Studies have shown that focused breathing and awareness can help people develop a greater sense of calm and satisfaction in their lives. Creating a lifestyle that incorporates mindfulness and meditation will result in optimal health, performance and productivity.

Happiness is a choice. When you are confronted by challenge and overwhelm how are you going to choose? There will always be some form of stress, worry and anxiety in life. Remember, there is no such thing as a stress free life. The only question is that is the stress managing you or are you managing the stress?

Often happiness doesn't even get a chance. We are ready to react with our pre-set repsonses and miss out on being present and in the moment. Not choosing happiness often takes us away from the things that are most important to us in life.

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What is the recipe to the life we want? What are the ingredients we are bringing to the table? We bring our experiences, memories, thoughts and feeling vibrations into our life, each day, every day. We become what we think, and as we persist in our thought patterns, some healthy, some not, we create, on a day-today basis the future we will then step into.

It's time to take inventory of our spiritual pantry.

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Now it’s your turn. Take a quick moment right now and tell me in the comments below what you think can be possible for you if you took stock and got rid of all the unwanted "ingredients" in your life?

Let me know what you think. I invite you to share your thoughts and insights in the comments below. You never know when something you share may give someone a new perspective or even change their life.

Until next time….may this pause be with you….

Forgiveness can give us access to a whole new world of possibility, but that's easier said than done. Does forgiving someone mean what they did was ok? Does it mean what you went through wasn't tough? Nope. I don't believe either of those to be true. What I do believe though is that forgiveness is the portal to creating the life you don't even know you can have. Because until forgiveness happens you are unable to see, sense or feel how big your life can truly be.

Staying stuck in negative emotion of the past, or even the present, will leave you regurtitating the experiences, like replaying the same movie in your head over and over again. Forgiveness not only disrupts that pattern, it also gives you the freedom to have a fulfilling life.

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Now it’s your turn. How has forgiveness felt for you? How do you think your life could change if you had more forgiveness in your life? Scroll down and leave me a comment below right...

Everyone needs a cheerleader in their life! That one person you can count on who will always be there for you no matter what, tell you how awesome and amazing you are and that you are perfect being exactly who you are.

For some, that person is real close and obvious. However, for some, it's not that simple. Maybe someone who was once their cheerleader isn't in their life anymore. Or maybe you have a fixed idea of how you want someone to be your cheerleader but they don't fully understand or appreciate you....In this video, I share how I found my #1 cheerleader and you can too.

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Take a few moments immediately after watching the video and share your thoughts in the comments section below. Who is your number one cheerleader?

Here is this week's vblog!

I was recently at a seminar where I had a HUGE breakthrough moment that I share with you in this blog. I am still learning that you can never stop being kind to yourself! Thanks for stopping by and pausing with me. Remember, we are on this journey together.

Don't forget to leave me a comment right after you watch the video. See you in the comments.

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Now it’s your turn. Tell me in the comments below, are you being gentle and kind with yourself? Do you find yourself setting ultra high expectations of yourself and being really self-critical?

Let me know what you think. I invite you to share your thoughts and insights in the comments below. You never know when something you share may give someone a new perspective or even change their life.

What is the truth of the future you are creating?

Do you find yourself lost in "what could be" rather than in what truly is in this present moment?

I have found in the past that when my clients think about their future, they only look ahead at goals or benchmarks that will get them to where they want to be one day. They take action and sometimes feel that only through action will they ever see progress. That is all well and good, but I invite you to consider a different way of thinking that includes The Pause. I find that it is in taking this time to Pause and reflect that we truly become more aligned with our hearts and what we are really committed to in this life. Having this knowledge helps to move us in the right direction with more peace and affirmation in our hearts.

Being fully present in what is going on in your life TODAY...at this very moment...is what is going to help shape your future. Many seem to forget that your future doesn't just pop up out of nowhere. You have to...

What are the challenges in your life that cause you stress?

Do you believe that if you got rid of your stress that your life would be wonderful?

I have been asked, "How can I use meditation to manage my stress?" This question is interesting to me on many levels. So many people would just love to be able to pick their stress up and throw it away, never to be seen or heard from again. That would be awesome if it were possible, but would it really bring about the relief that they were looking for or would a new stressor just take it's place? I suggest using The Pause to deal with stress, and here's why.

When you consider your life, I want you to think about two things: the content and the context.

What is your perspective on things?

In today's episode of Pause for Power, I discuss the difference between the content and context of your life and how this pertains to the stress you encounter. In the big picture, is stress really something that we want to manage or is it something that we...

Are you willing to do whatever it takes to find peace and happiness?

Are you willing to be a fool?

Life brings with it thousands of experiences, both positive and negative. When you come upon difficulties in your life, you have the choice to carry the burden of those difficulties with you or free yourself of the burdens that weigh you down. Becoming a fool means you never hold on to your experiences; you simply go on trusting despite your experiences.

Many of my students and clients have the perception that, because I have practiced The Pause for over 20 years, that I somehow don't ever feel angry, stressed out, sad or upset. I can assure you, I am no different than any of you in this respect. I too feel all of these emotions and have to choose how to deal with them. That is why we call this a "practice"...we are all still working towards peace and happiness in our lives.

I wanted to share with you my thoughts on why I feel being a fool is actually beneficial to each and every one...

If the Universe carded you, what ID would you show? Would you pull out your fake ID or your true ID? Do you even know who your true ID is? Many times we get caught up in other people's perceptions of who we are that we lose sight of our Divine selves. Life being what it is, tends to blanket our true identities and dampen the light that shines within us. In this episode of Pause for Power, I explain what it means to live according to your true ID and how to discover what that ID is. Let's take a look:

When we are asked to show our ID, we often times immediately think of our driver's licenses or maybe even a passport. Our minds click into a conditioned state where we consider our physical legal documentation as our ID. What do you think would happen if we put aside all of the labels and documents and instead considered our inner Divine to be our true ID? Imagine what you would see if you looked in the mirror and peeled back the layers the world and your life experiences in it have...