I had my first article published in the Huffington Post (more on that later) and another meaningful article on what it means to be a highly sensitive person (and how to shine in stressful social situations without resorting to alcohol) went live on Mind Body Green. The tips in the article are helpful for anyone who experiences social anxiety. Check it out!

I also had the immense fortune to be a small group training call with Lisa Nichols, founder of Motivating the Masses, best selling author of Abundance Now and No Matter What, regular guest on Oprah and featured expert in The Secret.

Holy WOW. I had listened to recorded webinars with her before and was blown away. But the chance to hear from her live, have her say my name and interact myself and the 50 other blessed women on the call with her? LIFE-CHANGING!! We were so moved, shed tears, released fears and doubled over in laughter during the 1 hour and 15 minutes we spent with her.

I wanted to share some of my biggest take-aways with you! Whenever you are at right now, I can assure you that at least one of these will hit home.

1) “We are built for the journey.” Know that. Repeat it to yourself. Have faith. You are made for this, whatever “this” is. Have faith, and tenacity and you will succeed.

2) “You will never be given a desire in your heart that you do not have the means to fulfill” When the going gets tough, remind yourself of this. If you can dream it, you CAN make it a reality.

3) “Other people’s perceptions of you ain’t none of your business” People will always have an opinion, but the more time you spend in other peoples heads, the less time and energy you have for yourself. Don’t spend another day worrying about what others think. You only have one chance to “do you.” YOU ARE AN UNREPEATABLE MIRACLE.

4) “Be willing to do it afraid.” Change is scary, I get it. Not knowing what’s going to happen next can be unsettling. Commit and be willing to do it anyways.

5) “Love the unloveable in yourself.” Stop shit talking yourself. Do whatever you can to change that story. As Lisa says, she grew up dirt poor, was abused and overweight. Once she started loving the parts she had previously believed to be unlovable, her life began to change dramatically. She loved the fattest parts of herself, the parts she thought were the most damaged and unworthy. She actively worked on this every single day. She stopped talking shit, became kind and compassionate, even when it was hard. She says “fall madly in love with yourself and everything else will fall into place.”

6) Make a non-negotiable short list. These are 4-6 things you do to refuel yourself. These are scheduled and planned out with the same priority as your other commitments.

7) “A healthy NO is an important as a scared YES.” Think about that. Is it an all-in hell yeah? If not, then practice saying no. As Lisa says, “no is a complete sentence.”

I had so many take-aways from this call and I hope some of these takeaways come at the right time for you as well. Please respond to this email and let me know which one of these spoke to you.

I know I still really struggle with what others think – and sometimes hold back because of this. In fact, I wrote After 15 years as a blackout drinker, I finally learned how to enjoy a single glass of wine months ago, then published it last week and two minutes later unpublished it, then thought about it for another week until I had the courage to post it.

It’s my first post for The Huffington Post and I probably could have picked an easier topic to share. Yet – this is the story that needed to be told. That doesn’t make it easier though! I would really appreciate any comments, likes or shares. I’d love for Arianna to see this post before she leaves the Huff 😉

I’m heading off the grid to an island without electricity for 3 days. I look forward to reading your takeaways from Lisa’s tips and either of the articles when I get back on Monday. Feel free to ask me any questions you have about the content as well.

Have a beautiful weekend!

xoxo