What do you do when you trust someone and later come to realize maybe that trust was misplaced? Do you stand up for what’s ethical or right thereby appear victimized? Or do you rise above it all without judgment and truly trust the universe is revealing an important opportunity? This is a very conflicted situation in which to find yourself, and yet recently I just did.

As a trained professional coach I’ve been taught to exist at a level 4 or higher energy and yet it seems so easy to slip back to a level 1 or 2 (perhaps a natural tendency?). At level 4 or higher, one is filled with concern, compassion, acceptance and love no matter what. It is no longer only about you, it’s about everyone without judgment, blame or attempt to “fix” them. At level 1 or 2, one acts as the victim creating conflict, and most scenarios are win-lose. But, as in my recent situation, are the lines of delineation so concrete?

A respectable way to blend these lines is to make sure every person involved is satisfied. This happens when each person takes time to understand the other’s perspective. If you can let your defenses down from the perceived opposition, perhaps you can be more objective. In seeking to understand one another, even if trust is not restored, resolution can be achieved. The aim is to settle the conflict without loss of trust. However, it is okay and perfectly normal if you choose to accept the conflict as an opportunity to learn that not all people earn your confidence. 

Remember, when faced with adversity it is fundamental to your positive core energy to recognize the opportunity within.

Recently I created a Wellness Wheel of Life to help you get a visual understanding of how balanced your wellness may or may not be. For each section of the wheel, circle the number that represents your current level of satisfaction in that area of your overall wellness. The higher the number, the more satisfied you are in this area. Be honest with yourself.

When you connect the dots with a line, is a perfect circle created? Chances are the answer to that question is no. Where the wheel is not round represents disconnect within your life causing you to experience a bumpy ride. Think of the wheel like a tire on your car. When it’s flat your ride is noisy, unstable and difficult to control. When the tire is properly inflated, your ride is quiet, smooth and in control.

So if your wheel is unbalanced, I invite you to take my wellness assessment for a complimentary 15-minute get acquainted session and a subscription to my free newsletter.

Take the first step in balancing your Wellness Wheel of Life!

We are in the middle of National Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week and I wanted to share with you what this means to me.  First, next month marks five (5) years since my initial symptoms began.  I can’t believe that much time has flown by so quickly.  It seems as if just a year ago I was going through the challenges of getting used to the interferon in my system.  Honestly, I’m glad to have that behind me as it wasn’t much fun – constant flu-like symptoms, systemic itching, constant exhaustion, and inflamed injection sites.  Yet, after 6 months, my body thankfully adjusted.

Five years ago my life changed forever.  And, as unusual as this may sound, the diagnosis of MS was a gift.  I know, you may be saying, “Is she nuts?”  All I can say is at the time I was simply going through the motions of my life.  This diagnosis woke me up to actually living my life and appreciating every moment.  Because of the MS diagnosis, I was laid off from my job and began my own business.  I followed my passion for wellness and became a coach so as to help others.  My life is all about positive energy, reaching for the opportunity and thriving in forward movement. 

Yes, I am one of the lucky ones.  I do not have physical impairments.  Yes, my memory isn’t what it used to be so I stay well-stocked with Post-It notes and they are all over my house.  As long as I write it down, I remember it.  My vision was permanently affected by one of my flare-ups so my left eye sees a bit blurry.  And, like many I tire easily and find myself taking the occasional afternoon nap.  Truly, none of this is debilitating and I’m able to completely enjoy my life. 

It also helps to have a positive outlook.  When I feel tired or beaten, I just take a deep breath and tell myself to just keep moving.  By putting the proverbial “one foot in front of the other” I am able to pull myself out of the negative and into the positive.  It also makes a huge difference that I’ve been practicing healing prayer for the past 4 years.  When I host my Wellness Tele-summit this summer you’ll get the chance to meet my healer.  It’s a concept that dates back to the beginning of man and I believe it keeps me well.

So for the unfortunate who suffer, please click on the above icon and consider making a donation to the MS Society.  And as for me, MS = a GIFT; this challenge allowed me to realize so much opportunity in my life and for that I am eternally grateful.  

Just over a year ago as a house-warming gift, I received a Ficus tree.  It has become the plant I love to hate because periodically the leaves turn yellow and fall off, leaving the tree with bare branches.  It’s not so attractive at times.  Yet spring is arriving soon and the tree will sprout new growth and look full and lush before I know it!

So with spring approaching, what will you shed and renew for the season?  Spring is a time of renewal for the spirit and, if you desire, your mind and body too. 

As part of my spring renewal, I am cleaning out the closets to rid myself of physical excess baggage now that I’ve lost almost 20 lbs this past year.  I’m expanding my healing prayer from just praying with my Rabbi to also praying with a dear friend who is battling cancer.  Stay tuned to my website, Facebook and LinkedIn pages because I am also honing in on my special gift which is helping you to overcome adversity and realize the GIFT.  You see, this spring my mind-body-spirit renewal is the realization of what makes me unique and how I can share it with you to improve your overall wellness.  I hope you’ll join me for this very special journey.  In the meantime, let me know what you’ll be renewing this spring!  I’d love to hear from you.

Taken from an article sent to me via email:

"I just finished taking an evening class at Stanford. The last lecture was on the mind-body connection - the relationship between stress and disease. The speaker (Head of Psychiatry at Stanford) said, among other things, that one of the best things that a man could do for his health is to be married to a woman whereas for a woman, one of the best things she could do for her health was to nurture her relationships with her girlfriends. At first everyone laughed, but he was serious.

Women connect with each other differently and provide support systems that help each other to deal with stress and difficult life experiences. Physically this quality “girlfriend time" helps us to create more serotonin - a neurotransmitter that helps combat depression and can create a general feeling of well being. Women share feelings whereas men often form relationships around activities. They rarely sit down with a buddy and talk about how they feel about certain things or how their personal lives are going. Jobs? Yes. Sports? Yes. Cars? Yes. Fishing, hunting, golf? Yes. But their feelings? Rarely. Women do it all of the time. We share from our souls with our sisters/mothers, and evidently that is very good for our health. He said that spending time with a friend is just as important to our general health as jogging or working out at a gym.

There's a tendency to think that when we are "exercising" we are doing something good for our bodies, but when we are hanging out with friends, we are wasting our time and should be more productively engaged - not true. In fact, he said that failure to create and maintain quality personal relationships with other humans is as dangerous to our physical health as smoking!

So every time you hang out to schmooze with a gal pal, just pat yourself on the back and congratulate yourself for doing something good for your health! We are indeed very, very lucky. So, let's toast to our friendship with our girlfriends. Evidently it's very good for our health."