The beauty about being human is we can let go of thoughts that no longer serve us. We can rid ourselves of self-sabotaging thoughts that keep us from living a full life full of happiness and, well you know I have to say it, bliss! The downside of being human, is we hang onto those thoughts because they've become our identity and, well, they're just a part of our DNA. Right? Wrong!!

We are all superheroes capable of anything when we get out of our own way!

A part of getting out of our own way is to not be a victim of our past experiences. One of the visiting teachers at IIN said it best, "You need to be a student of your life, not a victim." I thought that was amazing advice. Imagine if we let our experiences teach us rather than define us. What would our lives look like if we were students?

But most of us allow our experiences to become our ongoing story that defines us. And, for those who have suffered trauma or heartbreak, who hasn't on some level, that story is stronger and more complicated. We stay in these stories and let them guide our actions. Trust me, I speak from experience. During my life mastery yoga program, my teacher announced in front of the class, "You're someone who doesn't feel worthy!" Um, really? Did you have to announce my personal business in front of everyone? I don't know if I would define myself as not feeling worthy, but I knew on some level he was right. I asked, "How do you fix that feeling?" His answer was simple, "You stop the story!" Wow! So, simple, but equally difficult. After all, this is how we define ourselves. That story has been playing our minds consistently. What happens if we let the now be our story, not what happened to us 5, 10, or 20 years ago? Well, I'm not going to tell you because the experience is as unique as our fingerprints, but, I can tell you, it's worth the effort.

You need to conduct your own experiment. Here are some questions to ask yourself:

• What's your story?
• Why is it your story?
• Is this story holding you back?
• What would your life look like if this story was no longer playing?

On some level, we all have a part of our story that no longer serves us. The first step is being mindful of when you start telling yourself the story and simply stop. You may even find yourself saying out loud, "Just stop!" As we quiet the story, it slowly looses its power over us. And, one day you'll realize, the story that was no longer serving you is gone. This is how you can start changing your story and rediscover yourself. This is how you begin to live a balanced life that is in harmony with your authentic self!

I encourage you to look at your story and make some changes. I look forward to hearing about your experience. 

Welcome to my first blog! I felt my graduation day from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition is the perfect time to officially announce my business and to share my intentions in starting Blissfully Balanced Living.

It’s my hope to guide people to a place that they didn’t think possible - one of being blissfully balanced. We live in a world where multi-tasking, information overload, and convenience is a valued way of life. And with this new wave of being, we’ve let go of deep connections that happen when people put aside the distractions and REALLY listen to each other. We listen only for the pause to interject our own thoughts and feelings. Information flies at us at lightning speed, OK, smartphone speed. Not only is the amount of information overwhelming, but most of the information paints a world less than desirable. Let’s face it, sensationalism sells. And, lastly, with all of this whirling around us, convenience is high on the survival list. So, what’s the big deal? With everything coming our way, we’re constantly in a state of fight or flight. In this state, time is of the essence. There’s no time to listen, no time to focus on one thing, and more importantly, no time to think about what we’re eating! Hippocrates said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” Unfortunately, today’s mindset is, “Eh, who cares what I eat, there’s medicine for that!” Sound familiar?

My goal is to create a space where we listen to each other, we slow down, and we pay attention to the food we eat. And, together, we discover that "feel good" place that we thought was long gone.

I invite you to join me on this journey by following me on my website. In the upcoming weeks, I’ll start sharing some of my favorite recipes and I’ll be blogging at least once a month.

Welcome to Blissfully Balanced Living!