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Feeling BLAH? Tired? Discouraged? Afraid? Then you're out of alignment, probably because you're not sharing the gifts and talents you've been given. Learn how to figure out what you're good at and then take the challenge to jump in and get started.
Best-selling author Danielle LaPorte shares why it's critical to exercise self compassion, self love and self respect as you walk your spiritual path and how we can deepen our devotion and service in this world when we do so.
Danielle LaPorte is an invited member of Oprah’s Super Soul 100, a group who, in Oprah Winfrey’s words, “is uniquely connecting the world together with a spiritual energy that matters.” She is author of White Hot Truth: Clarity for Keeping It Real on Your Spiritual Path—From One Seeker to Another, The Fire Starter Sessions and The Desire Map: A Guide To Creating Goals With Soul—the book that has been translated into 8 languages, evolved into a yearly day planner system, a top 10 iTunes app, and an international workshop program with licensed facilitators in 15 countries. Millions of visitors go to DanielleLaPorte.com every month for her daily #Truthbombs and what’s been called “the best place online for spirituality.” Danielle is a speaker, a poet, and a painter. In her spare time she is trying to perfect kale chips and hanging out with friends and traveling. She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia with her favorite philosopher, her son.
Nuggets of Wisdom from Danielle:
"Your true nature is luminous."
"You're the guru. Few and external directions are good but the final say is with you."
"Happiness is feeling compassion for myself and compassion for other people."
"I don't spend a lot of time thinking what I could've done differently."
"This is all about being discerning, and getting to a place of real self love and self-respect."
"Deepen your devotion in everything you want."
"Self-love as a concept is really difficult for people to wrap their heads around."
"The term love, the idea, the notion of philosophy - it's so misused, overused, abused and misunderstood."
"Compassion is a lot easier for people to wrap their heads around. It's about loving what you want to criticize, and loving yourself when you feel you're most unlovable, and that is when self-love becomes the medicine."
"Boundaries are essential to being happy and vibrant and well."
"Find what works for you! If you don't like it find another way! Just experiment, just like food."
"You must have stillness in your life to be your most powerful self."
Some of Danielle's Favorite Things:
Personal habit: "I meditate everyday."
Easy meal: "Vegetarian tacos, cauliflower mash."
Favorite kitchen gadget: "Vitamix"
Dana's Favorite Books: "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life Book by Twyla Tharp" and "Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...and Others Don't by Jim Collins"
Best advice received: "It's not my responsibility to make them feel good."
Danielle's Happiness Formula:
- "meditate"
- "obsessively text my girlfriends"
- "just be with my kid, no phone, and have a conversation"
A Challenge from Danielle:
"My invitation would be to do a list for yourself of all the things that you're doing, to be better, to improve... and stop doing one of those things. Stop doing that one thing that isn't lighting you up, that isn't really getting you results of freedom and joy and vitality."
Resources
White Hot Truth: Clarity for Keeping It Real on Your Spiritual Path—From One Seeker to Another:
The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life Book by Twyla Tharp
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...and Others Don't by Jim Collins
Vibrant Happy Women Facebook Group
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Imagine today is the last day of your life. You are standing on a mountain, looking bath at the winding path you walked throughout your days on this planet, and you notice your kids, your spouse, your loved ones standing there. What would they remember you for? What legacy are you leaving them?
Would they remember you as a person who is grumpy, frazzled and exhausted?
Or would they remember you as a vibrant, happy women who lived in alignment with her true purpose?
Think about your answer to that question and strive to live more in alignment with the legacy you WANT to leave.
And if you want additional help, Time Mastery for Women is open for enrollment. Time Mastery is an A-Z system that will help you create more time for the things you love, find your purpose and leave a legacy and enrollment ends on Friday, June 23 at 3 pm Central.
Class begins Monday, June 26th and if you're ready to change your life - in powerfully positive ways - Time Mastery for Women is the program for you.
Learn more here: www.timemasteryforwomen.com
Kate O’Brien and her husband Henare both grew up in toxic environments, leaving Kate saying, “I’ll never let a man treat me like that,” and Henare saying, “I’ll never let a woman treat me like that. Naturally fate brought them together and Kate has allowed their initially rocky 14 year relationship to help her become more self aware, more self compassionate and more accepting of her own humanity.
A visionary & global voice for bold leadership, transformation, playing it big & living from truth. Together with her husband Henare—they hold the space of Australasia's #1 Transformational Leadership Couple & produce the World’s Biggest Personal Development Summit, collaborating annually with over 100 of the greatest thought leaders of our generation - Jack Canfield, Gregg Braden, T. Harv Eker, Brendon Burchard, Marci Shimoff, Dr John Demartini, Dr Joe Dispenza, Michael Bernard Beckwith and many many more.
Nuggets of Wisdom from Kate:
"The risk is a game so I may as well just play it."
"We have a huge capacity for change, a huge capacity for love and a huge capacity to evolve."'
"It took my courage to skip stepping through that door on a moment to moment basis"
"The biggest thing that I've learned is that it's okay to feel like a total human being while you're also being extraordinary."
"When we go through changes, in that process we also have to allow space for the wobbles of those changes."
"We can just ride out all of the feelings that come with being human while we keep growing and expanding and remember to enjoy life."
"When we come back together we've got new growth, new eyes and energy to infuse that with our relationship."
"A lot of times in the world, we're trying to get rid of the things that aren't feeling good."
"[I like to remind] all people that it's okay to be human, it's okay to have all of these experiences, and it has absolutely zero reflection on how amazing you are or what you are up to in the world."
"Have compassion for ourselves, and we can usually shift out of that away more faster."
"We are the solution. It is not the strategy."
Some of Kate's Favorite Things:
Personal habit: "Connecting into myself. And a cup of tea."
Easy meal: Smoothies, protein powder.
Favorite kitchen gadget: Blender.
Kate's Favorite Books: Spiritual Partnership: The Journey to Authentic Power by Gary Zukav
Best advice received: "Be yourself!"
Kate's Happiness Formula:
"Passion +truth + commitment."
A Challenge from Kate:
"After this [interview], please stop, close your computer or your phone. Go and walk into a bathroom and look into the mirror. And when you are looking into the mirror, just notice what's in your head. Do you feel really comfortable and friendly with that beautiful person in there? Or do you feel a bit awkward? Or do you feel resistant, judgmental. Do you feel guilty? Whatever comes up, if it doesn't feel loving, that is the place you go to, to bring the love. "
Resources
Spiritual Partnership: The Journey to Authentic Power
Vibrant Happy Women Facebook Group
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Tired of doing everything around the house? Wish your kids and spouse would do their fair share? Grab your free kids' chore chart at www.jenriday.com/chorechart and watch the accompanying video so you can learn the exact system I've used with my 6 kids for the past 5 years or so. It works. And we've STUCK WITH IT! :-)
After you grab that, take it to the next level and start establishing your own morning routine that will fill your cup for the day... increasing patience, productivity and boosting your mood in the process. You can't beat that trifecta of amazingness... and it all starts with taking time to take care of YOU. Get the SEVEN app and start doing the things that feel AMAZING!
Click here to grab your free Kids Chore Chart!
In a society dominated by social media, many women long for deeper friendships. In this episode best friends and clinical psychologists Dr. Sanda Bernstein and Dr. Wendy Rapaport share some stories from their 40-year friendship and their book, Friendship Matters: Memoir, Life Lessons, Laughter. If you want to build and strengthen your friendships, you’ll love this episode of Vibrant Happy Women.
Sanda Bernstein, is a clinical psychologist. She has worked in both school districts and universities. Dr. Bernstein is trained in psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, and as a school psychologist. She has a private practice in which she sees adolescents and adults. Married with 2 grown children and 5 grandsons. She lives in Manhattan. Wendy Rapaport, is a clinical psychologist. She specializes in psychology-related facets of the health-care field, working with providers and patients. She is an adjunct professor at the Diabetes Research Institute, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and at the University of Maine Graduate School of Social Work. She has a private practice working with people coping with diabetes. She’s married and a stepmother to 2 grown children and have a granddaughter and a great grandson. She lives in Maine for part of the year and Florida for the rest of the year. They met at a lecture when they were college-aged and Sonda was pregnant and had to go to the bathroom and they chatted the whole time and never stopped talking. They just released a book together called Friendship Matters: Memoir, Life Lessons, Laughter.
Nuggets of Wisdom from Sandy and Wendy:
"Do unto others as they would prefer you do unto them."
"We have to really know our friends, what would please them, because sometimes we find ourselves doing things that would please us, not them."
"If I'm not for myself, who will be for me? If I'm only for myself, what am I? If not now, when?"
"Do not procrastinate."
"I think women need to teach their men how listen to them better. I think that we need to talk better."
Some of Sandy and Wendy's Favorite Things:
Personal habit: Wendy: "I like exercise." Sandy: "Not thinking that I know all the answers for myself but reaching out."
Easy meal: Sandy: Taking in from the local gourmet market where they have fresh salmon everyday and fresh turkey and fresh spinach pie.
Wendy: candy, cake and ice cream; take-out delivery.
Favorite kitchen gadget: Wendy: Telephone. Sandy: microwave
Favorite Books: Wendy: Little Women. The Prince of Time; Sandy: Americanah Novel by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Best advice received: Sandy: "Don't let fear stop you." Wendy: "Honoring my independence."
Sandy and Wendy's Happiness Formula:
Sandy: First is the importance of staying connected with the people I love. Then I want to stay engaged in activities that are meaningful to me. And the other is slowing down to stay appreciative of the world around me. Just appreciative of life.
Wendy: On a couch with a good enough poet - poetry
A Challenge from Sandy and Wendy:
Sandy: "Read a book. Get a friend and deepen that friendship. Be more connected with your friend. I want to challenge everyone to connect better to a friend."
Wendy: "Do it consciously, because good manners come from practice and habit. I challenge you to make a good friend even better."
Resources
Friendship Matters: Memoir, Life Lessons
Americanah Novel by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Vibrant Happy Women Facebook Group
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Do you have a relationship that seems more challenging than the others? Maybe it's with a parent or a child, or with a coworker or a neighbor. In this Happy Bit you'll learn 3 easy tips to help you improve that challenging relationship.
This episode is brought to you by Audible and you can get a FREE audio book using my special link: vibranthappybook.com. It's time to make all that summertime driving a little more entertaining.
The 3 easy tips to improve a challenging relationship:
- Write down 10 positives about that person.
- Do something kind for them every day. We love those whom we serve.
- Say something kind to or about that person every day.
Doing these things will help you brain shift into a place of positivity. Like attracts like. When you focus on the positive, your brain will find more of the positive. This happens because of your brain's Reticular Activating System, which filters information in a way to help you support what you believe. If you start to see the positive, your brain will give you more evidence of positivity. You have the power to make any relationship better. Empowering, right? You bet. That's what the Vibrant Happy Women movement is all about.
Want to hear even more about kindness? Listen to my interview with Shaunti Feldhahn.
Want to work on your personal development in a group of like-minded, amazing women? Ready to live your purpose and to spend more time living in alignment with your higher self - your BEST self? The Vibrant Happy Women Academy will help you make that journey with ease (and with some great friends along the way). Join us: www.vibranthappywomenacademy.com
In this episode Tammy Cannon shares her experiences of being a busy, overwhelmed mom of 3 kids under age 3 and how learning to ask for help made all the difference in her happiness. Now, as a mom of 3 teens, Tammy does a fantastic job balancing motherhood with her love of learning, her creativity, and her desire to help other women create a business doing something they love.
Tammy Cannon is the owner of Cannon Social Media helping creative business owners leverage online marketing. Tammy lives in Snohomish, WA with her husband and 3 teens. In her spare time Tammy loves cooking, gardening, and hiking.
Nuggets of Wisdom from Tammy:
"Dom Perignon: Come quickly, I am tasting the stars."
"Happy accidents can happen at anytime and just to be ready for them, to be excited and curious about life because you just never know when something amazing is going to happen."
"I am a really curious person. I love learning... And so I just love life and being curious and being hopeful for whatever is to come."
"I realized at that time, I didn't know how to ask for help. Being a mother of 3 young children was not something that was modeled for me. I mean, my parents were working and I am an only child, and things were very quiet and organized, and I didn't have any relatives around me, to just kind of see what that looked like until a friend of mine, she is a few years behind me and having kids but once she started having her babies, I watched her really organize her life and asked for help when she needed it. So she got on care.com and got herself a house cleaner and a really good baby sitter, but not just one but a couple when that one didn't meet the time. She'd catch her date night with her husband. And so, I was looking at that and said, 'Wow, I just didn't ask for help.' I didn't recognize that I just really needed the help, but I do not know if it was ego or just not having you know the modeling for myself. I just didn't really know how to go about it."
"So, I think that it is really important that we have the confidence to actually create the things that we love and maximize that time, but there is nothing wrong with profiting from that stuff and actually starting you know a small business, a side business, whatever it is to you, be yourself. You know, give that time back to yourself. I mean, we give our time to our kids and our family, we volunteer, we are out and about. But to really sit and be creative, or to start something new just for yourself is pretty awesome."
"Recently, I have discovered that I really need to set boundaries around myself, and the boundaries are going to help me get more respect for my family and myself, respect in myself. And also confidence to charge what I work and to follow through with those boundaries."
Some of Tammy's Favorite Things:
Personal habit: "I love learning. So, I read a lot of books, a lot of blog articles. I take a lot of online courses. I just really love learning new things and learning how to apply them in my own life and then teaching them to other people."
Easy meal: "Quinoa salad. Quinoa grains that you cook really simply and then you ad red wine vinegar, like a little vinaigrette to it. And then you can corn sometimes, red onions, you just add in your veggies and then let it sit in the refrigerator. It is great for potluck, for just a side salad, for everything."
Favorite kitchen gadget: "Coffee grinder"
Tammy's Favorite Books: "Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss" and "Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty"
Best advice received: "That is the way it should be. We go through life not recognizing that we just need to dream big and go after it."
Tammy's Happiness Formula:
"Really just sitting down and breaking bread with friends and family is super huge to me. Combine that with learning something new. And a sunny day. And I am the happiest girl in the world."
A Challenge from Tammy:
"I would love for your listeners to download that freebie (5 Steps to a Growth Mindset) and fill it out and over the next 30, 60 or 90 days, pick one big hairy goal, one over-arching goal that you are trying to achieve. Fill out the worksheet and let us know what happened. I think that you are going to be surprised at how the worksheet's going to help. And when you focus on just one thing, over that time frame, you are going to see big things happen."
Resources
5 Steps to a Growth Mindset (freebie from Tammy)
Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
Vibrant Happy Women Facebook Group
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A listener recently asked, "Jen, what is your favorite quote, piece of advice, book, healthy meal and kitchen gadget? Also, I would love to know the standout personal development books you've read." I answer each of these questions in this Happy Bit.