As my plane took off for Los Angeles this week, I was reading a book.  Unfortunately, I suffer horribly from motion sickness.  So, I have to distract myself while on a plane, and even more so on the take-off and landing.  Suffice it to say, I do not make a fun ride-along partner.  If it’s moving (planes, trains, automobiles, rides, etc)…My focus is on not making a scene!

As I read my book, a light gradually crept across the pages.  It occurred to me as we ascended toward heaven that, although it had been a grey, winter-y day below…The sun and the light are always there, up above.  It’s always waiting for us – it never leaves.  It really made me think.  The sky is always blue.  We may not be able to see it; it may be concealed (by clouds), but it’s always, always blue.

The light is always there for us to draw upon but it’s our responsibility to remember it’s there.

My aunt bought me a “Blessing Bracelet” for Christmas (below is a picture of many blessing bracelets).  It has 5 gorgeous grey pearls on it.  The card that came with the gift stated that any time I came across the bracelet I should take pause and quietly express 4 things (1 for each pearl) for which I am grateful.  I do this ALL the time.  I wear jewelry every day so I am in the jewelry box morning and night.  I see the bracelet almost every day and give thanks.  This works WONDERS on my mood, my intention and the overall flow of my day.  It was an extremely valuable gift in ways far beyond the price.

Exercise:

• Find something to remind you of your blessings.  It should be something you run across regularly and something you can easily access if you need to.  Decide that you will express gratitude each time this “something” comes into your awareness.  It’s simple and powerful!!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on how you consistently remember the silver linings in life.  Do you have a reminder?  Are you so practiced that it’s automatic?  Please do share:)

Do you ever get that feeling?  Like you’re kind of “floundering” day after day?  If so, know that it’s normal.  And know that these times are inherent for growth.  I’ve become so good at detecting the onset of these evolutionary periods, I can now pre-schedule the attention my business craves before becoming too frustrated (as it seems to happen to me a few times a year).

So,with 3 other women, I holed up in a historical inn located in, what is referred to, as situated within an “energy vortex.”  There are 3 mountains situated in a tight triangle around Stockbridge, MA. Believers say the positioning of the mountains creates a magical energy force field that has long attracted all kinds of change makers.  So, it was a perfect setting (pictured throughout this post).

There is healing power in nature and I’m always a proponent for aligning yourself as intimately as possible with the wonders of the world.

If you’re feeling restless or like you are “spinning your wheels,” consider the following ideas for moving through the discomfort.

1. However you write most naturally, whether it be in a journal or on a post-it..Just write.  Jot down between 3-5 specific goals for the next 90 days.  Also write down the most ideal outcome to those goals (is it an increase in list size, revenue, contacts?).  It’s so important to state and solidify (to yourself & the universe) your desires and intentions.   Focus solely on the goals, and don’t fret about how those goals will be achieved.
2. Next focus on what roadblocks are holding you back.  Write down the blocks you deem as holding you back (money, environment/surroundings, time).  Let that digest for a little while. I like to sit on these ideas for a couple hours….Mull them over, if you will.
3. Now come up with 1-3 strategies to get past the roadblocks.  Again, this is not the time to stress about exactly how you will accomplish your goals.  This is brainstorming about YOUR BLOCKS.  If you have someone in your life to whom you feel comfortable talking business, enlist their help (and if you don’t have someone in your life like this, that’s a-whole-nother post, but DEFINITELY connect with my girls at Life Business Growth. We are an entire community of conscious women entrepreneurs…Ready & willing to support you).
4. Come up with the 1st action step for each of your 3-5 goals.  Notice I didn’t say “come up with your entire plan.”  THE 1ST ACTION STEP is all that’s require to get started.  Can you see the 1st step?  If so, jot it down.  If not, sit with your ideas for a few hours.
5. While you’re thoughts are marinating, I invite you to ASK FOR GUIDANCE.  Whatever your spiritual beliefs are (and most of you know mine), ask for guidance.  This is a critical step and 1 that people often leave out because we simply forget to ask for help.
6. Now it’s time to implement.  I have found that once you hold the space for growth and evolution, it happens!  There have been a couple times where I was forced to wait a little longer for clarity, but generally, when I follow the system aforementioned, I can begin moving forward again.  No more floundering!

Remember, as previously mentioned, I find myself in the throws of evolutionary beckoning a few times each year.

It’s not easy to become cozy with discomfort, but it is necessary.  

I’d love to hear your strategies for moving through the requisite discomfort of growth.  How do you handle the restlessness?

Much love,

1. Rene Furterer Dry Shampoo
2. Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray
3. Rene Furterer Complex 5
4. Rene Furterer Karite Intense Nourishing Hair Masque
5. Bio-Ionic Style Winder Curling Iron
6. Being True Restoring Deep Cleanser (I use this EVERY day)
7. Being True Anti-Aging Youth Revealing Complex
8. Phineas Stout’s Sweet Caramel Lip Scrub
9. Phineas Stout’s Organic Oatmeal & Honey Soap Bar

Here is the link to the article if you want to read more about any of these products.  I’d love to hear what your 1 “can’t live without” product is….

The following infographic takes an in-depth look at the women-owned movement we are hearing about, seeing and feeling from everywhere.  It contains tons of great information.  I feel quite proud when I start looking at all the ways women are not only contributing in the work-force, but we’re grabbin’ that force by the horns  That force is going to be working for us soon!  OK, ok, I’m being obnoxious:)  Hope you enjoy!

We painted & added the beadboard throughout.  We also replaced her old sliding wood closet doors with some fresh new mirrored doors.

I added the brown dot in lieu of crown moulding.  And we used chocolate brown velvet drapery panels.

No pre-teen girls’ room would be complete without a posh desk, right?

Below you can see how big a difference the mirrors make.  This room was so dark before – everything was strategically done to brighten it up.

Gorgeous bedside table (if I do say so meself)!

Accessories!  I painted those little letters & the little flower designs on the shelves.

I found this chest as a floor sample.  It was a walnut color when I found it.  So, I painted it cream and then added the polka dot by hand.

And, more accessorizing!  What do you think?  She loved it…At least for a few months anyway. LOL!  Thanks for checking it out….Happy Monday Everyone.

My Nana & me:)

My sweet Nana died in March of 2012.  Although she had Leukemia for more than 10 years, she ended up dying from an infection to her leg after hitting it on a filing cabinet.  She had just finished up a round of chemotherapy for the Leukemia and seemingly her immune system was very weak.  So, when she hit her foot and it became infected, her body simply could not fight.  The doctors told her they could amputate her leg from the knee down and she might live.  At 80 some years old, my Nan refused.  She didn’t want to depend on anyone else as she was completely self sufficient before this.  So, she became very sick, very fast and was in A LOT of pain as the infection ravaged through her body.

Up until this point in my life, I was one to shy away from visiting anyone on their “death bed.” Alright, so those aren’t the right words.  The truth is, I ran.  LIKE HELL from seeing people who were about to die. I didn’t want to see them this way.  I didn’t want to remember anyone this way.  I preferred the memories to be full of life.  Yet, when I knew my Nana was going to die, I don’t know why, but I felt I needed to go to her.  Maybe it was my age, maybe it was because it was her…I don’t really know.  I just knew that I had to be with her.  So, I flew to Pennsylvania and spent a week by her bedside.  And it took a whole lot of courage to fight through that which I had been so afraid.  I didn’t want my memories of her tainted with sickness or hospitals or anything dark.  But I was willing to risk it – for her.  And I’m so glad I did.

Although she was no longer coherent during the final 3 days of that week, the first 4 were some of the most precious of my life.  My grandmother was not an overly emotional woman.  She was lovely, but not highly touchy-feely or emotional.  But these 4 days she and I had a chance to connect on a deeper level and share loving moments that the false  ideas of health instill had not allowed before.  We spoke as if those were her final days.  We shared stories and held hands and said all the things we felt in our hearts.  I brushed her hair and we whispered like little girls.  I will cherish those days for the rest of my life.

And I learned something: The peace received from those final days with her far outweigh any thoughts of seeing her sick and dying.

When I returned home I made some tremendous strides in my business very quickly.  And one day, about 3 months after my grandmother died and at a time when I was seriously questioning whether I was doing the right thing in my business, my 10 year old asked to straighten out our “junk” drawer in the kitchen (we can go on about that later:).  This is a drawer that we use daily by the by…For pens and paper, scissors, tape..Whatever.  We use it ALL the time.  My little boy brings me this little wrapped present w/ a stick-on bow.  I say, “what is that?”  ”I found it in the drawer,” he replies.  I take it in my hands and see that the sticker reads, “love, Nana.”  WTF, I think.  How incredibly weird is this.  I unwrap & open the little box and in it is a gold necklace with 3 tiny charms on it: a horseshoe, a 4 leaf clover and a dove.  It was overwhelming to say the least.  My heart ached from pain & happiness.  I am not one to get too woo-woo, but I am spiritual and becoming more-so daily.  This was over the top.  As I said, we were in this drawer constantly.  I never saw that present before.  Furthermore, I would never place a fully wrapped present from my Nana in a drawer.  I would’ve opened it…Immediately.  It was crazy, but I wore that necklace for more than 3 months until I launched the business of my soul. Nothing like that had ever happened to me before (or more likely, I had never paid attention to anything like that happening before).   I love that necklace.  I mean, I LOVE that necklace!

Thanks for listening to my story!

It was Helen Keller, the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelors degree in 1904, who said “Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it.  Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.”

How would you live if you had no fear? Fear of failure. Fear of success. Fear of rejection. Fear of going broke. Fear of being alone. Fear of humiliation. Fear of regret. Fear of success. Imagine for a second what your life would look like in the absence of fear.
As frustrating and oft debilitating as it can be, the emotion of fear actually serves an important purpose.  It often acts as a compass and keeps us from doing things blindly or compulsively. For example, fear keeps us from jumping in front of a train or running into a burning building. However, fear also keeps us from other spiritually beneficial callings. And it is here where courage takes center stage. What would you do? Where would you go? What would you say? And best yet…Who would you be?

So, what of courage? Too often we don’t give ourselves credit for being courageous. I’m not referring to the acts of pure adrenaline involved with, for example, lifting a car to save someone’s life. I’m talking about the courageous acts we do to fight through a kind of “darkness” in order to uphold some part of our fundamental truth. The darkness can represent anything about which you feel unsure, insecure, shy, and anxious or any other suppressive emotion. There are, essentially, three options when you find the darkness is sprawled out in front of you. You could advance, head-first into the unknown which stands between you and your truth. You could turn around and retreat from the darkness. Or, you could skirt the edges of the unfamiliar path and attempt to find some passive way of making it to the other side. However, the latter two will undoubtedly lead to a dead end. Our truth will not be quiet.  You might ignore it, but it will always be there, begging to be made known.

Our truth is what steers the heart and guides us on our truest course, but not without the presence of courage. It is courage that drives the truth bus.

Courage battles the forces of the omnipresent darkness draped over the path to your truth. And courage is the best defense to facing down the imaginary fears we deem lurking along the path. Courage will be your partner to reclaiming the powerful truth you were meant to emanate.  You see, courage is born of love and compassion. It seeks truth and justice and it doesn’t care what might happen if you battle the darkness. Courage wants what is on the other side of the unknown.

Courage is driven by personal conviction. Being courageous means putting yourself on the line and standing up for what you know is right and true.  But how does one break free from the tethers of the obscure? Learning to be courageous is simple, but not easy. The first step is to acknowledge what’s inside of you. Don’t quell the very things you know in your heart. Listen to the whispers; accept what you are being shown. Own and uphold what you are here on this Earth to do. And know, there is no real point in avoiding the darkness. Fulfillment lives on the other side. So, acknowledge what is inside of you.
Be responsible for your mission. Even if you are only aware of the first step, summon your courage and take that step. The strength of your purpose will not relent. Therefore, you must be responsible for your mission and take action.

Finally, prepare to be courageous. Exhibiting courage does not have to be a solo heroic act. Enlist supporters, gather information, and progressively build your tolerance. If you are paralyzed by the unknown, find the thing that takes the smallest amount of courage and do it first. And begin to build upon that. As Helen Keller so aptly alluded, security is a superstition. Do not be held hostage by fear.  Let your purpose prevail. Courage is your companion on the journey to upholding your truth.

My friend, colleague and Life Coach, Pamela Wills, posted the following on her blog back in December.  I almost forgot about it, but remembered her words this morning.  She is a phenomenal life coach and an amazing support and friend.

And as she stated at the time, this may be “tough to swallow, but I think it is spot on.”

Do you agree?

What kinds of things do you do to unwind?  I’m a big proponent of meditation.  I have to admit, I don’t do it daily, but whenever I’m feeling overwhelmed, I know I need to “go within.”  When you connect to your innermost Self, there can be no more strife or angst.  It takes practice to get to that place and remain there for any amount of time, but when you get it, you get it!  So, even if you can only tap into that for a minute or a few seconds at a time, you will receive the enormous, invaluable benefits of peace and love.  What could be better?

So, if you have never meditated before, I invite you to give it a whirl.  Please?  Here is a little tutorial for any newcomers to meditation.  It’s how I started and a simple way to start practicing.

1. Sit or lay down – however your body feels most relaxed.  It has been said that sitting is the most accessible position for meditation, but when you are just starting out, if laying down feels more relaxing and comfortable…Do that:)
2. Consider setting your cell phone timer for 15 minutes (it would be best on vibrate to avoid being startled).
3. Begin by focusing on your breath.  Take a deep breath in through your nose and out through your mouth.  Really focus on the actual air flowing in through your nose.  Try to relax further into your body with each additional breath.
4. Whenever you feel your thoughts drifting (to what you have to do today or what was that noise you just heard), try to immediately push them aside and refocus on your breathing.
5. Envision the white light that exists within each of us.  Imagine a white beam of light so powerful and brilliant radiating straight from your center.
6. After the 15 minutes, slowly bring yourself back to being present within your body.  You might want to do a little stretch.

If you did not feel you actually got out of your body…Don’t worry!  Just keep doing it.  For me personally, right at the end of the 15 minutes…I mean at the very, very, very end, I started to “get it.”  I started to feel out of body.  And it lasted for maybe 10 seconds.  But then I practiced.  Again, and again, and again.  It truly is a learned practice.  So, get started!!

If meditation is not your forte…what is?  I’d love to hear how you relax.

City Salon & Spa - Buckhead

This is a subject about which I receive TONS of questions.  While it may not be a pleasant one, hair loss is a condition from which many people suffer.  And because it affects so many and for so many different reasons, more and more companies are researching and developing products for hair loss.  This common condition can be caused by any number of things including: medications, disease, hormonal changes, stress, medical procedures, scalp infection, poor nutrition and styling procedures.  Below you’ll find a few simple tips as well as some recommendations for products from the Southern Sass store.

Tips/Tricks

To prevent unnecessary hair loss, be careful with your hair styling. Wearing your hair the same way all the time and pulling the hair tightly can cause hair loss – the technical term for this kind of hair loss is called traction alopecia. Tight hair rollers, braids, and pony tails can all cause this kind of hair loss.  If you have long hair that you like to pull back in a ponytail, avoid the use of rubber bands or elastics that drag on the hair and pull it out. Instead, use soft fabric bands where the elastic is covered, kept safely away from the hair shaft and won’t tug on the hair.

Do not style your hair while it is wet or damp. Doing so breaks the hair and damages its elasticity by pulling it away from the root. Wait until your hair is dry before using a brush on it to prevent this type of damage.

Regular scalp massages can be beneficial at combating hair loss.  Stimulation of the scalp & hair follicles promotes re-growth.

Stress and anxiety contribute to hair loss immensely.  When your body is experiencing some sort of duress or trauma, it can trigger a temporary hair loss. 

Product Recommendations

Rene Furterer Products  

Complexe 5 – Perfect for scalp massages, COMPLEXE 5 strengthens hair from the root while deeply cleansing the scalp. Its unique concentration of essential oils stimulates microcirculation and invigorates the scalp to enhance the growth of healthy, beautiful hair.

RF80 – Sudden thinning hair most commonly affects women and can be triggered by various factors such as pregnancy, stress, an unbalanced diet or medication. RF 80 has a double patented and scientifically proven formula that combats the two major factors of sudden thinning hair: Vascular and Nutritional. It works against these 2 causes to naturally encourage the growth of stronger hair and improve hair structure for thicker and faster growing hair.

Triphasic - Hereditary thinning hair, caused by genetics, most commonly affects men. TRIPHASIC VHT counteracts thinning hair with a convenient, natural and scientifically proven triple patented formula that specifically targets the three major causes of hereditary thinning hair: Vascular, Hormonal and Tissular. It works directly on these factors with three active phases that result in stronger, faster and noticeable hair growth.

Forticea Shampoo – Good for both sudden and hereditary hair loss, this stimulating shampoo compliments and enhances the effects of the René Furterer thinning hair treatments. It gently cleanses while microbeads of essential oils increase scalp microcirculation, encouraging the growth of stronger, thicker and healthier hair.

Although hair loss can be a distressing experience, it is comforting to know that there are many different products and tips to try.  Most importantly, know that this is a common issue affecting many, many people.  It is often just a simple, hereditary part of aging.

I hope this is helpful and as always, please let us know if you have questions or comments!