Kristen Marie's Blog

Non-Resistance Rocks!

Boy, does the Universe think a lot of me! In the past two weeks, I've had one of the biggest breakdowns, and one of the biggest breakthroughs of my life.

I won't bore you with the details of the breakdown. Let's just leave it at this; I am not shy about sharing my opinion with others, especially when I feel I am not being heard, or my heart has been hurt.

Now, the breakthrough... that's where the juicy part is. Last Sunday I had the good fortune of really experiencing non-resistance. I had someone I love very much choose to take themselves out of my life. In the past I would have been upset, mad, hurt, fixing, and angry. Yet in the moment that they told me about their decision I experienced calm, acceptance and true, radiating love for this person. It was unlike anything I have ever experienced.

By choosing non-resistance as the response to the decision of another, I find myself in flow. I am so grateful for this lesson. And the gift this person has given me.

Our natural state is joy, love and bliss. These days my spiritual practice centers around being in those states as much as possible. I am learning that the keys to getting everything you want in life are choosing to be in Non-Resistance and in Gratitude. I'll tell ya, they totally rock!

Wow. Talk About Instant Transformation.

60 minutes ago I was in total breakdown. Pissed. Frustrated. Mad. Luckily, over the course of the past two years my ability to transform in the moment has become highly tuned. Within 3 minutes the Universe sent in reinforcements to get me back on track. Here's what it sent:

1. I walked into my office to find flowers and a note thanking me for stepping up and contributing to a board of directors as its president. I don't know about you, but it's hard for me to be in a bad mood and get flowers at the same time.
2. I clicked on my Twitter account to learn that TODAY my post about "Positive Thinking" popped up (read below - it's a good one). Please understand, this is a repost from July 2007 that I put in my blog queue about 2 weeks ago. How perfect that it would show up today.
3. I got a call from my friend Brooke that started with "You are so beautiful!" (Hooray for amazing friends!!)
4. I read an email from a gal I hardly know (honestly I think she clicked the wrong 'Kristen' in her address book) with the most lovely words that whacked me into thanksgiving, fast:

'To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.' When God takes something from your grasp, He's not punishing you, but merely opening your hands to receive something better.  Concentrate on this sentence... ' The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you. ' Something good will happen to you today; something that you have been waiting to hear.'

I am in awe of the Universe's power to bring me exactly what I need, when I need it. Whoa. And I am so thankful that I am able to see, and receive these amazing gifts. So, as of 2pm, I am back. More resolved than ever to go after my dreams. Onward!

Ride The Wave

I am wired for speed. I like a fast pace..... or rather, I am so used to a fast pace that when I am not on the go, I feel weird. This way of being worked for me for a long time. But I'll tell you, it's tiring. I'll bet you know what I mean.

My coach Matthew Ferry teaches about "riding the wave"... noticing that there are high points and low points in every wave, the trick is to ride when it comes and REST when the next one is one its way. This is where I get stuck. I totally get the "ride" part.... I imagine a surfer on his board flying across the water, shifting his weight to stay upright, and yelling Yaaaahhhhhhoooooooooooo all the way down. Cool huh?

Ok, here's the tricky part for me to grasp. ALL GREAT SURFERS WAIT FOR THE NEXT WAVE. They paddle out... they get prepared... and they wait. They don't try to force the wave to happen. They don't get antsy that the wave isn't here yet. They aren't fearful that maybe another wave really isn't coming.

No, they get themsleves prepared and they have faith that lots of great waves are on the way.

My intention these days is to enjoy the 'no wave' time. To rest, renew, be in an anticipatory state expressing pure joy that a wave is forming that will blow my mind.

Yahoo!

I AM A YES

About the same time as I got into massive action by reaching out and connecting with people in February, I decided I was a YES to life. A YES to pretty much whatever was put in front of me. Boy oh boy. It's been absolutely fabulous.

A friend gave me an invitation to a 3 hour workshop about communication that totally rocked. (I am doing the weekend workshop next). I've had the good pleasure of working with Matthew Ferry who is truly a world class coach and mentor. Today I was offered an ongoing 1-2 minute spot on a local radio show to present an affirmation for the week (how cool is this!?).

The more I am a YES, the more comes. It's really remarkable. Give it a try and let me know what happens.

Get Into Action

Early Feb I decided to get into action. I was tired of feeling like things were in slow motion. So, I jumped on the phone and started reaching out and connecting with people I hadn't seen or talked to in a really long time. I set up calls and coffee dates with the sole (soul?) purpose of connecting with people to understand what THEY were up to in life. It was cool.

Then a funny thing happened. The more I reached out, the more people popped up. One day alone I had THREE emails from fabulous women that I hadn't talked to in months. One gal I hadn't talked to in a year. It was wild.

My friend Lindsay calls it stirring the pot. I call it tipping cosmic dominos. Whatever you call it, I encourage you to DO it. Get into action. Reach out. Listen to others. And be willing to powerfully share what's most important in your life.

You'll be stunned by the results.

Cheers to YOU!

Have you checked out my other blog lately? I am so excited to be writing about my themes for 2009 - Appreciation and Celebration - over at Affirmawords.

For this blog, I thought I’d take the idea of Intentional Living, and Designing a Life you Love a little deeper, and share with you some of the things I do to keep myself on track and aligned with my dreams. Today, I want to share a personal favorite - Cheers to You.

The is a series of audios created by Ron Troutman. They literally celebrate - with applause and all - you. Your dreams, your accomplishments, your vision. It’s so inspiring to listen to when getting ready in the morning... that’s what I do.

So, check it out. It is awesome!

Thoughts Become Things

I love starting my day centered, focused, and thinking big. One of the ways I do that is with a note I get from the Universe everyday... yep, the UNIVERSE sends me wisdom, support and ah-ha's every morning. Cool, eh? Sometimes its a little spooky how RIGHT ON those little whispers can be. But then again, everything is in divine order.

Mike Dooley is the mind behind it all. Go check it out and give yourself the gift of "Notes".

Tallyho!

The Giving Zone

Everyday I meet people who are truly living a life they love. Today I am honored to shine a light on Bruce Painter, creator of Giving Zone Radio. WOW. Bruce is up to really cool things!

His book "The Giving Zone" offers reader access to a 'realm where your dreams come true'. Hello? How much better can it get? Bruce is a perfect example of living a life you love.

When Bruce and I met - through Gail Goodwin of Inspire Me Today - it was such a delight. Bruce was gracious enough to invite me on his radio show for an interview. Take a listen.

And check out what Bruce is up to. He's a man with a vision, a passion and a commitment to living full out.

What's your Good Cheer Company?

Ever come across something and declare "I wish I'd thought of that!"? Well, I sure do. Here's my latest find:

The Good Cheer Company makes these fabulous little metal puzzle pieces with words like "I am powerful", "I am grateful" and "I am magnificent". WOW COOL IS THIS IDEA? I have "I am blessed" on my key chain. What a perfect gift for yourself or for someone you adore.

In addition to the puzzle pieces, I just bought their Cheers to You CD. Oh my! Go take a listen. It's totally fabulous.

I love that the minds behind all this actually took the time to build it! That's what it's all about folks; finding your heart's desire, giving yourself permission to go after it, and surrounding yourself with people who support your big dreams. That's a powerful combination that serves the world.

What's your "Good Cheer Company"?

The Big Idea: Michael Port

I love watching people design, create and live a life they love. Michael Port is a perfect example. Author, speaker, and sales expert, Michael appeared on one of my favorite shows last night - the Big Idea with Donny Deutsch. And Michael hit a home run!

For the show, Donny assembled a host of experts to discuss The Art of Selling. What a show! Michael brought an authenticity and thoughtfulness to the conversation that I greatly appreciated. Be gracious, be transparent, be of service. These are the very same ideas that have fueled our success.

I encourage you to learn more about Michael - I had the great pleasure of hearing him speak in Dallas a year ago. He's a great man with great wisdom to share. (Check out his blog.) And he's living a life he loves!

Bravo.