Make a Personal Pamper Promise

Aaahhhhhh. The luxury of a warm drawn bath with lavender and vanilla scented salts to soothe, low lighting to unwind and time away from the world.  Sound yummy? It is if you can find a way to Organize Your Life so you can jump out of your “to do” list and into the tub or whatever you want to do for a mini-weekly retreat. How? Make a Personal Pamper Promise to you! Read more

When That Little Voice Won’t Shut Up

Hearing little voices? Think you’re crazy? Can’t quiet them down? Then don’t.

Your little voice wants to tell you something. It may even want you to do something. Or not do something. It may have an idea, a suggestion, a new frontier to take. Just when you think it’s gone away there it is again. You can’t shake it, muzzle it, quiet it or contain it. It’s there and more likely than not the general theme is about change.

But change doesn’t have to be a scary thing. It’s just downright uncomfortable and usually brings up loads of emotions. When intimidation, fear, embarrassment and knocking knees stop you from exploring the message from your little voice, then it’s time for a shot of “you go girl!” mixed in with a gentle push and some supportive hugs so you can find out what’s knocking on your brain instead and then Make IT Happen! Read more

Play the Positive Game

Our volatile economy is showing us the obvious. We’re all connected like a game of dominoes.

To prove my point, if Sue losses her job she gets behind on her mortgage payments and her spending decreases. People who depend on her dollars are affected like Gerry owner of Greener Pastures lawn maintenance service, Sarah who runs Tiny Angels day care that little Susie attended and Bill who manages the local dry cleaners, Keep it Clean. Of course, Gerry, Sarah and Bill all have people in their lives who directly or indirectly depend on their decreasing spending dollars and so on and on it goes.

But this negative spiral does not have to persist. Read more

Spread Too Thin? Have Some Energy “Pie”

Do you have enough energy to do the things you want to do? Or does life control you instead of you controlling your life?

Let’s find out with the Energy Pie. Draw a circle and pretend it’s a pie. Now slice up each piece of the pie according to all the things you do based on the energy you expend. A bigger slice means you spend lots of energy on that particular area of your life while a smaller piece shows that you are either conserving energy or don’t have enough to go around. Read more

Want To Be Happier? Keep a Positive Thought Pad

Take a break from doom and gloom news and get positive! Here’s how to start exercising your optimism muscle and be happier.

Throw a small spiral notebook (3 x 5 inches) into your bag and have it handy for when you start to critique the woman in front of you in the line at the bank for a mismatched ensemble. Read more

Not Loving Life? Be a Passion Detective

If you’re not loving life, discover what you are passionate about. Clues are all around you. Look at the magazines you read and the topics of conversation which always peek your interest. How about delving into the past? What have you neglected to do that you used to enjoy? And don’t forget about dreaming. If you could be doing anything right now, what would it be? Read more

Breakfast in Bed “Me Time”

As I was chatting with my hair colorist over highlights and lowlights, I found out the highlight of her week. Every Sunday she stays in bed till noon. But, instead of sleeping in, she uses her bedtime wisely to catch up on reading, search the web and organize her upcoming week. Read more

Passion, Passion, Passion

I’ve sold a lot of houses in my day working years ago for my family real estate business in Connecticut. So I remember the three magic words: location, location, location. Now that I’m a life and career coach working with women in transition (men too!), the three magic words I now infuse into my work is: Passion, passion, passion. Read more

Organize Your Life 101

Blooming is all about. . . living up to your full potential and growing every day. But when you’re in transition, this is easier said than done.  One common trait of those who live into old age is their joy for learning new things…they are constantly in a state of blooming.  And what a great way to start than to get organized right now!

If you’re not organized, you can feel “stuck” and can’t move ahead. When things can’t be found, time is wasted and tasks get started but not finished, your mind can become flooded with too many things to do as enter the world of Overwhelm. And Overwhelm’s captal city is Paralysis which is where you tend to end up and stay for a while. You know, that “frozen” feeling of not knowing where to begin when there’s too much to do. And so what happens? You go to lunch, start yet another project or dial someone up on the phone – anything other than delving into your mountain of “to do’s” which would actually start relieving your overwhelmed feelings. Since we tend to get sidetracked rather than resolve things head-on, disorganization increases and overwhelmed feelings escalate more. And so on and on goes the vicious cycle.

Hey, I’m not a professional organizer so I won’t load you up with tips on how to get organized. But, I’ll tell you this. When you feel organized, you can put your sites on more productive things in your life and really Bloom.

Remember, organizing your life is a work in progress. Don’t expect to reach “perfection” and have every paper in place and every closet looking like it came out of a magazine before you can start to live again. Instead, identify what needs to be organized and then tackle each, one step at a time. And in the meantime, start Blooming!

Here is my organizational strategy when you’re in transition:

• De-clutter ….Your home, work, and finances so that you can get out of overwhelm and on to the important work of recreating your life. Now is the time to clean those closets, get to a project you’ve been putting off and balance your checkbook. Prioritize things to do and start doing them!

• Enlist Help – You can’t do it all yourself, so hire a high school student to get stuff out of the attic and give the kids assignments that will help the household run smoother. At work, divvy up your read pile with a co-worker and discuss important points over lunch. Take control of your finances by seeking out a financial consultant to plan for the future or take a money managing course.

• Create Nurturing Environments – Does your home reflect who you are today? Do you live where you feel safe and comforted? Does your work space allow for productivity and creativity? Should you move your home or office, or grow better roots where you are now?

De-clutter your mind, time, tasks and “stuff” to create environments for clarity and productivity.

Get Outdoors and Come Back Revitilized

I just took a brisk walk down to the beach and let the breezy salt air fill my lungs. The water, now empty of swimmers and summer’s bustle, glistened in the sunlight and made ripples as “blues” scurried underneath tempting fishermen along the shore. I heard leaves rustle in the background and all sorts of birds calling out. Walking back, I noticed bees going about their daily chore of gathering nectar, fuchsia stained beach roses still in bloom and Monarch butterflies floating by as they venture all the way to Mexico. Imagine that!

This is how I stay mindful of nature’s delight when I take my morning stroll. But sometimes my mind wanders… trying to solve problems, putting together “to do” lists and thinking of what I have to get to first at my desk. Read more

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