Ballroom Dancing
October 27, 2020

Stop Judging Yourself. What Do YOU Desire?

What do you REALLY desire? How many times do you have an idea or spark within you and ignore it? We all do this sometimes, but what happens when you say YES to your desires? I want to share an experience from my personal journey on saying YES to my desires. Or in this case, yes to the dress. (pun intended)

In 2019, I started taking ballroom dancing lessons and was excited to attend one of their dance competitions. I had watched Dancing with the Stars many times, and loved the show, so was curious as to what the experience would be like watching something similar in person.

When I walked in, I was mesmerized by the entire experience. Not only was I able to watch the dance competition, I was quickly drawn to a section in the back where there were hundreds of beautiful dresses. I curiously asked if I could try any on. Not only did I get to watch the competition, I got to play too. It was so much fun!!!

I tried on a handful of dresses but, when I put on this blue amazing sparkly dress, I just KNEW it was for me. It fit perfectly. It was like the dress was made just for me. I wanted to buy it. BUT… A part of me looked at the price tag and said OUCH!!!! Then my logical mind said things like, Yes, this is a pretty dress that looks great on me, but I had no intention of buying a dress today, do I really want to spend the money on it?

How many of you can relate to that question? You have a desire, you know you want it, but something inside of you holds you back from saying yes! There are questions running in your mind like….

• Is it worth the investment?
• Do I really need the thing that I want?
• Would this be an impulsive purchase that is not worth the money?
• How would I pay for it? It’s not like I have the money to pay for it out right.
• I could use the money for so many other things, do I really want to spend it on this?

I went through all the same thoughts and feelings. Along my journey, I have realized how important it is to say YES to my desires when I really want something. When I first started taking dance lessons, I remembered envisioning myself participating in a competition one day. And here I was trying on a dress that felt like the Universe sent it to me. Who was I to deny myself this beautiful dress that showed up for me?

I listened to my heart’s desire and didn’t care how much it was. I would figure it out. I put the dress on. I felt amazing in it. I even remember looking down and noticing a sexy slit down my right thigh and in that moment, I just knew I was meant to say YES! It felt like me saying yes to my TRUTH. I was saying yes to my own value and worth as a woman.

What is something you have always wanted to do or buy for YOU? I encourage you to feel into your desire before saying NO or making up excuses as to why you don’t need it. You deserve to have all that you desire!

April 26, 2017

Should I Spend Money on That?

How many of you find yourself struggling with “SHOULD I SPEND MONEY ON THAT?

What have you been taught about money?  Have you been taught the following?:

Money is the root of all evil
Money is not that important, its just money
Money doesn’t grow on trees, it is a limited resource
You need to save for a rainy day
It is selfish to want a lot of money

These are just a few of the top money and abundance blocks out there. I have personally struggled with my thoughts and beliefs about money.  It is never something that I really focused on.  However, as I created intentional focus on my thoughts and beliefs about money, I have seen some shifts in my life.

Money is a representation of the value that you provide to others.  It is an exchange for goods or services rendered.  It’s all about defining the VALUE that is created by the exchange.

How often do you make decisions based on a lack or scarcity mentality as opposed to an abundance and and prosperity mentality?  Many times we don’t invest in ourselves, because we are afraid to spend the money.  Which is the exact opposite of what we really want.  We allow ourselves to punish or sabotage ourselves unknowingly by not being true to ourselves and our desires.

KayakI remember last summer I was reintroduced to my love of kayaking.  One day I decided to take two of my boys for a surprise and went to the Naperville Riverwalk so that we could rent a kayak and go on the water,   When I got there, I looked at the price of the paddleboat vs. the price of the kayak.  While I REALLY wanted to rent the kayak, it was like $25 MORE than the paddleboat.  So I stood there, and questioned myself.  WHAT SHOULD I DO?  WHAT SHOULD I SPEND MY MONEY ON?

I almost rented the paddleboat and then something in me said NO.  You came here to kayak, so spend the extra money and get the kayak.  That is the REAL EXPERIENCE you want to have.   There is value behind the experience of having your boys experience a kayak vs. the paddleboat.  Don’t sell yourself short.   I did choose to rent the kayaks and we had an AMAZING experience.  I felt so good about my decision and the experience we had.  If I wouldn’t have spent the money, I would have felt bad that I didn’t listen to myself and would have wondered what we might have missed out on, however in the past I have deprived myself or chosen NOT to do something and ended staying in my comfort zone.  This felt SO MUCH BETTER and because I was true to myself and in alignment with what I wanted, I started to see shifts with my kids.  That was reason enough to say yes to my own desires.

How many of us, stop in our tracks and don’t spend money on what we REALLY want, thinking another option might save us money.  Each situation and person is unique on what they define as valuable, however, what I learned about myself was that when I saw VALUE in something, I would invest the money on it, however, if I saw it as wasteful or not worth it, then I wouldn’t spend the money.

I encourage you to think about WHERE YOU SPEND OR INVEST YOUR MONEY.  Do you invest in things for yourself?  If NOT, I would encourage you to reflect on why you are not valuing yourself enough to invest money in yourself.   Things shift for us when we are willing and open to shift our thinking. What could happen IF YOU INVESTED IN YOURSELF TODAY?

December 7, 2016

Why You Should Follow Your Bliss

Becoming the woman that you are meant to be can take many paths. Digging deep and discovering what makes you happy is often an important step, and learning how to follow your bliss can create new opportunities and take you on journeys you never expected. Let me share a story with you…

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to audition for a new band at our church. I love singing and have been in church choirs all my life, so this sounded like an incredible opportunity. The day before the audition, I realized I needed to learn a new song. CRAP! I listened to it on YouTube and then found sheet music to pluck away on my keyboard. I was nervous, but not worried or anxious.

On the day of the audition, I walked in and sang the melody. They then asked me to sing harmony, and I explained to them that I didn’t hear any harmony in the video that I listened to, and I didn’t practice any. They asked me to just find the harmony and sing it.

I have never done that before. While I sang in choirs for years, the sheet music was always available to learn from. I had not learned how to harmonize by ear. Unfortunately, they were looking for someone who could just listen to a song and pick up the harmony, and I didn’t have the skills.

When I walked out of the building, I couldn’t help but feel crushed! I thought to myself, if I was really that good of a singer, I should be able to just find the harmony. Tears rolled down my face as I drove home. It was devastating not to make it, and I was embarrassed that I had wasted their time and that I didn’t have the skills that were required. It hurt.

As the saying goes, everything happens for a reason, and sometimes events that feel like missteps are actually blessings designed to move us on our path. I felt like I totally failed, but at the same time, I knew I had this burning desire to sing, and auditioning had woken up that passion inside me.

So why did this happen? What am I supposed to learn from this experience?

I learned that you need to follow your bliss. Singing makes me happy, and I had a dream to bring music into my business. This felt like it was God’s way of opening a new door for me. He knows I love to sing and being able to use music to serve others in the world feels like an enormous gift. This experience showed me how important music was to me and that if I wanted to follow my bliss, I needed to bring more music into my life.

In the past year I have written about 10 songs and I sing them in my programs or at my speaking engagements.  “Follow your bliss and the universe will open up doors where there were only walls”. WOW! When I focus my time on activities that bring me pleasure, God opens up new doors for my life.

If you are struggling with something in your life or have some goals you want to reach, stop for a moment and find something you absolutely get pleasure from and spend time doing it. You may find that experiencing the bliss from this one activity could change your circumstances and open up new doors for you.