Forgive Me: Two Simple Barrier-Breaking Words. Here’s Why: (it’s not what you’d expect)

Forgive me, as I may not relay this brilliant, heartfelt lesson in its fullest form, though I promise to try:

Yesterday, at the start of class, I heard the following,

“When we are in shame, fear, anger, or frustration, there is no space for love.

Isn’t that what we are all after, after all, love? To be and feel love?

The antidote is forgiveness.

When we forgive, for the thing from either moments or years ago, we open space within ourselves to be fuller expressions of ourselves, to love more fully.”

Those potent words reverberated through my body as I realized, to be fully present, to receive the gifts of the class, to fully participate, I needed to forgive myself:

Diving into Why

In the last few blogs we've defined personal development, and then clarified why it's requisite to fall in love with ourselves to truly do the work of personal development - really getting to know ourselves. If you missed those blogs or videos, feel free to watch here.  But why does it all this matter? Why do we need to do the work in the first place? 

Simply,
because we have kept ourselves small, robbing ourselves and the world of our inherent beauty and potential. We've unknowingly taken on fears and beliefs of others, and let those externals define who we are and dictate how we operate in life. 
 
When we are born, it is as if we are driving a glass car and our innate light shines brilliantly - easily perceived by all. In those moments we even remind others of their own brightness. Possibilities are endless and captivating. And through these clear vessels, we view and perceive others through their love, with ease.
 
However, as we drive these metaphorical cars through life, we pick up buzzards and crap that sticks to - and hardens on- the windshields. Some from experience, much of it transferred by parents, society,  as they defensively drive in fear. We start to view life and others, not as it is, but through the lens of crud.

When as we do the work, we chip away at the crud and with each flake, we see more clearly. There is more space for our light to shine out and a greater ability to allow others to shine their light in. We see fears just as they are, and we respond to the bright human beneath their own layer of gunk.  Once again, are connected innumerable possibilities for ourselves and others. 

I fight for a world where every human shines.  A world where everyone accesses their greatest potential.  Imagine that world.

It begins with you.

Until next time, I send you light. 
Always.

Rachel Tenenbaum

Diving Deeper

Last blog, I shared a perhaps provocative definition for personal development. If you missed it, watch here or scroll below.  This week we dive into why it is that fundamental and foundational to doing the work, is actively and courageously falling in love with yourself. It is not easy AND it is requisite. Click here to watch, or read below :).

I recently had a dear friend ask a bit incredulously, "don't we need to get to know ourselves before we can fall in love with ourselves?" It is a wholly valid question. 

My answer? 

No.

Let me explain.

When a baby is born, and you hold that precious human in your arms for the very first time - you are already in love with it. You do not wait to see how it poops, how little it cries, or what it's personality is - you unconditionally love that being, likely before it is even born. It is precisely that love that has you wipe its tush no matter how smelly, how messy it's diaper is MULTIPLE times a day. Your love enables you to be with all its crap (quite literally). It is that love that gets you out of bed no matter how exhausted you are. It does not say, "I am too tired and I do not have time for you," or "maybe later."

It is that love that stares in amazement as that child wobbly stands for the first time... and then falls flat on its tush. It's that love which says, "How incredible! You've got it!" And watches as the child tries another 50 or 100 times to get up before it walks, and then runs through the house and life. We do not say, "you idiot, you fell on your ass again?? See whose watching. Everyoneee. You best just stay there. Why try, again?"

It is that love, which as the child grows older and makes mistakes says, "you made a mistake, and that's ok. My love is not conditional on your making mistakes. Let's look at what happened... what made you do that? This is how we learn, this is how we grow."

We innately know and research shows, it is that love, be it from a parent, teacher or another, which enables our children to reach the greatest heights of their potential. Shame, disgust, ridicule -  will not get them there. 

But yet, that is how we treat ourselves.

IF we wait to get to know ourselves before falling in love with ourselves - we will find all the evidence in the world for why we are not worth loving. As we get to know ourselves and our tendencies - we'll easily say, "see that's why you aren't worth loving! Told you!!"  Each mistake and every moment of being (i.e. cranky) when we are tired, irritated or lost, will magnify for us, how undeserving we are. We will be looking through dirty, tinted, crud filled lenses of inadequacy, thus obscuring the true view.

The one thing we want the most is to be loved - but we refuse to love ourselves. It's the one thing we want most, not (just) from others, but its the one thing we most want from ourselves - whether we've realized it yet or not.

However, if we come from a place where we wholly love ourselves, we are more willing to take our own hands and look into the dark, scary places, and do the hard work. And when we explore from a place of unconditional love - we are more willing to dive in because we aren't looking for ways to prove that we are "unworthy." 

Imagine a world where everyone not only wants the best for themselves but also loves themselves enough to go into the dark, hard places, knowing that as they move through, they reach greater heights. Imagine a world where everyone is accessing their greatest potential. That's a world I am fighting for. 

How about you?

It starts with you.

With love and abundant gratitude,
Rachel 

A Conscious Choice

What is Personal Development??

I was recently asked to give a talk on the importance of this huge topic. But before we could dive into how important it is, we needed to define it. I wanted to use the BEST definition out there (if it’s been done, no need to fix) but in scouring the internet, I came up short, which gave me the opportunity to lean into my work and experience and create one. It is that, which I get to share with you here.  Click here to watch the Youtube Video or read below. I hope it stimulates and maybe even challenges some thinking. Let’s start a conversation!

Personal Development:(n, v) the active process of getting to know ourselves, (self-awareness) of choosing to fall in love with ourselves so that we can live with intention, connected to ourselves and the world around us. It's the courageous process of looking at and then removing the myriad of self-imposed constraints we put on ourselves. It's the heralding of aspects which make us unique and 1 in 8 billion. It's the courage to go into the dark places knowing that through those doorways is the access to light.

It is not a set of skills and tools we acquire. It is not something we add to our resume. It's the process by which we make the unconscious  (or that which we are oblivious to) conscious (something we are aware of) and through that awareness can then make choices we consciously choose, rather than being run by choices run by our unconscious.

Perhaps not something previously considered (or even hard to digest), I'll follow up with why "falling in love with ourselves" is a non-negotiable, fundamental, base-line, part of the process. Until then,  email and get in touch - or share this with others!

With love (and gratitude for allowing me to share!)
Rachel

Becoming a Cartographer

This past month, in training with Ann Betz (neuroscience expert in the coaching field), she referred to our brains as predictability machines. The brain likes to know, to predict, what is to come.
 
As predictability machines, when things “go awry,” when life happens and when the road we travel does not lead us where we expect, or better yet, turns into a mud pit, it’s actually easier for our brain to struggle against what is, than to see the open, often brightly lit, pathway off to the side. The brain would rather stay in the muddy trenches than navigate into the unknown.
 
Scott M. Peck said, “the biggest problem of map-making is not that we have to start from scratch, but that if our maps are to be accurate we have to continually revise them...”
 
As we continue to dive into 2018 and plug away at our goals, shooting like Wayne G. (last blog) you may have visions of how the year will unfold.   
 
That plan, that vision, that roadmap is fundamental to creation. However, there isn’t “one-way” to traverse our maps.
 
When I reflect back on 2017, I had a vision and I knew the routes which would “get me there.” On various occasions I was so close, I could literally taste the adventure down avenue ahead, but then suddenly, as if through thin air, closed for repairs, or roadblock warnings emerged.
 
In those moments, once I got over the frustration, confusion, or “threat” to my journey; once I re-assessed, I soon realized there were other exciting, perhaps more growth-inducing pathways open for the taking.
 
If we are willing to use our erasers, to redraw the lines and pathways, when we look back at those revised, amended plans, we might be shocked at its beauty.
 
So when roadblocks occur, have faith, be open, and keep walking. And know that as you do, it might mean redrawing the lines… every best cartographer had to.

With love,

Rachel

Shooting Like Wayne G.

Wayne Gretzky famously stated, “you miss 100% of the shots you never take.”
 
The shot I share with you here (in my humble opinion) is breathtaking. Wandering the beach without a phone in hand, this moment was so viscerally powerful, I knew I would be remised not to capture and share it.
 
I ran a list of options in my head: I can go back to get my phone (too far, this moment is about this light and the sun setting); I can teleport my phone over, damn, haven’t mastered that skill yet; I caaaaan ask those boys serendipitously struggling with their bike yards away if I can borrow a phone…..
 
Immediately the response from the depths of my brain was a resounding “uh, Rachel, you are going to look like a weirdo… they are going to think you are crazy. Maybe they’ll let you take the shot, but you will just embarrass yourself and they will never send it.”
 
I asked anyways.
You miss 100% of the shots you never take.
 
It's a photo I now cherish for its beauty and what it represents. And I get to share it with you.
 
As a kid, I astounded others by what I built: I had crazy tenacity. At sixteen my sister and I started a jewelry business even when others said, “you are too young and don’t have enough experience.” A year later, college shopping in Boston, I was stopped dead in my tracks by someone who recognized my necklace design: she had purchased one of our pieces in Florida.
 
Somehow, that fearlessness got shoved down and in many ways, took a Sleeping-Beauty nap.
 
This year, I commit to noticing those “don’t try… it won’t work” moments and I commit to asking anyways. I commit to going after my goals and dreams with a reborn tenacity.
 
What would your life be like if you went after every goal and dream? What if you had your childhood dauntlessness?
 
My wish for you is to go after every shot. To live like Wayne Gretzky. Because as Fyodor Dostoevsky reflected, “when I look back on my past and think how much time I wasted on nothing, how much time has been lost in futilities, errors, laziness, incapacity to live; how little I appreciated it, how many times I sinned against my heart and soul – then my heart bleeds. Life is a gift, life is happiness, every minute can be an eternity of happiness.”
 
Life is a gift. Life is happiness. Every minute can be an eternity of happiness. If you let it.
 
With love,
Rachel
 

The Year is Yours

I am always intrigued by the shift and evolving energy as we close one chapter, one year, and open a new one. Nothing really changes. It’s a new minute, a new hour. AND that minute, that hour, holds so much potential and joy.
 
Think about it.
 
As the new year rolled in and as the clock struck 00:00, there was a collective, worldwide, palpable sense of glee and possibility. It is as though we were each handed the best present in the world and that present is opportunity, potential, anything you could hope and dream.
 
Now, as we reflect nearly two weeks later, we can still taste the newness, the excitement of that gift. Resolutions and commitments are set.
 
The question is, how do we maintain that joy, year-round? How do we not resign it to a mere, “January feeling”?
 
Truth is, it is all a fabrication of our mind and every moment is filled with potential and opportunity, if we allow ourselves to be open to it. If we allow ourselves to see it.
 
What new perspective will you stand in and fight to hold? It takes work to maintain new perspectives and not let ourselves slip, as old habits and ways of thinking are well-built neuro-muscles.   

Why, for you, does 2018 hold so much promise? What’s the value gained by those new commitments?
 
As one of my favorite sayings goes, “nothing changes if nothing changes.”
 
With love,
Rachel

A Master Sticks to her Tools

"A master sticks to her tools."

With such a simple phrase, Lao-Tzu reminds us that masters stick to - and are masterful because they stick with, and harness -- their strengths.

But how does one become a master?

Malcolm Gladwell would suggest that it takes time, it takes 10,000 hours.

A wild number, it indeed takes hours and dedication. Often, I watch students attempt to master a variety of skills all at once, spreading themselves thin.

So, this week, I pose a simple question. Rather than attempting to give 100% across the board to a whole slew of new tools, what would it be to choose one tool or one skill you would like to master? Focus your energy there for an entire week or two, and notice how it transforms.

Every time I cut back, every time I dial back on my massive to-do and seriously focus on one or two skills I want to harness, the growth is astronomical, and I get to where I want to be exponentially faster.

But this isn’t about me. This is about you. So, choose, try it. See what makes the difference.

With love,

Rachel

Challenge is

We are reared to overcome challenges. The challenge to crawl, later walk, to speak, to succeed in the classroom. As years pass by we are faced with those that present themselves in our professional and personal lives.  For some of us, there is the era where we take on the challenge of redefining who we are and what we want.  

Though these periods often involve some level struggle, as Brendon Burchard (a trailblazer in the motivational and leadership fields) states, “challenge is the pathway to engagement and progress in our lives.”

An indubitable truth, he continues with a significant follow up:

“Not all challenges are created equal. Some make us feel alive, engage, connected and fulfilled. Others simply overwhelm. Knowing the difference as you set bigger and bolder challenges for yourself is critical for your sanity, success, and satisfaction.”

Without a doubt, as I reflect on particular challenges which lie ahead, there is an underlying hummm - a fear of failure - but there is also an overwhelming sense of accomplishment and peace knowing what I might feel and what it might look like when I get there.

And, as you can suppose, there are those which merely feel like an uphill battle; they drain energy and in no way fulfill. So, for now, I lay those aside. Perhaps later they hold more significant meaning and merit. 

What about you?

What lies in front of you right now? What challenges, though they may be intimidating, find you engaged, alive and connected? And which ones pull you out of that dynamic space? Where are you forcing yourself into something, merely because “you should”?

I invite you to consider the challenges in your life, at this moment.

The ones you’ve chosen. The ones you’ve opted into.

Those that leave you drained with little sense of accomplishment, drop.

Focus your energy on a challenge that will enable you to feel alive and connected. That's why we are here, isn't it?

With love,

Rachel

A New Form of Strength

Years ago, even months ago, I envisioned inner strength to be a harsh form of resilience. Perhaps a brick wall that would protect me from danger, from pain, from agony of any sort.

I believed if I had just built better walls, the pain of specific life events would not have crippled. A car crash would not have left me frozen. Cutting, violent words would not have eviscerated my heart. A break up would not have felt as though I lost limbs.

Otherwise debilitating moments in recent weeks, found me experiencing a new kind of strength. I felt the pain, the fear and the rage, but hours later, I felt at peace and ease. I was wildly aware that the pain of the moment had passed and no longer held on to the proverbial boxing gloves for protection.

The reality in that moment, literally found me watching butterflies appearing out of nowhere, feeling light and tenseless.

While the butterflies were real, they also represent a powerful truth. Whether in business or life, if you can allow yourself the experience of the moment and then step into the next with ease and presence, its far more likely hours do not bleed into days, weeks or even years. I realized as I experienced that form of strength a second time in two weeks, my old perception of strength, while in some ways may protect, actuality weakens.

The intention is to not build walls - to be free and feel in the moment to what is actually occurring. It's to not live in the future or past, to not live in the 'maybes' or 'what ifs', but to live and breath in that exact moment; to allow ease.

A tenant of yoga states that yoga is “a strong, easy pose.” For the first time, I grasp the significance of those words. So long as I am rooted, so long as my strength is grounded, I can remain at ease; I can even experience a certain buoyancy. I do not need walls. I do not need glass panels. I do not need rigidity to protect me. I can open to the moments of life – the ups and the downs – and trust that no matter what, I will be ok.

Mind-body connection can be foreign for many, however, it is a phenomenal, tangible place to explore this concept of strength with ease.

In any moment that requires physical fortitude – whether it’s your fitness routine or holding a heavy load, where do you tense up automatically? Where do you recruit unnecessary muscles – perhaps in your face, or shoulders and neck? Strength does not mean tensing up; it does not mean creating a wall with your body - in fact, that's a great way to stress or pull a muscle. Rooted strength merely engages what is needed and leaves the rest – at rest.

With love,

Rachel

Coming Home

Jnznwu

When we’ve lost – stability, structure, a certain sense of knowing or comfort – what can we come back to? 

I was reminded recently that our bodies, our hearts, our being- that’s home.

The doormat saying, 'home is where the heart is,' is wildly accurate, perhaps without intending its double entendre.  'Home' is quite literally where the heart is - within. You alone are the first brick and the whole house.

The more we connect to ourselves, even in (and especially in) the midst of an external storm, the more we find ease and peace wherever we are.

So how?

How do you connect to yourself?

Each time something devastating or disrupting has happened in my life, my yoga practice has been that place where I begin to come home; where I am able to find the connection to peace, once again. And recently, it's not just my mat, but also my meditation practice. For some of my clients, it's painting, it's dance, it's writing, cooking, creating and more.

While not all of my readers have the same practices, what is yours? In what way do you feel connected to yourself?  How do – or can – you come home to yourself?  Where do you start and in what way can your "something" be the landscape under which your build your home?

With love,

Rachel 

Rebuilding, one brick at a time

Four years ago, I experienced one of the greatest tragedies of my life. With one call, I lost my father. I had seen him only a week before, and he had, while in the hospital, been doing much better, and was expected to be released later that week. 
 
Though the infections had drastically cleared, cancer still riddled his body making it very weak: his heart gave out. 
 
That tragedy paralyzed me. I had no desire to return to work, I grieved for what I had lost and mostly sorrowed over a future I would no longer have with my father.
 
It took some time, however, when I was finally able to move through the pain, I had a new perspective on life, on what mattered most, on how I wanted to live my life.
 
 Renowned author and spiritual guide, Paulo Coehlo teaches that what tragedy gives us, is the opportunity to rebuild our lives.
 
The last few weeks have devastated multiple areas around the world. Whether your home suffered, or your heart felt the enormity, the trauma, all the effects are widespread.
 
With this, how do we rebuild? It can seem impossible, but we must. And as we do, what do we build? What do we create?
 
We start small. We lay one mental brick, buy one plant, start with one room. Soon with time, we've rebuilt our (physical or mental) homes, and quite possibly, it's even better than before.


With Love,
Rachel

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Houston Strong

For the last couple of weeks, I've been struggling with an underlying sense of guilt. Guilt that I was not hit worse by Harvey or guilt that I was not doing "more" to help. I did what I could when I could, but somehow guilt was the unwanted friend, sitting on my shoulder. 

I knew and even believed, cognitively, a greater truth: had we all been crippled, it would be near impossible to mobilize and create structures to rebuild selves and homes. The fortune of some supports those in need.

Yesterday, I found myself frustrated once again for not doing more. I felt blinded and stuck by my powerlessness. But I also knew that was just one perspective.  At that moment, I forgave myself for my fortune. I moved out of guilt and in that moment, a whole new realization occurred. What was missing was a meaningful way (to me) in which I could take action: coaching. 

If we harness what we connect to, we can make Houston strong, again. For those who love to feed and nourish, that's baking dozens of cookies or bagging lunches; for cleaners, it clearing, sorting and organizing; for connectors, it facilitating unforeseen, powerful partnerships (helicopter, supplies = drops).

When we sit in feelings that don't support us, less is possible. For me, when I connected to what I felt, acknowledged it, then acknowledged what was real, I was able to truly move beyond: the vision which came through was compelling and beautiful. 

I am offering complimentary sessions to those in need for the coming weeks. If you have been impacted by Harvey, or know of someone in need of support, please contact me. I am reachable at 832-974-0417. Let me support you (whether your home, and/or your heart took a beating).  The more support we accept, the stronger we stand, together. 

With so much love,
Rachel

The Voice of the Mind

“There is nothing more important to true growth than realizing that you are not the voice of the mind, you are the one who hears it.”

— Michael Singer

When I first read that statement, it seemed preposterous. What are we, if not our minds? 

What I've learned (and what studies continue to prove) is that the voice of our mind is rather a myriad of influencers.  It's the voice of our parents, the teacher we most feared, the adamant or stubborn child who still lives within, the rebellious teenager, a boss, a mentor or even society itself. 

However, we identify with that voice as our own.  

We criticize ourselves as others might, however taking that criticism often to the utmost extreme.  We do so, feeding that perspective that the critical or belittling words are "in our best interest," "keeping us safe," "strong," or in some way protecting us.  

All in the name of self-improvement. 

The irony? We don't actually grow. We don't see drastic improvement or find genuine happiness inside those words and criticisms.   And the kicker?  Most of us would never treat another human in such a manner as we intuitively know those critical words not only belittle but also hinder growth.   

Shall we keep ourselves small?  

Next time that critical voice whispers, is it possible to question it?

With love,

Rachel
 

Power of the Tiny Trim Tab

Airplanes and ocean liners have rudders on the back of their engines which enable the vessel to change directions. However, should those rudders try to change direction on their own, they would break against the force of the wind or water. 

Engineers discovered that if they place a small device, called a trim tab, on the back of the rudder, it can change directions, if only slightly.   The counteractive force created by the small movement of the trim tab is enough to allow the rudder to change directions without breaking. 

This simple trim tab can allow for either a slight - or drastic - change in the direction of the vessel. 

The first time I shared this analogy in class, my trim tab had been a simple smile. 

A weekend filled with disappointment found me stressed and heartbroken.  As I pulled into the grocery store parking lot, I drove past another human, and in that moment for one reason or another, I smiled. The warmth received back melted my tension in that moment. I knew everything would be ok.

It was so simple. A smile. And it changed all my interactions that followed. 

We often feel we need drastic changes in our lives; we overlook the power of a trim tab. 

What might be that trim tab, for you?

With love,
Rachel

Smiling, when fear arises

Fear is a given. We experience it repeatedly in our lives, whether it be related to work, relationships, new experiences or more.  A few weeks ago, I noticed that myself and many others were encountering or living in some form of fear.

Nothing flowed.

For me, my feet were stuck in a molasses-like mud and as I trudged and moved forward, there was another plate below, pulling me back.

I was “moving” forward in the midst of the fear, however I let the fear grow. It did not cripple me as it might have years ago, but the fear certainly prohibited any ability to live in “whats real”.

Pema Chodron in speaking of fear and reflecting on Trungpa Rinpoche’s teaching, says “when fear arrives, when insecurity arises, when we feel groundless, what happens? Does it set off this chain reaction of aggression, which actually just intensifies our fear and our paranoia and our insecurity; or do we face towards it?”

I thought I was “facing” towards it, but each action was still based and rooted in, fear, and thereby setting of that precise chain reaction.

So how, when fear arises, does one move past it?

A first suggestion came as a reminder from a friend:  when we feel the fear, can we observe it?  Not dive into it but observe it.  As if it were this foreign entity we don't actually know or quite understand. In order to do so, we are required to drop any self criticism and judgement for having that specific fear.  As we observe it, as we distance ourselves from it, we might also get to learn from it…

The second recommendation comes from Carolyn Rose Gimian who suggests “smiling at it.” She says, “there’s no real formula for how to smile at fear, but lately I'm just trying to turn up the corners of my mouth, when I start to panic.”

So how did I move past?

I acknowledged that there was a difference between the problem and the fear propagated by the problem.  I recognized I was in a struggle with fear. I was moving and taking actions rooted from fear, not reality, not the problem itself.

So I gave up the struggle. I took a breath. Many breaths, in fact, and I finally refused to perpetuate the negative thoughts which merely generate more fear and I turned up the corners of my mouth. 

Next time fear arises, can you face it, acknowledge it and then begin to turn up the corners of your mouth? 

Can you look at the problem and not the fear and move from the problem.

PS: Our greatest inventors, our greatest change makers... they create(d) solutions to problems, not fears. Just a thought :D.

With so much love and light,

Rachel (to receive these in your inbox, subscribe below!) xx

PPS. Interested in, or know anyone who is looking for to transform and shake up their life in one way or another?  Reach out for a complimentary sample session... and know that 7% of all proceeds are going to Roots of Hope - an organization that empowers the youth of Cuba to design their future. Together let's impact the world around us. 

Freedom

“The secret to happiness is freedom, the secret to freedom is courage”

— Thucydides

Andrea Butt claims, “Freedom is about being so truly, madly and deeply attached to your own soul that you can’t bear - if only for a moment - a life that doesn’t honor it.”

There is much truth in those words. It takes true courage to honor yourself, to honor your soul.  

Think back, is there a moment you wanted to stand up for an injustice but refrained from doing so? Or perhaps a time you sincerely wanted something more but didn't go after it? 

Had more courage been present, what might have occurred? How much freer might you have felt in that — or perhaps, as a result, this — moment? 

We often think that courage indicates doing something colossal…making a massive move or taking substantial stance, but we forget that courage is evident in the smaller, everyday choices: the choices we tell ourselves don’t really matter, the ones which seem insignificant.  

When added up, when pushed aside time and again, those decisions create debilitating patterns and a stark neglect of values. 

The beauty, however, resides in the flip side.   When the courageous choice is made, especially in the smaller “inconsequential” moments, it re-enforces our values and strengthens the muscle which liberates.

What does courage mean, or look like, to you?

What would your life look like if you were just a bit more courageous?

The invitation this week, isn’t necessarily to take a huge leap. OR, maybe for you, it is. The invitation is to show courage in those seemingly minor moments, and feel the freedom it creates, the freedom you create. 

With love and light,

Rachel     -Working with change-makers to brighten the world, one soul at a time  xx

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No es Facil... It's not Easy

“Gratitude transforms lack into abundance, weakness into strength and mere minutes into precious, beautiful time. ”

A standard street in Old Habana

I recently returned from Cuba. To say the conditions there are dire, would be an understatement. 

Down most streets in old Havana (or Habana) buildings are crumbling and rubble piles up. Earthquakes over the last decade have shattered the structural foundations, and many of the places are frameworks, at best, without roofs.

It’s these moments, these exposures and these experiences which bring me back to the critical value of gratitude. Gratitude for everything I do have in my life.*  Gratitude for the ability to create my own life. Gratitude for the power of choice.

Last week’s blog shed light on the fact that we can either be bound or liberated by our circumstances. Gratitude, in many ways expands upon that. Bondage, liberation, gratitude, they are each a state of being, or rather, “a context we generate.”

Brene Brown says, “sufficiency isn't two steps up from poverty or one step short of abundance. It isn't a measure of barely enough or more than enough. Sufficiency isn't an amount at all. It is an experience, a context we generate, a declaration, a knowing that there is enough, and that we are enough.” 

I’d posture the same. Gratitude is an experience, it is truly a context we generate, a declaration, a knowing that the moment is enough…that we are enough.

Gratitude transforms lack into abundance, weakness into strength and mere minutes into precious, beautiful time. It can turn a simple embrace into love that lasts a lifetime and a brief conversation into an unparalleled connection. 

This week I ask, I implore, what DO you have in your life? What would your hour, day or even week (!!) look like if was experienced from a place of gratitude? Gratitude for you body that enables you to move, to feel, to experience. Gratitude for the time spent on those (things) you love.  

**** P.S.  Roots of Hope (Races de Esperanza) is an incredible non profit, non-partisan group that sponsors academic and cultural initiatives focused on empowering youth to become the authors of their own future.

*As a life coach, its my role to empower my clients to be the author of their future.  Therefore, I am SO excited to share that I'll be donating  7% of my fee for all new clients for the next six months to Roots of Hope. www.rootsofhope.org. 

Curious about coaching or know someone that would benefit from, and looking to transform what's possible and/or rock foundational limiting beliefs? Contact me for a sample session!

Allow me to support and further empower you, and together we'll support and empower the globe...beginning with the youth of Cuba.

With so much love and gratitude,

Rachel

Planting a Seed

‘When you plant a seed, it takes time for it to grow into a tree, and even longer for that tree to bear fruit. Before anything even happens the seedling must first take root, and to do so, it requires nourishment.’  

Such words are a relatively familiar paradigm, one which I’ve come across a handful of times. In each instance the message has a powerful impact. 

As adults we have the tendency to imitate children who plant the seed, and then, with excited anticipation, dig it up the next day to see if it has sprouted.  Our impatience gets the best of us and barely a day, or if we are really “patient,” a week, will go by before we get antsy about seeing the results.  The blaring question is always, “How far have I… or how far has “it” come?”  

Most often, just like that seed, not far enough.

How regularly do you set an intention and then give it up because it has not generated the desired results, quickly enough? 

On the other hand, how often do you set an intention, reap some level of reward or view some level of progress, then move on, disregarding that objective? After all, it has taken root and now half-expect it to continue flourishing on its own?

Even when something takes root, be it related to your body, your life or business, it still requires consistent attention. It needs nurturing.

Our ideas, practices, habits and relationships are like seedlings: they require continued nourishment and care. Even if what was initially planted changes as the years evolve, those seedlings, having developed into saplings, will continue to grow given ongoing nurture.

Where in your life would you like to see growth or progress? Is it flexibility (of the mind or body)? Is it a new strength or new business? Whatever it may be, can you set an intention and make a commitment to it today… and then commit to it for the coming six months to a year before fully analyzing its growth?

With love and light,

Rachel (to receive these weekly, subscribe below :) )

Mind, Body, Spirit

More often than not, I start coaching sessions by asking my client to take four to six deep, belly-expanding breaths. Then, as a form of "check-in", they will answer the following:

My mind is… 

My body is…

My spirit is…
 

Go ahead, try it.  Take a few truly conscious breaths, focusing on how it feels as you inhale. Then, honestly fill in those same sentences with the first word or phrase that comes forth. 

P.S.: Don't decide on the answers in advance. The exercise is to experience what is present in this moment, after those breaths. 

The point and the benefit? 

It's an opportunity to unpack three separate elements - our mind, our body, and our spirit - that make up who we believe ourselves to be but tend to amass as one.

Each aspect is very much independent, however, they quickly become intrinsically connected and intertwine in a way that blurs the lines between who we are and what’s really going on with us. 

If we were to be our body-our bones, organs and flesh-we’d be defined by our physical structure and prowess. And though for some, it may feel that their bodies largely define who they are, it isn’t actually true.  Our bodies can impact our mind and our spirit when we allow it, but while we can let it define who we are, the truth is the body is wholly separate from our spirit, and both of those are also wholly distinct from our mind, our intellect.

If we were to be our mind..... well, let's just say thank goodness thats not the case.

Though an insanely strong set of cognitive faculties, the mind doesn't wholly define who we are or the values we live by - AND it's something we can re-train.   A wide-spread, mind-controlled, belief of "not good enough" is a perfect example.  A vast number of humans walk around with some level of that belief (embedded by their minds) and many, with age and training, overcome those limiting beliefs.  Furthermore, when we truly check in with our spirit, an aspect most intrinsically guiding who we are, we know we are not defined by our mind, but rather our values and actions.

So how often do you let one aspect drive the whole vehicle? How might a few belly breaths allow you to become present and honestly check in with how you are feeling? 

For my clients, for myself, that step back allows a bigger picture to unfold, and the steps forward are far more connected to what is real, what is truly present.

With love and light,

Rachel (to receive these weekly, subscribe below!)