Love: The Sweetest Ingredient

One of my clients, who I will refer to as Maggie, went through a period last year where she felt completely drained, totally stressed out and extremely overwhelmed. “I don’t know what to do!”, she exclaimed to me during one of our sessions. “I feel like I’ve hit a brick wall.”

I encouraged Maggie to remember the importance of self-care. We live in a hectic, fast-paced society. There’s always something going on, whether it be working, social activities or taking care of our families. In the midst of our busy lives, we tend to overlook how crucial it is to care for ourselves, too.

Think of self-care like a yummy recipe. It requires several key ingredients in order to turn out just right. These include the right amount of sleep for us, healthy foods, exercise, time spent around supporting people, and plenty of inspiration in our lives. But there’s one ingredient that really makes this recipe truly magnificent.

The sweetest ingredient in the self-care recipe is self-love. If we don’t love ourselves, we aren’t going to bother to care for ourselves in the first place because we don’t feel worthy of doing so. Just as God cherishes each of us, we must also learn to cherish ourselves and give ourselves the best possible tender loving care. Being busy people, this is not always easy to achieve. Here are a few tips to help you to give yourself the love and attention you truly deserve.

• Don’t beat yourself up! Ah yes, the blame shame game! We’ve all done it. “Gosh, am I ever stupid.” “If I had only done this differently.” Or, my personal favorite, “But I’m not good enough, smart enough, pretty enough”, etc. What are you achieving by beating yourself up over past events? You’re simply making yourself feel worse, and that will only decrease your motivation. Why not try forgiving yourself instead? Say to yourself, “Tomorrow is another day, and I can learn to do things in a way that I can appreciate and in a way that makes me feel better about myself and my situation.” Look into a mirror and remind yourself that you are a beloved child of God. Tell yourself, “I have the courage to make positive changes in my life.” Find the support you need to help you to shift your attitude from negativity to empowerment and contentment.
• Next, treat yourself! Engage in an activity you enjoy, at least once a week. This doesn’t have to cost you a lot of money. You could take a stroll through nature’s splendor, cuddle up with a good book, or volunteer for an organization you appreciate. As long as it brings a smile to your face and a song to your heart, that’s what’s important.
• Finally, reach out! The power of friendship to bolster our confidence and remind us how wonderful we truly are is huge! Have you ever had someone say to you that you made their day or that you made them happy in some way? How did that make you feel? Did it make you feel better about yourself and your importance in the world? That’s part of the wonderful power of friendship. When we discover how much other people love us, it helps us to love ourselves more, in the process.

In closing, let me share a great website link with you. It’s guaranteed to put a smile on your face. This site is called the Automatic Flatterer. Get ready to smile!Click here!If you’d like some extra help in learning to love yourself more, I’d be honored to witness and explore with you as your coach.Together, we can find tools and techniques to help you recognize just how lovable, beautiful and incredible you truly are.

I wish you all the love in the world.

NOTE: This article will appear in tomorrow's Heartsong newsletter. Check out the Heartsong archives, and subscribe here!

Lots of Love,
Kim, the Spiritual Fulfillment Coach

Hi Everyone!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I wrote the following poem as a symbol of my love and gratitude for each and every one of you, my readers. I am so honored and grateful to be journeying with you and for your presence in my life. I send you my heart-felt thanks, and lots of love, today and every day.

A Valentine's Wish

May your heart beat wildly with happiness,
May your arms always have someone to hold,
May your voice ring out with rich laughter,
May your face hurt from smiling.

May your days overflow with bliss,
May prosperity and success enrich your life,
May your eyes be bright with joy,
May your thoughts be calm and serene.

May your spirit know the assurance that God loves you,
and that you are ever so beautiful, worthy, wonderful.

May you open to receive love,
Blessings,
Fulfillment,
Endless, glorious, fabulous possibilities.

May you remember your Divinity,
May you reach for your dreams,
May you touch all whom you meet with love.

Today and every day,
May you recognize how amazing,
astounding,
outstanding you truly are.
May you extend your hand and grasp your true potential,
And use it to empower yourself and others.
Through your example,
You can assist the world to shine more brightly.

Blessings to you, my beloved Valentine's, today, and every day!

Lots of Love,
Kim, the Spiritual Fulfillment Coach

The Transformational Power of a Three Letter Word

In early December of 2006, I was reading the newsletter of one of my colleagues. In it, she was discussing a new program she had put together which included interviews with many well-known spiritual and personal growth mentors. As I read about those who would be interviewed, I found myself marveling, as I’d heard of almost all of them, and knew and deeply loved the work of several of these wonderful people. “Wow”, I thought, “what an amazing opportunity these people are getting to share their gifts and their knowledge.”

I had no sooner had that thought than an almost physically tangible voice said in my ear, “Write her!” I was startled. “What?”, I thought. I was sure I had misunderstood this intuitive guidance. “Write her!”, I heard again. “You’re meant to be a part of this program… allow your own gifts and light to shine!”

I found myself overcome with doubt. My colleague was a renowned author, speaker and teacher. I owned her work! I knew it’s quality and how amazing it was. She was well established in her field. And myself? I’d written three ebooks… they were well thought out and were greatly appreciated. But I had only been established for less than two years. I was promoting my services, but was certainly not as well known as my colleague or any of the other people she planned to interview. I felt torn… should I follow my guidance? What was I to do?

It’s so easy to let feelings of unworthiness keep us stuck in our limitations and frustrations. Often, it’s far simpler to give up rather than to move in a direction in which we’re clearly being guided. How often have you found yourself fearing possible success if you take particular action steps? It can be scary to put ourselves out there and really embrace our God-given talents and purposes.

There’s great empowerment and transformation to be found in a seemingly simple, three-letter word. And that word is “yes!” Saying yes to stepping bravely and boldly into the unknown, yes to answering Spirit’s calling, yes to following our hearts and sharing ourselves with those who could richly benefit from hearing our stories and our wisdom.

Each of us, no matter our path in life, has much we can share with others that would make a profound, positive difference in their lives. Though we often know this on some level, it’s another thing entirely to shine our light and open ourselves to others. What if what we have to say isn’t well received? And what if it is? How will that transform others? How will it transform us?

Think about this for a moment. How often have you, for instance, heard someone share a powerful experience from his or her own life that has inspired you? And how often after hearing such a powerful message have you thought, “Would anything in my life inspire others as that inspired me?”

We can all be inspirations to one another. You may have a gift for tutoring school kids, or for sewing beautiful garments to light up the faces of those who are blessed to receive them. Maybe you can cook delicious recipes, or perhaps you have the gift of comforting the sick or those near to transition. Or maybe, as has happened in my life so often, you simply say something one day that, without you knowing it, changes someone’s life for the better.

Saying yes takes courage. It took a great deal of courage before I plucked up enough nerve to write to my colleague, but oh, am I ever glad I did! I can’t even express in words the joy that I’ve been blessed with from saying yes to that calling. I not only shared a delightful and thought-provoking interview, but I also made a new and wonderful friend in my colleague!

Will you take this important step and choose the power of “yes” in your own life? You very well may transform your life, and the lives of others, in amazing ways you can’t even imagine as yet.

In the next Heartsong Lighthouse article, we’ll continue this discussion. If you aren't a Heartsong reader yet, why not join? There's plenty of great info to inspire, empower and uplift you, delivered to your inbox every other Sunday. And the archives are full of goodies, too. Check them out!

Have a wonderful day, everyone!

Much Love,
Kim