My Karate lesson is a mind, body, spirit connection. Each concept and technique my Sensei teaches me is a metaphor and something I always take personally. This week the lesson was about getting my footwork down first and worrying about the punches and kicks second. I experienced instant results and a great incentive to work my “footwork” every day in my Karate and in my life.

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I am so excited to report I had my first of many Gal Pal Empowerment and Bonding Nights! Karate & Kocktails was a huge success for all who attended and a lot of FUN!  My friends got to meet my Sensei and some amazing black belts who are like brothers to me and my daughter at our Dojo, Kaizen Martial Arts Academy of Pasadena.

Knowing self defense and having the confidence to fight evil in the world is something that most women are scared to even have to think about. Sure we read those emails that everyone forwards about how preditors operate. Please read them when you get them! And please forward them to your friends! Those emails create awareness. We get so busy we forget to really pay attention to our surroundings. This is a key element in AVOIDING an attack!

I challenge you to take it to the next level. If your kid takes Karate you already have a great resource or find a self defense class. It is not hard to do.  Get your gal pals together and make a fun night of it.

Find a way to experience  accessing your physical strength. It is in there! HIT something! KICK something hard! Learn some self defense techniques. So in the event that some PSYCHO PREDITOR picks on you… They’re going DOWN.

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When I first saw “The Daring Book for Girls” I was skeptical except for the fact that it was given to my daughter by one of the most amazing moms I know who happens to be my neighbor. The information and activities in this book are brilliant contributions to a well rounded confident young woman. The idea that it is DARING makes them WANT to read it. The cool stuff to TRY and DO gets them away from the DSI and Computer games. This particular morning it was a chance to take in the beauty of our front yard and the promise of a new day.

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I believe in the power of our words to shape our world. Whatever we think about and speak about becomes our experience in the outer world. “Your Word is Your Wand” is a book by one of my favorite truth authors, Florence Scovel Shinn. I keep her Wisdom collection book on my nightstand. “The Game of Life and How to Play It” is also in that collection!

A few years back I was inspired to come up with the ultimate affirmation. The one I came up with pretty much applies to EVERYTHING! And everyone who gets wind of it has made it their own with smashing results!

CASH & PRIZES!

There is CASH. That one is quite self-explanatory. Who doesn’t need some more cash right? And PRIZES, well that just covers the whole rest of the gamut!

It all really started when I noticed that my daughter, being in a positive child’s state of mind was given gifts everywhere she went! Not just from people we knew either. I am talking about random acts of gifting to my gal wherever we went. Not just toys although she has been given many of those. I am talking about being at LAX heading for a mile long security line and a guard smiling at my daughter and telling us to go to the “preferred fast track line”. That is a true story. I also tell her when I am getting ready to park somewhere to send out her good parking juju. We get the best space every time. The examples are endless!

The best part is that my daughter BELIEVES that all things are possible because I have affirmed to her that it is who she is. It has become a part of her Core Belief System and a basic TRUTH in her life. Even better, I have come to believe the same about myself. My daughter is a mirror. When I look into her eyes I see the truth about myself. I finally know that I am all about love. The healing that I have experienced through this is PRICELESS.

I really do believe that I have been given the ultimate in Cash & Prizes. I never knew I could be this happy in my life. It certainly didn’t start out that way. No, I haven’t reached full success in my career and NO I am not monetarily rich…YET. I never knew I could have so much LOVE in my life. I have an amazing husband and an awesome daughter. I have incredible friendships that I never thought possible. I am truly blessed with LOVE in my life. That is the greatest gift of all.

Funny thing, when I focus on that LOVE, all of the other STUFF comes.

CASH & PRIZES BABY!!!!!

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This is a lesson in paying attention & REALLY listening.

For 2 years, or so my daughter Elizabeth begs me to buy an easy button in the Staples Store.  I tell her, “NO”.  I am not buying something so frivolous when I am striving to teach her the value of money and that we don’t buy toys or stuff every time we go to the store.  We stick to the list of things we actually NEED.  We also don’t need another “thing” in our house because we are of the mindset of “letting go” of stuff and not collecting.  Blah Blah Blah…

She continued to beg for one every trip to that store.

One day in January of 2009 I was having a long phone conversation with a treasured new friend, Roxy Rocker, who I met in Phoenix.  She is a disabilities expert, with many obstacles to overcome in her own life.  A life that looks vastly different than mine.  Strangely, but not so strangely we seem to have a profound healing and energetic effect on one another and our monthly phone calls are an uplifting experience to say the least.  Roxy is one of “my people” and we love each other dearly. I laughed as the first 20 minutes of our conversation she mentioned several key words and scenarios that were currently happening in my life. She then revealed to me that she had come into and was developing her newly discovered gift as a medium or what she likes to call a “spiritual counselor”.  It was a bit spooky but obviously true.  Then she asked if she could do a reading on me.  I said, “yes” of course! How fun is that?

After the amazingly accurate reading, we found ourselves in a discussion about how hard it is to stay on the path, be disciplined, be clear and overcome the many obstacles presented on the journey to living our dreams.  And that most people give up or don’t try because it is so hard to do!   I then realized that we mentioned how HARD it was over and over again for 10 minutes.  It made us both laugh!  We were telling the Universe to keep making it hard.  We were affirming our doom to the life of hardship.  Well… “NOT ON MY WATCH SISTA!” And my first thought was we should affirm that it is EASY.  My very next thought was that Elizabeth had been giving me that message the whole time.  My third thought was to go to Staples and buy easy buttons for Elizabeth, Roxy, myself and some other friends of “like mind” on the path, which I did.

The easy button is fun.  When you press it, it says “That was Easy!”.  Elizabeth and I started using the easy button after making our beds, practicing a new piece on the piano and other small tedious chores in the house.  Imagine using it for the REAL hard stuff.

For my one friend who is concerned about making lots of money, I instructed her to say “money” after the “that was easy” part.

EASY MONEY!

How HARD can it be to take one step at a time?  How HARD can it be to face rejection? How HARD can it be to keep trying and never give up?  How HARD can it be to give up something that isn’t your path to embark on the thing that is?  How HARD can it be to say YES to your passions, talents and dreams?  I think it would be much harder to NOT achieve your life’s purpose.  It would be much HARDER to have regret about what you weren’t brave enough to do or too lazy to do.

Yes, another life lesson like a pie in my face!  Of course I needed the reminder of something I already knew but seemed to have forgotten.

The lesson:  What words am I speaking about my life?  Am I focusing on the impossible or endless possibilities?  I am being given messages and inspirations every day.  I just have to really listen and take it personally.  The answers are here right now.

Just pay attention, ask and listen carefully.

THAT WAS EASY!!!

This Blog was featured in “The Internet Mommy” by Kimberley Clayton Blaine A.K.A. TheGotoMom.TV

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It only took me a few months of WATCHING my daughter take Karate lessons to realize that I wanted to be a black belt too. Especially if I imagined having a teenage daughter with a black belt. I had to get MY MOJO on! THEN we knew we needed a place to work out at home. So together we took on the garage. As a Virgo it is hard to me to move forward if things aren’t perfect. Our Garage is a jam packed rickety old storage place but we needed a space to practice Karate… cause we are SERIOUS about becoming black belts. This is the ultimate in mother daughter bonding… WOO HOOO!!!! And I LET IT BE at just creating a space and not making it the SHOW PLACE garage… THAT just wasn’t going to happen and I am in the mode of MAKING IT HAPPEN… (Cameo appearance by Tasha our family cat.)

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