Today is the last day of 2020.  I know that many people are sighing a breath of relief as this year comes to a close.  What a year it has been!  It has most certainly been the year of the unexpected.  Amongst all of the trials and the challenges, I hope the year has also given you many opportunities to smile, to pause, and to connect with yourself and others in new ways.  With change and challenge also comes growth and opportunity.

​As I think about today, I like to envision the sun setting on one-hand and the sun just beginning to rise on the other.  The sun is setting on the year that is winding to a close, and a whole blank canvas for the next year stands before us.  I love this time of year!  

I ran across this quote from Carl Bard earlier this week: "Although no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending."  

What Bard shares is true.  Regardless of what happened or didn't happen in 2020, 2021 is fresh for the making of brand new endings.  I don't know about you, but that fills me with hope and excitement for the adventures that lie ahead.  

Happy New Year!!

​Dream Body Coach Lorie

When you think about Albert Einstein, what's the first thought that comes to mind for you?  Genius scientist, perhaps?  That's what I think.  However, over the years, I have run across quotes from Einstein that show his genius and insight went far beyond the lab into practical advice for everyday life.  

​Consider this Einstein perspective: "There are only two ways to live your life.  One is as though nothing is a miracle.  The other is as though everything is a miracle." 

What strikes me is that Einstein is saying there is no in between.  Either everything is a miracle or it's not. 
I'll be honest, that's not generally how I have thought about life.  Sure, I have experienced a number of what I would call miracles, but I have also experienced things that where more along the lines of "let's just get through this and on to better things."  I definitely haven't seen those times as miracles. 

​But, what if they were?  What if what Einstein is saying is true?  What if everything in our lives truly is a miracle?  Then what?  For me, it adds more things to my list of things to be grateful for during this Thanksgiving time of year.  And it deepens my reverence for life and all that comes with it.  I feel more like a full-fledged participant and less like a casual observer. What does it mean for you?

One more thought.  If everything is a miracle, then that means that you too, my friend, are a miracle.

Happy Thanksgiving Month!
Dream Body Coach Lorie

I'm thrilled to share with you an exciting program starting next week!

Do you struggle with a lack of self confidence, giving in to people, and not standing up for yourself?  Are you a people pleaser?  Do you know someone who is?

My friend Cori Pevny and I are two recovering people pleasers who have taken a stand against all the ways we have been playing small and people pleasing throughout our lives so we could live a more empowered and authentic life.   And, we want to teach other people pleasers how to do the same!
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Introducing Stand Tall – A breakthrough healing program for finding your voice, reclaiming your personal power and sticking up for yourself! ​

Join us for the 4-week Stand Tall Beta Program that will start on Thursday, October 29 from 8:30-10pm ET/ 6:30-8pm MT.  The sessions will repeat each Thursday running from 10/29 through 11/19. 

Cost: Only $59! You will get 4, 90-minute coaching/healing group sessions along with a recorded meditation all for $59!  
Bonus – If you join the Beta program, you will save $30 off the future regular monthly price of $89.  That’s a $30/month savings!

Can’t join a session live?  No problem!  All sessions will be presented via Zoom and will be recorded. Watch them as many times as you like.

Click HERE to learn more and enroll! 

Cori and I look forward to working with you and helping you stand tall!
Lorie
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P.S. - Please respect your membership by only sharing it with immediate family.  If you have extended family or friends who are interested in the program, we ask that you encourage them to purchase their own membership.

You would never think of trying to drive your car from the backseat.  And yet, have you ever stopped to think about how many people try to go through life as if they were in the backseat instead of the driver's seat of their life?  What I mean by being in the backseat is that we let something or someone else in our life "drive" our life, e.g., fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of being alone, someone's opinions, etc. Can you think of times when you were in the backseat of your life?  I know I certainly can!  ​

So, how do we get out of the backseat and into the driver's seat?  It's both simple and hard.  Simple in that you ask whatever is in the driver's seat to move over.  Hard because it's scary to make changes and scary to take risks.  It's scary to step into the unknown or be the one fully responsible for all that happens in your life.  

I recently read a blog post where the author invited us to ask our future self for help with our present challenges. I thought this was brilliant!  Our future self is full of wisdom on how to navigate our current life.  After all, she has lived through the challenges!  So, as you get behind the wheel in your life, why not invite your future self to be your co-pilot in the passenger seat?  She can help you navigate the scary parts of being in the driver's seat.  

​One more thought.  In nature we are in a transition phase.  In the US we are going from summer into fall to one degree or another depending on where you live.  Transition means letting go, but also welcoming in.  As you get behind the wheel of your life, notice what you are welcoming in.  It may help with the letting go.  

​Happy driving! 
Dream Body Coach Lorie

Did you know that happiness is an inside out job?  Let me explain what I mean.  While you may feel happy when something good or exciting happens such as when you get a raise, you purchase a new car, your child wins an award, or you find the perfect picture for your wall, have you noticed that the happiness is temporary?  It doesn't last forever.  The reason for this is because the happiness was associated with something external, something outside of ourselves, something we can't control. ​

Aristotle said, "Happiness depends upon ourselves."  I agree.  Happiness comes from the inside.  It's generated by how we choose to feel regardless of the circumstances.  This is what I refer to as inside out happiness.  What's magical about inside out happiness is that you can feel it anytime, anyplace and for as long as you want.  There is no shelf life on inside out happiness.  

I enjoy listening to Jody Moore's Better Than Happy podcast.  In one of her recent podcasts, she talked about having fun vs making something fun.  It's common to ask someone, "Did you have fun?" when the person gets back from an activity, a vacation, a day at school, etc.  While the question is well-intended, Jody points out in her podcast that this question implies that the activity or whatever we were doing was responsible for us having fun.  If we didn't have fun then there must have been something wrong with the activity.  But, do you see the issue?  We've given our power away to the activity, the circumstance.  It's what I would call outside focused.  Jody proposes that a more empowering question to ask is, "Did I make it fun?"  Now, the fun I have (or don't have) is completely up to me.  I am no longer giving away my power.  This is inside out focused.  

My invitation for this next month is to regularly check in with yourself and assess where you are in the moment and see if you are inside out focused, meaning you are choosing how you feel and not depending on your circumstances to determine that, or if you are outside focused and reacting to what's around you.  Life is always what we make of it.  Have an amazing month!

​Celebrating YOU!
Dream Body Coach Lorie

July 4th marked Independence Day in the United States.  This has gotten me thinking about freedom.  And no, we won't get into politics here.  Rather, let's look at personal freedom. 
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I am inspired by this quote from Wayne Dyer - "When you are spiritually connected, you are not looking for occasions to be offended, and you are not judging and labeling others.  You are in a state of grace in which you know you are connected to God and thus free from the effects of anyone or anything external to yourself." 

Dyer gives us a formula for personal freedom.

• Stop being offended
• Stop judging
• Stop labeling
• Be in a state of grace
• Be spiritually connected to God (Source, Universe, etc.)

And the result?  Freedom --free from the effects of anyone or anything external to us.  When we allow someone or something else to dictate how we feel, we are in the victim mode.  Think about times you have heard someone (or maybe yourself) say, "You make me feel....."  I know I have said something similar to this many times in my life.  And yet, of course no one can make me feel anything.  It's always up to me.  

​Don't get me wrong. This doesn't mean we always have to feel positive, happy feelings.  It's part of our human experience to feel a wide range of emotions from anger and sadness to joy and bliss.  What it does mean though is that we are in charge of how we feel, not someone or something external to us.  For example, if I feel angry, it's because I'm choosing to feel this way, not because of anything that happened to me.  Anger may very well be the best emotion for the situation and that's perfectly fine.  I'm owning the situation, not reacting to it.  

The invitation for this month is to consider how much personal freedom you have each day.  Where are you giving away your freedom through offense, judgment, labeling, or being a victim to your circumstances?  Where are you exercising your freedom by taking responsibility for how you feel or act?

Here's to freedom!
Dream Body Coach Lorie

As humans we are hard-wired to seek pleasure and avoid pain.  When scary things happen, our tendency is to run away.  Or in other words, we avoid what we perceive to be potentially painful.  Now, running away isn't a bad thing.  There are plenty of times when running away has been the best option for me...seeing a big spider on an outdoor trail, a ball flying right towards me, a big swarm of misquotes, etc. 

On the flip side though, I can think of a several times in my life when running away didn't produce great of results.  Generally, this involved "running" away from painful experiences.  For example, ignoring what someone was doing or saying rather than have what I perceived to be a scary conversation.  This only led to hurt feelings and complicated relationship issues. 
 
I ran across this definition of fear: "F.E.A.R. has two meanings: Forget Everything And Run or Face Everything And Rise.  The choice is yours."  I love this!  It's when we face our fears, when we lean into them that we find freedom on the other side.  We rise above them and get to see life from a new perspective.

Right now, there are a lot of things going on in the world that are scary and unknown.  Fear in these situations is normal.  I know that many of you are dealing with some really hard situations and my heart goes out to you.  I am not minimizing the challenges of life in anyway.  I am simply offering the option that fear doesn't need to immobilize us.  I like the analogy of linking arms with our fears and moving forward rather than running from them.  Fear is part of life.  It will always be there.  And the choice is always ours to determine if fear will stand in our way or be a stepping stone to take us to a new place of growth and understanding.

As a teenager I enjoyed the Indian Jones movies.  There is a great scene in one of the movies where Harrison Ford must step off a cliff into a huge vast of nothingness in order to save his dying father (see clip below).  As you watch the clip, pay attention to Ford's body language.  

                                                                                 Leap of Faith movie clip

Can you relate to what Ford experienced?  Did you see the fear reflected in his body language?  Like Ford experienced, stepping into the unknown, leaning into our fears is scary.  There is no initial guarantee the path or way forward will appear.  And, yet my friends, I have seen time and time again that when we lean into our fears, process, and embrace them, there truly is freedom on the other side...freedom to move forward.  Fear only has the power we give it.  It's when we run from our fears that we stay stuck.  Once we embrace our fears, they no longer have a hold on us.  We are free to move forward on life's path.  And that, is true freedom.

As always, cheering you on!
​Dream Body Coach Lorie

The connection between what seeds we plant and what we harvest is pretty cut and dry in the vegetable gardening world.  And yet, when it comes to our thoughts--what we are "planting" in our brain--I've noticed that we tend to expect results from thoughts (a.k.a our seeds) that 1) we never planted, 2) planted but then didn't nurture and care for, or 3) planted the opposite of what we want.  The irony though is that the law of the harvest is just as applicable with our thoughts as it is in the gardening world.  There is truth behind the adage "what we think about we bring about." 

For example, let's say Molly wants to see more financial success in her life.  And yet, she spends her day thinking thoughts such as, I'll never get out of debt" ; "My financial situation is pretty hopeless" ; "I never get the good breaks." And then, she can't figure out why she doesn't see the success she desires.  See the issue?  Molly is "planting" the opposite of what she wants to have.

The good news is that the solution isn't some mystical yoga pose or hard to find herb.  The key to getting the law of the harvest to work in your favor is to think thoughts that are aligned with the results you want to see.  That's it!  Now, speaking from experience, I know it's easier said than done to change thoughts we have been thinking for a very long time, but my friends, it is possible.  

​Don't overwhelm yourself by trying to change all of your thoughts at one time.  Just like weeding a garden, you start with one weed/one negative thought at a time.  When you catch yourself thinking a negative thought or a thought that doesn't align with the results you want, change it to something more positive.  For instance, if your thought is, "I'll never get out of debt" change it to "I welcome the opportunity to have more money in my life." 

If you notice, we didn't go from "I'll never get out debt" to "I'll always be debt free" because that's a big jump and most likely your brain will not believe the new thought.  Thus, we take a baby step by saying something we can get behind and believe such as, "I welcome the opportunity to have more money."  Of course, change the words to what resonates with you.  

​My invitation to you is to pay attention to the thoughts growing in the garden of your brain and, where needed, replace the thoughts that aren't aligned with the results you want.  Here's to the harvest! 

As always, cheering for YOU and your success.
Dream Body Coach Lorie

My hope is that you and your family are healthy, happy, and finding ways to thrive in our new normal.  I always knew that "normal" was subjective, but never in my wildest dreams did I think we would be living in the conditions we now find ourselves.  Crazy!

Not long ago, I got an email with the title "If you are open, life only provides opportunity."  I have found this to be true in my life.  Even in the darkest of moments, opportunity was waiting for me to embrace her.  

Opportunity can be harder to see though when you are bogged down with lots of stress.  In an effort to help people reduce stress in their lives, I have teamed up with two amazing women and we are hosting a free webinar where we will offer 9 stress busting tips that you can use right away.  The link to register is below.  It will be a great class.  I hope you will join us.
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• Free Webinar: Got Stress? 9 Stressbusters to Help You Take Control During Quarantine!
• When: Thursday, April 30 from 8-9:15pm ET
• Register Here: https://dream-body-coaching.mykajabi.com/pl/159682

Wayne Dyer said, "You cannot always control what goes on outside. But you can always control what goes on inside."  Learning ways to manage stress is a great way to better control what goes on inside, and as a bonus, makes it much easier to see and embrace opportunities around you.

Have a beautiful day!
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Dream Body Coach Lorie

Hard to believe how much has changed in our world since I sent last month's Love Letter.  My thoughts, love and prayers are with each of you as you navigate your new normal and face the changes and challenges created by COVID-19. 

I'm a fan of The Lord of the Rings movies based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien.  At one point in their adventure, Frodo says to Sam, "You and I, Sam are still stuck in the worst places of the story, and it is all too likely that some will say at this point: 'Shut the book now, Dad; we don't want to read any more.'"

Think about every good adventure you have read or watched.  There were moments of triumph and joy as well as moments of doubt and sheer terror.  An adventure wouldn't captivate us if everything was easy and always worked out.  It's the struggle that keeps us engaged and the hope of conquest that keeps us cheering on the story's hero.  

And yet, I have noticed that sometimes we believe it should be different in our lives.  That the "struggle" whatever it may be shouldn't be there.  My belief though is that it should be there and the reason I know that is because it is.  This doesn't mean that we shouldn't feel scared or anxious.  Of course we are going to feel this way.  But saying that something shouldn't be there that clearly is there just pits us in a fight with reality.  And my friends, reality will always win this fight.  The key to turning things around is to accept what is, make peace with it, and then explore what's possible.

​Accepting what is.  This is where we find stillness.  This is where we become the eye of the storm where chaos swirls around us and we are calm and peaceful.  Deepak Chopra said it beautifully, "In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you."  ​