The answer is LOVE

Posted in: Beautiful Beliefs, Blog, Create A Life You Love, Love, Women Who Rock on May 16, 2012 » No Comments

I believe that…

the answer is love.

No matter the question, the answer is love.

What’s gnawing at you?
The answer is love.

Where are you feeling challenged?
The answer is love.

How are you treating yourself? Others?
The answer is love.

Who is it that you are feeling frustrated with?
The answer is love.

Turn to love. Start with yourself. Be kind, gentle, and compassionate with you.
When you feel love, you show love.

This year I started asking myself…

What would love do?

I have joined Amy Palko’s invitation to share my Beautiful Beliefs. More information about Amy and her invitation to write can be found HERE. 

Gratitude Changes Everything

Posted in: Awareness, Beautiful Beliefs, Blog, Create A Life You Love, Gratitude on May 10, 2012 » No Comments

I believe that…

gratitude changes everything.

Experiencing it.
Expressing it.
Creating it.
Practicing it.

Everything in my life changes when I choose to switch my focus from what’s not working to what I appreciate in myself, others and the world around me. My dad passed this gift on to me.

Being grateful flips on my heart switch.

When I choose gratitude, everything in my head–chaos, confusion, frustration–moves. Some days it slides gently into my heart,which then beats softly with appreciation. Other days it races and my heart explodes. Life’s hardness cracks open, becoming soft and tender. My focus: love, appreciation, beauty, wonder. I see the amazingness this thing called “life” offers.

Moments. Memories. Beauty.

Experiencing life with all six senses. I am brought to tears at how BIG this life, this living is. Being among beauty, magic and miracles. Appreciating the feeling of connection, of oneness. Loving all that was, is and will be. Grateful. Deeply grateful.

What do you believe? 

This is the first post where I have joined Amy Palko’s invitation to share my Beautiful Beliefs. More information about Amy and her invitation to write about your Beautiful Beliefs can be found HERE. 

My Mama Manifesto

Posted in: Blog, Create A Life You Love, Kids Who Rock, Women Who Rock on May 7, 2012 » No Comments

I don’t want to battle. I won’t battle. Yet when I’m unclear on who I am as a parent, battles begin.

Frustration rises, voices get loud, control is lost.

I surround myself with some amazing women (I recommend you do to!). I reach out. All coach me in their unique ways. I see light through the cracks that were moments ago closed.

What is my intention as a parent? One coach suggests a Manifesto. And so it is…

My MAMA Manifesto

I don’t want to tell my kids how to live,

I want to LIVE and let them learn by watching me.

Pressure off. Instead of following my kids around telling them how they should live, I get to check-in with myself . And LIVE. In doing so, I realize changes I want to make by being an example of what is possible. I physically feel light. My mind is clear. My love big.

Short. Simple. True. For me.

One of my favorite quotes is Khalil Gibran:

“Your children are not your children.
They are sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you.
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For thir souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.”

Celebrating Kristine

Yesterday was my mother-in-law’s 68th birthday. She left us 4 years ago. Suddenly. Unexpectedly. It was a shock.

I got an email from her daughter, my sister-in-law, who I love dearly. It was sent to over 25 friends and family.

Yes, this is the way to do it. This is the way we do it. Connect with loved ones, celebrate, and honor those that have left us.

So the emails are still flying around. Love notes, cheers, pictures and memories shared. Remembering Kristine.

Happy Birthday Kristine! We love and miss you. xo

Anything can happen…

Posted in: Blog, Create A Life You Love, Great Reads, Inspiration, Women Who Rock on January 24, 2012 » No Comments

At times, I experience writers block. I have so much to share but can’t find the words. Then I read something and realize, I don’t need to find the words. Sometimes I just need to pass on the brilliance of that someone who did.

I remember God is on my side and The Universe has got my back. When I let go but continue to walk in the directions of my desires, magic happens. See for yourself…

Who Believes in You?
By Jennifer McClanahan

photo: Courtesy of Fox Sports

As my mom read a story to my daughter, she paused to watch the last two minutes of a playoff game. “Anything can happen in the last two minutes,” Mom wisely said.

I was in the kitchen making chili. I came out and stood next to her, breathlessly watching the final seconds of the San Francisco 49ers playing the New Orleans Saints. The Saints were favored to win that day. They had won the Superbowl two years ago, and the 49ers haven’t won much in the last decade.

As the game clock ticked off the final 14 seconds of the game, Vernon Davis of the 49ers caught the ball in the end zone. It was the touchdown that won the game. All three of us started cheering and jumping up wildly in the living room. You could hear the cheers and screams rolling up the hill from the bars on 24th Street, over five blocks away. Then there was silence as Vernon Davis cried and ran into the sure and confident arms of his coach, Jim Harbaugh. They were holding their dreams as they embraced. It was awesome.

Vernon Davis, who has played for the 49ers for over six years, was interviewed after the game. In the interview, Mr. Davis said he knew for his team to come out victorious, he had to show up and make plays.

When asked about the catch that won the game, he said that that the team had practiced the winning play all week. He knew exactly what to do and where to be to catch that ball. He showed up in the right place at the right time.

Another commentator described the skill of the 49er’s coach Jim Harbaugh. He is magic is that he is able to instill confidence in his team. He believes in his players so much that they believe in what they can accomplish. His players knew that if they showed up and made the plays, they could win.

As moms, wives, partners and employees, we coach our families. We show up every day ready to make the plays for other people. Often, we forget to show up for ourselves. We forget to believe in what we do, both personally and professionally, to lead our teams to small, everyday victories.

We need to be reminded of our greatness.

Below, I’ve listed five things I learned about showing up from watching Vernon Davis play football last Saturday. If you want to show up and be ready when you have the chance to score, take note.

1. Be ready for great things to happen.

Set a game plan and expect great things to happen. Whether it is planning dinner meals, creating a “Fempire” or winning a game, the key to success is preparing and showing up to run the plays. Think about what you want to accomplish, make a plan to accomplish it and then expect success.

1. Keep your head in the game.

Be aware of where you are in the moment. Don’t lose yourself in the busyness of life. Focus on what you are doing and where you are at. And if you are somewhere you don’t want to be, think about how to make a change.

1. Practice being who you want to be and how you want to live.

Practice who you want to be, how you want to live. Live as if your dreams are unfolding, right now, in the moment. Be ready to see it come together in the end zone. Deciding who you want to be, then allowing yourself to become that person takes effort and clarity. Over time, you refine your vision of yourself to get where you ultimately want to be.

1. Become accountable to your dreams and desires.

Share your dreams with people you trust. Talk about your desires as if they are possible. This makes you become responsible for doing what it takes to make them happen. If you keep them locked away and to yourself, you are never accountable for why you aren’t living them.

1. Lean on the strength of someone who believes in you.

Many times our families are more comfortable with who we are than who we would like to become. When you want to live your life differently, you need to find support from someone outside of those who depend on you. For me, seeking out encouraging believers and a coach was key. The support I received was integral to my own personal transformation.

Maybe the football metaphor doesn’t work for you. That’s ok. I think you can see still see the point I’m making: to live your best life and to be accountable to yourself for your dreams, you must be aware, plan ahead, take action and find support. You and your family are worth it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Jennifer McClanahan-Flint helps working moms successfully integrate their work and family life. Her weekly ezine goes out every Thursday to subscribers across the country. If you want to learn how to master work-life integration, you can sign up for a free subscription to her ezine at www.foodonourtable.com.

Who’s on your ‘believes in me’ support team?