m paying more attention now. Since we are undergoing rapid change in our social institutions, the need for real leadership is more urgent than ever before in my lifetime.

The courage to stare down fear requires more than meets the eye. In fact, if you keep your focus and attention on what scares you, you will feel more afraid. Yet, you will need to face your fear, name your fear, and then tap into your spiritual power of courage. Courage is not of the head; it’s of the heart.

The practice of gratitude as a tool for happiness has been in the mainstream for years. Long-term studies support gratitude’s effectiveness, suggesting that a positive, appreciative attitude contributes to greater success in life, better health, peak performance in sports and business and a higher sense of well-being.

Have you ever been working on something and have the thought occur to you, “I have no business doing this!”? What are your priorities? What do you value? Make a note of them. Now for the tough question, how aligned are your actions with your priorities and values? In other words many people claim to know their priorities and values and yet few pause to check if they’re acting accordingly.

One of Murphy’s Law states, “There’s never enough time to do something right, but there’s always enough time to do it over.” Doing it right the first time would mean no mistakes, no regrets and no doubts. But if you didn’t make mistakes, have regrets or deal with doubts then what would you learn? Very little. At least not the important stuff. It’s the challenges, missed opportunities and mistakes that create the biggest lessons. The only time it doesn’t serve you is when you fail to pay attention. That alone is a lesson to learn.

We often find ourselves regretting where nwe are in life. This sends us on a spiraling njou ey downward as we begin complaining nand nourishing fear which is the enemy of faith. One key area in living a prosperous life is having nan attitude of gratitude. Let’s take a look further into ...

Prosperity is defined by one dictionary as “a successful, flourishing, thriving condition, especially in financial respects. Good fortune”. How does that definition feel to you? For many people, it feels a little bit uncomfortable, because it mentions 'good fortune', which could be translated as ‘luck’. If you aren’t lucky enough to be lucky, you’re screwed! Right?..

In my last article, I discussed the role that fear plays in our lives and introduced the idea that we can transform it into a positive force that works for us. Fear often creeps up when we are ready to pursue a compelling, juicy goal. Sometimes our fear is so big that it rears its head before ...

The work of the universe is to give and our job is to receive, and we receive to the extent that we are prepared to receive. Imagine that you are at the Universal restaurant and you can order whatever you want. The only issue is that in this restaurant they only serve orders to go, but they do not provide containers to carry the food because they do not know the quantity of food each person wants to order. You must then go to this restaurant with your own container and you ca

Your true potential is an existing possibility that needs to be cultivated and nurtured. We all have a purpose for being born. You are not a random accident. Yet, many people do not realize that how we see our self is a huge determinant of whether or not we pursue a higher vision for our life. One of the greatest impediments to reaching your true potential is a lack of self-compassion.

What are organochlorines?nOrganochlorines are chemicals found in some herbicides and pesticides, in chlorine bleach and most chemical disinfectants, and many plastics, especially PVC (polyvinylchloride). nn Organochlorines are implicated in causing and promoting breast cancer because they mutate genes and they cause breast cells to become more receptive to a cancer-promoting chemical called estradiol. Organochlorines weaken the immune system and lower your body’s resistance

Most of us long for a perfect mate and a perfect relationship, but as we know, finding the right mate and having a great relationship can be hard sometimes and love alone is not a guarantee either for that perfect relationship … but, although nothing is perfect we can learn and apply certain lessons that could move us close to that perfection we are seeking for a loving and fulfilling relationship. Here are ten life lessons towards a wonderful relationship.

The real root of all evil is not money; it’s lack of self-acceptance. By the way, even the Bible doesn’t say it’s money. There it says the “love of money” and love as used in the proper translation would be “lust” or attachment – in other words, greed. This is where lack of self-acceptance comes into the conversation.

Career is a word which is the dream of every coming youth from colleges to business market but for getting a carrier which you want is not available to you easily. A steady career growth and countless opportunities are the two main reasons why young people prefer to apply for numerous jobs in finance in India. While various renowned worldwide players are making headway in the finance sector in India, national banks are revamping themselves to give a tough competition to sever

There is no doubt about it. December is the time of year that is synonymous with giving. Whether it is family, friends, co-workers, charitable organizations or the people who make our lives better, we all have our lists and are checking them twice! Most of us love to give -- and when we do so, we feel good about ourselves, joyful, abundant and alive. But what about receiving? Most people feel very uncomfortable about receiving! Whether it is a lavish gift, an act of kindness,

It seems to me that many people are short on time and long on things to do. This certainly was an issue of mine also at one time. What I learned during those years was that time wasn’t the issue as much as was energy and focus. Lack of clarity and reflection time often drain the brain. When we are not clear about where we want to go and why, we waste a lot of our energy. And without passion and clarity, you are not likely to have much productivity. You may certainly have plenty of activity, but these are not the same thing; long hours often don’t equal productivity.

Is your practice of yoga improving your body image, leading you to greater acceptance and appreciation of your physical body? Or is it just one more attempt to develop that "perfect body", eventually leading to suffering and angst? Yoga historically was about spiritual union: it was the process ...

Sleep is apparently a little known secret to good leadership that is critical to high performance and well-being. It is not just for beauty rest; there are plenty of leadership and health reasons for getting a good night's sleep.

Implementation is the key to making your dreams come true. It's what separates the sort of successful from the super successful. However, a lot of people have trouble with implementation because they let self-sabotaging behaviors get in the way of their best intentions. Below is a list of ...

How do you learn to move out of your own way? Learning to dream again and moving your life in the direction that you would like it to go. This month I am going to continue on the same path. As a speaker, trainer,nbusiness mentor and home-based business owner people tell me quite often that they would like to do this or that, if only they had the time, the money, the education, or the know how. My question to them is always, do you want a good life or do you want a great life?

Work and life balance is central to health, real wealth, and enjoyable relationships. Gratitude and appreciation are apparently little known secret ingredients to what everyone is really seeking: inner peace, meaning, and joy. Then we can “in joy” our efforts and monetary results and use money constructively and with greater purpose. Then “stuff” starts to lose its meaning, in general.

Several events over the past few weeks, from Memorial Day weekend and through Father’s Day, caused me to reflect inward and think about the legacy I’m leaving behind to my family and the rest of the world.

Understanding a problem is the first step to solving it. When it comes to weight loss or weight maintenance, one of my most difficult issues has always been night hunger, however controlling my appetite throughout the day has never been a problem. As a matter of fact, I barely notice that I’m hungry during the day. Evenings, on the other hand, are a different story. For years, I tried to figure out how to get a handle on night hunger and it wasn’t until I finally realized what the problem was that I was able to correct it.

Imagine this – something goes wrong in the life of someone close to you. That person is shattered. What is one of the first things they could do? They could look for someone to blame. In my Life Coaching career, there have been many clients who chose to blame someone when things went wrong. Whenever someone told me about a problem they were facing, I would wonder “Will they take responsibility or will they play the blame game?” In an extremely insightful article by Dr Susan Whitbou e, she discusses in detail why we tend to blame others. Two of her very compelling reasons are:

Collaborative leadership allows others to get their “voice” in the room. As long as there is a healthy level of trust, the terms of group meeting engagement can be explicit. This allows for a culture that can embrace a diversity of thought, which is something that is crucial for innovation. While every opinion cannot always be integrated into the strategy systemically, allowing and respecting others to contribute will go a long way toward employee engagement and ownership. It will take a truly confident leader to admit that she or he does not know everything.

In Debbie Ford's last book, Courage, she talks about "becoming unrecognizable." Loving that concept from the moment she first shared it, I eagerly took on living my life from the bar of unrecognizable. Whether it's being more aware of my finances or carving out time to do nothing and relax on the weekends, I am always willing to give up who I am for who I can become and to look at how I have done things for new ways that are wanting and needing to be birthed. In the past year

'If you know the point of balance, You can settle the details. If you can settle the details, You can stop running around. If you can stop running around, Your mind will become calm. If your mind becomes calm, You can think in front of a tiger. If you can think in front of a tiger, You ...

What did you add to your eulogy today? This week? This month? This year? Yes, you are writing your eulogy every day. Writing it based on what you do and what you don’t do. It’s what is not done that upsets us the most. It’s the what we could have done, could have been, could have, had, had we made the effort, had we started, had we had the courage. Fear is the problem. Fear of failure. Fear of ridicule. Fear of making a mistake. In addition to writing your obituary, you should also write your eulogy. Who will speak? Family? Friends? Business associates? Someone you mentored?

I can't believe that summer is almost here and that, like so many of you, I am thinking about my summer plans. This summer I have the privilege of leading The Shadow Experience: Breaking Through to Emotional & Spiritual Freedom at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York. For me this is still humbling. I remember the first time I went to Omega in 2002. I had another business at the time. It was called Go Goddess! and we created games to connect and empower women and girls.

Populate your mind with the awareness of joy, abundance, tranquility, and good will and this consciousness will pollinate every occurrence in your life. When your consciousness and occurrences meet...an offspring is produced. It is up to you, as the pollinator to every experience, to infuse great thoughts so that great emotions germinate. Occupy your mind with thoughts of love, harmony, and abundance and not only will these feelings reproduce, but they will also impregnate every incident in your life...with a positive vibration.

We are constantly bombarded with choices every day. Choices are responsible for giving us opportunities to create instead of reacting to them. You might get overwhelmed when presented with choices, but instead you should think of it as an open door to something new. We are given choices that ...

Self-awareness helps us wake up to aspects that are already present within us - we just don't see them. The blind spots of our society's conditioning over time can cause us to focus on what is allegedly 'wrong with us'. Sure, we all have shortcomings that challenge us to grow.

Constantly told about the beginning of the cosmos as having been perpetrated by some sort of ‘big bang’ theory, major and certain acclaimed scientists have alluded to the idea that there was one such event and that it is the causation of all we know and see and, in most instances, think. Exploration of physical laws also suggests this event occurred some fifteen billion years ago, and the result is that the universe will constantly expand until it gets to the point where it will implode upon itself.

Life is full of stress. We experience it in our personal and our professional life daily. We see it on television and read about it in the newspapers and in magazines. We *integrate* it into our own minds when reading and watching even if we are not personally involved! Some of the *great* movies coming out have *considerable* stress in them, and we can come home from a a movie feeling tense or stressed as a result. Here are some time tested ways of calming down and creating

Is it 'eye' or 'I'? That is the question. It is interesting that they are pronounced the same. The physical eye allows you to see the physical world. The 'I'-who you think you are-determines the clarity of your perception: how you see the world and your life experience. Authentic leadership engages the head and the heart. The heart is the feeling nature and can either follow the lead of your ego ('I' in Latin, by the way) or your True, Authentic Self, the real 'I'.