Back on track.

Where am I now in regards to business?   I’d say though behind we are still full steam ahead.  Right now we are in the process of re-branding and designing a logo.   We have the new mission statements for both the nonprofit and the healing center.  We have been rearranging and rethinking our room rental strategy to utilize the space to increase income and we have finally started implementation of Mind Body software and will begin training our therapists how to schedule.  We plan to be fully up and running with the software by July 1^st.  I have a partner as of now who is helping to interview people of all modalities to form a core group of like-minded practitioners and we have started to use a interoffice program to keep us on track as far as tasks are needed.   I have also hired a personal assistant to assist me in the details of my day to day to keep my head above water.  I feel that we have left the planning stage and ready for birth of this new business concept.  I feel clearer as to the overall goal and design of One Source Healing Center.  

Abundance

Over the last few months, one thing has become increasingly clear.  I have come to realize that I have zero control of the future and this has lead me to see that there is no block to abundance.  I would have never see the correlation but nevertheless, for me it was directly linked.

A numbers game...People

One concept that I am learning about overall in business is that finding good people is a continuous feat. In the service industry we are constantly hiring and it is a numbers game.  In creating business, I have learned that this is the flow and what I am really looking for is the flow of the right people.  You can not teach people to be responsible and working with responsible people is much easier than working with someone who has been in the trade for years sometimes.  Responsibility and integrity go hand in hand.  

Being an entrepreneur is problem solving and being in the service industry is hiring & firing. Eventually if you do it long enough, you build a good team but it is always changing.  

I am learning so much about building foundations and if the foundation is strong then putting people in the mix can be much easier and not so overwhelming.  The next position I hire for is a personal assistant, someone to do my to-do lists.  They wont need to understand my business, but only to understand me.  Goal date... August. 

May- Planting Seeds & setting boundaries

According to My happiness project, In May I was to focus on self-care.  My goals were to get a holistic treatment each week, get to sleep earlier and to create a space for myself and to go there.  Just by default, it is already working out great.  In our new home, my bedroom is my retreat.  I bought a new bed and dresser with two end tables.  I purchased two because of feng shui I wanted to draw in the energy of a new happy and healthy relationship.  By creating this space for myself, I have never slept so well.   I am trying to get to sleep earlier or at least into bed earlier so I would say I am on track there.  I had a massage last week and I will be getting one Wednesday too.  I have been much more aware of the foods that make me feel good and walking the dog at least 3-4 days a week.  I want the 40's to be the best years of my life, and I think they look pretty good on me.  

In business, I took a couple of weeks off to let my new managers step in.  They are doing such a good job and it feels great to know that the daily tasks are getting taken care of, but also the foundation has become much stronger.  However I did find that I can not just step away, these are my businesses and I need to be present.  This month we are getting our computer program up and running and laying out the details according to my vision.  The new mission statement has been written and we have decided to re brand the holistic center which is needed.  

Probably the biggest advance for me has been setting boundaries.  To be honest, this was not easy for me.  I am a little bit of a push over until I am not anymore and this is where the problem lies as when I draw the line there is nothing tactful about it.  I am working on setting compassionate boundaries as Daphne had pointed out because most of the time I just blurt it out, due to built up emotions.  To be unclear is to be unkind, is the quote I have in my office.  

The gifts from my mother

Last week at CBC, we were asked to reflect on our moms and offer up the best advice that they gave us growing up to help in our businesses.  As we went around the room, I had a chance to ponder what it was that I learned growing up.  First and foremost, I learned to work hard.  I am not sure this was ever spoken, however this I witnessed.  My parents were modest people who loved to travel, worked hard and provided for their family without question.  I also learned sacrifice and only as an adult did I really see the sacrifice of my mother. I saw how she kept our family together selflessly as she hoped for our futures to be bright even if it didn't allow for her to flower.  In that sacrifice, she also taught me that I was equal to any man in business or in life.  This may have been the greatest gift which show up for me in independence.  It also allowed me to always move forward with out blocks of seeing too many lines of separation.  She taught me that people are basically good and to trust.  I learned the value of looking into the eyes of another as I shake hands and to honor my word.

Sometimes as we go through the ups and downs in life it is not always easy to be in gratitude for all that I have been given and the incredible start that I had in life, but as I reflect and take this time to honor my mother I realize if I am going to show up in life, I should show up for her.  

Full Moon

I am inspired tonight after a week of long walks with my dog, a full moon, the smell of fresh blooms & bbq's and a week of crazy emotions.  Sure everything is in balance right?  This week I was not as excited and fulfilled as I had been.   I can not explain it but somehow I could not bring in my joy fully.  Of course these are the ups and downs of life.
All is well on the business front.  Cleaning business is thriving, growing and my partner has it under control, so thankful that we have turned a corner.    Pathways is getting organized and this week I implemented a Friday lunch with my crew, so that we could check in weekly to maker sure that we are all cohesive in our branding and vibrational message.  Monday meetings are in full swing as we continue to plan for the non profit roll out.  Yes, we were on track, however this week I have been down in the dumps.  I tried everything to come out of this, I took my friend to Boulder to have lunch and see an Apothecary that I would love to model ours after, I walked each night, howled at the moon and even played my music so loud that my soul would move, but each day was unfulfilled.  It was not until tonight where I finally found peace.  I hate having such little control of my emotions.  I tried everything but then on a side note, I gave up bread and most dairy this week too.   Damn life is so confusing... could it be as simple as that?  How about love?  I am also misplaced by my heart longing for love and peace.  Old emotions from the past rolled in and tried to take over, just thankful for the fortunate gift of consciousness and the fact that I do not ever go backwards in life.
What really is this blog about?  Maybe this is the epitome of finding happiness in the weeds, because this week I tried and worked to change my confusion to happiness consciously and no matter what I told myself, I could not move through the emotions.
So funny, I was watching wheel of fortune with my father this week and thought, damn Pat Sajak is always happy.  That is his job! Well it is my job too, as I cant be a leader if I am too caught up in my own emotions for days at a time.   What I found is that I can not always control the downs no matter how hard I try, you just have to wait for that divine timing and be open to the lessons that are presenting themselves.  I know the lesson that I had to learn this week, I was faced with a choice. Patients or self-sabotage.  As much as I yearned to sabotage myself, I still allowed myself to emit flaws in public but at the same time I was aware and allowed myself the space to move through the emotions.  This was a fucking hard week, but I nailed it...kind of.  And if I didn't, there is always next month.

Stepping into new roles and opening up to new possibilities

The goal for this week was to complete training of my amazing team.  In all of my businesses and at the same time a powerful woman rose to the occasion and stepped into management.  Daphne is now the Business manager of Pathways Holistic Center,  Mari is head of marketing, Teresa has become the Apothecary manager and Anna has brilliantly stepped into partner/manager of One Source Cleaning.   What I thought was going to be a chaotic week where I would be pulled in so many directions, I was taken by complete surprise.  By Thursday these women had full control and responsibility of their place in our business and for the first time I found myself at one desk, behind one computer working on all of the things that I have had to put off.  I can not believe I had attempted to do all of this work myself.  

So Today, as I ponder what to write about, I felt a celebration was in order. Whew, I kept all of that above water for 15 months and managed not to drown in the process but there is no doubt how close I came to that.  Today just for a moment while swamped in the day to day tasks of paying bills, to-do's, emails and phone calls, I celebrated that process of where I was, who I was and who I have become.  I embraced the fact that every bit of control in my life has vanished and a clean slate was born.  It may have been 15 months, but today I saw the first breath of life into those businesses. This week I let go and as my hand unwrapped from the strings to the unknown, I witnessed something taking flight.  

I think I will settle in nicely as the owner/visionary of my businesses.  I realized by letting go, I could accomplish so much more.  With gratitude for my new team I can see abundance, process and form.  My next quest will be to design a system for the accounting and then move on toward creating my biggest vision yet, Touchstone Natural Healing Corporation which is our non-profit. The difference between who I was 15 months ago and who I am today was the realization that thoughts do create reality, the idea that controlling the future is pointless and that love, integrity and authenticity are the keys to abundance & success.  

April is Balance

                                                                         "Balance"

I thought this week I would take a moment to update my happiness project.   April was to be about cooking healthy nutritious meals at home but this is not happening.  April is lending itself to be more hectic than March, however the difference is that I can see all of the hard work in April will shower me with love & peace in May.  This is the tunnel and I can see light.  This month I have taxes to finish, people to train & just as soon as I get that done we start moving into our new home.  All of these strenuous tasks lead to a better life for the kids and I.  I guess you could say "how hard would it be to cook nutritious meals at home and I do, don't get me wrong, but my vision is a beautiful system that lends it self to the joy of cooking again".   That takes some work and I guess I don't really feel at home right now, it is more place where my things are while in transition.  It is full of boxes and remnants of a past life that has vanished before my eyes.  As I find the greater meaning of the situation I realize that I don't want to start all over there even for a brief moment, so I let the past escape me as I look into a future of the unknown.  It is a blank slate, a new beginning if you will.   New rules, new ways and new creations.

In April, I find balance.  This month I will be training, setting up systems and creating the foundation for a bright new future for my business and personal life.  Life is good and I can see that with a little balance in my routine, a lot creativity, belief and that clean slate I will begin to draw my dreams to reality.

A new day, A new business

What an action packed month March was.  If there was an emotion I felt it and if there was a challenge I faced it.  To break it down quickly, we bought a house, helped my folks move from Florida, turned 40 in Vegas and created a completely new business plan and strategy.  

I can hardly catch up on my work possibly because I was out of town for half the month or maybe I cant catch up because as with everything in spring business is blooming.  After last weeks blog, I realized that I had to get into gear and with that I realized it is time to replace myself.  It was time to move to ownership rather spending my day putting our fires.  With this realization I have hired someone who's specialty is creating systems.  I hired her for 20 hours and made a commitment to myself to find a way to manifest the money to move her to full time by May 1st.  I must also say that another woman was called to Pathways to donate her time and she is helping me get the operating system up and running.  This was the piece that too was holding us back from expansion as I could not find the time to simply learn the system.  She is also creating orders, making blends for customers, researching new products and revising the Apothecary.  Our business is blessed!

In addition, spirit brought me another gift.  A woman that I had been working with in my cleaning company showed up ready to take over the day to day in this company as well.  At first, I was in resistance because this was the money that I had been using for a year to keep Pathways afloat.  However, as we were talking and writing up an agreement I was being told to let it go and that this was what I had been asking for for the last 8 months.  Both were conscious decisions to choose a better way of life for myself.  To work in a capacity that will allow more abundance to flow to us all.   

On a spiritual level after making this commitment to my business & life I have never felt so in control in my ability to manifest my reality.  This might have to do with the fact that after all that I have been through personally, I realized how little control I have of the outcome of my future.  Living in the moment and creating reality with my thoughts may seem like a crazy idea, but it is truth and I see it in my life everyday.    

So this week, I stepped back, yes I did!  I realized finally that the day to day is not my job anymore.  I gave myself a promotion an advancement if you will to owner/visionary of my dream.  Welcome April.

Business planning 101

This month I was faced with some strategic planning, but also I am happy to announce that Touchstone Natural Healing Corporation is now a 501c3 with a mission to provide financial support for qualified individuals to facilitate compassionate healing for mind, body and spirit.   This has been a dream of mine and it is becoming reality.  I am so lucky to have a group of qualified and compassionate holistic healers to bring this vision into reality.  Now that the paperwork is in order, what is the next step?

Well thankfully my coaching session this month started me off in just the direction that I needed to go.  That coaching session was overwhelming and so frustrating to me.  I knew exactly what I need to do and it was what I have been needing to do for a long time.  I need to get my business defined, up and running.  After the session, I was pretty depressed until someone told me that if you are feeling that frustrated, it is because you are on to something.  Good thing the coaching program is a full year, because I am going to need it.   

I had declared March as movement month for me and as most of you are aware, my life is changing and moving a lot right now.  After the session the kids and I flew to Florida to help my parents move and I had a solid 24 hours of driving back to ponder my business plan.  I realized that it is time for Pathways to pull ahead and get into business mode.  This was the only way for our non-profit to thrive as well. 

When I stepped into the office on Friday the first thing I did was hire the perfect person to help me to get there.  Not only does Daphane have experience with non-profits and Holistic Business, she also knows how to say NO and stay on track.  She will be running the front and helping me to create that structure.  

I have also teamed up with another amazing woman who shares my passion for the 

apothecary and oils as I am not about to let the love of my life linger in the balance.   I want all facets of this business to rise together, I just need more help.   One of the greatest realizations that I had over the last couple of weeks was that it is 100% true that at this moment I do not have the capacity to do it all or even give more that 20% in any direction right now and that is OK.

In addition I have personally invited 10 holistic practitioners to join Pathways in a new level of membership.  They will be the first practitioners that we will begin to build our program and menu of services around.  It is great to narrow the scope a bit while we are getting things started.  This month was a little haywire but I’m getting there. 

Now just one more thing to do this week and that is turning 40 in Las Vegas.  If I make it through March, April will be a breeze.  

Let’s get the story behind the story.

I have been trying to get this “branding” figured out by myself and after this month’s coaching session I thought I was stepping up to the plate with power in my corner and a perfect strike coming down the shoot.  However I swung and completely missed. 

Clearly messaging has been a little difficult for me in my business and the big question for me is why? 

2 years ago I had no idea that I would be where I am at today, both in business and in my personal life.  2 years ago I was running the office of a framing company and was desperately searching for a business that I could do of my own.  A business that would give me financial stability because that is what we needed most. 

Over the next 1.5 years I went back to school and finally saw the light of passion ahead.  Soon I had an opportunity to take over a place where I used to get my massages.   It wasn’t just a building it was a special place for many people and a big opportunity for a career change.  In order to take on this building I had to look towards another opportunity to take on a cleaning business.  So, that is what I did.  What I thought was supposed to be the beginning of my life was also the end of the life I knew.  In this time my husband left me because I was too distracted figuring out two businesses, full time in school and even still helping at the kid’s school.  How can finding my passion create so much havoc in my life?  Finding the beauty in my work was supposed to make everything else better but instead I lost everything I knew as truth over the last 10 years.  Every reason behind my story disappeared. 

There was no business plan or business for that matter in that 3000 sf building.  I hustled to fill the rooms and worked tirelessly every day, creating everything from scratch.  Just when I overcame one obstacle another arrived, probably the most challenging was trying to figure out how to run a cleaning business when I had very little experience, but it was paying the bills and required some attention.  I had no plan.  I just took over another business to help me by time till I could figure out what the hell I had done.  Probably my greatest strength in business is my ability to take risks though I knew that walking into this opportunity was a gift and giving up was the only way to fail. The only thing I knew was that I cannot give up.

The holistic field is one that asks you to go within and opens you up to your intuitive side.  This field requires self-healing and when you are confronted with a feeling you do not push it down, you ask why?  Each time I figured out one problem and how to solve it, another presented itself and required my full attention.  I created systems, memberships and finally got my website up while simultaneously my personal life as I knew it was falling away from me.  There is no surprise as to why my messaging is so confusing, because this was not just a business it was a complete life overhaul.

 

The practitioners who have been with me for the long haul always say “Jill is always changing things”, and I would go into defense mode as if I had something to prove to everyone on my path.  I did this because I was always questioning every move that I made as if I didn’t belong there in the first place.  What do I have to offer after all I am newer to this field than any practitioner that I was working with? 

This week after my coaching session, I felt was given the permission to start creating my business and that I need to be very clear on what that is to me and only me for now.  I was asked to do a few forecasts to explore business development in order to get a sense of where to put my money for the best return and what is the best return on the services that I can offer.  This is an opportunity for me to not put the cart before the horse, this is research baby.  So, that is what I will do next.  Also as I am writing I realize that when I speak about Pathways Holistic Center I always say “we” as if there is a mouse in my pocket.  As to not offend, even with all of the weight on my shoulders I never speak from my power center as a business owner the way I did in construction and I challenge myself now to see if this too can shift. 

Still moving forward Pathways has begun receiving more attention and it is time to get the message straight.  What are we selling, who is selling it and what is the value being offered.  I think this may have been the most introspective coaching session yet, because it was the most frustrating for me.  This week I am still training volunteers and getting my time management under control, however in the next 10 days, I am going to put on my big girl panties and start looking at the numbers.  I’m a numbers gal anyway, so why have I been shying away for so long.  Is it simply because we don’t talk the same way about money and numbers like we do in construction?  What are the possibilities if I shift this thinking as well?  Enough talk, it is time to get the pencil to the paper and create that dang plan.  

Time Management vs. Branding

This month for my coaching program I was challenged to write down what I do all day after I told my coach Noam Kostucki how overwhelmed I felt.   This lasted about 2 days.  The first day, I was pretty proud as I went from meeting to meeting to meeting but the next day, I went from meeting to paperwork, to emails, to lunch, to picking up a sick kid, to having a surprise meeting, to paying bills, to chatting with my mom, to selling products and then having a drink.  Whoa, that type of chaos made me feel overwhelmed just writing it down.  So yes, I stopped and thought maybe if I just knew what I wanted to do and spend my time doing that I could get help with the rest and maybe just maybe get to feel less depleted.   

In order to draw more focus, I have been seeing a marketing coach weekly at Pathways to hone in on my message.  The comedy is that each week we host a meet up group called Conscious Business Connection where I have to stand up and tell everybody what I do.  Each week, it sounds different and I can promise you that even today only about 10% of the people could convey what I do to someone else.  Am I a director/owner of Pathways Holistic Center?   A reflexologist/ Aromatherapist?   A young living distributor?  The owner of an Apothecary?  The owner of a holistic Cleaning & Construction business?  The founder of a non-profit for Holistic Wellness?  Sounds like a bit of a crazy person when you rattle it off, doesn’t it? 

Most of them see me as the director of pathways and although this is quite a title, I am not sure I even understand what this means to me.  I have been putting blood, sweat, tears and money into Pathways for so long it has become an extension of who I am like my right arm, not so much what I do.  However over the recent months, Pathways is transforming into the place that it was meant to be and again although I kept the doors open and held the space, it is becoming an entity of its own.   Pathways has become a community center for holistic health professionals to meet their clients, start their own businesses and to hold classes & workshops.  As this was my vision from the beginning, month after month I began to feel like I was a volunteer.  This moment of shift was the most profound change that Pathways has experienced yet.  When I realized that I was just a volunteer, a load was completely lifted from my shoulders as I made the decision to have more volunteers.  So it begins, finally with the release of one load, the clarity is bringing my own passions into focus.    

As an entrepreneur first, business is my love but where do I focus so that I can create the most happiness in my life, focus my marketing to achiever abundance and help people in a way that serves both of our higher selves.  So let me introduce my passion.   I am the owner and creator of a product line called A vida é boa and the owner of Healthy Home Apothecary.  We are located at Pathways Holistic center in Fort Collins. 

So with this, I am focusing on what I love and creating a place for myself to grow, expand and most of all utilized my marketing money for something that I am passionate about.  Next step is to get a new logo & sign for the Apothecary and start to building products.  Do what you love, love what you do and make money at it. 

February Update- My happiness project.

February Happiness Project Update

So February was all about the kids and creating a more peaceful home.  Did I do this?  Well my daughter Gabriela gave me the thumbs up, except for the game night each week she says.  I might say back that since we are pretty active, we did some other cool stuff instead.  I will give myself a thumbs up here too because as I look back I see that I have created some new habits.

Move more quietly.  I think this gets 7 out of 10 stars.  I was definitely more mindful of creating peace and slowing down.  I was more interactive and there were some new moments with the kids that I had not experienced before.   Sure we had some racing around and get er done moments too but overall I really think I did pretty well and I did remember to remind them and talk to them about new possibilities for ourselves.  

Wake the kids in a fun way and wake up 30 minutes earlier.  I think this was really helpful and easily became a nice routine.  By waking up earlier and being ready for work before I woke them, the change I noticed was really within myself.  I found that when I am ready to go and more together, that I can control our mornings better and stay in the flow.  I even had Gabi laying out her clothes the night before which made her feel more excited about waking up.  When I was more alert and organized so was Gabi and this was the key to changing our chaotic mornings to a more peaceful routine.  We are usually a step behind but in February we were mostly on time and showing up in a new way. 

I will use better language and be mindful of the kids being around when talking to other adults.  I think I was much better and mostly at the beginning of the month.  In the end my language slipped a bit by habit, but I feel that overall this was easily accomplished. Just being aware was a step in the right direction. 

Listen from a loving space.  With all of the emotional going on in my life, I would like to say that I did the best with what I had.  I did set aside some special time for the kids each week.  I am looking forward to continuing to making this an important task in my daily life because the benefits that I see here are so important for us all.  

Emphasize exercise and do it with the kids.  I am very happy to say that I did this well.  First we started with walking the dog and now we are getting away each week to hike.  I am happy to do this with the kids as it feels great to go out as a family and start to create new family traditions. 

Have a game night.  We set aside 2 nights this month for game night, however we also had a date night where I took the kids to the movies and another night out having dinner.  I like this so much because in action we become different people and enjoy another side of ourselves.  This has also been good for the kid’s relationships to each other and with less fighting I got to sit back and enjoy this peace.

More hugs and teaching moments.  Yes yes yes!  Where there is more peace there is more love and understanding.  What a great month of growth with kids.  I am getting excited for the new challenges in March. 

This month is March= Movement.  Gosh I am so excited to start to push myself to get moving.  I sit around more than I have ever in my life.  Always so much to do and always doing it behind a computer screen.  Sitting around has been terrible on my body.   So for March I am setting movement goals. This is perfect timing because the sun is out and spring is in the air.  

My goals are to stretch each morning after my shower, walk the dog daily with the kids, attend a yoga class each week and start to ride my bike.  I am over excited to start implementing this new change in lifestyle to feel more healthy as after I am turning 40 this month.    

  

Social Media & Branding... Oh my!

This month we are reading a book called “likeable social media” by Dave Kerpen.   Just when you think “I’ve got this”, then I get the opportunity to see that I have so much more to learn about marketing in our technologically savvy world.  What I have learned is that just like personal relationships, social media is not called “social” because you just put something out there on the internet and hope to connect.  Connecting on social media is almost as real as chatting at a networking group.  I am talking about relationships.  As I tell some practitioners, “if you want to fill your classes, you have to shake hands, talk to people and invite them to be a part of what you are doing”, I say that because there is no replacing physical contact.  However, now I am learning that if you do social media right, you can connect very personally with your audience. Whoa!  

I have to find the time to slow down and connect.  Social media is not just a place to post and say “there, it’s done.  I'll do it again next week" This was another "A Ha" moment when I realized that social media has its own personality and I need to show up.  But to show up, I need to have time.  In my busy world, I have figured out that time=more help.  So, I have started to get volunteers and have hired a gal to take over some busy work a few hours a week.   

Also to really show up on social media, I must get my brand down and this branding idea, still has me a bit perplexed.  There are so many facets of my business that getting it all to come together is part waiting process and part trying new things to see what works.  I have always viewed branding as a logo and I am pretty sure that is not what these books are telling me.  I think where I become a bit lost is how does the brand cover all of what I am doing yet still convey the same message?  Further, how do I get something out to community that is representative of the whole vision yet short and sweet? 

Here is what I do know:

I have a logo and I don't use it on all of my advertising.  Not good.

I have many different names that I use for different parts of the business...I'd better nail that down.

I sell and only use the best products made with love.  Consistently, very good.

My vision is key to all of the many different avenues.  Hmmm….

Many people do not know what it is that I do, even still or all that Pathways has to offer.  Time for a change here, but I have a marketing coach that is trying to help me out.  

I have very little time to show up on social media, though I am getting volunteers to help in the center.  

I guess other than providing good service and amazing products, it is time to start messaging. 

I see that my brand needs still needs some work yet.  

Since I am a silver lining type of gal, the good news is writing it out is a great start.  I think if I meditate on this for a while, clarity will come.  
March = Messaging!  I will keep you informed!

What is the true cost of cleaning in today's toxic world?

Each week I teach people about Essential oils and how to use them in their homes and for health.  Essential oils can be applied in many ways.  You can put a few drops of clary sage in your bath to help with cramps, put lavender on your band aid to assist your body in healing cuts and scrapes or by diffusing Eucalyptus into the air to help with a cold.   One of the most profound concepts that I teach is how Essentials get into our bodies and why we should start using less toxic chemicals all around. 

Take Essential oils for example, they get into your saliva within 30 seconds and can be in every cell of our bodies in about 30 minutes.  When we are speaking about the benefits of Essential Oils, we think “Great”!  However if this is true of EO’s, take it one step further.  This means that ammonia, bleach and other harmful chemicals are also entering our blood streams.  How would this effect our bodies after a lifetime of use?  So are there other alternatives to using harmful chemicals and if so, why are we not using them?

Luckily due to demand in certain areas of the country, the grocery stores are offering less toxic options and even at a premium price if you just substitute that with every other purchase you are decreasing the amount of toxins that get into your system by 1/2.  You can also make your own products that are equally effective.  Like for instance, I recently made a foot spray for my boys “stinky feet” with essential oils which works beautifully.  This cost was a little more up front but I can make this spray over and over with the ingredients that I purchased the first time and I can use those oils to make a ton of other things. Now a step further, imagine how great you will feel learning something new, making changes to keep your family safe & being creative.  This change alone in our psyche can increase overall happiness in our lives. 

Since harmful chemicals can also get into our bodies by inhalation, can you imagine how this could negatively affect someone who is fighting chronic illness, cancer or respiratory disease?   They are fighting to create clean healthy cells in a world where we are already in toxic overload.  We take for granted the air we breathe, don’t we?  There are studies about the effects of living in cities with clean air verses polluted air and we seem to understand that but most often feel that we can’t do a lot about it.  We love to light heavily scented candles, use glade plug-ins or other methods to clear the air but we don’t get the skinny on the side effects of these chemicals after long term use. 

Sulfates, propylene glycol, Deet to name a few lace our cleaning supplies, bugs sprays, lotions, perfumes, shampoo’s and makeup and as long as you do not ingest or splash them in your eyes then they are considered safe because they are not intended to be used internally and not toxic enough to cause harm on the first round.  But what is the effect of daily use of the combined chemicals?  To me this is like taking all sorts of prescription drugs but unaware of how those drugs will interact with each other.  Public education stops there because it effects the bottom line and lets face it as long as the public keeps buying, why would they change.  

Now I must interject and tell you that I know I don't live in a world where even I can be chemical free if that is my choice.  I do what I can and where I can.  

Last year, I took over a cleaning business and luckily the previous owner was conscious about the products that she was using.  This really got me thinking about our cleaning professionals and how it is my responsibility to keep them safe as a business owner.   Now we use Thieves Essential Oil multi-purpose cleaner and Shaklee products to clean our houses.  Not only are the products that we use environmentally friendly, but also they work really well and keep our cleaning professionals safe.  Thieves’ essential oil is antiviral, antimicrobial, anti fungal, and also cleans, disinfects and can help maintain a healthy respiratory system.    

What I am saying here today is that there are choices that we can make and educating ourselves won’t cost us a lot more money, it will actually keep us safer, healthier and increase our joy over our lifetimes.  

We hold weekly classes at Pathways Holistic Center and you can see a list of those classes on our website at Pathways Holistic Center.  If you are within 3.5 hours of Fort Collins and would like to hold a class on Essential oils and how to use them, I would be happy to facilitate.  Please contact me direct by email at onesourcelivewell@gmail.com if you have any questions about getting started on your road to better health and overall happiness. 

If you would like to start investing in some the products mentioned above, please go to our website Pathways Holistic Center and under shop you can sign up for Young Living Essential Oils or Shaklee and start improving your home and health today.   

Let go of the story and clarity will return.

I have had the honor to work with an amazing woman and relationship coach, whom I consider a dear friend.  Joanna Kennedy is the CEO & Founder at The Center for Happiness, Love and Pleasure.  Joanna’s gifts and appeal are magnetic and spot on, her presence is encapsulating and her message so profound.  SELF-LOVE!  

Last week Joanna gave a talk and I heard her message over and over and it brought tears.  That message was how can we love anyone if we do not love ourselves first?  This is the essences of relationships and also the base.  She talked about how self-love was the basis for passionate & happy relationships, careers and Lives.   This makes so much sense!  For me personally I have been putting myself last.  Sure I am a happy person in general, but over the years as a mom and wife, self-love was coming in the form of a hug or kiss goodnight.  Where was my passion in ME? 

I have unfortunately and surprisingly found my relationship hanging by a thread.  My marriage of 10 years is now not much more than a shared responsibility with children.  I have separated and found myself in complete disarray as I never imagined that I would be in this position.   I get it, worse things can happen, but a broken heart is so painful.  In order to deal with this pain we create stories.  Stories of what happened, who did what and a new story for each emotion that surfaces.  I found myself one day trying to remember which story was I telling myself that made sense of my anger and which story made me believe that it could go away. 

Last week I finally got to spend time with Joanna in my office.  I was so eager for someone to help me stop feeling the pain and make sense of these emotions, after a long hug, a cry and some loving words, she told me that feeling my emotions was honorable.  That feeling would help me move to clarity, but I needed to stop telling the stories.  Um, did she know just how many stories that I was telling?   Or how many sides to the same stories that I kept in the back of my mind?  She helped me to realize that each story was not a step to clarity as I thought, but that in just feeling the emotions with out the story would.  She commended me for feeling, but in my mind then what?   Just stop there?  Do not explain?  Do not justify?  Do not rehash or try to make sense of it all? 

I took her advice that day and realized that staying in the emotion and not going to the story was choosing self-love.  Working less to make sense of it all and instead putting my energy into getting to the other side of the feeling.  Keeping the vibration of that feeling, but instead of reacting or trying to make myself feel better, just wait.  Then I would raise my vibration by change of venue, answering a phone call or getting outside in nature.  

Clarity does come.  It comes in the form of peace even if just for a moment when the pain subsides.  What seemed so simple is creating a new perspective.  I am human, I hurt like everyone else and I am not alone in this.  This is life, emotions are real and life moves on.  The bigger question she said is how do you want to move on?  What are your values and where are they on you scale? 

When you feel the emotions through, clarity will come.  Stay out of the stories and you will see, life will unfold as it should.   I know that god has a plan for me and my family and I know that it is a happy & joyous plan which is just right around the corner. 

I thank you for your support in reading my blog, please take some time to select follow by email and remember to check out our website at PathwaysHolisticCenter.com.  

The Happiness Project

   

 The Happiness Project

     Part of my coaching this year is to do my own Happiness Project.  We were asked to start off our session by reading “The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Ruben”.   This book is a 12 month approach to increasing happiness in your life.  I encourage everyone to take some time to design their own 12 month journey to happiness.  This is the layout of my Happiness project which will start February 1^st 2016. 

February = Kids & Family! 

My Happiness project starts with creating love and peace in the home.  As a working momma, I can get moving pretty fast.  By moving too quickly, chaos tends to erupt and so my family needs peace.  

- Move more quietly.  In the morning as we race for the car and in the evenings when we get home from school & work, I will move at a slower pace.  I will remind the family that we have a peaceful home.

- Wake up the kids in a fun way.  I will also wake up 30 minutes earlier.

- I will use better language and be mindful of the kids being around when talking to other adults. 

- Listen from a loving space. 

- Have game night each week.   

- Emphasize exercise and do it with the kids. 

- More hugs and teaching moments.

March = Movement.

-Stretch every morning after my shower. 

-Walk the dog every day with the kids.

-Attend 1 yoga class a week.

-Ride my bike places

April = Cooking. 

-Start with a salad.

-Create a new dish 2 time a week

-Eat at home 

-No coffee on weekdays

-Start the day off with Lemon water

-Eat smaller amounts of amazing organic ingredients

May = Self-Care.

-Get a holistic treatment each week

-Get to sleep by 10:30pm

-Create a space for myself and go there

June = Spirit

- Meditate with Gratitude each morning as I am stretching before the kids get up.

- Get an Energy Session monthly

July = Get out into Nature

-Take a hike weekly

August = Organize and Declutter

-Clean out the cluttered Closets and corners. 

-Feng Shui my house 

-Clean up before I go to sleep

-Make the bed each morning

September = Community

-Get involved in kids schools 

-Get kids into community service of some kind

October = Friends & Fun

-Make time for Friends/ come up with a new way to engage

- Try a new restaurant each week

November = Enjoy Now

-Ask for help

-Take things in stride

- Release control

- Be Present & Thankful

December = Play

- Take time off

- Focus on Family

- Pat myself on the back

January = Work

- Create something new

- Let go and Delegate

     Each month I will write more detail of my project and I am sure things may change bit as I go however I am looking forward to the challenge and to see if I can change some old habits and create new ones.  

That good ol Entrepreneurial Spirit

About 2 years ago, I declared something out loud that I have always know inside.  “I am an entrepreneur and I will always be”.  This may not seem like a big deal to most but when you finally say it out loud all of the other possibilities finally dissolve away.  Like the idea of creating a resume again… GONE.  I am a great employee, with only one problem.  I will spin my wheels trying to figure out your business so that I can start my own.  Once I said it out loud, the game changed.  

I looked everywhere, started a business each week and as any true entrepreneur would tell you, I never give up.  I may switch tracks but giving up the idea of achieving success was not an option for me.  I have drove everyone crazy, created havoc in my relationships but the drive to succeed at something I loved encapsulated every inch of my being.

So this week I was challenged during my coaching session to discuss how as entrepreneurs we are all sailing into the unknown, how I create something out of nothing, how this makes me feel and where do I get my inspiration/confidence.  So I will do just that. 

First, when asked to talk about my business endeavors I immediately feel excited.  Glad you asked and I could shout from the rooftops.  I am actually even surprised at how I am feeling now, like a puppy waiting for his owner to walk from the car to the front door.  So is it confidence? No, it is defiantly more inspiration and the drive comes from within.  My desire to create something and bring it to form and then make money at it is grand.  Sailing into the unknown is a much a part of me as the color of my eyes.  Taking risks is what I do.  I ask myself, would I rather try and see what is on the other side or fear failure of some sort and cheat myself out of life?  Maybe my inspiration is living life to the fullest and not seeing limitations.  Confidence is conviction for me, not doing is the undoing and believing in my ability to provide service is my drive.  

This brings me to the next idea, which is my relationship to money.  Some may see my entrepreneurial spirit as money hungry or materialistic, but I assure you they are not.  It is simple for me Money = Freedom. 

I am not sure that I have an amount directly tied to how much I need, I rather say… My bills are paid without worry, I can afford to go out to eat with my family, ball games, occasional babysitters and travel.   I want to be able to afford organic and natural foods and have ready to eat goodies from Whole Foods awaiting my children after school in the refrigerator.   Oh and I could go skiing with the family a few times a year, after all we are in Colorado. 

Now the freedom part, what do I do all day?  Whatever I want and I love every minute of it.  I can’t say there is a part of my day that I do not enjoy especially since I have finally found my passion in work.  My day is talking to people, creating tinctures & oils, having lunch, organizing staff, giving or receiving bodywork and solving problems.  A wise woman “my mother” once told me that being an entrepreneur was all about solving problems.   “Ding” the light went on.  From that moment I felt a real change in how I handled the day to day especially on an emotional level. 

Now today I may sound like I really have my shit together, however I am turning 40 in March and I have plenty of experience under my belt.  The difference today is that I am doing what I love and I know what I will be doing for the next 10 years.  My dreams, my visions are becoming my reality and more importantly I deserve it.  

Finding Happiness in the Weeds: Living my dream

Finding Happiness in the Weeds: Living my dream: I guess now is as good as time as any to start a new blog.  If you were following my blog  Jill In Brazil  in the past, I thank you.  That ...

Finding Happiness in the Weeds: Fearless Honesty

Finding Happiness in the Weeds: Fearless Honesty: So week two of my blog, the topic I was given was fearless honesty.  By definition fearless is being Strong willed. Heart of gold. Beauti...

Fearless Honesty

So week two of my blog, the topic I was given was fearless honesty.  By definition fearless is being Strong willed. Heart of gold. Beautiful inside and out. Able to push through the storms of a shattered heart, broken spirit and tattered body emerging twice as graceful and independent then before.

Whoa! Hold the phone!  I am Fearless!  I read that and thought, could there be a better compliment in life?  Look life is going to throw us curve balls, strikes and strike outs.  I challenge that it is not about how we handle it in that moment that makes or breaks us.  That is where honesty comes in to play.  Are you honest with yourself in that moment?

How do you handle the hard moments?  I have acted childishly, like a total “B” and on many occasions I turn to my favorite, crying.  I love to feel.  I feel honestly and true to myself.   I keep it real but FEEL, there is no right and wrong in feeling unless you mask it or let someone else tell you how you should feel.    

I feel every emotion as if it were the last time.  How beautiful life is to give us these contrasts which we call emotions.  This is what living is all about.  So what I am getting at is it is not so much about if in that moment we rise to the occasion or not, it is about how we re-balance, gain our strength and then march on.  Do you come out stronger and see chaos as an opportunity or do you fall further into fear in order to protect yourself? 

In our fear based society, many of us love to say “my guard is up”.  “Every time this happens I build a wall”, well that wall you built is totally uncool.  It is self-destructive and only you are losing because of it.  It doesn’t make you stronger it weakens your heart, soul and brings about illness.  I tell my children, love hurts sometimes.  A broken heart is worse than the physical pain of a broken femur while waiting for the ambulance to arrive, because physical pain goes away, but that heart remembers.  Then I tell them that Love is worth it. 

So, How did this topic play out in my coaching session?  Well it showed me that leading with my feminine side is a strength yet to be cultivated in my business & showing vulnerability is not a weakness but a true asset.    

Living my dream

I guess now is as good as time as any to start a new blog.  If you were following my blog Jill In Brazil in the past, I thank you.  That blog was my savior in Brazil.  I learned so many things, but mostly that I wanted to keep sharing my stories in a bigger way.  It has been almost 4 years since I returned from Brazil and that 4 years was much more difficult than I could have ever expected it to be.  This blog is a tribute to that journey where I learned to go within to find happiness and self-healing.  In this blog we will explore together the fundamentals of self-love, self-care and self-healing.    

Living my dream

Since I was young I would ask myself yearly, what is my passion?  I was always searching for passion in my work.  I thought I was overlooking it, was I doing enough?   Divine timing is difficult for me, because as a Nebraskan surely if I just work hard it should come NOW.  So the answer year after year was “I am passionate about animals and traveling” and eventually as the years passed by I added children to the list.  And I did just that, I became a traveling Vet Technician in emergency clinics and finally landed myself in Alaska for 10 years. 

After opening and closing more entrepreneurial doors I held onto my dream, that I would one day find my passion in work.  Yes, I’m that gal that never plans on retiring, I just want to love what I do and do it the rest of my life.

My love is Aromatherapy, herbs, coaching and spirit so finally I quit my home services & construction business and went back to school.  Holistic Wellness became my heart and soul. It only took me 6 months to know that I would do this the rest of my life.  One day while lying in an LED light bed, I was led by spirit to take over the lease of a wellness center.  The wonderful women who were running the space were retiring after 11 years so, I said as long as my feet would continue to go down river I would stay.  I then filled the space and here I am 1 year later, ready to implement my vision. 

If you know me personally you already know that I usually hold nothing back.  This time I have taken on a 2300 square foot building with 8 therapy rooms and 2 meeting rooms with no real business plan other than holding my vision of a community healing space and creating fabulous products.   And so, the birth of Pathways Holistic Center & Apothecary.  We offer all types of healing modalities, an amazing group of world class practitioners, classes, workshops and an Apothecary full of organic and natural products for home and health.   Check us out online: Pathways Holistic Center Website

2016 is going to be a great year.  I can feel it.  One of the greatest parts of this coming year is that I was awarded into the 12 month Abundance Cubed Coaching program.   This program is going to change my life I can feel it.  I am 1 of 5 participants from all over the U.S. who were selected.  The program is about doing what you love and making money while doing it.  This is exactly what I need in order to accomplish my vision of building a self-healing community center in Fort Collins.  Knowing that this would start in January, I spent the last part of 2015 getting systems in order and redefining my vision. If you would like to follow along with us in the program please go to Abundance Cubed Coaching Page.

I would put 2015 in the tough year category, not only did I bite off more than I could chew in acquiring Pathways, but I was in school full time, mother of 2, running a new cleaning business and had another complete change in my personal life.  2015 was more about personal transformation and growth than it was ever about business.  So here I am, ready to take off and accelerate my passions in business, self-love, self-healing and happiness.  Lets take a journey together.