That’s right! We don’t need to wait for laws to be passed in order to have a sustainable income. We don’t need to wait for the economy to improve. We don’t need to wait until the right company comes along to employ us. The solution is right here. Right now. It’s called network marketing with a great company. And that great company just happens to be Team Northrup’s product partner: USANA Health Sciences. 

Becoming a USANA distributor and building your business is a complete paradigm shift that gets you OUT of the victim mode and into the driver’s seat of your own life. Taking the USANA products supports optimal cellular nutrition. And running a successful USANA business supports optimal financial health.

Having spent years on the front lines of women’s health, I have repeatedly seen the physical, emotional, and mental stress that a lack of a sustainable income places on a woman’s body. I have seen women stay in truly awful relationships and jobs, which they hate, because they lacked the resources to support themselves and their children.

On the other hand, I have also seen women brimming with vibrant health—especially in the pelvic and low back regions—once they are back on track financially. This is because our relationship to money, sex and power wires in the health of the pelvic region of our bodies (the second chakra). And quite frankly, the practice of ob/gyn boils down to treating the symptoms that arise in this area when a woman’s second chakra and creative energy is unbalanced. I have spent a lifetime addressing those symptoms and getting to the heart of the matter. For those who are truly ready to let go of the victim role for good, Team Northrup is a brilliant solution.

Many of us, including USANA (and me), have been through a lot challenges in 2011. But now is a new beginning. USANA’s 20^th anniversary, Team Northrup’s 10th anniversary, and USANA’s partnership with HealthCorps^© all herald better days—and opportunities—ahead! These are available to all of us. I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of Team Northrup and USANA!

I am reading a book called The Thank You Economy by Gary Vaynerchuk, and one of the chapters is called “Resistance won’t kill you right away.” When I hold onto something longer than I am guided to, I can feel the resistance in my physical body. I am no longer able to ignore the messages my body is sending me because resistance becomes loud and painful very quickly. I believe it is my soul’s way of telling me to deal with the resistance right away. The physical pain forces me to look at it, heal, and move on. My tolerance for pain is so much lower than it used to be. It also makes a difference that I am more body aware, living in the present moment. I no longer make unhealthy choices to numb the pain and discomfort. I choose to feel it, explore it, and look at it as an opportunity to heal.

Along with building a foundation in my USANA business, I am finally answering the calling I have in my heart to “speak to the world” on a global level. Everything is falling into place. I am being mentored by one of the best motivational speakers in the world, Les Brown. I have a speaker marketing coach, Mary McKay, who is helping me with my message, speaker branding, and a new website. I have the support of friends and family and I have the space opening up in my schedule to allow me to devote time and energy toward my vision.

There have been so many changes in my life since January. We sold our house in the city and moved to a little hobby farm. We are renovating our new home, started the adoption process to adopt a child from Africa, have a new pet goat named Emma (which I wanted my entire life), am spending more time at home, and creating financial freedom. The words that keep coming to my mind are that “I am renovating my life.” That means letting go of the old and making room for the new. I have let go of a lot and at the same time I am gaining so much more.

It is time to let go of one more thing—my studio. I have spent the last six years in this sacred healing space and I have helped countless women and couples conceive their dream of having a child. While I still feel the fertility focus is near and dear to my heart, I need to let go of the physical space of the studio. It is weighing on me, and I no longer wish to carry it. I want to let go before the resistance shows up in my physical body more than it already has. I appreciate all the healing, tears, laughter, and gifts that have come into my life. Having the studio and working with countless women and couples has touched my heart so deeply. I have healed many layers in my mind, body, and spirit as well and for all of this I am grateful.

When I listen to the voice of my soul and let my heart lead me, sometimes it doesn’t make sense to others. There are times it doesn’t make sense to me, and it is in those times I rely on FAITH. It is not a logical decision. I have learned to trust my intuition today more than ever. I know in my heart and soul that it is time to let go. I am not sure where my path will lead me and I am OK with not knowing. I see it more as an adventure with my heart as my guide. I know everything is playing out as it is meant to be.

Take a moment to reflect on your life and answer the following questions:

• Is there an area of your life that you are feeling resistance?
• Is there something you need to let go of that is no longer serving you?
• Is there something you would like to be reaching for, but you need to let go of something old first?
• Are you willing to answer the calling deep down inside of you?

As I let go and let be, I open my mind to new possibilities. As I invite my heart to lead, doors open, and my path is revealed. – Sue Dumais

Team Northrup is very proud to be in the network marketing industry. But, let’s face it, our industry gets a bad rap from time to time. Our team of wellness entrepreneurs aligned with Dr. Christiane Northrup is deeply committed to changing how this industry is seen (and practiced) because we’ve experienced first-hand how positively it can impact peoples’ lives. Personally, I make more than 80% of my income through this industry and it affords me a lifestyle of fun and freedom that wouldn’t be possible in a job or running other types of businesses.

Here’s a quick definition: Network Marketing is a distribution model in which a company manufactures a product and then pays the consumer to spread the word about it. (Network marketing and multi-level marketing (MLM) are often used interchangeably. Team Northrup’s product partner, USANA, is technically not an MLM company, but perhaps I’ll save that explanation for a future post.)

If you’re new to the network marketing industry or you’re poking around to see if it’s for you, here are six reasons network marketing is perfect for service-oriented, big-hearted, fun-long, freedom-seeking, conscious people:

1. It’s not possible for you to be successful in this business unless you help others to be successful.

The network-marketing model requires you to focus on helping others achieve success in their business in order for you to be successful. In a traditional business if you hire someone and suddenly they become incredibly successful, you might feel threatened that they would either surpass you or leave to start a competing firm. In this business, however, when someone who joins the business after you starts going gangbusters, its really good news. Their success is your success and the more you nurture your team members, the more your organization and your income grow. It’s a total win-win model.

2. You get to pick who you work with.

Let’s be honest: not everyone on the planet is fun or inspiring to hang out with.  In most work environments you don’t get to pick who your co-workers are. If you own a company you get to pick who you hire, but having employees has its own headaches. In network marketing you get to pick who you enroll in your business (and who you don’t). No more Debbie Downer co-worker who’s constantly whining about her problems to you from the next cubicle. Instead, you can choose to enroll only positive, healthy-conscious, fun people who energize you every time you interact with them. And guess what? They’re not your employees so while it is your job to support them, you don’t have to pay them, give them benefits, get annoyed when they don’t show up on time, or do any sort of micromanaging. You just get to have fun with people you like, building a business together.

3. Having a big heart makes you more successful in this business.

Whereas the traditional corporate, and even entrepreneurial, environments are cutthroat, your big heart will actually serve you in network marketing. The more you care about other people and want to make their lives better, the more you’ll be able to help them with your business and products, and the bigger your business will get. The number one most important factor in being successful in network marketing is having your primary purpose to make someone’s life better. If that’s the heartbeat of your business, you’re good to go. No more needing to shield yourself and hide your emotions at work. In this business you get to be all of you and let that big heart out.

4. It’s the only business where you can create true financial and time freedom with a proven system.

I hang out with a really dynamic group of women entrepreneurs, many of whom make incredibly solid six and even seven figure incomes. They’re doing great work in the world, but only a select few are actually free. Financial freedom is when your passive or residual income is greater than your living expenses.  In other words, when you’re financially free, you don’t have to work another minute if you don’t want to. This frees you up to work on projects that truly speak to your soul and serve the planet. It allows you to be totally present as a parent, an artist, a wife, a humanitarian, and all the other roles you fulfill. Most business owners are owned by their business. Unless they’re working, nothing is happening in the business. And those who created businesses that function without them had to spend a lot of time, money, and brain power to get where they are. Network marketing is the only business where absolutely anyone can create financial and time freedom without having to spend tons of time and money (we’re talking years and years and sometimes millions of dollars) building something from scratch. This is a proven business model with a system that works, if you work it.

5. You have no boss and you don’t have to be a boss.

If you’re a freedom seeker like I am, you also don’t like to be told what to do. In network marketing you have a supportive team, but no boss telling you where to go, when to go there, and what to do. You have free reign of your life. You can work when you want, not work when you don’t want to, and be anywhere on the planet building an international empire with just a laptop and a phone. Plus, as I mentioned before, you don’t have to be a boss either so your team’s businesses are their own responsibility. Talk about ultimate freedom. You’re only responsible for you and your business, but you get to enjoy the community of people you work with so that you don’t feel lonely.

6. The more you grow yourself, the more you grow your business.

Most of the people we work with in Team Northrup are deeply committed to personal growth. They meditate, they take workshops, they’re always learning, and they’re on a path of self-actualization. Whereas in many businesses (and certainly jobs) these pursuits might be seen as a distraction or “fluff” that you can do on your own time, in a network marketing business, growing yourself is a huge asset. Network marketing is a business about people. The more you grow yourself as a person, the better you are at relating to other people. And the better you are at relating to other people, the better you are at enrolling people in your business and supporting them. It’s a beautiful catch-22. Grow yourself. Grow your business.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. What other reasons would you give that network marketing is the perfect business for service-oriented, big-hearted, fun-long, freedom-seeking, conscious people? Leave a comment below.

It also takes a lot of courage to make the right resolutions for you.

One of the most profound things I’ve ever read is Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. There is a part about goal setting, which changed my life. When I read it for the first time, I was a new mom, struggling to find a work/life balance that felt right to me. It was so hard to be apart from my baby daughter.

Dr. Covey wrote an analogy about a man who worked diligently to climb the “ladder of success.” Unfortunately, the man focused only on what he needed to do to move up to the next rung. When he reached the top, he realized his ladder was up against the wrong wall. So he achieved his goals, but they were the wrong ones. They didn’t get him where he ultimately wanted to be.

I really took that to heart and did a lot of soul searching. What kind of person do I want to be? What kind of parent? How much time should I devote to my family?  How much independence is right for me? What kind of work is most meaningful to me? What kind of legacy do I want to leave behind?

I decided, from that point on, I would live my life with purpose and meaning, doing only the things that mattered.

This lasted about as long as a “New York Minute.”

My life was not spent purposely achieving my well-thought out plans—especially once my two sons were born. My life was more like a tennis lesson gone wrong, where the ball machine goes haywire and fires the balls in rapid succession and at a speed that even Serena Williams couldn’t handle.

My days and nights were spent dealing with one crisis after another. Working until 1:00 am because the baby had an ear infection and had to see the doctor during the workday. Going to work with damp panties—and not the good kind—because I had forgotten to put the wet wash in the dryer before I passed out for the night. Trying to make the store-bought baked goods look like homemade ones when it was my turn to bring something for the gourmet bake sale.

I also spent a lot of time trying to keep up with the stay-at-home, skinny, happily married, soccer moms, who seemed to manage their lives better than Martha Stewart (well, except for when she went to jail). As a single mom, theirs was a tough act to follow. Deep down, I really didn’t want the perfectly kept house or to have time to do my child’s second grade book report, but I didn’t have the courage to admit it. Every time I adopted their goals as my own, I was miserable.

This turned out to be a good thing, though. Whenever I was deeply unhappy, I remembered the Seven Habits book and would reevaluate what I truly wanted from my life. I kept coming back to the same priorities and values, and that was reassuring. My ladder was leaning against the right wall.

Just the other day, I was looking back at that time. I realized that I had achieved a lot of those goals, and that they were still the right ones for me. That’s remarkable, considering some goals seemed completely unattainable at the time.  Plus, there were many times I wasn’t climbing the ladder—I was hanging on for dear life!

It can take years to create a life you dream about, so don’t get too hung up on New Year’s resolutions. You’re in it for the long term. Just do the best you can and don’t give up. Check-in with that ladder when times are tough to make sure it’s aligned with your life’s purpose and deepest desires.

A little courage goes a long way, and sometimes that’s all you need.

All of our thoughts create a chain reaction. Negative thoughts are generally followed by a negative emotion which is then followed by a negative response in the physical body. For example, the thought “What if I am not successful in this business?” may create a negative emotional response such as fear. The feeling of fear often shows up in the physical body as tension (eg. lower belly tenses up or chest muscles tighten). Everything begins with a thought. While becoming aware of your inner dialogue can help, this chain reaction often occurs without our awareness.

We have about 60,000 thoughts each day and of those thoughts only 5% are in our conscious mind. That means we only hear 5% of what we are really saying to ourselves each day. The other 95% of our thoughts are an ongoing tape playing in our subconscious or habitual mind. Our subconscious thoughts are way more powerful than the thoughts from our conscious mind.

They usually come in clusters of thoughts that form a deep seeded belief. Every day we base our decisions on our subconscious thoughts and beliefs. The key to breaking this cycle is to bring more awareness to our thoughts and beliefs each and every day and purposefully shift our thoughts to more positive, encouraging and loving ones.

Creating awareness of our thoughts is the first step toward changing our minds and as we change our mind our experience of life will change as well. Remember I mentioned earlier that we have 60,000 thoughts each day; the good news is that we can only have one single thought at one single moment.

One thought will feed in to the next and the next and the next, creating the illusion of a storm of thoughts, but you can only have one single thought in each moment. This is great news because all you need to do is begin with the thought you hear, or start with a belief that you want to change. Awareness is the first key!

I would like you to take a moment and reflect on your inner dialogue.

How do you speak to yourself on a day to day basis?

Are you kind to yourself?

Do you speak to yourself the same way you would your best friend?

Are you supportive and encouraging or are your words harsh, judging and maybe even cruel?

The next step is acceptance. If you miss this step you can easily move to judgment. Adding further judgment will only keep you stuck in the self destructive cycle. For example, when you hear a negative thought, notice it, accept it and be willing to shift it. Acceptance will dissolve and further judgment and allow you to move to the next step which is action.

The most common action step to transform negative thoughts is using affirmations. An affirmation is repeating a word or sentence to your self over and over again allowing you to replace the negative thoughts with more positive ones. Many people struggle with affirmation and when they don’t see results quickly they get frustrated. It is more than just repeating the words, you need to bring the feeling and invoke the emotion in order to create the shift. Remember the path -> thought, emotion then physical response in the body. When you have negative thoughts you feel “bad”. When you use an affirmation you need to invite and encourage “good” feelings so that you are in alignment with your positive thoughts. It is in the feeling of the positive affirmations that allows transformation to occur.

I find gratitude is an easy example to use. I can say the words “I am grateful for my husband” but the words can be dead in the water unless I bring the feeling of gratitude into my body. As you repeat the words in your mind or out loud bring the feeling of gratitude into you heart. Imagine a warm feeling of gratitude in the center of your chest. You might visualize gratitude as a colour or an image. Invite the feeling of gratitude deep into your body all the way into your cells. When you allow yourself to feel deep gratitude your energy will shift and you will align your thoughts, emotions with your physical body, and you will “feel” better.

Ways to put this into practice:

1. Choose an affirmation and say it to yourself at least 10 times, invite the “good” feeling into your body. Do this several times throughout the day especially first thing in the morning and before you go to sleep. Remember to bring the feeling of the affirmation into your body. Imagine as you say the words that they were true. Imagine how you would feel if your affirmation was true.
2. Say your affirmation out loud or to yourself in the mirror. This can make it more real and create a deeper belief in your statement or words.
3. For every negative thought you hear, replace it with a positive one and repeat the positive one at least 3 times (eg. “I am such an idiot” can be replace with “I am doing the best I can”)
4. Remember you don’t need to believe every thought you have, in fact, most of our are not true and are based on F.E.A.R. – False Evidence Appearing Real
5. When you aren’t sure what words to use in order to shift your negative thoughts ask yourself “what would I say to my best friend in this situation?”
6. Practice daily meditation to help regain control of your thoughts and quiet your mind. Close your eyes and imagine looking over to the right side of your brain. This is the reflective and creative side of your brain which will help you focus on the present moment. The left side of your brain is the busy, analytical side. This right brain meditation has helped many of my clients find peace as they slow their thoughts.
7. Practice gratitude daily! Find one thing about yourself or your life that you are grateful for. Start a Gratitude Journal and each night write 3 things you are grateful for. Remember to invite the feeling of gratitude into your heart and body.

Be patient! As you continue to practice positive thinking it will become easier and more familiar. The more you practice you more confident you will become. Be your own best friend! Speak kindly to yourself! You deserve it!

I clearly have a passion for travel and education.  Once, while in Pisa, Italy, I let one of my students know that the Baptistery has perfect acoustics. I suggested that she should sing a note…which prompted her to burst into singing “Amazing Grace” with a friend. Silent tears overcame every person in the crowded building and others were streaming inside to hear.  As I related the story to their parents when we returned, they laughed because they didnʼt know their daughters even knew that song…..they were Jewish.

We travel to Europe because it fits so well into the 8th grade curriculum of Ancient Civilization, Human Beliefs, Math, Science, and Languages. Our travels include Ireland, British Isles, France, Spain, Germany, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Italy, Sicily, Greece, and countries in between. Travel is so rewarding, and I am fortunate to have the opportunity and desire to continue doing these trips, even though I left my position as Assistant Middle School Head and Learning Specialist two years ago.

Thank you Team Northrup!

The 8th graders are a perfect age because they are fun, funny, have open minds, have the energy, still want to please, plus their comfort level drops when they canʼt speak the language.  I can do bed check and know that they will giggle all night, but not sneak out to clubs. When I saw the movie Australia, I knew I must have been a drover in a past life!
My heart swells as I witness their eyes sparkle when we enter the Coliseum in Rome or walk through the Plaka in Greece. To know that I make a difference by opening their eyes to the world is a great feeling!

I want to experience more of the world than Europe.  Sure, I can take 8th graders to other places, but itʼs time for some expansion.

Five years ago, I had a life-changing event happen right here on my computer.  Browsing on Dr. Northrupʼs website, I saw a link for Team Northrup.  I had just returned from speaking at a conference in Paris. The Tour de France was happening, and I was so close to Lance Armstrong when he won that I could have touched him!  Exciting for sure, so when I saw the Team Northrup link, I thought maybe it would be a bicycling team and it would be so much fun to meet some new fun friends.  Anything that Dr. Northrup was involved with met my expectations even without knowing any details.

Having looked forward to her monthly newsletter as my children were growing up, I was totally aligned with everything she said. And, of course, tried everything she recommended. Even taking USANA vitamins.  So, of course, I clicked that link immediately!

That night Penny Kirk called and that Friday I met with Judie Harvey. Wow! I have never felt more connected to my true self as I launched Team Northrup for a new chapter in life. The bonus is that new fun friends are an inherent part of the package!  A business of continued personal growth, increasing financials, fun and frolic held in the supportive hearts of men and women on this shared path is a dream come true.
Last year at the USANA International Convention, I was so excited at the announcement of USANA expanding into the Chinese market with BabyCare, Inc.  As I sat in the training session learning about how to expand my business in this direction, I was jumping out of my skin at the possibility to travel to China.  I could now see a new cultural experience on the horizon.  It then occurred to me that I could share this experience with my tribe. I know group travel like the back of my hand, and I have great connections with companies skilled in the logistics.  So, I had an idea!

Letʼs Travel to China in 2012!
Originally, I put together a China trip for this year, but many people asked if I would consider 2012. This was a easy change, so I did!  I have arranged a visit to the BabyCare office in Beijing, but the primary reason for the trip is to experience China and feel the culture, and be with the Chinese people on their own soil.  The Asian market is intriguing with its fast growth and development, so I want to offer an opportunity to be in that energy and to learn.

Team Northrup is a catalyst for living our dreams!  So, Letʼs Travel to China in 2012!

“People come in and out of our lives everyday. Some impact our lives more than others. There are those that touch us so powerfully that we will never be the same again.

We need to cherish those experiences and appreciate the lessons in our lives. Each experience is an opportunity to be human. Each lesson is a step to becoming more aware.

It is human to feel pain, fear and guilt. It is also human to feel love. It is a shame to see the walls of protection surrounding each of us. They are only shielding out the love we all deserve.

Being open to experience is being willing to feel. To feel fear, to feel pain and more importantly to feel love. Trust in the experiences of your life and you shall bathe in the love that surrounds you.”

When we bought The Abominable Snowmansion, a lodge/youth hostel in Taos, New Mexico we had this vision of creating a waypoint, a place where travelers from around the world would stop for a night and share stories of their travels.  This was before we had, or were aware of, the internet, websites, email and twitter was not even in the embryonic stage!   What we did have was this amazing word of mouth story telling among ardent world travelers.   We had visitors from all corners of the globe during our tenure at the hostel and heard many amazing tales but it wasn’t until a Masai from Kenya walked into the kitchen that we knew we had achieved our goal.   When he came through the kitchen door, I was at the stove cooking the standard 5 pounds of spaghetti for the riders coming back down from the Friday night bicycle race up Taos Canyon.   As I looked up and saw this extremely tall man standing by the counter, I smiled and exclaimed, “Where are you from?”   He proceeded to tell me that he was a Masai from Kenya, educated in London at Oxford and the reason he was here at the Snowmansion was that he was told by an Australian in Stockholm, Sweden that he should definitely go to Taos, New Mexico and stay at the Abominable Snowmansion!   Wow!   I loved hearing that.  It was a complete validation that what we wanted to achieve had indeed happened.   That took several years, hundreds of people coming through, thousands of words spoken and a lot of sweat and toil maintaining the lodge in order for that to happen.   Today, someone can walk through the door, look around, say hello and do you have a bed for the night, then tweet that they just arrived at the Snowmansion.   In an instant hundreds know the name.   The next instant can be the most impactful of any business owner’s life.   Did the tweet say they liked the place or did it say the front desk people were rude?  Now what once was relegated to one unhappy customer is broadcast like the Shot Heard Round The World.

Here is what I love most about this; it keeps us alert.  It gives us endless opportunities to be genuine, caring and really interested in what those around us have to say.   This is not going away, it will only become more so.   Gravity is becoming less, time is speeding up and technology today won’t be the same tomorrow but what will endure forever is being kind.   So Kill ‘Em With Kindness is even more important and more powerful today than it was when it was first coined.   We kill the anger, the hurt, the disappointment, the loneliness and the fear of loss when we make it our first priority to be kind.

It’s rare when there’s no traffic going into the city, and there was no traffic that day. I was exhilarated looking at the skyline, while driving as fast as I could on that huge curve, dodging the buses and limos. But that day, the thrill for me was also knowing that somewhere in that spectacular city Dr. Wentz and Dave were getting ready to share The Healthy Home and USANA with New Yorkers. Dave had rung the opening bell at the NY Stock Exchange a few hours earlier. Even though I haven’t lived in the area for years, I still believe that when you make it there, you have made it everywhere!

The icing on the cake was that The Healthy Home book tour was stopping at Lincoln Center, an iconic New York location. Years ago, I lived three blocks from Lincoln Center and walked past it daily. (I was also excited that a fellow member of Team Northrup had the clout to arrange for the Wentz’s to speak at Lincoln Center.) As I approached Alice Tully Hall, it felt like I was both coming home and going to see the start of something big—and lucky enough to know at the time.

I had seen Dave Wentz speak on The Healthy Home in Arlington, Virginia, in a low-key presentation given to about 75 people. The lecture gave me that good feeling about USANA, which I have experienced many times in the past seven years. I was moved to hear Dave say that he thought about never having a family because of the health dangers his children would face in today’s world. I knew he cared; that he was passionate about sharing the important contents of The Healthy Home book as well as USANA’s mission.

I was looking forward to the Wentz team and a little bit of New York sparkle and sophistication, especially in that setting. (I have fond memories of seeing the Nutcracker there with my mother as a child.) I wasn’t disappointed. The evening was filled with great information, funny videos, and entertaining demonstrations. For example, Dr. Wentz used a Gauss meter to show how much electro-magnetic energy is generated by the items on a typical nightstand. I loved the set (stage), which cleverly mirrored the illustrated pages in The Healthy Home book. I also enjoyed playing with the polling remote controls. The audience members used them to respond to questions, and the results were displayed instantly on a large screen for all to ponder.

But those aren’t the things I’m going to remember in years to come. I’m going to remember the camaraderie between Dr. Wentz and Dave, the playful teasing. This father-son team shares true affection for one another. I will also remember Dr. Wentz absorbed in his own thoughts, while contemplating the human cell. Dave joked, “This could take a while,” and Dr. Wentz seemed not to hear him. Dr. Wentz is a scientist of the highest order, who is compelled to bring his knowledge of health and wonder of the human body to hundreds of thousands of people.

More than anything, I will remember Dr. Wentz pausing to look at Dave’s two children, his grandchildren. When he said, “Now there is a real miracle,” while gazing at those beautiful children, I got the chills briefly. I was so grateful that I was able to see that moment of awe and humility.

I feel so lucky to be a part of USANA. The people at the helm are warm, real, and trustworthy people with the confidence and conviction to share their vision. In a time when so much is wrong, including economic hardships, catastrophic natural disasters, and wars, it’s good to know that I am part of something that is profoundly right. I am part of USANA.

So to Dr. Wentz and Dave, thanks for all you do…and for the fantastic, inspiring book tour.

As I struggled to find words to describe what I was feeling to friends and family the only words that would come to mind were “I feel like I am in a cocoon.” From the outside it appeared that nothing was happening, but on the inside, there was chaos and confusion. Through it all I was practicing acceptance. “I am where I am and it’s ok.”

It was as if something inside of me was dying to make room for something new. A metamorphosis! In each moment I gave my self permission to be where I needed to be. I let go of judgment. Instead of questioning “why”, I remained curious. I was open to experience whatever it was that was emerging from within. In the past I would force myself to move through it quickly. Knowing all the tools I do, I would have judged myself for not being able to shift from chaos back into peace. Deep down I knew it was all necessary. Everything was perfect.

When you imagine the process a caterpillar goes through to become a butterfly, there would be a perception of chaos and even messiness. I am reminded of Rev Michael Beckwith “Bless the mess. Something is trying to be born. Bless the mess.” That is what I did, over and over and over again. I blessed the mess. Like the caterpillar I entered into the metamorphosis with a deep sense of trust and I completely surrendered to the process.

Since September my creative juices are flowing again. I have emerged! As I spread my new wings I have a renewed sense of strength and purpose. I am ready to touch the lives of many. I am ready to fly!

Are you willing to accept and move through the chaos so you can emerge from your cocoon, spread your wings and fly?