SPARK Your Way to Bliss

A few months ago, along with my friend, Tamara Stone, I took this amazing online workshop called "SPARK" through the Cosmic Cowgirls University. You can't tell me that name isn't totally blissful. Riding through the "Cosmos" is what I feel I've been doing ever since I started that course. Everyday offered a new challenge to awaken that piece of imagination that had laid dormant for a long time. Not only that, the connections made through the group and program will add a joyous "SPARK" to my life for years to come.

It begins with a simple "SPARK", a tiny focus, and a small commitment (or big, you'll decide) to honor that focus for 30 days. The course offers daily challenges that continuously fuel your creativity and feed your soul. I won't give away SPARK creator, Shiloh Sophia's secrets - I will tell you that since I finished the course I've simultaneously started 3 new books, finished 2, collaborated and created an all new online business workshop that will be launching in a couple of weeks, taken a 2 day energy healing workshop, and brought in 3 new web clients and 2 publishing clients. The bonus is, I'm still getting more "me" time and family time than ever.

On June 1, 2010 Cosmic Cowgirls University is offering another 30-day SPARK. I'm thinking of joining in one more time, with a fresh perspective and an open heart. Who knows where I'll end up - Want to SPARK your own creativity and see what star you might land on? Visit Cosmic Cowgirls University and register today. Nietzsche said, "You must have chaos within you to give birth to a dancing star." Let's do the bliss dance!

Detroit Lotus Sangha Kicks Butt!

With "no smoking in restaurants" comes a stinky little problem - more cigarette butts on the streets where restaurants and bars are located. Smokers are now gathering outside, on the streets, tossing their butts all over. That's a big "Yuck" to me!

Two weeks ago the Detroit Lotus Sangha in Ferndale, of which I am gratefully part of, decided to step outside with trash bags in hand (gloved hands, for sure) and clean up Downtown Ferndale. Wow! What a great way to start the day. It was a beautiful, sunny morning as we walked up, down, and around 9 Mile Road picking up trash and butts. Although the City of Ferndale does a great job of maintaining a lovely appearance, with more folks spending time outside, it's a challenge to keep up with it all. We felt so much joy in seeing the beauty of our efforts.

From that simple act of connecting with both our community and nature, the group at the Detroit Lotus Sangha has decided it will continue "kicking butt" by participating in additional clean ups throughout the year. Want to join us? Check out the website, DetroitLotusSangha.com or stop in on a Sunday Morning to see what we are all about. In the meantime, next time you are out walking, put on a pair of gloves, grab a trash bag, and pick up a few pieces of trash along the way. If everyone pitches in once in a while, we can make a huge difference.

Oh, and here's an idea for the folks at Rosie O'Grady's and Cantina Diablo, who do such a wonderful job of keeping their surroundings clean and tidy; send one of your team members up and down 9 mile, for just 15 minutes, picking up the trash - you'll do a tremendous service to your community and share a lot of good will!

Here's to a blissful journey!

P.S. Here's a great link, provided by my hubby, on more ways to consciously save the planet...Tricycle Mag

A Positive Attitude Is No Accident

Last night Jeff and I did our semi weekly visit to Costco. Before we could even get through the door a stranger yelled from across the entrance, “Hey, did you see what was on Fox 2 this morning regarding politics?”

We looked around to see who she was talking to. Among the 10 to 15 people around us, she was talking to us. Why she singled us out is for my friend Lori Lipten to answer, not me. (That’s another blog.)

Anyway, for whatever reason she needed to chat with us. And boy did we chat! After briefly answering her question, she changed the subject completely and started to share her story - that she LOVED LIFE and people; how her will to live and appreciate life was more important than ever; that life, every minute, was to be celebrated. (My kind of woman, for sure – party at Costco!)

Digging through her wallet while chatting she whipped out a card that had a picture of this crazy apparatus. It was a titanium cage inside a chest cavity, her chest cavity. Not only that, her neck and spine had similar implants. Why? Because a couple of years ago she was involved in a nearly fatal accident that left her lying in a ditch on the side of the road. The driver of the other vehicle was talking on her cell phone when she lost control of her car and hit my new friend head on. (Wonder why we have the “no cell phone laws”? Wonder no more. Pay attention to your driving folks!)

To make a long story short, as the saying goes, what got her through and why she believes she is here today is more than a positive attitude. It was her “will to live, love of life, power of faith and a whole lot of energy!” Boy did she have great energy! Once again I am reminded of the incredible power of life! At 67 years young this woman had more enthusiasm and joy than many young people I know. She was determined to be “here” on her terms, living her bliss no matter what it took!

I am so thankful that out of the many, many people in that parking lot she chose to share her story with Jeff and me! Her spark reaffirms the power of life and choosing to live your bliss. As I stood in that parking lot, laughing and crying with her, I could feel love pouring into each word she spoke.

Today my message is pretty simple. Like my new friend, choose to love where you are now and be in your bliss. There’s no better time to be alive than this moment…forget the past and let go of the future, "A Positive Attitude Is No Accident."

Oh, and when you jump in your car, TURN YOUR PHONES OFF.
Be protective of your way of life and those around you. We all deserve it!

Energy is evertything

In two months my son will be 21. Wow…I’m already getting nostalgic. The greatest gifts I have ever received are the gifts of my children. They are both truly amazing young adults; both are kind, caring, intelligent, loving adults who go out of their way to make life better for others. Their futures are bright and beautiful! Their energy radiates out to all.

When my son was only 2 years old he had a life changing accident. He doesn’t really remember it, but it altered the path of my life forever. He fell and incurred a compound fracture on his left elbow. When I picked him up, his arm was dangling at the elbow and the bones were sticking out of his skin. Hours later, after his surgery, the orthopedic surgeon said he would never obtain full mobility of his arm, even after extensive surgery and physical therapy. It was heart wrenching to see a baby, my baby, go through that.

The following day as I was sitting on my porch a stranger walked by, stopped to chat, and proceeded to gently wave his hands over my sons elbow. He asked me about his injury. Through many tears, I shared the story – the whole time he kept passing his hands back and forth above his cast. Sometime during that conversation, he mentioned that he worked for Focus Hope and had just returned from a trip to India where he studied an ancient form of energy healing. He went on to say that he was using the technique on my son. At 20 something, I have to say it freaked me out a little, but since I was open to many things I simply sat and watched.

Weeks later the surgeon took X-rays and said it looked like he was healing fine so another surgery was done; they took the cast off and removed the pins that held the elbow in place. We had to wait another two weeks for my son’s follow up appointment and, at that time, were supposed to schedule physical therapy. On the morning of the appointment, we were waiting in the exam room for the doctor. Like any two year old, he was all over the place. When the doctor walked in, my son was hanging from a bar, with his arm FULLY EXTENDED! The doctor was shocked, literally had to sit down for a second to catch his breath. He began to speak, quietly, saying, “It’s a miracle. He has 90% mobility in that arm, with seemingly no pain. As far as I’m concerned he doesn’t need any further treatment.” Of course, I cried. Miracle, energy healing, whatever it was, I was beyond thankful for his recovery.

So began my journey into alternative healing methods, including energy healing. I’ve been studying and practicing various forms for almost 19 years now. Why am I sharing this now? Next weekend I will be taking the Level 1 Healing Workshop on Pranic Healing with my friend Rose Fritsch, through the Pranic Healing teachings of Grand Master Choa Kok Sui. Prana is your life force and Pranic Healing is a simple, powerful form of energy healing based on the body’s ability to heal itself. In my opinion, energy is all things and each one of us has the ability to heal ourselves and others. You can see a video on the subject on the Bliss Networkers page of my website. There’s also a schedule of free intro classes and workshops on The Bliss Network Events page. Take a look and visit one of the lectures or come take the workshop with me…It just might change the course of your life, too!

Take time to pamper yourself!

Lately I've been practicing slowing down, breathing, and listening to what my body needs, instead of what everyone else needs. I realize it's hard for many of you to believe that I might actually slow down - I really do! Don't get me wrong, I'm still tuned in to helping those I can, I just decided to practice what I preach and take care of "me" first by indulging in "me" time.

Ok, so this is a little personal, but here goes! One thing I love is taking a bath or getting in a hot tub. I don't get to do it very often so I look to make it as soothing as possible. Last month I ordered 'Serenity Bath Salts' from Silky Cosmetics'. Wow, was I in for a treat. The incredible combination of natural peppermint and lavender oils is both relaxing and rejuvenating at the same time. MMMM the moment you open the jar you know you are in for something special. The aroma lingers in the air and on your skin long enough to keep you feeling like you've just visited the Spa. Not only have I used it in my bath, it sits on my desk as a reminder to breathe and slow down. Anytime I feel overly stressed I simply open the jar and inhale the relaxing, soothing scent. For me, it's like a witches brew, casting a calming spell over me that lasts for days. Bonus: my skin feels just like it should, silky smooth from head to toe.

What grabbed my attention with these products is that they are 100% vegan, 100% natural, contain no Parabens or synthetics, and are NEVER tested on animals! At my age, it's more important than ever to use products that are not going to cause more damage than good to both my skin and the environment.

Want to treat yourself to a little pampering? (It's ok to be selfish once in a while. It's good for your soul.) Grab a jar of the Serenity Bath Salt, light a few candles, turn on a little soft music and indulge in a few moments of bliss. Oh, did I say bliss? You might want to try their "Bliss Buttery Body Cream”, I hear it's blissilicious!

Bliss ON!!

What do Fox 2 News and The Bliss Network have in common?

Watch the video or read below.
(Be sure to add the promo code BLISS to your PostEgram order!)


We both love PostEGram! That's right...My friend Judy Davids, CEO of PostEgram was on Fox 2 News this morning. Here's The Bliss Networks' story:

On Saturday my mom received her first PostEgram. What's that? That's exactly what she asked? When she opened the newsletter - she was in for a real treat!

PostEgram makes it possible for those without a computer or the desire to socially network online, like my mom, to keep in touch with their loved ones. PostEgram uses an application on Facebook® Platform that gives users the ability to transform their personal updates and photos into a full-color printed newsletter which is then delivered to directly to your doorstep.

And that's exactly what happened on Saturday. My mom received her first PostEgram - A real, live, color newspaper with updates from some of her favorite people: her children and her grandchild, oh and some of their friends, too, like Conner Barwin of the Houston Texans NFL Team. Yes, mom says if she were only 50 years younger!

Ok, back to PostEgram.

My mom was so excited about the newsletter. She said, "It was the most endearing gift she had received in a long time." After looking at it for over a half hour, she set it by her coffee cup so she could pick it up every few hours and take a look photo's, again, taken right from the pages of her families Facebook pages. There were pictures and updates from her great grand childrens parties, updates from recent trips her grandchildren took and updates from her own children, who she doesn't get to see or talk to as much as she'd like.

This year for Mother's Day, I ordered her a one year subscription to PostEgram. Every month, she'll get updates and photo's in the form of a newsletter. I get to pick who's updates are included and what to include. She'll see notes about their everyday activities. Even though she's not on Facebook and doesn't see her family often, she'll have something tangible to remind her of how connected to her them she really is, as well as be updated on what's happening in their lives.

This Mother's the best present for MOM is a PostEgram. You can order yours today at: PostEgram.com Be sure to Enter the word BlISS in the promo code. You'll be gifting a truly "BLISS FULL" gift.

Bliss ON!!

The Business of Blissness

Let’s face it, in today’s economy one may be overwhelmed by the projected outlook our media portrays. As the unemployment and foreclosure rates increase, so do feelings of fear and inadequacy in many people. Although we may have had a strong business plan, we didn’t account for the ineptness of the “economists” on Wall Street that encouraged Americans to get in over their heads, without a life preserver. What do you do to stay afloat? Change your attitude and follow your Blissness Plan, instead of your business plan.

What’s a Blissness Plan? It’s your blueprint for creating more joy in your life, including your business, defined as:

1. Lifelong plan for bliss: path to happiness
2. The “who, what, when, where, why and how” to achieve more bliss in your life.

The Blissness Plan includes 12 action steps to take, most of which we already know, yet don’t think to include in our daily practice. These steps are easily and effortlessly applied to your business. If you haven’t downloaded your free copy, visit TheBlissNetwork.com, click the Blissness Plan link and get yours today.

I grew up in an average, middle class family. My mom’s job was raising six children. She was the Project Manager, CFO, Hospitality Team Leader, Food and Beverage Manager, Travel Coordinator and so much more. My father, on the other hand, was the “bread winner.” He left the house most mornings at 6:00 a.m., car pooling with colleagues, to save money and get to his office by 7:30. Because he was very active with the UAW, some days he didn’t get home until well after bedtime. Like many Americans, he believed in “The Dream”, he believed in our right to “Life, Liberty and The Pursuit of Happiness.” Isn’t that what we all work for? I know I do.

The Blissness Plan is a practice designed to help everyone in their “Pursuit of Happiness.” Each step can easily be incorporated into your business. For example, Month 5 is creating a Gratitude Journal. This month not only did I write in my gratitude journal, I practiced a gratitude meditation every morning for five minutes, as soon as I sat in my office chair. Before I even looked at my Planner (My Blissness Planner) or turned on my laptop,I practiced with these steps:

Closed my eyes
Took three deep breaths
Thanked everything and everyone I could think of, associated with my
business, and more
Visualized what prosperity and abundance feel like
Took three more deep breaths and moved on!

Sounds pretty basic, right? You’ve heard it before, “practice gratitude and your life expands in more ways than you can possibly imagine.” Mine has! I’ve added two new workshops, two new clients, and two new E Books to my business this month! The Bliss Network is thankfully being visited by over 30,000 people in 53 different countries! Woo Hoo…So, join me in the “What’s Your Blissness?” Group on the CremeMagnolia.net’s Business Networking site this week and I’ll share a few more strategies on how I move from Business to Blissness by incorporating these steps in my own business!

Bliss ON!!