The Big Squeeze

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Click here for a video that explains some ways I can help you as a coach

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Click here for some testimonials from past clients

**CLICK HERE FOR MY PODCAST-STYLE INTERVIEW WITH RICK YOUNG OF WHAT’S IN YOUR HAND RADIO SHOW**

Follow me on Facebook and Instagram and Twitter for up to date posts, helpful articles and inspirational thoughts. Slowly building my YouTube channel so you check that out and subscribe too!

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Check out this very-roughly-edited-not-the-best-quality video of uninterrupted remarks wrapping up the workshop “Lead Yourself to Success (in Work & Life!)” In this excerpt covering the final seven minutes, I summarize my thoughts about confidence, being a leader in your own life, maintaining your individuality and humanity in the times we live in, and why the world is relying on you to be successful.

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Click here to learn more about my new book

Tags change, mindfulness, personal development, personal growth, self awareness, self reflection

Categories Uncategorized

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

July 22, 2022 //

Well, we’re still here. And although the Apocalypse did not occur on May 21, we are experiencing a type of end of days – or at least era – with The Oprah Show shutting down after 25 years! How am I going to exercise my tear glands and release oxytocin on a regular basis now??

Fanatic follower or not, you can’t deny that Oprah Winfrey has used her platform for educational and inspirational purposes with class and dignity, affecting millions all over the world in a positive way; she’s been an oasis in a TV landscape filled with Jerry Springers, Jersey/Atlanta/NYC/Mob Wives and a million CSIs and Law & Order’s.

One of Oprah’s “mandates” is to live your best life. The great thing about the end of days prophecy was that, although a joke to many, it perhaps for a minute forced us think about what we would like to do before our final day arrives, whether it is by mass destruction or natural causes.

Acknowledging the inevitability of death can be a powerful motivator, and if you’ve ever heard me speak, you know my mantra is “Your time and energy are your most precious resources.” So the question is: What are you doing with the breath, pulse and intelligence you possess while you still have it?

Another thing Oprah always talks about is the universal wisdom of being present, of living in the moment. Most people can spend days, months and years regurgitating the past or worrying about the future, which is one of the biggest wastes of that precious time and energy. It’s a delicate dance that requires deep discipline and profound love of life to “live each day as if it were your last” and to know that “there’s no time like the present.”

What will always snap us back to these truisms, at least temporarily, is the instant devastation we observe or experience like in the recent tornadoes, volcanoes and earthquakes, violent acts, or even simple accidents – recognizing that our physical belongings at the least, and our physical bodies at the worst, can literally be wiped out in a heartbeat.

The good news and reality is more likely that we are indeed coming to The End of the World as We Know It – and perhaps that’s not such a bad thing, you might even feel fine…But if you’re sensing a little too much doom in your days, give me a buzz and I’ll help with the uplifting of your spirit -while allowing you to remain here on the planet – so you can make the most of who you are every minute of every day!

Today’s PGG was originally published on May 24, 2011

Say It To Make It: Affirmations to Empower the Heart, Mind, Spirit and Soul

CLICK HERE FOR FULL PGG ENEWSLETTER WITH INTRODUCTORY NOTE ABOUT CURRENT EVENTS

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Get essays like this delivered every Friday to your inbox as my PGG newsletter by texting CLEARLYKRISTINA to 22828 to join my mailing list.

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If you like what I write, you’ll love what I have to say in person!

Click here for a video that explains some ways I can help you as a coach

Click here for info about my coaching and speaking services and contact me today.

Click here for some testimonials from past clients

**CLICK HERE FOR MY PODCAST-STYLE INTERVIEW WITH RICK YOUNG OF WHAT’S IN YOUR HAND RADIO SHOW**

Follow me on Facebook and Instagram and Twitter for up to date posts, helpful articles and inspirational thoughts. Slowly building my YouTube channel so you check that out and subscribe too!

Text CLEARLYKRISTINA to 22828 to be added to my mailing list and be in the loop with my coaching and workshops as well as have these essays delivered to your inbox!

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CLICK HERE FOR MY NEW MONTHLY ONLINE GATHERING

Tags personal development, personal growth, self reflection

Categories Uncategorized

Sea of Love

July 15, 2022 //

I have seen the truth

It is not as though I had invented it with my mind.

I have seen it, SEEN IT, and the living image of it has filled my soul forever…

If in one day, one hour, everything could be arranged at once.

THE CHIEF THING IS TO LOVE.

~ Fyodor Dostoyevsky

There is wisdom that says that we operate from either fear or love. With all the fear pumped into us from birth, and which seems to be ratcheting up these past few years and now weeks (and is easily absorbed via powerful media in every form), it’s more important than ever to pay attention to and see what is influencing your thoughts, words and deeds: LOVE or FEAR.

As I mentioned in this recent essay, Albert Einstein suggested we need to address the world’s problems from a different level of consciousness than what created them. Therefore, with so much external “noise” coming at us from every which way — most of it on the fear side — it will take a lot of self-awareness, constant observation and conscious choice to live and act from a place of love.

If you don’t like or relate to the word love, perhaps use the word “unity” since love is the glue that holds us all together. (You could also use connection, peace, trust…). And if you don’t want to think of the word fear, use “separation,” since that is what is used to divide and conquer. (You could also think of it as other, discordance or division.)

So as you go through your day, think about how you are feeling and interacting with yourself, others and life itself. How much are you focusing your energy on and/or have intentions that are based in fear instead of love … and might not even realize it! As a guide, here are just some of the things that fall under each category:

Love includes abundance, joy, coherence, beauty, health, well-being.

Fear includes lack, anxiety, stress, anger, blame, worry, disease.

Where does your energy and attention tend to dwell or act from? It can be super-insidious and you might not even realize it, which is why I always tell my clients and attendees to spend some time with themselves each day for self-reflection, which helps build and strengthen that observer muscle.

Remember, as I mention in my book Say It To Make It, what we focus on grows, so after reviewing the above lists, do you live in mostly in love or in fear?

And when it comes to relationships, I’ll never forget the aha that went off years ago when I heard spiritual teacher and author Gary Zukav say that two people can’t get love from each other, but they can “swim in it together.” That is great advice for couples, but what if we extend that concept to everyone?

Can we look at everyone as if they are our lover (a la the poet Rumi), knowing that we are all swimming in a sea of love together? That might sound a bit much — but extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures, and humanity needs to get their you-know-what together ASAP!

This is was a big insight that came to me earlier this week (hello, full moon!) … I’ve started using it already and find that it helps; it definitely softens the edges of all interactions or situations with others, whether friends, family or out in public.

I also see the image of swimming in a sea of love with humanity as more of a state of BEING, not DOING. It removes fear-based boundaries and puts us on the same underwater wavelength, regardless of any external identifiers. It helps us to think of love as a flow state; flowing in the energy with others, remembering that we all come from the same primordial stuff, yet working, creating and interacting with one another’s unique expression in this ocean of life.

Of course we need to be practical and recognize there are some unique expressions that we may not want to swim with and need real protection from, but they are few and far between. Most people just need healing and some TLC, which is why I think if you do this kind of visualization more and more, you will see less of those less-than-loving people in your life, or at least they will be acting up less.

And as I’ve previously mentioned, because we all exist in the same what I’ve called “soup,” we all have a profound effect on each other whether you realize it or not. The interesting thing for me is that even though I’ve called it “soup,” which is a liquid, I’ve always conceptualized it as energy, atmosphere, air. I am excited by this new version of it as WATER — which represents EMOTION, which is what Love is, hence the palpability of it.

With this image, it’s easier to see how every move we make sends out ripples that touch everyone. No one is exempt from feeling them, but the closer you are, the stronger and more pronounced those ripples will be.

And with so much of our modern lives operating on the mental level through screens, we are increasingly pushed to be more disconnected with our bodies and emotions. This is also why imagining humanity swimming in a sea of love is a good sensory feeling to keep handy and revisit over and over as you move through your day, or in any meditations you might do.

It has now become my go-to image whenever I start to feel fear or any of the emotions associated with it. And if you are actually in the ocean or a pool, it would be a great visualization to do while you are physically in it! You can also visualize everyone being in a sea of love when you are in (or see) big crowds like at a baseball game or concert, or even on an airplane or when sitting in traffic …

Another thing that Einstein said was, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” We are powerful, creative beings who contribute to the reality we are experiencing far more than we know. So let’s all imagine swimming in this sea of love together … Wouldn’t you prefer to live in a sea of love rather than a world of fear? And remember: When you live from love, nothing that comes from love can harm you.

Feeling a little trepidatious to dip your toes in with me? Give me a buzz and I’ll help you become someone who says, Come on in, the water’s fine! Because the more of us who jump in fully, the better the world will be.

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CONNECTING WITH KRISTINA

Click here or scroll down to learn more about my new book

Say It To Make It: Affirmations to Empower the Heart, Mind, Spirit and Soul

CLICK HERE FOR FULL PGG ENEWSLETTER WITH INTRODUCTO RY NOTE ABOUT CURRENT EVENTS

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Get essays like this delivered every Friday to your inbox as my PGG newsletter by texting CLEARLYKRISTINA to 22828 to join my mailing list.

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If you like what I write, you’ll love what I have to say in person!

Click here for a video that explains some ways I can help you as a coach

Click here for info about my coaching and speaking services and contact me today.

Click here for some testimonials from past clients

**CLICK HERE FOR MY PODCAST-STYLE INTERVIEW WITH RICK YOUNG OF WHAT’S IN YOUR HAND RADIO SHOW**

Follow me on Facebook and Instagram and Twitter for up to date posts, helpful articles and inspirational thoughts. Slowly building my YouTube channel so you check that out and subscribe too!

Text CLEARLYKRISTINA to 22828 to be added to my mailing list and be in the loop with my coaching and workshops as well as have these essays delivered to your inbox!

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CLICK HERE FOR MY NEW MONTHLY ONLINE GATHERING

Tags personal development, personal growth, self reflection

Categories Uncategorized

A More Perfect Union

July 8, 2022 //

One of my favorite movies, Bottle Shock, is about the then-nascent California wine industry and its victory over the French in a blind taste test celebrating the 1976 bicentennial. The film is based on the true story of a man who ditched his legal career to pursue a dream of making the best wine possible. Jim Barrett put his life into Chateau Montelena; to do so was a huge risk, and he had to have unwavering faith in himself and trust in the process of such a delicate, complex and time-consuming task, whose results were not necessarily guaranteed.

As with any such journey, there were many twist and turns and ups and downs along the way, but in the end he triumphed not only because he beat the French at their proudest export, but also because in doing so, blew the field wide open for quality wine to be produced in countries around the globe, and the world has never been the same.

Orson Welles, in his famous commercials would say, “We will sell no wine before its time.” It takes time for lasting success to develop, and there is no better activity than viticulture to demonstrate that. There are cycles of planting, pruning, harvesting, fermenting and numerous other magical, alchemical things that need to happen for that perfect glass to arrive at your table. As I always say in my seminars, “Remember that grapes do not turn into wine overnight!”

With the start of every Spring, Summer, Winter and Fall, we are reminded that to Every Thing There is a Season. The historic vote to legalize same-sex marriage in NY three days [after the solstice of June 2011] was decades in the making; several societal changes and generations of progress had to occur in order to have the majority of the population now be “ripe” for its acceptance, and we are all stronger and better for having gone through the process.

Since we are just about a quarter through the year, be sure you check in and are working internally and externally towards whatever goals you set for yourself; know that as long as you consistently do things that you love and care about, you are fertilizing your life, making it as rich as possible. Focus your thoughts, words and deeds in the direction you want to be going, knowing that all will come to fruition with a perfect union of patience, persistence and perseverance — in time and on time.

You can’t put the cart before the horse, so if you’re feeling a little frustrated and impatient in pursuit of your passions, give me a buzz and I’ll be a future sommelier explaining the uniqueness and quality of your vintage, or the judge that casts the deciding vote to make your dream a reality!

Today’s PGG was originally published on June 28, 2011

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CONNECTING WITH KRISTINA

Click here or scroll down to learn more about my new book

Say It To Make It: Affirmations to Empower the Heart, Mind, Spirit and Soul

CLICK HERE FOR FULL PGG ENEWSLETTER WITH INTRODUCTORY NOTE ABOUT CURRENT EVENTS

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Get essays like this delivered every Friday to your inbox as my PGG newsletter by texting CLEARLYKRISTINA to 22828 to join my mailing list.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

If you like what I write, you’ll love what I have to say in person!

Click here for a video that explains some ways I can help you as a coach

Click here for info about my coaching and speaking services and contact me today.

Click here for some testimonials from past clients

**CLICK HERE FOR MY PODCAST-STYLE INTERVIEW WITH RICK YOUNG OF WHAT’S IN YOUR HAND RADIO SHOW**

Follow me on Facebook and Instagram and Twitter for up to date posts, helpful articles and inspirational thoughts. Slowly building my YouTube channel so you check that out and subscribe too!

Text CLEARLYKRISTINA to 22828 to be added to my mailing list and be in the loop with my coaching and workshops as well as have these essays delivered to your inbox!

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Click here or scroll down to learn more about my new book

Tags mindfulness, personal development, personal growth, self awareness, self reflection

Categories Uncategorized

Bridging the Divide

July 1, 2022 //

As the famous line from Lincoln’s speech goes, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” This sentiment was in response to the very literal Black and white issue in our nation at the time, i.e., slavery and the division it caused in our union. We are very much continuing to deal with that era’s repercussions, which are coming up very loudly at this moment to be confronted and healed in a more profound way than ever before.

And in the broader context, it’s important not to get sucked into the polarity, the absolutism of everything, the duality of good vs. evil and us vs. them. Right now it’s especially easy — with all the propaganda from both sides — to get into a catastrophic or doomsday mindset. This is certainly a challenging time, and people, property, businesses and ways of life are dying and/or permanently changing, but when we accept that this is all part of the much bigger transformation I’ve talked about here many times, you can switch into a less extreme, more detached attitude in order to be a constructive rather than reactive part of the process.

And we must get there, because when each of us individually is divided within our mind, body and spirit, we cannot stand collectively as a whole and healthy society. In other words, when we are divided, we are much more susceptible to being conquered. And I don’t know about you, but I’m not interested in being conquered on any level. So how can we resist becoming a casualty of the conquest? We need to start with ourselves, hence this PGG, called Grey’s Anatomy which you can find here on Medium.

And to learn more about how you can help bridge the divide, you can check out this interview where Rick Young of What’s In Your Hand Radio Show started out by asking me what I would say if I were speaking at the Democratic convention. I had no idea what he was going to ask in the hour-plus interview, which meant all of my answers were off the top of my head, and here’s how I responded.

And this PGG Video of week is a clip from a talk I gave in February, right before the world turned upside down. I talk about how some days are good, some days are not so good, and how we need to listen to ourselves and learn to go with the flow of life, which can help us be more detached and neutral as we navigate the tempest that lies ahead.

Because the more of us who remain calm in the eye of the storm, the more unified we will be internally, and then can join forces externally to get to the other side as one nation, indivisible, and stronger than ever before.

Today’s PGG was originally published on September 1, 2020

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Say It To Make It: Affirmations to Empower the Heart, Mind, Spirit and Soul

CLICK HERE FOR FULL PGG ENEWSLETTER WITH INTRODUCTORY NOTE ABOUT CURRENT EVENTS

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Get essays like this delivered every Friday to your inbox as my PGG newsletter by texting CLEARLYKRISTINA to 22828 to join my mailing list.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

If you like what I write, you’ll love what I have to say in person!

Click here for a video that explains some ways I can help you as a coach

Click here for info about my coaching and speaking services and contact me today.

Click here for some testimonials from past clients

**CLICK HERE FOR MY PODCAST-STYLE INTERVIEW WITH RICK YOUNG OF WHAT’S IN YOUR HAND RADIO SHOW**

Follow me on Facebook and Instagram and Twitter for up to date posts, helpful articles and inspirational thoughts. Slowly building my YouTube channel so you check that out and subscribe too!

Text CLEARLYKRISTINA to 22828 to be added to my mailing list and be in the loop with my coaching and workshops as well as have these essays delivered to your inbox!

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