Happy Friday Dreamers!
I wanted to share a little bit of insight about stepping outside your comfort zone. Enjoy!
P.S. If you have been thinking about signing up for the Unleash Your Personal Power e-course time is running out. We will officially close registration for this round on Monday April 14th, so please get signed up soon! Have a wonderful weekend!
***This week I am so excited to present to you one of the co-creators and teachers of the Unleash Your Personal Power e-course (registration ends April 14th!!!), Felicia Giouzelis. Felicia is not only a powerhouse of knowledge and experience in muscle-testing and Applied Kinesiology, but she is also a beautiful soul with a passion and spark that you can’t help but feel from her with every interaction. You will see what I mean when you read her dream changer post below. I hope you enjoy her story and check out her website for more information about how she changes lives on a daily basis. Take it away Felicia!***
My dream changing moment exploded onto the scene in August 2013. I had spent the past year in a high-profile position within the food service industry 
responsible for several departments in several locations for a company that was rapidly growing. I had revamped all processes and procedures within a year, launched a successful software redevelopment project from the ground up and altered the entire direction that this company was taken and yet, I felt empty inside.
That amount of success took approximately 90 hours per week from my life, it robbed me of my exercise routine, my healthy food choices and even my personal goals and aspirations. I watched myself deteriorate into a person that I no longer knew and I had seen this person before. The workaholic die-hard overachiever that got amazing amounts of work done but lost herself in the process. I try very hard to live without regrets, but if I were to regret any choice it would be the times that I had lost sight of myself.
Before I began that position, I was going through a terrible breakup. Looking back on it now, I realize that the job was an escape for me. I didn’t want to deal with any of the feelings associated with the breakup, so I buried myself in a position that was busy enough to help me escape. I used 90 hours a week as an excuse not to deal with any of the feelings associated with the breakup. By no means was I required to work 90 hours a week. My self-proclaimed undying determination was the reason for the extra hours, or so I thought at the time.
In August 2013, at the culmination of burnout… I lost it! I lost the need to continue working crazy hours, the need to put others before myself and the need to find fulfillment through my job. At the height of burnout, I resigned from my position. The day after my last day of employment, I simply collapsed on every level. My physical body finally had a chance to recover from the self-induced overwork of the past year and all I could do for two months was sleep about 16 hours a day – ironically, the same amount of time I was working each day!
Within a week of leaving, I started to think about what the next chapter of my life would entail. At that moment, I was invited to an advanced class in Applied Kinesiology at a school in New Mexico. The call was too loud for me to ignore it and it felt like I already belonged there. I flew out and was right, I felt instantly connected to the course and the people. It was at that moment that my entire life direction changed and I felt the shift very strongly.
I felt like I had come home.
These days a six-hour workday is about all I can muster and referring to it as a ‘workday’ is a comical statement to me. I have so much fun with applied kinesiology, it feels like I haven’t worked a single day. Being of service to others in healing is by far the most fulfilling part of my life.
Today I lovingly and gratefully reflect on my former position as a required step in my path. Without that intense pressure, I don’t think I would have left the position and found my true calling.
Felicia is determined to live in a world where everyone is healthy, thriving and dis-ease free! As an applied kinesiologist, she’s been applauded by her peers and clients for her ability to explain how the body functions, the root cause of imbalances and how to bring it back into balance holistically – in easy to understand terms. When she’s not working with her amazing clients, you can find her pouring over articles and books about epigenetics at the local park.
Her latest e-course — Unleash your personal power — hits the internet on April 1, 2014 (registration ends April 14th!)
Find out how to bring your body into balance at www.zoiwellness.com or you can reach out to her on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.
It seems the world we live in today involves a ton of black/white issues.
Right vs Wrong
Good vs Bad
Yes vs No
This vs That
There is judgement in every seemingly wrong choice we make and the more we analyze our choices so we won’t make the ‘wrong’ choice, we paralyze ourselves from choosing at all.
Is it just me?
I have lived for far too long trying to make the best choices in all areas of my life that often times result in a ton of stress, strife, and guilt wondering if whatever choice I finally decided on was the right one.
It’s exhausting, draining, and just down right a waste of time.
Lucky for me, I am learning this lesson as I put it more into practice.
The truth of life is there are no wrong choices, in anything. There are simply choices that will lead you down one path or another. Forks in the road that may lead to amazing experiences, lessons, and gifts you wouldn’t have experienced otherwise. Winding roads that may not make for a direct route to your dreams, but will deliver you to other dreams you hadn’t even thought of.
That is life.
And what a beautiful life it is.
You see, as far as your dreams are concerned, there are no wrong choices, bad times, poor actions, or failure. There are simply choices that will help you and your dreams evolve. There are paths that may send you into a forest of lessons, magic, miracles, and connections you never thought possible. Each step you take will move you further along your path and each step will be perfect in its own right. There are no wrong turns or choices. There are just turns and choices that will move you along your path.
I say all of this to remind you that your dreams will grow, evolve, and change shape at times and everything that happens is perfect for YOU. So sit back, relax, and make choices based on what feels right for you and know that even if it doesn’t bring you the outcome you first desired, that doesn’t mean it’s wrong or bad. It’ just is what it is…another step, another lesson, another choice point for you in life.
When you take the emotional charge and judgement of right/wrong and good/bad and this/that, things not only feel easier, but your path will unfold in a more beautiful, flowing, and perfect way.
Remember everything is working out for you right here, right now.
Do you find yourself hanging onto right/wrong choices? If so, what do you feel if you accept every step as perfect in all ways? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
Another theme I keep coming across in my own life and the lives of my clients is self-care. More specifically how difficult it is to invest the time, money, and space to really support ourselves in the way we need.
Is self-care a pain point for you?
Do you often find yourself overly exhausted, worried, frustrated, or saying ‘yes’ to everyone else but yourself?
It’s time to stop all that nonsense and begin investing in yourself.
I know there are a million reasons not to do it and to be honest, the ones I hear the most comes down to money and time.
We all have money stuff. We either believe there isn’t enough or what we have is all we will ever make, but that’s not true. There is plenty to go around and investing in yourself is one of the best ways to bring more into your life. Sounds a bit backwards I know, but when you are stressed, frustrated, angry, and living in a mindset of lack, do you find you are met with even more lack? It’s likely you are. But, what if you took some time for yourself to relax a bit. Get a massage, treat yourself to a manicure, purchase a course that can change your life, or hire a coach to help you reach the next level of your dreams? Wouldn’t that feel good?
At first the thought of spending money on things that aren’t ‘needs’ can scare the pants off some people and create anxiety especially if money seems to be a bit tighter than usual. And while I am not a ‘money coach’ per se, I do a lot of work with my clients on their money stuff because it’s a part of the beliefs and blocks that hold us back. Our relationship with money can be quite stressed depending on how we grew up, what we were taught, and the messages we heard and in turn believed about it. The same goes for spending money on seemingly frivolous things.
The truth is that investing in yourself is not frivolous or irresponsible. It is a necessary part of self-care and life in general. We aren’t here to simply survive and live paycheck to paycheck or to scrimp and save every penny we have. We are supposed to enjoy life, feel good, and take care of ourselves, but I often find some people just aren’t ready to take the leap. If that is you, then I invite you to start small.
Treat yourself to coffee every once in a while if that is your thing. Or go buy a good book that you have been dying to read and know that it’s OK to invest in yourself. And should you find yourself wondering about hiring a coach or enrolling in a course that is calling to you, do it!
There are always reasons not to invest in yourself and your dreams. Money is tight, the car might need fixing, the kids college fund needs to be bigger, or you just don’t believe it will make a difference, but I assure you that you will be better off if and when you do.
I am not asking you to dump your responsibilities and quit your job to invest in yourself, but I am asking you to get in touch with what you really want and need right now and allow your intuition to guide you. I believe wholeheartedly in the powers of the Universe guiding us to the people, articles, books, quotes, tools etc. that we need in the moment so you being here is not a fluke. Listen with your heart and get busy enjoying this amazing gift we have called life!
You know what’s funny? I get many of the same complaints and excuses when it comes to the time factor too. There seems to never be enough time to invest in yourself, but the truth is you just haven’t made it a priority. I invite you to make yourself, your self-care, your growth, and your dreams a priority. The world needs to see your light shine and you deserve to live a life of excitement, abundance, and joy.
So I ask you, what can you do right now to invest in yourself?
***It’s time for another inspiring and beautiful Dream Changer piece. This story is remarkable and will leave you to wonder about what synchronistic moments are waiting to shape the rest of your life. For K.S. Takagaki it was a simple stroll around town that led her to a home that would change the rest of her life. Read, enjoy, and be inspired!***
A meeting of souls
K.S. Takagaki, Ebisu’s Kyoto International House
When I first came to Kyoto, I walked everywhere. Kyoto is an amazing city for walking because of the huge number of temples and shrines, some large and some tiny, scattered across the city. It is interesting just to watch people rushing to work, cleaning the road in front of their houses, hanging futon out the windows to dry, or cycling to the shops with kids strapped into the child seats of their bicycles. Not to mention seeing the Kyoto Imperial Palace, Nijo Castle, Momoyama Castle, the university campuses, the changes wrought by the seasons, the different styles of houses and gardens, the Kamo River, the mountains, and the Yoshida hillside. It was an experience to be savored because I had come to Japan on a working holiday and, I thought, would be leaving after one year. Even though it felt like “home” to me.
One day, I decided to walk around Yoshida, the shrine, neighborhood, and hill just to the east of Kyoto University. Heading into a maze of impossibly narrow streets, I spied a set of stone steps leading up the hill. Of course I climbed them just to see where they went.
Then I saw it. On a small landing almost at the top of the hill was an old, abandoned house. Some paper had been blown against the front by the wind, the garden was overgrown, and the windows were dusty. It seemed somehow sad and alone. For all of that, I was really drawn to it. There was something promising in it and I felt my fate was intertwined with that house. I even talked to it! I said, “You are a beautiful house. You won’t be empty for much longer. I have a feeling that you will be my house.” I really didn’t know how this could be possible since I was due to leave the country in less than a year.
Fifteen years later, I was married. We had been looking around for a house we might be able to buy to live in, but we hadn’t found anything that we liked. One day, walking past the real estate agency, we saw a new listing for an old house on the mountain. It was on an enormous (for Japan) parcel of land, but there were no details about the house itself. We went in to ask about it, and the real estate agent said that the open house would be the next day and he could take us
there then. We asked for the location, and he gave us a general idea. We walked up just to look at the outside. I was wondering even then if this was the same house. It turned out that it was! Another realtor was having a showing, so we walked through. We loved it, even though it was too big for two people. It had eleven rooms plus the kitchen and two toilets. The bath area was outside and obviously needed a more modern (and indoors) solution. It was really run down. But it was obviously the house we wanted to buy.
On the walk home, we did the math to see if we could afford to buy and fix it up. We realized that it would be a wonderful group house or guesthouse. We went directly to the real estate agent and told him we were interested, and made an offer. The deal was completed, the repairs done, the house outfitted with everything it needed to make our guests welcome, and Ebisu’s Kyoto International Guesthouse was opened for guests who are visiting Kyoto for a month or more.
Over the years, the people we’ve met through the house have enriched our lives more than we can say. Now there are babies being born from relationships that started in Kyoto. We get emails, cards, and letters with their precious photographs and updates on their growth. We hear about everyone’s lives and careers. Our old guests come back and stay with us when they are in town. The Ebisu’s Kyoto family keeps expanding. And the house is no longer lonely or sad.
I really had no idea when I first saw the house that this would be the result of our meeting. This house, although built long before I was born, was meant to be ours. If feel that very strongly each and every day.
Some people need to follow their passion. Some people need to follow their hearts. I needed to listen to my soul.
For more information about this beautiful space you can check out the Ebisu’s Kyoto website.