Decision Paralysis

I was at Whole Foods the other day and found myself staring into the glass cabinet of baked goods. There was everything from regular croissants to vegan chocolate chip cookies to regular chocolate chip cookies to vegan cupcakes to blueberry muffins to vegan brownies.  For a girl with a sweet tooth, you could imagine my decision paralysis.  While I never had eaten a vegan chocolate chip cookie, I knew that the ingredients in it could potentially be better for my body – no dairy, perhaps anti-inflammatory and containing chocolate chips made of the recommended 70% cocoa.  On the other hand, my favorite baked good was staring at me, the good old chocolate chip cookie – so reliable and always delicious.  

As I stood there for a good 15 minutes, my mind kept going back and forth on which one I would purchase.  Then something clicked for me, this very decision reminded me a lot about decisions in life – do we pick something that is good for us even though we don’t know the outcome or do we choose what we know is reliable?  Do we take the risk and try something new or go with what we already know?  Is it just more comfortable to pick the more reliable situation, guy, path, job, or even cookie knowing exactly what we will get?  


Clearly the answer lies in asking ourselves what we are ready for?  What we are willing to risk or do?  What and who we are willing to bet on?  Perhaps it would be risky to try the vegan chocolate chip cookie.  Maybe I would not like it.  Maybe it would take a few bites to really enjoy the natural ingredients, the richer chocolate bites or the lack of dairy in the cookie.  Maybe I would never know any of this without trying it.  Maybe I would even love it.   And so it goes in life – sometimes we have to take the risks to find what we love even if we are unsure of the outcome. 

In case you are wondering, I went for the vegan chocolate chip cookie and it is now my new favorite!

Until next time…

Find the Love.  Live the Life.  Love the Life You Live. 

With Love,

Sexy Back

This morning I took my first dance class in many years – probably 15 to be exact.  And it was awesome.   I don’t think you could tell by looking at me, but I was rocking my inner goddess.  After 9 months of a twin pregnancy, two months of sleepless nights and spit up on mostly all of my clothing, this girl was ready to bring her sexy back.  Now you don’t have to be a new mom to understand what I am saying.  We have all been through times in our lives where our inner sexy selves felt trapped leaving us wondering where we had gone. 

 

This got me thinking about ways we bring that side of ourselves out, our inner goddesses, our inner gods– how do they make their way back?  Some people find it by wearing red lipstick, drinking a glass of wine, wearing the perfect outfit, working out, intimacy, a date night and the list could go on.  The great thing about bringing your sexy back is that it can be your own little secret. No one else has to know that you are bringing your sexy back.  That mystery in and of itself makes it completely sexy.

The best part of whatever helps you bring your sexy back is that it radiates from the inside out.  The dance class, the red lipstick, the perfect outfit, that glass of wine – it isn’t about showing the rest of the world that you are a sexy being.  It’s about you setting your inner god or goddess free.  What could be sexier than that?

Until Next Time.

Find the Love.  Live the Life.  Love the Life you Live.

With love,

Life Genius Playlist

My genius playlist.  If you're wondering what that is - it's a cool way that iTunes allows you take a favorite song of yours and use it to create a playlist of songs similar to that one.  You just pick a song and let genius work its magic.  I'll admit, it's my new addiction.  I love to see what plays next and have my inner ratings of whether the genius mixer is so genius.  Today, the genius mixer performed its magic.  The song I chose, Wait Till you See Me Smile, by Alicia Keyes was humming in my head and naturally I had to play it.  Then almost every feel good song in my music library played.  I couldn't stop smiling.  Music is definitely a way to this girl's heart. 

It made me think about life and how cool it would be to have a genius playlist for life.  You pick a memory, emotion or action you want to play out and then poof, your life is play by play, figured out and you like it all.  It's genius.  It's your life genius playlist.  Sounds very tempting, right?  Imagine if the one thing you have been dreaming of whether in relationships, career, family, spirituality or health had a musical track and all you had to do was pick it and the rest would be laid out for you. 

Well, here's what I think, the universe already does that. We just don't always see it.  Life is all about choices and what we choose to focus on.  Every decision we make is all part of our genius playlists.  We just have to trust the process.  Think about it, when you make a decision like put yourself out there on a dating website, join a book club or finally make it to the gym, you set in motion your own life genius playlist.  In other words, by making a decision or choosing, you set in motion your intention, give it action and put it out there in the world.   Then the universe listens and believe me that is when your life genius playlist arises. 

So, while we may not see exactly what our life genius playlists are, know that there is genius working all around you if you let it.  

Until Next Time... 

Find the Love.  Live the Life.  Love the Life you Live. 

With Love, 

Do Over...

If given the chance, would you take a do over?  Is it just me or are you constantly finding that so many people live in regret and dwell on what they would change in their past if given the chance?   It is almost like some of us are searching for a rebirth or an opportunity to start all over.  It made me think about what I would do over or if given the chance whether I would want such an opportunity?

 
Isn’t the point of life and our journeys to experience, make mistakes, learn and do better?  Maya Angelou says, “When you know better, you do better.”  How are we supposed to do better if we don’t have moments in our lives we wish we could do over?  Those moments usually present the greatest learning opportunities.  It's those moments we think about in years to come and the ones that actually make us do better for ourselves and for those around us.

In indulging in the possibility of a do over and in examining the last 10 years of my life, I start to laugh, cry and then ultimately admire my life’s lessons.  We can get into details at another time, but ultimately, let’s just say, I have tried a lot, felt a ton of disappointment, put it altogether, loved, lost, loved, married and now am about to embark on my biggest life decision yet, motherhood.  Did I just understate the last 10 years of my life? Perhaps.  

But that is not my point.  My point is that while a “do over” sounds so exciting, I would be missing out on all of the people, things, experiences and moments that have molded me, built my confidence, taught me who I am and who I want to be.   Where would I be without a few failures and a few moments of triumph? 

Where would we all be without our imperfections and experiences?  Isn’t that what makes each of us unique?   Isn't that what we all are striving for anyway?  So wherever you are in your life, before you start wishing for a “do over,” take a step back and examine your last 10 years?  How far have you come?  And how far will you go? 

I would love to hear your thoughts.  Please share. 

Until Next Time.   

Find the Love.  Live the Life.  Love the Life you Live. 

With Love,

Authentic Self

I am a self-professed self discovery seeker. In fact, one my greatest strengths is how self-aware I am. I strive to be authentic with myself and with anyone I encounter. Sometimes I wonder if I am alone in this journey of self-authenticity or are other people also striving for an authentic self. I have thought about this idea for a while. In a world where we measure people by the things they have rather than the thoughts they have, where we are judged by wearing the latest fashion rather than engaging in a deep conversation about life, how is anyone seeking their authentic self?

There are movements all over this country and throughout the world of people proclaiming their authenticity and spreading their own messages of what it means to be authentic. There are also just those people in society who know no other way and others who have lived through enough and learned enough in their lives that believe the only way to have a fulfilled life is through authenticity.

My question is – can you be both authentic and superficial at the same time? Can one part of you turn on while the other turns off? What would it take to be authentic even if it meant accepting your superficial views about life because that is a part of your life you like? I really believe that the most important part of being an authentic individual is being completely honest with yourself. In that completely honest state, you can only be authentic. Sounds like a lot, right?

It is a lot and of course, it depends – how willing are you to live a completely authentic life? What does that mean to you? The loveliness of the authentic self is that you are the only one that can define it for yourself. Now take a deep breath, one step at a time and strive for an authentic you. The world will be a better place for it.

Until next time…
Find the Love. Live the Life. Love the Life you Live.

With Love,

FALLing...

It is fall. The season of leaves changing, fashion at its height and the anticipation of the holidays arriving. It is a time where we cannot wait for Christmas music to be played on the radio or decide who we will be for Halloween or where we will be celebrating Thanksgiving. I think it is underestimated as one of the most beautiful seasons of the year (even more so, when you live in a climate with seasons). In my eyes, I see it as a time for anticipation of all the celebrations to come.

Don’t we all love a good celebration? And what makes a celebration a great one? Is it the family and friends and love that surround us? Or is it the good food or the new outfits? Whatever it is, I know one thing is for sure, the anticipation is sometimes even better than it actually happening. Funny thought, isn’t it?

Is it that way with everything? Is it the actual journey to the celebration or is the destination we celebrate more exciting? It’s all a matter of perception. When we look at life this way, we probably spend most of our lives on the journey wondering whether reaching the destination is actually worth it. But in life, the truth is our destinations are constantly changing. Who we are and what we want is constantly changing. It’s how we see those changes and how we react that really makes the journey way more exciting than the destination.

Our time is limited and we have so much to learn about ourselves. Therefore, we must celebrate the milestones on our journeys. We must celebrate with our friends and families and surround ourselves with love every chance we get. Luckily, there are always parts of a year that keep us anticipating for celebrations no matter where we are on our life’s journey. In October, it is marked by the change in weather and the thought of literally FALLing into celebrations.

Until next time…
Find the Love. Live the Life. Love the Life you Live.

With Love,

SOS

Do you ever wonder why it’s so hard to ask for help? Why do we even feel guilty when we do? Are we a society that feels as though we failed because someone helped us along the way? I have seriously been thinking about this lately especially because I am the ultimate self-reliant individual. I love the challenge of doing things on my own, whether it’s developing my own diet, exercise routine, entertaining, shopping or projects at work. I don’t know any other way. Then I discovered something, a little help goes a LONG way.

My own personal realization of this came a few weeks ago when I decided to take control of my eating lifestyle. After struggling many years with my weight, I thought I finally got it! I studied and became a certified holistic health coach and thought I knew everything. Then stress, life and change hit me and I lost myself. I realized what I needed was accountability. Part of the accountability part was asking for help, talking with someone about my struggles and taking it one day a time - what a difference this has made for me!

You may be laughing because you literally just get how hard it is to take one day at a time. How many times have we heard that? This time, I am living it - one day and one thing at a time in all areas of my life. This is no easy feat for me as I am the ultimate multitasker. I think a lot of women are. We all want to do everything all at the same time and all amazingly perfect.

I know when I really thought about it, asking for help has actually made me better and reach my goals - one goal at a time, one day a time. I have realized, asking for help, a little SOS, does not make you weak, it actually makes you stronger. Perhaps it is the fact that human beings are more than their bodies. We have souls, we feel and we connect. It is that connection that makes us see what we don’t and learn what we need to.

So I challenge you to reach out for help or reach out your hand. We all can you use a little help. Please share your thoughts and experiences.

Until Next Time…
Find the Love. Live the Life. Love the Life you Live.

With Love,

p.s. check out my new meet up group on www.meetup.com called South Florida Dating Support Group. Hope to see you there!