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Dear Narcissist

You swept into my life and made me believe you understood many aspects of me. Of who I was as a person, what I valued, you valued, mirrored my goals, and you understood my trauma. You even went to the extent of mirroring that trauma. I felt you were one of the only people who understood what I was going through.

All of this was a sneaky form of manipulation to entangle me into your web of lies. That must have made you feel powerful and fed your sick need of getting fuel from each source, no matter how you chose to feed. How calculated each lie was has me floored and confused because, as an empath, I just don’t understand you. I do not understand the need to lie and manipulate, as that only fuels hate. What a miserable life that must be to live where you never understand the value of what it truly means to give.

You are so “kind, loving, and great,” but only use these qualities as a tool to manipulate. That deceit is only fueled by hate. Hating yourself and that poor inner child must be challenging to live with. You scramble through life feeling empty and raw, hoping no one ever becomes aware of your fatal flaw.

But guess what? Sometimes you slip up, and your true self is revealed. When it does, it causes you to spin out of control into a gaslighting monster that cannot truly relate to any realistic fate. How you can deny the truth when the evidence is proper before you is entirely laughable and makes me pity you. It must be such an awful way to live, constantly lying to people who care for you and only genuinely wish to give.

Before you, I thought I understood Narcissism, that I “knew” the signs, and that I had already experienced so much trauma from your kind. A man was blind to the different forms you can take. The deep level of manipulation and deceit I can not even fathom. Yet here I sit today, eyes open and clear to all the smoke and mirrors from the past few years. With this new clarity, I am so glad I discovered what you are.

So the No Contact will be a piece of cake because I have value just as I am. I do not need anyone to fill my cup, as I can form self-love. This is a quality you will never have, which is indeed quite sad.

I can see you for what you indeed are. I know the lies will never stop, the victims will continue to change, and your source will consistently get devalued and tossed away as your toxic cycle repeats over and over again. This “life” you choose to live is filled with sadness. You will never be able to honestly look within and find value in who you are. The world has so much good, yet something terrible must have happened to you that you cannot see the value of just being you. There is never a need to lie, cheat and manipulate; when you do this, you are filling your soul with hate.

The joy in this all is that I am more substantial than you ever expected me to be. I take this lesson gracefully and will use it to empower me to help others who have been entangled in your abuse. The empathetic traits that you took as a weakness are a strength. As I can feel on a level, you will never understand. Feeling love will always be something you grasp for but can’t get, which is genuinely grand.

So you may have left other victims in a puddle or a shell of who they indeed are and will continue to do this on an endless cycle of despair. You did not break me; you only gave me more power to heal, so thank you for that gift. I wish you well, but know your life is my living hell.

Sincerely,
Your Exposer

If you expose a narcissist, the best thing to do is to protect yourself first. Take some time to assess the situation and determine the best course of action. You may want to consult with a mental health professional who can help you understand the situation’s dynamics and provide guidance on how best to handle it. It may also be helpful to contact family and friends for support. Additionally, try to practice self-care and focus on rebuilding your self-confidence, as this can help you better cope with the situation and move forward.

The term “Narcissist” seems to be a massive buzzword for experiencing someone with a grandiose sense of self, an inflated ego, and a person who believes the world revolves around them. In our increasingly self-centered world, it seems as though there is an increase in this type of behavior. The thing is, everyone has narcissistic traits. Even the most empathetic of people have some narcissistic behaviors. So does that mean everyone is a narcissist? NO! Some extreme forms of Narcissism can be traumatic and leave the person involved with someone with the more extreme narcissistic traits a former shell of themselves. These relationships can take various forms: parents, children, friendships, and intimate partnerships.

If you are in a relationship with someone and certain things seem off, you cannot quite focus on what it is. Try to sit back and observe to see if they exhibit narcissistic traits. Narcissistic traits can include a grandiose sense of self-importance, a need for excessive admiration, lack of empathy, entitlement, self-centeredness, manipulative behavior, exploiting others, arrogance, extreme jealousy, and preoccupation with success. Sometimes it can take a long time to see through the lies and manipulation; however, when you finally unveil what has been going on, you can begin to heal and move forward. Part of that healing journey may be to connect with your inner creativity. Here is a free resource that can help
https://calm.amandacottrell.com/calm-your-mind-ebook
Love and Light
AMC

artmindfulnessandcreativity

New Beginnings and Saying Yes to You

New Beginnings and Saying Yes to You When a relationship ends it is a new beginning and an opportunity for you to say yes to yourself, to become a better version of yourself. It sometimes is really hard to see past the hurt and the pain at the moment. Instead of viewing an ending as a negative, begin to rewire your thought process to view it as an opportunity for you to learn and grow. It is like the saying when one door closes another opens. Every relationship in life is an opportunity for learning and growing even in friendships. 

When any relationship ends it is not because of one event or action. Generally, relationships break down over time and the dissolution of the relationship is a result of many actions and events that cause people to grow apart and resent each other. The anger, resentment, hurt and pain grow over time and eventually comes to a head when the relationship ends. Or you just grow apart and eventually realize that you no longer want the same things. Sometimes this form of dissolution of a relationship can be harder because there is no main event to ‘blame’ it on.

Regardless of how a relationship ended each day we have the opportunity to start a new and better life for ourselves one day at a time. We always have the opportunity for growth and change. Your healing path begins when you decide to say ‘yes’ to you. 

When relationships end there are often people who will have an opinion of your decisions and try to persuade you in one way or the other. It is important to spend time really getting clear on what you want in your life and what you can do to empower your life each day. It is really important to not let others persuade you in the direction of their opinion, wants, or needs. You are the only one who can empower your life so you need to really dive deep into what you really want and who you want to become. 

When you begin to get clear on your vision and begin to live from your highest vibration you may need to develop strategies for setting healthy ‘for you’ boundaries. Boundaries can be difficult to set because as you grow into a more confident version of yourself there will be people who try to hold you back and keep you stuck. They will not like the changes you are making and this is okay. The thing is, when you begin to choose you, your vibration changes and you will no longer vibe with the people who held you back. You will begin to vibe with people who are also on a growth path. When you set healthy ‘for you’ boundaries you do not have control over how the people you set the boundary with will react. All you have control over is your reaction and behavior. Setting healthy ‘for you’ boundaries is a very important step in empowering your life. 

Sometimes the only way to heal is to decide to completely shift your life to surround yourself with different people and surroundings to aid in the healing process. 

If you were naive when it came to understanding abuse, in the past, be gentle with yourself and know that that version of you was doing the best that they could with the skills that they had at the time. Once you begin to explore boundaries in relationships you may begin to notice the need to set boundaries with abusive behavior in all areas of your life. 

One lesson on boundary setting is to brainstorm and talk out scenarios of how people you are setting the boundary with may react. This work is really important because it allows for exploration of both the best and worst case scenarios and everything in between, before actually setting the boundary. Again, you have no control over how the people you are setting your boundary with will react so you need to be mentally prepared for a number of different possible outcomes. 

Be warned and prepared ahead of time, the people you set the boundaries with may not always take it in the ‘best’ case scenario, this has nothing to do with you. It is about their path and journey and where they are at in their healing. People may blame and shame you and try to break your boundaries many times. No matter what happens, trust that you are on a healing path. Your boundaries are necessary for you. 

When you shift and change, the people who were holding you back will not like it. They will try to pull you back down where they had control and keep you stuck. The only person who has the power to get you out of any situation you are in is you. You have no idea how much power you have within yourself until you begin to stand up for yourself and work on becoming the best version of yourself. The best version of you starts with the beginning to set boundaries. 

Learning to tell people what you want and learning how to say ‘no’ can be a very uncomfortable experience. It is important to learn to sit with discomfort, learn to self-reflect, and use clear concise communication. 

When you begin to work on your mental health you will begin to realize the only way for you to heal is to remove yourself from the people and situations that contribute to your mental dis-ease. Which is a huge step and not always an easy one. Yet if you do not learn to set healthy boundaries you will continue the same pattern over and over again. 

The dissolution of a relationship is the perfect time for you to learn how to set healthy boundaries and begin to break the patterns that have kept you stuck for your entire life. Those patterns may have kept you stuck for years in an unhealthy marriage or relationship. The only way to move on from it is to begin to heal from the inside out. Healing is an inside job that can be impacted by the outside world. 

Saying yes to you can be as simple as saying no when you do not want to go out one evening. It could be taking time to begin a new hobby or learn a new skill. If you are not sure about what saying yes to you feels like taking time to get really centered and ask yourself, is this something I really want to do? If the answer is no then you politely decline. 

When you choose you and make your healing a priority you will be amazed at how fast your life shifts, how much lighter you feel and how much better your outlook on this one beautiful life that you have is. We only have one life to live. When you begin to make the most of each day and step into your power through boundaries you will begin to see the beauty in so many areas of your life. You will find more joy in the simple things like a good cup of coffee or taking time to slow down and smell the flowers.

artmindfulnessandcreativity

Start Today! Create a Better You

You know the saying the best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is to plant one today. That message can apply to anything in your life. The best time to start empowering your life is today. You cannot do anything about the past. You can not control your future. All you truly have is today.

Each morning you wake up you have a chance to create a better life for yourself. You and only you can begin to heal your life by taking continuous action to build a better tomorrow. So many of us do not realize the power we have within ourselves to not only change our lives but also the lives of everyone around us.

The people you surround yourself with will be inspired by the work you are doing. If they are not inspired by you choosing to empower your life that is okay too. Some people will try to hold you back and keep you stuck. Some are meant to stay in your life for, “a reason, a season or a life-time,” very few people have lifelong friendships. It is okay to move on from friendships and relationships that do not support the work you are doing to heal.

I truly believe we need to start teaching the concept of the “Power of Now,” in schools so that kids begin to learn from an early age, that they have the power to change their lives. It can be as simple as changing their perspective and taking control of the thoughts they think.

I wrote a children’s poem that I turned into a book on this exact concept to help young children realize the power they have. It also applies to adults.

  • When I watch the news or learn about the past, I wonder how these awful things continue to last.
  • We learn about wars in schools. Which makes me wonder, why we were such fools.
  • We learn about indigenous tribes that were almost wiped out. I wonder why we choose to push them about.
  • I sometimes hear stories that are just not nice, I wonder why we allow things to turn into a vice.
  • What if we all made a promise to ourselves and peers today? To focus on joy and not being so gray.
  • Everyone is doing the best they can. Until they know better things might seem like a jam.
  • What tiny step could you take? To give others a break?
  • We can start to question the past to change and evolve. We can show empathy and begin to resolve.
  • Life can become better now! Do you know how?
  • If everyone started to choose kind instead of cruel. We could begin to change the world by starting in our school.
  • What if everyone started to lend a helping hand. I am sure we could achieve something quite grand.
  • Each day do one little thing to make the world a better place. Then we could flow with love and grace.
  • Each person has the power to make the world great. By focusing on this moment and choosing love over hate.
  • You can’t change the past. But don’t worry you will have a blast. By starting now and choosing kind, then empowering your mind.
  • Each day we have a chance to make a positive impact. It really depends on how we choose to act!

What are you going to do with the ultimate power that you do hold in this moment? That is really up to you. If you are committed to healing and empowering your life then the best time is to start right now! It can be as simple as catching your mind when it begins to go down a self-destructive thought pattern.

Rome was not built in a day. Be gentle with yourself, the work you are doing to heal will take time. Healing is not ever an overnight success story. It takes continuous conscious work to heal your life and empower your mind. It is also important to realize that healing is not a destination, it is a journey. There will be times when you fall back into your subconscious patterns. When that happens be gentle with yourself and make a conscious effort to get back on track. You will find that the tools you have built along the way will help you get back on track quicker everytime something arises that throws you off track.

Learn to be grateful for your journey and for the present moment. This vibration will lead you to a very powerful healing transformation, it will give you the energy and power to embrace this moment and build a better you starting today.

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Do You Set Healthy Boundaries?

Have you ever set a boundary before? Boundaries can be difficult to set because you do not have control over how the people you set the boundary with will react. All you have control over is your reaction and behavior. Setting healthy ‘for you’ boundaries is a very important step in empowering your life.

It took me years of counseling and support to begin to set healthy boundaries with people. Before learning to set boundaries, I would quietly hide my frustration then when I was at my wits end I would lose it in an angry outburst. This caused me a lot of mental hardship and struggle as I would live my frustrations out in my head causing me much unnecessary mental chatter then also look like a crazy person when I finally lost it.

I was talking with a friend who had struggled with addiction issues for years and they commented on how rehab was not the solution because after the therapy they just went back into the same life with the same problems and they just slipped back into their addiction really quickly. They said the only way to heal from addiction was to decide to completely shift your life to surround yourself with different people and surroundings to aid in the healing process. I thought this conversation was so profound because it was so closely tied to the work I had been doing on boundary setting.

I was so naive when it came to understanding abuse, when I began my healing journey. I didn’t even realize the amount of emotional abuse I had endured over the years. When I started going to counseling, retreats and healers to discuss my struggles, the need for setting clear boundaries kept reappearing. The psychologist really opened me up the most to the need to set boundaries with abusive behavior in all areas of my life. So began my journey to speak up for myself and set healthy for me boundaries based on support from my psychologist.

One lesson when working with the psychologist on boundary setting was brainstorming and talking out scenarios of how the people may react to the boundary set. This work was really important because it allowed for exploration of best and worst case scenarios before actually setting the boundary. This is a really important step because you have no control over how the people you are setting your boundary with will react.

Just like the psychologist warned me ahead of time, the people I set the boundaries with did not always take it in the ‘best’ case scenario. They often blamed and shamed me and tried to break my boundaries many times but with support I was able to maintain my healthy ‘for me’ boundaries.

When you shift and change, the people who were holding you back will not like it. They will try to pull you back down where they had control and keep you stuck. The only person who has the power to get you out of any situation you are in is you. You have no idea how much power you have within yourself until you begin to stand up for yourself and work on becoming the best version of you. I truly believe the best version of you starts with beginning to set boundaries.

Boundaries can come in many different forms. You may have to set boundaries at work, with friends and with family. Even small boundaries around deciding to not be attached to your phone and responding at a time that works for you can be a small step in becoming a stronger, more empowered version of yourself.

Learning to tell people what you want and learning how to say ‘no’ can be a very uncomfortable experience. It is important to learn to sit with discomfort, learn to self-reflect, and to use clear concise communication.

When you begin to work on your mental health you will begin to realize the only way for you to heal is to remove yourself from the people and situations that contribute to your mental dis-ease. Which is a huge step and not always an easy one yet if you do not learn to set healthy boundaries you will continue the same pattern over and over again.

If you are still struggling with lack of boundaries in your life and want to live from your highest self then follow my blog and social media. To do the inner work needed to shift your entire life, sign up for, “Empower Your Life Course,” launching September 2022. Sign up now for early bird pricing!

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Speaking your Truth

Do you speak your truth? If you are a talker you may think yes, and if you are a quiet person you may think no. Speaking your truth has little to do with how much you talk and more to do with the authenticity of what you are saying. If you are a talker do you speak authentically when you do? If you are an introvert do you speak up when necessary? Asking yourself these questions and becoming conscious of your behavior will help guide you to speak your truth.

Speaking from your authentic self often coincides with your throat chakra. If your throat chakra is blocked you may struggle with speaking your truth. The throat chakra shuts down when you experience grief and are unable to express your feelings freely. The functionality of the throat chakra is also affected by substance abuse. Smoking, drinking and recreational drugs all pass through the throat and disrupt the energy flow. The energy from the crown and third eye are unable to freely flow to the lower chakras when the throat chakra is blocked.

When we are able to mean what we say and follow through with authentic action it is a sign that your throat chakra is balanced. When it is not, you may experience sore throat, neck issues, tooth and gum problems, you may also suppress your feelings and be unable to set clear boundaries with others.

Take a few moments to think about how you interact with others and the world. Has there been times when you stayed silent to not cause trouble, when you knew in your heart you should have spoken up? Have there been times when you just talked and talked to avoid uneasy silence? Were there times you contributed to gossip even though it just felt wrong on the inside and you should have just changed the subject or stepped up and said something? I think almost everyone has experienced these situations at different times in their lives. Now that you have become aware of them, that is the first step to stepping into your power and speaking your truth.

You do not ever have control over how others perceive and view you. What you do have control over is how you view yourself and how you choose to speak and act. The throat chakra is directly connected to willpower, sense of self and ability to express your creative gifts. When you find yourself suppressing aspects of who you are it may be a sign that there is a need for change. The ability to stand up and say ‘no’ to what and who may be harmful to you is essential to maintaining a balanced throat chakra and strengthening your willpower.

The ability to communicate feelings openly is essential for the development of self and empowering your life. Self expression opens the doors to communication and creativity which are key aspects of living from our highest selves. Sometimes in order to do this we need to slow down and listen. The throat chakra is also connected to the ears. We have the ability to strengthen our throat chakra when we quiet down and listen to our inner voice. There has been research throughout history on the power sound has to heal. We can strengthen our immune system and begin to heal by saying positive things about ourselves aloud throughout the day.

Saying positive affirmations literally has a direct effect on endorphin levels in our blood stream. If you are ready to step into your power you need to quiet down and listen to your inner voice. Allow emotions to be experienced, not suppressed or acted upon, merely experienced for what they are; this will allow for free flowing energy through the throat chakra.

Stepping into your power demands that you strive to become emotionally mature and you overcome fear of speaking up when things do not align with your true values. We truly begin our empowerment path when we tell the truth. It takes a conscious effort to truly get comfortable with your feelings and deal with your inner reality. When you can speak up no matter how difficult it may be, it builds confidence and sets you on a higher path to self actualization.

If you are still struggling with speaking your truth and want to live from your highest self then follow my blog and social media. To learn how to speak your truth and shift your entire life signup for, “Empower Your Life Course,” launching this fall.

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Creativity is Key

I believe we are all infinitely creative in our own unique ways. Do you feel like you are a creative person? If so, how much time do you spend creating? If you do not feel like you are a creative person, reflect on the events of your life that have led you to feel like you are not creative.

When I started my Masters Degree, my focus was on Education Technology because I thought, at the time, that to be on the cutting edge of teaching. In order to do this I thought I needed to understand and be on top of the latest technology to empower my students to be the next generation of leaders. Did this focus ever change quickly! As I realized how wrong my initial view and understanding was. I noticed in my first year that technology was changing so quickly that I could never possibly keep up. Before I even had the chance to learn and understand the latest and greatest in tech it was already obsolete. So my focus changed to, ‘How can we utilize technology to empower us through our creative gifts and capacities.’ This shifted my view of everything related to my life and teaching.

What do you love to do more than anything in the world? How much time do you actually spend doing that? As a child I loved to draw, write and create. Through university and the first few years of my career I spent very little time doing those things and my quality of life greatly
diminished.

It wasn’t until I went to a retreat at the beginning of my divorce that I began to realize how much my soul missed the creative side of me. During the retreat we had to sit and draw or write about our reflections on different aspects of the content. At one point, another participant came over to me and said, “when you draw it is like you are in complete bliss. Do you draw often?”

I looked at her and almost burst into tears. My answer was no. I did not draw often, I only drew when I had to make a sample for the art task I wanted my students to do in class. I had not drawn just for me or for fun since I was a child. This really hit me to my core and I made the decision right then and there that I was going to bring back that part of me that had been pushed to the side for so long and forgotten about. When I began to bring bits of my creative side back into my life my entire being began to feel lighter and more at ease. I also realized very quickly how much my daughter who was 2 at the time also lit up every time we were creating.

If you are thinking, ‘that is great you are creative, I am not!’ I want you to stop right there. You
have been brainwashed into thinking that you are not creative because you may not be creative in the traditional sense of art. Maybe in school you hated art class and thus assumed that you are doomed to be a creative outcast for the rest of your life.

When I said we are all infinitely creative in our own unique ways I meant that. I had a parent, at parent teacher interviews, tell me that their daughter was not creative because she couldn’t
draw. I looked at the parent and said, “Your daughter is extremely creative, she can code and do the most amazing things on the computer that I have never seen a grade 3 student do in my entire career.”

Then the parent paused for a moment and said, “I guess you are right, I never thought about
creativity that way.”

When you shift your perception of what it means to be creative you will realize that no matter
how much you suck at drawing or painting you are actually infinitely creative too. If you are
struggling with contentment and joy in your life then I encourage you to take a step back and
reflect on what it is that you truly enjoy doing. You will notice that the things that you got lost in for hours as a child was actually your infinitely creative side expressing itself.

Now that you have an idea of how infinitely creative you truly are, block out some time in your busy day or week just for you. Spend that time truly basking in the joy of the moment and you will see how quickly your soul lights up and you will feel more content and alive.

If you are still struggling with lack of fulfillment in your life and want to live from your highest self then follow my blog and social media. To feel joy and fulfillment faster and do the inner work needed to shift your entire life sign up for, “Empower Your Life Course,” launching this fall.

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What is your Vibe?

I am sure you have heard the expression, “Your vibe attracts your tribe.” Have you ever thought deeper about this expression and taken a real look at yourself? When you look at your life, who are the closest people to you?

Motivational speaker John Rohan says, “You are an average of the five people you spend the
most time with.” Take a moment to really think about who you are closest to and how your life is impacted by them. Are they the type of people who inspire you? Do they encourage you to be the best version of yourself? Or do they pull you down and keep you stuck? If it is the latter it is time to seriously start to change your vibe so that you attract higher quality people into your life.

If you want to change the situation you are in, the first step is to become aware of it then to take conscious steps to shift your reality. When I was a new mom, almost all of the people I spent my time with were also new moms. This makes sense. I attracted other new moms because we were all vibrating the new mom vibe of survival. It was a great tribe to attract at that time because I needed other people who understood what it was like to have a newborn. I am super grateful for having that tribe at that time.

As time passed and I went back to work after my maternity leave, I began to realize I had bigger aspirations and goals. I finished my Masters Degree while working full-time and in the middle of a divorce. During this time I began to attract other single parents into my life because we all had a deeper understanding of what we were all going through. Many of the single moms I attracted at this time, I am still very close with because they are some of the most inspirational people I know.

Whenever I feel stuck I begin soul searching and visualizing what I really want to attract
into my life. Often I have many goals and ideas in my head but do not know where to start.
Every time I begin my journey to achieve a new goal, amazing new people start popping into my life. It is like the universe sends me just the right people at just the right time.

My new tribe of entrepreneurial people who aim high, do not let having a family or a divorce stop them from working on their aspirations.

Sometimes you meet people and just know they are completely inspirational. These are
the type of people you want to begin to surround yourself with when you make the decision to shift your life. You know who those people are, they are the ones who just ooze a confident presence and are driven by their passions.

If you do not know anyone right now who oozes confidence and inspiration, don’t worry. They will start popping into your life at the perfect time as you start to change your vibration.
For example, when I wrote my first children’s book this happened to me. The perfect people
started popping into my life. My original plan for my book was to make it on my computer and use the macbook printing services to print one copy for me to use in my classroom. As I was in the process of illustrating my book, a friend tagged me in a post on Facebook where a lady was looking for an illustrator. I did not end up illustrating for her at all but this friend connected me with exactly the right person I needed to meet to grow and expand on my book idea.

She was looking for an illustrator but was also coaching people how to self-publish on Amazon. I didn’t even know this option existed at the time so I ended up taking her course and learned how to self-publish my first book on Amazon. Another tag on Facebook was also how I got my first job as an illustrator. Once you start taking little steps towards your goals it is almost like magic, the right people will show up to help guide and inspire you to keep going.

As I embark on my entrepreneurial journey I now look at my tribe and the people who are
closest to me are entrepreneurs and business owners who I am completely inspired by and
want to learn from. Some of these people I have never even met in real life. Over a year ago on a facebook group of women entrepreneurs someone posted that they were looking for speakers on their talk show. So wanting to grow and learn I sent her a message. Turns out she lives in the United Kingdom and I live in Canada, and the timing was so perfect that I could be on the talk show before I went to work because 1pm UK time is 7am my time. This has allowed me to make connections with amazing people worldwide.

Part of attracting the right people is your vibe but it also involves taking action. If I had just seen the posts and not done anything about them I would not have grown. The universe may be sending you many people who will shift your life but you have to be open and ready to let them in otherwise the opportunity will pass.

If you had told me 9 years ago that before I was 41, I would have illustrated and self-published 9 children’s books while working full-time and being a single parent, I would have laughed at you and said that is not possible. Yet here I am. If you want something bad enough you have to start taking action, and you will attract just the right people to help you grow.

If you are still struggling with your current vibe and want to live a more empowered life then
follow my blog and social media. Or sign up for, “Empower Your Life Course,” launching this fall.

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Each Day is A New Day

How do you wake up in the morning? Do you hop out of bed excited to take on the day? Or do you hit the alarm 10 times and wish it was the weekend? How you start your day can so deeply affect all aspects of your day and life.

I know this because I am one of those people who used to hit the alarm 10 times and wish it
was the weekend so I could just sleep in and not get out of bed. So much of my willingness and motivation to get out of bed relates to how I am feeling on the inside.

When we begin to understand that our thoughts affect the world around us, we can begin to
change our inner world. When we change our inner world the world around us changes. No
matter what happened to you in the past you can always begin to change and empower your life starting today. The only Power you actually truly ever have is the power in this moment.
Yesterday is in the past and tomorrow is in the future. The only thing you are truly guaranteed is the moment you are currently in. The amazing thing is we have control over how we choose to view each and every one of our moments.

There are definitely days where I still really struggle. However, the most amazing thing is things that used to really bother me and used to throw me off for weeks at a time. I’m now able to get over more quickly and get myself back on track simply by being able to control my mind. To be able to reset your mind and focus on your goals regardless of what’s going on in the outside world really truly is a gift. This is a gift each and every one of us has. We are the only people who think within our minds and so we are the only people who have control over how we feel and what we do about how we feel.

Whenever I’m struggling with something I always take a step back and ask myself what is it that I can learn from the situation. When I take a step back and ask this any situation turns into a learning opportunity rather than a negative or positive. When we make the small mental shift to, ‘what can I learn from this,’ it actually completely shifts our perspective because then you look at it as an opportunity rather than a struggle.

There are opportunities around us all the time. We just need to begin to act on them. It doesn’t matter what happened in the past, each and every day is a new day. A new day is a new opportunity for you to become the best version of you, an opportunity for you to pursue your dreams, and to shift to spreading kindness, compassion and empathy. Every day that we are given a new day we should treat it as a gift and as an opportunity to become a better version of ourselves. Some days this is harder than others and when those days occur learn to be gentle with yourself the quicker you learn to be gentle with yourself and to get yourself back on track the more growth you will see.

Like I said I used to be that person that really struggled to get out of bed in the morning. Some days I still really do. The thing that’s changed now is my mindset. Before I get out of bed in the morning I envisioned myself having a great day. I recall all of the things that I’m grateful for. I take a few moments to just feel the gratitude surrounding me and blanket my whole body with the vibration of gratitude. This makes it easier to get out of bed.

Although sometimes my cat still makes it hard for me to get out of bed because she’s so cuddly and sweet. At these moments I also get to be grateful for the cuddly sweet kitten that I have.

No matter what happened to you yesterday you always have the opportunity in this moment to shift things. No matter how rough things have been or what you’ve been through in the past you are the only one who has the power to heal your life. Today you can do that, you can take one tiny step in your mind to use this new day to empower your life.

Then tomorrow you can take another tiny step and eventually you will be completely amazed at how far you’ve come. When you wake up in the morning and are grateful for the new day it just starts your day on such a more positive and authentic path. The people around you actually feel it too. I know for myself I try to catch myself now when I can feel myself vibrating with negativity.

As soon as I become aware of this I pause and reset or go do something that I know is going to help me reset completely. Things like going to yoga or going for a run or going for a walk. Even a quick venting session with a friend can help as long as it helps you let go and rest of the conversation is focused on a higher vibration. Sometimes you do just need to get out those frustrations but it can’t be the whole entire focus, it should also not take up more time than the higher vibration conversations.

Now when I’ve had a rough day and I talk to a friend I say I just need to vent for a second, I vent and then I let it go. Then we get on with our conversation and I focus on shifting that prior frustration to I’m so grateful for the friends that I have and how powerful and supporting those relationships are.

Everyone has the ability two to shift their perspective and not let something hangover them for so long. The ability to let go of the past and to live for today is truly a gift. It’s something that I truly need to work on each and every day but it helps me so much to to get myself back and to be grateful in the end. That awareness has truly shifted my life and it can do the same for you as well.

Are you feeling more grateful for today? Are you ready to take on today and view it as a gift? If you are still struggling with your mind and patterns and want to live a more empowered life then follow my blog and social media. Or sign up for, “Empower Your Life Course,” launching this fall.