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Coaching and Human Design Work Together

How Coaching and Human Design Work Together

Coaching and Human Design Work Together

How are you? I’m so happy that you are here. Today I would like to share something with you that has been a life-changer for me. Oh, before I forget I would like to wish you a very merry christmas and a happy new year.

My studies and training in personal development and coaching have been extensive and just when I thought I can stop learning for a while, my coach introduced me to Human Design.

He used it in our coaching sessions and I was amazed how it helped me move through some issues that held me back. So now you might want to know….

What is Human Design and how does it work with coaching?

Chetan Parkyn, a human design expert and author of several books on the subject explains it this way: We each have our own unique design — a blueprint of our individual nature. Yet, few of us live in accordance with our Design, because we don’t know what it is. Instead, we try to mold ourselves to the expectations of other people. (That´s where the problem starts)

So the key benefit to knowing your design is that once you know how your energies flow, what your strengths and weaknesses are, you can better work with them, accept your unique nature and be yourself. Of course it will make it easier to accept other people for who they are, too.

You will have access to some simple strategies on how to make decisions according to your type and how to interact with others. It will help you to know which relationships will be good for you and which will be complicated, then you can decide if you chose to hang out with the difficult ones or not.

It will also be beneficial to accept the fact that life is programmed and that your internal navigation system will guide you through it. Now this is a tough one to swallow for some people but for others it´s a relief. I am a fan of 12 step programs and a practitioner of mindfulness and I found that these 3 practices work together in total harmony.

This is about all I want to say about the system and if you would like to know more about it you will find great information at Human Design for us all and Human Design America. I also would like to let you know that I am not a human design expert nor offer professional readings, I simply use elements that have proven to be beneficial for me and my clients in my coaching.

Some practical examples how it works.

First I print out an interesting chart based on name, place, date and time of birth of a person which gives me a lot of information about certain energies in the human being. Some people do not like this, that`s ok, but for the ones who like self-discovery and want to know the truth of how they operate in the world, this is truly an amazing tool.

Let me give you some examples of how it has benefited me. One of my challenges is fluctuating self-worth, I never thought about it and just knew it was there but did not really know how to work with it.

So I learned that it`s not my nature but what I learned while growing up, because most parents and society do not support individuality, they try to mold little people to their standards. So it’s easy for a child to believe that they are not worth anything, they are not lovable, or they always feel that there is something wrong with them. These are called patterns of belief and survival patterns. These are also the internal energies that keep us stuck.
The other important insight was that my energy fluctuates and that it`s very important for my wellbeing to be aware of my energy and not force myself to do things when the energy is not there, but fully utilize it when it’s there. I have to be aware of my flow not only for me but for my environment, because when my energy is off I mess up your flow. So I have some responsibility 🙂
I have some energies that work as a catalyst for others, meaning that when people are around me or work with me….out of the blue they open up to stuck energies, now this might sound a bit weird, but I notice it more and more.
The last one I want to mention is a huge creative energy which has to be shared with the others. Most of my life I was very closed and did not share myself, but since I started my journey of self-discovery I started to open up and the more I open up and share my findings the more fulfilled I feel.
Oh, here is one more…I am all over the place that means I am jumping from one idea to the next one excitement to the next, one task to the next and I thought I have to be concentrated and do one thing at a time. Knowing this has opened up new opportunities because I can accept that my energies work like this, but I can also learn how to be effective when I`m all over the place.

This is it for now, I could go on forever, but I just wanted to give you a taste. This information has been life changing and I am forever grateful to my coach and trainer Dave Buck, CEO of Coachville to use Human Design in our coaching sessions.

How to Find Your Life Purpose

How to Find Your Life Purpose

Hello my friends, thank you for visiting my blog. Psssst… just to warn the "spelling and grammar" police…..English is not my first language, I twist sentences and make mistakes, but I love to write and be impulsively creative 🙂

Are YOU here, because you are one of the fortunate beings who found your life purpose…… or you're still searching for it?

“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” Pablo Picasso

So many people are looking for a life purpose, 44000 monthly searches for life purpose on google……with 200 million results. Indeed a BIG question, maybe the biggest question in life. What does it actually mean to live your life purpose? What does it mean for YOU?

To do the work you love to do?
To make good money with work you enjoy?
To express your deep self?
Travel to all the places you want to see?
Have great relationships with family and friends?
To live a great life and be of service to others?
To be happy and healthy?

Maybe it’s all of the above and maybe there is something else…..I would like to share with you, what it is for me:

To do the work I love to do, to help other people live a fulfilling life, while having the freedom to work anywhere in the world.

That’s mine and I am so pleased to say that I am there…… I am living it. Now wait………..it did not happen overnight, it took 10 years. So how did I start? I started with a question to the universe: Please help me find something that makes me happy, let’s me be of service and gives me financial freedom.

Besides asking this question… I took some action steps. Unfortunately, even with the law of attraction, just sitting on the sofa will not work, sorry.

Created a vision board
Got certified as a coach
Participated in spiritual programs
Learned about online business
Participated in many transformational and personal development seminars
Meditated
Took care of my needs
Practice being creative just for the heck of it.
Trusted my intuition
Did a lot of healing work, including some crazy things.

One more piece, that’s very important…Not only did I have to learn new things and skills. I also had to become willing to get out of my comfort zone, to overcome my fear of being visible and standing out…… and that was hard.

It took lots of practice and to be honest… the fear is still there but it does not paralyze me any more. Being ok with failing was another key element that I had to practice. Growing up in a world where one was expected to get it right… was and is not an easy task, can YOU relate?

Somehow one thing lead to the next…..one person lead to the next person…. one teacher lead to the next,……one program to the next. It was like a miraculous, unconscious map…. it came together like a puzzle.

I had no clue where I was going, but I had a feeling I was going into the right direction. Yes, I know it’s not very logical, but it’s not a logical process, the main ingredient is learning to trust and be aware of the next invitation to act.

Yes, I made a wrong turn too, by getting my real estate licence and working as an agent for 4 years, right at the time when the market had crashed. That was hopefully my last example of going for something that was kind of a good idea and practical, which is what my mind told me…. but not fulfilling to my spirit.

A while ago I was introduced to Human Design and it totally fascinated me as another coaching tool. I immersed myself into learning and using it im my own life. It still amazes me how powerful it can be to help clients find their uniqueness, live their true nature and their life purpose. The excitement never ends, there is always something new to learn.

If you are interested in an exploratory session that might rock your world, let me know. It’s my gift to you, no I don’t do free coaching, but I do free sessions to get to know YOU. How else can one choose a coach? Just click the contact tab and we will set up a 50 minute appointment 🙂

Let me know, where you are in the process of finding your life purpose. I love to read your comments.

Dive Into A Great New Life

Dive Into A Great New Life

Hello my friends, yes I am talking to YOU! Are you ready to dive? Are you sick and tired of life the way it is and would like to explore something new?

So what happens to women over 40?

As long as the children are at home everything seems to be ok, but as soon as they leave, this nagging " what's next, or is this all there is," is knocking on the door.

Sometimes dramatic things happen, the marriage might not be working anymore, maybe death took a partner, maybe the career YOU had for a long time just isn't fulfilling enough, it’s too stressful, or maybe it's just this dream, that has been dangling out there and now it's time to pursue it……………………

What is it for YOU?

YOU might realize that life is short and even when YOU are successful and have all the material things, it might not satisfy YOUR heart’s desire. It's a time of searching and evaluating and it can be very confusing and crazy making. I know it was for me.

I remember going in spirals from the time I was 50, I tried several things, thought it was a good idea at the time but it really wasn’t.

Like a miracle, in the end every little piece of the puzzle brought me to where I am today. A huge part of finally getting there was to trust my intuition and learn to listen to the quiet hints and iintuitions I would get.

Well this might not apply to everybody, but I know it applies to lots of women. I have been talking to lots of them in Germany and the US, we talk at meetings, at events, on social media and so on.

If YOU are interested, I tell YOU a little bit about my time of searching and what I came up with: I had my first experience with life coaching when I was 50, I was fascinated but somehhow I forgot about it again and started doing other things. YOU know they were kind of practical, but not expressing my passion.

Somehow, when I was 57, I started taking classes at CoachVille to learn better communication skills, then I noticed oh, I love this life coaching thing and so I pursued a career as a professional life coach.

I realized that being immersed into deep, life changing conversations makes me come alive. It’s the most inspiring environment for me. Working with a coach has been a life changing experience in my life.

He helps me to focus on essentials, to value myself, keeps me on track, inspires me, believes in me and we also have a lot of fun designing a life and business game that works for me and my nature. I learned that I don't have to do it alone, what a freaking relief that was…………..:-)

Just in case YOU wonder why I’m telling YOU all this: it’s because when most people are left to their own devices it’s very hard to make changes. The bigger the game is, that we want to play in life, the more challenges appear, accompanied by fear and resistance.

If we think we have to do it all alone, most of us don’t do it…and yes, that's the end of the dream.

Don't let that happen!

A coach will help YOU to get out of YOUR own minds, help YOU to be aware of the possibilities, reminds YOU of YOUR potential, champion YOU through the challenges, believe in YOU when YOU don’t and helps to design actions that will get results.

PS: I just designed a new “Dive Into A Great New Life” experience, which will provide great value for YOU. It’s not one session but two and it’s my gift to you, wohooooooooo.

Let me give YOU an idea what we will do and to say the least I am very excited about offering it

Session one: Together we will determine what it is that “something” that you wanted to do for a long time?

Assignment in between session: I will give you instructions on how to make a powerful vision board.

Session two: We will discuss the vision board and look at YOUR environment to find out:

What needs to be eliminated,
What needs to be transformed
What needs to be added in order to support your success.

YOU will get a sheet which will help you with the needed upgrade to your environment.

This could be a powerful first step to dive into a great life and this experience is my gift to YOU, e mail me at maritasteffe@gmail.com to schedule YOUR time, YOU will need 2 times 30 minutes.

PS: I will be on a meditation retreat until 8/17, so you will not hear from me until the 18th.

Simple Tips To Find What You Love To Do – Part 2

Simple Tips To Find What You Love To Do – Part 2

Hello again my friends, today we will explore a few more tips on how to find the things you love to do. Below are a few questions that I would like you to ask yourself. Yes it may be strange to ask yourself, but it's more like asking the question to the universe, you’re higher self or whatever you want it to be.

We have all the answers inside of us and yes even if you do not believe this you have them too. The trick is to get quiet enough to listen. The stronger your personality is; the harder it is to listen, so please, please, please do yourself a favor start to meditate and listen, it's the only way 🙂

• What are you passionate about?
• What is your biggest dream?
• Who do you want to become?
• What do you want to give?

I suggested 3 simple tips in the first part and today we will explore a few more. Please take the time and do the action steps, otherwise you can be sure that nothing will change. Small action steps repeatedly taken are required in order to create your dream life and please do remember: Everything we do that's new will feel uncomfortable.

7 years ago I did not have any idea what my passions are and if somebody asked me about my goals, it made me feel uncomfortable and I was avoiding the answer. It made me feel bad that I did not have any; actually I was afraid of goals, I was afraid of them because I knew that it would require commitment and commitment scared me, it was associated with: that's too hard.

Life felt stuck and I thought there must be something wrong with me, if I cannot answer these questions. The good thing is: today I am crystal clear about my passions and the goals I want to achieve and all I did was practice all the little simple exercises and practices, I am giving you right here.

The answers just appeared like magic out of nowhere, but I had to let it go when they come and how they come.

◾Get your local community college schedule and sign up for a class
◾Go to the museum, or a concert and get inspired
◾Take some time out and do something completely different
◾Get some inspiring books, for example the "Artist Way"
◾Find some interesting groups on Meet Up and join

Always, always, always keep the meditation going, even if it's only a few minutes. It will help you to get beyond your conscious mind, into the subconscious mind. You must make it part of your daily routine like food, drink or exercise, yes it's that important. Just let it happen whatever idea comes up: explore it.

The mind does not want to do new things and will come up with all kinds of reasons why not to do it. It's not the mind's job to make us happy; it just wants to keep us safe. This sounds self-defeating and yes it is. But the good news is that with some awareness and practice we can learn to move beyond the fear and do it anyway.
This is it for today, please leave a comment and if you have tips that I did not mention, please share it.

More instructions about:" how to make a vision board" when you watch the videos or click the links below

Vision Board Samples

Vision Board Meditation, created by Marita and lead by Marcela Manesis

How to help visualize and manifest your fitness and health goals with a vision board

Playfulness And Creativity Will Create A Great Life

Playfulness And Creativity Will Create A Great Life

Welcome to another wonderful week and a new chance to do something excitingly creative, even if it’s a simple thing.

It's essential to bring more playfulness and creativity into YOUR life if you want to be more successful and happier. A creative life is being in the flow, trying new things and living life as a fun adventure. No, it does not mean you have to go on a safari, master an art technique, climb Mount Everest, or go skydiving, unless YOU are attracted to this kind of adventure. It’s more about doing something new, something that excites YOU.

Simple things can work just fune, like an art class, a poetry reading, the museum, a dance class or maybe to learn Italian…… Maybe it’s a book club, a meditation group, or YOU might want to check out a meetup group to connect with people who have the same interest, or maybe YOU always wanted to try a meditation class……….Let YOUR imagination run wild.

I remember being on a flight from Amsterdam to San Francisco and I found a great article in the KLM flight magazine, that totally inspired me. It was about a successful blog with the topic of micro adventures within the local area of Amsterdam. For example bike tours, hiking tours, walking adventures around town or boating on the next lake or river, basically to have a great adventure within 10 miles of the city.

I found it very fascinating and try to incorporate it into my life as much as I can. Sometimes it just requires more presence, to see the adventure in little things. I love to go to the local thermal bath, it’s a beautiful walk through the park. I enjoy the birds, the flowers, the trees and it just makes me happy to absorb everything and I hear myself say: I'm so lucky, my life is great, everything is so beautiful.

When I’m at the bath, I participate in the aqua gymnastic, swim outside under the trees in this wonderful thermal water and I enjoy the meditation they offer. It’s my adventure and it helps me balance my life. I feel totally nourished and happy.

To bring more creativity and play into a busy life, can be that easy. Sometimes it might be just to change YOUR perspective. Let’s say YOU have a long commute and find yourself complaining about it. Well, there might be nothing YOU can do about the commute, but maybe YOU can change something about how YOU commute, maybe books on tape or some great audios will help you to turn it into a fun cruise.

This might apply to other parts of YOUR life, family, life partner, business, work and friends. Think about a constant complaint that comes up and try if YOU can change something, if not drop the complaint and try to change YOUR perspective into something that’s positive. That's also being creative!

Try this fun exercise: Be aware and catch yourself every time YOU say: I need to work on something, work on the painting, work on the golf game, “work on having fun”. It’s pretty ridiculous to call all fun activities work. Let’s exchange the word “work on” with play on, or have fun with.

I want to have fun with my painting, have fun with cooking, have fun playing golf, have fun doing anything. Instead of having to go to work, it might be: I will go to play at work, I will playfully connect with people and I will come up with creative solutions to problems.……..Do You feel how it changes the energy? From dreadful to playful?

I love this practice, it has changed my life. If YOU give it a chance, it will change YOURS. This is part of living a creative life. YOU will create a life that works. The more fun YOU have, the more playfulness YOU can bring into YOUR life the happier YOU will be.

Yes I know it sounds simple, but I’ve been practicing this for the last few years and I am happy, exited and I love my life. My life is not perfect, there are problems with people, places and things, but I choose to deal with them in a way that’s creative and empowering.

Empower yourself: Instead of living from vacation to vacation, let’s create a life that we don’t need to escape from, let’s make it fun!

Do YOU have a little, adventure YOU would like to share with us? Please leave a comment below.

How To Be Sane In An Unsane World

How To Be Sane In An Unsane World

Unfortunately, there is very little we can do about the state of the world, but there is a lot we can do about our attitude. If we practice to be more sane, more patient, more authentic, happier, healthier etc. it would make a huge difference for the people around us and it will help to create a better world.

Remember what Gandhi said: “Be the change you want to see in the world.” It’s that simple and yet so hard. This story had a great impact on me: Gandhi was approached by a mother who told him her son was addicted to sugar and she wanted him to stop. She asked Gandhi what to do.

Gandhi said to come back in 3 weeks. The women did not understand and asked him why he wanted her to come back in 3 weeks. He answered: I like to eat sweets myself, so in order to give advice, I have to stop eating sweets myself.” Great story!

Why is it so hard to change?

We have no energy, we feel unhappy, we are resentful, but we still do not want to change. We think about it, talk about it, but that might be it, going around and around in circles.

New feels uncomfortable
It is scary
We don’t want to do it
People around us do not want us to change

Enough of the problem, now what is the solution?

One solution is to engage in things that make you feel good, take some time out every week and make a date with yourself to do something fun and have pure playtime. We can learn to detach with love from people in our environment who are whiners, complainers and “crazy makers”. I love the book the “Artist Way.” Julia Cameron, the author dedicated a whole chapter to the “crazy makers” in our lives: the children, the parents, the husbands, the friends, the extended family members, the bosses, colleagues.

The people who suck your energy and make you feel bad, for whatever reason. But you can learn how to respond to them. You don’t have to give them what they want, you have a choice to say no and they actually feel better too if you keep up your boundaries, although they might not admit this. Everybody deserves sanity, peace and happiness.

One way to do it is by being aware and always giving yourself the space to ask:

Is this really what I want to do right now?

It will give you power and you will feel good about yourself if you try and respond from a place of detachment. Practice it for a week and see how it goes, get a journal and keep track of your reactions, it’s fun and it will help you feel sane

Simple Tips To Be More Confident

Simple Tips To Be More Confident

In order to be self- fulfilled, successful and empowered we need to be confident.

It is very interesting how we neglect being confident. It starts by forgetting our successes, even the big ones. How can that happen that we just remember the challenges and failures? It's self-sabotage, it's crazy, but we still do it, because it is unconscious. Can you relate to this?

As a life coach I notice this phenomenon all the time and I remind clients and friends whenever I can that they set simple reminders to celebrate successes.

Below are 7 simple tips to do this.

Buy yourself a notebook
Set daily reminders on your phone
Set a few minutes aside in the evening and write down what you accomplished
Celebrate and give yourself a little treat
Do this every day until it is a habit
Make a "confident you" vision board
write some cards with simple affirmations and say them out loud.

A universal rule is that everything you do for 21 days will turn into a habit. After 21 days it will be on "automatic pilot". Do you like the idea? Think about it! All the negative habits can be substituted by positive ones and after a while it will be automatic, how great is that!

Confidence is developed in childhood. If you had supportive people around, who always celebrated your little or big successes, you probably feel very confident, believe in yourself and trust that you can achieve your life dreams. Congratulations to you!

Unfortunately for most of us this is not the case, but the good news is that it can be learned and practiced by doing some very simple things.

be aware of your thoughts
be aware of your reactions
be aware of your feelings

Meditation for example is very helpful to improve awareness and it will give you the moment you need in order to choose. Do you want to react and how do you want to react to something.

Insight meditation is very easy to do, you pretty much just sit and watch your breath for a few minutes. No you do not have to sit for 30 minutes, even 5 to 10 minutes done every day will change your life, I promise!

In order to manifest and be successful, it is essential to be confident, so try to get into the habit of celebration. Keep a little notebook about your successes and establish a simple meditation practice. Please leave a comment below and let me know what you think, if you have additional ideas please share them. 🙂

How to Live Your Best Life!

“Eliminate something superfluous from your life. Break a habit. Do something that makes you feel insecure”. Piero Ferrucci

I know that there are lots of ways to live your best life. But I am talking about a life of purpose, a fulfilled life, a fun life, an exciting life, a magical life, a prosperous life, a life full of love.

First of all I like to say that unfortunately we do not learn this at home, in school or anywhere. I can only say: Blessings to the people who grew up with wisdom. Instead most of us learned how to fit in, how to memorize, how to endure, how to suffer, how to be small, how to be good. Yes this sounds frustrating and some might say: what’s the use? This is the way it is and there is nothing I can do about it.

Well the first step is to accept this fact and to do something different. The miracle is simple, you learn how to be aware of your patterns and step by step you practice to change your attitude about them. Yes, it is possible, we are not our patterns, we have incredible potential that is hidden inside of us, just waiting to be unleashed. Wow, what thoughts come up when you hear this?

Fear
Disbelief
Anger
Curiosity

Depending on what comes up for you, it will be clear if you accept the fact that you are the creator of your life, or you are not ready to accept it. Accepting it comes with a huge responsibility and not everybody is ready for it. Wherever you are is just fine. If you are curious: I can only say congratulation!!! you are ready for step 2. So what can we do to change our attitudes and behavior?

Awareness
Mindfulness
Give yourself some time before you react
Consciously choose to do something different
Celebrate each success, no matter how small.
Have you heard the phrase: Your mind is a terrible master, but a great servant? Learn how to play in life, how to take every game in your life as an opportunity to grow;
Bring creativity into every aspect of your life,
Start a simple meditation practice,
Surround yourself with positive people
Unclutter your mind and your space.
Do something new
Be grateful for your life.

If you do these simple things repeatedly, you will change your life step by step. Let me know how it’s going, I love to hear your stories. Leave a comment at the end of the post.

What Is The Key To Happiness?

We all want to know how to be happy, don't we? What is it, how can we get it? I came to belief that it does not have anything to do with what I have, but it's a state of peace and content inside of me. I make a lot of vision boards, read a lot about vision boards and happiness comes up all the time. I dedicated a whole vision board to happiness, it reminds me to be happy, I practice it, I know I always have a choice. I found this article by Allen Gregoire and thought you might like it.

The role of the mind: An inside job

This may seem like a fairly obvious truth but, happiness and suffering all originate in the mind. Despite such an obvious truth, many insist that their happiness lies "out there" and that their suffering is also the result of some external force beyond their control. Once we understand how our mind works and we come to terms with the fact that we can indeed control our mind, our daily reality becomes much different.

Each of us, at some moment in our lives, has either knowingly or unknowingly detached ourselves from any emotional involvement in the face of a particular challenge or adversity. It is in these moments, that an illuminating lesson is presented to us. If our conscious mind has been listening, we realize that the only power anything has over us is the power we give it. The mere knowledge that you can revoke that power at any time is liberating mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.Speaking of detachment, one of the key principles of happiness centers around your "focus". What you choose to focus on has an enormous impact on your happiness and well being. Are you one of those people who consistently sees the good in people or are you instead focused on human "failings"? It's true that both good and bad exist in all people but, which side of the fence you choose to look at will govern your view, your life experience, and your happiness.

Another aspect of focus has to do with things within your "circle of influence". Those things and situations in which you can have a direct impact and some measure of control over are your circle of influence. Often, we spend too much time and energy on things that we can have little or no impact on. In doing so, we end up frustrated, exasperated, and unhappy. Focus instead on those things you can do something about. With a measure of success one feels satisfied and therefore, happy.

Another viewpoint comes from the practice of Buddhism. One of the key tenets is not to become attached to things or outcomes. It is our attachment or coveting of things and our desire for certain outcomes that can be a great source of suffering. When you take the view that everything happens as it should and you have faith that events are unfolding in a way that helps you fulfill your destiny, you are filled with a sense of peace and calm and the unease of "wanting" subsides.

The organizing principles of happiness

1. Taking care of mind and body: You must always stand guard at the gate to your mind. You must be extremely vigilant at this as negative intruders are lurking and waiting for the weakest moments when they can storm the gate to your soul. When the attack comes, you must be quick to respond and defeat the enemy. Also, it is important through nutrition and exercise to keep the body strong so that you have the tools and the will to fight the good fight. Body and mind are interdependent, there is no getting around that.

2. Positive social circles: It is extremely important to associate with those whose presence is uplifting. Take care to associate with those who generally have a positive outlook on life. Don't underestimate the effect of associating with negative people and don't delude yourself into thinking that you are so strong that their negativity will not affect you. It's okay to help people but, also understand that no matter the amount of help, some people will never possess the awareness to manage their lives and their own emotional states. Give yourself the gift of association with positive minded people.

3. Live in accordance with your own moral code: At all times, ensure that your actions reflect your moral beliefs. Sometimes, it is tempting to set those beliefs aside because of things like convenience or social acceptance or avoidance. But, it is YOU who will always know that you did not act in accordance with your beliefs. This will create a sense of uneasiness in you that your soul will never let you forget. However, the peace and happiness that comes with standing up for your convictions is priceless.

"The secret of happiness is freedom, and the secret of freedom, courage". – Thucydides

In other words, have the courage to stand up for your principles. If you don't, your heart and your soul die a little bit every day. It isn't worth it to compromise your principles.

4. Giving to others: Something profound happens to us when we take a moment to step outside of our own world and enter the world of others through giving. When you give of yourself to another, that gift is automatically doubled and now becomes two gifts, one for the recipient and one for you. Giving feels good and reaffirms your worth as a human being. That you would think of another so selflessly is a testament to the power of love and good in this world. You realize that you have the power to bring a ray of sunshine and happiness into someone else's life. What a beautiful source of happiness!

5. Purpose, goals, and direction: It's been said in various ways that a life without purpose is a life not worth living. One of the primary sources of happiness centers around our meaning or our place in the world. What is your purpose in life? Is it to fight for and secure justice? Is it to alleviate the suffering of others and care for them? Is it to promote peace in the world? Is to create something of beauty for the world to enjoy?

In Viktor Frankl's book, Man's Search For Meaning, he explains that the primary human drive is not pleasure but the pursuit of what we find meaningful. It was this emphasis that allowed Mr. Frankl to survive his experiences in Nazi death camps. His focus on how he could and ultimately would find meaning in his life enabled him to "escape" mentally from the daily horrors that were his life in the camp.

6. Love for yourself and others: It's been said that there is no greater force in the world than love. It's also true that it's a tremendous source of happiness. When you feel good about yourself and truly love yourself, how can you not experience happiness?

When you love others and feel that love in return, how can one not experience a state of happiness? When you give of yourself to others and demonstrate that love through your actions, you are responsible for creating a source of happiness in that world. Whose happiness have you contributed to today?

Happiness is a state available to all but it requires a little bit of effort just like everything else in life. But, with the right amount of control over your own mind and emotional states and by utilizing the organizing principles set forth above, you can find your own key to happiness.

An enduring fascination with peak performance systems and human motivation and achievement led Allan Gregoire to a career as an author. The author has worked in the resort industry, financial services, and the legal profession. The author writes content for his website http://actionmaxims.com, a site devoted to exploring your calling and destiny and achieving high levels of success.

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Allan Gregoire has some very good points, happiness depends on how you perseive things, the world or your- self and how you look at all this can be changed, a different view on life can be practiced. I know it because I did it and so can you. It's all a practice and you can get help and work with a good therapist, life coach, EFT or NLP practitioner, or a good spiritual guide etc. We are so lucky that we ave all these wonderful choices these days.

Let me know what you think and how you practice being happy, leave a comment at the end of the post, we love interaction.

Do you have an inspiring story you would like to share? I am looking for guest bloggers:

Who? women over 40 who changed their lives and finally allowed themselves to do do what they love to do.

What? Either a blog post about the change or a good vision board story. Click here for more information.

My new creative adventure:A membership site: Creative Life Now

"Nourish your spirit" is the motto. How to find joy and fulfillment in life, in a community of like minded women. Click the blue link, or the image to join our community of women at Creative Life Now. Are you looking for, support, friends, ideas, tips, motivation and inspiration? The subjects are: Creativity as meditation, Vision Boards, Collages and Creative Writing. Let's support each other and share ideas. A melting pot of experts in the fields of Creativity and Healing, Vision boards, Collages and Creative Writing and women seeking expert advice and inspiration.

What Makes Your Life JUICY

I am so delighted to present my friend and super talented Designer, Artist, Creator: Holly Emrick. We have a lot in common as my background is also Interior Design and Art. We both love to create beautiful things out of nothing, like scraps of cardboard, pieces of paper, shells, plywood pieces, fabric remnants etc. I hope you enjoy her post as much as I do. In order to be happy we need to nourish our spirit! Let's start now to make our lives juicy!

GOT JUICE?

Friends, family, travel, adventure, music? Mmmm. For me it’s all about creativity. My name is Holly Emrick and I am an Interior Designer, Teacher, Writer, Artist and Creator. I was born to create and nothing makes me feel as good as when I’m doing it. I am so honored Marita has invited me to do a guest blog. Her passion for sharing is such a blessing for us all!

I’m often asked what inspires me in my design and art. All I can say is that I am a master observer. Every day I am bombarded by colors, textures, scenes…..you name it. It certainly isn’t always visual….rather often a composite of different senses. I might catch a scent on the wind that brings forth a vision. Or discover a taste in a dish that inspires creating a new recipe. I feel we are all surrounded with stimulus that can help us create, in fact; perhaps it is that great wealth of stimulus that stifles people. With so much around you it’s possible to feel it’s already been created….or someone else has done it better. Here’s the thing: No one can create or give forth unto the world what you do. Period. And it isn’t all about cooking or painting or taking an amazing photograph. It is as simple as turning right someday where you previously always turned left. It is “allowing” something to come to you instead of chasing after it. It is making a conscious decision to be open and discover.

So I say, step out, hold no preconceived notion about what you can or can’t “do” and release yourself onto a piece of paper…or on the chopping block. Just let go and see what presents itself. It’s fun. It’s magic and it’s your gift back to your creator!

Holly Emrick works as an Interior Designer and Artist in The Rocky Mountain Region. She has been involved in design and art for over 20 years. Last year she debuted her new website http://www.greenhomedesignsource.com in order to share fun and inspiring ways to green your décor and live sustainably. Her newest dive into design and play can be found at http://www.greenyourselfsilly.com a membership site centered around living your best green life with tips on everything from design to desert.

I love Holly's site she has wonderful tips on design and art projects. If you need design advice, or some inspiration you will find it there.

Do you have a story you would like to share? I am looking for women over 40 who changed their lives and finally allowed themselves to do do what they love to do, or a good vision board story. Click here for more information.

"Nourish your spirit" is the motto. How to find joy and fulfillment in life.Click the blue link, or the image to join our community of women at Creative Life Now, my new membership site. Are you looking for creative community, ideas, tips, motivation and inspiration, how to find joy and fulfillment in life? Let's support each other and share ideas. A melting pot of experts and women seeking expert advice.