“If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr
 
Goodbye 2016 and Hello 2017. 
 
It seems as though everywhere I turn people are waiting for 2106 to end, and to give it a big FU on the way out. 

As a collective, we have lost so many wonderful people. We weathered a crazy election. And as much as we may all differ in our thoughts and opinions, we did it together.
 
For fun, I sometimes dabble in numerology and it recently occurred to me that 2016 is a "9 year". Nine years mean completion and the end of something. I like to view it a graduation, we made it through and now we have a new beginning headed our way.
 
The old ways are coming to an end and we are starting fresh with a new cycle in 2017, a 1 year. One years are new beginnings, something different with a new energy.
 
People wanted change and it appears it’s upon us whether we are truly ready or not. Only time will tell how things play out, but it is clear to me that people are waking up. Many of us are very worried about what the new administration will bring, myself included. I also like to remind myself this is the 45th president… another "nine". Perhaps politics will evolve and the next presidency will look completely different. Despite my numerous concerns, I remain hopeful.
 
The new year is a time for all of us to take stock of what we have, where we’ve been, where we are, and what we hope for in the new year. 
 
This is my first blog post in quite a while. During my break I worked on me. I found clarity on what I want in my own life, and what my offerings will be in the new year. I love doing inner work and connecting with spirit. As I evolve and transform into my authentic self I have found more freedom. I continue to work on living my life in alignment with my values. I have taken many steps to get where I am and have many more to go, but I am so much closer. As Lao Tzu famously said, "The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step".
 
My word for 2017 is "magic". To me, magic is all around us but we often don't see or acknowledge it. I am opening my arms, mind, and heart to receive as much magic as possible in the new year. It fills me with possibilites.
 
I strive to feel unshackled in any way, shape or form. And this is what I want for you to! I am pleased to announce that my whole coaching practice will revolve around "unshackling your soul". My website and offerings will change to reflect this. Look for magical new courses, classes, and coaching that will assist you in coming home to what your soul wants for you. To live the life that's exactly right for you.
 
If you are in the Dayton area, I invite you to set your intentions for 2017 by creating a vision board with me on January  14th at the Reiki Room of Dayton. You can register for the class by clicking here.
 
Thank you all for being a part of my life. I am grateful.
 
Happy New Year!

"The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life if to give it away."  ~Pablo Picasso

Some people are lucky enough to come out of the womb knowing exactly what they want to do with their life. They are inexplicably drawn to their life's work. Their mission, their purpose is right there, pulling them in like a moth to a flame.

Must. Be. Nice.

What about those of use who wanted to do everything? We couldn't settle on one thing. We didn't quite know what our "purpose" was.

I am one of those people.

And then one day, years ago, I woke up in a cold, gray cubicle wondering how the I got there and how the hell I could possibly get out. This was not what I wanted from my life, it was not what I dreamed about. There had to be something more fulfilling. 

I went from wanting to do everything to finding myself completely unfulfilled. 

What happened?

I kept hearing about "Finding your Life Purpose", it sure sounded good but what exactly does that mean and how are we supposed to do it?

What I learned is our purpose is what we came here to do, and we find it by looking at what we are passionate about.

But I had no passions! At least not glaringly obvious ones. 

If you feel a pull for something more, something different but you aren't sure what or how to get there, start by looking back on your life. 

The dots are there, you just have to connect them.

What did you like to do as a child? How did you spend your time? 

For me, I loved creating. Creating anything. I loved art, I loved playing make believe games, I enjoyed being outside with my friends. On the flip side, I enjoyed getting lost in books. Once I discovered the joy of reading, I was hooked.

I also loved gymnastics...anytime, anywhere and as often as possible.

As I look back at my childhood, I remember wanting to be a doctor. This is probably because I was accident prone and found myself in the ER quite a bit.

By elementary school my goals had changed slightly. I was certain that I would marry Shaun Cassidy and tour the world with him. 

There came a time in junior high I thought I would be lawyer. My friend's dad told me I could probably be a paralegal because girls weren't lawyers...say what?

In ninth grade we were given an extensive career assessment. I was fascintated by this. Finally, a test worth taking! I looked forward to finally learning "what I should be when I grow up".

We took all kinds of tests, I was really into it. In the end we were going to get a full report of our strengths and weaknesses, ideal careers, and what would not be a good fit for us. 

I anxiously waited to get the results.

Whah, whah, whah.....

Huge disappointment. It spit out nothing specific, nothing worthwhile. In fact almost every kid got the same exact report. "You would be suited to most careers, other than a doctor"....say what?

In hindsight, I was most intrigued by the assessment process and asking everyone about their results. I wanted to find out about people. I wanted to know what others wanted to do, what made them tick. 

I didn't realize it at the time, but that was a big clue.

I ended up for no particular reason getting my bachelors degree in marketing and followed it up a couple of years later with a masters in counseling psychology.

I spent years as a Professional Counselor, but that didn't feel quite right either. There was always an underlying yearning for something more. A quiet pull....we all have it but often ignore it because what it is calling us to do may seem to difficult, too late, too hard, too (insert whatever excuse suits you).

As I look back at my life and what looks like random job changes, etc, I see a common thread weaving itself through it all. I like to help people solve their life problems.

I enjoy helping people create the life they crave.

So now I am a Life Coach and everything fits into place. It all makes sense. And if I'm honest, it's what I wanted to do all along. I just did not want to overcome the obstacles I envisioned it taking to get here. So I kept finding other things to do. I kept circling around the wagon, avoiding what made me uncomfortable.

Until I didn't. And everything changed for the better.

If you need help putting the pieces together to bring more joy into your life, it might be time to start figuring out what you crave and get to work creating it. I have a few spots open for new clients. Contact me today to discuss how to get started.

Oh, and I didn't get Shaun Cassidy but I did marry my own musician.

Did you catch Powerball Fever last week? It was hard not to get caught up in the excitement of the largest jackpot in history.

Even with extremely slim odds of winning, part of the fun was dreaming about what to do with 1.5 billion dollars. Because we all believed we were going to win, right?
 
I hardly ever play the lottery. I only think about it when the jackpot gets really high and it is splattered all over the news. But when I do, I have always felt compelled to buy my tickets at one particular place. I have no idea why. It's not a place I normally go. In fact, I never go there except to buy powerball tickets. 
 
About 2.5 miles from my house sits a Speedway Station. It is out of my way for gas or to drop in for convenience items, but at lottery time it calls to me. I have to get my tickets there and only there. I have been doing so for at least 7 or 8 years.
 
I followed my normal protocol at the start of this frenzy too. Only no one hit the numbers the first couple of rounds so the jackpot grew. That's okay I thought, it's going to happen, just keep playing. 1.5 billion dollars. That is more money than I can really wrap my head around. I kept thinking maybe it would be better to win a smaller, more manageable amount. How does one stay anonymous or handle such a life changing event? These are problems I was willing to confront. Maybe it would be better to just win one of the million dollar payouts instead of the giant Mack Daddy prize. Am I the only person who thinks this way? Probably.
 
Anyway, when Wednesday rolled around, I decided to run out at lunch and get my tickets while at work...about 40 miles away. I chose a Speedway, hoping it wouldn't matter that I was cheating on my normal place. The chances of winning are so slim anyway, what does it really matter!
 
Thursday morning rolls around and I hear there are 3 winners, none in Ohio. Oh well, move on.
 
Then a few hours later I see something about one of the few million dollar winners being from Centerville, Ohio (my hometown). OMG, that is awesome, but please do not let that ticket be from MY Speedway!!
 
I quickly open the article and yep, there it is, MY Speedway sold one of the million dollar tickets! Wooooooohooooooooo! I sure hope it went to someone I know, because it sure as hell wasn’t me.
 
What I learned is: No matter how much I say it to other people, no matter how much I know it intellectually and no matter how much I doubt myself. I absolutely must trust my intuition. I knew that Speedway station was going to sell a major winning ticket at some point. I didn’t know when, I didn’t know how much, but I definitely knew deep down that it would happen and it would happen there. Yet I didn’t buy my ticket there for the biggest jackpot in all of history because I didn’t really trust my own intuition.
 
So that, my friends, is my takeaway. I do not believe I was meant to be Centerville’s newest millionaire. I believe I was meant to learn this lesson: Trust yourself, believe in yourself, when you know something in your gut you know something in your gut, do not doubt it.
 
So now I have to find a new place to buy my lottery tickets, or not. And I will go make my own millions, or not.
 
I have to see what my intuition says!!!