by Patricia | Jul 26, 2016 | Beauty, Creativity, Dating, Empowerment, Joy
I’ve been reading a lot of writing by the “body-positive” (or the tryna-be-body-positive) community about what it is to be body positive. I have experience and a perspective on this topic, shaped by the times: When, as a child, I got comments about what I was eating, in comparison to everyone else. When, as a child, I had to justify why I was eating a piece of cake at a birthday party. When I was told that I could not wear red because of my size. When the word “fat” was used in reference to me, with disdain. When I’ve been asked if I thought I needed to lose weight. When I dated him, and him, and him, and they all told me how beautiful I’d be if I lost weight. When people questioned how hard it must have been to be me, in comparison to my skinny mother. When I bought a wedding dress and was told that the empire waisted gown was best, despite the obvious uni-boob. When I eventually bought the slim fitting fit-and-flare gown. When he told me that he wouldn’t marry me until I lost weight. When he told me that his mother told him to never bring home a fat girl. When he cheated. When I read the email he sent to the girl he cheated with, telling her that she needed to lose weight for their relationship to develop. When I determined that if I was not good enough for him to marry as a fat person, then he was not good enough for me, period. When I began using affirmations daily, like, “My...
by Patricia | Dec 31, 2014 | Blog, Empowerment, Featured, Joy
Regardless of how the year went, take stock today of the good you accomplished this year. Tomorrow’s a new year but it is also another new day – a new opportunity to try something you’ve never tried, an opportunity to do something you’ve never done. After taking stock today, start to plan (if you haven’t yet) for your vision of 2015. Thanks for reading, supporting, and sharing what you’ve read here, on Facebook and Instagram. More great things to come in 2015, including support in planning for your 2015 vision!...
by Patricia | Oct 12, 2014 | Blog, Empowerment, Featured, Joy
Over on Instagram, I’ve been participating in Gala Darling‘s #lovetober photo challenge. The prompt for today was, “Jump!” I could have (and probably should have) taken a photo of me jumping, posted and kept it moving. But I’m under the weather, in no mood to physically jump and pose for a photo. So instead I’m using this as a blog prompt, because “jumping” is so relevant to my life right now. So there have been various times in my life when the decision to jump was before me, and I took it. For example, when I decided to go from artsy English major to artsy law student, the decision was a jump. When I bought my first LSAT prep book, I jumped off the cliff, and found wings that brought me to my life as an attorney. When I was at a cliff again, staring down at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and a career in coaching on the other side. I jumped, eventually. I stood at the cliff for about two years before I signed up for their health coaching program. This website and my business as it now exists started with a jump towards my dreams. The “jump” prompt is poignant because I’m at a big cliff right now. On the other side of the cliff is practicing in areas of law that are extremely different than what I’m used to. On the other side of this cliff is a rebranding of this coaching business I’ve started, and program ideas that I want to launch, and more speaking opportunities. I’ve spent the day recuperating from illness and contemplating what it means...
by Patricia | Jul 3, 2014 | Blog, Creativity, Empowerment, Featured, Joy, Wellness
There will be music and mantras. Bob Marley, and OMs. There will be sounds of nature. Raindrops and rainforests. There will be centeredness. There will be inner stillness. There will be peace. Starting on Sunday, July 6, I’ll be sharing my favorite meditation audios and videos everyday, for 30 days. The challenge is to use that audio or video and meditate everyday. The meditation audios/videos range in time, from a minute to about a half-hour. You’ll get a heads up in advance about the expected length of the week’s meditations. You are encouraged to use the shorter meditations if time doesn’t permit for the longer ones. You are encouraged to give the longer meditations a go! If you take the challenge, you’re very likely to gain a habit of finding stillness and centeredness. You will gain the ability to rein in your experiences with stress and anxiety. Commit to this challenge, and it’s quite possible that you will begin to experience a slice of serenity in your otherwise busy day. Commit, and get a taste of what meditation has to offer. Provide your email below, and/or like me on Facebook and follow along there. Summer Shine! Meditation Challenge * indicates required Email Address * First Name * Email Format html text...
by Patricia | Jun 15, 2014 | Blog, Empowerment, Featured, Joy
My father and my forgiveness go together like macaroni and cheese, analogously. I’ve long eaten macaroni, alone and with lots of add-ons, but at this point in my life it’s not likely that I’ll eat it unless there’s cheese involved. Macaroni tastes so good and satisfying when its paired with cheese! I don’t speak to my father very often, though more often now than in many years. My childhood and 20’s were such that I had reason to distance myself from him, and he did not resist my distancing. I used to tell this story a little differently; the story used to put all the responsibility for this distancing on him, exclusively, with me as the hapless, helpless child and victim. Now, the cheese on the macaroni gives the story the flavor of empowerment. The story, and my personal truth, is that I distanced myself to protect me from further hurt, it was my choice to do so and I needed to do it to at least begin to heal. Even as a kid, I’ve had the power to take steps in the direction of my healing, and I was doing just that when I consciously chose to distance myself, at 13 years old. Today is the anniversary of the day I recognized that my healing was not complete, and this lack of healing would cause the relationship pattern set by me and my father to repeat. That point was brought home by a great deal of romantic relationship drama. It didn’t take much for me to see that the drama found its pattern in my relationship with...
by Patricia | May 13, 2014 | Blog, Creativity, Empowerment, Featured, Joy, Wellness
I’m 32 today! At this time of year I always reflect on life lessons earned and applied and I often write them down. This year I’ve decided to share 32 of them.* Indulge me, and learn something while you’re at it. 1. I love my now because, at least, I’m in it. All there is is the current state, the now. It may or may not be pleasant, but no matter, because, I AM HERE. 2. Planning is worthwhile. Planning aligns my intention for accomplishing a goal and whatever course of action is needed. Planning tells the Universe, that, yes, I am so serious and clear that my intention will be reality. Even if my plan doesn’t come together the way I wanted, my intention will be my reality as long as I trust the Universe to support my greatest good. 3. Regular engagement of my creative energy raises the vibrational energy of my life. More Creativity is the path to More Joy. (I created the More Creativity, More Joy! Program for a reason!) 4. Peace is many things, including the ability to recognize when conflict is not worth my energy, and acting upon that recognition. 5. “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” My lesson learned, but the phrasing is courtesy of an episode of Black Ink Crew. 6. Sleep is the best investment of time, ever. Regular investment of 8 hours to my sleeping life benefits my waking life tremendously! 7. Regular meditation breeds clarity of thought and receptiveness to the messages the Universe is trying to...
