"There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living." - Nelson Mandela
 
Most days I drive by the local middle school while out running various errands. There is a billboard out front and it often contains an inspirational message. On my way home from Thanksgiving grocery shopping I noticed this written on the board:
 
"Never settle for less than your best"
 
As usual I read it and wondered, do the kids read that? Do they think about it? Does it matter that someone takes time to put those up? Does anyone care?
 
That's when it hit me like a ton of bricks. Who am I to judge whether the students read it or think about its meaning? I need to turn that finger around and point it right at myself. I always read them but do I really think about the message?
 
It got me wondering, where to do I settle for less than my best?

Well pretty much everywhere. I make excuses, I find reasons to put things off or to do just enough to get by. I think about exercising more and eating less. I think about offering new programs with this business. I think about cleaning out my closets, sprucing up the yard, and dropping things off at Goodwill to name just a few.
 
Over the years, I've struggled with swinging between perfectionism and accepting what is. My thoughts tell me if I don't do something exactly right I am a failure. So I work on accepting what is, I remind myself that practice makes perfect and I can't possibly do everything right. Better to try and fail then not try at all, right? And by the way, who exactly gets to be the judge of what the right way to do something even is?
 
I get to judge what is the right way for me to do something and I get to decide what is my best effort. No one else can or should do that for me. How liberating! The same holds true for you, you are your own judge!
 
I started thinking about my coaching biz, I most definitely do the very best I can for my clients. Or do I?
 
I absolutely put everything I have into working with these brave souls: I listen deeply, I hold space, I question and challenge, I empathize. I help them face their fears. But do I offer them everything I am capable of, do I have more tools in my toolbox?
 
As I read that sign in front of the middle school, I realized I am holding back. I have settled into what is comfortable for me. I have not pushed the envelope far enough; my need for acceptance and fear of ridicule has kept me playing safe and staying small. I get to judge if I am doing my best and I don't think I am, I have more to offer.
 
I have gifts to share, I have programs to release. I’ve stalled in putting them out there, but I am inspired to get going NOW.

In order to get from point A to point B, or C or D, I need to practice.
 
I am offering a free over the phone Tarot reading to the first 5 people who say I’m in! All you have to do is reply in the comments section on my Facebook page and I will send you a PM to get it scheduled.

So tell me, what are you doing to ensure you never settle for less than your best?

The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek ~ Joseph Campbell

"I am a Life Coach"

I used to think that sounded corny.

I resisted the call for years. I found every excuse in the book to not become a Life Coach. Meanwhile I kept searching for my purpose, knowing there had to be more to life that what I was doing.

It's interesting how that works...quite often the exact thing we run from is the exact thing we need to run toward. But we resist because it is scary; it leads to the great unknown. It requires vulnerability, courage, strength, and hard work.

Joseph Campbell, who famously wrote The Hero with a Thousand Faces, structured "The Hero's Journey", a set of steps that almost every mythological hero follows on their adventure.

At a very high level, this is what the journey looks like. Many movies and books throughout history and across cultures follow this pattern. 

1. Ordinary World - our "hero" is an ordinary person living life in their ordinary world 
2. Call to Adventure - our hero is presented with a problem, challenge or adventure 
3. Refusal of the Call - our hero is reluctant, this is the threshold of adventure, he or she will face a great fear and is very reluctant
4. Meeting a Mentor - a wise person may arrive to instill motivation; someone who has been there. This person can only go so far, our hero must face the unknown by his or herself
5. Crossing the Threshold - our hero enters the unknown and passes the first threshold, the journey begins, the commitment is made to venture into the special  world
6. Tests, Allies, Enemies - our hero must undergo tests and trials, meet allies who will assist on the journey, and encounter resistance from others
7. Approach the Innermost Cave - inside lies our hero's biggest fears, our hero faces doubts, takes time to reflect
8. Ordeal, Death & Rebirth - our hero must face their greatest fear and draw upon experience and skills, at this point everything is put on the line, our hero does not know if he or she will succeed or fail
9. Seizing the Prize - our hero survives the ordeal, they killed the dragon. The reward is upon them, the treasure they came for is theirs
10. The Road Back - our hero must return back to the ordinary world with the reward, he or she must reconcile with how the experience has changed them
11. The Resurrection - our hero emerges from the special world, transformed, back into the ordinary world, he or she must come to grips with lessons learned
12. Return with Elixir - the entire journey is meaningless without the reward our hero brings back. It can be anything from new knowledge and wisdom, a treasure to share, love, freedom, etc. 

Interestingly, we can transfer this to our own lives, not everyone will follow every step in every order but the basic premise is the same. 

For me, I spent years in my "ordinary world". I knew I wanted more but was afraid to shake things up. What if I failed? I was not ready to face vulnerability, criticism, or failure.

Eventually I took the plunge and accepted the call. I found a mentor and a whole new tribe. But they could only take me so far. I met with resistance (within myself and from others), but I also found many allies. I faced my battles and came out transformed. It took a lot of work but life is so much better now.

I returned from the journey with my own special medicine to share. I now help people navigate their own Hero's Journey. I discovered how to use my intuition, insight, and magic to help other people. 

I used to be afraid to call myself a coach. I had to take baby steps to put it out there. I tested the waters by only putting my toe in, then my foot, then waded in to my waist. 

I now proudly state with confidence what I do, I help people Unshackle their Soul.

My work doesn't speak to everyone, it isn't for everyone. 

My work is for those who know, or at least suspect they are not living their truth. They want something more and they are willing to show up, be vulnerable, and step into their Hero's Journey. 

When they come out the other side, back to their ordinary world, they have their own unique elixir to share. The one they worked hard to retrieve. 

So many magical things have happened since I started my adventure, I can say FOR SURE, when you accept your call to action, take your hero's journey and come through the other side, the transformation is so worth it.

Hit me up if you want a free consultation to see if Life Coaching is right for you.

​We must be willing to get rid of the life we planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. ~ Joseph Campbell

“Anything that you resent and strongly react to in another is also in you.” 
― Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose

​Last night I dreamed I was speeding down the highway. It was dark and I realized my headlights were off. No matter what I did I couldn't turn them on so I pulled off to the side of the road to assess and remedy the situation. 
 
In a way that can only happen in dreams, I had to go under the dashboard, inside the car to access a special switch. Once I found this special switch and figured out how to turn it on, the headlights glowed. Because it was a soft luminous glow, I put on the high beams to see if they would provide more light. A light unlike anything I have ever seen before beamed out of my headlights. Unlike regular high beams, these didn't blind those who saw them from the outside and they guided me, the driver.

For me, the message from my dream was clear...the answers I seek do not come from outside, they come from within. I have to look deep inside myself to find myself and to find Spirit.
 
Globally, a shift is happening. There is a new and better planetary energy upon us. You may be thinking "no way Jose, things are chaotic and crazy, people are losing their damn minds". To which I would reply, exactly! The old energy on the planet was heavy and dark; the veil dense. It kept things stagnant. Change was slow to happen. People chugged along in the same fashion they have throughout history.
 
During this transition into the new planetary energy, the dark stuff will clear away, but it has to rise to the surface first. Right now there seems to be such a division in this country and perhaps across the planet. It's always been there; we just didn't necessarily want to see it. We resisted looking at it to avoid being uncomfortable.

Surely you've noticed this, things are different. People are waking up and turning on their lights. And where there is light, the dark cannot survive. By dark, I mostly mean fear.

With this change in energy, things that have remained hidden for years are surfacing because darkness can't hide when the lights are on. And make no mistake about it, people are waking up, their lights are turning on. People are rising up, speaking out, finding their own voices.

Liken it to a walk in the woods. There are creepy crawlies under every rock and critters everywhere, but we don't think about those things as we trod down our path, we simply enjoy what we can see and feel. But when you turn over the rock and let some light in you see what's there, what's always been there hiding in the dark. It's no different with people. Some are racist, xenophobic, homophobic, misogynistic assholes. They always have been; they were just hiding under rocks. With the shift, the truth comes out. We can see people as they really are.

Change is happening. We can either hang on with all our might to the old ways, or we can let go and ride the waves into the new energy.

We can either resist it or embrace it. Just keep in mind “that which we resist, persists”. (More on that in an upcoming blog). Let go of fear...love and light always win in the end.

The future is bright. Peace and compassion are on their way, we just have to be patient and do what we can to help. Find what feeds your soul and do more of it. Be yourself, your authentic self. Pay attention to what triggers you in other people. There is something to learn about yourself in it (this can be hard!).

We have to go deep within and find the switch, it is there, just waiting to be discovered. The answers you want are not outside of you, they are inside. Go find them.
 
Turn on your high beams, shine your light, let it guide you. I have no doubt you will be delighted where it takes you.