Winter Wonderland!

Hello again,

We are experiencing a ‘Winter Wonderland’ today here in Iowa. Isn’t it funny that only last week I was writing about Autumn, and now we are soo past that. However, this hibernation is beginning and it gives me a warm, wonderful feeling inside for a dynamic winter in my life. I have plans on finishing the writing of my third workbook Pocket of Memories, which is a 30 workbook assisting someone through the grief process. My second workbook Pocket of Rubies and a cup of Hazelnut is finished and [[hopefully]] starting the printing process very soon. Each of these workbooks will have a supreme workshop circuit designed to help people with these areas of life.

With the thoughts of winter, hibernation brings so much peace, contentment, and warmth to my heart. However, many individuals become a little fearful of ‘alone time’, but are they aware of it. Does the thought of being alone with your thoughts scare you and give you peace. Do you get wrapped up in the harried way of life, so you do not have to be alone with yourself? We all have many escapes whether fun or tasks in life, but are we aware that we have landed last on our daily lists of life. For many, they have completely fallen off their list and need attention to bring themselves to the top once again or for the first time. This is NOT selfish, but necessary for a healthy self-worth.

With winter coming I have worked with many individuals on this topic and they are not aware of the obstacles we all have in the way of finding peace. Our list of busyness may seem just, but where is me time? I will leave you with that for this week. Grab a pocket journal and find out more about you!

Take care and stay warm!

Merna

Autumn is in the air!

Hello all!

I apologize for not posting for a while here on our blog. Life has been crazy busy = all good though! Recently, I started taking interviews of potential Motivational teachers to facilitate Pocket of Pearls WorkShops in their areas. The response has been incredible! My goal is to have all three of my workbooks and their coordinating workshops circulating by the end of 2009. I seem to be attracting the most amazing people who are like-minded and have the desire to add Motivational teacher to their resume. If you know of anyone please send them to my website for more information.

In addition, I am embarking on private practice coaching utilizing my workbooks. My specialties are relationship with self, the grief process, and personal success. There is a page devoted to my coaching practice on my revamped website, so check it out.

I had the honor to be interviewed this past week for The Authentic You companies BlogTalkRadio.com program. She picked my ‘entrepreneurial’ mind and we had a great time. If you would like to listen to it, it is on the media page of the website.

Overall, I am stopping to admire the remarkable autumn we are having and the gifts I have been given. Today, when I was out and about I made it a point to notice all the fall colors I have in front of me. What a comforting feeling to see such priceless gifts today, on this day of rest. I challenge you to look around you and discover a gift you see today and cherish it... It will warm your heart!

See you soon!
Merna

Fashion or Passion?

Hello everyone!

I hope this finds you enjoying a beautiful Indian summer in your neighborhood. It is gorgeous here and I love fall. I have a question I have kicked around for some time now. Are you living your Fashion or your Passion in life? Fashion would be the equivalent of what is expected of us, we do it because everyone else is or just because. Sometimes the faces of this would be mundane, boredom, sadness, irritation, annoyance and so on. OR are you living your Passion? This is where every fiber of your being is enjoying your life and the path it takes. The feeling is something so strong that you cannot imagine your life without it. You see no stop signs in life!

The reason I have been kicking this around is because I am living my Passion with my book and workshops! I know it with every breath I take and each cell of my body. In my former career as a hairstylist, it was a passion. However, I didn’t realize I would possibly have another with an even stronger fire. Afterall, I am ‘middle-aged’, but I don’t feel that way. I forget I am in my forties quite often. I happen to think I have just been warmed up, so I had better fasten my seat belt. I love working with others who seem struggling with their self worth. I can empathize with them because, yes, I have been there too. We all have been there on some level! I would have never thought that after surviving some of the tough spots in life I have seen, I would actually thrive once again.

I look forward to my workshops and meeting the venue managers and participants. Each person has their unique story of how they got ‘here’. 'Here' is where they feel right now and want to feel passion for life once again. It starts with us! We just have some house cleaning to do. Maintaining our self-worth is giving it attention daily. We can never put this car in park, because it would just rot. Picture an abandoned car that you have seen in life. Ok, now that you have that picture in mind, imagine this is your self-worth without maintenance. Oy! Now imagine an old classic of a car and how that owner has babied it daily. Often, these cars have a high price tag. Hmmm… interesting thought. What is on your price tag?

Sit down and make two lists. One is the list of the areas of life, which you seem to enjoy today. Two, is a list that you wish your life would be full of ‘if only’. The ‘If only's’ are the blocks that stop us. Our excuses are our blocks. I know this is blunt, but it is the truth. What is getting in the way of walking the wishful passion road? Take this assignment to your trusted life coach and they will help you on this journey. Remember, this takes time so be kind to yourself. However, it will not take 40 more years like our ‘fear’ may tell us. BUT, you need to start today so you are one day closer to feeling passion again. Often, in life we have scars of hurt, pain, disappointment, and/or betrayal. These layers can build up and get in the way of feeling wonderful again. If this sounds familiar, you do not have to sit there and stew. You can invest in yourself and open a new chapter of your life. One that starts with YOU!

Fashion or Passion? I will leave you with that!

Have a great weekend~
Merna

Do you stop to smell the Roses?

What a beautiful Sunday here at the end of September we are having in the Midwest. I am hoping and praying for a wonderful Indian summer this fall. Fall is my favorite with the colors changing, humidity gone, and slowing down of life. It is preparing us for our hibernating time this winter.

School is going well for me and time seems to be flying by. I have registered for my next two courses already. I am enjoying my contented days I am having while they are here. It is natural to have some chaotic days from time to time, but we must stop to smell the roses when it is present in our lives. Do you?

When life seems to slow down and seems to be going well does this inspire to you stop and smell the roses or panic waiting for the other shoe to drop? I think we all have experienced both of these scenarios many times in our lives. Sometimes the ‘slowing’ down of life triggers us to look for the bad and try to head it off at the pass. Have you ever heard the old saying, “If you go looking for trouble you will find it or you will create it?” Doesn’t this saying speak volumes when we apply it to our lives? Do we enjoy a good day when it is here? Does the good day have different faces on it that make you worry? For instance, boredom, worry, fearful of missing something, fearing what is coming next…there can be more. Do you find it hard to be alone with you?

This is where we hear our inner voice loud and clear when life is not trying to drown it out. If you have trouble just sitting in a quiet day, is your inner voice making you uncomfortable? You are not alone if you answered yes to any or all of these questions. This is where journaling with your self-talk workbook can assist you to Stop and smell the Roses!

I hope you will stop and notice when you are having a good day. This is the time for enjoying the hard work of life and time to relax. If you wish for some more peace deep down inside this is where Pocket of Pearls can help you find that strong inner voice that fuels you daily. Next time you are finding a peaceful day, ask yourself how you are going to enjoy it. Life can get crazy in a flash and it will again. This is where one day at a time comes in. In addition, we must Stop to smell the Roses every chance we get. This part is what nourishes our soul.

Have a great Sunday!

Love,

Merna

Wise Words from Yoda!

As I was kicking around topics this week, I kept going back to a quote I ran across in school.

Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering. –Yoda

Fear is such venom in our minds and hearts and it leads us to create much more hurt in life. Hurt that we carry around with us daily and it is often ‘unknowingly’ projected on everything or everyone we encounter. Often, we do not visually see this part of us….but, it is festering inside. Fear has many different faces that we wear: Anger, upset, frustration, sadness, judgment, boredom, and many more. However, we do not always see the clear picture of what is really beneath our current feelings. In the end, Yoda is accurate with fear leading to our personal suffering. WE are the ones that suffer from our unresolved fear.

With that said, it is scary to look inside because what if we don’t like what we see? What if we are not who we hoped we are? Do not worry, you were born with a very caring, loving soul and it is still in there. We just have some dusting to do of the years of life you have lived. Life is not perfect and we all have had moments in life that has hurt and disappointed us. These are the ‘unresolved’ items we have in the way of feeling peaceful again. Therefore, let us do some housework and start dusting everything! Grab your can of Pledge and a dusting cloth = Pocket of Pearls journal, and let us get started!

Do you want to feel less annoyance, frustration, and confusion? If so, the answer lies right in front of you or should I say inside of you! It takes small stepping-stones to begin finding more peace. One-step at a time. If you take a huge leap and go from one extreme to the other it really is not healing, it is another mask. If you put on a ‘fake’ smile and do not look inside and care for yourself this is just another mask and one that will not last long. I have been there many years ago before I realized soul searching is the key to happiness. You are not alone here at all! In addition, this is where a personal coach can help you find a stronger path to peace. I have worked with countless people over the years that desire more peace in their life and find it! It takes some hard work to get there, but it is soo worth it. Please remember, it is much more exhausting to live suffering each day with unresolved hurt and fear than it is to work through it. I know this from personal experience and the people I have coached. I have a sturdy toolbox to help you on this path to peace.

Therefore, your choices are starting today or continue waiting for life to magically change. Hmmm…I must add that the journey may be a little rough from time to time and it can be grand others….. It is soooo worth it!

Have a faaaabulous Sunday!

Merna

What is on your Vision Wall?

Hello!

Happy Sunday! I have had a great week with school and work, while working with people who are discovering Pocket of Pearls. I have a monthly newsletter starting on September 1, so be sure to sign up for this subscription. Send your email address to newsletter@pocketofpearls.com and you will be added to our database.

Yes, I have a Vision Wall! I have had a version of this for many, many years. I have had one in the past since I was in my 20’s [in the 80’s] cut out photos of effects I wanted in my life and place them in areas I would view a lot. I didn’t think of it as visualizing tho, only of dreaming. However, I believed the right ones would come true. I had some friends think this was comical or silly, so I started putting these things or lists of dreams only where I could see it. Maybe I shouldn’t of cut back a bit from others seeing it, but what mattered is ‘I’ believe it and loved doing it!

Once I started working from home, I started putting items on the wall in my home office. It became my Vision wall. Once I saw The Secret, the validation was great and I even got much more specific in my dreams. Visualizing to materializing is the key to moving forward and one day living your dreams. It is a huge notch above positive thinking, but we must feel optimistic with our ‘Vision Wall’. [Trivia on Merna - Her hair salon’s she had in the 90s and the early 2000’s name was Visions. Health issues ended her stylist career.]

This is where your journal Pocket of Pearls will start you on this path to materializing your passions. We must ignite the fire inside of us to create this lure of attraction. Remember, in the law of attraction like attracts like. However, if our inner voice isn’t positive and peaceful you will attract more negativity. All of us have experienced this and not realized it and it can start changing today. Pocket of Pearls is the one-step with a big impact on changing your path. Aren’t you worth starting this healthier path today? The answer is ..... YES!

Have a Great Day!
Merna

Are you living with “if” or “when”?

Hey there!

Here we are again meeting on a beautiful Sunday sharing our thoughts to loving the life we have, while dreaming of more. Is that the tape that is running in your head? Or is it a more defeating one? I have been using this very question with many aspects of my life. Let’s look at this question. Are you holding on to your ‘dreams and hopes’ if or when you have more money? Are you holding on to your ‘dreams and hopes’ if or when you have more time? In addition, we must realize where we are placing the responsibility for OUR happiness...It is solely our own, no one else has this power for OUR life. Example: I would be much happier if we had more money! or If others wouldn't bother me I would be less crabby. When I have more money I will sit back and enjoy my life. Hello! Today is here now... it's the best time for all. This loving of today will help you move to the dreams of tomorrow.

The key to start attracting more in our lives is to take the first step to look within ourselves. Do you find yourself saying, "I will be much happier if my boss wasn’t a jerk"? Or if everything was less stressful? Often, there are many 'excuses' that fly out of our mouths or pop into our minds. Who is the common denominator? The hard pill to swallow is US! I have been there and decided to swallow this bitter pill a few times in my life. It took me to be at the end of my options and tired of feeling unhappy or unfulfilled. I had to look within to start a changing journey inside of Merna!

Where do you start? I can almost here this question out loud as I am writing here, because I have asked the same questions in life. It starts with you! Remember – just KISS; keep it simple stupid! This is a saying I heard many, many years ago and it still rings in my head at times. Often, WE are the culprits that make our life passionless and hopeless. Each of us has the options to start today and make a better feeling life for ourselves. Think of it like ripples in a pond. When our core starts feeling better it will affect each other area of life.

This is where a personal relationship/life coach can help you break down your own barriers. They are the person to set the stage for you so you see what housecleaning needs to be done - without judgment! If you are interested in working with me go to my website and you will find a link for coaching with this information. You can also email me at the address below.

The first perfect stepping-stone is starting your Pocket of Pearls journey. To start making change we must first see what needs to change. One large ingredient in our fuel daily is our inner voice. How is yours?

I will leave you with that for today. I would love to hear about your journals any time. Drop me a note at Merna@pocketofpearls.com

Take care,

Merna