Authenticity is a word I hear a lot as I navigate the path of spiritual "awakening". I've gotten advice such as, "You have to be authentically yourself." I take that to mean doing what is right for me and being myself in each situation. Yet as a business owner I get business advice that seems to contradict this message. I hear ways to gain more clients that preys on their fears and insecurities. I hear that "the right client" can afford whatever you charge. And as a blogger I hear it is best to schedule your blogs so they come out at the same time each day, usually in the early hours before people are awake so that your message is ready for them whenever they choose to read it. 
The first two pieces of advice do not mesh with my heart's goal to help others. I want my clients to come to me to build up, not because I have played a role in knocking them down. I want them to use my services as tool to further claim and embrace their power, not give it to me. And I don't believe that money should be the only way people can get help. In fact, when I had less money is when I needed that encouragement and those tools the most and I imagine many feel the same. 
As far as my blog goes, I will not schedule my posts. I see the benefit both to myself and to my readers by having it set up that way but to me it loses the authenticity of what I am grateful for in this moment. I write this blog for me, to share my gratitude, and for you that it may inspire you to find gratitude in the moment you choose to read it as well. That, to me, is being authentic. It is the choice that feels right. 
As for being authentically me, well I'm not sure who else to be. I know the purpose of this saying is to not pretend to be someone you aren't but the truth is, even when you pretend, you put your unique spin on it and it still comes out you. It may not be the you that you want to be or portray when you are pretending but you are still you; a beautifully perfect and ever-shifting human.
Today I am grateful for my understanding of what authenticity means to me. I'm grateful to allow myself some extra rest this morning without worrying that my blog will be later than usual. I'm grateful for each of you that reads my blog each day and celebrates my journey with me while finding gratitude of your own. I'm grateful to know that I create my reality. And I'm grateful to know that I have the choice to take or leave business advice depending on how it feels in my heart. I'm grateful to know that in this world of abundance, the clients that are meant to find me, will. And I'm grateful for blueberry muffins to nibble while I blog today.
How do you define authenticity? When do you feel like you are being most authentic? May today bless you with everything you need. Have a beautiful day!

Today is one of those lesser known national holidays. It is National Take a Walk in a Park Day! I love this holiday because it is a great opportunity to reconnect with nature and slow down from our day to day grind. The flowers of Spring are beginning to bloom here in the Heartland so it makes for an even more beautiful experience. 
I'm so grateful that the temperatures will be warm and the sun will be out today so that I can comfortably celebrate this holiday without needing to bundle up. I'm grateful to be spending the day with a sweet little girl that loves walks. I'm grateful for the plan of spending time outside in the yard after work as well. I'm grateful for all the trees greening up as the leaves return for another cycle. I'm grateful for lesser known holidays that connect with my heart. I'm grateful to share this day so that others may take the time to get back outside also.
When was the last time you took a walk in the park? What are some of your favorite lesser known holidays? May your day be blessed with beautiful weather and time to spend outside. Have a wonderful day!

Last night over dinner, as we celebrated a new achievement for my business, my fiancé and I brainstormed how to make the most of this opportunity and how to continue that momentum. He is not in the same line of work as me but he comes from a background of working for big business, managing others, and standing up for himself. The latter in particular is an important lesson for me. 
Often times we come at a challenge or success from very different viewpoints. Sometimes that can be a challenge but most of the time it works to build both of our understanding. I love that we are able to do this for each other. I'm grateful to hear a different side of the process and learn more about those areas that are newer to me. I'm grateful to share my view in return, coming from a place of hope and heart. I'm grateful to be building our dreams and our lives together in a healthy and productive way. I'm grateful to know I have someone to bounce ideas off of and that we can work as a team. And I'm grateful for the delicious meals that we usually have during these discussions. Nothing better than nourishing body and mind at the same time. 
What is your favorite way to brainstorm? Do you have someone to be a sounding board as you build your dreams? Do they know how grateful you are for that role? May today bless you with great ideas and wonderfully supportive people. Have a beautiful day and weekend!

I love how dog's can express so much without the use of words. My dogs have so many facial expressions and sounds they make to communicate. My favorite is the cocked head that says, "Did I just hear what I think I heard?" or "What in the world is that?!" They also do what I call "roo-rooing" which is the stage in between whine and full on tantrum. It says, "Hey, are you even listening to me?" I love these sounds as well as watching their face as they stop mouth open or watch me with just their eyes. They can tell me so much.
I'm grateful for the different sounds and expressions my dogs make. I'm grateful to understand most of their communication. I'm grateful to have the time to snuggle them in the mornings before work and take a walk in nice wether. I'm grateful for the unique ways each of them shows affection. I'm grateful for the cocked head that is too cute even as adults. I'm grateful to take the time when something seems off to check in with them and let them communicate to me. I'm grateful for all the love they give me that warms my heart. I'm grateful to share my love with them. They are truly my babies and I'm so grateful for each day we have together. 
Do you have pets? What funny or sweet ways do they communicate with you? May your day be blessed with the ability to take some time with your sweet pets. Have a beautiful day!

Last night after returning home from registering for the bridal shower I was struck with a renewed urge for painting. There is something so energizing to me about picking new color schemes and shifting a rooms' feel through color. 
I'm grateful for the joy I find in looking through all the different colors of paint swatches. I'm grateful to keep swatches on hand for just such a moment as last night. I'm grateful for a fiancé that enjoys colorful rooms. I'm grateful for the energy it gives me to let my creative side flow with possibilities. I'm grateful for all the choices in colors combinations and shades. I'm grateful to have such large "canvases" to let my creative side explore. I'm grateful for all the ways of adding accent colors into a space. And I'm grateful for the way different colors can elicit different moods and energies in that space. Such a beautiful and magical world of color we live! I'm so grateful to play here.
What are your favorite colors? What colors do you incorporate in your home? Are they the same? If not, what energy or mood are you wanting to create in that space and does your current color scheme achieve that effect? Color is such a powerful tool. May your day be blessed with an awareness of the colors that surround you. May you find creative ways to make your space compliment the atmosphere you need. Have a beautiful day!

Sometimes I just have to laugh at myself. It is barely 7 am and I've already had two of those moments today. The first was a great example of creating my reality. Yesterday I woke very early after a restless night and couldn't get back to sleep. As I laid down early last night in hopes of catching up on some of that lost sleep I had also hoped that I would be able to sleep in. This morning when I woke, I felt rested and wide awake but upon glancing at the clock I saw that it was 3:24. Oh no, if it is only 3:30 then I will be exhausted by the time the alarm goes off, I thought! I rolled over and tried to get back to sleep only to reconfirm that I was wide awake. As I lay there debating if I should get up or stay there and trying to come up with some positive spin on how this would effect my day, the alarm went off. My clock switches back and forth between date and time and when I had looked at it, I had read the date! Haha! 
I then moved to my mat to do some morning yoga stretches. I tried to gracefully move into Crescent Moon as my fiancé walked by and, in my distraction, I wobbled all over and tipped. Haha! What can I say, he has that effect on me and we both got a good chuckle. 
I'm grateful to start my day with laughter. I'm grateful for those moments when I can just let go and laugh at myself. I'm grateful for the sound of it. And I'm grateful to share it with the man I love. I'm grateful to have those silly, laugh out loud moments first thing in the morning. It just seems to start the day off right. And I'm grateful to know that I've started today off on the right foot... even if it is a wobbly one. 
What laugh out loud moments have you had lately? Have you laughed yet today? Even if nothing is particularly funny, I highly recommend laughter to start your morning. May your day be blessed with laughter! Have a beautiful day.

I greet you sleepy this morning, happy Monday! I'm grateful for the start of another productive week. I'm grateful to incorporate the changes of the last few weeks into a daily routine. Yet in this moment I am grateful for comfort. I'm grateful for the guest bed that allows a soft place to type my blog when I am not ready to fully get up yet. I'm grateful for all the pillows and throw pillows that adorn the bed. I'm grateful for the soft nest they create at my back and neck. I'm grateful for a Deepak meditation waiting in my email inbox to start my morning on a fresh positive note. And I'm grateful for soft lamplight.
What comforts are you grateful for this morning as you start your week? Which comforts are often taken for granted? May your week start in comfort and gratitude. May you take just a few moments today to give thanks for your blessings. Have a beautiful day!

Good morning! Happy Spring Equinox, the first day of SPRING! The New Moon last night allowed us a night of darkness and rest, of turning inward. Now we can emerge to the light of a new day and new season! Today the day and night will be equal as we move toward longer days. It is also a time for new birth and growth! I'm so excited, can you tell?! 
I'm so grateful for my Crocus and Daffodils to be blooming. I'm grateful for the playfulness of having the eggshell in this picture from last year's Daffodils. I'm grateful for the rain that has come over the past few days to water and give life to the yard. I'm grateful for how green everything has turned in only a week. And I'm grateful for the sunshine to return today for a warm first day of Spring. 
I'm grateful for the shifts and cycles nature goes through and I'm grateful for shifts and changes within myself as well. I'm grateful for growth and expansion. There are so many changes happening right now and many more to come in the next few months. I'm excited for my wedding that is only a couple months away now! I'm so grateful to feel like the planning is finally coming together. I'm grateful for all those who have helped with the details and ideas. I am just so grateful for all the blessings in my life. Thank you all for being on this journey with me.
How will you celebrate the first day of Spring? What gratitude can you find in the symbolism of the equinox? What are you excited about today? Have a beautiful, beautiful first day of Spring! Have a wonderful weekend!

I woke a bit disoriented today after a night of dreaming I was waking in different scenarios. Have you ever had that happen? Once I dreamed I had awoke to find I overslept. Then thought I had woken only to find myself within another scenario and then woke to an alarm to find I was still in bed and unsure if I was truly awake. Needless to say, I was a little confused and tired... which leads me to my gratitude today. I'm so grateful to begin my day for real. I'm grateful that none of the scenarios of my dreams were accurate and I'm grateful for the hot shower that brings me back to reality. I'm grateful for breakfast leftovers from yesterday so that I can have a good meal without the extra effort. I'm grateful to have a routine for my mornings to help ground me. I'm grateful for the smiles I will see today and the work I will get done. I'm grateful to know I will have time tonight to rest under the New Moon and meditate. And I'm grateful for the dreams last night that are so fascinating now that I have awakened from them. 
What are you grateful for as you begin your day? Do you find comfort in the routine process of getting ready? Is there something great you are looking forward to today? Whatever your day holds, may you find gratitude and love within it. Have a beautiful day!

I'm grateful to make time in my day for creative expression. This can come in a variety of forms from painting or drawing to vision boards, to creating a new craft for a workshop or even dancing around the house. There are so many ways creativity can be expressed. I find it amusing when people say they aren't the creative type because it usually means they have narrowed the term to mean artistic. Humans are creative by nature. We are inventors, explorers, and creators. The chef expresses it through creating new recipes or finding the perfect plate arrangement. The florist creates the arrangement of flowers. I'd go so far as to say the Investor, like a painter, dabbles to find the perfect combination. Creativity comes in so many forms. And it can come inside and outside of the career we choose.
I'm grateful to have an outlet for my creative expression both in and outside of work. I'm grateful to be creative in the crafty/artistic sense of the meaning. I'm grateful to use this in my programs and workshops to help bring home the message in another way. I'm grateful for the wonderful response I get to that technique. I'm grateful to make a commitment to myself to make time in my week for creative expression in my personal life too. I'm grateful to do that through decorating the house or getting creative with organizing and I'm most grateful for time to sit down and draw, paint, or craft something just for fun. I'm grateful to be like my mom within this form of creativity. I'm grateful to go with her tonight in celebration of her birthday to a painting class at a local winery. I'm grateful that my sister-in-law and my aunt will be joining also. I'm grateful to celebrate in such a unique and creative way. 
How do you express your creativity? Do you use it inside and outside of work? Do you allow time for creativity just for fun? May you witness your creative side today. Have beautiful day!