Today's episode was inspired by a training my friend and mentor Alex Paulos did inside my Second Half S.P.A.R.K. School™ this past week.

He spoke of how many of us are withering in the environments we are living in and we must look for ways to create an environment we can THRIVE in.

It was quite powerful and it led me to the realization that when you are thriving, you feel abundant. And when you are withering, you are more likely to be focused on the lack in your life.

THRIVE = ABUNDANCE!

So of course I had to share this aha moment with you!

So where are you in life? Are you thriving or withering? And if the latter, what can you do about it?

Create an ARTIFICIAL ENVIRONMENT where you CAN thrive, like the coconut tree analogy I shared!

It's time to ask yourself:

• Who are you surrounded by? Who can you find to help you thrive?
• What are you doing? What behaviors are contributing to this withering state?
• Who are you being? Tune into the different feelings inside when placed in...

Today I talk about shifting my thoughts to abundance as I say goodbye to my 9 year old car which I sat in for the last time this morning, right before I recorded this episode.

I got so sad when I was focusing on it being the last day it will be my car. But then I decided to switch my thoughts to what I love about the car and the many great memories and lessons learned I’ve had with it… like the two - YES TWO! - times I ran out of gas and the day I had a major spaghetti sauce spill.

It’s like this car is a child I am giving up for adoption!!! But now that I know how the brain works, I have a good idea of where this attachment comes from and how crazy it is. Maybe you can relate if you had a dad like mine!

So while I started out this episode a little sad and even a bit teary-eyed, once I started applying abundant thinking and sharing the memories, the sadness disappeared and I felt nothing but happiness.

Now it’s your turn!

Make a list of the things you love...

Today I decided to make a list of the first 10 things that came up for me when looking for positives in the pandemic. And I actually added an extra one for a total of 11!

I got the idea for this topic because a few things I valued have recently returned in my life - things that were lost that I took for granted. And some of the items on my list were added simply because I have a new perspective, a new appreciation for things that, if not for the pandemic, I may not have ever realized.

Looking at the past 18 months with an abundance mindset gives me such better feelings than looking at the lack that many of us felt by losing so much of the little things in our lives we just took for granted.

Have you made a list of the pandemic positives in your life? If not, take a stab at it and see how it makes you feel... 

If you like this podcast but haven't yet given us a 5-star rating or a review, please do! It will help increase the visibility of this podcast so that others will see...

My search for abundance yesterday morning led me to the topic for this episode... You see, I missed a BIG goal I had set with my team. It was the biggest goal we've set to date and I really believed it was possible. (Hint: Belief is a big part of attracting what you desire!)

But we missed our goal... And as a bit of a competitor, I felt like I lost the game I was playing. And who wants to lose?!?! Not me!!! So I woke up with the attitude of a bad loser - the type who can't see the lessons in the loss.

I laid in bed for a couple of minutes with loser thoughts that just made me feel crappier and unmotivated to get out of bed. Not a good way to start a Friday, or any day for that matter!!! (And a rare occurrence in my life since I love what I do and typically jump out of bed excited to get to work!)

But fortunately, from plunging into the work of abundance and employing this mindset on a daily basis, I quickly became aware that my thoughts were coming from a place of lack and dwelling...

The idea for this episode was triggered by my own aha moments while reading some of the May entries in my book "Simple Abundance" by Sarah Ban Breathnach.

I had never thought about how our environment, the house we live in and the items contained in it are indicators of authenticity AND how this authenticity, or lack of it, impacts a feeling an abundance.

Wow. Wow. Wow.

She has some great questions you need to ask yourself as you are playing the role of "dispassionate detective" while walking around your house. It made me think about past houses and belongings that made me feel inauthentic.

• What surrounds you daily that you need to get rid of?
• What mementos of your past help or hinder your movement into the future?
• Do you have your own sacred space that makes you feel happy and whole?

If you're anything like me, it will make you think about your house in a different way and perhaps make some positive changes to bring more authenticity and abundant feelings into your life.!

Since...

In this episode, I was inspired by a training I did for the women inside my "Ignite Your Second Half Soul" free training. You'll hear some of the results from an exercise I had asked them to do prior to the training and I think you'll find what I share interesting and likely very relatable. The exercise involved 2 steps as follows:

Step 1 was to describe themselves in 3 words, without any reflection. Just share whatever are the first 3 words that come to mind.

Step 2 was to ask a close friend to describe them in 3 words. Again, without thinking, what are the first 3 words that came to their friend's mind when asked.

Here's what they learned and what you'll learn by listening to this episode:

• Words have power and some of the words we use to describe ourselves are very disempowering
• Disempowering words do not put you in a state of abundance. In fact, they will do the opposite.
• We are our own worst critics and often don't easily "see" the abundance in ourselves.
• We tend to focus on...

For this 6th Activating Abundance episode, I reached out to previous guests and asked them to provide quotes, poems or stories/experiences they can share about abundance.

I am so grateful to Joy, Marian, Angie, Lisa, Kelly, Sandy, Eileen, and Michelle for taking the time to record a snippet of inspiration for you today.

If you'd like to hear more from these past guests, I've included links below that will take you right to their podcast interview and the show notes that have more information on who they are, what they do and how to connect with them:

Joy Pereira - Episode 66: Tips from a “Joy”-filled Aussie Who Loves “Nerding Out”!

Marian Barnick - Episode 76: Kinesiology: The Importance Of Physical Alignment In Living Your Best Life

Angie Sanders - Episode 28: Finding Hope & Purpose Through Adoption

Kelly West - Episode 85: Breathwork: A Great Soul Connector And Healing Practice

Lisa Bader - Episode 56: A Mother’s Love Of...

In this episode, I pulled from a series of excerpts in a book I'm reading called "Simple Abundance" by Sarah Ban Breathnach.

The excerpts are from her March readings really stuck with me when I read them (the book has 365 messages of abundance for each day of the year) because of the quotes she used to introduce the various topics that center around the authenticity, acceptance, and self care - the bottom line being: to celebrate the beauty that is within and love on it every day. 

I captured the quotes below for those who like reading better than listening. :)

1. "Until you make peace with who you are, you'll never be content with what you have." -- Doris Mortman
2. "We are not born all at once, but by bits. The body first, and the spirit later. Our mothers are racked with the pains of our physical birth; we ourselves suffer the longer pains of our spiritual growth." -- Mary Antin
3. "So many women just don't know how great they really are. They come to us all vogue outside and vague...

In this episode, I felt compelled to share a lesson inspired by my student community that came from a recent coaching session. In the session, one student voiced she had "fallen off the wagon," while on vacation, losing what she had felt was great momentum.

I sensed she felt real disappointment in herself and realized this as a great teaching moment about abundance for this podcast series, especially since I, the coach and teacher, had just experienced a similar fall off of the wagon. In fact, the day of our coaching session was the same day I had gotten home from a 5 day vacation.

So today I share the following "fell off the wagon" abundant lessons:

• Why we must stop beating ourselves up for getting out of our healthy routines!
• The abundance I found on my recent trip to Florida.
• Why fear keeps us in a lack state.

Click on the links below to find the Brené Brown resources I mentioned:
Her book "The Gifts of Imperfection"
Clip from Oprah interview on Super Soul Sunday

If...

In this episode, I share my first lesson in a book I ordered last month when I was looking to delve deeper into living from a more abundant state of mind. But before I talked about the lesson which brought back a wonderful memory, I explained a bit about the author and her back story.

By the end of this episode, you'll have learned:

• The struggles that led the author to write this book.
• Some amazing quotes from the author that you'll want to write down.
• How the adventure of thrifting is far from a lack mindset.
• About my amazing Aspen thrifting experience!

Do you visit thrift or consignment stores? If so, how does thrifting make you feel? If not, are you ready to plan your first adventure? Reach out to me on social media and let me know if this episode has inspired you to take action...

Here's my Amazon link to "Simple Abundance: 365 Days to a Balanced and Joyful Life" by Sarah Breathnach: https://amzn.to/3tmJr3P

If you'd like to connect or reach out to ME, you can find me at:

...