Send Love

Happy Valentine's Day! It's a wonderful day to send love.

This rose actually grew in my patio, like a gift from the universe. 

Sending it to you, in sunshine or in snow, with love!

Mandy

The Best People We Know Interview

Here's the link to listen to Deb Scott's interview with me on "How to Get Rid of Limiting Beliefs." She hosts a wonderful radio show, "The Best People We Know." We got so excited we kept interrupting each other. So much to learn, so little time! listen and learn with us.

New Self Help Podcasts with Best People We Know on BlogTalkRadio

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Embrace Change!

Embrace change! Give it a big hug and welcome it in. Change means you're alive.

"Let go or be dragged!" is a favorite quote.

Another -- "You can't hover. You either expand or contract."

I've been through an awful lot of changes. Sometimes I went kicking and screaming, other times grinning from ear to ear.

Shall we be like the flowers, growing from bud to bloom to fading away, sharing their beauty and sweetness Or gripe and moan, punishing ourselves and others on our way through this magical journey of life?

On my birthday, April 3, 2012 a test result, with good news, announced that my life would take a different path from the one I'd prepared for. The words to tell about it have not come easily. When I get them together, I'll share them. Meanwhile I'm inspired by flowers and you!

Love,
Mandy

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New Class: Big Breakout Ideas

NEW CLASS! How To Breakout from a Limiting Belief

How To Breakout from a Limiting Belief

Do you want to improve your finances? Would you like to have better relationships? How about expanding your creativity, or making a greater contribution to the world? Whatever you want, begin with what you believe.

Your individual version of reality influences every choice you make. It colors and shapes every goal you reach for or turn away from, even what dreams you dare to have.

Changing limiting beliefs about your lot in life can open doors you may not have known you closed.  In the midst of beauty and abundance, you can spend your entire life wrestling with circumstances and situations without ever discovering the fixed ideas that keep you stuck in them. Beyond self-defeating beliefs, the possibilities are infinite!

Watch my class for FREE on Thursday, February 20th at 2pm PST at the en*theos Academy for Optimal Living

New BREAKOUT in Learning and Teaching

Our individual versions of reality (belief systems) influence every choice we make. They shape every goal we reach for, or turn away from -- even what dreams we dare to have. 

That's why I am so excited about a new opportunity to share my life's work -- the happiness and success available when you break out from the beliefs that block you.

Hooray! Entheos just posted my first (FREE) 10 Big Tips to help you "Break Out from a Limiting Belief."  An hour long live-stream video will follow 2/20 at 2 pm PT.

When entheos invited me to join the faculty, I what I saw as looked into their site delighted me. It's beyond my wildest dreams!  

All of the entheos courses give you 10 Big Tips you can use right now on all sorts of important aspects of life. They are FREE! Access to all of the video courses is only $8 per month with a year's subscription or $18 for a single month.

Learn how to turn a misery-making tyrant of a belief into a source of happiness and inspiration. Check out the (Did I say FREE?) Top 10 Big Ideas here:

http://bit.ly/1dnTBG6

I would love to know what you think!

To your happiness and success!

Handling Sad Holidays

During the holidays some hearts are happy and light; other hearts are breaking. If you or someone you know finds the season a challenge this year, I hope it will help.

This article is based on an experience I had as a home-based hospice volunteer in Ulster County, NY. It is the first writing I ever sold to a publisher, The LA Times. Here it as it was printed by them and reprinted elsewhere by other publications.

Posted with love, 

Mandy

Trust Yourself in Handling Sad Holidays

As people unwrapped Christmas presents and basted turkeys, one small 10-year-old girl watched her mother die. The three years' battle with bone cancer ended. By noon angry voices filled the apartment. Relatives argued bitterly about who would take care of her now.

Kate (not her real name) looked at the stack of cards on the coffee table, addressed to her mother, father, and family. The writers had not known that her father had left months ago. 'Tis the season to be jolly! The world's bustle and good cheer pressed in from all sides.

If for you this season of sharing brings loss—of a loved one, your health, a job, your sense of well-being—the following suggestions may help.

Trust yourself. You may not have a lot of answers now, but you can learn them with time. Even when you request advice, it's you who decides which advice is good and which is foolish. You are wiser than you think.

Ask for what you want from friends, family, professionals. Only you know what's best for you. Those who care about you will most likely welcome the information.  If, for example, you dread spending New Year's Eve alone but you aren't sure if you want to accept an invitation, you may want to ask if you can decide at the last minute, or see if a friend would be willing to spend the time with you doing what you think best from moment-to-moment.

Allow your feelings to change. You need not concern yourself about logic or consistency. No one has ever faced your situation and there are no rules. Permit your emotions to come and go; they will change as your beliefs do.

Let others take responsibility for their feelings. Some people, in their love and concern for you, will want you to "cheer right up" or "let it all out, now" so that they can feel OK. You don't have to. Spend time with people who are most comfortable with you, however you are.

Reminisce if you want to. Share memories with friends and family. Write things down or daydream. Fond memories heal deep wounds. People only dwell on matters they never complete. Your thoughts will move on when you are ready.

Be very kind to yourself. Your natural desire to take care of yourself and those you love will guide you far better than harsh self-disciplines. I once asked someone what she was afraid would happen if she followed her desire "to lie on the couch and hug my pillow all day." "I might never get up!" she yelled at me—and she got up.

Share from your heart. What you see, feel and learn during this period of heightened sensitivity is unique. It has value. Communicating about your experience to those who are open creates new bonds and strengthens old ones.

Organizations such as Hospice, crises centers, and self-help groups can be good sources support.

When someone you care about is dealing with grief during the holidays:

Maintain contact. Of course, you don't know what to do or what to say. You get 10 points for showing up. If you are embarrassed, your friend probably is too. Share that. Listening without judgment relieves more pain than all the helpful advice you can muster. You probably don't really know what your loved one should do anyway.

If distance prevents a visit or you really can't handle it, write. If you don't know what to say, just say that you care. It will mean as much as flowing prose.

Ask what you can do. Make your offer specific. "Would you like to go out to dinner?" or "May I pick up the kids?" means a lot more than the next-to-worthless, "Call me if you need anything." People who are in pain often find it hard to reach out, especially if the do not know what you want to do for them.

Permit your friend to be unreasonable. Life makes little sense to him (or her) right now. Trust that he is doing the best he can. His reactions to you or the situation have little or nothing to do with you; avoid taking them personally. Offer your patience and understanding as a gift, the most valuable one you have.

Invite her (or him) to any event you usually would. "But won't it be awkward?" seems a poor reason to exclude someone who is going through a rough time. Respect her wishes. She may not want to attend, but offer the opportunity and support in case she's worried about it too.

Include memories in your conversation if you both want to. "It's feeling that I can't talk about her anymore that's the hardest," a bereft mother stated. I want to remember the times we laughed and watched her grow, especially on holidays. People act as if she never existed, as if we stopped loving her. I feel more alone then."

Follow your heart; it's wiser than your mind in matters of compassion. You may feel helpless; may even be helpless. It's OK to cry together. If your tears turn to laughter, that's fine too.

When December 25 came again to 11-year-old Kate, her older sister asked what she wanted to do. "I think we should have an extremely large tree, with lots of presents under it, mostly for me," she replied, "and I think we should have a very good time." In her short number of years, Kate had found a lot of answers—herself.

Welcoming In the New Year

As this year draws to a close and a new one begins I like to focus on what I consciously want to welcome into my life.

Learning about your dreams and desires is wonderful too. Amazing, the things that come to pass for when we are clear about what we want!

This thought startled me today, a new addition to my usual desire for health and world peace:

I want to be nurtured and strengthened by great kindness and generosity, then to send it back out stronger and sweeter. May the circle be unbroken.

At first it seemed so selfish; then it looked like a vision!

What would you like to show up in your life  now?

I'll share more "I welcome" thoughts in the next few days.

Looking forward to yours.

Love,
Mandy