Thanksgiving...This Year Is Different

Thanksgiving is always a good holiday, after all I get to eat…and eat…and eat… things that I only get once a year. 

There are quiet years where I don’t put much effort in & it’s just my husband, my dog & me sharing whatever we feel like eating on that day.

Then there are other times when the house is full & we try to do some elaborate thing.  And then there are times when we go to somebody else’s house to eat up all their food (bringing home more leftovers than is probably appropriate…but hey, it’s Thanksgiving).

But this year is different. It feels different. As I look back over this year and over the last several years I am seeing things to be thankful for that I never noticed before. I'm reading a book called, I Am Malala, by the 14 year old Pakistani girl who was shot by the Taliban for simply sharing her opinion that girls should have the right to go to school. She is so enamored by little things like tap water INSIDE the house, running both hot & cold, and that in England where she is now, you don’t have to use oil lamps. There is electricity in every home. 

 

I'm also looking back over my life this year & seeing amazing things that I only dreamt about that have come true. In February I felt inspired to write a book. In Aug it was printed. 

Yes, I’ve done some business things that I'm very proud of, but I'm more thankful for what lies underneath. This year I have a new confidence. I'm less afraid. I trust God more & I continue to do things that I didn’t think I could do. I believe in me, more than ever before. And it’s not that fake, I'm in corporate America so I have to look all together confidence.  It’s the real thing. It's inside. It’s comforting & it’s rooted in knowing Father God & Mother God & allowing them both to love me.

This year as I wake up on this Thanksgiving morning I am more thankful than ever before for amazing big triumphs in my life & for the smallest conveniences that I often overlook.

I'm not perfect. I still have a journey to walk, but this year God has made me a better, stronger, braver person, more aware, more loving & more patient.  I am so very thankful.

So if you are spending Thanksgiving alone & perhaps feeling kind of down...or if you are looking at family members who drive you crazy & you just want to get home...or if you are somewhere in the middle…there are so many things in your life to be thankful for.

And even though my first attempt at my sisters macaroni & cheese was so bad that I'm giving it to the homeless (& hiding it from my family to avoid ridicule)…I am still thankful. 

Wherever you are in your life, wherever you are today, be thankful. When you can feel it in your heart, the hurt goes away just a little bit & joy comes in.

I love you all. I wish you a day filled with love & thankfulness & appreciation & joy.  I wish you a wonderful day.

All My Love,

Steph

My 7-Day Success Experience...Day 1 The Sea's Message For Me

Yesterday I wrote about how I decided to start a 7-DaySuccess Exercise.

Today’s post is about how things started & the messages I received. You can borrow them for yourself.  But as you practice, I'm sure you’ll start receiving your own!

Day 1…Success Exercise in place! Aaaahhhh.  On one hand I was kind of expecting fireworks & money to fall from trees.  On the other hand, I didn’t tell anyone because I thought I was just full of crap & I wasn’t too sure any of this would do anything.   BUT…I was willing to try.  If you try, there is a possibility of success. If you do nothing, then it's certain you wont get it.  So on to day 1.

I started out strong.  During my morning stretch, as I lay on the floor breathing deeply I began to think about the sea & how I am a part of it.  I imagined all the sea creatures and how they look under the sea. The coral quietly at the bottom where only the ones nearby can appreciate their beauty. They provide colorful homes for others and even they have small movement. 

I thought about sea plants & I saw in my mind how they sway with the ocean current. They are held by the earth, secure, so they don’t have to fear a

little movement. Instead sea plants relax & let go & move with the changing movements of the sea. They don’t fight it. They relax.

I thought about crabs. Unlike most other sea animals they walk around on the sea floor. They see their difference as an asset. They walk in areas where others miss food, so they have abundance.  They use what the sea has GIVEN to them & they found it when they acknowledged & used the differences they were born with.

I thought of a pearl inside of a clam & how Mother Sea takes just 1 grain & puts it inside a clam so it can develop. It takes time for it to become a treasure. It grows into a beautiful and valuable and treasured asset under pressure & over time. Grace under pressure.

And I thought about how all of these creatures go with the flow. They relax. They accept the movement of the sea & the beauty in themselves and they use it to live…to receive the abundance that the sea already has in place for them.

My message on day 1 was:

 RELAX. Be a part of the sea. She is in you.  Even your tears are salty, which is a reminder that we are all one. You are connected and can draw on the abilities of the sea.  Relax & breathe and allow the movement. Relax & receive.  Be like the sea plants & the sea life.

Off to a great start with an incredibly peaceful morning! I also followed my other steps.

1. I stretched. 
2. I gave thanks.  Thinking about 10 reasons.
3. I repeated MY mantra--3 times a day! "SUCCESS IS A PART OF MY DNA."
4. I listed my 3 major success areas. I chose, Finances, Health/Losing Weight & My Speaking Career.
5. I recorded God’s tips at the end of the day.

And yet, my day wasn’t filled with unicorns & rainbows. I felt more peaceful because I thought about the sea & Her message throughout the day.  But I have a real life, just like you.  My husband & I got into a big fight & my feelings were hurt. (Actually I was pretty on fire.) So for half the day I was just mad.

Then at the end of the day, when I sat down to write down Gods coincidences I couldn’t really think of any. I wrote down only one and I wasn’t certain that it was something “special,” but it was different.  A week prior I had asked a new contact to meet me so I could learn from her business experience…with no response. On day 1 of the Success Exercise, she emailed & set a date. (I had no idea that she was a professional business coach, specializing in sales…which is EXACTLY what I needed!  I wouldn’t find that out for a few days.)  

So that was day 1. I wasn’t sure if anything would happen, but I followed my steps. I wrote them down (because that helps me; its optional for you).I did think about the Sea's message. I did feel more peaceful. I found myself breathing slower more often & feeling soothed. 

Day 2?  Well, more messages & new insights!  Things began slowly, until the last few days. More on that later!  

I hope this was helpful. Remember even I am stretching outside of my “regular” to be new. I am sharing my life as it happens, so that you can do the same.

Remember.....

SUCCESS IS A PART OF YOUR DNA!  

RELAX & RECEIVE. Move WITH the sea. 

I'll write about Day 2 next week. :) Thanks for reading this through & encouraging me to just be ok with me. Love to you all!!

PS – Many of you don’t know that I do the MOST FUN group coaching sessions!  Get your girls together, lets have some wine & snacks & let’s feel good together!  Let me teach you how to feel beautiful, listen to your inner Diva & make time for YOU in your own life!  If you want more check out www.stephstanford.com or email me at stephstanford@gmail.com.

My 7-Day Success Experience...I Woke With An Idea & Success Showed Up

My friend Vanessa James (of Vanessa James Media..shameless plug for AMAZING friends :) ) helped me see that I don’t have to have every thing all put together before I share it.  I like to fully understand something & to get it all neatly packaged with bullets so I can explain it.  But as I grow, I'm learning that it's ok to share my journey AS I learn it, so that you can learn right along with me.  I want my life to be better & yours, too, so here is something new.

I'm going to share how my life has been changing for the better & what things I'm putting into place that are helping me to FINALLY be successful in certain areas. I don’t know it all yet (perhaps I never will know IT ALL), but I'm sharing it anyway.

First, I like my life.  Lets get that out there.  But there are still things I want to change.  I've wanted to get back to a certain weight for a long time. I do make progress with a couple pounds here & there, but so far I haven’t really made a change that stuck, one that would get me where I wanted to be.

I've wanted to earn more money (I think everyone has this goal, even Trump). And I've wanted to work as a professional speaker as a full time career for more years than you know.  It's in my heart & it’s one of those dreams that comes from deep down inside your soul!  

I'm making progress, but I haven’t felt like things were really moving forward. I want to feel like I've jumped on the engine of a train! I want to go speeding along with all those areas of my life coming along behind me!  I want to move FAST. I like fast. :)

But last week was different. (I'm smiling.)  I woke up with an idea.  I'm sure God put it there while I slept, because I never read about it or thought of it before. 

I woke up with the idea to repeat some things everyday for 7 days.  And then I would stand back & see how (& if) my life got better.  I didn’t know if it would work, what would happen, or how. I just wanted to try it.  So I didn’t tell anybody. I just did these things every morning for 7 days.

 

1. I stretched.  I layed down on the floor & stretched every morning for just a few minutes, with the lights off, breathing slowly.
2. I gave thanks.  I committed to finding 10 things to be thankful for every morning.
3. I repeated MY mantra!  3 times a day I said to myself: "SUCCESS IS A PART OF MY DNA."
4. I listed my 3 major success areas. On day 1, I wrote the 3 major areas where I wanted success to show up.  On days 2-7, I fine tuned those areas, listing more detail about what that meant.
5.  I recorded God’s tips.  At the end of each day I wrote down coincidences, messages, help, unexpected meetings..anything that seemed good & a little out of the ordinary.

 That’s it. That’s what I did for 7 days straight.

I'm sure you want to know what happened, right?  Well…tune in tomorrow. I will share some of the messages that I received, how help showed up for my speaking career & a little on how I lost 5 pounds & was able to give up coca cola & sweets for an entire week. :)  It might not seem big to you, but honey success has started showing up in my life. I'm not on the Oprah Show YET…but I feel like it’s a new day, it’s a new dawn, it’s a new life for me…and it can be for you, too.

I’d love for you to try this SUCCESS EXERCISE with me.  And I would SERIOUSLY like to know how it changes your life because I believe it will, not because I came up with it, but because I believe God gave it to me. I was the guinea pig, now you can keep proving it works.

OK..it's up to you.  You don’t have to tell anyone you read this & you can just forget about it if you want. OR…………if you want something & if you're ready for something to change, to show up…….then do the simple things I did. They are easy. You just need a little time & to be willing to say….I'm ready.

Tune in tomorrow for another blog on what happened, what messages I received & how this helped me. 

Oh!…Please share your experiences with me. I DESPERATELY want to know how it's working for you!  Check me on facebook or email me at stephstanford@gmail.com.

Don’t forget…tune in tomorrow!

PS...If you don't know, I have been speaking around town & hosting some fun events!  Stay up on my events & more at www.stephstanford.com.