What exactly is it that I DO?

For over a year now I have been struggling with describing what it is that I "do."

I've been taking online classes and buying up every product that promises to help me gain clarity on the subject. It's pretty straightforward to say that I am a psychologist or I am a yoga teacher or I own a wellness center but those titles don't truly convey what my life's work is all about. I had settled on the following description, "I inspire women to create more wellness in their lives." But every time I tried to spit it out it felt awkward. When I really examined this phrase, it came up feeling very safe. And playing safe is just not for me anymore.

Then yesterday in what felt like a very sudden revelation (but I'm sure has actually been brewing beneath the surface for quite some time) the answer came to me.

All of the work I do and every program that I create shares one goal: to help you magically transform your life from good enough to GREAT! My inspiration comes from my own life experiences, particularly my relationship with my inner self and my life's work.

In what feels like a lifetime ago but in reality was only 2008, I attended a yoga retreat that transformed me. At the time I had what I describe now as a good enough life. I had a good job, a beautiful home, a loving partner, and I was surrounded by wonderful family and friends. But I wasn't fully, authentically showing up in my life as ME. This retreat was the first time that I asked myself, "What do I really want?" Like so many of us, I had been caught up in doing what I thought I should do and spending too much energy worrying about what other people might think. There was no room left for honoring my true self. Nothing was really wrong but nothing was REALLY right either.

Since that retreat in 2008 I have completely transformed my life on the inside by nurturing my relationship with myself and on the outside by pursuing my dreams. My own journey parallels what I see as my life's work: helping women to reconnect with their true self and honor her by authentically showing up in their lives.

This is the thread that connects all of my work. Whether I'm teaching a yoga class or working with a therapy client or writing a blog post or creating workshops, my goal is always to inspire an authentic awakening so that you too can magically transform your life!

Last January I was interviewed by the local paper about my Dare to Live Your Dreams Online Circle. The last line from the interview was, "I just want everyone I see around me to be loving their life as much as I love mine.
" This might sound super cheesy but it is absolutely true. That's why I do what I do.

Thank you for sharing this journey with me,

Mindy

November/December Dreams

Scenes from October

It's hard to believe that November is almost half over! Since I'm a bit behind on my Monthly Goal Reflection, I've decided to combine my November/December Dreams. Let's begin by reviewing October's Dreams...

October Dreams:

• Attend Buffalo Women Entrpreneurs ROCK! meeting: YES! Had a great time reconnecting with these inspiring women!
• Stop in at local La Leche League meeting: YES! Loved connecting with these like-minded ladies!
• Savor Fall weather and go apple picking with my sister and her family: No, but my husband and I did drive to a local farm and buy apples.
• Baby shower for an old friend: YES! It was wonderful to see my old grad school friends!
• Girls Night with my YaYas: YES! These nights sustain me :)
• Celebrate Halloween with fun festivities at my mom's house: YES!
• Drop another 5lbs: No, down a few but not quite 5...
• Move every day (yoga, walking, maybe a gym jaunt): Mostly! Feels good to move every day!
• Get a Pedicure (in desperate need!): YES! Monthly self-care must for me!

November/December Dreams:

• Go to a yoga class!
• Lose 6lbs to put me at my next big goal.
• Write! Spend more time blogging and journaling.
• Find joy and presence during the holiday season. Stay focused on what really matters.
• Enjoy a week off in December.
• Spend some serious time reflecting on 2011 and envisioning how I'd like my life and business to look in 2012.

What are you dreaming of as 2011 comes to a close? I'd love for you to share in the comments so we can support each other's dreams!

October Dreams

September Dreams:

So I was a little over zealous with my September Dreams :)

Adjusting to life with a new baby requires lots of flexibility so I've adapted many of the goals I dreamt up last month. Let's review....

Physical:

• lose 5lbs (still working on that baby weight) - YES
• walk 3x/week - YES, as long as 10 minute walks with Lainy in the Baby Bjorn count
• check Spinning class schedule at YMCA - NO, but I did day dream about going to Spinning class...

Spiritual:

• take a yoga class - YES, Melaina and I went to mommy & me yoga 2x
• read an inspiring book - YES, for all of 10 minutes :)

Finances:

• save 25% of my earnings this month - WORK IN PROGRESS
• donate to beloved charity - YES, a small donation but still counts!

Service:

• brainstorm ways to give back locally and globally - NOT EXACTLY, but an opportunity presented itself to me & it is in progress

Environment:

• clean off the buffet in our foyer, empty boxes in my home office - WORK IN PROGRESS, again spent about 10 minutes working on these areas but definitely did not finish

Self-Care:

• re-establish morning ritual, take 15 minutes of "me-time" daily - WORK IN PROGRESS (life long work in progress really)

Life's Work:

• assess current schedule/activities and brainstorm next steps - YES, I've already adjusted my schedule and things are going more smoothly

Creativity:

• blog 2x this month - YES
• art journal - NO
• vision board for remainder of 2011 - NO

October Dreams:

This month is all about connection for me. I'm excited to spend time with friends & family and meet up with like-minded peeps at a few local gatherings!

• Attend Buffalo Women Entrpreneurs ROCK! meeting
• Stop in at local La Leche League meeting
• Savor Fall weather and go apple picking with my sister and her family
• Baby shower for an old friend
• Girls Night with my YaYas
• Celebrate Halloween with fun festivities at my mom's house
• Drop another 5lbs
• Move every day (yoga, walking, maybe a gym jaunt)
• Get a Pedicure (in desperate need!)

The 1 minute Yoga Challenge

I have been feeling guilty that my home yoga practice is basically nonexistent right now. Then something a student said to me this week gave me an idea. She said she tries to do just one yoga pose before bed. That got me thinking, can one yoga pose, one minute of yoga per day make an impact? So I'm challenging myself to practice 1 minute of yoga every day of October. I can certainly find 1 minute in my day for yoga! I'll be posting my pose of the day on the studio Facebook page and I'll let you know how it's changing my life with updates here on the blog.

Are you interested in crafting a home practice? New to yoga and looking for a way to bring some poses into your daily life? Follow along with me on our Facebook page!

image credit

I promise myself...

This was my first week back to work. Today I realized that I've spent so much of this week wishing things were different that I've stolen precious time from myself.

I've been wishing I didn't have to work when I could've been appreciating having work to do that I love & feeling grateful for the flexibility of being an entrepreneur.

I've been wishing Melaina would sleep through the night again when I could've been soaking up her precious baby cheeks or giggling at her awesome hair.

I've been wishing I could "just get something done" around the house when I could've been basking in permission to relax and enjoy my time at home.

So now I promise myself that I will not steal any more time wishing my life away.

It's time to return to acceptance of how things are and let go of struggling to change.

It's time to return to the present moment and let go of anxiety about the future.

It's time to return to trusting my heart and let go of doubting myself.

I will do this by breathing deeply, approaching my life from a place of love (not fear), seeing with grateful eyes and recognizing all the abundance in my life, and letting go of the expectations & judgements that have been hanging around my head. Finding peace with the present moment doesn't mean letting go of my aspirations for the future. It's a balance of effort and surrender, as well as discipline and contentment.

September Dreams

I recently had a long overdue date with my art journal. During my maternity leave I have not been posting my regular Monthly Goal Reflection. Since it's been more than three months since I've pondered my goals, I decided to start with the Living Wellness Lotus activity. This is a visual tool I created for assessing the state of several areas of one's life.

Play along at home! Rate the following areas of your life from 1 (time for major change) to 10 (things are going great): creativity, spirituality, physical, relationships, finances, service, environment, self-care, and life's work. Next, draw a flower to reflect your ratings. Use bigger or longer petals for higher ratings.

After taking a look at the current state of these areas of my life, I jotted down some goals for each one.

Physical: lose 5lbs (still working on that baby weight), walk 3x/week, check Spinning class schedule at YMCA

Spiritual: take a yoga class, read an inspiring book (just ordered this one and this one)

Finances: save 25% of my earnings this month, donate to beloved charity

Service: brainstorm ways to give back locally and globally

Environment: clean off the buffet in our foyer, empty boxes in my home office

Self-Care: re-establish morning ritual, take 15 minutes of "me-time" daily

Life's Work: assess current schedule/activities and brainstorm next steps

Creativity: blog 2x this month, art journal, vision board for remainder of 2011

My next step will be to find an inspiring image, tape it into my Planner Pad and jot my monthly goals there so that I am reminded of them daily.

Carve out some time for reflection. What areas of your life need attention? What small steps can you take toward your ideal life? What are you dreaming of this month? Did you know people who share their goals with others and write them down are more likely to succeed? Feel free to share your dreams in the comments and we can support each other!

Emerging from Maternity Leave

I'm slowly emerging from the sweet, warm cave of maternity leave. These past three months have been filled with countless hours of blissful baby gazing, tears of joy as I marvel at the abundance that is my life, oohs and aahs watching her grow, and much, much picture taking as I try to capture every moment and slow down time! Of course there have also been the dark moments of exhaustion, fear, and self-doubt that tend to accompany major life transitions. I want to remember it all.

This past week I facilitated a workshop I had signed on for before Melaina was born. It was my first big chunk of time away from her and although I held back tears as I left, it felt good to get back into the groove of working. I'm just starting to plan my return to teaching at the studio and seeing therapy clients. I had my first date with my planner pad and highlighters today. I broke out my glittery gel pens and started outlining the final quarter of the year. It feels good to get back to this part of myself that has been lying dormant these past few months. I'm excited to move into this next phase of my life where I plan to spend the bulk of my time at home while continuing to evolve my businesses. I have no idea how exactly it will unfold, but I look forward to the journey and sharing it here with you.

It's easy to see how I spend my days staring at her, isn't it? She is the cutest! And she has already changed so much. Just today she figured out how to use her hands for the first time and really grab onto her toys. Watching her grow every day is amazing; it blows my mind how much change occurs in this short time. I want to savor every minute.

Having a teenager and a newborn is actually pretty awesome! It really makes me appreciate how quickly life goes by. It's like a daily, in-your-face reminder to be present and soak up all the goodness right in front of me. It has been an amazing summer and I'm overflowing with gratitude for this gift of time focused solely on my family.

PS I love my iPhone and the fabulous Instagram app that I used to edit all of these pictures!