A Blessing for the New Year

May your new year be filled with abundance.

May it bring you new opportunities to grow and learn.

May you find peace in the present moment.

May you be blessed with the strength to face any challenges that come your way.

May you be surrounded by people who support and uplift you.

May you find the time and energy to nurture your relationships and cultivate meaningful connections.

May you express your creative free spirit with joy.

But most of all, may the new year bring you endless opportunities to love yourself like never before.

– Peleg Top, Guest Author

“I Am That,” Remembering Who You Are

Today is my 11th day of a 40-day meditation, with my delightful meditation partner, Dev Darshan, to purify the subconscious.

A few days ago, I spontaneously started watching some short videos from the spiritual teacher Mooji. I didn’t know of him before I “found” one of his videos.

Then yesterday I “found” a video from spiritual teacher Lisa Nichols that deeply spoke to me.

Mooji opens one of his videos by saying, “You’re looking out there for an answer. And, I’m looking at you as the answer.”

Deep breath.

I took that in. I knew that I know that. And then I forgot.

Fast forward to this morning when my mind is racing with all I have to do before I get on the road tomorrow to go to Durango and speak at the 9th Annual Women’s Small Business Conference. And then I hear a quiet, clear voice in my head. “Remember who you are.”

Immediately, the anxiety vanishes and I’m experiencing my own Divinity. I Know that I am the answer.

Perhaps I needed to purify the subconscious to remember!

I’d love for you to experience Mooji talking about “I Am That.” To me, he’s a shining example of living his Divinity.

I’d also love for you to experience Lisa Nichols. To me she’s a shining example of living her strong-from-within humanness.

And, if you’re inspired, I’d love to hear what’s on your heart and mind . . .

Join the conversation – comment below.

What Helps You Be More Aware of the Bounty Surrounding You?

This morning this exotic iris popped out into full bloom. It’s never bloomed the whole time I’ve lived here – four springs now.

We’re in such a severe drought right now that the Forest Service is closing Santa Fe National Forest tomorrow. It will remain closed until we get a significant amount of rain to radically reduce fire danger.

What Helps You Be More Aware of the Bounty Surrounding You?

Do irises thrive during a drought? I don’t know. And, the evidence is clear about this glorious one. It’s thriving right where it’s planted because of, or in spite of, the drought.

Just after I heard of the Forest closure, I noticed this miracle. What miracles are surrounding you right now? Even if you’re in the middle of a tough time, as many of us are, what’s calling your heart?

I’d love to hear from you. What bounty is in plain sight at this moment?

Join the conversation – comment below.

What Helps Us Feel Good about Ourselves?

When Things Are Going Well
Have you noticed when you’re in the flow, you tend to be engaging your strengths, your purpose, your passions? And then, it’s naturally easy to feel good about yourself, about your life?

When Things Aren’t Going So Well
And, have you noticed when you feel frustrated, lost, overwhelmed, then you tend to be hard on yourself?

How do we feel good about ourselves, regardless of circumstances? What if we use the tough times as an opportunity to be gentle with ourselves?

What if we purposefully talk to ourselves more kindly – as we would talk to a good friend who is going through something challenging? What if we consciously develop self-compassion for our humanness?

What Helps Us Feel Good about Ourselves?
A couple of weeks ago, I was super nervous to drive over Raton Pass after a freezing rain and ice storm. When I actually got to the Pass, the road had dried, but the trees were gorgeous. They were so beautiful that it changed my whole experience. I finally gave in and stopped the car several times to take pictures of the rare beauty.

I’ve been practicing this for awhile. So have some of my clients. We’ve found it to work wonders in creating a more loving relationship with ourselves.

What about you? Do share your ideas and insights.

Join the conversation – comment below.

Your Greatness As Me

Dear God, free me from
Anything that blocks me
From believing in Your Greatness
That flows through me.
As me.

Show me how to know You,
As me,
With every breath I take.

Regardless of circumstances.

AStrong-030718-500x500

Through the toughest storms,
During moments of Pure Grace,
And everything in between.

Show me how to experience unceasingly
Your Peace, Your Love, Your Abundance.

Show me how to express unceasingly
Your Peace, Your Love, Your Abundance.

Show me how to share unceasingly
Your Peace, Your Love, Your Abundance.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
I surrender this to You.
I know it is done.

Join the conversation – post your insights, feedback and experiences below.

What If It Is the Voice of God?

I made a big financial business mistake last year. I joined a program to teach me THE system for developing my own program without taking the time to understand the fine print and without noticing that several aspects of the program didn’t fit my values.

My StrengthsFinder Activator strength in its raw form has taken me to places like this before. I thought I had grown her up better than that. So humbling to still be so human. Oh my goodness.

Reflecting on what went wrong and how to go forward, I realized that I had forgotten to ask my Connectedness strength for input as I was deciding about the program. Several years ago, I had made Connectedness the Goddess in charge of all my strengths.

Connectedness tends to be much quieter than Activator. And she has direct, consistent access to God, Spirit, Source. If I listen.

Since getting out of the program, I have quit looking “out there” for the system. Instead, I’ve turned to my coach and to Connectedness to guide me to my perfect “system.”

It turns out my “system” isn’t a system at all. Instead, it’s instinctually following guidance. Specific, made-only-for-me, that I don’t even know I want or need guidance.

Following the impulse to clean up an awkward interaction with a previous client, which led to two new business opportunities.

Saying yes to going to the gym with a new friend when I had made a vow to never step foot in a gym this lifetime. Only to find out my body craves working out. I now love going to the gym faithfully twice a week. Who knew? For months, my family didn’t even believe I’d joined a gym.

My niece, Alisha, came to New Mexico to check it out for herself and had to take this picture of Ann in her new happy place.
My niece, Alisha, came to New Mexico to check it out for herself and had to take this picture of Ann in her new happy place.

Expressing a sadness to my ex-sweetie which led to a conversation neither of us can now remember how it went which led to us getting back together and creating an amazing new relationship that we fondly call 2.0.

None of these miracles happened because I asked God, “So, what do you want me to do today?” I simply followed my heart and intuition in the moment. Even when the guidance went against a vow I’d made, felt super uncomfortable or too vulnerable.

Ah, Connectedness.

Maybe that mistake wasn’t a mistake at all. Maybe it was the quickest way to get me back to me. After many months of ruminating about the mistake, that’s the first time I’ve said that out loud. Thank you for listening.

Join the conversation – post your insights, feedback and experiences below.

What If You Are Your Biggest Supporter?

From Dictionary.com –
Advocate: person supporting an idea or cause publically.

What if YOU are the idea and the cause?

Take that in: YOU are worth supporting. Even publically.

This flies in the face of what we’ve been taught about not tooting our own horn. Why aren’t we suppose to toot our own horn? Because we’ll get too big for our britches? None of that even makes sense.

What If You Are Your Biggest Supporter?

Why would we acknowledge our own Beauty less than the Beauty of this glorious flower?

Each of us is an entirely unique emanation of the One. To be celebrated. Honored. Cherished. Supported. Shared with the world. In a positive way.

“Getting too big for our britches” is a human idea. Self-deprecating is a long-celebrated, passed-down-through-the-generations, completely nonsensical idea.

We are here in this lifetime now to fully express ourselves. Our humanity and our Divinity. We are here to support and advocate for that expression.

How much cleaner and more empowering than trying to cleverly manipulate others into advocating for us, give us their stamp of approval?

Self-advocating isn’t ego puffery. It’s seeing yourself and speaking about yourself the same way you would a child or grandchild, a dear friend or a beloved teacher.

The other day, I noticed that one of the participants in my Thriving Work Working Book Club had a new picture on her Facebook page. She looked radiant. When I shared that with her, she simply replied, “I love my smile in that picture.”

Beautiful, innocent, pure self-advocacy.

Join the conversation – post your insights, feedback and experiences below.

You Are a Spark of the One

Sliver of G

I am a Divine Emanation.
A Spark of the One.
Completely unique.

Never before.
Never again.

Only Now.
Brilliant, shining Now.

Sliver-of-G

I am a Sliver of G.
Goodness.
Genius.
Gumption in action.
Grace in the moment.
The Glory of God incarnate.

I am a Sliver of G.

Join the conversation ~ post your insights, feedback, experience below.

You Are Beautiful

When was the last time you told yourself you’re beautiful? When was the last time your bank teller told you? That was definitely a first for me last week.

I went into a branch of my bank that I’d never been in before.

As I was handing her my paperwork, I notice this small sign facing me on her computer machine.

You Are Beautiful

“You are beautiful.”

We had a delightful conversation about her sign, and I left the bank feeling beautiful. I also felt more connected to the human race because I often forget to see the beauty of each person.

I couldn’t help wondering how the world would shift if we all had uplifting signs at our work stations to remind us and our visitors …

As always, post your comments, experiences and insights below …

I Am Love

Love is not something I do.
Love is not something I get from you.
Love is not something I give to you.

Love is who I am.
Love is who you are.

LOVE IS WHO I AM.
LOVE IS WHO YOU ARE.

As I feel into this,
I notice my brain wants meaning.
What does this mean?

As I feel into this,
I realize my heart KNOWS.

Without words.
With a softening of my body.
With a slowing of my breath.

Experiencing myself as love.
Experiencing you as love.

I Am Love
Experiencing this road, this snow, these clouds, these trees as love.

Experiencing the air I breath as love.
Experiencing the sun upon my face as love.
Experiencing life as love.
Experiencing. Love.

What about you? What’s your experience? Post your experiences below…