This morning I woke up with the memory of my declaration more than two years ago “I can’t do this anymore.” It was 3:00 am in Venice, Italy when some force woke me up from a sound sleep and those words came out of my mouth. While focused on taking deep breaths to calm down my heart, I sat up in bed, with my knees pulled to my chest, and kept saying, “I can’t do this anymore. I can’t do this anymore.” ~ each statement louder than the last. “This” referred to owning my technology-consulting firm, and although I had been feeling those words for a year, I had yet to verbalize them out loud, with energy and conviction, until that early morning. On paper, I should have been happy. My company was successful: solid client list, an office on Madison Avenue, presence in a niche market and I was well into a six figure income. But the heart wants what the heart wants and the heart knows what the heart knows ~ I was not happy and owning this particular company was not my life purpose. Up until that point, I had not walked away from the business out of fear that the lifestyle I loved would have to change and what else could I possibly do for a career. Back then I didn’t think to tap into my power of faith in instances like this. I assumed I was being tested and when fear showed up, in my mind not my heart, I took the emotion and the words that came with it as truth. But at 3:00 am, in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, the more I breathed the more I realized that I was never being tested. Our faith is never tested; we are given opportunities to grow and strengthen our power of faith. And one thing is for certain; faith and fear cannot occupy the same space.

We are powerful! Each and every one of us was born with powers of love, understanding, wisdom, judgment, life, imagination, understanding, will, order, zeal, renunciation, choice and faith. Some of us are aware of only a few of these gifts, while others know they all exist, but forget to access them. We’ll spend hours, weeks, months struggling and complaining because “it” hasn’t happened and believe “it” isn’t meant to be, we’ve done something wrong, and only “other” people have good stuff happen. What would have changed if we shifted our thinking to the consciousness that all things are possible? How might things be different if we acknowledged and accepted these 12 powers every day and began to develop and strengthen them? We could start by beginning each morning with setting a daily intention: one or two words that will pave the way. I am Faith & Love; I am Choice & Understanding. Words and thoughts are not enough though and need to be followed through with action.

My stepping out on faith that it was time for me to sell my business and walk toward a sight unseen path didn’t meant that I received a “pass” to sit in the “waiting room”. I didn’t spend my days on the sofa, staring at the walls, waiting for something to show up in my lap. Using the power of faith, I was led to explore and evaluate my natural talents and unique abilities. This turned into my researching and testing out fields of interest, which brought me back to school to receive additional education and certifications and eventually my business plan for Life Design. While working hard, I imagined the look and feel of my creative workspace, my website, blog, and clients that would find me. It was an exciting time, and it still is! My releasing fear and using faith has grown my business from the initial, singular focus of working with people into the now three areas that include writing, and public speaking. Who knew my love for talking would manifest into speaking to rooms of people and my gift for words would offer me an opportunity to inspire, motivate and heal others?

What can’t you do anymore? More importantly, what can you do now? What have you believed and perceived that are not your reality? Consciously, you might not know how to do something and you might not have all of the answers when a divine idea shows up; however, all you need in the present you do have. The answers will show up when you put 100% intention toward your dreams, desires and goals.

When we open our minds and hearts to receive good, which has been waiting for the “all clear”, it shows up. If we shift our consciousness and choose to live the life we want to become, which involves giving back and expressing gratitude before we’ve received anything, dynamic and delicious ideas, opportunities, people and events show up faster, in large quantities and sometimes all at once. Although we’re thrilled that the very good we deserve has manifested, anxiety and fear can also show up as we are overwhelmed by what is now surrounding us. For me, there’s been numerous times where I sit and think, “This is amazing! Um, what do I do with it now?” There are also moments where I’m still in awe of all that I do receive even though I know and understand how the law works. When asked how it all happens, sometimes my response is “magic”, but more often than not it’s “I chose me.”

Wow, that’s a sentence I never thought I would be comfortable saying and writing it down seals my affirmation. Many of us were raised that to think of, do for, and put ourselves first was selfish and self-centered. My being born a female came with built-in societal instructions that first and foremost I nurture and care for everyone and everything around me, and if there’s a moment to breathe maybe take care of myself. How can we give back to others if we do not take care of our own minds, bodies and spirit? If I’m not getting enough sleep, skipping meals or eating fast food because I’m continually on the run, and not finding time for me, how can I be of any real help to anyone? Furthermore, what happens when our still small voices share with us divine dreams and ideas that inspire us to find our life’s purpose? As we envelope our unique gifts and talents and move forward, there will be people in our lives that will share, without being asked, what they think of our decisions, dreams and goals. They naysayers will say and do things that cause us to second guess ourselves and feel guilt over wanting new and good things to emerge. As the brilliant Eleanor Roosevelt said, “No one can make you feel inferior without your permission.” Where it’s the hardest is when the naysayers are our loved ones, but what we need to realize is that they are scared. While we are feeling energized by all that is unfolding, our loved ones are fearful of being left behind.

We all have our own unique journeys and the very people we believed would be in our lives forever don’t always come along. For me, this is where I find most of my anxiety lies when I look at the dynamic world I am creating. I think of those I love who no longer are able to support my good or hold judgments against my ideas and experiences because they aren’t able to visualize themselves living my life. All of this is okay. The naysayers aren’t bad people, but sometimes we have to love friends and family from afar. We are all doing the very best we can with where we are on our paths and to hold ourselves back doesn’t benefit anyone. Many of us who choose to honor the beauty of our dreams do suffer a “mourning period”, and we should honor what we are feeling. Now by honor, I don’t mean we are validating negative thoughts or sad feelings. Fear filled emotions show up for a reason and if we don’t give ourselves moments of stillness to listen and figure out why they’ve arrived, it takes that much longer to resolve.

No one can take our good away or prevent it from happening. Each and every person on this planet was born unique and authorized to live joy and love filled lives. We are meant to be dynamic! Choosing to honor ourselves, choosing to believe in the beauty of our dreams, and choosing to live in the knowing that we deserve to receive will benefit everyone. In this globally connected and butterfly effected world we live in, our choice to live our highest and best good will be seen, heard and felt by hundreds of thousands of people ~ many who we might never meet, but many who will be inspired to choose themselves as well.

The summer of 1986, I turned 18 and was about to start my Fall semester at Rollins College in Winter Park, FL. While attending a large family BBQ, a second cousin came up to me and said, “I see you one day living and working in New York City.” Back then, that was just about the coolest thing anyone could ever share or want for me. Up until that point, most of my childhood had been spent growing up in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. Although we did have the white beaches of Clearwater and the Salvador Dali museum in St. Petersburg, the Pinellas County area of Florida was known more for retirees and tourists vs. culture and adventure. I had felt for a very long time I was meant for something bigger, but I wasn’t able to visualize it. My upbringing didn’t include a lot of travel, outside of visiting family in New Jersey (which I loved) and long weekends to Walt Disney World, St. Augustine, or Daytona Beach. The thought of sharing all of the places I wanted to visit and live, the careers I wanted to hold and the lifestyle I wished to experience felt impossible. Most of the people I knew, friends and family, graduated high school, went to college, met there future husbands/wives, got jobs, got married, purchased a home and had children. They all seemed happy enough, and I assumed I was supposed to lead the same path. Yet the minute my cousin mentioned NYC and the image of me in it, something inside of me clicked and I knew I would get there some day.

Rollins College led me to a job at the Hyatt Orlando, which was “eh”, but it was work. In 1990, I wasn’t too choosy and the job market wasn’t all that giving. I ended up getting married and realized I was on the beginnings of a life I did not want and had no idea how to get out of it. Together, my husband and I ended up in Providence, RI for his promotion and I was blessed to land at Brown University. All the while I kept pushing my husband to do and want more which wasn’t what he wanted at all. He was happy with living in the same town forever, in the same house, with the same company. I focused on changing him instead of looking at what I needed to change within me. Numerous friends and family were telling me to just be happy with what I’ve got, but I couldn’t. I was grateful for what was in my life, but that didn’t stop me from wanting more. And it wasn’t my fault I desired more, I could point blame at my heart that wouldn’t stop talking and sending me dreams and ideas. Needless to say the marriage didn’t last, and one Sunday while reading the New York Times at a coffee shop on Hope Street (yes, I lived on Hope Street), I read an ad about a job fair happening the next day in New York City. I ran to the mall, bought a suit, redid my resume and the next morning at 6:00 am was on an Amtrak train from Providence to Penn Station. Two weeks later I was working at MTV, a year and a half later I started my own technology consulting firm, and twelve years later I walked away from a successful business to start Life Design ~ my life’s purpose.

Now I realize the above summation might sound like it was a cakewalk, and in fact, I’ve had more than one or two people share with me how they believe I’ve had it so easy. My response, now, is usually just laughter and I walk away. Back then when all of this good was entering my life because I was working hard, sometimes two jobs, sometimes 80-hour/7-day work weeks, I would defend myself and share the not great parts of my life to make them feel better. What’s more, there was a chunk of time in my life when I didn’t want to share with my family the countries I was traveling to because I felt bad that they were left behind at home. Here I was with the money to travel to fabulous places around the world, while they struggled to pay their bills.

One day while a mentor of mine and I were having tea he asked me, “Where is it written that we’re suppose to suffer and not live full lives? Who said that life had to be about struggle? What’s wrong with wanting good to show up in our lives? How are you helping your family, friends and others by living in the consciousness of lack and limitation?” It was an invisible slap upside of my head, as I realized while I did want good things in my life, I also wanted good in the lives of others. My believing in the beauty of my dreams wasn’t greedy or selfish because I believed in the beauty of everyone’s dreams. The good that is manifesting in my life allows me to give back and share with the rest of the world. This subtle shift in my thinking resulted in more opportunities presenting themselves to me. My refusing to acknowledge limited thinking opened the door for HUGE ideas and divine dreams to emerge. We were put her to live grand and dynamic lives, and while it does take work, hard work, determined work, and focused work; it’s also effortless because we’re living purposefully and enveloping the world, as well as ourselves, with love.

During the last several years, I’ve made a conscious choice to change the words I use throughout the day. For example, I no longer assign negative thoughts or express limiting views after the words “I am”. Anything after the words, “I am” is claiming ownership and I refuse to own pessimism. It wasn’t easy in the beginning, I mean, after all, I had 30 plus years of solid negative word habits; however, after setting the intention to shift my thoughts and words, I began to expand my vocabulary and became creative. It turned into a game, which I enjoyed and eventually my new way of thinking and speaking became a subconscious act. What’s interesting about this process of changing any area in our life is just when we think we’ve got it down and there’s nothing more to learn, a new layer is peeled away from the onion and we’re refocusing on the very area we were sure was in the past. And while this can prove frustrating, in reality we’ve not stepped backwards at all, but have reached a higher level of awareness. It might not feel like it at first, but it is an achievement.

As I leaped into 2010 with both feet and declared with enthusiasm and exuberance my divine goals, I took the time to evaluate what had been holding me back from declaring it sooner. Was it fear or a focus on lack and limitation? What I realized I had been doing throughout the entire month of December was repeating to everyone and anyone who would listen how busy my life was. I had too much going on with business travel, clients, family, friends and the holidays. Busy, busy, busy, busy. Then the strangest thing occurred, my phone stopped ringing and the emails slowed down. While some might claim that it was because of the holiday season, I knew better. Although some might not schedule or plan events for the last two weeks in December, they are making phone calls to plan for the beginning of the year ~ and with great energy. When I thought about the tone I used when expressing my busyness, it wasn’t with a negative attitude, but it was stated with authority. Anything we affirm with passion, whether the words and thoughts are negative or positive, will be received. It’s a universal law. My truth wasn’t that I didn’t want to be busy; I love what I do as a coach and creative strategist. In fact, every day I give thanks that I get paid to do what I love. What my words actually revealed was my inner fear that what if it all stopped. What if all of the work I’d been receiving, the new business and growing relationships with current clients just came to a halt? What if there was nothing more for me to give? All of these fear based untruths culminated in the “I’m too busy” mentality, instead of my taking the time to slow down and breathe. I should have stepped into the silence and listened to my still small voice reminding me of my life’s purpose. I would have been reminded that there is more than enough.

On several occasions when working with clients, I’ve been told that the very goals they set into motion are not being achieved and assure me, with great conviction, that they are focused. I challenge them to look at several things: word choices, thoughts and actions, specificity of the goal, as well as realistic completion dates. Just because you’ve affirmed for an hour a day that you’ll have a new job, gig on Broadway, partner, or business, doesn’t mean that the remainder 23 hours you’ve been living your divine dream. I’ve listened to clients tell me in one breath how they know they will accomplish a specific ambition and in the next breath tell me how horrific the industry is where said ambition is to be achieved. If the industry where your dream career lies is so horrible and troublesome to you, what is it that keeps you there? Also, goals are great, divine goals even better, but if we don’t specify what we want, we shouldn’t be surprised when the right and perfect “insert desire here” doesn’t appear. It’s not enough to declare that you want to find love ~ a partner, husband, wife. I’ve had friends and clients tell me stories about how the only people showing up as potential love interests are taken ~ married or otherwise “committed”. Well did you clarify exactly what you wanted in an intimate relationship? When I was began to date, shortly after the divorce from my first marriage, all I stated was that I wanted to be in love again. I didn’t fine-tune my expectations or needs. Date after date, I was sitting across from replicas of my ex-husband, and I couldn’t figure out why the Universe was sending me men I didn’t want. A mentor of mine challenged, “Have you actually asked for something different?” At the time, I had not.

We need to take ownership and hold ourselves accountable for the lives we’re currently living. As I’ve said before, we get unlimited do overs and the power of free will allows us to choose new directions if we’re unhappy. If it appears that you are blocked or in a stagnant state with regards to your dreams and goals, set the intention for change and move toward a conscious shift in words. Keep on keeping on!

One of the most challenging questions I’ve ever been asked was how I define prosperity. Like many people, the first image that came to mind was stacks of cash followed by images of the material objects said cash could purchase. As I answered the question with the words financial wealth and independence five years ago, it didn’t feel complete. At 36, I was blessed to own a successful consulting firm, a condo on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and traveled frequently to countries all over the world. While I was grateful for all of the tangible items and events in my life that pointed toward the traditional meaning of prosperity, I realized that I was limiting the definition of a word that encompasses so much more. I began to look at how I was living: I was in the process of a divorce from someone who felt obligated to share that he hadn’t been in love with me for quite some time, my creativity was stagnant, I felt weighted down physically and my life purpose was undefined. It was time to re-define prosperity and begin to live my life whole. Don’t get me wrong, I am a fan of financial prosperity, and I believe with 100% passion that it’s okay to not only want to experience monetary wealth, but to have it. Yet, I needed to expand my prosperity by way of manifesting joy, love, laughter, spiritual growth, creativity, and an intimate relationship that supported, honored, respected and loved me for me.

It was an exciting time as I opened my heart and mind to receive. I started a journal where I could list, daily, the people, events and experiences that felt prosperous. And while I acknowledged my prosperity, I also wrote words of gratitude for all that was showing up and would emerge in my life. Within six months, I found my spiritual home, attended a retreat (The Artist of My Soul) that cleared a path of creativity between my heart and mind, developed eternal friendships, released 40 pounds, began to volunteer and met my future husband. With all of this prosperity coming at me hard and fast, you’d think I’d be ecstatic, and, for the most part, I was; however, I also began to get scared and feel very overwhelmed. In the process of declaring, demanding and living what I wanted to manifest in my life, I didn’t expect fear to show up. By the way, fear is nothing more than our ego getting in the way and wanting to be heard. It will say all sorts of stupid untruths to get noticed like: You realize with all this good, something bad is bound to happen. Do you really think you deserve all of this happiness when so many others are suffering? I don’t know about your ego, but mine is Irish/Italian and very experienced at spreading guilt. What happens when we allow these negative ideas to purchase land and build a home or condo? Mental clutter comes along with the luggage and we are diverted. When this happens, and since we’re human it will, we have to come armed with the knowledge that we deserve our prosperity. There’s nothing wrong with acknowledging our egos input, it might be considered rude otherwise; however, we can thank it for sharing and point it in another direction.

Yesterday, my definition of the word prosperity was broadened further. My dear friend, Angela Betancourt, returned to NYC for the first time in over a year after an accident took the life of her husband and left her in a coma for over four months. I was blessed to spend the entire day with her amazing spirit. As a traumatic brain injury survivor, she is determined to see her life as prosperous because she knows she survived the accident for a reason. She wants to be an advocate for TBI survivors and their families and she wants to give back to all of her angels who have helped and continue to support her while she recovers and her body strengthens. What I don’t believe Angela realizes is the power and force already contained within her healing body ~ her heart. I watched as she hugged people she doesn’t yet remember and how they walked away enveloped in love and energy. I witnessed as Angela remembered lyrics to a song and recognized faces even though she was uncertain of their names. I experienced strangers being drawn to her and conversations generated because they overheard a comment or words she was sharing. My life’s mission to co-create, support, and inspire life dashes filled with discovery of personal truth and the manifestation of their divine goals, ideas and dreams was strengthen by Angela’s presence yesterday. I am prosperous.