Valentine's day issue6 feb 2014 valentines edition

Free | February 2014

REIGNITE YOUR

PASSION

DIVORCED SINGLE &

SURVIVING!

WANT MORE

LOVE,

HAPPINESS & ABUNDANCE ?

& e v o L p i h s n o i t a l e R

Issue

JOURNEYING INTO

RELATIONSHIPS

Love!

February, the month of

This issue is jammed packed with information from all matters regarding Love. With this issue being over 40 pages long with so many experts giving advice on the topic of LOVE .... I suggest you print this issue out and keep it for years to come!!

Singles. In Relationships. Divorced.

Passion. Parents. Kids.

Love of all kinds in here, just for you.

Forward it to your friends and family . . .

As always, read and enjoy!

Wishing you a Happy Valentine’s Day ...

Table of Contents 4

What Cupid Can Teach Us

8

Love Your (Skinny) Genes

by Angie Romero

by Varouj Kachichian

12 Estate Planning is an Act of Love

by Wendy Witt

15 Cupid’s Diary

by Valeria Salazar

16 Want More Love, Happiness and Abundance ?

by Jill Laine

19 How to Stay Motivated After the Momentum of the New Year Fades Away

by Dana D’Orsi

22 Loving Before Birth

by Ros Vroom

26 How to Let Go of the Past and Move Toward the Love Your Heart Desires

by Gladys Diaz

29 Reignite Your Passion!

by Stacey Martino

32 Journeying into Relationships

by Lori Ann Bandu

35 Your Other Relationships

by Denise Banks-Grasedyck

38 Divorced, Single and Surviving V-Day

by Stephanie Salameh

What

CUPID

Can Teach Us

By ANGIE ROMERO

Ever since the seventh grade I fell in love with Greek Mythology.

The stories of gods and goddesses, heroic journeys and unbelievable challenges that both mortals and immortals had to overcome.

I was (and still am) fascinated with all of it!

The website Ask.com states that “mythology teaches on different cultures. It offers rationale and explanations to different aspects of the universe.”

Maybe that’s so, but what does it bring us on Love?

There are many stories of love and romance in greek mythology, but one of the most famous of all time is that of our beloved Cupid whom we “see” so much on Valentine’s Day. Eros (which is his Greek name) is the son of Aphrodite (Venus) the goddess of beauty and love. He is usually depicted either as a child-like angel cherub or a beautiful youth with white wings.

Its the story of Eros (Cupid) and Psyche that touches my heart deeply.

Not only because of the romance element to it, but mostly because of everything they had to overcome to be together. From feelings of being “unwanted” to mistrust and jealousy; from thinking you are reaching your doom to being carried away into the castle of the love god himself; and from finally overcoming so many challenges, including even the marriage of a mortal to a god.

And, that got me thinking.

If mythology is to help teach us, then their love story can teach us that:

1.

2.

Even the God of Love (Cupid himself) had challenges in his relationship.

There were mysteries within the relationship, issues of trust and guidance.

But, above all there was Love. Sure, relationships aren’t easy ... but we have to remember that we are to face our challenges with an open and loving heart.

We might be in the middle of the unknown right now with some kind of heroic journey or unbelievable challenge . . . but we have to get through it in order to reach the other side.

Psyche was the most beautiful of all the king’s daughters, yet no one would marry her. Cupid gave Love to the world, but yet had to find love for himself.

It wasn’t until they each faced their unknowns and ventured into unknown territory did they find each other.

Credit Attribution: PerseoMedusa / Shutterstock.com

3.

Their love teaches us that when you love someone, you literally go through the gates of hell and back for them if its necessary (as Psyche did).

I’m not talking about suffering, abuse or any of that sort. I’m talking about showing our relationships more with our actions that with just our words.

The words “I love you” are beautiful, but going wayyyyy out of your way for your beloved (or for the survival of the relationship) is enchantment in the making.

Angie Romero is a Life

and Wellness Coach for Women, a Holistic Practitioner, Editor/Publisher of HappierHealthierWomen.com, and Recipient of VIP Woman of the Year by The National Association of Women for 2013 for her service to women worldwide to live Happier and Healthier in all areas of their life.

For more information on courses, seminars and transformational packages visit www.AngieRomero.com

See, . . .

To love someone deeply and truly is a beautiful thing.

To share openly in unconditional love is purifying for the soul.

To be so vulnerable and open to love itself is the seductiveness of life.

And, to learn of love from the god of love himself, is nothing short of magical!

Happy Valentines Day !!

y l e v i t Seduc ful “But I love your feet Taste only because they walked upon the earth and upon the wind and upon the waters,

until they found me.�

- Pablo Neruda

We all have them, good or bad, skinny or fluffy, healthy or otherwise.

We can blame or credit Mom and Dad.

But it is the actions you are taking today, the habits you keep on repeating day in day out, the environment you’re living in, and the friends you surround yourself with, influencing your genes.

Love Your

Skinny Genes!

By VAROUJ KACHICHIAN

Most important of them all, the food that goes in your mouth is the biggest influence! That’s right! Your nutrition is the foremost influence on your genetic makeup. The food you eat and the drugs `you take will either have a beneficial effect on your genes or cause complete chaos in your body.

While I’m not suggesting that your parents, grandparents, or even your great- grandparents have nothing to do with your genetic make up, that part is what it is. What I am suggesting is that you, your nutrition, and your food choices have just as much effect on your genetic makeup as the “deck of cards” you were dealt at birth.

If you think this is crazy, keep on reading.

The future of nutrition is here!

Based on the Science which…

of Nutrigenetics

1. Aims to understand how the genetic makeup of an individual coordinates the response to diet- your body will process and react differently to the pancakes you had earlier for breakfast, the sandwich, chips and soda you had for lunch, or the handful of nuts and the slice of fruit you will have later as a snack.

2. States that genetics alone do not determine your future health and well being - there is no such a thing as your genes being the sole cause of your Multiple Sclerosis or autoimmune disease or even developing cancer.

3. And studies the interplay between nutrition and your own genetics as an individual - what information are you sending to your genes?

The second piece of this science is…

Nutrigenomics, which is the influence of nutrients and dietary ingredients on gene expression; it is the activator of our genes mechanism. And that food is information to our cells and genomes.

Your future health is determined by the interaction between your genetics and your environment, including and not limited to, your nutrition, and your medications.

Therefore, every bite you eat, every sip, and every pill you take communicates directly to your genes. Our ancestors used food as medicine and in many cases as a slow killing poison. How are you using food today?

If we follow nutrigenetics and nutrigenomics, we have an option to either provide our body, that temple of our soul with beneficial information or self destructive signals.

Here are some simple steps you can take to benefit and start influencing your genes positively: By eliminating inflammatory foods from your diet, and replacing daily habits that may be influencing your genes negatively with alternatives that are known to have a positive impact on your health

1 .

3

.

5 .

Eliminate Sugars and artificial (chemical) sugar substitutes, and all sugary beverages from your diet.

Eliminate Gluten from your diet.

Your body can not break it down completely. You don’t need it!

2 .

4 .

Eliminate or decrease grain-sourced carbohydrate consumption. Your body does not need grain based carbohydrates.

Vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds are sufficient.

Dairy, corn, soy, eggs (for some) are all inflammatory. Eliminate whichever you react to negatively.

Moderate alcoholic beverage consumption.

While some red wine is beneficial, too much alcohol will affect many of your organs just like fructose in sugars and sugary beverages and carbohydrates. a. Overloads your liver by driving more fat than it can export. b. The increase in blood sugar levels will trigger the pancreas to increase insulin secretion, which will cause insulin resistance. c. Drives energy deposition into the fat cells, therefore causing weight gain. d. Aside from the obvious behavioral effect on the brain, alcohol, like the other food groups mentioned above, also taps into the brains reward center (Nucleus Accumbens) stimulating dopamine release, which conveys the feeling of pleasure.

More pleasure, more dopamine released and more food we crave. Over stimulating the dopamine signals causes a down regulation of the dopamine receptors and building tolerance! Therefore, you end up eating or drinking more to get the same effect. More importantly, we start associating those foods with pleasure.

6 .

Keep your insulin levels down whether you are diabetic or not. Eat more fiber with your carbohydrates, which will lessen the insulin response.

7

Cut your portions size by 20%

8

Wait 20 minutes before going for a second portion.

.

.

It takes food 20 minutes to travel the 22 feet of your intestines before specific cells at the end of your intestines release a hormone called “Peptide YY”, which travel through the blood to your brain signaling satiety.

Once you start making even small shifts in your habits and nutrition, you will notice major changes in your health, you will start feeling better, reduce and eliminate pain, have more energy, mental clarity, weight loss, loving your body, feeling vibrant, confident and happier.

And, feel sexy in the skinny jeans you’ve had your eyes on!

If you would like to learn more and get additional support and recipes go to http://culinarycreator.com/gethealthynow/

Chef Varouj Kachichian (chefV) has more than 20 years of

culinary experience and is a certified gluten practitioner. His mission is to help gluten sensitive individuals transition and live a gluten free lifestyle, inspire them to cook and eat healthy and delicious gluten-free meals in 30 minutes or less, so they have more energy, eliminate toxins and manage their weight, all without feeling deprived. He can be reached at chefv@culinarycreator.com

g Estate Plannin is an

Act of Love

By WENDY WITT My husband, Joe, regularly thanks me for working so hard in my businesses so we can create the family life we both want. Recently, he asked how he can better support me and my reply was fast and simple – “Just do what you can to make my life easier.”

But, before you go thinking that my life is all mush mush and roses, I’ll disclose that Joe is my second husband (as well as my first.) We live in the real world and have three children and two orange cats. Give or take a few ticks of the clock, we’ve been together since we were 19 and 20 and I think we’re finally starting to figure it out – last month we turned 47 and 48.

Making someone’s life easier is an act of love.

While saying the words, “I love you,” are incredibly important and should be spoken on a frequent and regular basis, action is key to showing true love.

One of those actions must be estate planning.

I’ve shown love for my husband and children by creating an estate plan that will make their lives significantly easier if something should happen to me.

If I become disabled or die, my family is protected and provided for, and I’ve removed much of the burden by taking care of legal matters in advance, purchasing life insurance, and making lists of important information.

Here are the highlights of what my estate plan will handle, so my family doesn’t have to stumble through confusion, lose assets, make hard decisions, or go to court.

Lists

I’ve created lists of assets owned; debts owed; financial, social media, and photo accounts with usernames/passwords; and what to do and who to contact when if I can no longer handle family financial and legal matters.

Lifetime Legal Documents ☐

I’ve created a Living Will that states that I do not want heroic medical measures or life support if I am in an irreversible coma or permanent vegetative state.

This means that my family won’t have to bear the burden of “pulling the plug.” There will be no burden, no guilt, no secondguessing, and no family discord because I’ve already made the decision. It’s not their decision to make and they know that.

☐

I’ve created a Health Care Power of Attorney that authorizes trusted loved ones to make health care decisions on my behalf if I am unable to make those decisions myself.

There is no burden of an expensive, time-consuming, stressful, and public court Guardianship proceeding because I’ve appointed Health Care Agents myself.

The court need not be consulted and all family members know who’s in charge when.

☐

I’ve created a Financial Power of Attorney, which authorizes trusted loved ones to sign my name to legal and business matters, handle bills and investments, and deal with financial institutions.

Again, there is no burden of an expensive, time consuming, stressful, and public court guardianship because I’ve appointed Power of Attorney Agents myself. My trusted loved ones can just step in as needed, without court interference and with minimum burden.

☐

I’ve also created a Revocable Living Trust, which authorizes trusted loved ones to manage my care, assets, and finances should I become disabled. It bears repeating: this avoids the financial, emotional, and stress burden as well as the loss of control of court interference.

And, I like that a Trust keeps my private family and financial business private.

After Death Legal Documents ☐

Everyone needs a Will, but as a parent of minor children, having a Will is incredibly important to me.

Do you know that most parents leave more instruction with a babysitter when they go out for dinner and a movie than when they’re gone forever – and can’t call home?

Because I have a Trust, my Will is simple one, but it does name Guardians for my two minor children, Kira and Drew. These children are my life and my loves, so I’ve taken action to provide for and protect them.

After all, if I can’t raise my children, I certainly want to be the one to decide who will. That’s not a decision for the court or anyone other than Joe and me.

Wendy Witt is America’s Aha! Attorney, empowering Americans to understand the law and make good decisions through Aha! moments. You are invited to request FREE hot legal tips and to help your family at www.LawAha.com

Chats

☐

The Trust that I mention here is a Revocable Living Trust and it’s the same Trust I chatted about above because that Trust is effective during my lifetime when I’m alive and well, during any period of incapacity, and after my death.

This Trust will protect assets that go to my husband and children, so assets can’t be seized by creditors or unscrupulous predators. There are provisions for minor and disabled beneficiaries and instructions, explaining exactly what is to happen when. And, it keeps our affairs private. I like all of that.

☐ I’ve had chats with Joe and the kids about my future Celebration of Life and final arrangements, they know where the important papers are kept, and they know who to call for help. They don’t have to figure it out on their own.

Estate Planning is True Love.

KCiodrnzer

rent A Diffe View Point of

Cupid’s Diary February 13, Today is shopping day. I need to go and buy my bow and arrows. I also wanted to say that I am the delivery angel as well. Oh, I better go before my train leaves to buy my

By WENDY WITT

By VALERIA SALAZAR

supplies in the Angel’s Shop.

February 14,

happy. So far, I have 26 letters to deliver and I’ve got my bow and more than 6 billion arrows to choose from.

Well, better get to work.

February 15,

whole world fell in love.

Well, better get

some rest.

Valeria Salazar is

ten-years-old and is in the fourth grade. In her spare time she enjoys to sing and dance.

Want More

Love,

Happiness & Abundance?

By JILL LAINE

It all Starts

By Cleaning Out

Your Closet!

It’s the beginning of a brand new baby year, full of possibilities and promise.

To start the year off right, I encourage you to make the decision this month to eliminate what’s no longer working for you and start inviting the best into your life.

Did you know this all starts with clutter and your closet?

Here’s why . . the things we choose to live with are

symbolic of who we are, and in no place is this more true than in the intimate items that we clothe our bodies with every day.

When we “don’t have anything to wear” or when we show up dressed in something that doesn’t represent our unique beauty then we feel stuck, unhappy, frustrated…and this shows up in other areas of our life as well.

When we consciously choose to change the items that surround us, choosing items that represent our best and those that speak to our style soul, then our lives shift too.

When we clear the clutter (clutter here being those items that no longer serve us) than our story changes. Why? Because clutter is a big ol’ hairball in the plumbing of our life-it’s a major clog. Clutter sends a message: “this is good enough for me, I don’t need anything better”. Clutter also affirms lack, the message that you need to hang on to something that doesn’t support you “just in case I need it”.

Think of it this way: everything in your closet has either a positive or negative energy, there is no neutral. So you’re either filling your closet with, and wearing, positive items that support you, or negative items that detract from your brilliance and beauty.

Have I sufficiently convinced you to clean out your closet? I certainly hope so! Once your closet is aligned and clutter free, then things will start to flow in other areas of your life as well.

When you’re ready to tackle your closet, make sure you have enough room to sort all your items and have a garbage bag ready. You’ll evaluate every item in your closet, including your accessories and shoes. Clear your schedule and set aside some time, 3-4 hours is about average for most closets.

Pablo Picasso said “Every act of creation is first an act of destruction”.

You’re going to be doing some major destruction to your current closet, but the end result will be a beautiful, organized closet that will make getting dressed a joy!

You’ll sort your entire closet with my 3 T’s: Treasures, Treats, and Trash.

These will serve to de-clutter your closet but can also be used in other areas of your home as well.

Treasures: These are the items that you love.

You feel amazing when you wear your Treasures, and you get compliments when you wear them.

These are the items that speak to your style soul.

Treasures fit and flatter you (both, not one or the other), and they support your current lifestyle.

Treasures also include a few basic items that you love because they make getting dressed easy and effortless. They’re items that may not be earth-shattering, but you need them to pull your look together. A pair of gray pants, black riding boots, and a white button down shirt are good examples of basic Treasures.

Treats: These are the items that no longer serve you. You may not love them, they don’t fit or flatter you, they’re dated, or they no longer suit your lifestyle.

These items are in great condition, so you can treat them to a friend, family member, or charity of choice. Bless and release these items, knowing that you are making room for new Treasures to come along.

Trash: These items are not in good condition. There are holes or other major problems not worth fixing. Nobody wants these items, so it’s best to toss ‘em out, right this minute.

Once you’re finished, congratulate yourself.

This is a big job, and you did it!! You set the intention to create a closet that supports you, and now you’ll reap the benefits.

To celebrate, take that garbage bag with your Trash items and toss it out. Doesn’t that feel fantastic?

Next, contact the charity, friend or family member that will be the recipient of your Treats.

Make plans to get these items out of your house and into their new homes within one week.

Finally, organize and place your Treasures back into your closet. Now that you understand the Treasures, Treats and Trash system, it will help you as you shop and add new items to your wardrobe. Never again will you be tempted to buy something that is “just ok”, that’s less than love.

From now on, choose to fill your closet with the best, and the best will show up in other areas of your life as well!

Jill Laine is a Personal Wardrobe

Stylist and author of interactive eBook: ‘The Conscious Closet’. By discovering their Unique Style Address (USA) and aligning their closets, Jill’s clients have found greater levels of confidence, personal happiness, lasting love, and even made dramatic increases in their income.

She has been a regular style contributor for Fox and ABC as well as various other TV shows, and a trend-spotter columnist for SheKnows.com www.JillLaineStyle.com Jill@JillLaineStyle.com

How to

Stay

Motivated! Even After the Momentum

of the New Year Fades Away

By DANA D’ORSI

While I love the “fresh start” feeling of the New Year, I often see the women I work with struggle with how to keep their motivation going after the excitement dies down.

It reminds me of one of my favorite Zig Ziglar quotes — “People often say that motivation

doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing. That’s why we recommend it daily.”

I 100% believe that keeping your motivation up on a daily basis is essential if you want to hit it out of the park with your goals—in both your business and your personal life. Here are a few strategies I’ve found to be helpful for keeping your motivation up after the momentum of the New Year fades away.

Create a Vision Board A Vision Board (also sometimes called a Treasure Map or Inspiration Board) is typically a poster board on which you glue a collage of pictures from magazines that represent who you want to become, what you want to have, where you want to live, etc.

The idea is that when you surround yourself with these images, you begin to change your actions to match those images and desires. If you’d like some help creating your own vision board, Christine Kane’s “The Complete Guide to Vision Boards” is one of my favorite resources on this topic (and it’s completely FREE!).

You can also check out my personal 2014 inspiration board here on Pinterest (you’ll easily be able to see from the images and quotes what I’m focused on this year!).

Make a Mind Movie Just like with a vision board, a mind movie will help focus your thoughts, emotions and actions on your desires. I personally like mind movies even better than vision boards because you can add music to them–so I feel like it engages more of my senses. If you’d like to create your own mind movie, check out my tips and suggestions for doing so–and if you’d like to see my personal mind movie, you can watch it here.

Pick a Word, Theme Phrase or Song of the Year It’s nice to have a beacon to help keep you focused on what’s most important–and I’ve found that identifying a “Word of the Year”…or a theme… or a song…can do just the trick. In fact, I do this every year. My word for 2014? Simplicity. My song?

“Happy Girl” by Martina McBride.

Leave Yourself a Constant Stream of Motivational “Pick-Me-Ups” Take charge of your level of motivation by ensuring you encounter a constant stream of motivation throughout your day. Keep note cards visible around your office or house with uplifting phrases, reset your computer password so it’s your new “Word of the Year,” set an alarm on your phone to ring a few times each day with some inspirational words, or you could even send cards to yourself in the mail using a tool like Send Out Cards. Get creative!

Partner Up with an Accountability Buddy An accountability buddy is someone you touch base with regularly to hold each other accountable for reaching your goals. If this strategy sounds like something that you could benefit from, check out my tips for selecting a candidate and how to structure the relationship here.

Harness the Power of Peer Pressure All highly successful people know that if you want to achieve big goals, it is essential to surround yourself with other like-minded people with similar goals. Check out various local and national networking groups, Meetup.com or form your own Mastermind group to ensure you regularly spend time with other advancing

Create Routines & Habits to Support You Have some trouble with motivation? Set yourself up to work without it. Think about brushing your teeth every day. You don’t need to motivate yourself to do it. It’s just what you do (hopefully!).

Instead of trying to use motivation to push you to integrate some of your new behaviors into your repertoire, work on turning them into routines and habits…make it “just the way you do things.”

Tap Into Your Subconscious Power I know it may sound a bit woo-woo, but using tools like guided meditations and affirmations can help you adjust your mindset and clear some of the blocks that may be holding your back from achieving your goals. In order to achieve what you desire, you need to believe it’s possible. If you don’t ensure your belief system is in line with what you want, you will find yourself continually self-sabotaging your success.

Dana D’Orsi is a Small Business

Marketing & Productivity Expert, and the creator of The Build Your Six Figure Business Blueprint, a 7-step system to help entrepreneurs build wildly profitable businesses in part-time hours.

To get her top 9 business-building secrets, visit www.danadorsi.com

Loving Before Birth Each and every pregnant woman is the most precious ASSET we have.

By ROS VROOM

And I don’t mean this as part of a numbers game – that we need new humans to replace the old worn-out ones.

No, every pregnant woman holds our future in her womb. The type of society/community we’ll live in 15 – 20 years from now, and how we’ll treat each other.

Each pregnant woman holds the recipe for our relationships – which after all is “what makes the world go round”.

And it all starts even BEFORE her baby is born.

All first time expecting Moms and Dads hold a

Universal intention in their hearts – to give their baby the very best and to LOVE their baby.

We remember experiences where we felt loved, or not loved, accepted, or not accepted, and we make a commitment to do better for OUR baby.

While the fetus is growing inside Mom’s womb – already he/she is learning about LOVE and RELATIONSHIPS, and about how to allow others to treat oneself.

EVERYTHING the Mom is experiencing, the unborn baby experiences.

This affects how the organs (particularly the brain, which is the seat of our emotions) are developing. The part of the brain responsible for the way we love and care for others, is called the limbic system – and the crucial time for this development is pregnancy and the first two years of life.

So if Mom feels good, and living a “healthy life” giving her body nourishing foods and caring

for herself, and has POSITIVE interactions with people around her, “feel good hormones” - the endorphin like hormones, are produced and carried in Mom’s blood, to her unborn baby and baby feels happy too.

The interactions she is having with the father of her baby – are most important, because the growing fetus hears the interactions and feels Mom’s responses.

In the opposite scenario, where Mom is fearful and unhappy – the stress hormones she produces retard development of the frontal lobe, and the limbic system, which retard emotional development, and later development of social and learning abilities.

Every baby is born with billions of brain cells (neurons), which need to link up and form pathways with other neurons in order for the brain to work best (the brain becomes “wired”).

Based on the way Mom and Dad respond to their baby’s cues and signals, these pathways are formed.

Each baby is born with the most incredible potential – to be a Gandhi; an Einstein; a chef who makes eating an exquisite experience; all born with the potential to

We know the Mom and Dad’s intentions are to love their baby – so what happens?

Human babies are born with very high physical and emotional needs. A human newborn needs very frequent feeds 24/7 in order to maintain blood sugar levels and to keep up with the huge demands of a rapidly growing body. Initially it may be as frequent as every 2 hours! (A healthy baby will double in weight by about 5 months of age, so baby will constantly let you know when they are running out of fuel, and need another feed!).

The centres that control blood sugar levels and body temperature are not fully developed when baby is born which is why they need these frequent feeds. By about 5 months of age the baby will be needing feeds about every 4 hours and if you’re lucky – may be able to go for a longer period between feeds during the night.

The majority of first time Moms and Dads are taken by surprise and quickly become exhausted and overwhelmed trying to keep up with their newborn’s physical needs.

Sleep deprivation sets in, irritability levels rise, mood disorders and even depression may set in.

And in the middle of all this, Mom and Dad are teaching the baby about life, LOVE and RELATIONSHIPS by the way they are interacting with each other and responding to their baby.

Love, Security & Self Esteem If baby cries because of hunger, and the parent is paying attention, and in a loving and caring way, they hold baby close, preferably skin to skin (which releases oxytocin – the love hormone), the baby learns that their need is important to others, and that it’s OK to let others know about what you need.

At the same time, the brain cells are making connections, and the areas related to empathy and caring for others develops, in other words, the ability to LOVE. If the Parent ignores the cries, and leaves baby to cry until a time it suits them to feed the baby, the baby learns their needs are not important.

The baby is slowly establishing an idea of how valued they are (or not valued). The baby learns by example.

Scientific Evidence There is so much scientific evidence available now which confirms how critical the type of care the baby receives in those early months are, to how well the baby will be able to interact with other people, and even how well they will do at school later. Research again and again confirms that babies who are lovingly attended to when they cry – actually end up crying less in the long run. The baby begins to develop trust in his/ her carers, and feels safe. These experiences are the building blocks for our relationships with others later.

John Gottman, a US Psychologist researcher who studied relationships with newly weds, who subsequently went on to have their first baby, found that the baby will have the best outcome if Mom and Dad have a strong relationship and work together as a team caring for their baby in those early months. If the parent’s relationship begins to crumble under the stress of their new

life, the parent’s unhappiness affects the baby too, and the baby is less likely to do well.

He also found that playing and interacting and responding to their infant during quiet alert times, helped baby most and these babies are happiest.

A couple playing co-operatively together, not competing for baby’s attention helped the baby’s emotional development.

TOUCH is extremely important.

The way we touch the baby gives them feedback.

Is it harsh, is it gentle, it is firm and reassuring, is it soothing and comforting, what sort of sounds do we make as we hold baby – gentle crooning – or no sound at all?

If no-one engages with baby the baby starts to withdraw from interacting with it’s surroundings, and the future doesn’t look bright for these kids.

Babies easily become overstimulated so it is only by paying attention to baby’s responses that you are able to respect their limit.

Those early months and years are when you are planting the seeds of beliefs. The infant not only “downloads” your beliefs and attitudes, but also develops their own beliefs based on their early experience of life – the world is a loving safe place where baby has value??

Dads Research also shows that Dads have a huge effect on the infant developing empathy and the ability to love. The infant observes how he

treats the Mom, does he show her love and respect?

How does he treat the infant/child particularly when they make a mistake? Does he dish out harsh punishment, or give encouragement to try again?

This is the start of building emotional resilience and the ability to get back up again, even if you got it wrong the first time.

How does Dad treat himself? Does he treat his body with love and respect? The baby is learning by example.

Babies can miss out on DADS LOVE if Moms adopt a “gate-keeper attitude”, which means Mom sanctions everything the Dad can or cannot do with his baby. This undervalues Dad and pushes Dad away and he is then not able to give his baby all the love he wants to give. Research confirms that Dad is just as able as Mom to care for his infant, even if he does it in a different way.

Becoming a parent is the greatest opportunity to EXPERIENCE UNCONDITIONAL LOVE, where a man and woman often surprise themselves – making sacrifices that they never would have considered before.

I love this definition of the word SACRIFICE – giving up something of a lower value for something of a HIGHER VALUE. Yes, becoming a Mom/Dad can be the most awesome experience of your life – depending on the seeds you sow in that critical period.

Ros Vroom is an experienced

RN Midwife and Neonatal Intensive care nurse, with a passion for first time parents. Gottman trained “Bringing Baby Home” educator she teaches a TEAM APPROACH is the WINNING FORMULA for NEWBORN PARENTING SUCCESS. Visit her newborn parenting websites www.mumstheword.com.au and www.dadstheword.com

Let Go of the

Past

How to Let Go of the Past and Move Toward the Love Your Heart Desires

By GLADYS DIAZ I remember when I used to play on the monkey bars as a little girl. I’m afraid of heights, and the idea of hanging way up high terrified me, but not as much as knowing that, in order to move to the next bar, I had to completely open up the fingers on one hand, let go of the bar, and swing my body in the air so that I could move the free hand to the next bar! As terrified as I was of taking those actions, I knew that if I didn’t let go of the bar, one of two things would happen.

Either I’d be stuck hanging in the same place, or, eventually, my arms would get tired, begin to tremble and I’d end up falling to the ground! So, I needed to gather my courage and do what I needed to do to move forward and get to the other side!

The same process of letting go holds true when it comes to moving on from a one relationship to another.

In order to move toward the type of life and love you want to experience, you are going to need to let go of all of the things that aren’t working and that aren’t aligned with that goal until you get to the other side!

“Moving on” from a past relationship or from something that is not working in your life can be challenging. When you love a person and have opened your heart to him, the thought of letting go and moving on can seem so scary it becomes paralyzing!

When you’ve been hurt in the past, it can be difficult to gather the courage to open your heart and let love back in, or to do what it takes to turn your relationship into the kind of loving union you dream of.

This fear is what has you holding on to a man who isn’t right for you, a relationship that is not working, or limiting beliefs and behaviors that are clearly not giving you the experience you want for much longer than you need to.

It’s also what keeps you feeling stuck, frustrated, and lonely.

Having the type of love you want – the kind where you know that you know that he loves you, where it feels safe and secure, and where you get to experience love, peace, and joy – the kind of relationship that works – means you must be willing to let go of what isn’t working!

So, what are some of the things you need to let go of in order to get to the other side — the side where the life and love your heart desires are waiting for you?

Let go of Pain & Resentment from the Past Holding on to pain and resentment will keep you angry, bitter, upset, and either alone or lonely inside of a relationship. When you bring forgiveness to yourself and others, you release yourself from the pain and create space for something new to show up in your life!

Let go of Your Checklist of Criteria or Expectations Consider that if you’re experiencing that one guy after another (or the man who you’re with) just isn’t “enough,” you are holding on to a list of insurmountable criteria and expectations that are set up to help protect and keep you from being vulnerable, and which is also serving to keep you from connecting with a man and experiencing intimacy.

The Need to be Right Insisting on your way being the only way and being unwilling to accept, respect, or understand another’s ideas or point of view will keep you stuck in your own righteousness and does not allow for the possibility of intimacy to flourish.

A Dead-End Relationship If you’ve been in a long-term relationship, just waiting (and waiting, and waiting) for him to commit or propose to you, consider that either you’re not clear about what you really want, or you’re holding him responsible for you having what it is you want for your life. It’s time to let go of that relationship and make room for the man who is ready to share and spend his life loving you.

If you’re feeling frustrated with the way things are showing up in your love life, perhaps it’s time to take inventory of your life and your relationships and be really honest with yourself.

Is there something that you are clinging to that is clearly not working? Are you ready to finally open up, let go, and reach forward —toward the life and love you desire and deserve?

If so… Take a deep breath and know that you are strong enough, you are worthy enough, and you will survive this.

More than anything else, know that the life and love your heart desires are already waiting for you!

If you need support with letting go and moving forward, contact us! We’ll be right there next to you, cheering you on, and holding you up until you get to the other side where the love you’ve always dreamed of is waiting for you!

Gladys Diaz is sought-after a dating

and relationship coach, author, and speaker who believes that it is every woman’s birthright to experience the joy of being loved, cherished, and adored by the man who is perfect for her.

Co-founder of Heart’s Desire International with Michelle Roza, her business partner and the other half of “The Love Twins,” she provides women around the globe with coaching, webinars, programs, and services that help empower them to create the life and love their hearts desire! To learn more and to schedule a Ready for Love Breakthrough Session, visit http://www.heartsdesireintl.com

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How to

Reignite Your Passion

This Valentine’s Day!

By STACEY MARTINO

Perhaps the passion has fizzled over the years?

Maybe things aren’t quite as “hot” and “exciting” as they used to be?

And, maybe you thought it would just be “more” than it is today?

Imagine having an unleashed passion with your partner!

What would it feel like to walk through your day knowing, without a doubt that YOU are the most important thing in your partner’s world. Completely lit up by the energy of the desire you feel for your partner. Imagine enjoying ravishing and satisfying intimacy with them….daily!

That’s not the reality for most people, is it?

Intimate relationship comes with its share of inherent challenges!

As a love and passion expert, people come to me every day for help with their relationship challenges.

While the specifics may vary, the complaints usually involve some form of

“But my partner . . . ”

There’s usually something wrong with their partner, something their partner IS or IS NOT doing, something that falls short of their expectations.

People often ask me, “how do I know if I’m with the right person? Maybe he/she is just not the one for me?”

Well there are ways to know, but honestly, when people first come to ME, they are not at the point where they can clearly make that determination… yet. I see it every day.

We do fall in love, that’s absolutely true. Falling in love is something that happens to you. And that is the last moment when anything to do with being in love will ever just happen to you.

The rest YOU must create! Being in love, staying in love, going deeper into love, cultivating a heightened passion, living a life of magnificence – none of that will happen to you.

You must create all of that!

Ask anyone who has that kind of love and they will tell you that they did the work! They may not still need to “work” at it, because eventually it becomes effortless, but it doesn’t start out effortless. It takes effort.

In fact, it takes effort and creation to create magnificence in every area of your life.

Look at anyone who has an abundance of wealth, an outstanding health, incredible fitness or magnificent love affair….and you will find someone who set a high standard for themselves and did what it took to create what they wanted!

When you get stuck in blaming your partner, is when the pain comes into your intimate relationship.

When you feel powerless.

When you feel at the whim of your partner.

Will they or won’t they do what you need?

This is a very destructive place to be in relationship.

“Magnificent relationships are not found, they are created.” – Stacey Martino What do I mean?

Most of us come with a preconceived notion that we are going to FALL in love and then stay in love. And if it’s the person we love and the person we chose, then it will hopefully always work out. That’s not how it works.

Love is all around us.

The challenge in intimate relationship is that most people do NOT believe that there are proven, repeatable, specific step-by-step strategies to create a magnificent love affair with your partner. But there are!

My husband Paul and I are living proof. Thirteen years ago, our relationship was hanging by a thread, and we were both prepared to walk away.

Through the tears and the sobbing that night, I had a small glimpse of this incredible love for Paul that I had never felt before, but it was fleeting.

The next day I went to my coach and asked her “I’ve had this glimpse of this unbelievably powerful love for Paul, but then I lost it. How do I get it to come back and more importantly, how do I get it to stay?”

She gave me a piece of advice that I never forgot, she said “Give as if you are already getting everything you need in the world.”

I lived by that motto for a year. I transformed myself, I transformed Paul and I transformed our relationship. Paul and I became so incredibly grateful for our amazing love that we nearly lost, that we went all in!

We invested 13 years and six figures to travel all over and study with the world’s leading relationship, behavior and intimacy specialists to completely transform our relationship into the magnificent love affair that we enjoy today!

Together, our mission is that everyone who wants to transform their relationship should absolutely be able to do so! And so we created our proven eight step Relationship Transformation System™ to help people create the love and passion they desire in their intimate relationship without the 13 years and six figures that it took us to create ours!!!

So when someone comes up to me and asks me

to “fix their partner”, I often smile and say, “Well, that I cannot do…but I know YOU can, and I can show you exactly how!”

Your intimate relationship impacts every area of your life, your work, your kids, your confidence, your self-worth, your happiness!

Can you really afford to leave that in the hands of someone else? Do you want your happiness and self-worth to exist at the whim of another person?

Even if they have the best of intentions for you, does your partner have the training, tools, strategies and skill sets to create a magnificent love affair for you?

Is it time for you to empower yourself to create your unshakable love and unleashed passion that will last your lifetime??

Stop waiting for it to happen TO YOU. Stop SEEKING it.

Start building it!

Don’t waste another day with your intimate relationship causing pain in your life! Start creating your magnificent relationship right now!

It is SO worth it!!

Stacey Martino helps people who

feel stuck, frustrated and helpless with the challenges that intimate relationship brings. Through targeted, strategic private coaching, programs and events individuals learn to use her proven strategies and tools to create an unshakable love and unleashed passion that lasts a lifetime.

Watch Stacey’s Free Valentine’s Day Video Series, “How to Reignite Your Passion” at http://RelationshipTransformationSystem.com

Journeying into Relationships with Elemental Soulutions

By LORI ANN BANDU

Would you believe that I could determine the quality of your overall health by asking you about your relationships?

And, what if I told you that the lifeblood to your relationships is conversation?

Here, let’s do a quick experiment. Can you recall a time in one of your relationships, when things maybe weren’t so Valentine-zy and rosey? (Pause. Wait for it! Get one in your mind. Think about it... let it come to you. Ok! Got it?)

Now peer a little bit deeper into that memory to see how your conversations were. Were you communicating well with each other, was there tension in the conversations?

It is likely that it was not very great, right?

Now, consider a time when things were “going great” and inspect the level of communication and what the conversations were like at that point... Were they better?

I’d expect to hear that actually.

After a decade and a half of working with a new paradigm tool for holistic organization and communication, I’ve come to rely upon what I’ve coined as “The Health Equation.”

Relationships X Conversations = Quality of Health

Quality of relationship X the quality of conversations (the lifeblood of your relationship) = The Quality of Health

It’s all very relative. So – if we are wanting better relationships or better health in our lives, it only stands to reason that we must dive into The Art of Conversation. Before we get there, I have a few other things to address.

I do believe, that our earth family is raising it’s consciousness and state of awareness. What once would pass for standard and acceptable, no longer does. Thus individuals are finding themselves in a paradox – caught on the bridge between an old crumbling paradigm of ways that no longer serves their highest good and one which aligns with their truth and values. Small talk and wasting energy are quickly becoming a thing of the past. So where does that put us now?

Building Relationships of Value is a start in the right direction. And to do this in a very conscious way one must allocate some time and resources to the process.

Briefly though, let’s take a overview ...

Firstly, where do we get our values from? Our parents, family, church, community, school, teachers, friends, media, social media, technology, government. These are the top influences which have helped to form your values system. And it was done mostly without you being aware.

How many of those values really suit you today?

(Don’t answer that yet).

Did you know that there’s this part of the brain that will fight to keep you in a comfort zone, and the minute you feel challenged the old paradigm way of behaving would say fight or flight? Today, there is a shift of consciousness. And radical personal responsibility is based in this shift...

Prior to any presentation or speaking engagement, I say these words: “Do not believe nor disbelieve, anything I say.

Take it. Apply it (<and there’s the key). Try it on for size. Like a new outfit someone might suggest to you while clothes shopping in a store. Try it on.

And notice how it feels. If it’s uncomfortable, stay there with it – remain in that discomfort for a moment. Observe yourself. Listen to the inner dialogue.

Hear what is really going on inside you without you running your thoughts. Take a different look at yourself. And see how this new outfit changes you.

See beyond the immediate discomfort.

Growth happens in these places most often. And it takes courage to go beyond something that scares us. Into something unknown. Into change. Out from familiar and into something new.”

Yet, if we were happy with every relationship in our lives, we would not be seeking deeper more meaningful connections. We’d be rid of any stress related to our relationships and its break downs.

Often deep inside of us are hidden hurts, encountered in our past, which quickly react to steer us away from any direction which may encourage us to take a U-Turn and get us to look inside.

Quickly we may judge and jump away from the fire. Instead, I would softly encourage you to stay there. Embrace the opportunity to look inward and be warmed by the flames.

As Phil Cousineau hand-wrote at the end of one of my personal journals “The journey spirals into the center - Can you stand the heat?”

Its safe there. Hold yourself able. And connect

with someone that sees the truth of you, and will let you process your way through this shift. Seek out your guide for this journey and go for the experience. The truth is you are innocent of any wrong doing, we are all connected.

And you are of equal value.

You deserve to build relationships of value and live a whole and happy life with deep and meaningful relationships.

Building relationships of value begins with this realization. And further to this, the willingness to explore and learn what you want to choose as your values now.

Have you ever found yourself in any of these situations and saying these types of things?

“I just don’t know where this is going.”

“I wonder if he/she thinks the same way about me as I do about them?”

“I know it’s over, but I just don’t know how to end it.”

Now this may come as a surprise, but there is a way to live without relationships causing stress in your life. And that is my gift to you for this Valentines Day... You Can Actually Consciously Organize Your Relationships.

You can be empowered to realize what it is you hold in your vision for your life, and organize your relationships in accordance with that vision.

So when a new person crosses your path- you will know immediately how to relate to them, what conversations to have, and how to conduct your actions.

Stop the wondering why, and begin to take charge of your life.

Design your life through focusing on the relationships you have, categorize them, choose your highest value in each form of relationship, and conduct your behavior and conversations accordingly. If you need help and assistance, or further details I am happy to lend a hand.

Lori Ann Bandu is a Relationship and

Values Coach. Over a decade with a Holistic Business Organization and Communication Tool she does personal coaching with Individuals & Entrepreneurs and their teams to build relationships of value. Email her at loriann@elementalsoulutions.com or visit www.elementalsoulutions.com

Your Other Relationships

You Take Care of Business – Remember Your Other Relationships Too

By DENISE BANKS-GRASEDYCK Wasn’t it just yesterday that you managed to send out those last Christmas cards or New Year’s greetings to your most important business contacts? As Valentine’s Day approaches many of you will again send cards and e-mails and extend lunch invitations to express how much you appreciate those same business contacts.

Successful women know how important it is to make time and space to tend and nurture good business relationships, so they make it a priority and do it on a regular basis.

Many of the same smart and successful women, who make a dedicated habit of relationship management at work, are often challenged with how this same principle that helps business relationships to grow and thrive can be implemented into their personal relationships and their busy home life. In response to a survey I conducted on my blogsite, one reader, a busy, successful woman entrepreneur, married to a just as busy, successful business man, asked “How does a couple reconnect when they both come home on a Friday night with their heads stuck in their individual business worlds?”

She made a specific request for tips on speeding up that sometimes awkward transition process from being in work-mode to unwinding back into a couple and family.

First, if you are doing well with your client and business relationships, congratulations; this will be a breeze. You simply use what has proven to work well for you.

Secondly, if you are not doing so well with your business relationships, just apply the same tips to your workplace – except perhaps the “Tic Tac Toe” idea.

Now, it is unlikely that you would burst into your work office and immediately spend the next 45 minutes raving or ranting nonstop about all that went on with your spouse, your children and your family pets.

Taking Care of Your Personal Relationships So much for the foreword, here are the tips for making the weekend transition from work-mode to engaged partner, parent and/or family member and taking care of your personal relationships with (at least) as much attention as your best business partner.

1.

COMMUNICATE Communicate your desire for full presence and engagement with your family. Letting them know that this is important to you because they are important to you, strengthens your commitment to make it happen and encourages their support and participation.

2.

DESIGNATE Allow a specified amount of time for sharing about your work week and agree that after that time has ended, work-related things go into week-end hibernation.

And yet, how often have you come home from work or out of your home-office only to greet your partner (or be greeted) with a recount of your business day or perhaps the whole week, in what feels like real-time?

Avoid trying to simply push things that concern you out of your mind; repression will only lead to those thoughts “pushing back” and sabotaging your best efforts at being in the moment. Try envisioning that you have a specific space for these issues.

You can leave them there and come back when you are ready.

No matter how awesome or how awful your work week was, trust that your significant other, not to mention your children, your cat or your dog, are not really up for reliving it all again.

They want to have you, your focused attention, your complete presence in the moment with them. You know, just the way that you ask them to understand that when you zone-in and focus on important work, you need time for just that. Yes, it’s just like that in reverse.

Of course, it is important to share about your work so that your family knows that by supporting you, they have a role in your success and in your life’s journey. After all, can a truly successful life be built on one-sided business success?

(Yes, I am telling you to put any workrelated thoughts into an imaginary box, bag or on a shelf.)

3.

PLAN Yes, really, have a plan! For some confounding reason, some of the most plan-oriented, project-minded, strategically prepared business people somehow forget that these same wonderful skills can also serve you wonderfully outside of work.

If you want to navigate more smoothly through the work-week to weekend transition, have a plan. For most people, Friday and weekends follow an incredibly

predictable pattern, so use that knowledge and plan ahead. The next Friday, is almost certain to follow. Get everyone involved. Ask your partner and other family members, what they would specifically like to do on Fridays. Be creative in the decision making process: draw ideas from a bowl, roll dice to determine who gets to decide this Friday, play Tic Tac Toe or simply go in roll call order.

4.

RITUALIZE Create a special Friday ritual. Even the best ideas and plans are not viable if there is no space or time reserved for them to happen.

A ritual is simply another kind of plan that you will follow every Friday.

Create a ritual, write it out, hang it on the fridge or send to each family member on their i-devices, e-devices or by smoke signal. Just make sure everyone has it! It might look like this: Our Family Friday Kickoff (beginning at 6:00 p.m. every Friday)

. Meet around the coffee table for a cocktail or milkshakes. (You may decide to designate a rotating

Friday drink master or “host/hostess”, who prepares the drinks and has things ready & waiting or just make as you go. Do what suits your lifestyle. On a personal note, our 12-year old asked for a blender for Christmas, guess who is whipping up the smoothies at our house?! )

. Share the weeks “Highs & Lows” (Depending on the size of your family try 5 to 10 minutes

each. Be sure that each person ends on a high or something for which she is particularly grateful. A great way to get into the weekend mindset is to have each person say what this time together as a couple/ family means to them. At the end of the round each person puts the work/ school week “away” until Monday or some other agreed upon time.)

. Follow the plan ! (Enjoy dinner at home and a rental movie, board game night, going out to dinner, mini-golf, whatever.)

5.

PRACTICE: Keep at it! Now that you have committed yourself to being fully present and engaged while you tend and nurture your personal relationships, allow yourself to enjoy these precious hours- submit to the joy! After a few Fridays, the transition will be so fluid and effortless, you are likely to exit work mode, before you even close your office door.

And remember, February 14th is simply one more opportunity to show some extra love and care to everyone who matters to you!

Denise Banks-Grasedyck is a certified professional coach,

specializing in personal and professional development. An entrepreneur known as the Freedom Fighter for the overcommitted professional helping them regain control of their lives, avoid burnout or recover from it. Visit her website at www.banks-grasedyck.com

Divorced, Single & Surviving “V-Day”

Cards, cupids, hearts and arrows are everywhere we look in the month of February. A holiday made just

By STEPHANIE SALAMEH for couples to express their love, give lots of chocolate, flowers and xoxo’s. When you’re on the path marked “Divorce” this time of the year can be a little too much to bear. Especially if you are still single or you haven’t fully recovered from the devastation.

Wherever you are in the process, this month can trigger all of the pain and emotions that made your heart break. It can be a reminder of what you once had, the fairytale that didn’t have the happy ending and huge in your face reminder that you are now alone.

For me, Valentine’s Day was especially hard. It was that very day in 2007 that I realized something was terribly wrong. There was no “Happy Valentine’s Day Sweetheart”, no candy, dinner plans or gifts. I literally had to check the date to see if it really was the 14th.

In my house it was just like any other day. Well, two days later I found out why. My ex came home late from work and laid it on me.

He was leaving. He wasn’t happy.

There would be no therapy sessions or trying to work it out. It was over!

That was the beginning of the rollercoaster ride that I didn’t buy a ticket for. Someone just put me in the seat, strapped me in and flipped the switch. Off I went….60 miles an hour, wind in my face and trying to catch my breath between the downhills.

After some time, there comes a point when every divorcee longs to get beyond survival mode and wants to start living life again. Once healing has taken place a healthy, amazing new life is very much possible.

Everyone on this journey needs a little inspiration, encouragement and unconditional support. I’d like to give you a little of that now to help you survive this month long love fest.

First, I’d like to share what you should NOT do…

No matter what you might be feeling, DO NOT let your “Inner Crazy Girl” surface. Yes, you heard me, you’re not alone and we all have one. Your “inner crazy girl’ might want to prank call, send crazy text messages or WORSE…do a drive by to check on who the guest of honor is at your ex’s house. Stop her in her tracks. She is CRAZY! She likes to run the show but only gets you in trouble and then you do and say things that you regret. If she starts knocking on your door, simply tell her she is not invited to this party! Now that we have Crazy under control, let’s move on.

Here are 4 things you can do to fill your heart with love all month long.

Show Yourself Some Love 1.

What would you like to do but rarely get

the chance to? Maybe you’d like to get a massage, go to a yoga class, get a facial, or go on a hike. If you’re a single mom struggling to find your place in this new life, I’m sure you have a hard time doing things for yourself without feeling guilty.

Well, my sweet one...this is the month of LOVE. So show yourself a little! Ask a friend to watch the kids while you take a few hours for yourself. If she’s single tell her you will repay the favor. If the kids are with your ex…that’s even better. Now you’re not on a time schedule so ENJOY. Don’t feel guilty about nurturing your spirit and your soul. Only you can do this, and if you don’t do it…no one else will.

Write a Love Letter 2.

If you have children think about what they’ve been

going through. Their little hearts have been broken too. Find some fun paper, ribbons, or stickers and let your cup runneth over.

Poor your heart out! Let them know how much you cherish them and how proud you are that they are your son or daughter.

This love letter is not one they will ever find in the card isle at the store. This is a one and only original from the heart of their mommy. Be in love with your children and share it with them.

If you don’t have children, write a letter to whoever has given you the most support during this time of your life. Maybe that person is your mom, a best friend, a sister, or your dad. Let them know how much their support means to you and how grateful you are to have them in your life. In this day of technology, texting and emails are the typical form of communication. Get personal and write an old fashioned handwritten letter from the heart.

Have a “Do-Over” Dinner Party Make an “I AM” List 3.

4.

I’m sure you’ve made a few new friends on this We find it so easy to put ourselves down. journey or have some friends that are in your same situation.

Especially right now with all the mushy gushy stuff in the air.

Throw a dinner party in honor of your new lives. Yup… NEW LIFE. You may not know it but girlfriend… you get a DO-OVER!

There’s always someone prettier, smarter, fitter, taller, etc…

Decorate the table with pretty flowers, use your fancy wine glasses and toast yourselves for surviving the ride. Don’t get together to trash talk your ex’s or have a pitty party. This dinner party is about moving forward.

Keep in mind, just because they are “all that” does not mean they have it any better than you. Stop comparing you and your life to those around you.

During dinner have each person say out loud at least one thing they are thankful for in their life. You might find some of you will have more than one thing to list.

Then list at least one thing you know for sure you want in your future. Say it out loud. When everyone has expressed their gratitude and shared their vision for their future, raise your glass…CHEERS! What you are grateful for today will come back in abundance tomorrow. The universe loves good vibrations so spend an evening sending them out.

Fall in love with Your Self this month.

Yes, you…your inner self and all that you are!

Use this month lift your own spirit. Start a list at the beginning of the month and list everything you are…

I am beautiful I am smart I am funny I am thoughtful I am a wonderful mother I am strong

Do you have a service or product that would improve the lives of women worldwide ?

If you do, we would love to hear from you!

Email us your name, company and website address, and we will look it over and reach out to you if we feel it’s a good fit.

You get where I’m going?

Read your list every day and as you think of new things add to it. Reading your “I AM” affirmations daily will begin to change any negative thoughts your “inner crazy girl” has been telling you.

If there is something you want to be then go ahead and add it to the list. Maybe you want to have more energy or be debt free. Add it and claim it every day when you read your affirmations out loud.

Y O U R

THOUGHTS become things!

Joel Osteen said in one of his weekly services, “Whatever follows I AM will come looking for you.”

Believe me, I don’t want anything looking for me that I don’t need! So start attracting what you want in your world with a simple “I Am ….”

Before you know it all the candy will have been eaten and you’ll be facing a month of four leaf clovers and little leprechauns.

Know this…YOU are beautiful and perfectly made.

So let your inner beauty shine through.

Fall in love with yourself this Valentine’s Day. That’s a love that will last forever!

Stephanie Salameh

is a Divorce Recovery Life Coach. She specializes in working with women to help heal their heart and recover their life after a divorce.

Stephanie’s intuitive ability allows her to connect with her clients and focus on the area’s that are holding them back from moving forward. Life after divorce can be amazing, sometimes we just need a little inspiration along the way. Visit her at www.simplyyoulivingforward.com

â&#x20AC;&#x153; There is only one page left to write on.

I will fill it with words of only one

I love.

I have loved.

I will love.â&#x20AC;? syllable.

~ Audrey Niffenegger, The Time Traveler's Wife