 "When you find peace within yourself, you become the kind of person who can live at peace with others." --Peace Pilgrim Wow! I don't know about you but every time I read something in a magazine or paper or tune into the news, the message I keep hearing is that I need to eat better, take a course, exercise more, be happy... While I absolutely agree and am completely passionate about people developing their potential and aligning with their ideal lives, I think there is a step that has to happen before the change process can really stick. In order for change to be meaningful and truly transforming you need to get quiet and listen to what you really need or want. Surrendering to the circumstances in your life, accepting, getting honest and really embracing your life exactly as it is, is where I think the change process really begins and continues. You may only have brief moments of insight but there is something so peaceful about embracing exactly where you are in this moment. While you keep an eye on what your goals are, making choices aligned with how you want to express yourself ideally in the world, instead of fighting with yourself about what isn't, ask yourself what is? * What is going well in your life? * What do you love? * Who do you love? * What is going on in your life that brings you joy? I have considered these questions personally, and in the spirit of aligning with your ideal life and that which brings happiness and joy (and love of hot weather!), I have amended the length of the Follow Your Heart Goals group from 6 weeks to 4 and am heading back early to my home in the sunny south. I look forward and am excited about connecting with those of you who are participating in the workshop beginning next week and to those who are still on the fence, space is still available - contact me soon for more information. Wishing you a wonderful and peaceful day today! I hope that you enjoy the quotes: "There is a calmness to a life lived in gratitude, a quiet joy." --Ralph H. Blum "Peace is its own reward." -- Mahatma Gandhi With love, Kelly
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"Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts. And we are never, ever the same. '' Author Unknown *Lighten Up! * :) I have these words written on a piece of paper placed directly in front of me taped to the bottom of my vision board. The words kind of scream at me, in a paradoxical way, hanging there with big stars on either side of the text followed by a smiley face. On this piece of paper, I also wrote my intention: "To work from a space that is playful, light and focused in creating peace and practicing compassion toward myself and others". Having this message in front of me works! Most of the time... :) While I love my work and the direction my life has taken over this last year, I have to admit there were some challenges along the way that many people can identify with or at least imagine: living abroad and not speaking the language, starting your own business, getting divorced... However, through these challenges I have tried to share with you through my writing the lessons and goodness and beauty and humanity that I have witnessed and been blessed by from taking this journey. In less than one week, I will be returning to Canada for two and a half months for Christmas and to promote and run the Follow Your Heart Goals workshops in Windsor and Leamington and another one online. I am also going to visit local elementary schools to coordinate a Pen Pal letter program between these children and my Dominican students! I am more than excited about taking this new journey! But a part of me is sad about leaving my home and family here and my kids at school, even if it is only temporary! I talked with a dear friend about my thoughts and feelings and she shared with me a piece of wisdom that deeply resonated with me and I wanted to pass it along. "Just know that whatever lies in front of you is within your capacity to cope." Life is a learning process, a series of lessons to learn from people and experiences that constantly enter and exit our lives. Change is going to happen regardless; and even if we try, we can't hold on to the moment, we have to let go. So while letting go, we might as well try to embrace the change and all of the goodness that comes with new experiences! Wishing you peace, compassion and lightness today! With love, Kelly
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Recognize when you get what you ask for.. celebrate and be grateful!  A couple of weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to go on a girls weekend with my close friends to a resort for a couple of days. It was a relaxing and luxurious experience, a far cry from how we all live in the city of Santo Domingo, DR. We bonded as we indulged in the amenities, from drinks to massages. In those three days, we relinquished our sensible levelheaded methods of living in a different country and engaged in meaningful life discussions usually followed by lively and hysterical fits of laughter! I was floating in the clear blue water, chatting easily with my friend, when I had an epiphany! While looking at the clouds slide across the sky - everything seemed to align. I realized that everything that I had asked for and visualized on having one year ealier, is now my reality! I asked for one full year off of work to write and develop my own business, to live in the sun, go dancing and have interesting people and experiences fill my life. In that moment, in the water, giggles bubbled up and I was full of gratitude because everything I had asked for and believed in, I received! It is really true, you can create a life you love!
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Pay Attention to your life!! What does this exactly mean - to pay attention? My teachers used to say it to me all of the time, "Kelly, pay attention, this is important!" I would smarten up, get focused and listen but then my mind would quickly wander off until I was reprimanded again, and then again... So, what happens when you don�t pay attention? Well, you miss out on what is actually happening in your life, which is to say the least, kind of important. But yet our minds wander.. As adults we don�t have teachers always there reminding us to pay attention, so we have to find ways to do it ourselves. One way that I remind myself to pay attention in my life is to say the word "Namaste", which means the soul in me sees the soul in you. I try to say it in my head with every person I see or interact with throughout the day. Try this: the next time you are at the grocery store, completely frustrated because you are late and waiting in this crazy long line, when you finally reach the cashier, say "Namaste" or something similar in your mind to remind you to pay attention then look into the person�s eyes. You will likely smile naturally (not strangely). Take a moment and really feel how good it is to see someone else, then try it with your friend, your partner, your colleague, your mother. The side effect is that they will also begin to see you. So be your own teacher, use "Namaste" or a find another phrase that works for you and use it to remind yourself to "Pay attention, smarten up, this life is important!" http://yogajournal.com/basics/822 With love, Kelly www.transitioncounselling.com
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Let your light shine!  "There is not enough darkness in all the world to put out the light of even one small candle" --Robert Alden I attend a Catholic church most Sundays. I am not Catholic and I often don't understand all that is going on because the mass is in Spanish. Yet, I still go and sit quietly in this grand, intricately designed church built in the 1500s and feel a strong sense of history, community and peace. There is something so powerful of participating in formal rituals collectively: sitting united in silence, prayer or song. One of my favourite times all week is during mass when we greet all those around us and say "Peace be with you". Without fail, tears spring to my eyes and I always return to my seat with intense feelings of connection, peace and lightness. The same thing happens emotionally to me at the end of a yoga class. The teacher greets each student looking at them in the eye and says "Namaste", which loosely means the soul in me sees the soul in you. Again, I feel an immediate shift towards connection, peace and lightness. It also happens to me during roars of applause when I look around the room and see the glow in people's eyes. I practically float out of the room afterwards. Can you identify with my experiences? Do you have moments of joy, bliss and intense connection with others? Do you have times when you feel peace and lightness? When and what are you doing? Two days ago, I stood in a crowd of people, captivated by the talent of a street artist. We watched as he painted this beautiful landscape easily right there on the dirty busy street. His clothes were old, his shoes were tattered but his face was radiant and his eyes were clear. He then began chatting up the crowd, sharing stories that were entertaining and then concluded randomly that, "You cannot hide light!" So with that being said, consider now whether there is there something stirring inside of you that is ready to be revealed or explored. Is there lightness inside of you that is yearning to be expressed in your life - through your work, your relationships, your body? Imagine if we all let go and let our light shine. Wow, that would be amazing! Follow Your Heart! With love, Kelly kelly@transitioncounselling.com http://www.transitioncounselling.com/
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Visualize! It really works! "What the mind can conceive and believe it can achieve." -- Napolean Hill Let me share the story... A few months ago here in the Dominican Republic, one of my good American friends asked me to meet her for a working lunch. We weren't there to chat about the normal stuff: shopping, culture, politics, travel, relationships :) etc.. she wanted me to help her make a life decision. She was making okay money and was happy. The problem was that she was just offered a seat in a Masters program at an Ivy league school - what should she do? School didn't feel like the right direction but she was getting pressure to go and people were saying that she would be crazy to turn down such an opportunity! Things were ok in her Dominican life but admittedly not perfect, change was looming. We talked for about two hours. I asked her to describe to me specific details using her senses about her picture of the ideal work environment and to transport us there together. What is she wearing? What kind of people is she working with? What does the office look like? What does it sound like? What kind of things would she like to do on the weekend? (indicating a city or a town?) Even, what kind of technology she would she be using? We were even able to narrow down the skills that energized her and from there a few career areas appeared. Soon enough she transported us to this fantastic "ideal" picture - as she spoke, her voice changed. She was sassy, funny, confident! She could feel this picture! She was radiant! A plan was developing! We sat there in that booth buzzing with energy!! It was awesome!! A couple of months went by without any big changes and just a few weeks ago she left the DR after accepting a new job. We connected this morning by email and this is what she said... "Sometimes I leave the office building, which is in midtown Manhattan, and I just look up at all the skyscrapers and look around at all the super fasionable businesspeople and I have to pinch myself because I can't believe that this is actually happening. I was thinking just the other day as I was walking down the street... this is exactly the vision that I described to Kelly just a few months ago when we were sitting at the restaurant! That's it. I'm here!" Congratulations and thank you Mandy for letting me share your story! Follow Your Heart! Kelly
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